Garden Siren Call

    Pounds of pollen recently collected on the driveway; part of the debris from American Linden trees that line the space. It was swept up and deposited elsewhere.      It could be that Mother Nature is trying to send a message, as odd as that may sound.             When we Eastern Iowa gardeners try to work outdoors, she often, lately, sends rain. This enthusiastic gardener generally loves when it rains, but ...  The timing is hilarious on one hand but frustrating in another.     Picky? You bet. One example of this is driveway upkeep. Our driveway is lined by three large American Linden trees.  I like to keep the driveway fairly tidy.     This necessitates the use of a blower, brooms, and a place for debris. A lot of debris comes from these tall, stately trees.     The American Linden, first cultivated in 1752, grows 60 feet tall or more. It is beautifully shaped and was ...

      Seven yards -- the equivalent of 95 bags of mulch -- were delivered by truck on May 20 and carefully dumped in the driveway.      Mulch, mulch, everywhere with no bare soil to see...     That's our yard, which is about an acre in size and has something like 13 gardens. These gardens are surrounded by large cobblestones which hold the fresh mulch, every year.     I ordered seven yards to be delivered by truck and dumped in a big pile in our driveway. We drove our cars around the pile for a couple of weeks before it was diminished enough to shovel remaining mulch off the concrete.       It was delivered on May 20 and I finally finished up the pile June 11-12. Some excess has been stored on our property.     It is an investment but the benefits are clear:      1.  Mulch makes it harder for those hated weeds to grow because it reduces sunlight available to them.     2. It...