Still August...

It was blazing hot when I got to the garden at about 1 o’clock today. Our rain pattern has been confusing this past week; usually we can count on late-summer afternoon deluges, but this week was dry. So after running a few morning errands, I went to see exactly what the plants might be wanting.

Turns out not a whole lot. Our mulching had kept the ground fairly moist, and the drier air had perked up the sage and wormwood. The astor, comfrey, cosmos, dahlias, milkweed and clockvine were all in bloom or about to bloom. The basil was positively thriving, and had even kicked off some yellowing funk that was plaguing its bottom leaves. Even the mints had tiny flowers on them. The impatients and four o’clocks were impervious to the sweltering heat, tucked away in their high shade, and the rue, lemon balm, and calla lily, all in partial shade, looked good, too.

The butterfly bush’s blooms have given up entirely, as have many of the bearded irises. Poor things held on a lot longer than I would have, if I were a spring bloomer I did not know that rose geranium needed an aggressive pruning after she bloomed mid-spring, so she’s looking a bit homely these days. And the leeks are a bit droopy. I’m not really sure what to do with them. I thought they’d be dead by now for sure, so I’m just kind of watching them.

Surprisingly, the hidden ginger needed a little sprinkling to look her best. She’s in very full sun, though, and I think she’d have done better with a little afternoon reprieve. Also the marigolds look leggy and dried out. I don’t know what their deal is. They’re French marigolds and ought to be very used to hot, dry conditions.

Two little butterflies flit around with me as I walked, but other than that I had no company -- not a single weed had deigned push her vulgar face through our carefully enriched and mulched vegetable beds. I left feeling pretty darn satisfied; overall the plants were doing well. It’s frustrating in August, I think, since there isn’t much that can be planted or transplanted, but it sure does make you appreciate the little guys that show up every day to brave the UVs anyway. God bless our little troopers.

The in-between, hot, wet month of August

I spent nearly two hours getting the garden in shape this morning. Two hours is a long time for me lately -- in the heat (even in the morning) and with all the crouching and reaching, I've had to limit myself quite a bit. But I took it really slowly, and characteristically, the garden was oh-so appreciative of even my little attention. I was a bit sad to find that the wormwood, a favorite of mine for its lushness and silvery beauty as well as its associations with protection and psychic awareness, was not dealing with last week's transplant well. I'd hate to lose my big bushy guy! And I don't know if it is universally valued for this or not, but I find the smell to be envigorating and very pleasant.

Among August's casualties were the last of the tomatoes. The heat, wet, bugs, and lack of attention did them in. I must say, I wasn't sorry to see them go. Tomatoes are NEEDY plants! And I had long past my fill of their fruit. Maybe next year we'll grow just three or four... The sage is also not enjoying the humidity, and our leggy but unnamed herb along side of it is fading, too. Amazingly, the marigolds seem a bit stressed, but from my experience they rebound and bloom until October.

So the two tomato beds were reclaimed from the weeds, covered with a layer of mushroom compost and another of mulch, and laid to rest for the next two months. They are prime spots for veggies that like sun, so in October we'll get some carrots, lettuce, chard, spinach, onions, and garlic in there. And of course we'll replant a few collards in the crescent moon bed, even though the succulents are happily living there now. I also pulled up the watermelon vine. It was an interesting experiment, training the vine around the spiral, but was not very successful. There were more arms in the path than in the beds, and although there were many flowers, there were no fruits. The mints seem to be doing quite well in the spiral, though, so maybe we'll base the spiral plantings on the equally untame but infinitely more manageable scented lovelies. I've always wanted to try Winter Savory, too, so maybe we'll try to get that started in the spiral. Oh, and thyme supposedly lasts throughout the winter here, so that might be a good bet, too. (Although I have never had luck with thyme.)

It was hot and muggy by 10 a.m., but I felt so rejuvinated being there this morning. It does me so good to sit with the plants, encouraging them and making them as happy as I can. Oh, and this was the best part: the mushroom compost, which I had let sit for the past 2 months, was FULL of earthworms. There must have been a dozen in every shovelful. I love thinking of them doing their little wormy things around the plants' roots. The last thing I did was find a good spot for a metal spiral sculpture that a friend donated. I don't think the spot I chose was quite right, but I'm hoping that in the next few visits, someplace will really ask for it. The pace has changed in the garden, but luckily gardens are, for the most part, forgiving and adaptable.