Observe what is there
Pruning yews, hummingbirds, in bloom now
Crocosmia
“Observe what is there…”
That was my promise to the little overgrown plot I agreed to steward and my recommendation to anyone who finds themselves in an unknown garden. Observe before imposing your will on it. I must share some delight at the plants that are “right” and the happy accidents of the past that have made this little place a paradise for hummingbirds. The tropical looking Crocosomia is a truly stunning plant which I have never seen before in all of my botanical garden travels. Tall grassy spikes unfurl a fernlike stem of orange and black buds that open in succession crimson honeysuckle shaped flowers. The hummingbirds are mad for them. It is entertaining to watch the cicada sized birds buzz the treetops and chase eachother, then drink from the crocosomia and find a place to rest.
Can you spot the resting hummingbird?
Pruning yews
Yews (taxus bachata) are such a cliché’ of suburbs, but dense shrubs under windows do make it difficult for home invaders and robbers to achieve entry through windows, so this tradition is kind of like a 1950’s version of Ring cameras. As I have advised since the first day of this newsletter, if you are unsure of a gardening question or task, add the word “extension” to your internet search to get a proper answer. It will guide you to one of the cooperative extensions: university agricultural and horticultural programs that have a mandate to “extend” their work to home gardeners, to speak in plain language the research based work that they are doing. In my zone 5, yew should be pruned by 1/3, all the way down to the base of the branch in early July, so that sunlight can come in and the bare parts in the center of a neglected shrub can get some sunlight. I did this project a bit late, mid July, took the pruned branches and fed them through a cheap wood chipper I bought at Harbor Freight, and mulched the yews with their own chopped branches, then watered them a couple of times a week after the cuts so they can overcome the shock. A second smaller shaping is recommended in September. For years these shrubs got the electric shears treatment, making them into a strange flat top rhombus with pale shots wildly reaching up and out and a lot of dead wood in the center. By pruning deeply I hope to give them a more natural shape while still clearing the window sill and looking “front of house” pretty.
Leo Season
Today the sun moves into Leo, my birth sign, the sign of the sun itself. The sun source of all life but with a strong destructive edge. Who has not suffered a sunburn? Flirted with the edge of heatstroke while gardening, with a tell tale deep red face when the sweat stops, a warning to stop? Leo season brings a total solar eclipse, visible from Greenland to Spain, at the height of the Perseid meteor shower on August 12, so plan ahead to see it if you can, while the moon is dark. Rudolph Steiner correlated the iron of the meteor shower to the iron in human blood, weaponry against evil and a remedy for anxiety. It is an element we all may wish to tune into during this time.
A pink cultivar of yarrow (achillea), allowed to take over a part of the lawn.
Lunar gardening days ahead:
In truly Mercury retrograde fashion I have misplaced my long trusted source of timetables the Llewellyn Moon Sign Book, so this time I turn to the Stella Natura Biodynamic Planting Calendar. Instead of dividing the sky into 12 equal slices, the biodynamic calendar follows a more accurate rendering of the moon traveling through the signs with their varied shapes and changes through the seasons. Let me know what you think!
July 21: Waxing moon in Virgo, an earth sign good for mulch and compost and in this phase of growing light planting root crops.
July 22: Waxing moon in Libra, air sign of flowers. Gather bouquets: they will last longer when harvested in this sign. Tend to flowers with intention.
July 23-25: This is the best planting time for awhile: a good stretch of days with the moon growing in light in water sign Scorpio. Plant and irrigate, prune for renewed growth and propagate. Take advantage of this good stretch of days!
July 26-27: A waxing moon in the fire sign Sagittarius the archer invites us to harvest fruit: here it is time to harvest berries, cucumbers, summer squash and tomatoes. All fruit crops will keep better when taken during this sign.
July 28: Moon waxes toward full in earth sign Capricorn. Tend to the health of the soil and plant and support root crops.
July 29: Full moon in Aquarius. Air sign Aquarius invokes the energy of the collective. Where can you garden as part of community? Who with? A way that I found ways to garden in public space with others was when I took a cooperative extension Master Gardener course. I recommend checking out the educational offerings of your local Agricultural Extension.
