The Tinker's Daughter Landscaping

For me, when the temps hit even 70, it may as well be 90. I linger quietly indoors doing all that I have to do such as minimal housekeeping, food prep, bookkeeping & all other business-related tasks. In addition, I do more than my fair share of research about the garden & land. These things occupy me while I wait to get back to my garden. But in heat, the closest I will get to the wheelbarrow will be if it is filled with cool water and I could lie in it!
I will be emptying my pots of spent Tomatoes onto my planting areas; plants and all, this weekend and will plant my Comfrey that I was lucky to get my hands on. Also, I brought home a Salvia reptans 'Willow Veil' that I just discovered; a delicate specimen.

I have yet to shift 2 Fig trees after discovering that in my particular garden in their present location, they are exposed to far too much heat and soil that is too poor. This is why it is so important to take a year to study your property for sun, heat, wind and so forth. Though I have taken time to listen to the garden, I really did not study the elements and how they are working. Lesson noted and learned.

The main thing that I am keen on doing very soon, is to get a few bales of Hay and Straw into the garden. I plan to mulch 8-10" deep over the entire garden. It will even become a planting medium for vegetables.

My Broccoli leaves are lovely, but no heads are present. They are planted in full sun, so hopefully, as the weather changes (soon, please!) I hope they might produce. I will feed them Epsom Salt and water also. I was so eager to get plants into my new terraced beds, that I forgot to think about the sun and heat. Refer to above lesson noted and learned.

My Nectarine has Peach Leaf Curl. Badly. I sprayed it with Baking Soda & water, but did not stay current with my spraying. It will shed its leaves soon, but should resume spraying it. My Peach tree simply looks sad. I am a novice, even after gardening for 31; plus, years. I am used to flower gardens.

My local nursery; Valley Hills Nursery, here in Carmel Valley- Carmel, is having a plant sale through this month, so I think I will get 2 more fruit trees to hold aside.

Usually, I go there on Fridays to browse & purchase for myself, which I've labeled "Greedy Fridays! I strongly believe in the reward system.

As my favorite time of year approaches, I am switching out pots to blend with Pumpkins. I chose 'Cleopatra' Echinacea; a deep buttery yellow which is so pretty with a dark blue Salvia. Both can be transplanted into the garden amongst the vegetables in time, along with the Pumpkins that I toss over the deck to re-seed as they do.

This week's book that I am only too happy to recommend is:

"Gardening Without Work: For the Aging, the Busy and the Indolent" by Ruth Stout. I especially like the word Indolent.

I could easily read this book in its entirety in one sitting, but am savoring every page. I will re-read it in order to take the time to highlight and make notes. It was published about 54 years ago and has not lost its relevance. It is both entertaining and filled with wisdom earned from experimentation and experience and it fits right in with my beliefs and plans.

http://www.amazon.com/Gardening-Without-Work-Aging-Indolent/dp/0981928463/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410722726&sr=8-1&keywords=gardening+without+work

I spend a good amount of time watching films while I work indoors. I gravitate toward English films and look for those that feature lovely gardens. Have you seen the series; "Rosemary & Thyme"? It is about gardening sleuths who solve mysteries both in the garden and at the crime scene. "Brideshead Revisited" is a movie staple. Beauty abounds; not only in Jeremy Irons, but in the manor's classic formal landscape.

Later today; much later; I hope to start planting my Narcissus around each fruit tree with the inevitable help of my constant companion, Sir Galahad. It is Galahad for short. We only use "Sir" at coronations and such.