| Summer has finally arrived in Boston. The temperature has topped 90º for most of the week. The blooms in the RainyDayGarden have done pretty well despite the heat and the lack of rain (we don't like to water).
We are hoping that all the water we got in June and July is still deep in the ground and our plants have had enough sense to reach down and get it. We'll see. If nothing else, it will select for which type of plants are more drought/heat tolerant ;-)
The bamboo out back has actually been thriving this year. It has almost doubled in size. The New England Winters and short growing season has limited its spread. Still, we are keeping our eye out for pandas anyway.
The one big project we did in the RainyDayGarden recently was the severe "hair cut" we gave the Japonica bush. We really wanted to take it all out, but it was too hot to actually exert that much effort to dig it out of the ground. Instead, we decided it was sufficient to trim it down to the ground. If we get some new growth, that would be fine. In any case, we'll plant a new tulip garden this Fall and figure out what to do with the new spot next Spring.
This RainyDayGarden has seen a lot of changes over the years, but our philosophy about what to plant in it has not. All items must not require anything more than periodic trimming and feeding. No pest control, no herbacides, and a minimum of watering. Flowering plants are preferred, as they attract bees, butterflies, and other interesting things. They must be perrenials. Once in a while, we make an exception. Can any of our readers find the exception in our garden? If you think you know, drop us a note via email with the subject line... "This one is not like the others" and the name of the plant in the body of the email. We'll pick a winner from the correct entries and send them something for their garden. We'll announce the winner this Sunday. Good luck! [Permalink] - RainyDayGarden in August
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