Gertrude's Flower Garden Weekly Diary

7/3/09 - I have been enjoying a visit from my California daughter, granddaughter, and two great-grandsons. As you can imagine, not as much garden work got done this week as usual. It has also been a very hot period which discouraged any garden work not in the shade. I did get out early one morning to edge, trim, and cultivate the Triangle bed. My daughter also pulled most of the weeds that had grown this spring on the little path that runs around the back of the rock garden. This is the one that Gertrude laid with small flagstones; it runs from the left to the right side of the rock garden and in front of the metal seat for two that I had put into the left corner. With some help, I also got all of the containers watered, which they needed because the sun dries out containers much sooner than the flowerbeds. The garden hose used for this job also provided considerable amusement for the two great-grandsons who considered it great fun to soak each other and anyone nearby. I have been promised some action this week trimming the shrubbery around the house and garden; nothing has happened so far, but I am hopeful.
With the help of my visiting daughter I watered all of the containers this week. Even though the flowerbeds are still in good condition from our heavy spring rains, the containers had begun to dry out. With all of the pluses of container gardening, particularly as the gardener ages, keeping the containers from drying out is a problem, You must also remember that it is not safe to plant perennials in containers, because, as I found to my regret, unlike the beds that freeze in winter only to a certain depth, containers freeze solid.
This week's picture is of a section of the Sun flowerbed nearer the house than last week's picture of my neighbor's Hydrangea. This picture was taken looking toward the back of the garden. In the foreground is a clump of Tiger Lilies, a very prolific flower that an be seen blooming everywhere at this time of year. I see them blooming in Gertrude's garden, neighbor's gardens, around telephone poles, and on street corners where they block my vision of oncoming cars. Further back is a clump of Black-eyed-Susies. This is the flower from which I believe the dwarf variety appearing in last week's [icture was hybridized. It grows widely at this time of year; I recall seeing fields of them growing in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and along roadsides in both states. You can also see in this picture the purple Clematis mentioned in last week's "Diary." I didn't get its picture at the height of its blooming time, but it is still very pretty. This Clematis is also a guest in my garden, because, like the Hydrangea, it loves to creep over the bushes to bathe in the warm southern sunshine. I will be very careful this autumn, when I have my landscaper trim the back of the Sun bed, not to cut back these friendly visitors too much.

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