Pushing the Planting Envelope

I can never resist those sales… and so I have some plants to still put into the few garden spaces ready. This is pushing the envelope on new transplants since we are already seeing hot temperatures guaranteed to stress out new plants.

I watered this morning and then a shower came along to additionally drench everything. Watering time is always an opportunity to see what new thing is blooming and enjoy the plants…without feeling overly guilty about the 1001 unfinished jobs whispering behind their patient facades. I decided to enjoy the moment- peeking out from among the weeds were Siberian iris, peonies, struggling veronicas, and some roses… pretty enough to obliterate the sadness that I had let the front border decline to such a state. Moving on to the side garden where renovation has put renewed beauty and order to my landscape. “See”, I say, “things aren’t so bad… there is always hope that a little hard work will – if not make things as they were- will certainly make a good garden picture”. Then I feel a bit better, more optimistic.

I am trying to follow God’s advice in my gardening: “moderation in all things”. Well, God’s advice by way of St. Paul. I plant an area, doing my best to tidy it up, then recover my strength; with more to be done on the next effort. This is better then pushing all available resources of strength energy and working joints to exhaustion. Pushing the envelope can mean just for that particular task… it doesn’t have to mean working oneself to death! but that wasn’t what I started to say with this post. What I started out saying is that this is the end of the planting season for the summer. From now on it is risking too much heat and dryness for new plants to do well. I’m not saying they won’t survive, but it seems like bare survival is not the way to garden… and I guess that is what looped me around to musing on the wellbeing and survival of the gardener…

Oh, and I have some more pictures.. despite my buggy camera. I will try to post some of those this week. That is one at the top of the post, I love my garden clogs 🙂

Technorati Tags: garden work, June planting