Too Much of a Good Thing?
After 29 days and 29 nights of rain in June, it’s great to see some sunshine and be able to get back out into the garden to work. Watch out though, the poison ivy looks like elephant ears! There are other perils, as well. Last weekend, I put an ungloved hand under some perennials to yank weeds out nearer to the root and got a handful of slime. Never did figure out what that was.
Most of the garden is doing OK despite the cool temperatures and constant wetness, but I fear for my Irises. I have some particularly lovely light blues of unknown parentage. Initially all of the moisture caused them to throw up enormous fans and large blooms. But as time went on with no relief from the dark and the rain, the fans started to rot. Here’s hoping that the rhizomes are not completely lost, as well.
The tomatoes are marking time and have not bloomed. Fortunately I started all of mine from seed that I gathered last year and, thus, have escaped the dreaded late blight. But now, I’m becoming concerned that I may get no fruit before frost.
The roses have fared surprisingly well, putting forth luxuriant blooms and hardly any sign of black spot. The Ironweed is approaching six feet in height. The lilies have taken a beating, but are still blooming. Out front, the Lavender garden looks spectacular, thanks to its quick-draining underpinnings of limestone gravel.
But the big winners seem to be the slugs and the lawn. Makes you wonder how much water we waste keeping our lawns green in a normal year.
Most of the garden is doing OK despite the cool temperatures and constant wetness, but I fear for my Irises. I have some particularly lovely light blues of unknown parentage. Initially all of the moisture caused them to throw up enormous fans and large blooms. But as time went on with no relief from the dark and the rain, the fans started to rot. Here’s hoping that the rhizomes are not completely lost, as well.
The tomatoes are marking time and have not bloomed. Fortunately I started all of mine from seed that I gathered last year and, thus, have escaped the dreaded late blight. But now, I’m becoming concerned that I may get no fruit before frost.
The roses have fared surprisingly well, putting forth luxuriant blooms and hardly any sign of black spot. The Ironweed is approaching six feet in height. The lilies have taken a beating, but are still blooming. Out front, the Lavender garden looks spectacular, thanks to its quick-draining underpinnings of limestone gravel.
But the big winners seem to be the slugs and the lawn. Makes you wonder how much water we waste keeping our lawns green in a normal year.
