Relax and Enjoy the Garden
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010Most of the really pressing chores should be done by now in the northern garden, so you can take time out to enjoy your garden. I realize that this is a difficult thing to do, for every year I say to myself, “Slow down, take it easy; don’t be a slave to the garden and landscape.” But every year it’s the same old story: In common with about fifty million other gardeners, I always bite off more than I can chew. I have only a little time to really look at and enjoy the late spring beauty of Oriental poppies, delphinium, lilium and the rest of the June flowering perennials.
Planting water-lilies: It is not too late to plant hardy water lilies, and in most places it is not too early to set out the tropical kinds. Usually by June 15, in the vicinity of New York City, the weather is settled and warm.
The treatment of water-lilies depends on the size of the pool: if it is a small one, say about 7 x 10 feet, and you want to grow several kinds of water-lilies in it, avoid using rich soil and large containers. If you provide these favorable conditions, the water lilies will grow so big that you won’t be able to see the water for the water-lilies.