07 August 2020
A Garden Tip from Helen...
It’s August and HOT, but not so very dry because of hurricane Isaias. I am sure there are many of you still cleaning up debris left by the storm. I was lucky… Some of my taller annuals were blown out of the ground and flowering bushes and perennials look bedraggled, but all my trees are still standing!
After powering through this unwelcome cleanup, it’s now time for all of us to start thinking about a more specific cleanup. What I mean is that it’s time to take a hard look at the garden and decide where you may want to make changes. Since everyone has a “smart” phone these days, the easiest way to make note of those areas in need of refurbishment is to simply take a picture. We are fortunate to live in an area where EVERYTHING grows, even those things you would prefer not grow. For instance, it’s been a VERY good year for chokecherry, something that has never pestered me until this year. Maybe overcrowding has become an issue for you. I know how hard it is to pull a perfectly good plant out of the ground, but sometimes it simply is necessary so the parent plant or it’s offshoots can thrive. I have many neighbors who take my plants which makes me happy. Also, next year the Chesapeake Bay Garden Club is going to have a spring plant sale, so many plants from the garden are simply going into pots for the winter in preparation for the sale, which is a good thing.
Anyway, don’t forget to feed the roses one last time and divide the daylilies this month, for sure.
Happy gardening!
Helen
P.S. Here are a few blossoms from the garden to enjoy. From left to right they include a late-blooming Blackberry Lily, brilliant hibiscus, and a bold daylily nourishing a hungry butterfly.