TOWN TIME GARDENING

Brother Chuck called recently. He said they were enduring 100 degree temps where he lives in southern Utah. He envied us the cool temps of central Idaho, he said. But – I thought I detected a note of glee in his voice as he told me that his garden had begun to produce. They had picked a zucchini, had a yellow crookneck on the way, and were sharing their crop of chard. The peas have sprouted, I reported.

And then suddenly it was hot in our part of the world. And now we’re practicing our summer coping skills.

Mike and I have been in town, where, between scheduled activities, Mike began to set up the watering system. I think the drought-tolerant perennials are beautiful as spring turns to summer. Even though the beds require some weeding, we are pleased with the overall effect.  I paused to admire the spreading lavender, the purple agastache, the gaillardia (blanket flower), the hen and chicks, the stonecrop, to name a few. A holly hock volunteered a couple of years ago, and now we have several. We especially enjoy the one with black blooms.

The snow-in-summer is just beginning to fade a bit, but the cacti are in bloom. By the way, never transplant cacti to a garden bed that requires weeding.The blooms are lovely but the needles are unfriendly. Nevertheless, they have taken hold in our garden and we now have a number of cacti.

And I have a lot of Achillea (yarrow). Some of it is just the common white stuff, a native plant (weed) that volunteers everywhere. I don’t hesitate to pull it out where it doesn’t suit me. But I also have “Moonshine” and “Paprika,” colored varieties that I love.

After spending several reflective moments enjoying the blooming perennial beds, I moved up the drive to the back of the house and startled a large mule deer doe under the Purple Mountain Ash at the back of our lot. She turned tail and loped off. Strange time of day to find her there. I wondered what she had in mind. Was she just looking for a shady spot in which to rest, or was she a scout coming to see what might be munched in the light of the moon? It just goes to show how undependable they are. I mean, you can’t depend on them not to invade your garden in the daytime while your back is turned – literally.

Growing vegetables in the summer heat is problematic, and I would give it up altogether except that something has to happen with that space. Vegetables require attention, and we just can’t give them enough, especially mid-summer when it’s hot. The soil is porous and not suited to growing vegetables, and besides, the ornamental cherry tree now competes with anything else for soil nutrients. But – the tree is here to stay because it provides needed shade on the west end of the house. So, I’m pondering the future of this area, which might just become another drought-tolerant flower bed.

Meanwhile, I keep trying with the vegetables. This time I planted corn – plenty of it – and five tomato plants. We’ll see . . . KW