Hot Weather Routines

As I sit here writing this, our temps are climbing near 90. It's been hot and dry like this for weeks, and plants are starting to show. Grasses usually show first, as they transition from the verdant green of early May into browns more typical for July.

I spent the last few days feverishly watering my new shrubs and perennials. When I water, I try to soak the plant for at least two minutes. Ideally, I prefer to let the hose trickle for a length of time. This helps target roots and wastes less than overhead spraying.

In addition to watering, I started cleaning out my beds. Now is the time that winter weeds and other remnants from early spring are dry and collapsing. At this point, it is so easy to just pull them out. After I removed all of this dried-out vegetation, I'm left with patches of bare ground between perennials, instead of the jungle of intermingled growth of spring. Something about this "clean" look satisfies me to my core. Perhaps it is because I can more clearly see the distinct perennial clumps. I always feel like this process "liberates" perennials and allows them space to breathe.

The power of the sun this time of the year is tremendous. Its solarizing or sterilizing effect is very apparent, and while this can stress and slow the vigor of our plants, it also has a negative effect on plant pests. Removal of debris will eliminate hideouts for slugs and other insects. And increasing circulation and airflow will also help alleviate pathogens that thrive in humid dark places. Of course, I want a thriving ecosystem, which includes all life, even the ones that consume my plants, so I always leave certain areas untouched or just allowed to do their "wild" thing. This will provide habitat for beneficial organisms like spiders and predatory beetles.

So as we enter this period of slowing growth, drought, and sterilizing radiation, we are given an opportunity to sit back and kind of relax. Spring, with all its overabundance and growth, can be overwhelming, but now we are forced to slow down and just maintain the status quo. I don't know about you, but I enjoy the mindless tedium of summer watering. It feels as if I am the sole factor in keeping this plant alive, though actually, the plant would probably survive unaided. Yet it is this feeling, however delusional, of being vital and absolutely necessary that helps give my life purpose.