Guerilla Gardening

Heinz is an avid gardener. He fancies himself a farmer, since he grew up on a small farm and grew up on a farm until the age of fourteen. His next stint at gardening didn't occur until he was well into his fourties and he had moved to a northern community where he had short summers and very cold, long winters. It was impossible to grow fruit trees and many different types of berries and veggies. Many veggies, like tomatoes, that could be grown needed a green house to get started because of late frosts and such a short growing season.
So now Heinz has moved to south western ontario, where he can grow pretty much everything that he could grow in his child hood. It has him fascinated. In his first season he has planted approximately 6 to 8 fruit trees of various sorts. There are apple trees, pear trees, cherry trees, plum trees and I am not sure what else. I know that he still has dreams of growing hazelnut trees and or walnut trees. He is just getting started. His past passion was in regular gardens and he doesn't know too much about fruit trees, so he is constantly looking for information on keeping pests at bay.  Last year his big concern was what the worms did to his large apple tree. The apples were being attacked and he had no idea how to fight back. Eventually with the help of my computer and asking the local gardening store he now has a remedy for the next growing season. He also had a great crop of red wine grapes growing on a trellis. We also resourced how and when to cut them back, but I believe Heinz cut them back too far and too late in the season. The result was that there were absolutely no grapes in site not even a one, but the leaves were thick and wonderful. Had he wanted to make stuffed vineleaves, he could have gone into business for himself. I will have to tell him that vine leaves are wonderful to eat, and so he will have another source of greens when the time comes. I sure hope next year will bring a good yield of grapes for him though. He is absolutely thrilled with the fact that grapes will grow in his yard and has planted many more vines throughout the yard. Ever the avid gardener, he is always looking for more space for his garden and the perfect spot for certain species.
I had a flower bed all planned out for Gertrud last year. I had even planted lots of flowers next to his driveway in an established flowerbed. Thoughout the summer though. One by one things deteriorated in the flowerbeds. The flowerbed beside the front door turned into a spinach bed and the flowerbed beside the driveway got raided for black topsoil. Not much of it is left. When asking Heinz about it, he mentioned that Gertrud is no longer able to take care of the flowers and that they needed the vegetables more. This is true, however Heinz hates flowers as they are useless in his eyes. Just a waste of space and doesn't see the beauty in them. Now Gertrude is another story. She loves flowers and I am determined that she have some.
So the war between flowers and veggies begins. My plan for spring is to find a couple of very large flower pots and fill them with nice flowers for Gertrud and put them on her deck, where she will be able to enjoy them and easily water them as needed. I know she sits out on the deck in the summer and watches Heinz as he putters around the yard and also watches the goings on in the neighborhood. Like I said before, I believe in giving flowers while we are alive and not putting them on graves. It's too late then. So I will put the rest of the family also on notice to make sure Gertrud gets some planters next spring. The war is on! Oh, but I still want some rhubarb.... I told Heinz I would supply the original plant come spring if he could only plant it somewhere in his yard and then he can have rhubarb every year and give me a few sprigs once in a while. I just looove my rhubarb!