Gardening
Tips for Designing and Maintaining a Low-Maintenance Garden
Snip-n-drip irrigation systems apply water directly where it is needed and fit any garden planted in rows.
Photo courtesy of Gardener's Supply Company/gardeners.com
Don't let your spring garden enthusiasm lead to overplanting and the creation of a summer gardening nightmare. A design with maintenance in mind and some strategic care can help reduce the time you spend managing your gardens and landscape.
Consider using fewer plant species when designing perennial flowerbeds. Increase the number of each to boost the visual impact of the garden and reduce maintenance. You'll have fewer species to manage, identify and differentiate from the weeds as they emerge in spring.
Select plants suited to the growing conditions and that do not require deadheading and staking. Avoid pest- and disease-prone plants as well as those that quickly multiply and overtake neighboring plants and the garden bed.
Design garden beds with gentle curves and avoid tight spaces that limit access and will make managing the surroundings difficult. Make sure all parts of the garden can easily be reached for planting, weeding, harvesting, and care. Add a path of wood chips or a few steppers, like Leaf Stepping Stones, to large garden beds as needed for easier access.
Reduce watering needs by growing plants suited to your area's normal rainfall. Group moisture-loving plants together to minimize the amount of water used and time spent watering. Enlist the help of soaker hoses or drip irrigation like the Snip-n-Drip Soaker system (gardeners.com) when watering is needed. This irrigation system applies water to the soil where needed and can be cut with scissors to fit any garden that is planted in rows.
Reduce watering frequency, suppress weeds, and improve the soil with the help of organic mulches like leaves, evergreen needles, and wood chips. You'll gain multiple benefits with this one task. Spread a one- to two-inch layer of mulch over the soil surface. Pull it away from tree trunks, shrub stems and off the crowns of flowering plants and vegetables. The finer the mulch material, the thinner the layer of mulch you'll need.
Slow the infiltration of grass and weeds into garden beds and eliminate the need to hand trim with a bit of edging. Use a shovel to dig a V-shaped trench around the perimeter of the garden edge. Fill this with the same mulch used in your flowerbed to create a mowing strip around the garden bed.
Join forces with neighbors and rent an edging machine for the day or weekend. These machines can make it easier and quicker to accomplish this task. With a shared rental, you all save money and no one has to maintain and store the equipment.
Keep tools handy to save time and energy spent retrieving forgotten tools from the shed or garage. Weather-proof garden tool bags with multiple compartments make it easy to organize, store and carry hand tools, plant tags, gloves, and other small items to the garden. Or store them right where they are needed. Convert an old mailbox or invest in a small storage container like the waterproof Galvanized Garden Tool Storage Box. Mount it on the end of a raised bed, fence, or post to keep small tools, gloves, safety glasses, and more in a handy location.
Use carts, wagons, or a gardener's summer sled when moving large or heavy loads. You'll be able to accomplish the move with fewer trips and less muscle strain.
Take time this season to implement a few of these strategies. A few changes can save you time that you can instead spend relaxing, enjoying, or adding more gardens.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener's Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses "How to Grow Anything" DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda's Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Gardener's Supply for her expertise to write this article. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Antiques
Cast Iron Banks
Punch and Judy cast iron mechanical bank
Photo courtesy of Wayne Tuiskula
Almost everyone had a piggy bank growing up, learning the value of saving money in a fun way. Children in the late 19th century saved their change in a cast iron bank.
Cast iron banks had their heyday from 1869 to either 1910 or 1930, depending on the source. Cast iron banks came as either mechanical banks or still banks. Still banks are simpler and feature a slot where you place the money (typically a coin). Mechanical banks have a mechanism that creates motion in order to move the coin from where it was placed into a coin slot. For example, the "Trick Dog" mechanical bank has a barrel on the left, a dog on the right, and a clown holding a hoop in the middle. When you place a coin in the dog's mouth, the dog springs forward through the clown's hoop and drops the coin into the barrel. It's a good example of a mechanical bank but worth mentioning that it's also very heavily reproduced, and I often see modern reproductions at flea markets.
The original cast iron mechanical bank was made in our area. John Hall of Watertown, MA created the Hall's Excelsior bank in 1869. The bank is shaped like a bank building with a string next to the door. When the string is pulled, a monkey cashier pops up from under the cupola on the bank roof. When a coin is placed on the monkey's desk, the coin's weight pulls the monkey back down as the coin drops into the bank.
One of the biggest manufacturers of cast iron banks also has a local connection. J. & E. Stevens was formed by John and Elisha Stevens in Cromwell, CT in 1843. They planned to make cast iron hardware, hammers, and a few toys. They created a toy firecracker piston in 1859 and focused more on other toys such as cannons and locomotives, along with stoves and furniture marketed to girls. J & E Stevens manufactured Hall's Excelsior bank in 1869. The company produced over 300 different models of mechanical banks between 1869 and 1890, according to connecticuthistory.org.
To find out if your bank is valuable, you should first determine whether it is a copy or original antique. You can buy a brand new "Design Toscano Canterbury Tales Chanticleer Rooster Cast Iron Mechanical Bank" on Amazon for $32.90. During the 1950s, the Book of Knowledge also reproduced copies of antique originals to help sell their encyclopedias. You can look at old banks at shows, shops, and museums to see the difference in detail with an antique bank compared to modern copies.
If you do in fact have an original cast iron bank, it can be very valuable. All in the last month, a Santa at Chimney Cast Iron Mechanical Bank made by Shepard Hardware Company sold for $950, a J & Stevens Hen & Chicks cast iron mechanical bank brought $1,000, and a J & E Stevens Cat & Mouse cast iron mechanical bank went for $1,200.
Some rare banks can bring up to five- and even six-figure sums. A J & E Stevens 1893 Chicago Columbian World's Fair bank with Columbus, the Santa Maria, and a Native American and Buffalo sold for over $45,000 in 2011. Another J & E Stevens Shoot the Chute mechanical bank depicting a carnival chute boat ride bank brought $130,000 in February 2021. A record was set when a J & E Stevens Girl Skipping Rope example broke the bank selling for $156,000 in 2021.
We'll have many cast iron banks in our upcoming online auction which will take place later this month. We also have tin toys, vintage antique toys, more contemporary collectibles toys, baseball cards, and guitars in this sale. We are still accepting consignments of jewelry, sterling silver, fine art, and more for our June auction. Please visit our website www.centralmassauctions.com for links to upcoming events.
Please contact us at: www.centralmassauctions.com (508-612- 6111) info@centralmassauctions.com for antiques and collectibles auction services.