Saturday Morning Garden Blogging Vol. 4.20

by: Frankenoid

07/05/08 @ 06:56:05 AM MDT

Good morning, and was it knee high by the 4th of July?  Welcome to Saturday Morning Garden Blogging.

According the Nation Weather Service, here in Denver "June 2008 was a mundane month with no noteworthy weather statistics to mention."  Yeah, that just about sums it up.

Although we had 10 days over 90° - 4 more days than "normal" (whatever that is), it didn't seem really hot: most of those days were in the low 90s, and we didn't top 100°.

It was on the dry side - although we had daily predictions of thunderstorms, none of them fell on Casa de Frankenoid.  I've had to water regularly (but at least we have no watering restrictions this year).

And the first few days of July have been more of the same.  But the corn is growing, and it's more than knee high (at least on me - but I'm short).

For one thing, I'm sure that Friday will be a very late night - well, at least by my standards, as one who is rarely awake after 9:00 p.m..  Although I'm unlikely to sleep in too much past my usual early-morning wake up time, I will have limited access to Betty's computer, as her study doubles as a guest room, and there will be a boy sleeping (and, likely, snoring), as I post this.

I did start the usual summer-time garden maintenance this past week.  I've found that by the end of June, many perennials have become over-grown and floppily unattractive and need to be aggressively whacked back.  Thus, I have a large pile of clippings from the cranesbill and missouri primrose waiting to be chopped and added to the compost bin.

I also need to clip back some of the perennial dianthus - with luck I'll get a second blooming cycle out of them (doesn't always work, although I'm not sure why).  And some of the California poppies have largedly pooped out on blooming, and a good hair-cut will revive them, too.  I've found spent pods and dropped petals from the Lauren's grape poppy in the back yard, but have yet to actually see a bloom - soon, though, the plants should be covered with candy-colored blossoms, as they are loaded with buds.

I've trimmed back the dying foliage on the oriental poppies, clipped back the roman chamomile where it was over-growing the walkway, and watched the progression of lilies bloom.  I'm now waiting blooms from dahlias that have started setting buds.

I haven't seen any buds yet on gladiolus: as I haven't grown them regularly, I'm not sure what they're bloom time will be but I am most anxious to see if I can grow them as beautifully as the Dadster did.

The hardy blue passion flower has shot out vines more than 6' tall - but I haven't seen a bud yet.  Again, it's a matter of being unfamiliar with the blooming pattern of a new planting.  I planted the passion flower last year, and didn't get blossoms until well into August.  However, it's not unusual to get later-than-normal blooms off a first-season perennial, so I'm still not sure when to expect blossoming.

And a new season of bugs is upon us: I've seen swarms of dragonflies snatching smaller insects from the air (I wish the damned things would land so I could get some pictures!), and found the first grasshopper carcass from the pooties' hunting in the living room.

So greetings from Pueblo; I'll post comments as I'm able.

That's what's happening here (and there!).  What's going in your gardens.