Summer afternoon
Henry James once said that these—“summer afternoon”—were the two most beautiful words in the English language, and with the weather we’ve been having, who could disagree? Timely rains since February have produced “significant improvement in drought conditions throughout the Commonwealth,” according to the U.S. Geological Service. The skies have been powder puff pictures and those of us without central cooling systems have been enjoying a fairly decent stretch of sleeping weather.
 Coneflower and other self-seeding blooms can fill in gaps among perennials. |
Our brethren along the Mississippi have not been as lucky with nature’s bounty, however, and recent flooding illustrates not only the consequences of wetland destruction and building in flood plains but also agribusiness’ addiction to cheap fertilizer. Thousands of tons of nitrogen have washed down to feed the dead zones in the Gulf.
Disasters on a grand scale can help remind us of the little things, so think again before you reach for that bag of 10-10-10. You may not be growing corn for ethanol or warehousing chickens on the Eastern Shore, but you can control what runs off your own property.
I’ve been touting compost in the last few columns as a way to keep kitchen and garden wastes out of landfills and as a natural source of fertilizer. Petroleum produced fertilizers deliver the goods—straight fixes of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium—but they don’t add anything organic to the soil, as well as having that pesky habit of rolling off into the waterways.
Whether you buy it or make it, think of spreading a couple of inches of compost around trees and shrubs for mulch, digging it into new beds as amendment, or broadcasting it over lawns as fertilizer. It releases organic forms of the good old N-P-K as well as improving the texture and water-holding capacity of the soil.
All this rain has encouraged fungal wilts and spots on tomatoes, especially if you’re growing heirloom varieties like Brandywine or Mortgage Lifter. The old ones are superior for taste and texture but not for disease-resistance. Of course it’s too late now, but if you don’t like to fuss, next year look for hybrids like Early Girl, Big Boy, Better Boy and Celebrity.
For the present, make sure tomatoes are mulched thickly with straw or shredded leaves to keep fungal spores from splashing up and if you don’t have anything better to do in the evenings, stoop among the fragrant foliage and pick off yellowing or spotted leaves to keep things clean around the bases of the plants. Don’t wet the leaves when watering.
Lawn people: Remember not to scalp the tender turf below 2" during these hot days and keep your blades sharp. Smushing the grass with dull blades spreads fungal diseases in wet weather. Leave clippings where they lie as a natural source of nitrogen. Save any fertilizing, chemical or organic, until the fall when soil temperatures cool and the roots are ready to receive.
In the flower garden, reliable self-seeding annuals can fill in gaps among perennials. Cleome, the old-fashioned “cat’s whiskers” has flowers like pink and white clouds, and tassel flower is another possibility with its tiny red puffs.
Vitex shrubs are in their glory now, top dressed with icy azure spikes of flowers, soaking up the sun along with orange butterfly weed and blackberry lily, purple coneflower and misty blue Russian sage. Also called the chastetree, vitex is combined with figs in an amusing planting by the Honeymoon cottage at Monticello. Mine is a sprawling multi-trunked specimen at the back of the garden opening its arms to hungry butterflies, wasps, bees and flies all through the summer afternoons.—Cathy Clary
Warmer, please
Chinese evergreens are durable and dramatic, and in indoor conditions can literally last for decades. They are herbaceous perennials that bloom with inconspicuous whiteish flowers that turn into red berries.
 |
Behind their large, distinctive silvery green foliage, their sap is poisonous, and can irritate the skin and/or mouth and throat if ingested, so be conscious when handling them.
Though they grow best in moderate to low light, ideally by a north-facing window, they are very sensitive to the cold. Temps below 55 degrees can be fatal; brown spots on the leaves mean the plant is saying, “Brrrrr!”—Lily Robertson
August in the garden
-Use compost as fertilizer and mulch.
-Let grass clippings lay.
-Mulch tomato plants.