I have lived where I am now for about 5 years and it has been a real chore trying to garden. The plots where the houses are built were bulldozed to clear trees and the topsoil was taken as a result. Getting red clay to do what you want it to do is not the easiest thing in the world. Every time I see a tree service working on a yard nearby, I roll down my window and ask where they will be taking the mulch. Most companies have to pay to take it to the landfill, so they are glad just to come a few miles and drop it off at my house. I let it sit until the next season while it composts. My neighbors love me! :)
The only thing that I don't like about the area that I garden is the pests. Deer tend to like roses and I have to surround them with plants that deer don't like. Another problem is black widow spiders. I have gardened all of my life and I never recall seeing a place with the number of black widows around here. The other day I took one of the roses that I had rooted from a cutting out of the pot. This black widow came running across my hand but didn't stop to take a bite. I can't get away with not using gloves from here on out. Really bad what black widows can do to you. You can only take the anti-venom once in your life, or so I am told. I was also told that copperheads were really numerous in this area before all of the houses were built. I don't like snakes. So I keep a really sharp lookout for copperheads and cottonmouths. They are the only poisonous snakes that we have around here. They are on my mind when I mow for the most part.
Anyway, I plan to make use of some pretty unorthodox gardening techniques this year to keep me out of the brush as much as possible. I hopefully will have something to share if it is successful. The first flush of roses should start in about a week or so. Most of them are pretty small right now, but I hope to post some pictures when they start. Until then, sleep tight! Don't let the spiders bite!
