OldGardener's blog: Summer is here, time to rest

Posted on Jul 18, 2014 9:43 AM

Well, the sod is in and now it is time to rest through the heat. The weather has decided to co-operate (what a pleasant surprise) and it has been 15-20 degrees cooler than normal - just in time for the grass to set its roots. Here is the view off the one side of the family room and it is part of the same area that was dug up last time:


The Fargesia are resting in their temporary homes, waiting for the autumn when they will be planted out along the bottom of the hill. If we are very, very lucky, we will be able to divide a few of them in order to get better coverage:

The Pleioblastus have been potted up, too, but they have yet to be moved to this area.

I have been perplexed by this section (predominantly eastern exposure):

and its match on the other side (predominantly north):


I have, though, recently fallen in sheer adoration of gingers after spending some time lurking in the Tropicals forum so... maybe? Hmmm...

I also have discovered that when the tag says that Ajuga does well in shade to partial shade, it really means DEEP SHADE ONLY in my yard if you want quick growth. For comparison, both of these photos show Ajuga 'Black Scallop'. These are in deep shade and have tripled (at the very least) in size:


But these are in partial shade (some early AM rays, dappled shade the rest of the day):


Quite a difference in size - especially in light of the fact that the smaller Ajuga have been in the ground almost twice as long as the larger plants (roughly 2 months vs 1 month, respectively). I am hopeful, however, that both areas will fill in nicely as 8 weeks really isn't very long.

Ajuga 'Catlin's Giant', however, does not seem picky and is growing vigorously everywhere that it was planted. I cannot comment on the Ajuga 'Burgundy Glow' nor A. 'Mahogany' as they have not been interspersed throughout the garden, yet. The tag that came with A. 'Burgundy Glow' recommends shade only and I have taken that to heart (deep shade) and I will use the remnants of that flat next to the house on the northern side.

I may have discovered a new source for starter plants - Wellspring Gardens. They offer $10 flat-rate shipping and offer free plants with minimum purchases (max of 6 per order). I checked them out here in the Green Pages and at "the other site" and they are highly thought of. So.... I have placed a test order and I am looking forward to receiving some starter gingers, (3) bananas, and 2 Bat plants - (1) black and (1) white. I have a new fascination for Bat Plants (Tacca chantrieri and T. integrifolia):

They look so unreal to me.

On a different note, French is coming along swimmingly although Frenchy the cow is a different matter entirely. Frenchy is doing extremely well! She is due soon and is quite large - very exciting indeed. She has become my fil's best friend so all is well there.

For some reason that I still do not understand, I decided to study French again after almost 40 years. I have just passed the 30 consecutive day mark and, according to the site, am reaching 75-80% fluency. I discovered Duolingo when my second to youngest daughter was assigned Spanish homework there. It is a free app (they make their $ by crowd-sourcing translations) and it has been a different but interesting experience. I have finally learned to accept "depuis" (ha-ha - as if the French care if I accept it or not) but I am struggling a bit with some of the more obtuse verb tenses. It is, however, forcing me to look at the construct of the English language more closely, too, so I suppose that is good. I do have to wonder, though, how often are some of these tenses used? But I guess that is all academic I am finding that, as was true 40 years ago, I have to be careful writing as I frequently am now substituting French words for English and vice-versa.

My great-auntie, who passed away not all that long ago, was one of the most (if not the most) articulate, intelligent, self-educated, outspoken, interesting people that I have met. She was one of those rare people who had close friends of all ages, from all walks of life, from all over the world - from a monk in Peru to a stage actor in Britain to my kids when they were just teens - everyone seemed to be fascinated by her and she was well-versed in so many areas. She once shared with me that her secret to longevity was not to become bored and stagnant. "To read, to study, to strive continuously in order to expand one's mind" is what she shared, "and to never stay rigid within your own self". She barely missed holding her great-great-great niece so I believe she must have been on to something. I still miss her tremendously.

Member Login:

( No account? Join now! )