2023 July Garden Sustainable Stewardship
The Girl’s Garden.
JULY
Summer finally arrived on June 10th. It was bound to come, but I enjoyed the cool, wet spring. At least the garden had a good time while it lasted.
June was high maintenance, taking down the poppies, weeding, laying pine straw, and waiting for David to finish his “project’ redirecting water away from the back of the house. He tells me the channel he dug is finished; now he needs to build the soil up higher so water flows away from the house. There doesn’t seem to be any sense of urgency…except on my part. I, however, don’t plan to help with this in any way. I have too much to do as it is during the two weekends a month that I’m available. Or at least that is my story, and I’m sticking to it!
Cut back the old raspberry canes. For whatever reason, I’ve never done this task before. With the garden redesign being less maintenance, I have time now to do this needed task.
Back 40 (ft.). In this area, I allow the blue saliva, Salvia guaranitica, to grow, otherwise it is too invasive in other areas of the garden. Blue salvia is in the mint family, you will note the square stems, growing up to 5 feet in height and width. Native to Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. It is a hummingbird and carpenter bee fave.
Back 40 (ft.) detail.
The Back 40 (ft) North to South—This bed is finally full. I’m sure I can squeeze something else in there, but the bed looks rich enough to stand alone.
The Back 40 (ft) South to North—Same
Gazebo Corner—the neighboring trees are blocking out light. We didn’t get any blooms from the Lady Banks Rose, and the Confederate jasmine is weak.
You can always tell when we need rain, the Petasites japonicus, wilts. I never water it and believe it keeps it in check. Otherwise, it will take over the world.
The Epimedium Patch—It’s hard to see the epimediums with voodoo lilies blocking them.
The Wildflower Patch Extension—Celandine Poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum, have done nicely this spring into early summer. This is given the rain has slowed. Grows best in rich, moist soil in the shade. Plants go dormant in early summer if the soil dries out. Will naturalize by self-seeding if growing conditions are favorable. Ants distribute seeds.
Mixed Border—South to NorthI’
Spring Ephemeral patch, formally The Wildflower Patch—I’m refocusing this area right off the back patio. While I one referred to the wildflower patch, it’s really about spring ephemerals. Same with the extension.
The South Side—Shy Pepper on the South Side. Note, the mosquito trap on the left of pic.
First crop of ‘Brown Turkey’ fig forming.
LSU fig forming
The Ostrich Fern Garden—This bed looks good, but I could use a few more plants. My hesitancy to add any more is the magnolia tree. One day, it will be removed. I thought it would have been sooner than later. I’m not sure the ferns can take the added sun when it goes. I need to wait on this.
The Front Fountain Garden
Everything is looking good. The rosemary has white flies; as I was preparing to treat them with Neem oil, I cut them back severely. I should have done this all along. Rosemary is a shrub. It can get big. You can’t tell from the pic but there are three of them. It looks like I could cut back some more!
I put in a ‘Red Haven’ peach a few years ago. It never occurred to me I would get a crop, assuming the wildlife would wipe me out or get some disease. I’m unsure how tasty they will be, but I looked forward to finding out, until the squirrels got them all!
Scratched the front bed. It could use some composted leaf mulch.
As I look at the picture, it is clear I need to put in edging.
The Food Forest Extension—The other blueberry bushes I added are doing well.
The Parterre—The zinnias are coming up nicely. Went I returned from the beach on 6/20, they were all eaten to the ground—RABBITS! I added more seed and sprayed. I had heard of friends who lost their zinnias to rabbits, but this was the first time for me…there is always a first!
With the old canes removed, the ones that gave me the first of the year’s crop, it will be easier to figure out a trellis system. (Old canes are the darkened ones.)
The Raspberry/Succernongs—Still treating for aphids on the grapes, and as I mentioned above, the raspberries have been groomed.
The River Bed—Weeded and edged with fresh pine straw. This is my first year using pine straw, and I have to say, it’s not half bad!
Blackberry trellis behind Perennial Garden. Coloring up! I was able to start harvesting on the summer solace, albeit only a few.
Cardoon, Cynara cardunculus, blooming in the Pollinator Garden. Cardoon is a kind of thistle, closely related to the artichoke
Butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa growing throughout the Bee Better Teaching Garden.
The Pollinator Garden—Weeded, watered, added five coreopsis ‘Redshift’, a cup plant, Silphium perfoliatum, and three Verbascum chaixii. I’m having issues with Pepper knocking over the birdbath. It would appear the chipmunks run under there to escape being chased. I really like this birdbath, and it will not be able to be replaced. I found it on a garden tour near Charlottesville, VA. It’s terracotta, and I’ve never seen anything like it before. I really like it.
The Blackberry Patch with Chimney Swift Tower—Interesting pic, right? Note the butterfly bush. I didn’t plant it. This is probably the straight species that volunteered in my garden. When purchasing one, if you do, look for one of the near-sterile species, mostly developed by Dr. Dennis (Denny) Werner.
The North Side
Rock Garden—Weeded and dead-headed, Rose Campion, Lychnis coronaria, I also removed a lot of them. I like this plant to a point; then I can’t take anymore. It gets ratty in a heartbeat! TheRock Garden was infested with lemon balm. I’m not sure how it got there, but it’s gone now!
The Girl’s Garden—We are down to three adults. Poor girls are aging out. The good news, after 2.5 months, all the girls can be in the same run, still separated at opposite ends, but at least they are getting to know each other!
Mixed Border—North to South
The Wildlife Pond—Something got in it and knocked down all the plants. I may or may not get in there to do something about it.
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Glossary
Until soon,
Helen
#WeCanAllBeeBetter!