August Heat, Blunders and Miracles

Sadly the roses are done... as am I. We are all pouting in the heat

but the roses are preserving their energy

so blooming is not on their agenda -

except for the odd little soul that peeps out

from beneath the shading canes.

Sorry, just could not resist that one...

Like me, I'm sure you are committed to your garden...

I confess to forgetting about the grass because between the neighbourhood bunny and the 'drought', there is no green except the clover and bunny has made short work of that.

Never mind, though, the grass will be fine...it's only the green that has gone dormant- the roots are likely fine.

Please Don't waste water on grass.

But please do WATER YOUR TREES.

If you think they don't need water, imagine how far up the tree the nutrients have to go in order to feed the uppermost leaves and then imagine how much water that takes.

Water large or newly planted trees at least twice a week for 2 hours if you have a rain barrel or no watering restrictions.

Do your best with what water you have.

Although the front garden gets water every few days, the grass does not.

ADVANTAGE of a full garden: no weeds

DISADVANTAGE of a full garden: it's hard to water… it runs off the leaves so it's best to hand water each plant at its roots (of course it takes time... but time is what we crave so this will give it to you... )

ADVANTAGE of a full garden; you get to see plants up close when you water by hand - it's quiet work - it's intentional - you get to see what is going well and what is not

Water by hand or soaker hose?

WATER BY HAND: - with a wand set on a “shower” setting and water at the root of each plant (yup… each plant and count to 30… slowly)

Waving a watering wand over the garden does not create any magic…. that overhead water will soon evaporate, burn the leaves or just run off and be wasted.

We cannot afford to waste water. Even a 30 minute rain downpour will not water the soil well enough.

When you water a flower or veggie bed…. be sure to water the edges well before you begin… this will dampen the soil enough so watering the rest of the bed, the water will soak into the ground and not run off.

I confess to watering my gardens when I can because of the time, effort and money to get them this far and it lets me see what it needs.

... I hate to lose plants and when I water, I get to see grasshoppers, crickets, bees and even a wee toad now and then.

These wee creatures need moisture too and they don't always find the water saucers I leave for them.. they hover around the base of plants where there is cooler moist soil.

So, it is not just for me... or my own selfish need to keep things beautiful.

What about Phlox?

I often hear "the lower leaves of my Phlox are dying - why?"

There are a couple of reasons leaves can be dying on lower stems

…. the taller the plant, the higher up the nutrients have to go to feed the blooms so they sacrifice the lower leaves

... ..or they need water

2 SOLUTIONS - water

- and next season, cut them back the end of May, varying the length of the stems…

- in front, cut them shorter and graduate toward the back of the plant

- cut one bunch short at the front and the bunches behind, various heights

RESULT? blooms all over the plant and the taller front plants will not hide the short ones in the back

Phlox in the back garden.

August Chores We can do...

MINIMAL WEEDING

Edge the beds with a knife

…. take out the weeds in the first 6 to 8 inches… and a little miracle happens.... that bed goes from messy to intentional…

When the soil is very dry, weeding the whole bed can be difficult, so do what shows and leave the rest till the soil is viable again.

Messy bed edge can make the garden look neglected.

You may not be able to weed the entire bed, but edging it does two things:

1. leaves bare soil to hold water for plants as they reach for moisture

2. makes the bed look tidy and intentional

As an extra measure, water the edge and apply mulch to hold more water.

Damaged Hosta Leaves...

Some lighter leaved Hostas don't mind the sun, but scorching heat as we have had in S. Ontario has been brutal.

Cut the damaged ones back and see the new leaves waiting beneath...

New leaves waiting their turn.

Lilies....

TREE LILY

A gift from a fellow gardener many years ago… a hard, brown lump of a bulb that she assured would surprise me.

The first year, there was a small, single stem with a few blooms and now, every other year, another stem and more blooms.

Lovely surprise.

Star Gazer Lily

The Peterborough Lily

Lilies begin to look a little ragged this time of year and their fronds often are so long they lean out onto the grass and get cut by the lawn mower, or shadow other nearby plants...

Here is what I do.

.. .take a handful of leaves and cut them on an angle... tidies the plant and the taller leaves that tend to flop over, stand up...

Better still, you will see new little stems with buds down below, waiting for their turn to shine.

Lilies before trimming...

Tiny Miracles...

I love it when I see a bee taking a nap on a flower.... a tiny miracle.

Imagine my surprise when watering the flower garden, this plant showed up.... might be a squash or pumpkin of some sort... we dry the seeds after dinner and often put them out for the birds, squirrels or "chippies"... guessing one of them planted it for later.

Another tiny miracle.

Our friend brought us Teasels for our winter arrangements and low and behold, the seeds (who knew?) started a few plants and this week, one "bloomed"...

One more tiny miracle.

Blunders?...

OOPS: LANDSCAPE FABRIC....

Do you (still) have any landscape fabric lurking in your garden?

Here below, is why you need to remove it….as soon as possible.

However if it has been in your garden for awhile, be careful as plant roots will be embedded in it as they have been trying to reach for water and sunlight.

Do you still have plants you haven't got around to planting?

I do…

Just ran out of time, helping others in their gardens left little time for ours so here is a flat of Begonia - that although looks intentional behind the garden bench, it's a reminder that we cannot do everything and sometimes, we may have to let something go… or just be idle…

If our temperatures drop below the 80’s and 90’s (F) or 30’s and 40’s C, these may get planted and will be glorious until the frost

…but in the meantime…

Things to Ponder...

This not as easy as it sounds; because as I water my garden to save it, I see all that needs to be done

… the weeds in the path, the overgrown plants that need dividing or removing … and so to edge myself toward any sort of contentment, I make lists …. more lists and keep adding to them.

If it rains, if it gets cooler… if… if… if… in the meantime, too hot to sit on the deck even so I read, and write and paint and sketch and itch to get back into the garden…. ...contentment, you say…

So each morning, I search for clouds; for moody skies that will bring rain…. we live in a sort of geological basin and if it rains north of here, east of here, west of here, or south… it senses some sort of magical barrier and misses us

….is it 5 weeks now? or 6?

Then I work hard to remember Mother Nature makes up her own mind and I am a disciple of sorts.

Any conversation we may have is met with silence and a grin.

Except I am not grinning - and, I pick up the hose once again.

Until Next Time...

If you haven’t read “Greenwood” yet…WHY NOT?

...an epic tale spanning a few generations all intertwined with trees and

… well.. please read it…you will not regret one moment or word.

Lucy Says...

When it's too hot outside to talk to my friend bunny,

... I take a nap with

"Jack"

...and yes, he's a blue donkey.

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