Aug 2021 - Week 1

 August reflection and planning

The garden is, or should be reaching it's zenith at this time of year so I think it's a good time to spend a moment looking at each area and noting what is and isn't working and where there are holes that need filling.

My favourite place right now is sitting under the umbrella (and mosquito net) on the deck and watching insects on the Anise Hyssop so maybe I'll start with the minefield.

Minefield/Rain garden

Anise Hyssop, Purple Coneflower, Panicum 'heavy metal' rogue buttercup squash

This bed is for the most part brand new.  The only things in it that were there last year are a large clump of Anise Hyssop and a Panicum 'heavy metal'.  It's filled out quite substantially in the corner nearest to the deck and I'm really happy with the combination of grass and the AH, a purple coneflower has also found itself there and I love the pink with the silvery blue of the Panicum.  It's hard to see what I need to do for next year because currently there are more holes than plants but here's a couple of things:

• Start some annuals in pots to fill in the inevitable gaps.  Maybe some:
• Cosmos
• Snapdragons
• Poppies
• Get some more native plants cold moist stratifying over the winter:
• White false indigo
• Beard tongue
• Prairie cone flowers
• Spider wort
• Purple prairie clover
• Golden Alexanders

I think it could also do with quite a few more grasses as I want there to be some definite movement/swaying and the sound of swishy grasses is also very relaxing.

Pond Garden

Yes, I know, not the greatest photo but you can see the little bluestem grown from seed last year and butterfly weed just peeping out behind it.

This is actually quite lush right now and I think it just needs a bit of tweaking:

• Move the geranium at the back, it's totally hidden from view by the rest of the planting by this time of year which is a shame.
• Replace it with Ox Eye Sunflowers which I'll grow from seed over the winter.
• Next year Chelsea chop at least half of the Shasta Daisies as they overwhelm everything else.
• Plant out the tulips from this years pot for some spring jolliness.
• Don't let Jacob put tall sunflowers at the front

Berry Patch

It's difficult to see what on earth is going on in there this year as the comfrey I put in has gone a bit crazy and there are potatoes all over the place.  One thing I have noticed is that it is getting substantially less sun than it used to because it's being overshadowed by the bean tree in next doors yard and the feeder tree in our yard.  I might try to trim a bit off one side of our tree for the sake of a healthy black current harvest next year.  Other jobs:

• I've got room for one more shrub.  I'm going to do a ph test on the soil in that area and see if I can get away with a blueberry.
• Filling up the gaps with:
• Annuals, see above
• Foxgloves
• Maybe some more geraniums because you can't have enough.
• Maybe get Jacob to put sunflowers here instead for some height to draw the eye from the scraggy rhubarb

Herb Bed

Cunningly taken so you can't see just how much bear soil there is by the deck lol

This bed is also new this year, there are some bits and bobs growing in there so I'll briefly list what does well:

• The garlic I overwintered has done a treat so I'll definitely find room for some of that again but maybe not next year.
• Arugula
• Chard
• I put in a rescued chrysanthemum which is looking very healthy
• Chives
• I've got one sorrel seedling which should come through OK if the mouse under the deck doesn't get hungry again.
• This spring the clematis I planted came up and looked like it was going to do just fantastic but Mousey go to it and it was goodbye clematis.  I'll try another if I find a cheap one.
• Radishes
• Beetroot

 This bed gets about 3 - 4 hours of full sun so I can't grow absolutely anything in but I'm going to try a late planting of parsley and spinach now the garlic is out of the way.  What I'd really like are some flowering perennials for year round interest and to attract pollinators and hide the veges from critters.  I've been thinking about:

• Part shade roses
• Nodding wild onions
• Spider wort
• June grass
• Heuchera (coral bells)
• And maybe a few more geraniums lol

Front Pollinator Garden

Lots of coneflowers, everything else is hiding

This has looked the best it ever has this year, mulching it with free compost really did make a difference to the weeding I've had to do.  It also brought in a bunch of new weeds which wasn't ideal but never mind.

• There are still a couple of gaps at the front that I may or may not have plugged with some asters.  I say 'may or may not' because I collected the seed for these from the wild so until the little plants (which are doing suspiciously well) flower I won't know for sure if they are asters or not.  Fingers crossed.
• I do actually need to remove some purple cone flowers because although they have been spectacular this year they are dominating a bit too much.
• Next year grow some sunflowers in pots to pop in, preferably ones with short stems and multiple flowers.

What's poppin' in the garden?

There's been a lot of bird action this week.  Humming birds have been visiting and seem particularly interested in the red nasturtiums that are sharing the pot with Jacob's millet

Garlic harvest

Hecka garlic

Butterfly Milkweed which was shaded out by Shasta Daisies is flowering

Cosmos 'purity' and Cosmos 'bright lights' are just beginning to flower

A single morning glory

Also a single birdhouse gourd flower, it was white which I wasn't expecting

Much more delicate than the a regular squash flower

Lots of flowers on the tomatoes now, they seem to all be setting fruit too.  I'd probably better start feeding them this Friday

Jobs for this week

I really, really need to get the front lawn mowed before we go away next week Aug 5. Yes! stopped procrastinating and mowed the front and the boulevard, I even trimmed the edges and raked up the bits.

Sow some greens in the herb garden Aug 4.  Herb bed.  Put in sweet marjoram and split the violas in Rose's pot into 5 and planted them too.  Also sowed: radish, turnip tops, red salad bowl, Parris Island cos and some sorrel 

Buy bird feed Aug 4.  Canadian Tire.

Buy a ph testing kit

Maybe visit Colour Paradise sale Aug 4.  OMG there was nothing left but I still bought a couple of things: 6 x sedges to go in the grey planters which are looking a bit sad right now, 1 sweet marjoram for the her bed and 3 rather lovely Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'.

Keep at the wildflower meadow, it's growing fast

Extra bits and bobs

Aug 4.  Got some extra jobs done in the mine field.  Planted:

• 3 x Sweet Joe Pyeweed
• 2 x Culvers root
• 3 x panicum

All these had been grown from seed this year and were completely filling 4" pots so I think they are probably strong enough to cope with real life.

• 3 x Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam' bought in Colour Paradise.

Inventoried and marked the little bluestem in the minefield, still have 8 of the 10 tiny plugs I put in.  Also collected some seed from the Coreopsis above to try to grow next year.  Will spread some on scarified grass for new meadow in the fall and save a bit to grow in a pot with CMS.