Digging In

Insight into garden design, photography and growing life.

July 10, 2011

Thinking cool

It's summer in Texas. It's hot. This this the windiest year I've spent in this state. Couple that with the triple digit heat (which arrived way too early) and you have the recipe for environmentally-stressed-out garden plants.

I tell people I quit gardening in May, because that's when the heat starts. Of course this isn't true. Really I try not to plant anything other than annuals or containers in May or later. Too hot for me and the plants. But the onset of heat means the fun of new planting is over and the chore of watering has begun. All those new babies I had to have now need lots of water love. The veggies? Water hogs, especially without enough mulch in those raised beds. One of my favorite moments on a garden tour was a faux headstone engraved,"He moved hoses." This is the time of year is when I can truly relate to that sentiment.

So let me leave you with the thoughts of upstate New York: Imagine strolling around the shady grounds surrounding an aged white house with bits of moss growing on the slate tiled roof. Amble over the bridge, passing a quiet stream and wandering into the wood. You come upon a sturdy red structure, a renter's quarters. Try to peak inside the hazy, vine-covered window as a breeze lifts your hair off your neck, cooling you slightly. Of course you hadn't realized you were even warm.