Ask Mavis: Advice on Etiquette and Hedge-Trimming
Mavis Zissou, landscape therapist, answers your questions about life, relationships and child rearing.
Dear Mavis,
My daughter is insisting on a huge sweet sixteen party with a band and I think we should just have a quiet dinner at Jaleo with a few of her friends. When I was sixteen we went to O’Donnells with the family. Am I out of line here?
Old Fashioned on Offutt
Dear Offutt,
Pish! That reminds me of a case I had where the homeowners wanted to put hostas and daylilies into the same flower bed with a lilac. After reading the lilac’s leaves I concluded that it was stressed by the addition of a bamboo fountain added in early Spring and I told the owners they were just asking for trouble. Frankly, without several sessions of biofeedback for the lilac, it would have been lost. But, to answer your question. No.
Dear Mavis,
After a recent block party I received an anonymous note on my doorstep that suggested I made a complete fool of myself during the party. How should I handle this?
Wondering on Woodmont
Dear Woodmont,
Well that can happen during a party. Recently a client had a pergola installed next to a Japanese water garden. Disaster! The trumpet vine installed on the pergola refused to bloom. I put the trumpet on a strict diet of Gregorian chants and meditation to open its chakras. And it’s blooming beautifully now.
Dear Mavis,
My mother in law is coming for an extended visit. We haven’t spoken since I married her son but I need to make this visit work. Any suggestions?
Troubled on Thornapple
Dear Thornapple,
This is a quandary! But just like the aphid, these troubles can be smoothed away with a little soapy water. I’ve just finished an intensive “past lives” therapy for a disturbed Cecile Brunner rose in Chevy Chase and I can attest that she is thriving now. The homeowners were ready to dig her up- can you imagine? Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking? A little fresh air, plenty of sunshine and the occasional coffee ground application may be all well and good but the rose should also be consulted. Good luck dear!
Mavis
