This morning felt like fall. We had much needed rain yesterday and at 6 a.m. today the temperature was 65 degrees. I opened the windows in the house, donned my gardening clothes (including my preferred long sleeve turtleneck) and was in the yard by seven. I’m sure we will have more warm or hot days before fall temperatures really settle in, but working outside this morning was a treat after the soaring temps and humidity a week ago.
I’d been thinking about removing one or two of my four raised beds. They are ten years old and the pine boards we used are rotting out. Ten years ago the beds got more sun but our big old maples are now bigger and the beds more shaded. Those trees also send roots into the beds requiring hand digging each one in the spring. For the last two years I did not dig the beds and plants in the beds suffered so I finally decided to remove all four. I’ll keep my two productive beds at the St. Michaels Community Garden.
My husband helped with the first two on Thursday, but this morning headed off to Urgent Care with a swollen, extremely painful knuckle. He was out of commission.
Never underestimate a determined woman with a six foot metal pry bar. I scrapped my plan to divide some hostas and had the rest of those beds demolished before the husband got back with his diagnosis of an infected insect bite and two prescriptions. We will spread that soil and seed it with grass this fall. Some of the drip irrigation can be salvaged but alot of what had been in those beds is now in the trash.
2. In another part of the garden I found a few liriope spicata begining to bloom.
3. These hostas were in this location when we bought our house. I have transplanted them to many other places in the garden. The white flowers are beautifully fragrant. These two trees make a frame for the lovely cinnamon colored trunks of a crepe myrtle.
4. Spirea is sporting a second flush of blooms after being cut back in mid July. These plants were also here when we bought the house. I think they are Anthony Waterer.
5. After being totally non-productive all summer, an eggplant in a large container has produced four fruits. I can’t imagine they will all mature as they are so clustered.
6. The blue flower in this photo came from the garden of my friend Mary Jo K. It might be a lobelia. Mary Jo reads my blog, so she’ll let me know. The plant was originally in a bed thirty feet way. Not sure how it got across the garden but I thought it was gorgeous with the yellow rudbeckia.
That’s my Six on Satruday as we head toward fall. The meme was started by The Propogator, a UK gardener. I learn something every week from the participating gardeners. This is the link to the rules if you’d like to join in.
#lovemygarden
Mala, loved the pics as always. Alas, I am not the one with the blue flowers, wish I were, but I think you are right about the lobelia. I just sent an email to Val to pass to the library garden re a wine and cheese on Tues at my house. Would you let me know if you receive it? MJ
On Sat, 24 Aug 2019 19:03:44 +0000
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That is a lobelia and get ready, if you have one this year you will have many next year. They are lovely though.
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It does self-seed but it’s not invasive. Perfect.
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That is more than I can confirm. It looks like lobelia to me, but I don’t work with many varieties of lobelia, so could not identify it.
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All the pictures are great. I wish I had flowers like that around here. We installed a raised bed two years ago. We managed to get some tomatoes, a few strawberries, and some herbs. We also produced some very healthy squirrels. That is truly a nice yard you have Mala.
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Thanks, Ron. It is a nice yard but I am working on making it less maintenance intensive. My husband will be 80 this fall and I am 76. Still spry, but not as energetic as I was when I was younger. I figure the longer I can keep working outside the better.
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I hear that’s the secret. Stay moving, I’m 67 now, still running the race.
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Good work on dismantling beds. Been too hot here and found myself doing hardest jobs at midday. I’m working more in the shaded front garden as I get a bit of sea breeze there to cool me down.
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We had incredibly hot humid weather for awhile. I just couldn’t be out except to haul the hose around to a new spot every 30 minutes. It’s a pleasure to be out again. I’ll get those hostas dug this morning. Cool again.
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You did a good stuff! I hope your husband is better now. Otherwise I see you have a nice combo of rudbeckias : you with the lobelia, me the penstemon.
I do like the hostas under the trees …nice rendering !
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Marla you have a wonderful garden. I am impressed by the raised beds. How deep are they? Will you replace the soil every year or just fertilise’
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They were 12″ lumber which translates to about 11″ deep. I used 8′ x 4′ x 12″ boards and cut one board in half for the ends. I won’t replace these raised beds as the light and trees are too problematic. I have two raised beds in our community garden and that will take care of my tomato and the few other veggies I grow.
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Hi, Mala – WordPress won’t let me comment on the site for some reason. Just wanted to tell you how much I love reading your blog. Sympathy to Roger and kudos to you, Wonder Woman.
Sent from Mail for Windows 10
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