Gardening and Gardens

Just as the garden is always evolving, so too are the gardeners. This was my first year with an actual vegetable garden and I learned a lot. My beets never grew, carrots need more space and the zucchini needs a trellis. But the biggest lesson was to buy disease resistant plants. I thought about this is the beginning of the season, but in my rush and excitement to get my garden growing, I planted things that just looked good to me.  Now, in late August, my cucumbers, tomatoes, string beans and snow peas are infected with a fungus.  Last week I sprayed everything with an organic anti-fungal spray and though the plants look slightly better, I am not confident they will make it.  Well, lesson learned. I will be sure to do a  good clean up in the next few months and remove the diseased plants completely. And next year I will do my research early and plant disease resistant varieties. 

August is normally the hottest month here on Long Island, hardiness zone 7. But this year, we had a brutally hot and humid July, and instead, August has been dry, warm and simply gorgeous. The garden is pretty much on auto pilot these days, though I of course have to keep up with the weeding, deadheading and maintenance. Here's what's blooming in my garden this month: The Pee Gee Hydrangea is in full bloom. It's heavy blossoms bend the branches to a lovely arching habit. In the front yard, the Crape Myrtle is full of pink blooms and to the right is a Panicle Hydrangea, also in full bloom today. The Knockout Rose bush I planted this spring is thriving nicely and the Black-eyed Susans are still bright and cheery. Over in the new shade garden , the Toad Lily (Tricyrtis) is blooming. I love the delicateness of it and it's a welcome bloom in the shade for sure. The pink carpet roses keep blooming in the backyard. I love how maintenance-free they are! ...

The August garden is lit up by many bright, cheery Rudbeckias but one I am particularly fond of is Rudbeckia 'Herbstonne' (also called Rudbeckia 'Autumn Sun'). It grows to a height of 4-7 feet and each flower is about 4 inches wide. The yellow petals droop downward from a green center cone.  It's striking in a large grouping and makes a wonderful backdrop to any perennial border, given its height and dark green foliage. And it blooms from late summer to fall!