Thursday, July 26, 2012

Drought

Heading out to the County Saturday with hopes that the rain barrels have been refilled by the rain we've had overnight and forecast for today.  Last weekend the Ninebark was so wilted - leaves and whole branches wilting, curling up - never before like that - I dumped a couple of buckets of grey water on them.  Rudbeckia in several spots were dried up and crispy - disintegrating when touched.  Whole Compass Plant flower stalks browning and dying.  Rattlesnake Master falling over.  Sedum Spectabile flower crowns falling over.  Not to mention Birch and Witch Hazel leaves yellowing and falling as if it were October.  I've been watering as much as possible but the old well isn't what it used to be.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Butternut

One of the trees native to Prince Edward County is the Butternut.  Four years ago we purchased two saplings - they were about a foot high and came in a plastic bag from a conservation authority sale.  They've both grown a little bit every year until this year, when one in particular just took off.  It must have liked the mild winter.  It's grown about a metre or so this year and has sent out 12 or 18 branches from the crown.  Just wondering what it's going to look like in winter, and if I'll have to do some pruning.  Here it is, just to the left of The Mound.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

First week in July, 2012

The big gardening news this year - well, two big headlines, I guess:  DROUGHT and RABBITS.
It's been really dry this summer - only two rainfalls in the past three weeks, everything is wilty and the rain barrels are empty already.  That being said, nothing has died, yet.  I'll need to bring the pump out and start some irrigation though at the end of the month.  The main colour at this time of year is purple - with those small Alliums blooming, as well as Clematis and Echinacea. 

A success story - so far anyway - is the Lilac I rescued from the ditch.  Every year the County mows the sides of the roads once or twice.  A kilometre west of me is a lovely old house with a huge Lilac hedge in front - 12 feet high or so.  Every year it sends up seedlings in the ditch and this year I dug up two little plants (not so little - about three feet) just days, it turns out, ahead of the mowers coming along.  This little guy is getting most of my rain barrel water!

Rabbits Rabbits everywhere this year!! Where are the coyotes ???   Glad I didn't plant carrots!

Work continues on The Mound.  The Daylilies I transplanted there last fall are blooming now and taking over one section.  I have a bunch more I started from seed (including some interesting crosses between yellow and red) waiting in my allotment garden - I'll put them in this September.  I also plan to transplant the remaining Peonies (four or five I think) that once were so lovely but now are almost completely shaded out by my growing White Spruce.