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Published: Friday, May 12, 2006, SEATTLE TIMES

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Plant Life - Take if Easy
There's pleasure in our garden work, if we think smart and slow down

Valerie Easton

WHY DO MEN get the projects while women weed? Is it because we're so practiced at laundry and cooking that our expertise at the daily and the mundane just follows us right out the door? I wish it wasn't so and I'm sure in some families it isn't but most of the women I talk with are the ones who water the pots, coil the hoses, pull the weeds and deadhead the roses.

OK, I'll admit that part of this is because our husbands/partners/significant others somehow just don't seem to see the hose trailing across the patio, the drooping flowers thirsting for water or the horsetails waving their plumy heads. But why don't they? Are we born with a special gene that reduces our tolerance for disorder? Or are the guys just more clever than we are, knowing full well that we'll capitulate to our need for order, and tidy up . . . again.

Until we evolve past our need to take care of everything all the time, here are a few maintenance tips to simplify the garden routine:

Soaker hoses are a girl's best friend. Wind them through borders, bury them in mulch, leave the end in an obvious spot, and hook up a hose when the weather gets dry. This way you don't have to deal with sprinklers, and water is delivered right to the plant's roots where it's needed, rather than dissolving in air or landing on foliage where moisture can cause disease problems.

Mulch is a multitasker, especially if you use a product with well-composted manure, such as Cedar Grove's Booster Blend or Whitney Farms' Garden Mulch. Don't worry about cleaning up every bit of messy debris left over from fall or winter. When you spread a blanket of fluffy brown mulch it'll cover up any number of sins (just be sure to pick up and destroy any diseased leaves before putting down the mulch). The manure feeds the plants, while the mulch improves the soil. It keeps plant's roots cool, slows water evaporation and helps smother the weeds.

Don't buy any garden boots you can't easily slip off by pushing on them with your other foot. "It may seem a small thing," says a gardening friend, "but I don't wear anything I can't kick off." You just don't feel like bending over one more time at the end of a long day of gardening, or when you run into the house for a restorative cup of tea.

Cover up your clothes with an old pair of rubber fisherman's overalls so you can work on your knees without getting dirty or wet. Make sure they're a roomy size so you don't even notice you're wearing them over sweats or jeans.

Tarps are your second-best friend. Keep large, sturdy ones on hand, and chuck everything you pull or cut onto them. This way you never have to go back and clean up after yourself. Fold or roll up the tarp and drag it to the compost pile or dump load.

Consider wisely before you buy any plant, because you'll be taking care of it for years. Think dwarf, think evergreen, and be realistic about plants that grow large or need annual cutting back. And remember, if plants are so prolific or fast growing that they need a prairie fire every year to look their best, give them a pass.

Do yourself a favor and buy tools with rubber handles. What a difference it makes not to grasp cold metal or rough wood. If you choose ones with brightly colored grips, they'll be easy to find when you leave them lying about, as you're inevitably led from one task to another.

Never rush, and stop when you're tired. This is when you make mistakes and/or hurt yourself. Despite the repetitiveness of the tasks, there is pleasure to be found in working the soil, feeling the sun and breeze. When you're hasty, weary or distracted, you still have all the toil but none of the joy. Slow down, find a rhythm to the work, and soak up the living garden around you.

Valerie Easton is a Seattle freelance writer and contributing editor for Horticulture magazine. Her e-mail address is valeaston@comcast.net. Michelle Kumata is a Seattle Times news artist.

Copyright 2006 The Seattle Times Company