Summer in the Berkshires means this lazy gardener has more to do with less time. I like to go to theater performances, Tanglewood concerts, music in local restaurants, museums, and, of course, one of our many lakes to relax.
I have tried to focus my gardening on things that will grow fine with water and sunlight through July so I can head off to other fun activities.
A favorite of mine (and many others) is the Hydrangea paniculata “Pinky Winky.” This shrub was watered thoroughly and deeply in its first year. Two years later, the shrub puts on a great show with very little effort from me.
Still, as I circle the gardens and water my plantings, I have noticed a few garden choices this year might need to change next year. I have put robust cosmos as center features in my annual pots, and they have knocked back the salvia and the petunias. Results: Cosmos are water hogs. And now large stems have broken off at the soil surface during our recent severe thunderstorms. Note to self: Select more flexible “centerpieces” for my annual containers. I say that with some regret. The cosmos have great height, grow fast, and their flowers dance beautifully in the breeze. If you have containers in a more protected location, you might have more success.
Another learning (or lazy?) moment: I have graceful wild white carrot in a part-sun flower bed that was dominated by thistle last year. I am letting the carrot (Queen Anne’s Lace) flourish in this area to loosen the heavy clay soil. When the flowers start to go to seed, I will pull up the plants and their deep tap roots. I will over-sow the area with annual winter rye to keep the soil busy and prevent other weed seeds from germinating. I am trying to make the plants do the work for me.
We finished adding a raised bed for strawberry plants and I “renovated” my patch by transplanting strawberry crowns into the new raised bed. By moving the strawberries, I opened a space for climbing pole beans that will fruit into September. I will cut back the pea plants in this bed soon to make room for more beans.
Birds and deer have been pruning the fruit and new growth on my viburnum. Where I saw berries getting plum, I only see stems now. That is an up- and down-side of native plants. I won’t see the ripe fruit, but I have enjoyed seeing the wildlife.
Check on your houseplants currently spending time outdoors this summer. I put a few tropical plants outdoors to enjoy the brighter sunshine. My amaryllis bulb leaves have been discovered by snails or slugs. Alas.
I left the houseplants in their pots to sit in the shade and receive rain plus the occasional watering from my watering can. Slugs have moved in. I will need to be more conscientious about dumping water out of the pots and picking off snails. Diatomaceous earth or eggshells can help prevent slugs and snails from traveling to the pots. Encircle your plants or pots with a band of the rough material. It irritates the pests, so they won’t cross it. I can also trap them under the pots where they hide from the warm daylight. I just need to remember to lift the pots up every day to scrape off the pests that have gathered there. Here is a post about more steps you can take to control slugs in the garden.
I have tasks to do in the vegetable garden:
I will pull up the rest of the garlic this week. This will open space for more quick-growing lettuce, kale, and other greens. You can plant lettuce seed for a few more weeks for late summer harvest.
I will check on my garden carrots. I left them too long last year and they turned into strange alien creatures. A taste-affirming hint: Scrub carrots when you have picked them from your organic garden; don’t peel them before eating. Trim off green tops before storing carrots to avoid losing moisture.
I might cut chive flowers or sprigs of dill, basil, tarragon, and rosemary to make beautiful, herb-flavored vinegar. It only takes a few days of steeping for the herb flavor to infuse the vinegar. A friend reminded me that chive vinegar (flavored with those pretty pink chive flowers) makes a great house/hostess gift—pink, pretty, and tasty too. Think she is angling for some?
You can cut the thick, flowering stems of arugula back to the base. Then, use the small leaves for a spicy addition to salads. The plant will generate more shoots.
While gathering the Japanese beetles, I spotted an assassin bug attacking larvae of an asparagus beetle. What a cool discovery and vindication! If I had used a broad-spectrum insecticide, I would have killed that assassin bug and only made a small dent in the pest populations. I am glad I supported the beneficial insect.
Keep those beneficials happy and add some native, summer-flowering shrubs to your gardens. Shrubs add structure in small or large gardens, too. Sweetpepper bush (Clethra alnifolia) bears fragrant white or pink flowers now, and St. John’s wort (Hypericum) has abundant, fluffy yellow flowers all over the shrub. Both will be covered by butterflies and bees. Plus, these shrubs are relatively easy to grow if you have the right location. Sweetpepper bush likes consistently moist soil, and St. John’s wort will tolerate some drought. Be the lazy gardener and choose the right plant for your place.
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.
