Linking With Fishtail Cottage Garden Party #19 and Fertilizer Friday... click on badges at right
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| These ain't your average exercise balls |
I am ready for a frost... it's been six months of intense gardening and I'm tired. We had another hot spell and it's been around the clock watering yet again. I don't multi-task so well any more. If I'm in the gardens, I'm in the gardens... if I'm in the studio... you get the point. I'm hard at work on a nine foot magnolia transom for a customer... I look outside... I see wilted plants... I go outside and I see even more... it's worse than I thought. I meant to water those baskets but I'm in the studio mode and I don't like being interrupted! Of course I have to water... and the time slips by fast and I haven't accomplished the goals I set for today... this frustrates me.
For years I wanted to try a season with no annuals... it certainly would save a lot of money. This however, is going to take courage... perhaps more than I have. Can you imagine not having to water all those containers individually... just whip on the sprinkler and let it run... divide the yard into zones and do one area a day if it's another dry season...
Oh the things we could do if we weren't so tied to the gardens for one summer... we've wanted to go to Europe for a while now... and the Canadian Rockies have been on our short list for some time. I can't begin to name all the friends we owe visits around the country and I haven't been home to Vermont in five years.
It's not as if there would be no color in the gardens... in fact, in a normal year the gardens are very colorful from mid-April through the beginning of August... admittedly it does thin out a bit after that, but so what...
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| First year delphiniums are starting to bloom throughout the gardens |
Yes friends... I just may do it. I could divide my hundreds of daylilies and have an in-bloom sale in late June through July... use the annual beds and charge five bucks per double fan... perhaps I'd make enough money to pay for all the exotics that succumbed to the heat this year, not to mention those savings on annuals.
There you have it... I'm excited about this... freedom to go where I want to go when I want to go. Sarah reminds me that I may have an entirely different mindset by mid-winter... she knows me pretty well...
Now ... on to an entirely different topic. Have you seen the latest edition of Horticulture magazine? There's a great article on No-Mow lawns for different parts of the country. They feature five mixes and one is from Prairie Nursery which is located an hour or so from here. The grass on our mound system really suffered this year with the drought and heat... I simply couldn't provide water with all the other areas that needed my attention. This would be the perfect opportunity to try out the 'No-Mow Lawn Mix'. The article explains that these creeping and bunch forming fescues grow so tightly together that the need for herbicides is obsolete. The grass withstands drought and isn't fussy as to soil and takes full sun. The grasses remain four to six inches tall and require mowing once or twice a season. While many would love the thought of less mowing, I personally enjoy the task. The part that appeals to me is no herbicides, feeding, or supplemental watering. If this works out well, I would definitely consider adding more areas of the no-mow grasses over a few years. If any of you have experience with this blend (it's been around for thirty years and is appropriate for the mid-west and Pacific Northwest), I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts and/or experiences.
Take care, Larry
p.s. some more of those annuals and pics from along the birch walk...
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| Athyrium Burgundy Lace |
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| The perennial geranium 'Rozanne' topped with Lobularia 'Snow Princess' |
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| More Snow Princess with Sedum 'Autumn Joy' |
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