Finally! Summer has arrived in Western Washington. And, although it has been a cool, wet spring and summer so far, believe it or not, your soil may not be all that moist below the surface. Best way to tell if you need to water yet? Stick your finger in the ground. There’s no calender or clock that’s a better at telling you it’s time to water. Touch makes the best sense. So, get out there. Stick your finger in the ground. It’s okay. Dirt washes off with a little soap and water. You and your plants will be glad you checked. Still not sure what to do once you determine whether your root zones are too dry or you see mildew forming on leaves or slime in your water feature? Read on for more ways to help your garden beat the summer heat:
Posts Tagged ‘water feature’
How To Help Your Garden Beat the Heat
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
April Gardening Check List
Monday, April 12th, 2010Rare are the weekends that I have both days to myself in my garden. Usually, I’m meeting with clients all day Saturday. This weekend a last minute emergency cancellation meant a Saturday to myself and for myself to just “be” in the garden. That meant I was able to get caught up on numerous tasks that are best completed this time of year, April, in the garden. Perhaps it’s time to start focusing on some of these tasks in your garden as well?
- Hardening off: If you’ve been buying veggie starts (or even ornamental starts), hopefully you’ve confirmed whether they’ve been hardened off yet or not.
Brassicas Hardening Off in the Cold Frame
This refers to acclimating them to cooler outdoor temps from the coddling environment of the heated greenhouse. You can accomplish this at home by keeping starts in a cold frame (learn how to build one here), greenhouse or even hoop house. Or taking them outdoors for longer and longer periods of time over the course of several days, bringing them indoors for shorter and shorter protective periods during the coldest days and chilliest times of night.
- Weeding: Even if you’ve been weeding all winter long and have a thick layer of mulch on the ground, odds are some wily weeds are popping up. I dug up several dandelion, shotweed and even a few tenacious dockweeds. Keep on top of them now to make life easier later when they’re stronger, have seeded and the ground gets hard as rains begin to wane.
- Cutting back: Haven’t gotten out in the garden yet and finished cleaning up from last winter? You might want to hurry up. Most perennials have already put on some hefty growth. Ferns are unfurling. As delicate growth takes off, it can be difficult to cut back dead or winter-beaten parts of the plant to show off the beauty of the new spring growth. What makes this difficult is the new, tender, succulent growth can get in the way. When I cut back the last of my sword ferns over the weekend, for instance, I accidentally snipped off at least one tender new frond as it was unfurling – bummer! (more…)
Is Your Garden Ready for a Freeze?
Friday, November 13th, 2009The cold wind blowing and the churning furnace pouring out warm air woke me early this November morning. Rain is hammering out of the sky, blown in circles by heavy winds near the planet surface driving it noisily into window panes.
Frozen Branches
And, weather reporters are warning snow may follow the morning downpours. Although I doubt we’ll see snow in the city, these reports — coupled with the ice we’re seeing on early-morning windshields — reminds me to get a few last minute freeze-proofing chores done this morning.
Hopefully, these tips will help you get ready as well. Who knows? Now that I said I doubt it will snow, it probably will send down a few flurries around town just to prove me wrong. (more…)
EPA Proposes Ban on Water Features
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008A friend just turned me on to a new proposal by the EPA to ban water features, or at least that’s how the headline came through on the blurb she sent me. As it turns out (or maybe I should say, “as it appears to me”), the EPA is proposing that ornamental water features will be disallowed under the EPA’s new “Water Sense” designation program. This program provides standards for new home builders to meet. I’d liken it to the green building program standards. What the EPA is saying is that “…these water features serve no functional or practical purpose, their water use is not considered efficient.” (section 4.1.4).
My personal response is that water features provide purpose. 
They provide a noise break in city areas where traffic noise is bothersome. They provide meditation points in the garden. In my own garden, my small, potted water feature provides a source of fresh, recirculating water for birds, bees and other insects that visit it daily. As well, it provides habitat for water plants. It does help us refocus our “sound attention” away from overhead airplane traffic and the buzz of nearby busy streets. IMHO: these are both functional and practical purposes. Plus, the water feature itself holds less than a bathtub full of water that recirculates, so very little water is used. And, as I’ve already pointed out, the water provides habitat and a watering source for wildlife. My aesthetic enjoyment of it is just one of its many positives.
Various organizations such as the International Professional Pond Contractors Association, I believe, are asking for revisions to the designation program to clarify that some systems be allowed under the program.
If you would like to share your thoughts with the EPA on this new standard, comments are being accepted until July 21, 2008.
More information on this proposal and links to comment are available at:
