Slow Gardening to the rescue! An old concept with a new face, now known as Slow Gardening was brought to the forefront by garden author Felder Rushing with the release of his new book, Slow Gardening, a Non-stop Philosophy for all Senses and Seasons.
Despite unbearable heat this time last week, it seems autumn has completely enveloped us. I suppose having lived here my whole life it is about time I get used to the volatility of our climate! Luckily it is the perfect time to plant mums. Mums are the absolute icon of the season, blooming in deep gold, buttery ivory, gorgeous burgundy, vivid yellow, and dark violet they capture the essence of the season. While “mum” is always applied to the common garden variety of the crysanthemum family, there are actually about 30 different varieties.
Now that the worst heat of the summer is passed, it is time to look into the autumn. For many people, the heat of this summer was devastating to the lawn. Stressed turf turned brown and waited out the brutal hot streak, giving insects, fungal diseases, and weeds a lot less competition than they normally do. The cooler weather and nice rains of the last couple of weeks should have caused your lawn to turn green and start growing again. If you have spots that did not recover and you know you want to seed, the next few weeks are the perfect time to get started.
Although on a calendar it is still midsummer, by most standards summer is drawing to a close. A new school year is just around the corner and the easy days of summer are suddenly packed with appointments and errands. As a result, often the garden suffers. Annuals and perennials alike are overgrown and under-watered, draining their soil every day of nutrients. Of course it is somewhat tempting to just let it go until autumn…but with just a little bit of effort and a well-laid plan you can maximize the rest of your garden’s summer and begin to prepare for the changing season. Behind every successful garden, there is a master plan.