Monday Morning Summer Thoughts

A summer vacation home - another Bilowz Associates Inc. landscape design 

Finally, the summer months have arrived, which means many of us may be packing for vacation and leaving our gardens and landscapes behind. So it’s a recycled post from June, 2011 about ‘supplemental loving for your garden.’ The biggest TLC in your absence - to make sure everything is properly watered. Whether you’re off on a well-deserved summer adventure or excursion, you want to arrive back to a landscape that's healthy and alive.

It’s easy to think a quenching rain shower might be enough but if it's few and far between, it's not. And you can't rely on an overhead irrigation system to properly water in your absence, especially any recently planted materials *(plantings in the last year or two.) Whether it's the edibles or ornamentals, you want them to survive. Just dig down a few inches and find out for yourself. There lies the true test – is there enough moisture in your soil to sufficiently keep your plants healthy and alive? When plants become stressed, that’s when insects and diseases can be found. The big ticket items you should really worry about - your trees and shrubs.

Hand watering or drip irrigation is best for all your plants. You want the watering to be slow and absorbent, not fast, hitting hard, and running off the soil. Make sure your plant material always receives a proper drink. And because we’ve had below percentages of rainfall this past spring, it’s important to take care of more than just your recently planted materials. Everything becomes susceptible during a drought. You want to make sure everything is checked – then off you go; 'Bon Voyage'.  

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