There are parents who have their babies’ heads shaved because they believe that it will ensure that the hair will grow thicker. Whether or not it is true is something we were never able to try nor prove. We’ve never done it with either of the girls — they were both born with thick hair. Sam, especially, and that made her easy to spot in the hospital nursery even when her cot was far away from the glass window.
But something happened recently that now makes me wonder whether there is some scientific basis for the shaving thing. Our gardener — a manang who comes around daily cut the grass in the garden so close to the soil that I wondered if she intended to kill the grass. I don’t say much to her, really, except to point out which shrubs and bushes cannot — under any circumstance — be pulled out referring, of course, to my herbs and spices. It is Speedy who discusses the gardening with her.
According to Speedy, Manang Gardener told him that in order to make the grass grow thick and even, it has to be cut very close to the soil regularly over a period of time. And that reminded me of the practice of shaving babies’ heads to supposedly make the hair grow thicker.
This manang does the gardens of two other neighbors and I have to admit that their front lawns are greener and thicker than ours. They also have that carefully laid out look while ours has mostly been in a state of semi-wildness which I like to think makes for a less informal look. Well, I don’t like formal gardens. I don’t like gardens that look as though everything is uniform and straight and… you know, they just look so freaking unnatural like starched school uniforms that never show creases. I like the occasional crease because it screams NATURAL.
But I am all for thick lawns. I like the greens because they are so soothing to the eyes. And if manang can make the grass in our garden grow thick and even by keeping it short — bald almost — for the next month or so, I can be patient.
And manang does the same to the bushes and shrubs (except my herbs, of course, which she is not allowed to touch unless I am supervising) — pruning them and pruning them to encourage them to grow faster horizontally rather than vertically. We don’t expect to see instant results, naturally. It’ll take a couple of months to see the first fruits of manang‘s labor. But we’re hopeful.
I like my garden and I always fancied I know enough about gardening to maintain it. I guess it isn’t enough to like having a garden to also be good at gardening.
I seem to have found a more convenient way of maintaining a garden than learning to garden myself… marry an agriculturist. LOL
HAHAHA Congratulations! The best solution. I married an engineer and he doesn’t engineer gardens. LOL
Hahaha! I married an architect, who likes to garden when he has the time. LOL
May specialized field pa nga na landscape architecture, di ba?
yes, you’re right! Pero siya , hindi landscape architect…
Based on experience, pruning really helps plants grow faster horizontally. When it comes to grass, we were told that it is better to leave 2 inches when cutting. I’m just not sure if it is because weather here is drier and longer leaves means longer roots which means it can go deeper where soil is damper.
Wala akong green thumb kaya kapag pinakialaman ko ang halaman namamatay. My husband has pero veggies lang gusto niya itanim. Di naman ako pwedeng magtanim ng gulay sa harap ng bahay namin.
One time he shared with me a secret. I was wondering kasi bakit kapag siya ang nagdidilig ng orchids ko namumulaklak agad. He told me na ang ipinandidilig niya is yung mga leftover beer (yung ilang araw nang nakaexpose sa air). I don’t know if it’s true or maybe swerte lang siya. Basta ako isa lang ang kayang buhayin ng kamay ko…hahahaha.
Maybe the protein in the beer? LOL Interesting.
I also prefer to have edible plants in the garden — fruit trees, veggies and herbs. But the girls have preferences too, they like colors, so compromise. I have some herbs, veggies and fruit trees but we still have ornamentals.
Ms. Connie, our neighbor’s garden makes me envious with its pantay-pantay grass. However, to achieve that, she putters around in her garden daily, starting at 4am. Tinitingnan ko pa lang siya napapagod na ako. hehe. One neighbor commented about the birds of paradise at our front garden, asked when I had it planted. I stifled a laugh, bec. they appeared there without my help. LOL.
Speedy was just saying the other day that there are no instant results in gardening. That’s really how it’s done. Pruning and trimming, little by little, every day.
Hi Connie,
I would just like to ask kung saan mo nabili yung grass cutter mo. Kasi, i have a pocket garden, ang hirap i trim ng grass pag garden scissors na di ganyan. Thanks
I’ll have to ask Speedy. I’ll let you know tomorrow. Tulog na sya eh.