The Duck Days of Summer?
This has been a month of afternoon storms, blooming annuals, and lots of deadheading. The rain has aided in the growth of the lawn and all the plants. Thunder, lightning, and hail have become normal occurrences. The hail, even when significant and quite violent, doesn’t seem to damage too much of the garden, and what it does affect does not seem stunted, just a little bruised. Even the most delicate-looking plants are incredibly resilient. I also saw y first Japanese Beetle on the Blackberry bush.
July 2nd
I pulled the tatsoi, winter choy, and spinach- all bolted in the heat.
Crabgrass, bindweed, and sandmat have taken over the sideyard.
The Milkweed is covered in aphids. The violas, pansies, and coreopsis are exquisite.
We had a stirfry with the snow peas from the garden. The peppers and tomatoes in the veggie beds are not thriving, and the bean plants have been chewed to stubs.
July 11th
One bean plant survived, and I plan to plant more this evening.
I moved four peppers to the grow bags as they were stunted in the raised beds. The maple trees grew faster and broader than we thought and shaded everything.
I sowed last year’s collected zinnia seeds into the bare spots in the flower patch.
In the bare sections of the veggie beds, I planted lettuce seeds in rows for microgreens. Hopefully, they will prefer the shadier bed.
The sunflowers that have sprouted in the front beds are immense and seem to still be growing. They look about 10 feet tall. The Bee Balm in the front is just starting to bloom. It volunteered itself from last year and I am so grateful.
The Bells of Ireland and the Dara are both blooming in the container garden. I have sprayed organic, vinegar-based weed killer on the rocks outside on dry and hot days.
The finches love the garden arch and tease the cats from the apex.
July 12th
I collected chives and poppy seeds.
July 30th
I trimmed back the rose closets to the house.