Gardening as therapy.

You have all inspired me to do what I have been meaning to do for years and join the RHS.

I now discover that I have planted everything in the wrong place, and that I have pretty much made one bed into an All You Can Eat buffet bar for earwigs. Also that the reason the black-fly vanished overnight from the viburnum was probably that it was next door to said buffet bar, and apparently earwigs enjoy aphids as a savoury.

Well I'm not starting all over again. The plants will just have to look at me reproachfully until I get round to moving things.

My bouganvillia is surviving under the carport, except the bright magenta color has changed to more of a lighter shade, more pink. Must have watered it too much.

Rain would be nice here too. This week nature is fertilizing my plants and entire yard with potash. Mother nature has been messy, getting the fertilizer everywhere so I had to sweep up where she missed.

Rain! You lucky dog! We have had more rain than some in the area but things are still terribly dry. I've been hoping for a good pop up thunderstorm this afternoon but it isn't looking likely.

Linda, sounds as if you've factored a lot of wisdom into your planting to adjust for space and weather. That's something I need to do!

I'm thinking that a lot of vining plants cover easily cover some of the space if allowed to just remain on the ground and spread out, acting as a ground cover. That's probably the first and easiest step I'll take. But I do want more flowers surrounding the veggies, to provide continuous color once the veggies finish producing.

We're having a short rain event right now - it's bringing some wonderfully cool relief to the stifling hot heat we've been enduring. I love the fresh and cooling fragrance of rain.

GA, I established some small xeric plants using plastic juice bottles with holes down one side, sunk in the garden to water roots. I only planted two raised beds in vegetables this year - left one empty and scattered zinnia and cosmos seeds in the fourth bed. The flowers are really pretty, easy care and I don't have to freeze or can anything. The tomatoes aren't happy with the heat but producing some. Peppers are dropping blossoms so that's not good. Basil is doing surprisingly well as is the chard and fennel. The pole beans are going crazy. I planted just enough to satisfy my need to garden, but not so much that it's a burden instead of a joy. I didn't grow any squash because I knew I didn't have time to hand pick the bugs. The volunteer sunflowers are really nice this year. And the bees are having a feast on fennel pollen, oregano, thyme, sunflowers and vitex.

My parents were of the generation that froze and canned most of what was needed to eat though the year so they had some very large gardens. I eventually sowed grass seed in one and reduced the size of the other but I was still left with a lot of garden space that I just couldn't leave idle, so I had fun experimenting with different gardening techniques and planting things like popcorn, peanuts and sweet potatoes. Unfortunately I still had way too many veggies to use, the beans would yield a pailful every few days, we ate cucumber salad until we could eat no more, and don't even mention the zucchini! Now I have a half dozen beans in a pot (not big enough, they are always dry), along with 2 cucumbers and 2 tomatoes in pots as well. What I really miss are pepper plants, I have stuck a few in amongst my flowerbeds but I have walnut trees and they are not looking very happy.

I've become completely obsessed by Captain's monograph on the secret lives of bees - specifically the bombshell that underperforming worker bees are subject to mocking by other hive members.

Currently my small garden is thronging with bees because the borage (see picture inset) is in full flower, with the buddleia next to it about to blossom. It has got to the point where I counsel the dog to go and sunbathe away from his preferred spot on the path because I don't want him to snap at one in error and start something he and I might both regret.

But I digress. We have honey bees, bumbles and some leaf cutters in quantity, and then I thought 'oh how interesting!' - a bee with a bright, deep yellow face and broad stripes the length of its body staggered across my field of vision and headed off to the far end of the flower bed. I went for a closer look, and realised that this wasn't some novel species. This individual - presumably a teenager, has to be different - had decided she preferred dahlias to the borage and was busying herself with Bishop of Llandaff - the bright colour was coming straight off the flower stamens. If I mean stamens.

She was smothered in it, like a little child after chocolate dessert. I dread to think how much mockery she was in for when she finally got back to the hive.

Tacy, next year you will have to plant some flowers among the vegetables, you'll have less to give away and a pretty garden too.

Pam, have you noticed any difference in the taste of your tomatoes and peppers? Same with the cukes?

My zuchinnis bit the dust..my tomatoes are hanging on as are the peppers, The cukes are in pots, that we set in the garden..LOL I missed transplanting them hubs waters everything nightly as we are not having enough rain. This heat even wilted the basil I have in pots in the sunroom!

Is anyone actually doing any gardening? Is there actually anything left besides dried plants? The heat here is devastating except for the day lilies, which have managed to survive. But even with the nominal rain, it's just too, too hot. Plant life is struggling.

I'm going to try to get a fall garden in if August isn't swelteringly hot, but I'm holding my breath.

In the meantime, I'm going to start planning a xeriscaped garden. If these extended stretches of 90+ weather are the future for Michigan (not even considering how bad it must be in the southern areas), I need a whole new plan, probably emphasizing pumpkins, squash and watermelon. Their roots can easily be mulched and the vines can also act as mulch if there are enough plants to cover a bed.

We used to punch holes in large juice cans, sink then in the soil, then pour water in the cans. It was a quick and direct way to water the roots.

But there would have to be a lot of sunken drip hoses to do that for other crops.

I saw one farmer's patch of all watermelons - the foliage was lovely, and so thick that it was just as beautiful as a field of flowers.

Remember the law, they are only guaranteed to grow if you plant too many ; )

Cwillie, I love the laws concerning zucchini planting mentioned on the Whine
thread. Does the law guarantee the zucchini to grow after planting too?
If they don't grow at all, do we sue them?
Are there also farmers almanac-type suggestions of whether to plant before or after the full moon? Can they be planted in a planter box? Will the bunnies, possum, or racoons go after them?
I can look it up, but inquiring minds want to know.

there used to be an old wives tale that if you touched a toad you grew a wart, however it is just a tale probably made up by mothers to stop the kids bringing them into the house as pets. They are really good to have.

As far as spraying aphids with soapy water that was the only way to get rid of them before the advent of expensive toxic chemicals.

I am going to try the recipe for weed killer soon. # cups white vinegar, 1 cup salt and a dash of liquid dishwashing soap Dawn I am told is good. After all they clean off oiled waterfowl with it.

Glad, I'm thinking about hiding out on that cool road until this current heat wave passes. It was really a soothing, relaxing drive.

Tacy, oh, yes, save your toads! Google toad houses to see all the cute little homes you can build for them.

It's been awhile since I've had aphids, but I have a vague recollection of using a frequently recommended (in the organic gardening community) spray of water with dish washing detergent. Google "aphids, natural sprays" and you'll get a lot of hits.

The toads are probably also attracted to the water. They might be suffering as much as we humans in this Michigan heat wave.

But first give the toads the opportunity for their own buffet of apphids.

Toads are not a problem, toads are good! They sell toad houses to attract them to gardens, they are busy eating all your slugs and earwigs and other nasties. The only problem I ever had with toads was me accidentally injuring them them because they were burrowing into much and under my potato plants... poor toads.

I need a road trip like that, GA! Sounds wonderful!

Tacy, maybe the toad population is helping with the aphids? I know the eat bugs. Ladybugs are very effective on aphids. Many garden centers sell ladybugs just for that purpose.

Thank you, Garden Artist! Sounds like a good, safe and pleasant road trip!

Trees are special - and if they're good ones, deserve to be saved. They provide beauty, cooling, mulch ingredients, inspiration, cones for reforestation and craft work, windbreaks, and much, much more for our lives.

A few days ago we went on a carpacking tour - down roads my sister, brother and neighbor friends used to explore on our bikes when we were growing up, on routes that are much too long for us to navigate these days (especially with oxygen equipment).

There's been some change in the road configurations, but the major change from what I remember is that the trees now all grow right down to the edge of the dirt roads, often with overhanging branches providing complete cover from the hot summer sun. It was almost dark enough to turn on the headlights.

As I frequently do when in this kind of heavily forested environment, I thought of Evangeline. Despite human made roads, these forests still appear to be "the forest primaeval."

We meandered along these old roads, remembering bike rides of long ago, places we explored, swamps that are still there, new swamps that have appeared, an old barn we used to explore that is gone, replaced by houses, searched for the apple orchard that used to be a destination in fall when we picked apples from what used to be a cultivated orchard.

Some portions of our route took us by one of the local lakes, populated well with pontoon boats, motor boats and a few rowboats. The summer spirit captured us - were it not for the oxygen equipment, we might have gone wading, but we knew the parks and the local private beach would be packed.

The trees were everywhere, lovely green trees, some with massive trunks and long graceful branches.

Queen Anne's lace was blooming in a few spots, reminding me that these lovely flowers appear so regularly during summer, and lend a graceful touch to the otherwise masses of wild things some people call weeds growing freely along the roadside.

I looked for that perennial vine with its masses of white flowers but saw none in bloom yet. Silver Lace Vine, or Polygonum Aubertii, has always been one of my favorites, even if some consider it invasive. It's gracefully beautiful, light and frothy, so perfect for summer decoration. Sometimes it reminds me of the froth on a fresh vanilla milk shake.

So try to save your tree as you've planned; it'll be a happy tree if you do!

GASP! I think we are all going to survive with gardening as therapy!
Love, from Send

Thank you Cwillie, Garden Artist, and SharynMarie! Great answers, and so much I did not know, you knew! So kind of you to help me and consider the condition of this little tree!
Hubby will remove the grass around the tree that only migrated there since Feb. when all the grass was dying-I think I knew better-but at that point, green was green! But I kept silent.
All the suggestions will be explored and I will treat the wound with Melaleuca Oil.
Then, check for bugs, disease, close the gopher hole and send it packing! This I know how to do. Then, if needed, the scrape (wound) will be sealed with a special sealant for trees that I have from when Osh Hardware closed it's doors-looks like tar-which was what my Father used and he was a tree surgeon. I was too young to be taught much of what he knew, but remember how he had flushed out gophers with water down each hole. My summer project, hoping hubby helps willingly.
FUN.

Send, if this apple tree is planted in the lawn where it has received regular waterings for the lawn, it could be phytrotphora root rot. If the wound is oozing out sap, possibly caused from lawn mower hitting the trunk, a canker has developed which girdles the xylem and phloem (vascular flow in trees).

Send, you could probably seal the wound; I don't remember the recommendations as it's been years since I've done that. Maybe beeswax? I think paint has been used although I would never use paint on a living creature.

But I'm wondering if there are insects inside that hole, and you wouldn't want to seal them in. Animal holes can open pathways for unwanted insects.

I wouldn't feed the tree anything but water or compost. You can also water around the drip line, the edge of the extent of the tree branches.

Putting rocks close to a tree would allow the rocks to heat up and retain that heat, perhaps also heating up the soil depending on the size of the rocks. Not a good move if they want to save the tree. Tree trunks need breathing room; that's another reason why mulch shouldn't be piled up around the tree trunk, as I've seen in so many "professionally" planted trees - their lower branches could literally smother in mulch.

Here I was, trying to be positive, Cwillie, about my secret thoughts that this little tree was going to "gasp it's last", since there are 50% dead branches. Upon further investigation, there is actually a gopher-type hole nearer the dead branches. There were scratches on the bark of the tree (bunnies, cats, gopher, possum, racoon?) This one tree has always received it's fair share of water,
and just before this bloom, my husband left the hose dripping overnight.
Maybe I should feed it and patch up the bark damage. Or, just let nature take it's course? I see that some neighbors have put their decorative rocks right up to the base of their little trees-I know that won't work in this heat. But we have about a two foot patch of St. Augustine grass and bark surrounding the tree. Gotta go out and talk to the tree now-it just has to survive-how else will it be able to clap it's hands when the time comes?

I use gardening as therapy. We had both front and backyards re-landscaped last year so my "gardening" consists of weed pulling...which I've always enjoyed, a little bit of pruning and my latest toy.....a leaf blower!! I love using it! I have lots of sitting/reading areas and I love being in the yard. When I come home from caregiving duties....I make a beeline for my yard. 😍

Any purchased container or bare root tree, unless incredibly small, has already sacrificed it's tap root. I hope I am wrong, but sometimes a fruit tree will put out blossoms out of season as a last hope to propagate before gasping their last.... any chance you can sneak it some water??
GA, it was always my ambition to try to espalier some fruit trees. My brother had planted large apple trees that mostly went to waste as it was impossible to keep them insect and disease free, ultra dwarfs and espaliers are the only sensible option for the home grower.

I'm not that knowledgeable about fruit trees; the ones in my yard when I moved were already challenged because of diseases that developed during the prior owner's time, and eventually I just cut them down.

But I'm wondering about a few other things besides a damaged tap root: soil, drought in California, and pollinators. Any one of these could affect setting blossoms and developing fruit.

AKDaughter is an expert on growing fruit trees; she probably would know more than I. I've been thinking more and more about getting some dwarf trees to grow, though, so at least I could have some pesticide free fruit. But I'm not sure the raccoons or the nosy neighbors would even leave the fruit for ME to harvest!

There is hope.