Heat wave!

I can't believe it is already August. Only about 4 weeks to go until the unofficial end of summer, Labor Day. I thought summers went fast when I was a kid. Now I don't even think I notice it. With everything else that is going on, the baby, my other writing work and the start of another television season for my wife, it almost seems as if we went straight from Spring into Fall.

Heat Wave!!!

The AGN discussion group has seen some questions regarding how to deal with the heat wave that is cooking most of the mid-west and eastern parts of the US. Luckily, here in California we are having a typical summer. Brush fires are happening but nothing major, yet. We suffered under drought conditions for the first 6-7 years we lived in California but, thankfully, we were apartment dwellers and didn't think much about gardening. Since we have owned our home and garden we have had heat but no drought.

The heat wave has some people suffering under watering bans. There have been discussions about using "gray water" (bath water, dishwashing water, etc.) to irrigate. Some states allow this but others are totally against it. You will need to check with your local authorities. I don't think tossing a dishpan full of water on the garden is going to draw much attention but more automated systems might come under scrutiny.

Good luck to all whom are feeling the heat. Everything passes with time and I am sure your gardens will look wonderful again once the rain returns.

Just enough...

Today the family visited some friends in Santa Barbara, California. While our 2 young sons played, we talked gardening. The yard was a wasteland of dead grass, fences half dismantled, partially built terraces and somewhat sickly fruit trees. Of course, this describes just about any garden that is "in progress." My friend has big dreams but only a few hours in his busy week to accomplish them. This probably sounds familiar to all of us.

He bemoaned the fact that while there are intricately detailed books on how to grow the best of the best, there isn't a book that helps us "get by" when our gardening time is limited. I once saw one of the "Dummies" books that included sections called "The least you need to know." I found this to be a creative way to help out those people who needed a jumpstart. Perhaps we should create a similar set of "rules" for gardening.

Take my roses, for instance. I know that while some gardeners pamper their roses with regular feedings and spray treatments, my methods can best be charitably described as benign neglect. Unless there is some problem I really don't pay much attention to my roses beyond keeping them watered, deadheaded and fed, occasionally. I do take the time to prune them back severely each January but this is something that only takes a few hours to accomplish and is only required once a year. While they certainly aren't competition quality, my roses give me more pleasing blossoms than I could ever use in arrangements. We get a regular "rose tide" as the blooms ebb and flow throughout the year.

Do you have a "Just get by…" rule you can share? Send it to the AGN discussion group at agn@onelist.com. I am sure everyone would benefit from your experience.

Community gardens

I talked last week about the ability of human beings to garden nearly anywhere. In some cases they can even do it without owning any property whatsoever. I was driving around on errands the other day and happened to pass a local community garden. These gardens provide plots to city dwellers where they can engage in simple rows of vegetables or their most extravagant garden fantasies.

Most every city has gardens like this and I highly recommend you seek them out. Whether you are looking to engage your own plot of ground or just looking for ideas these gardens can be a wonderful place to spend some time. You will see everything from aforementioned vegetable gardens to plots of succulents to cottage gardens exploding with annuals. Homemade garden ornaments abound with every kind of scarecrow, bird feeder and wheelbarrow you can imagine. It seems that folks who have to make such an effort to garden are interested enough to make it fun, as well.

Keep Digging!

Douglas