September 14, 2004
Floating Lotus
South Haven artist Nancy Endres created this paradise for relaxation and meditation. It is here on the edge of this pond that Nancy sculpts figures that will eventually be bronzed and placed in her garden.
How does Nancy create a lovely lush lawn? Keep reading.
Zoie's Garden continued
“Burning leaves is like burning dollar bills;” say Nancy Endres, an avid South Haven gardener and artist.
People will soon be blowing or raking their leaves, bagging them and setting them out to be carted away to a landfill. Endres says that is like throwing money away.
“It’s very important to get the leaves off your lawn in the fall,” she says. . “But don’t throw them away. Use them to mulch flower beds to protect them against frost.”
Enders’ lush lawn surrounds and winds through her personal paradise which she calls Zoie’s Garden. Zoie means life in Greek.
In that space she has created a pond with floating lotus flowers next to colorful plants of all varieties and meditative nooks and crannies with rocks and sculpture. She finds it a perfect place to stroll around, meditate and create her art. But the garden itself is her continuous work of art inn progress.
The lawn is part of this artistic tapestry which requires loving care to keep it thick and healthy. She is now getting ready to prepare the lawn for the cold months ahead by applying a winterizing fertilizer with a pre-emergent weed killer. Fertilizing the grass in September and October will foster the last spurt of new growth before winter. She has a feeding schedule that keeps her lawn beautiful from spring until fall.
In the late spring, she fertilizes the grass with a product that contains a weed killer to get rid of the broadleaf weeds such as dandelions and clover. She cuts the grass and waters it regularly. Water deeply and don’t water during the day because the sun rays on the water act like a magnifier and will burn it, she says. Early morning is the best time to water grass. Don’t cut more than half of the growth, she advises. If the grass grows long, cut it high. Mulching mowers are best. If you don’t have a mulching mower, it is important to remove the grass cuttings from the lawn.
Endres says she has areas which are clay where the lawn is sparse. In these sections, she adds sphagnum pete moss. Ideally, you should mix sphagnum pete moss with the soil before you seed it, Endres also fertilizes her lawn in midsummer.
In June and July, she takes defensive action against the ubiquitous grub, the larvae stage of the Japanese beetle. Endres warns that you have to be mindful when using chemicals on your lawn to kill these beetles. Be sure to put it on the flower beds as well. Moles eat grubs. If chemicals are applied to the lawn only, it will drive the moles into the flower beds.
If you don’t want to use chemicals on your lawn, there is another way to take care of grass that is simpler, cheaper and safe for you, your animals and the environment. The natural way of taking care of a lawn requires feeding it only twice a season with compost-- once in the spring and one in the summer. The advice regarding the natural way comes from Vikke Andersen, a South Haven garden designer who takes her cues from Donald W. Trotter, author of “The Complete Natural Gardener.’ The compost can come from a composting lawn mower or can be purchased at garden centers. Trotter’s book says, winterize the lawn by adding minerals only. The most important thing you can do for your lawn or plants in general is improve the soil.
To fertilize or not to fertilize in the fall is not a question for Andersen. She recommends not fertilizing the lawn or anything else in the fall because it stimulates lawn growth and the tender new grass is susceptible to tissue damage from frost. The fall is also a good time to seed a lawn because the ground will be receiving moisture from rain and snow.
In short, if you want beautiful grass in the spring, get the leaves off the lawn now. The question of whether to fertilize or not depends on which method you choose, conventional or the natural. With either way, it’s possible to have a lovely lush lawn next spring.
Fin
Posted by Kristin at September 14, 2004 01:15 PM
Comments
I am a longtime fan of Nancy's garden. Be sure to watch for a big article in next spring's Midwest Living that features her incredible green thumb and the garden of eden she has created. Thanks for the
mention of this gorgeous place. I believe Nancy is opening it for public tours next year when her gallery opens. Don't miss it!
Posted by: Elaine at September 21, 2004 01:02 PM