It’s summer and it’s nuclear hot. I’ve worked out in the weather for years and while you may think 100 degrees is hot, to me, it’s just a 100 degree day. I generally don’t feel it until it reaches above 105. Somewhere between 100 and 110 it all feels the same.

In 100 degree weather what could possibly go wrong in your garden? Too much water? Not enough water? Nine times out of ten most problems in a summer garden are simply from not enough water. So, let me give you some tips.

Watering a vegetable garden. Let’s just start there.

If your vegetables are in containers it’s safe to say you will probably need to water them every day.

Watering vegetables two or three times a week can encourage deep root growth if they are in the ground. How much? An inch or so. If you have a sprinkler system the way to measure is to put a cup in the garden and don’t stop watering until it’s collected an inch.

If you’re going to water by hand with a nozzle, water gently like a shower. What I do is I wet the surface and move on and return several times to assure the water is soaking in.

It’s good to avoid watering plant leaves. If you’re using a sprinkler it’s obviously impossible to keep leaves from getting wet. Diseases thrive on moist leaves so water early and the foliage will dry quickly to minimize the risk of disease or sun burn.

So many people have told me they hate bark. I get it, but it does help to keep moisture in the soil.

Every garden has an indicator plant. I look at gardens as energy. It’s something I never really had to teach myself. It’s just something I could see. Call me crazy. Let me help you see it.

Can you see energy or lack of it on the hydrangea on the left? So, here’s the funny thing. This plant you could say is an indicator plant. Meaning it tells you when the garden needs water. An indicator plant can be droopy leaves, sad flowers, or general wilting. In the case of this hydrangea, it can fool you into thinking that you need to water it. Sneaky plant.

Here is the sneaky plant one hour later. I’m not joking. Hydrangeas are big drama queens. Not only was the sun passing over which created the problem, but sometimes plants sweat. I call it afternoon wilt. So, my advice is to get on your hands and knees, dig in the soil and check it.

An easy way to check if hanging baskets need water is to check their weight. If they’re heavy they’re wet. If they’re light they’re dry.

Can we talk tomatoes for a minute? Talk about drama queens. Tomatoes can experience huge fluctuations between dry and wet conditions. They’re prone to blossom drop and rot. Blossom rot appears as black lesions on the base of tomatoes. You can avoid this by keeping plants evenly moist. This allows your tomato food with calcium to be absorbed. Why calcium? Strong stems. That’s why.

When there is an event in the garden such as a dead plant or dry spot in the lawn, just know it is never about yesterday or today. Think back two or three weeks to an event that could have happened. A stuck sprinkler valve, an irrigation system that did not water properly, or high, hot winds. There’s usually something that happened a few weeks back. So don’t panic. Simply apply water and pull the plant back to life. Putting a slow drip hose on a brown spot on the lawn will help turn it around as well.

Can we talk about Japanese Maples? Lack of water, heat and wind will dry the leaves. Surely you’ve experienced this. A slow drip by a hose to deep water will help assure the tree will not pass away. What is the indicator that your tree will be okay? Simply look at the tips of the branches and make sure the buds are still green. If they are, you’re golden.

Great Summer Flowers

Looking for a great summer flower that requires less water and is forever faithful? Echinaceas and Rudbeckias. They come in many colors and will bloom throughout the summer. They are outstanding cut flowers and, if cared for properly, they are cut and come again. Cut the flowers off, you’ll get more. They are fiercely faithful. Like most great plants, they go dormant in the winter and come busting back up year after year. They are truly a great perennial. We grow many varieties at High-Hand Nursery and now is a great time to see them.

Spend enough time to notice the small things. Notice Nature’s energy. It’s a sign that things are healthy and alive. It will also warn you when they’re not so that you can correct it. This is a hummingbird taking nectar from a plant called Salvia ‘Amistad’ at Maple Rock Gardens, another great perennial for the garden.

So, there you go. A few tips and tricks on watering. Watch out for your garden drama queens. They’ll trick you. Walk your garden and see if you notice energy. Over time you’ll get the hang of it.

Bird Update

The baby Robins made it out of the nest. Floppy, crash landing and all. I am not going to return their cleaning deposit. So fun to watch.

Don’t forget about Train Day. I’ll keep reminding you.

Train Day is a Maple Rock exclusive. Who doesn’t like trains? Tickets can be purchased by clicking here, at the nursery or at Maple Rock on the day of the event. All aboard for Train Day.

Knowing how much to water your garden is not a science. Each garden has it’s own personality and you have to take the time to learn it. Seeing the energy of your garden will help give you insights into the rhythms.

Have a glass of wine. It will help you see it better.

See you at High-Hand Nursery.

Scott

Let’s jump right in. Lavender Day has been rebooted. Last weekend at Maple Rock, we opened up the lavender field for picking. Not a single bee sting. Not even the family who came dressed like flowers whose children ran through the lavender got stung. I saw this happening as these young kids frolicked through the lavender and thought, “There’s a target.”

But, nope. The bees didn’t care. So focused on their work bringing food back to the hive.

Ever wonder what it looks like to have a swarm of people harvesting your lavender? Wonder no more. This is what it looks like.

I remember a lady yelling out to her husband, “Come help, I’m stranded.”

With a chuckle in his voice he said, “You’re not stranded. Just walk back the way you came.”

Coming from a man who never asks for directions, this seemed like logical advice. She was paralyzed. She walked so far out into the lavender that basically she found herself in a sea of bees. I watched from up top as the scene unfolded. His voice getting agitated as he said, “Just walk back the way you came.”

You know the tone. It’s the tone of a couple who’s been married for 30 years.

Finally, his hero instinct erupted, as he brazenly walked through the lavender in his shorts to retrieve a damsel in distress. Another bee target, I thought. But, nope, the bees didn’t care.

So, here it is again this Saturday at Maple Rock. Lavender Day.

Frequently asked questions about lavender picking at Maple Rock.

Can I bring in my own blanket to sit on, or do you provide blankets?

— Yes and nope.

Can I pick lavender, take it home and return?

— Yes.

Do I need to bring my own basket to hold my lavender?

— Yes, but any vessel such as a plastic bag will work just fine.

Do we only get to come one time?

— Well, yes, it’s only for the one day, but you can walk back and forth through the gate as many times as you would like.

If I pay $10 to get in, do I have to pay by the pound to pick the lavender?

— First of all, a pound of lavender is more than a person can carry. It’s kind of like how much volume does a pound of feathers take kind of thing.

— Nope, we don’t charge by the pound to cut lavender. The lavender is free. But if you cut a ton, we might need to talk cause that would mean you’re probably from some perfume company and surely at that point you can afford to pay for the ton of lavender you picked.

Should I bring gloves?

— Yes.

Should I bring my own clippers?

— Yes. But we do have a few extras.

May we pack a picnic lunch?

— Yes.

Can we walk Maple Rock Gardens when we’re done and relax and chill out?

— Yes.

Will you have lavender lemonade for sale?

— Yes.

Will you have lavender cookies for sale?

— Yes.

As you can see the “yes” answers outweigh the “no” answers. So if you have any other questions, chances are the answer will be “yes”.

So, I have a question for you? Would you like to see how lavender oil is distilled? If the answer is “yes”, you can. The mad scientist will be there with his lavender distillery apparatus.

Click here for tickets to the June 16th Lavender Picking. Tickets can also be purchased at the gate.

Succulents? We have that covered as well. Join us at High-Hand Nursery this Saturday.

Here’s the program. Robin will be talking two times. Once at 10:00 a.m. and once at 1:00 p.m. Make a reservation for breakfast or make a reservation for lunch and then go sit down and listen to Mr. Succulent talk. He wrote a book. It’s a pretty cool one. We’ll have it for sale. Pick one up while they last. It’s truly a beautiful book filled with lots of inspirational ideas.

Did I say you can shop until you drop for succulents? See you on June 16th. Both lectures are full, don’t worry. There is standing room and shopping to do and books to buy. We only have so many chairs to set up, so feel free to mosey in and mosey out while Robin’s talking. Robin’s used to people walking out on him in the middle of a lecture. (Just kidding, Robin.) Last year I did walk out of the lecture because my mom told me we were out of toilet paper in the women’s bathroom.

So, what’s Dori’s next workshop? Lavender wreaths.

June 23, 10 a.m. join Dori as she takes you through, step by step, how to make a lavender wreath. The class is $65.00. Light treats and, yes, mimosas. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.

What’s coming up next at Maple Rock? Well, if Mother Nature allows it, a watermelon pop-up. We have planted many varieties of watermelons and cantaloupe. I pulled my hair out in recent years trying to figure out if we could get 50 different varieties ready on the same day. So, this year we succession planted and, most likely, the varieties will roll in and out on various weekends.

You want to pick a watermelon fresh from the field? Stay tuned.

I was reading a story about a pair of cantaloupes that sold in Japan for $22,000.00 at auction. That’s insane. That’s the seed of the Japanese Yubari King. I found them. I bought them. Could this be my magic bean? Will I be Jack and will this lead me to the Golden Eggs. Probably not, but I’m sure hoping I can get the twenty grand for the melon. I bought ten seeds worth an estimated $1.7 million at auction once the melons are fully ripened. Probably not, but is it not fun to fantasize? In the seed packet also came another variety I was not expecting.

A note read, “Gift — unnamed Ukrainian watermelon.” I’m sorry, but this freaks me out. It looks like a tick, but we will see. We will see what lies ahead.

Baby Bird Update

Mama Robin has a nest full of teenagers. Wow, what a difference a week makes. But I get it. It seemed like every week I was buying a new pair of shoes for my kids. Mom and Dad have been feeding non-stop, twenty-four/seven. Good job. Time to fly away on vacation.

But, honestly watching the birds grow up has been surreal. I got to see their eggs and I was sitting there when they started to take their first flight. If you’ve never seen the first flight of a bird it’s kind of cool to watch it unfold in front of you. Spoiler alert: It kind of looks like a floppy crash landing. But they survived. Happy ending.

Don’t forget about Train Day. I’ll keep reminding you.

Train Day is a Maple Rock exclusive. Who doesn’t like trains? Tickets can be purchased by clicking here, at the nursery or at Maple Rock on the day of the event. All aboard for Train Day.

Here’s the recap:

• June 16th – High-Hand Nursery’s Succulent Extravaganza
• June 16th – Lavender Day rebooted at Maple Rock Gardens
• June 23rd – Dori (like the fish) and her Lavender Wreath Workshop at High-Hand Mercantile.
• Maple Rock Melons. Let’s see if nature pulls through for us
• September 15th – Maple Rock Garden’s Train Day

See you at High-Hand Nursery.

Scott

If you haven’t noticed, summer’s here. When you think of summer you probably think of heat. They kind of go together. Kind of like peas and carrots. Honestly, I never really understood why peas and carrots went together. One is a root and the other a vine. I get pork and beans and the whole summer barbecue thing. How about tomatoes and calcium? Do they go together? Sure they do. A bit of calcium creates a strong stem to support the tomato. The Arm & Hammer goes together only because it was baking soda. We all grew up staring at the box in our refrigerator.

How about Cap’n Crunch and Shark Tank? Do they go together? Sure they do. Do you sit on the couch watching an episode of Shark Tank while feeding yourself Cap’n Crunch by hand out of a milk-less bowl? I do. So, I say they go together.

When I think of summer, I don’t think of heat. I think of flowers. Summer and flowers go together. When you think of the birds and the bees, do you think of a bird and a bee? Or, well, do you think of babies?

Summer to me is about flowers and the smiles they offer.

Summer and dahlias go together. At the nursery we have beautiful colors to choose from. Going dormant in the winter and faithfully emerging in the summer.

Summer and echinaceas go together. This prairie flower is by far one of the most dependable perennials you can have in your garden. Echinaceas and deer go together. They’re deer resistant.

Summer and the butterfly bush go together. Butterflies love butterfly bushes. Makes more sense than peas and carrots, doesn’t it.

When I think of summer I also think of daylilies and Adrian. Adrian, what are you doing in the picture? Daylilies are as dependable as echinaceas in the garden. We have many beautiful, hard to find daylilies at High-Hand. Did you know that daylilies are actually edible? So, we can put them in the peas and carrots category. A root, a vine and a flower, Yum, yum.

Bees and lavender go together. Good news. This Saturday, June 9th, is Lavender Day at Maple Rock.

Let’s talk about bees. Here are the rules for picking lavender at Maple Rock.

When walking through lavender walk gently. The bees have the right of way. Know that they’re not interested in you. They’re punch drunk gathering pollen.

Don’t dress like a flower. Solid colors like grey work well.

Don’t smell. Don’t wear perfume.

Wear gloves and bring your favorite pair of clippers and a container or bag for your lavender.

People got stung last year, but not as many as you would think. Most of the bee stings happened when people put lavender down on the ground and were not aware of grabbing a bee when they picked it up. Holding a bouquet of lavender close to your face will put you in close proximity to a bee.

Sit and relax amongst the shade of the trees. You can bring a picnic lunch if you would like.

We will not be serving food. However, we will have lavender lemonade and lavender cookies available.

You can pay at the door. It’s $10 and parking is always free.

Good news! Mother Nature has allowed us to repeat Lavender Day on Saturday, June 16th. So, if that works for you it’ll work for us.

Coming to either Lavender Day? RSVP by choosing the date you are interested in:

Click here for tickets to the June 9th Lavender Picking

Click here for tickets to the June 16th Lavender Picking

So, make it a High-Hand day if you wish on June 16th. Join Robin Stockwell, Sunset Magazine’s guru of succulents for Succulent Extravaganza at High-Hand. Then, you can also head over to Maple Rock that Saturday to pick some lavender.

Here’s the program. Robin will be talking two times. Once at 10:00 a.m. and once at 1:00 p.m. Make a reservation for breakfast or make a reservation for lunch and then go sit down and listen to Mr. Succulent talk. He wrote a book. It’s a pretty cool one. We’ll have it for sale. Pick one up while they last. It’s truly a beautiful book filled with lots of inspirational ideas.

Did I say you can shop until you drop for succulents? See you on June 16th. Both lectures are full, don’t worry. There is standing room and shopping to do and books to buy. We only have so many chairs to set up.

Have you been to Dory’s workshops at High-Hand Mercantile? Pretty cool.

This was her most recent workshop. Too bad you missed it, unless you’re one of the ones in the picture. Sorry if you didn’t want your image published. Oh, well.

So, what’s Dory’s next workshop? Lavender wreaths.

June 23, 10 a.m. join Dory as she takes you through, step by step, how to make a lavender wreath. The class is $65.00. Light treats and, yes, mimosas. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.

Summer is about trains and Maple Rock Garden’s Train Day.

Train Day is a Maple Rock exclusive. Who doesn’t like trains? Tickets can be purchased by clicking here, at the nursery or at Maple Rock on the day of the event. All aboard for Train Day.

I’ve talked about the bees. When I think about bees, I don’t think about babies, but without the birds and the bees I suppose there would be no babies.

I took this picture at Maple Rock. I did not zoom in. I was able to move my phone this close to a Robin. She was so still. So fearless and I discovered why. Birds and the bees are about babies.

I’ve watched Mr. and Mrs. Robin protect their nest and have been completely amazed when watching Mrs. Robin pluck a worm from nowhere out of the ground.

For a bit it was hard to tell how many babies were in the nest. How many can you see?

There’s three! What a difference a week makes. Awkward little things aren’t they?

So, the mystery has been solved for me. The birds and the bees do equal babies. I’ll keep you posted about the progress of Maple Rock’s baby Robins.

Let me recap everything for you. Now that we’ve learned that a carrot is a root and a pea is a vine and really shouldn’t go together, here’s what does go together:

• June 9th – Maple Rock Garden’s Lavender Day
• June 16th – High-Hand Nursery’s Succulent Extravaganza
• June 16th – Lavender Day rebooted at Maple Rock Gardens
• June 23rd – Dory (like the fish) and her Lavender Wreath Workshop at High-Hand Mercantile.
• September 15th – Maple Rock Garden’s Train Day

Still wondering about Shark Tank and Cap’n Crunch? Try it. Trust me. They go together.

See you at High-Hand Nursery and experience the blooms of summer.

Scott