It’s the first day of summer, the longest day of the year, and I have weather on my mind. My heart goes out to those, including some of my offspring, in areas of the country that have been hit so hard by storms over the last few months and are about to be hit again by another deluge of rain, flooding, hail and/or tornadoes…. and high temperatures.
In New Hampshire, we’ve been fortunate. We’ve had plenty of rain accompanying our cool temperatures. Gardens around here can handle what nature has doled out so far.
In fact, for ornamental gardeners it’s been amazing to have steady rainfall every couple of days this spring. My favorite garden color green dominates the landscape, from the lime green of Japanese Spikenard ‘Sun King’ and lady’s mantle to the blue green of hostas. The lushness of the landscape has been fed by our life-giving spring rains and plants from perennials to shrubs to grasses and vines have exploded in growth.
Temperatures in New England have been cool but I fear that as soon as the heat of summer hits us, the door will be open for an assortment of bacteria and fungi that thrive in heat and the moisture we’re having. And, for sure, there will be an increase of unwelcome insects… like slugs and worse. Already arriving this week are newly hatched LARGE mosquitoes that chase us indoors at dusk. Sigh….
Rain is a welcome treat right now, but too much rain during the summer months can cause plenty of problems for us in the garden. We will simply enjoy it while we can.
Beautiful gardens! 💕
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Thank you. I only take credit for putting plants in the ground. They do all the rest. 😊
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So true. It really is up to them to survive – at least at my house! Once it gets hot I am not out there as much except to admire their growth.
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I feel the same way. I suffer in hot, humid weather! If we must endure hot and humid in the summer, I’ll do a little yard maintenance before the sun is too high in the sky.
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I am hoping that the steady rain ends soon. Your gardens are beautiful.
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Rainy days can get tiresome. I’m getting tired of the stuffy gym. I would enjoy more refreshing walks outside.
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We walked for the first time this week this morning.
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Garden looks lush. Mine do too. Until, of course, I get too close and peer under a leaf and oh my gosh but are the weeds prolific as well. My veggies look like they are frozen in time. I don’t think they’ve grown 3-4 inches in the past four weeks. I can’t even imagine a tomato crop at this point. So, I’m off to pull weeds for a while as we have a break in rain but not wind. And, here I thought I left the wind in the midwest. 🙂
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I think I over mulched with the 50/50 mulch-compost mix. My borders are too wet so I’m pulling mulch away from some plants in fear that the roots will rot. That wind followed you from the Midwest. We are constantly raising our deck umbrella, then down, then up…depending on the severity of the wind.
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Do you get more weeds than normal in your 50/50 mulch-compost mix?
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No. I really don’t. My garden is a lot smaller than yours and I can easily get to weeds when they’re an inch tall. 🌱
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Have exotic species of mosquito moved into your region already? There are billboards in San Jose to warn people of new (in 2015 or so) Chinese mosquito that is active all day, rather than just in the evening like the native mosquitoes are. It is big and voracious too.
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Good heavens! We do not have the Chinese mosquito… yet.
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That is good. They are big and aggressive, and out during the day.
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