Every Day in June ...

Puddles and Crab Grass were Bermuda seed has floated away ...

Every day in June (except three) it has rained! It is official. Today is the last day of June ... And it is raining.

Record Rain ...

Rainbow at River Bridge

While I have completely danced and delighted in our record rain fall ... Well. Dare I say it? Um, someone please turn off the spicket!

Today marked the 15th consecutive day of rain in my neck of the woods. Breaking a record set in 1937.

While I have a lot of green ... The blooms remain more scarce, with the exception of the show of Daylilies with dabbled colors of red, fushia, yellow and orange (and occasional purple) from annual waitin' for Mr. Sun to spend the afternoon with us — at least one day out of a week! ;-)

Due to rain, I have not been able to take too many photos since my return from the beautiful mountains of New Mexico (where I had a great time!! and took LOTS of pics!).

However, here are some views the day before I left for vacation. (Funny how the adrenaline flows before one "vacates"; that burst of inspiration and energy to complete projects calling to be finished for months ... ::smiles::)

More soon ... I plan to brave the rain and soggy ground tomorrow!

Quotable

Nothing lasts in a garden, nothing stays the same. But something else takes it's place.
— A. A. Milne

Hypertufa pots and reminders ...

Hypertufa pots and timely reminders and tasks I need to finish up ...

• Continue rose care: Rugosas, disease-resistant shrubs, and many old roses do not need routine spraying, but hybrid teas, floribundas, and grandiflora roses do. Provide regular feeding, full sun, mulch, water, and good air circulation so roses naturally have the best defense against insects and diseases. In addition, provide pest controls throughout the gardening season. Prune off faded flowers and dispose of diseased plant matter in the trash.
  

• Consider installing soaker hoses: Soaker hoses in plant beds provide water to the root zones of plants with the minimum of waste, as opposed to sprinklers, with their overspray, runoff, and evaporation. Choose a good quality soaker hose that's very flexible. Start by using the soaker hose for about 30 minutes twice a week. Check the soil the next day to see if it has penetrated several inches, then adjust accordingly.
  

• Clean up spring bulbs: Spring bulb foliage is finally faded and can be cut back to the ground now. This is also the time to dig up any bulbs that you want to plant later this fall in other parts of the garden or clumps that are not flowering well. After digging, shake off any soil and let dry in the shade. Once the bulbs are dry, place them in mesh bags, label, and hang in a dry, cool, well-ventilated place.

Source: The Scotts Company

Saturday Samplin'

Thursday's Rain

Whew, the rain is fallin' on the plain 'round here! After a drought, I suppose it just wouldn't be right to even suggest we have had "enough" rain ... But. Well ...

Next subject: A samplin' of what has been going on in my gardens!

• mulching, mulching, mulching
• weeding, weeding, weeding
• final plantings (maybe ... you just can't ever tell what I will find during my next trip to the garden center!)
• pruning most everything
• taking care of my roses ('Blaze' climbing rose has horrible case of black spot!)
• addition of peach Sweet Williams from my Mom
• pondering the addition of a Coconut Lime Echinacea (below)
  

I still need to plant a variety of Sedums along my stone path. I am also hoping to get some planted along the borders of my gardens. Right now there are several spots where it is in bloom. There are tall stalks with clusters of yellow blooms. It looks marvy!

Off to do some deadheading ...

Lasagna Gardening

Former Outrageous Garlic Chive Foothold

As my gardens expanded, I learned the value of mulching and keeping weeds tamed. However, even the best laid plans seem to go arye!

So something I have done (even before the book) is what is commonly referred to as lasagna gardening. Probably not the extent that I presently enjoy the easy-way-to-great-soil but it proved the old adage: Necessity is the mother of invention.

I first started this process with cheap, black landscape plastic over the (ridiculously tenacious) Bermuda grass and cover it with grass clippings, mulched leaves, peat moss and pine needle mulch as well as chipped wood and pine bark mulch. Initially, any plantings I made were literally cut into this ground covering. Over time, the plastic was removed and the Bermuda had to me routinely weeded out (or, gasp! sprayed with Round-Up).

Over the 17 years I have dug in the dirt of my two-and-a-hald-acre wood, the soil has been enriched by the mulching practices I employ. Honestly, as much as I think about moving from my home someday, it would be almost impossible to bid farewell to the wonderful garden areas I have been blessed with! ;-)

My most recent lasagna project involved laying newspaper, grass clippings, mulched leaves and a bit of paving sand atop the "Outrageous Garlic Chive Foothold" area of my gardens. I absolutely adore the wonderful snowy-show of their bloom during the extreme heat of an Oklahoma August. However, these faithful herbs fall into the invasive category!

This mix (which is currently being "watered" so as to get the newspaper nice and soppy) will be topped with a blend of compost, cotton seed hulls, cow manure (from "my" Brown Swiss milk cows ... at the dairy where I get my raw milk) and some more grass clippings during the next two days.

• Read more about Lasagna Gardening
• Read more about composting (and the essential nutrients for gardening soil)