Thinning Thalictrum

 

Lilac

Mecanopsis

Thalictrum

Middle of June with just enough rain to help plants along. The garden is thriving, the meadow in front of us is happy as can be. We may want more rain but what we have gotten is working to the environments advantage. Be thankful.

It may be a little late in the game but it won’t hurt to pinch the center out of your perennials. This will encourage branching which in turn produces more blooms. I let the cosmos (three kinds) go too long but I pinched anyway, now we’ll see what happens. They are clustered around the peonies that are considering blooming. The plan was for all of them to bloom together. This probably won’t happen but whatever does happen will be just fine. Its that kind of season.

There is too much thalictrum (aka meadow rue) everywhere. I really like this plant. Its tall with a froth of purple and a few white blooms that drift above everything else. I purposely didn’t deadhead (cut down the seed heads) last season because I really did want more of them. To say I am regretting that decision is going a bit too far, but I’m pulling them out by the handful. There are just too many of them. I can’t see the lilies. The thalictrum has been in this garden since the beginning. Sometimes it thrives and sometimes it doesn’t. This year it’s thriving, so out it comes. I’m potting up some clumps and finding new homes for them with the warning that if you don’t want thousands of them be sure to cut the seed heads immediately. At first I started by pulling those little ones at the edges of the perennial beds but soon moved on to the larger ones that are dominating the scene. 

The three kinds of chickweed are slowly but surely finding themselves removed. If you plan on composting weeds of any kind, do so before they bloom/set seed. Our climate doesn’t knock itself out to provide enough heat to kill weed seeds. 

Which leads me to covering your compost. We have an open meadow in front of us which is lovely in so many ways BUT the seeds from nettles and pushki (cow parsnip) find their way into the compost. Thus, we cover it with tarps. This blocks weeds and holds moisture. If you have yet to water your compost please get after it, it needs water. We water each layer as it gets built. Without water your pile will just sit there.

The greenhouse is thriving. The tomatoes have set and are still furiously blooming. The cucumbers are looking excellent. Beans are in bloom and the basil is ready for a first cutting to become pesto. I have removed the first hornet nest from the ceiling. I didn’t notice it until yesterday and it was really much larger than I like to deal with but it had to be done. Keep an eye out for nests on your property. I know we need to encourage pollinators but I can’t get very excited about those that inflict merciless pain. We have two more heads of lettuce in there and that will take us to the ones growing in the raised beds. 

We’ve been harvesting radish, arugula, spinach and sorrel to augment out greenhouse lettuce. Nice. 

Our grandson Luca, was here one afternoon and I handed him the latest copy of English Gardens magazine. Now, when I look at this magazine I see plant combinations, I see shrubs, I see trees, all the plants that I already have but the English have used with such wondrous results. Now ~ when Luca sees these photos, I now know, he sees ‘a lot of rocks’. Even so, when he sees a horsetail he pulls it without even asking. Good boy.