• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Summer Time

June 21, 2006 By Carol Michel 3 Comments


Spring is officially over, summer is officially here. So it’s time to check progress on spring plans made long ago, and figure out ‘where to go from here’ in the garden. (Zone 5 focused)

Didn’t get that vegetable garden planted? Well, if you haven’t done that yet, you probably ought to wait until next year, unless you are willing to ‘settle’ for late season ‘cool crops’ which you would plant later in the summer. And, you might still get some green beans if you plant now. But you can be more ready for next year if you spend some time in the fall digging up the area where you want to put the garden (provided it hasn’t already been dug up.)

Not sure you have enough containers planted? You might be able to do a few more containers, but you have to be careful not to end up paying a premium for plants at the garden centers. I find they offer two types of annual plants right now. There are the half priced flats that have been sitting around since early May that have been picked over or passed up for some reason. Buy with caution, these are probably quite root bound and won’t necessarily live up to their potential. Then there are overpriced larger annuals, grown specifically to be sold as larger plants. I think the growers are targeting the true procrastinators with these plants, which can take a big chunk out of your wallet if you aren’t careful, and do you really want to spend that much on annuals?

Didn’t get that fantastic tulip display you had hoped for? Of course most everyone knows that the time to prepare for a big tulip display is not spring but fall, so if you missed it, you still have time to plan for next year. I’m already receiving bulb catalogs in the mail. (In the category of “you can’t make this stuff up”… I used to work at a hardware store with a garden department and in the spring, people would come in and ask if we had tulips for sale. I explained, again and again, that tulip bulbs are planted in the fall. This was before the growers caught on and started to sell pots of blooming tulips in the spring, presumably for those who forgot, or didn’t know, to plant bulbs in the fall!)

Didn’t get that new shed, patio, or other hardscape item completed? No problem, summer is a good time to do those types of projects that don’t involve planting. Why waste good spring planting weather on this type of activity, anyway? You may sweat a little more in the summer, but at least your aren’t giving up prime gardening time in the spring on non-planting activities.

Didn’t plant those trees and shrubs like you had planned? As long as you haven’t purchased them yet, don’t sweat it. It is true that “fall is for planting”, so this is a good thing to wait on.

Didn’t mulch your beds? You can mulch anytime, just get at it, and you’ll be glad you did. The garden will look better with a fresh layer of mulch.

Didn’t relax and enjoy the gardens in the spring because you were so busy trying to get everything planted? Now is definitely the time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the gardens. Yes, there are weeds, and places not quite planted, and shrubs to trim, and grass to mow and soon vegetables to harvest. But remember, gardening is supposed to be relaxing and what better way to relax than to just sit back and enjoy the garden world you have created! I bought a hammock for just this very purpose!

(The picture above is some tiger lilies that someone gave me when I first moved in 9 years ago. I planted them in a “holding bed” on the side of the house, and they are still there. I’m not sure what I’m holding them for, but I like them where they are.)

Filed Under: Blog

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    June 22, 2006 at 12:13 am

    I just spent my whole day mulching and the beds do look so much better.

    Reply
  2. RusticateGirl says

    June 22, 2006 at 1:24 am

    No, I “didn’t relax and enjoy the gardens since I was too busy”.

    But now it’s soooo hot, who wants to? LOL. Maybe next year!

    Reply
  3. Randa says

    June 26, 2006 at 1:50 am

    What a delight to see a picture of blooming lilies (my favourite flower).

    Wonderful ‘garden planning’ list. VERY practical!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,053)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT