August 2009

Today is a gorgeous autumn day. Yes, autumn.

Here are a few highlights of my August garden. I purchased a twenty-bulb mix of Oriental lilies twelve years ago, and only a few of them remain, but they are very vigorous. I know I got them twelve years ago, because I planted them the same spring my son was born. The same spring my [...]

Every day I take a walk around my garden, and check my 'Endless Summer' hydrangea for buds.And every day I sigh, and walk away disappointed. But one day I was on my knees, weeding a bed about six feet away, and happened to glance over at my bloomless shrub. Hidden in the interior of the [...]

3 inches of rain in last 24hrs. Bet the late blight loved that. Humid & hot today-does it like heat? Update The same day I wrote this, another 1.3 inches of rain fell late in the afternoon. That makes 4.3 inches in 48 hours. We often don't get that much in a whole month, especially [...]

On July 26, 2009, I walked outside and saw a sight that made me gasp and clasp my hands over my heart. It was one of those moments where you thank God you have the privilege of gardening on this piece of earth, and that you listened to that inner prompt that said, "Sprinkle those [...]

Friday the garden looked fine. Saturday we were gone, Sunday it rained. On Monday I asked my husband to dig up some new potatoes for our supper, and he discovered the garden was infected with Phytophthora infestans, commonly known as late blight. Late Blight Factoids Ideal conditions for late blight are days in the 70sF [...]

I mentioned that Allegheny vine (Adlumia fungosa) was blooming for me in July's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post, and Leslie asked me what that was. Thank you, Leslie. I was dying for someone to ask. A Biennial, Native Vine I had never even heard of a biennial vine until Allegheny vine showed up in my [...]