No, I’m not going to even throw a hint at or mention weeding (sighs of relief heard from both you and I)!
As Summer rolls in and it is getting H-O-T outside, it sounds like a perfect time to enjoy the hard work you’ve put into your gardening so far this year. So why not hang your hammock up between those two shade trees, mosey into the kitchen for a glass of iced tea, and take some time to sit back and enjoy the blooms and healthy atmosphere you’ve fostered in your back yard. We can always tend to think (or I know I can be prone to!) “oh, I have this to do, or that to do, or such and such…” and while that is true, it is also true that the list will never be completely finished and there is always more that can be done. It is important to take time and enjoy the beauty of the nature around you. It is healthy for your soul.
So besides enjoying the fruits of your labor, some other things you can enjoy at this time of the year in your garden are:
Planning a trip to Cheekwood Botanical Garden this summer; bring your camera!
Taking an afternoon and walking around this breathtaking garden right in Nashville can inspire you with new ideas you’d like to implement in your garden, as well as introduce you to plants that thrive in this area you may not know about.
Going on a vacation soon? You can check to see if the vacation spot you’re headed for has a botanical garden to visit. There are so many out there, and some great ones to try are:
Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, GA (super cool- has one of the largest butterfly populations in North America)
Airlie Gardens, Wilmington, NC (right near the gorgeous NC beach and Intracoastal waterway!)
Knoxville Botanical Garden, Knoxville, TN (free admission!)
Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center, Chattanooga, TN (at the base of gorgeous Lookout Mountain and even offers canoe rentals to paddle down Lookout Creek)
Do you have enough mulch in your beds as we head into this hot summer? Keeping about 3 inches of mulch in your gardening beds helps keep moisture in which cools the plants in the summer. If your beds could use a fresh layer of mulch, you could consider doing this on an overcast day.
Are your big leaf hydrangeas blooming pink when you’d like them to bloom blue? You can change that on many varieties by adding dolomitic lime to your surrounding soil to make the soil more acidic (which produces the big blue blooms).
Ask us at Riverbend about this product. Also know that many types of hydrangeas produce gorgeous big pink blooms that do not change to blue no matter what type of soil you have.
Just a short note about watering: if you have plants in the ground that have been planted for two years or less, make sure you keep them watered if we are going through dry spells. Watch shallow rooted shrubs such as azalea, clethra, perennial hibiscus, and hydrangea for dryness. Shrubs such as these may need to be soaked well with water every few days we aren’t getting rain and it’s super hot. Container pots will dry out much quicker than plants in the ground- check them every couple days for dryness.
Come by and see us soon to see what is blooming now! We can assist you in giving you ideas on awesome plants for your landscape. In this hot weather, it can be a great time to get fresh ideas on what you’d like to plant this fall! We look forward to seein’ you soon!