So much rain led to a beautiful weekend full of—what else?—weeding. The good growing weather was not lost on those opportunists. Weeds popped up everywhere.
I spent most of the weekend repairing damage to my oversized cosmos, Filipendula , and beebalm while pulling out the crabgrass and creeping Charlie that exploded around the flower borders. Every step around the gardens led to new projects and new ideas. The massive cosmos plants had stems an inch thick.
Some stems snapped above the soil surface and had a few stems of flowers still in bloom. I cut the heavy center stem and left the side shoots to keep blooming in place. I try not to dead-head all the cosmos flowers.
Those that are allowed to form seeds attract goldfinches. The finches improbably land on the seed heads and eat the seed, swaying in the breeze. I rescued the other flowers from the destroyed branches and popped them into vases around the house.
I also went after the beautiful stand of Queen Ann’s lace. This non-native, non-invasive wildflower has aerated the heavy soil under my spruce tree. I pulled it up by the roots, and I will clear the topsoil of other weeds this September before mulching.
I am hoping to plant some ornamental perennials that like some mid-day shade. Echinacea , Chrysanthemum , more Hosta , more obedient plant ( Physostegia ), and Epimedium would all do fine there. I will probably wait to plant until spring.
I uncovered a little spruce tree just starting to grow there. I put a flag next to it to remind myself that it is there. I will wait for it to grow for a few years and then decide if I will keep it there or move it to a new location.
In the vegetable garden, my tomato cages held up against the heavy winds, and I had no damage. I accept that victory. My quick-draining vegetable garden will still need watering this week—hard to believe.
If you have a sudden influx of green tomatoes from a collapsed plant, place them in a brown paper bag along with an apple at room temperature. The ethylene gas let off by the ripening apple will help ripen the tomatoes. Keep your fresh-picked ears of corn cool and in their protective husks until just before cooking.
Dig potatoes after the tops have died back. Use a garden fork to carefully lift potatoes. Store potatoes at room temperature to speed healing of any bruises or gashes caused by harvesting.
My everbearing raspberries have flowered and are now fruiting for the second time this summer. My early-bearing plants have fresh green growth, too. Those green canes will bear fruit next year.
I spent some time cutting out the stems that fruited already this year. You can tell which ones fruited by their brittle brown stems and yellowing leaves. Also cut back canes of blackberry that fruited this year.
Rather than make an extra trip to the raspberry bed, I did some weeding and clearing of forgotten ripe berries that littered around the berry crowns while I cut out the old canes. Clear windfall crabapples, tomatoes, rotted squash, peas, strawberries, and beans that may be hiding under foliage or weeds. These overripe fruits and vegetables invite pests.
However, let some dill seeds fall where they may. They will germinate next spring, ensuring that you will have dill again next year. I do the same with cilantro and arugula seeds.
The Lazy Berkshire Gardener has let some weeds grow too far. A relative of golden rod in the aster family, this narrow-leafed weed marestail ( Erigeron canadensis ) has flowered suddenly in my flower border. Now that I recognize it as a weed I don’t want with its millions of seeds, I quickly (and easily) pulled it up, roots and all, before the tufts of seeds floated into the other flower beds.
I honestly couldn’t tell if I wanted it or not until I saw the unappealing flowers. In contrast, I also discovered two types of lobelia that I will encourage to grow in my garden. I came across Indian tobacco ( Lobelia inflata ) with dainty blue flowers growing amid the marestail.
This North American native herb apparently was smoked and chewed by Native Americans. Though once used medically to induce vomiting, the root is poisonous and can be fatal in large quantities. I think I can remember the botanical name because the seed capsules look like mini inflated balloons.
I also have the more ornamental great blue lobelia ( Lobelia siphilitica ) emerging among some burly weeds in the back of the yard, abutting a thicket of overgrown honeysuckle. I didn’t plant these (too lazy), and I also haven’t weeded them out by accident (also too lazy). Both lobelia have pretty blue flowers—a hard color to come by.
I will try to clear some growing space for those plants. I think that counts as a lazy win. I call myself the Lazy Berkshire Gardener because I don’t want to work too hard in my gardens.
I want to enjoy them. I find it easier to observe my landscape and let the compost happen, the water pool up, or daisies to self-sow. I look for ways to do the minimum task for the biggest impact.
For example, mulching is better than spraying and much better than weeding all season. I look for beautiful, low-maintenance plants that thrive in or at least tolerate my garden conditions. Plus, I am willing to live with the consequences if I miss something.
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