Hello Once More My Dear Gardening Friends,

Another beautiful day in the garden, I waited until it cooled off before venturing out into that wonderfully hot sunshine. I was supposed to have visitors to day but they had to cancel, such a shame for they would have enjoyed the lake.

I have left this epistle for a couple of weeks, and it has rained and rained ever since I began to write. The poor geraniums are waterlogged – but surprisingly a lot of the plants need watering – what a strange summer.

I hope that you have done those chores I set out for you a couple of weeks ago week, especially sitting enjoying a drink in your garden, under your umbrella of course! we forget that we are supposed to sit and relax, not work all the time when we are outside.

I watch my grandsons and their friends, they are never still, cutting the grass, swimming, water skiing, boating etc. did we have all that energy when we were in our 30’s ? I suppose that we did, which is how we got into the problems that we have to day, lots of gardens, gardens and even more garden, aching backs and “hurting” hands! But oh such beautiful flowers and veggies.

Bed in Summer
In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candlelight.
In summer quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.
I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown up people’s feet
Still going past me in the street.
And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?
– Robert Louis Stevenson

Bet they would have let him stay up to weed the garden!!!!

Several of you have asked about “our” duck at Loblaws, for those who are not aware. Last summer the trees surrounding Loblaws were cut down leaving a large open space. This spring a duck, came into the garden center, settled into a pot of astilbe and laid two eggs, we are not quite sure what happened, but she left for a couple of days during one of the coldest nights in the spring – she returned, and the area was blocked off, with yellow “police” tape and other plants, four more eggs followed, she was fed by kind caring employees. Deborah bought special food for her. The day came when three eggs hatched, the babies were so wee, One night there was a thunder storm and in the morning she had left taking her babies with her, a couple of days later she returned to be fed, she arrived every day around 4,30/5 pm ish until the garden center closed. Even the sparrows lined up to be fed along with her. The first two eggs did not hatch and we threw them out – as for the fourth one we found the tiny chick under the bench, we think that it hatched after she left, sadly, no it did not survive despite super human intervention. Soooooo whosever cut down the trees – it was your fault for destroying her habitat. Making this spring a special time for us, hopefully she has found another home, especially since the new “box store” building has begun.

I have been checking out the local garden centers, Peter and Elyn Green (along the River Road north) still have a lovely display of both annuals and perennials, do go visit, also Griffins greenhouses, They were hit with a bad hail storm and right now their beautiful Canna’s are half price, many of them are blooming there are lots of perennials they are just before you get to Lakefield if you are coming in from Peterborough just past the turn to #507 highway. Dawn Tack in Donwood and Joe and Hazel Cook, just off Lily Lake Road. A little outside Peterborough, south of the Lindsay highway. They all have a nice selection of flowers and plants.

Dawn has asked me to include the following: -
Have you ever visited a garden with 600 plus different daylilies? Gardening Life Magazine visited us a visit a few years ago and listed our nursery as “One of the top 40 Boutique nurseries in Canada!”

Hosta Fest is just about wrapping up, but this does not mean they are all gone. Still lots of shade display gardens and 250 different hosta selections to choose from in the Hosta House The Part shade House holds 17 varieties of Heuchera (Coral Bells) and other great complementary perennials for your shade gardens. We cannot forget the Salvias, Cranesbill and Coneflowers = Green Envy, Coconut Lime etc.

It is not too late to plant perennials and thus add interest and colour to your gardens. Remember Gardens Plus focus is on Low Maintenance Perennials so that you may enjoy your gardens not merely work in them.

P.S. if you are located outside driving distance I will resume shipping again in the middle of August. Do come and see the daylilies that are blooming now.

Peter and Elyn have a large assortment of the most wonderful plants, perennial hibiscus with flowers the size of small dinner plates – grasses of all kinds, they will still make up containers for you – I keep telling you it is worth the drive to (Acton) oops that is Lakefield!!!

I had a tour of their greenhouses and although the stock is down from the springtime, there is still plenty to choose from.

The Gardener
The gardener does not love to talk,
He makes me keep to the gravel walk;
And when he puts his tools away,|
He locks the door and takes the key.
Away behind the current row,
Where no one else but cook may go,
Far in plots, I see him dig,
Old and serious, brown and big.
He digs the flowers, green, red and blue,
Nor wishes to be spoken to.
He digs the flowers and cuts the hay,
And never seem to want to play.
Silly gardener! Summer goes,
And winter comes with pinching toes,
When in the garden bare and brown|
You must lay your barrow down.
Well now, and while the summer stays,
To profit by these garden days
O how much wiser you would be
To play Indian wars with me.
- Robert Louis Stevenson

This is for the child that is hiding in all of us.

To be serious we must now check out what it is we are supposed to do in July/August. However I must comment on one thing I keep hearing over and over “the bugs are so bad this year” True the rain has created breeding areas, but are you wearing bright colours that attract every pest in the area? You may enjoy that bright yellow whatever, but be aware that you are actually attracting unwanted insects and are escorting them through your gardens – white is cooler and not so pleasing to many many insects.

I was checking my pots of plants to day, and to my amazement they were dry, I couldn’t believe it after all that rain, so once again out came the hose. Do save all those tea bags, and any left over tea, give them to your azaleas, rhododendrons, and any other acid loving plants.

Your lawns may be in need of a big drink too How can you tell

1) Walk on it, if the grass does not spring back it is time to water.

2) Look at it, if it seems blue or grayish it is water deprived.

3) Pick up a leaf blade. If it curls from the sides, it is definitely thirsty.

4) Walk on it with bare feet. Does it feel cool and damp? No? Then you know the answer.

Slugs have somewhere in the range of 100 rows of teeth, with approximately 90 teeth per row. Thought that you really needed to know this??

This is a good time to start planting fall blooming annuals and perennials, also transplant self-sown biennials. I hope that you are thinking about collecting seeds, do not wait until they start to fall, but as soon as the seed pods start to darken pop a brown paper bag over the head (theirs not yours) and fasten the bottom, the seeds will continue to ripen and fall into the bag, yet again I stress mark on the bag just what the seeds are. You will Not remember once in the house.

I am always telling you to plant lots of garlic in your flower beds, especially around the roses, make sure that you keep the garlic well weeded, it hates the competition with weeds and grass.

We have not had the problem of dried out lawns this summer (is that what the month is? summer) It can still happen that we will have a long hot August, Mow high and often with a sharp mower. You should have stopped fertilizing in July and August; otherwise you will only compound any turf problems. You can stop watering and just let the grass go dormant. The grass will turn brown, but it will green up again quite quickly once the temperatures fall. On again and off again watering should be avoided at all costs. If you have been watering up to now, and you stop suddenly, this will shock your plants, just taper off slowly - however, Mother Nature is just not listening this summer!

Funnily enough, I do not have rust on my hollyhocks, nor is anything getting a coating of mildew, nor rotting away. A strange state of affairs.

The asters are looking beautiful now, Aster comes from the Greek word for star (like asterisk, or disaster, ill – starred) Swamp aster (Aster puniceus) likes low marshy soil, and so if your garden is filled with these plants, you probably have a drainage problem. Asters have a long blooming period from June until November providing the frosts are light.

A lot of you have planted trees and shrubs, even some perennials take quite a while to adjust to their new homes and they always need extra watering – if you do not, then their leaves will droop. Water them evenly and well to encourage deep roots, make sure that you are doing this now, for as I mentioned before, the round is not that wet, after all this rain. Your trees and shrubs need this extra watering and care to bring them through the coming winter months, this will ensure that they winter well.

Your lettuce maybe past its prime, for if it tastes bitter or secretes a milky white sap, it has been in the ground too long, time to plant more however, if the juices are clear than it is still good to eat.

"This used to be among my prayers – a piece of land not so very large, which would contain a garden."
- Horace

I read this in a woman’s magazine of all places.

When you get the first bloom on your potato plants, the potatoes are ready, but will be small. For the bulk of the potatoes, wait two or three weeks after the bloom has died. When the foliage starts to die back, they are just about fully grown. Let your potatoes dry out at the soil surface for an hour or so, no longer, keep them out of the sunlight. Do not wash your potatoes right away otherwise they will start to rot. Eat the ones that have been damaged (I always manage to put my fork through some of them) bruised or chipped in any way, for they are the most vulnerable to rot as well. Store the good potatoes in a cool dry place until you are ready to enjoy a feast – I always add some mint leaves to the water that I boil them in.

It is getting close to my bedtime so that is all for now.

Good Gardening, Hats, gloves, sunscreen, and yes a lot of bug repellent – tuck a softener sheet in your pocket, letting some of it hang out, this works wonders, as does Avon’s skin so soft. There are a number of herbs that will keep away flies etc. Do not forget that hat – I have a new Tilley – lucky me!!!

- Lovingly Beryl