• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Home Garden Companion

Ilona's Garden Journal




  • Plant Library On The Journal
  • Garden chores
    • Do as I say
  • Ilona’s Garden Home
    • Old House Blog
  • Privacy Policy
Home » HOT!!

HOT!!

June 8, 2010 by Joanne Dibble

i have been AWOL as well for awhile. wish i could say it is housecleaning, but living alone does have its merits. i would rather dig a hole than run a vacuum cleaner!
my sandy driveway continues its slow migration into the kitchen. visitors and my old dogs don’t help… it has been up in the 90’s, with many stormy afternoons.
we do need the rain, but the grass is very tall, and my 4-legged lawnmowers cannot keep up. i have a borrowed push mower, and have cut back the yard, and pathways to greenhouse and asparagus beds. you must be up early before it heats up, and i confess that temps rising are proportionate to my unwillingness to mow. the horse and goat are out this morning. it has been 70 @ 7 AM, most mornings lately.

here in ga. the rains came at proper time for the fruit crops. little green figs are fast appearing on my old figs trees. i believe they are “brown turkey”- quite large trees (bushes?) a large-fruited brown variety- another bequest from past owners. they are quickly picked and preserved… the yellow jackets and ants love them as much as i do!
all the peach growers have bumper crops. lots of big blueberries and blackberries, too.
i wait ’til mid-july for the “red indian” freestone peaches to freeze, but i have been enjoying a box from nearby orchard while i wait. a juicy mess on my chin, but heavenly flavor!

there are more and more small organic farms springing up; city markets too.
the demand for fresh organic produce is rising, along with public awareness of their healthy delicious products. i sold 35 bunches of asparagus this year- some to the local food co-op, and some to friends.
i recommend the early hard work of setting out the crowns and liberally composting. after that, wood ash the beds every winter, and occasionally use compost or old manure. it is the most rewarding vegetable, with the least amount of yearly work. they get mowed once a year in earliest spring, but live comfortably with the grass. my beds are 25 years old, still producing big spears of green gold! they will long outlive this humble farmer.

all the flowers have been especially gorgeous with proper amounts of rain and sunshine. right now blooming in my yard are several salvia gigantica cultivars. cobalt, sky blue, and one with very dark stems called “black and blue”. the hummingbirds love salvia and i do too. they are hardy, reliable and bloom all season if cut back. the purple globes of the elephant garlic flowers (alliums) stand high, waving in a sudden breeze. their heads bent over from a strong storm revive the next day, and tower over the flowerbeds.

even if mimosa trees are a southern pest, i enjoy the fluffy pale flowers while they last.
the magnolias creamywhite blooms fill the air with that sweet lemony scent. my hydrangias are in full bloom, both the big blue bunches, and the lace-caps. they have grown on the semi-shaded eastern side of the house since i came here-another gift from a former resident. even the bonsai enjoy the rain and shine, although they must be watered, sometimes twice on these summer days. my late-blooming tiny satsuke azalea still displays pale pink freckled blossoms. i am prouder of this “child” as i made it myself 18 years ago. i ve reduced my collection to just 15, for easier care, but temptation is
always there for “just one more”.
almost all gardeners share this desire. (weakness?illness?) i stay away from the plant nurseries this time of year, and start my own seeds. i still plant too many, and must find new homes for my babies each year.

the morning chores are done, the lawnmowers are hard at work…so i am retiring
to the cool den, under the ceiling fan to work on my artwork. perhaps this afternoon, i’ll take a dip in the water trough, my redneck swimming pool. %D
a straw hat and a good novel are crucial, and of course that southern sweet ice tea!
i’ll emerge, refreshed, to tackle the evening duties once more.
Life is good, even if sticky-sweltering temperatures….
best greetings from patagonia farm!

vty- j-lea

Filed Under: About garden flowers, summer

~~~~

DISCLOSURE: I may be an affiliate for products that I recommend. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Thank you, in advance for your support! Privacy Policy

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. johanna_lea says

    June 9, 2010 at 12:10 am

    just a small “last word”
    i have several oak leaf hydrangias –
    i recently learned that they were first discovered wild on the flint river…about 30 miles west of
    where i live. i did not know they were a native georgia plant.
    they are beautiful in every season.
    i dont know why i skipped over one of my very favorites!

Primary Sidebar

Oh, hi there!

I was a garden blog pioneer, and began writing on this blog in 2003. Before that I had begun a garden website that has been at its own domain since 2006, Ilona's Garden.

I still love writing, gardening, and art after all these years, although travel and grandchildren have become a big part of my life, now.

Standouts

Do You Grow Herbs? 10 Reasons To Love Them

There are so many ways to enjoy herb plants, that they are not for herb gardens only. Think about tucking them into the landscape, into containers or into your home. I do I enjoy thee? Oh, Herb, Let me count the ways! 10 Ways I Enjoy Herbs (and you can, too!) In companion plantings, herbs […]

10 Cool Season Annual Flowers To Plant

Shirley poppies and Bachelor Buttons Not every garden writer alerts you to the fact that annuals can have seasons that are shorter than other choices. For places like Ohio which have hot summers, there are common annuals that only do well when our weather is cooler, such as in early summer. Those flowers sort of […]

Newest Postings Here

  • February Gardening, Last of Winter in the Flower Garden
  • Compilation of Past Mini-Posts of 2003
  • Wayback in Ilona Garden Time
  • 3 Tips For Landscaping Successfully With Ornamental Trees
  • Mid-Ohio Gardening Update

Finding your way home via the garden path


Read reviews from the GardenLibarian

Visit For A Spell

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • Wanelo

Portrait of a Gardener

gardener musings
Musings

What’s Wrong With Today’s Gardening?

Modern gardening
What Is Wrong?

Go Fresh

Garden Journal

fine garden journal
Journal, Planner and Log Book

People’s Choice

1910 garden plan

3 Tips For Landscaping Successfully With Ornamental Trees

posted in Landscape Design Know-How, Landscape Trees

Garden update

Mid-Ohio Gardening Update

posted in 2018, How's the weather?

All Season Garden Color with Bold Foliage Effects, Masterful Contrasts

posted in Garden design ideas, Landscape Design Know-How

saving money

Moneysaving Tips for Gardeners

posted in do as I say, Frugal Tips, gardening tips



Bonsai Trees

Stay updated!

Get all the latest tasty goodness straight to your inbox!

Footer

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org

Privacy, Etc.

Privacy Policy|Disclosure Policy

All rights reserved to their respective authors : Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Linking and using material attributed to the author is encouraged, ask for permission to use photos, please.

Copyright © 2019 · Genesis Sample on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in