Are you the Host or Guest of the Party?

It’s official. By this time, flowers and veggies are at a peak and all is well as long as no rain is predicted for the Big 4th shin-dings. Cookouts and outside events galore, this is our smack-dab, middle point of summer.

If you aren’t packing up the coolers and heading to the coastline, outdoor entertaining may be in the plans. This is when exterior living space becomes as important as the family room. Designing this outside area is often overlooked in the construction process. Budget cuts start here and the exterior living space, one of the most important places in my book is left out. Some important features to consider when planning exterior entertainment areas will depend on what you enjoy most about the outdoors but here are a few to ponder when putting your space in process.

How many people do you want to accommodate? If you designed for five to six and you always end up with twenty, sitting and eating space becomes competitive. Also, you should make your entertainment area large enough for your outdoor furniture. Consider a sitting wall for overflow seating. It’s more attractive and efficient then stackable chairs.

Will you be cooking/grilling outside? Position your workspace close to your kitchen for prepping convenience. There is nothing worse than having to do the 100-yard dash 100 times over during an outside event. Make it simple, convenient, and efficient space. Think of it the same way as the interior.

This is just a quick and dirty checklist although so much more goes into this design process. It can be simple to sophisticate – it’s your call. A general rule of thumb is your exterior space should be 1 ½ to 2 ½ times the size of your interior entertaining area. People move around; they circulate.

If you want to design a great outdoor living space, be a guest first to see how others do it well. Feel the space and dimensions. Be an inquisitive guest. When you figure it all out, then it’s your turn to be a great host. And as Max Beerbohm reminds us, “People are either born hosts or born guests.” Where do you fall on the entertainment scale?

If you grill like this, you may reconsider where you position your outside cooking area or continue as a guest!
Photos from the internet.

If Only For One Day

In this summer heat, there is always one flower I can count on to look perky and vital in the garden. Its bloom lasts only for one day; an unusual characteristic for a plant lover to embrace. But Day Lilies by far are one of the most versatile perennials in my book. I was on a Day Lily kick for quite some time. Every spring to early summer, I would hunt down new varieties to add to the borders. Although I have taken a break from collecting the mix of colors and shapes in the genus Hemerocallis, this perennial brings pop and sparkle to an otherwise boring backdrop. I still have to contend with many of the repetitive orange first taken from my mother’s garden. I can neither control or get rid of these lanky roadside Lilies that can tolerate being bunged into the side of the driveway with nothing but its own root and find life there, but each one add its own color combination in areas often ignored. This is the time to track down your color and style for difficult spaces. Mass them together or pop them in between another favorite perennial, annual or shrub. Heck, you can even put them around your veggie garden. However, with that being said, I must note that Daylily rust, (Puccinia hemerocallidis) a fungus native to Asia has affected several Daylily varieties. It was first spotted in the U.S. in 2000 and first reported in Massachusetts in 2003. (Source -ProGrow News/July/August 2010 edition). Here is a quick link to check out symptoms and hosts. http://www.massnrc.org/pests/pestFAQsheets/daylilyrust.html

There is a huge responsibility we own as lovers of the garden and the outdoors. We are the vigilant guards always on the lookout for the nasty within the beauty. But as Samuel Butler reminds us, “All animals except man know that the ultimate point of life is to enjoy it.”

All Photos taken this AM in the summer heat by Greg Bilowz

To Tame or to Transplant

The Monday morning bulletin: A reader asked how to tame her beastly Spirea. You are not alone. You have a lot of company including me. We find a plant that we love and think we have just the spot for it. What starts as a 1-gallon stick in a pot ends up turning into a monster. A word to the wise – always inquire at the nursery about your plant’s growth habits and spacing requirements. Trying to tame a plant that needs elbow room may be an indicator of improper spacing. In Nancy’s case, I would recommend she relocate her Spirea where it has more room to expand and mature. Pruning the plant back is not the answer.

With that said, there are some variations on pruning techniques. It is best to find out the specific variety and research whether it flowers off last year’s wood or on new growth. Spireas offer hardiness and versatility, which make this shrub desirable for your garden composition. They vary in size from large old-fashion standard varieties like ‘Bridal Wreath’ to dwarf/alpine types like Spirea japonica 'Alpina'. Flower, leaf color and spectacular fall foliage is a reason that you should not overlook the Spireas. If you have full sun and average soil, you can have great luck with this shrub. Spireas can thrive in exposed locations. They are ideal for coastal environments. A personal favorite is Spiraea thunbergii ‘Ogon’. This is a big boy with white showy flowers and lacey yellow foliage so plant it wisely.

The inspirational thought for the day is by Lyman Abbott. “Patience is passion tamed.” Gardening requires both of these virtues. If you don’t have the passion to garden, you’ll never make it to the patience part: one to inspire, the other to persevere. Nancy, hope this helps. I recommend not taming but transplanting.

Top image sent in by Nancy B.
Second Image of Spiraea thunbergii ‘Ogon’ from the Internet