A personal garden walk .............................Carol Ann Harlos

A personal garden walk

Well-tended gardens attract beneficial monarch butterflies.

Photo by Carol Ann Harlos

Ihope you took the time this year to partake in some of the many available WNY garden walks. I find them inspiring, beautiful (sometimes contrived, but always interesting), and a great opportunity to meet and chat with other gardeners. Today, we are going on another garden walk—this time, through your gardens. We’ll stop along the way for seasonal tips, myth debunking, and joyful observation.

Let’s talk lawns. If a lawn is not for children to play and run on, it’s a waste of space, water, and natural resources. For those who insist, don’t scalp it, please. Scalping creates an eyesore and leads to bare spots, ideal

“Gardening requires lots of water, most of it in the form of perspiration.” -Lou Erickson, British critic and poet

for annual weeds like crabgrass, which grow faster and outcompete grass for water and soil nutrients. Cut only about one-third of the grass height at a time. If grass has grown tall since last cutting, double cut so the cut grass will be in short pieces rather than lying on top looking ugly and necessitating raking. Leave the clippings; they’ll gradually break down and provide nitrogen to the existing lawn. (By the way, lawn clippings do not cause thatch. Thatch is caused by over fertilization, poor soil, and debris buildup over time.) For extra fun, get down on the lawn and watch— if you’re lucky, you’ll see earthworms taking bits of grass downward.

By now, your tomatoes are staked, and you’re harvesting them. The soil is covered to prevent weeds from stealing nutrients and moisture from vegetables and flowers, but you’ll end up with weeds despite your best efforts. Annual weeds are a garden plague because they produce thousands of seeds. You can leave them alone, but I don’t recommend it. Pull them out or weed after a rain or a thorough watering. To banish perennial weeds such as burdock, dig out the root or cut the weed down to the ground; eventually the roots will starve.

To those considering herbicides: this is not a decision to be taken lightly. These killers don’t discriminate, so careful application is a must. Timing is important because different plants are susceptible at different times (cue the complaint, “They don’t work!”).

When it comes to annuals, remember: they are not making flowers for you; flowers lead to seed production and thus more plants. Keep pinching them and they’ll keep making flowers.

Gardens are not just about work (though it can sometimes feel that way), so take time to enjoy the creatures who make their homes there (excluding rabbits and Japanese beetles). I’ve seen robins tugging on worms, hummingbirds with their tongues in the cardamon (bee balm), and grosbeaks in the elderberries (the birds get the upper elderberries, I harvest the lower ones.) Honeybees come to the water fixture to drink, and birds come to bathe, so I clean and add water almost every day. There have been two generations of black swallowtail butterflies on the fennel (I don’t mind that they eat it; it re-seeds and we only use a little) and praying mantises in my front gardens, eating insects “good” and “bad.” Monarch butterflies lay eggs and caterpillars eat milkweed. (Never let all your milkweed go to seed unless you plan to collect the seeds. A confession: I had many milkweed plants grow because I neglected to remove the seed pods last autumn.)

Enjoy your gardens, friends. I love hearing from you: caharlos@verizon. net FY

CAROL ANN HARLOS

Carol Ann Harlos is an awardwinning retired math and science teacher, Master Gardener, beekeeper, writer, and speaker. She tends extensive gardens, including herbs, and loves learning from others and sharing her knowledge.