August in the Garden
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Greetings from Birch Meadow,
Miracles in the garden never cease! Have you ever seen a praying mantis in defense mode? Just stunning! After countless years in the garden, I have only now discovered this spectacular display. I am grateful that the praying mantis I accidentally disturbed whilst weeding escaped the beaks of the 5 birds who chased it high and low. What a show! What miracles have you discovered in your garden lately? We would love to know!
THINGS TO DO IN YOUR GARDEN IN AUGUST
• Here is a link for things that should have been done in July, just in case you are still catching up!
• Click here for Central NC Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs.
• Do NOT fertilize shrubs in August, September, October, or November.
• Make last-minute bulb orders to see if they are still available.
• Spider lily (lycoris), colchicum (autumn crocus) and sternbergia bulbs should be planted in August.
• Sow seeds of the following perennials: hollyhock, delphinium, and stokesia, to produce healthy plants for next spring.
• Continue re-potting house plants.
• Plant the following fall vegetables this month: beets, peas, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, radish, rutabaga, spinach, squash, and turnip.
• Pull greenbriar, kudzu, trumpet vine, poison ivy, and wisteria.
• Your favorite shrubs can still be propagated by taking cuttings.
• If you are planning to do some fall landscape planting, be sure you have a planting plan prepared.
YOUR GARDEN MAY BE PRETTY, BUT IS IT ECOLOGICALLY SOUND?
By Margaret Roach for the New York Times
Some gardeners react to any mention of ecological landscaping — the merging of environmental science and art — as if it were a compromise or concession meant to limit their creativity. Darrel Morrison, a landscape architect who has been practicing and teaching this philosophy for some five decades, begs to differ.
“There is the implication that you are suggesting a vegan diet,” said Mr. Morrison, the creator of influential designs at Storm King Art Center, in Orange County, N.Y., the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas. “A lot of people, when they hear a phrase like ‘ecologically sound landscaping,’ they think they are giving up something. But they are not — it only enhances the experience.”
From his perspective, the real compromise would be focusing purely on the ornamental aspect of our landscape designs, large or small. It’s in the boxwood-and-vinca world that we risk suffering from sensory deprivation, he asserts — not when we use native plants in designs inspired by wild plant communities.
What happens when each plant is chosen and placed purely for show, with no other potential attributes considered? “It looks good,” he said. “Then it’s gone.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON MERGING ECOLOGY WITH DESIGN
BRAIDING SWEETGRASS – A MUST READ!
August is the perfect month to dive into an inspiring book. I’ve been savoring this one as I take a break from the heat.
As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learning to give our own gifts in return.
I will gladly send you a free audible trial for this book. Please e-mail barbara@birchmeadowgc.com, let me know your name and cell number, and I’ll zap you an invitation.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER BOOK ONLINE
OR BETTER YET VISIT FLYLEAF BOOKS!
FREE PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE
What is permaculture? A compound of “permanent” and “agriculture,” permaculture is a way to grow food that goes beyond organic gardening and creates sustainable food forest ecosystems that will produce for many generations to come.
But permaculture is so much more than agriculture, and it isn’t just about plants.
It’s also about whole-system design.
It’s about creating abundant human habitats in our homes and local bioregions, that provide for us while still protecting and regenerating the natural environment. It starts with the plants and expands into every aspect of your life.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE AND TO REGISTER
If you would like help tending your established garden or installing a new one, please let us know! Click here for Maintenance Policy & Pricing.
Enjoy the wonders of August!
The Birch Meadow Team
Mary Beth, Kelley, Barbara, Karla, Jared, Frankie, Kizzia & Community Based Landscaping
919-224-9697