One of the tidiest, most low-maintenance plants in my garden, Silene uniflora ‘Druett’s Variegated’ (catchfly). It’s also very amiable: by the end of the season, the absolute brute that is my Engleman ivy will have flopped and clambered all over it. No power struggle between these two – they’re like drunken buddies after a long night out. “I love you, man.” “No – I love YOU.”
I’ve been planting and watering my new babies like a madwoman…we had some rain earlier this week but it moistened only the top inch or so of soil. I’m hearing that in the north, some farmers who had their crops wiped out by a late frost are not replanting because of the drought. “Heat stress” might be the catchword of the summer, as we’re looking forward to some long hot weeks ahead. I have always tried for mostly drought-tolerant plants because we don’t have a good watering system at the apartment I’m lazy and cannot be bothered to water – I hope I’ve made the right choices that will see the garden through. Calgary is seriously arid, anyway – that rain shadow cast by the Rocky Mountains is pretty immense. It’s something we have to take into consideration when we plant. Or we should, anyway.
My other gardening news: it looks like we’re finally on track to build a pergola for the community garden, a project I’ve been involved with since late last year. Hopefully within a month or so I’ll be able to show photos.
I attended a container planting workshop held by the Calgary Horticultural Society last night and was introduced to the decidedly-non-Prairie-denizen dwarf papyrus (Cyperus profiler) – I was one of only a few gardeners in the room who were not familiar with it, so I guess that shows how little I’ve been out in the garden centres as of late (granted, I don’t plant more than one or two containers a year). Apparently the papyrus sucks back water like no one’s business, which doesn’t really conform to my aforementioned gardening practices, but it’s so funky I will lug water for it daily if I have to. (Please excuse the photo – I took it this morning in brilliant sunshine).
What’s new in your garden this week? What are your plans for this weekend (gardening or otherwise)? I hope it’s a great one for you!
Flowery Prose. 