Has the Summer Heat Taken...

[Mamu]

The zap out of your gardening. I've noticed there aren't as many post lately.

Inquiring minds would like to know how your gardens fair in the heat of the summer?

Do you frazzle out as August approaches?

I try to spend at least 3 hours a day in my gardens. I water, deadhead faithfully, try to loosen the soil around plants so they can absorb water and fertilize to keep the plants going strong. Oh yes and the dreaded chore of weeding. I sometimes get behind with vacations and other summer activities. But overall I try to keep the gardens in good shape.

How's your gardens growing?

 

[Bildmouse]

I haven't had much time to get out to weed in the past 3-4 weeks. When the temp is 85-98 I just can't stay out there in the sun. I leave for work by 7 am and by the time I get home my gardens are mostly sun and later in the evening the mosquitoes have been really bad when I have tried to get out. I should be out there right now!!

 

[olena]

Not really. At this point, most of my blloms have gone. I'm spending plenty of time out there, but there's not much to report from here.

I'm glad to hear that the heat isn't ruining your garden time, Mamu.....

 

[Snowwark]

Perhaps this is what they mean by The Dog Days Of Summer Mamu, a period of "stagnation or inactivity."

Despite my best watering and deadheading efforts, some of the plants have a haggard look about them.

I've cut back my salvia, the coreopsis is almost ready for a trim too. The black-eyed susans are coming along well, as are most (but not all) of my containers. The cherry tomatoes are ripening and sweetly delicious!

I'm really unhappy with my monarda and this afternoon we're off to the garden centre (big sales!) to see about a replacement, maybe some coneflowers.

I do tend to lose some of my springtime enthusiasm when the DDOS set in and I see what hasn't worked out, but that's what's so great about gardening too, because you know (read "hope/dream") that NEXT YEAR will be better!!

One good thing about the really dry weather we've had is that I seem to have very few weeds this year and the slugs aren't quite as active as they usually are.

 

[amid chaos]

Nothing special is blooming right now and the heat does keep me from gardening. I spend alot of time watering when restrictions allow. I planted alot of new stuff this spring and I want to keep them alive.

 

[gina2000]

Heat and summertime activities keep me out of the garden. I have weeds that need to be pulled and flower heads that need to be deadheaded. I hate to weed when the ground is so dry....can't get the roots out......

Dog days of summer......

 

[Yay2001]

Impatiens still half-heartedly blooming under the shade trees -- geraniums and marigolds still doing OK -- everything else has faded away ...

Can't wait for fall -- !

 

[Tulirose]

Well, I can wait awhile for Fall. I am so far behind. I am trying to trim the evergreens around the pool area. Got one side done. The other side is the harder one to do. *Sigh*

My front yard has gone to weed but the back isn't too bad.

Three hours a day in the garden!!! God bless you Mamu. I wish I could do that!

 

[DixieDreamer]

Well, I certainly don't put 3 hours a day into my garden, but I am managing to keep up with most of the routine maintenance. Deadheading, weeding, watering, fertilizing, and most importantly - HARVESTING from the vegetable garden! The heat definitely slows me down and shifts me to morning and evenings. I try to do one larger stint of weeding etc on the weekend - usually about a 3 hour effort - to catch up with lost time through the work week. Despite the heat and minimal efforts on my part - the garden is flourishing.

The new beds are starting to fill out. I love the yellow daisy's I planted in the front gardens, and the red verbena is gorgeous. Only thing I plan to do differently next year is to plant something different for my blue spires. The blue bedder is nice - but too tall and it is not quite the look I was going for. The far back bed has carpet roses planted that I am waiting to get more mature and sprawling. They are blooming right now... which is nice. They are pink and I plan to add a cascading yellow rose (or two) behind them next spring to add some height and more color.

In the main garden my coreopsis is on a second bloom now and the centranthus will be soon too. They had their first beautiful bloom earlier this spring - afterwhich I sheared them down 1/3 and now I am reaping the rewards by a second major bloom. Obedient plants are blooming as are the coneflowers and rudbeckia. The other current stars in the garden are the gay feathers (liatrus).

In the vegetable garden, the old heirloom tomatoe (brandywines) are ready to start ripening. These are HUGE tomatoes and so very sweet. The cherry tomatoes are in full production and I have to take baskets of them to work to share - because the harvest is way too plentiful for just my family. Also on are the corn, carrots, beans, peppers, and onions.

Lost my frankenstein apple tree this summer. It was the grafted 5 in 1 apple tree that I had. It was damaged by my cats clawing on the bark, and the heat combined with the damage just knocked it out. Oh well, guess I will try something else in that spot.

I have carried on too much. Sorry.

 

[December99]

I have planted things so they will bloom all throughout the summer and into fall...I've just been behind in getting pics and posting them....right now I have some roses blooming (got my first bloom yesterday and I was so excited!!!!) I hope to post the pic tonight or tomorrow night....my mums are starting to slowly bloom and I'm trying to tenderly keep my shasta daisly, daylilly, russian sage, and other plant I planted around my mailbox alive..they have really dried up. I think I need to get some edging around them and then some mulch!