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Ilona's Garden Journal




August

Tomato Troubles

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I have large tomatoes, plenty of them…that is not the trouble. Hornworms. and cracking, those are the troubles.

Right now, I am picking the fruits just turning red and ripening them on my window.

Hornworms are officially called Manduca quinquemaculata. As caterpillars they are voracious pests, munching through incredible amounts of your tomato harvest.

How To Prevent Hornworms?

  • Till the ground pre-season to destroy up to 90% of overwintering of them.
  • Wasp larvae attach themselves to hornworms and are a biological control.
  • Dill, basil, and marigolds are companions to tomato plants which help repel them.

Some Cracking Rainstorms

Skin cracked, but delicious all the same.
Skin cracked, but delicious all the same.

The other malady of my tomato plants is the case of the cracking fruit. What causes the lines and opening of the tomato skin? Just the weather conditions we experienced: Dry weather period followed by rainstorms. It was the lack of water which caused the splitting skin. The answer would have been more regular watering during a droughty period.

Rains have left the ground in good condition for sowing some late summer seeds for the fall crops. That is next on my agenda.

This Is The Time Of Year That My Garden Gets Away From Me

The weeds, the harvest, the garden maintenance…. all need attention. As an older gardener both my health and summer’s heat conspired against me. I must take a laissez faire attitude against the chores which go undone while I take refuge from hot temperatures.

But thankfully, the days are cooler and less humid this week! I look forward to catching up.

The earth looks so gratefully green after its thirst is quenched. I, too, have joined its gratefulness and drink in the blue skies and high cotton clouds.

The Turn Of Summer

Chrysanthemums have appeared at the stores, a sure sign that we face the end of summertime. It is this shift of plant focus that signals the wax and wane of our seasons.

Chrysanthemums used to be perennial in my garden, but now it is difficult to bring them through the winter. They have always needed more protection in this rural garden. The scathing winds and bare winter earth was too much for the varieties planted here. I imagine there were other factors of neglect that contributed to their short lived existence, as well.

Mums tend to be garden plants that thrive on cultivation and fade way with a wild, competitive garden. They like space and room, plenty of fertilizer and being reset every few years.

These days I treat them like annuals.

I will look for an apricot one to place in my large container, and soft pinks for the containers on either side of my front walk.
Cushion mumsGrowing Cushion Mums

It is too early, but already my thoughts turn towards the hope that I will be a better, more attentive gardener next year. I am reining them in to create a more “in the moment” framework of savoring the bounty of autumn.

The garden is not finished with the end of summer, it is gathering strength for a grand finale.

How is your garden growing? Are you tempted by the bulbs and baskets of chrysanthemums yet?

August Lilies

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 Lilies are one of the main joys of August, if you ask me. These are not the blooms of the Asian lilies that come earlier in the season, but those lushly fragrant Oriental lilies and the tall spires of Trumpet and Aurelian strains.

These are opulent flowers, luxurious in color, form and perfume.

If you don’t have the late season lilies blooming in your garden, the time to order them is now, along with other fall planted bulbs. They will be available in local stores sometime in September, usually. I have so fallen in love with the newer “Orienpet” selections that I hope to plant some in my garden this fall. I photographed some in the Inniswood garden in years past.

 In my first garden there were some tall Trumpet lilies, such as the ‘Black Dragon Strain’. Here I tried Lilium regale, but the voracious rodents soon took care of that experiment.  This time I hope to “box” the bulbs in hardware cloth. These bulbs are worth the trouble to protect and to plant with amended soil because they bring so much beauty to the summer garden.

They rival roses in all but the fact that they aren’t shrubs, and so don’t have quite the substance of form, but their vertical visuals make up for that. In fact, it is in the Rose garden section that the park at Inniswood has their most exciting display of many lilies.

 Lilies will start in July, and with the Oriental species and hybrids, they will continue into fall.

What do you need to plant lilies in your own garden?

  • Sunshine, at least a half day
  • A well-drained location
  • A spot ventilated by air, not so close as to encourage disease.
  • If they love their spot and get crowded, lift and divide them in September or October.

 How To Care for Them

  • Plant the bulbs 4″ to 6″ deep
  • Mulch them
  • Fertilize at emerging time and then a month later, beware of too much nitrogen. Bone meal is welcome.
  • Water sparingly, lilies are used to dry conditions, normally.

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© 2013 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal by Ilona E. An excellent blog.

August is time to divide and plant perennials

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Butterfly within the Lilac Branches

Every year, August feels too hot and dry to be digging and planting, but late August is an especially good time to give new perennials a start in the garden. The trouble with this time of year is mainly the hot sticky weather for the gardener, and it is often too dry for the plants. That means attention to watering is usually necessary. Yes, you can wait until September in Ohio, but it is often as dry and full of sunshine as August, and you have less time before winter conditions for those plants to get rooted into place. So, August it is. This year August is proving good for plants that need to be transplanted. We are having regular rainfall here – and moderate temperatures (relatively speaking). I have dug up an Echinacea I wanted to move, sliced it in half, and planted it in the prairie bed. To tell you what else I’ve been doing would infer it is the best time for it, it isn’t; but like all things in life and in the garden sometimes the job must be done, even though the time is not ideal. So, all the pruning and trimming I’ve done is mainly for the sake of a “garden gone wild” which sorely needs to be taken in hand. This year I planted precious little due to my out of town schedule, but I am getting the yard to look more like a gardener actually lives here. Restoring the little pond is on the agenda, and I will soon dig out the overgrown iris and waterlilies. Some of the surrounding rocks need to be reset, which takes me longer now than in my youth. All in all, I am happy to be working in the garden, although there were a few days when I was literally dripping with the effort.

I have had the pleasure of observing hummingbirds and butterflies, who for some reason simply love the shelter of the old lilac (one of the bushes I have been pruning and reshaping).Hummingbirds are very curious and they whiz about my head, which is how I come to be aware of them when bending over my work. Cardinals and goldfinches have also been sighted this month. The children also obtained a new kitten. Tortoiseshell in looks mewing pitiously for its old home and companions, my old cat has not taken to it. He does not suffer fools gladly.Maybe that is why I like him so well. Enough conversation, it is a fine day for gardening and I must go back to my efforts within the garden. Til later, friends- Ilona

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© 2011 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal. An excellent blog.

Garden update: August 2009

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Last few days of the month mean a garden update is in order. In some ways the garden is an ogre again, but in a Shrek sort of way.

Walking around the garden and putting in two bits worth of work this last week… here are my observations:

The month has had dips and hills of temperature change, and right now it is cooler and we have had plenty of rain. It made the weeding much easier, so we cleaned up the yard in places, my kid crew and I. We have been forced to mow more than usual- and I get the complaint:” but I just mowed that two days ago” to which I reply: “yes, and go look at it… it needs it again”.

Yesterday was a birding day for me! I love to see the different varieties, and now with their citron plumage the goldfinches are apparent… one perched happily on my homemade little tripod, although they never seem to land in one place for long… and sure enough dropped quickly to the pathway where the seeds of weeded grasses surely were the fare for the moment. Then it was off to the next serendipitous meal.

A hummingbird whizzed by me… and it was a happy day.

The Japanese beetles, which in comparison to other years were not as damaging… but while I thought I had escaped their interloping, I see that they simply were smaller in numbers and more discriminating in taste. My new Japanese maple looked a bit odd, and on closer inspection I saw why! The leaves are lace and copulating beetles laze on their edges. And as usual they feast on Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick (the contorted hazel). Passing by some homes in the vicinity of my property I had noticed the telltale rustiness on some of the great Burr oaks. That means they still are eating in the area in fairly large numbers. As in the medieval prayer of old, I thank God for being spared from my insect Viking hordes.

I need to pick my tomatoes- but am sad at how they suffer from cracking this year. Next year I’ll put in a couple Better Boys for sure- they always look and taste good. I’ll still grow heirlooms and may save some seed for next years crop, but they do have a drawback in a bad year. At least Brandywine did.

I planted a ‘Jack Frost’ Brunnera– I love it! it is taking beautifully to the spot and gives me joy every time I look at it. The leaves are that Martha Stewart sort of pale gray green in a large heart shape, the whole plant a compact mound.

I had more than a few failures and disappointments in the garden. The sweet peas made absolutely no appearance under the tripod made just for their good pleasure. The crabapple trees are denuded by scab, except for some hangers on. That old fighter, Prairiefire- it resists scab to the end as much as it can; this year it was a matter of more heroism than victory. There has been more than the expected blight. The winter honeysuckle has many branches browned out that I now need to remove. The Therese Bugnet rose was hit with it, too.

There were some delightful surprises, as well, as the garden reflects God’s kindness in tempering our losses with that grace that a garden gives. Where the sweet peas did not grow I find a clematis has seeded- looks to be an autumn clematis, so I need to either situate it elsewhere or build it a proper arbor. The salpiglossis from last years containers selfseeded under a fence in rather poor, but unmown soil. To see those bright, exotically veined flowers peeking out was exciting. It doesn’t take much to excite me 😉 I also had little violas spring up in some of the containers… nice ones. I have no idea where those came from as I don’t remember planting any. and if I did and forgot – it was lovely to see their cheerful little faces peeking from among other expected flowers.”Hello, surprise! so glad to be alive”

And with that message from the violas I leave you, friends, until next time.

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Flowering Kale

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Kale For Sale

It’s time to think of the autumn phase of the garden already.

When we picture autumn we picture the trees ablaze with color, at least here in the Midwest, and in the Northeast of the USA. Other players on the stage, perhaps with a supporting role, but many of them bring lots of color and add to the tapestry of of the season… and one of those is in the cabbage family.

Hot Weather Bolting

I tried growing my own flowering kale this year. I bought little plants early in the season, but it turns out to have been a bad idea: they have bolted in the heat and now it looks like I will have to buy plants at the nursery again if I want their fall and early winter color. Maybe I can save some seeds, but I don’t’ know if they would come true or not.

Kale Needs

Sometimes early is not the best policy, at least for cool weather crops. Since flowering kales are cole crops they need the same growing conditions: good quality soil, well fertilized. Good drainage, and medium moisture AND cooler temperatures. For more detailed instruction on growing this plant, go here.

Making Arrangements

I put mine in pots last year with sprigs of ivy and pine, and bright red bows. Once a hard freeze comes to stay (until temperatures drop to 15 to 20F), they do get frozen, and then smell pretty bad, but until then they give pretty colors and something living to enjoy during most of the usually dormant season of winter. Fancy foliage for showcasing other fall plants and flowers in the autumn and the center stage during winter when the ruffled edged leaves and the green plus white or purple stand out in the drab landscape.

Although I’ve never done this, flowering kale can be used as a “cut flower”. The kale types, not the cabbage ones, are supposed to be edible- so you could use them as garnishes. The main problem edibility is whether they have had chemicals added to reduce the “legginess”.

kale plantsSome named varieties of flowering kale are:

  • Red Peacock (red center)
  • White Peacock (white center)
  • Coral Prince (red center)
  • Coral Queen (red center)
  • Chidori (red, white)
  • Sparrow (red, white)
  • Kamone (red, white)

A great description of the possible colors and hybrids available, Ornamental Cabbage.

Cute way to teach “how to harvest kale”.

how to harvest kale
From “Playing in the Dirt” blog

Peonies in my Garden

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I grow the herbaceous type of peony, both the types with single and double blooms. I love their fragrance and the delicate satin texture of their petals. They have good looking foliage on round bush-like plants, and for lots of people they say “Spring has truly arrived”. Their blooms are so full and opulent, alone in a vase they are magnificent, mixed with other flowers they hold center stage. They are definitely one of the divas of the garden.

Peonies are a mainstay in the flower border, but used other ways in landscapes, too. We usually think of peonies during their bloom season, which is late May and early June, but the late summer/early autumn is the proper time to plant them and ( if you absolutely have to) divide the and move them.

I’m posting about this now since it is important to prepare the soil well for your peony bed– which might stay in the same place and bloom for longer than you! Dig down a depth of about a foot and a half, mix in plenty of leaf mold or compost, along with a trowel of bone meal or superphosphate for each plant. Add some to the general area around each plant, too… for the eventual roots reaching into their full grown span. Peonies like to eat, so feed them well. A bit of wood ash in the vicinity doesn’t hurt either- they don’t like things too far into pH acid balance. A few peony pointers: plant with “eyes” pointing up, and don’t cover too deeply- two inches should about do it- protect during their first year, but don’t smother them. Keep new plantings moist- like with all freshly transplanted stuff.

Peonies like and need sun, aren’t fond of competition for food and moisture, so are not good in places where tree roots encroach. They are important plants in the perennial borders during the early summer, and are friends with German irises and roses, which have similar growing needs and were found in Grandmother’s garden borders. In fact, pioneers often took their peony roots west with them. A touch of home.

Mary Dodge Woodward of North Dakota, wrote lovingly in her diary in 1888, “My red, old-fashioned peonies have stuck their pink noses out of the ground. I covered them up last night. I have watched them ever since I was a little girl: in Vermont, in Wisconsin, and now in Dakota Territory where they still thrive. Anything that can live in this cold country should be reverenced. The rose-colored one and the white one are not up yet. I shall see them later” -from some fascinating history of Midwestern women.

My own peonies are “Fairies Petticoat”, White Wings”, the old “Festiva Maxima”, one given me that might be “Kansas” or something similar, “Pillow Talk”, and the unnamed one pictured here.
They are hardy from USDA Zones 2 through 7 or 8.
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