What a year. It seems like we’ve seen the worst of every change of this season. Unseasonably cold in the early spring delaying spring planting by weeks. Then, excessive rain, bringing in the bugs and flooding in the Mississippi, which is said to be the cause of this unbearable heat.
Will we ever get relief?
A week straight of heat index alerts forced Chicago to open six cooling centers. People were urged to stay indoors and check on neighbors. So if you cant stay cool this month, stay wet!
Daily watering has been critical this July, especially for new plants getting established. If you cant get out there to water, or its just too darn hot, its easy to set up a hose and sprinkler with an inexpensive timer from the hardware store. (Ive seen them as low as $10)
Much of the work watering the nursery has been relieved with my own simple version of an irrigation system set up in June. It was a little confusing to figure out water pressure and correct flow to an entire nursery, but after a lot of experimentation, its working well and has cut watering time to a fraction. If all goes well at next years spring sales, it will be installed permanently.
Despite all this crazy weather, the plants have been growing phenomenally. All the new hydrangeas are large and already planted out and growing in their bed. Red twig dogwoods and Weigelas planted early in the season are enormous by now. And I have a great start on new flowering perennials. All will be available next spring.
But there are still a few plants left from this year. PG Hydrangeas, Gold Flame Spirea, Kwanso Daylilies and Hostas in 1 Gallon Pots. Plus a small variety of houseplants in 4″ pots. Since its getting late in the season, its time for a sale! Right now, Ive got a $1 $3 $5 sale going on.