We went on a little trip a few days ago and were gone for barely two days and the garden fell apart. It was mostly the fault of the weather as temperatures sat in the mid 90’s each day (35C) but it didn’t reflect well on my plantings and I was generally disgusted to see them all go to pieces in such a short time. This post would have had a much more one-sided title had I put it together that next day, but fortunately things move slowly here and I’ve had a few days to reflect and recover before putting things into words (and pictures). Plus it rained. A summer rain storm can change everything, and between that and some directed culling and chopping and fertilizing, there’s a slight air of positive vibes drifting through the yard again.
Pots of succulents can withstand quite some abuse, so are perfect for the roadtripping gardener. Tools scattered about can also make things look busier than they really are… until someone asks when the last time they were used was…
As usual much of the problem is the gardener’s fault. Normally drip lines on a timer nurse nearly all the potted plantings throughout the summer, but “I think I’ll just rip them all out since I should probably re-think the layout” happened when the deck was worked on, and re-thinking doesn’t really get water to plants as well as a drip line does. So once the gardener chose to continue gardening for the year, the first thing on the list was watering containers. It should have been repair the drip lines, but it wasn’t, and it also wasn’t the second thing. The second thing was to either cleanup, repot, or toss any of the succulents which weren’t already out on the summering wall. I’d been holding quite a few back because they weren’t quite display-ready, but after seeing how they were the only things not complaining about summer I decided to reward them with a little attention. It worked, and things look better, and best of all anything which looked sad or filled with complaints was tossed. My theory on the last succulent pots was the same as what normal people apply to their wardrobe. Anything you don’t use or love or haven’t worn yet this season goes on to the ‘goodwill pile’ and gets recycled as compost 🙂
The sloppy little stone wall is again topped with various potted succulents and somehow I’m short on pots again. That could be an easy fix but the gardener is not allowed to visit the terracotta isle any more.
Purging the pots was a relief, and then trimming the box hedge and mowing the lawn were also excellent jobs for improving the gardener’s outlook. The lawn doesn’t really need mowing, but the weeds in it do, and trimmed up they look so much better.
Then I looked at the flower beds and purged them as well. Mid summer should be a lush highlight for the garden, but the heat has taken a toll and in the mood I was in there was no room for tired plants. So now I have empty spots and need mulch, but who doesn’t like spreading mulch in the middle of summer? Fortunately that same day we also opened the envelope containing the bill for the boy’s first year of college, and seeing that ‘realigned’ how much of the budget was going into mulch purchases!
Tulips (and plenty of weeds) finally came out of this bed early in the month and all the leftover cuttings and roots and tubers from the garage went in. There is a new crape myrtle, and it’s so full of buds I don’t even care if it’s hardy or not!
Summary so far: Most of the garden has been composted, but at least it looks neat. A good rain has helped.
A few of the ‘toothy’ daylily seedlings which have been added to the garden. They’re interesting and I think I like them, but I’m more of a craftsman style, and less Louis XVI.
The gardener should stop complaining. Flowers abound, the pool is perfect, the agapanthus are starting, and nearly every evening is filled with fireflies.
A few seeds were collected off the hardy agapanthus a few weeks before they were bulldozed into oblivion and now two years later we again have blooms. I’m quite happy with them.
Maybe now we will finally get to the stupid drip irrigation. It’s not hard at all to set up, but the gardener hates crouching under the deck to run the lines, and he knows he has to do a nice job this time since everything else looks halfway decent and a bunch of lines thrown around would not show well.
Have a great week and I hope your summer garden is doing well. If not I suggest a purge, a little mulch, and maybe a new succulent and things may improve immeasurably 🙂
sorta like suburbia 
Having purged my shoe closet this morning, I can vouch for what purging can do for one’s outlook!
Happy purging! Once I’m done getting the garden ready for 2024 maybe I’ll do some indoor purging as well 😉
Leaving a full garden in summer is tough for gardeners. It is the first thing I attend to when I get back and I’m not happy until order is restored, so I totally get your need to purge. Fortunately, my recent purging was limited to weeds (taking over), spent poppies and a lot of deadheading. Cartloads of the stuff!
It’s amazing how many cartloads the garden can produce in July! The rose campion by itself filled at least a cart or two and the compost pile looks like a mountain… and also needs attending to…
Which poppies did you have so many of? I’ll need to look back on your blog because I think I missed them!
Papaver somniferum… so pretty and bee-filled… then the foliage molds to black…ick! I pull all but a plant or two left for seed. I dry a dozen seed heads for winter.
Your efforts have paid off – at least in the photos you have shared! 😉The Agapanthus are quick to flower then. They are expensive here and I still haven’t convinced myself they are worth one season.. not sure they would be hardy in my exposed garden. Mowing the lawn always makes the garden look a bit more respectable, but it is this time of year where things start getting scorched or going to seed, and it is simply too hot for me to spend much time on keeping it looking fresh! Your succulents look so nice on your wall. I really should tidy up mine….
You’re so right. It’s not even warm this morning and just the thought of the heat makes me not care as much about the wooly lawn and latest round of weeds to pull. It will all last another few days 😉
I think a few agapanthus would do well there, but finding the hardier ones might be a struggle and like you mention, none of them are cheap! They grow well enough from seed though as long as you protect them a bit the first year. I started them mid-winter and grew them on before planting them out to fend for themselves. Let me know if you want to try a few seeds!
The stack of rocks with the tools on it looks like the perfect spot to display your succulents. Is it a new plinth just for that display? Those levels made me think that.
I didn’t realize that the agapanthus could be hardy. The agapanthus does make a good color for the garden. It would look especially nice with those Louis XVI daylilies. I had a dalliance with Louis XVI daylilies some time ago. I think they are garden worthy. I like these hot colors.
Ahhh, a good purge makes one feel so accomplished. It also makes things look tidy. Now get out there and get those drip lines aligned and you will be able to sit back and enjoy your fabulous garden.
The new plinth… that word sounds so formal for what it really is. There was some last digging to be done and as usual rocks were again piling up, so rather than start another rock pile I tried to organize them a little better… just in case they sat there for a couple decades before I did anything with them! Of course now the other bigger rock pile looks even worse, so maybe there are more plinths in my future 😉
Lately while everything is taking on that tired look the agapanthus are even more inspiring! The color is so intense for this time of year and they’ve been really carefree for me. You’ll need to keep an eye out for the hardier forms, I suspect that in the next couple years they will become more easily available and I think they’re rated down to zone 5.
Oh dear. I just looked out the window to see the hawk take a robin on the pergola. A little grisly for my Saturday morning coffee but fortunately it has taken breakfast back to the nest rather than stay here. The garden is overrun with wildlife this year and I guess it’s not all baby bunnies and butterflies.
btw I still didn’t even look at the drip lines yet. It will be my own fault the next time I’m complaining.
Oh, your garden is looking gorgeous! Summer scorch is always difficult to deal with. I’m seeing areas in my garden that really need help for next year.
Thanks Tracy, it’s so discouraging when nothing seems happy out there! But the good thing is there’s always next year, and many of my improved spots were total trash last year so it can come and go… and then sometimes you just get the inspiration to make changes no matter the season or what the plants think!
I’m sorry the forces of nature (?) are so challenging even for you, and you know what you’re doing. I can relate on some level but I confess to being blind-sided this year. Your garden is simply gorgeous.
Thanks Lisa. I have my ups and downs and I’m liking the garden again this week. Sometimes the disasters bother me, other times a single bloom or sprout changes everything and all the mess is easily overlooked!
Your efforts always pay off in the end. Everything looks great from this end because your photos look AWESOME! We are expecting a heat wave this week. I “think” I have the aphids in check for now, but it is time to get out the sprinkler…
I guess it does pay off eventually as you well know. Hope things made it through the heat ok, we’re into endless rain and cooler temperatures and that’s its own set of challenges. Plus it keeps me stuck indoors and how boring is that!
The next thing you know, you’ll be bringing the outside in for the winter. 🙂
Hi Frank, I actually don’t think you have any reason to complain or hate your beautiful garden. You’re too hard on yourself. Look at all the flowers! I’m also mad about succulents, not only do they thrive on neglect and are easy to propagate, their variety is just mind-blowing. Aeonium looks fab in borders too. As for the Lagerstroemia I’d have thought your winters are too cold. I have two of them, they look amazing when mature. Do you water your agapanthus too? I really must move mine as they have stopped flowering due to the growing shade. Wishing you happy summer days
Thanks Annette. Sometimes I get into a mood and there’s a complaint about everything, and it usually has something to do with wilted plants and the hassle of dragging a hose around! The succulents really are a lifesaver as they trudge through any type of weather here and seldom complain. I shall need to try some Aeonium in the border next year. Other succulents have been a little sulky in my heavy soil, but it’s worth a try!
Indeed winters here are a little too cold for the Lagarstroemia. I lost a couple, but I think if better cared for they would have been root hardy at least. I’ve seen them planted locally and in a warm summer the ground shoots grow well enough to bloom, but in the past few years the top growth has been surviving, and the show has been spectacular. That has been my sign to give them a try again!
-Oh and I haven’t watered the agapanthus past their first year in the ground