Musician Intars Busulis definitely controls his voice better than he is in the names of flowers – he is able to confuse irises with crocuses. The singer was born in Talsi and has also returned there to cultivate a place in Ģibuļi parish, which he once hopes to be called a family home. The garden is mainly in the hands of the musician’s wife and mother-in-law, but mowing the grass and cutting trees is his specialty. The pandemic prompted the Bush family to replace the hustle and bustle of the city, the cobbled streets and the bustle of people with beautiful scenery, peace and a place inspired by Intars’ hits of recent years.
Moves to the countryside during a pandemic
The bushels call themselves beginner gardeners, although the 12-hectare area, which was very overgrown nine years ago with the purchase of this place, has managed to be beautifully cleaned up. “For 20 years no one had lived in this place, and the house had grown into trees. I couldn’t even see it in the autumn, ”Intars recalls.
He calls himself a country man, but he also sees a certain magic in the city environment: “The city also has its own kaffin. I walk around the Old Town and I like to be cool. I also like big metropolises. ”
Although Intars is very easy to confuse plant names, as a child the garden was a place where he learned work ethic and patience, and earned a little: “I had to work hard, I worked more in the beet fields. We also had hay meadows. There were no beauty beds, flower beds that create some atmosphere at home, ”the musician recalls. “For me, weeding has been ingrained in the subconscious like something I don’t want to do,” says Intars, adding that there is currently no vegetable garden on his farm.
A soloist in your garden too?
Intars is a soloist on stage, but the main role in the garden is played by the ladies of the family, and Intars is happy to allow it, because he knows that the result will be enjoyable for both the eyes and the taste buds. “I don’t have much knowledge about how to cut, vaccinate, what to put. My wife and wife mostly work here, ”says Intars.
His mother, Jenny, likes to roam the beds and take care of the garden: “She likes it very much, she also thunders here in storms, thunderstorms, heat, cold … In the cold less, because then nothing grows. She really is like a hollow enthusiast. ” She oversees not only the rows of flowers in which peonies, petunias, widows, roses and other flowers bloom, but also the greenhouse where strawberries, peas and various greens grow. “We also enjoy her radishes, bows and dill. That’s how it goes with our soups, ”praises Intars.
Intara is in charge of trees and shrubs
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When the Bush family moved into this farm, it was surrounded by a wild forest. “We have only one arborist, and that is me. Those trees were not like that already. They were wild, very wild. Inga wanted to cut them because we didn’t know what to do with them. Then I think that I will make such balls, ”says Intars about creating the shape of a tree crown.
He also pruning bushes, cutting apple branches, picking cherries. “It’s nice when all the works are done and they are beautiful, very beautiful,” admits the singer.
There is only a small oak tree left in the corner of the house from the original forest. At that time, the tree was only the thickness of a thumb, and a large tractor, leveling the clay around it, carefully tried to get around it. At the moment, the shape of its crown has expanded, but Intars justifies that the necessary tools were not available for a long time, but recently he came to them and will be able to start working.
“It takes a lot of time, but once you do it and everything, you just have to take care of it. Let’s say I haven’t done it in a long time. You have to start thinking about how to save everything now, ”says Intars about caring for shrubs and trees. “I like it and I don’t feel like it deprives me of time, on the contrary,” says the artist.
Each season has its own magic
“I, so to speak, enjoy, it is a pleasure to look at. I mow the grass, I do it best. My son also mows, sweetheart mows. There is something to mow here, ”says the singer about the area of more than 10 hectares.
Picturesque view.
Photo: Keita Rožane
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“I feel like autumn. In summer everything is full, there is no empty space. In winter I like big coupes. Everyone has their own time, ”says Busulis about the place to enjoy the change of seasons. In the spring, Intars is happy to get excited about flowering trees, capturing them in photos, but in the autumn, he watches the fruit tree branches grow from the abundance of crops.
For cherry harvest have to compete with thrushes
Expert advice in the fight against aphids
Māris Narvils, a senior specialist in horticulture at the Latvian Rural Advisory and Education Center (LLKC), says that aphids suck the sap from the young shoots of trees, which prevents them from developing fully. The tree weakens, its leaves curl, wither and die. A large tree cannot die from an attack of aphids, but in order to overwinter well, it needs to consume more energy and there may be less harvest next year.
It is not physically possible to spray a large tree with an aphid-unpleasant preparation. Often aphids carry ants, which must be combated as soon as the tree begins to bloom. This can be done by placing a sticky material around the tree trunk, which prevents the ants from getting into the tree and helping the aphids to spread. You can also bandage sintepon, in which ants become entangled.
Plant diversity in the garden is also important. Basket plants such as dill, fennel, cumin, wild carrot, coriander, attract predators such as ladybugs, flower larvae, claws, golden plovers that eat aphids.
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The sweet cherry tree gives a rich berry harvest, but without reading them in time, you can miss the moment of feasting. “I’m already coming in a bucket, I’ll eat right now, I’ll be right away, because I saw the day before that another day is needed for the cherries to be ripe and ripe. I come with a bucket and see – there are no cherries in the tree anymore. A flock of thrushes is satisfied, ”says the owner about the adventure in the garden. “Here’s the magic, we’re like guests in this world,” says Intars, not minding the birds about the timely condemnation of the harvest. He is aware that they have entered the animal territory and they simply need to be accepted.
Several cherry trees grew in the yard, but they became obsolete. The sweet cherry has now reached a height of several meters and gives a large berry harvest, but it is planted by aphids – they live on almost every leaf of the fruit tree.
Nature inspires the creation of music
Picturesque nature and peace have inspired musicians to creative expressions. Songs such as “Mist Morning”, “Dance of Loneliness”, “It’s Boring”, “Threshold” have been made in this place. I have studied in this place, trained for the concert “Next Stop”, I learned the songs of this album. In that sense, the place is quite strong, inspiring, ”for the music album“ Next Stop ”, which won the Latvian Music Record of the Year Award“ Golden Microphone 2017 ”. plucked the laurels of victory in the nomination “Album of the Year”, says the artist. On his farm, the musician also takes a breath and finds peace after big concerts and responsible events.
This summer, cultural journalist Henrieta Verhoustinska is once again visiting cultural personalities who are at the same time garden lovers to see what is growing in their beds and greenhouses, as well as to learn about the latest in their professional activities. Latvian Television viewers’ favorite show “Kultūrdobe” on Saturdays at 20.45.
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