This past weekend, I planted a new flower border to accent a large rock rising from my lawn. I chose vole-and-deer-resistant plants because I have seen the vole trails and the deer damage. I divided and moved some daylilies from another spot to the new location. Warning: not an ideal time to transplant! I did this because I knew I would be attending to the watering at this new garden every few days. Dividing and transplanting in mid-July can be tricky unless you are willing to monitor the soil moisture every day. If you don’t have a new planting location ready and waiting, divide your less floriferous, five-year-old clumps of daylilies in the fall when days are cooler and rains more frequent.
What else happened last weekend? In the veggie garden, I removed yellowing tomato leaves. They have potential fungal spores that will damage my planting. I need to remove them to prevent fungal spread. I will also spray healthy leaves with Spinosad, a bio-rational insecticide, B.t. blend of targeted beneficial bacteria that can stop the spread of damaging fungi without harming other insects in the eco-system.
The monarchs in my meadow area flitted for hours over the beebalm but settled the most happily on the swamp milk weed (Asclepias incarnata). I also have butterfly weed (Asclepia tuberosa) and common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). By offering large swaths of different plant varieties, you attract a diversity of butterflies. Butterflies are laying eggs now on host plants, and the larvae will be eating their ideal meal in the next few weeks. Avoid mowing down these important host plants until January or March. And don’t shear the plants to the ground until late March. That timing will help ensure that overwintering insects have a chance to emerge and feed our migrating bird populations. I love knowing that I am not supposed to mow! Work avoided!
Keep deadheading perennials like coneflower and coreopsis to encourage rebloom this season. A light dose of slow-release fertilizer now will help as well.
This week’s vegetable garden tasks:
Bitter-tasting cucumbers are a sign of drought stress. Water your vegetables every day.
Harvest some new potatoes now by digging around the stem near the surface. Leave the plants, however, to have potatoes later as your main crop.
Harvest peppers in the green state or wait for them to turn yellow, red, or orange. The longer you wait, the sweeter the fruit. You may need to stake top-heavy plants. Use a bamboo stake and loosely tie the main stem by wrapping under a leaf juncture and wrapping again around the bamboo. Leave plenty of slack to allow for wind movement and plant growth without damaging the tender stems.
Fresh carrots from the garden can’t be beat. Carrots are ready to harvest when you see the root crown emerging slightly from the soil surface. If in doubt, pull one and decide if the root is big enough for you. If not, leave the others to grow. Wash the soil off but don’t peel the homegrown roots that you harvest now. Gently scrub off dirt and enjoy the carrots’ full flavor. Once you harvest carrots, remove the green tops before storing. The foliage can draw moisture and dry out the tasty roots.
I have clumps of white umbel-type weeds, and I don’t care. The European import but non-invasive “Queen Anne’s Lace,” or wild carrot, has started blooming everywhere. Note the black spot of “blood” in the middle of Queen Anne’s needlework. Pulled up plants have a sweet carrot fragrance but not the flavor. Although not native, these European, alien imports do offer a local benefit. The long taproot keeps this weed contained, and it contributes by aerating hard-packed soil without taking up space from native plants. I remove it or “edit” it out when it doesn’t contribute to my gardens.
You still have time to sow a late crop of beets, kale, or arugula.
Deadhead annuals like snapdragons, zinnia, marigold, and calendula to keep flowers coming all season.
And don’t forget the herbs! Take cuttings now before herbs flower to add to salads and to flavor vinegars and refrigerate for pickling. Herbs allowed to flower and seed often lose their best flavor. If you can’t use them immediately, dry them in a paper bag for later use.
Summer-flowering shrubs have a stepsister status in the garden. We get so excited by the explosion of blooms in spring that we forget the next four months of flower potential. Don’t ignore the benefits of Hydrangea, summersweet (Clethra alnifolia), and button bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) for garden interest and ecological impact. These all bloom now and attract beneficial insects. Do the lazy gardener move and improve the ecosystem where you live by making choices to benefit as many organisms as possible with everything you grow.
Keep looking around and explore what your gardens bring to view. I saw a Halloween pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina) that practically posed for a photograph. I learned they like to perch on taller plants and eat other insects. Yes! I want to keep this insect around.
I call myself the Lazy Berkshire Gardener because I don’t want to work too hard in my gardens. I want to enjoy them. I find it easier to observe my landscape and let the compost happen, the water pool up, or daisies to self-sow. I look for ways to do the minimum task for the biggest impact. For example, mulching is better than spraying and much better than weeding all season. I look for beautiful, low-maintenance plants that thrive in or at least tolerate my garden conditions. Plus, I am willing to live with the consequences if I miss something.
