Garden talk

The heat has finally hit central Illinois and my gardens are feeling it. The container plants are looking rather wilted, even with deep waterings every single day. My banana tree and elephant ear are actually thriving at this point. I'll have a nice tropical feel in the sunroom when I bring them into the house in a few short months.

'Alaska Nasturtium' is one of my favorite annuals. Earlier in the spring I soaked the hard, large seeds in warm water for two days. Then I stuck my finger into the soil in my planters, dropped in the seed, and pushed the soil back over it. Easy as pie. I am now rewarded with jewel like blooms in vibrant red, yellow and orange. The real star of this annual, however, is the leaves of the plant. The 3" round leaves are splashed and segmented with creamy white on the yellow green. Planted in a hanging basket with bright pink Wave petunias and 'Diamond Frost' euphorbia (trust me...you must plant this next year), my nasturtiums are a sight to behold. I'll try to download a pic of one of the baskets.

I've stopped pruning back the mums and asters. Quite a few years ago I learned from a pro that the best way to prune them is to use your hedge shears and just whack the tops off about four times in the season, with the last time being the first part of August. This will give you a spectacular professional show in October.

The black-eyed susans and echinacea are blooming like crazy. I love the "messy" comfortable look that they give the gardens. I do need to deadhead them because they will completely take over the world...okay, the garden...if I let them all go to seed. The goldfinch love to eat the seeds, but so many get away that I end up pulling out starts each year.

Have you seen the commercial elderberry 'Black Lace'? It's an interesting plant. I don't have one, however...instead, I have a love-hate relationship with the elderberries that are so generously planted by the birds. I love the elderberry jelly my mom makes, but I hate the mess that they make in the gardens. I consider elderberries a noxious weed. Same with poke weed. Be careful that you don't mix up the two plants. Elderberries are clusters of berries that are pointed UP, and each berry has its own stem. Poke berries are extremely poisonous. The hang down in clusters like grapes do. Avoid them at all costs.

I need to mow the lawn again. The mower blade is set at the highest setting. I keep the grass higher so that it can shade the roots and retain moisture. It also keeps weeds choked out. Well, most weeds, anyway. Creeping Charlie is pretty hard to discourage.

The good thing about the heat is that it will help the tomatoes ripen. It will also give them that great home-grown flavor that we have all been missing.

I can't wait to have a BLT.

Happy Gardening,

shel