Author: Alice Massey

It’s July, it’s hot, and we need to talk about plants that can handle this weather without getting the vapors. I have often written of the drip system I use for my many containers which gives me the freedom to travel without worrying about having dried arrangements when I get home. There are a few places in the garden where using drip irrigation is inconvenient. In those areas I use pots of drought-tolerant plants, the best of which are the many succulents.

During the milder weather of spring, pastels shine in Lowcountry gardens. They almost glow against fresh, new green leaves. However, as the heat of summer bears down upon us, the pastels tend to fade out. By noontime, when the sun is high, they can almost look bleached. That is the time when the bright, hot colors like reds and oranges really pop. They also bring a tropical look that melds well with our palmetto dotted, moss-draped landscape.

It’s that time of year; the urge to play in the garden is almost overwhelming. The ancients planted by the full moon; I am not nearly so exacting. Anytime the weather is mild and the bugs are few is digging time for me. Did you read Laura Lee’s column in this paper’s last issue? Her enthusiasm for gardening is infectious and she had me running outside to take inventory of what was blooming or just catching my eye this week.

Do you remember our editor Margaret Evans’ New Year’s lament about resolutions a few weeks ago? Dear Margaret ranted about the futility of resolutions and wrote of her dreams of having a beautiful flower garden and the challenges of achieving her dreams while being a busy working mother.  That’s a lament a lot of us can associate with.

Our master gardener says now’s the time to get started…   Can’t you still hear your mother reminding you to make your bed? I can; it is one of those things that rattles around in my brain in the morning. But since this is a garden column, we are not talking about a bed we dress every day; the making a garden bed is more of a creation – a new beginning. We will be building the soil in preparation for our veggies and flowers.

A bouquet of holiday shopping ideas for the gardener in your life… It’s crunch time again. Only a few more days and I am still way behind on my holiday shopping. Fortunately, I have many gardeners on my list, and they are by far the easiest people to buy gifts for. One never has to worry about specifics like what size to get. Books, tools, containers, etc… Any of these would fulfill a gardener’s fantasy.

It’s that time of year again. The days are getting shorter and we know the cold weather is right around the corner, but here in the Lowcountry, we never know how long that block will be.

It is that time of year again, the dog days of summer, the time of year when the temperature’s at it’s peak. The ancients supposedly called them dog days because Sirius, also known as the Dog Star, was in close proximity to the sun this time of year, causing the intense late summer heat. I always equate August in the Lowcountry with February in Minnesota; you just can’t get out and garden in either.   Of course, that is not exactly true, we still have our lovely South Carolina mornings when we can walk around and take note of what is growing well. and where we might like to make some changes.   The lyricist Gus Kahn surely knew what he was talking about when he wrote the words to that song about Carolina in the morning.

Of course I am speaking of those on your trees; no Lady Clairol or Just for Men needed. Remember drawing trees when you were a child? The canopy was probably a big round, green circle and the trunk was probably brown and flared out at the base of the trunk.     Those spreading roots, known as the root flare, are pretty important to the health of a tree. If you walk through the woods or fields where trees have grown naturally from seed, you will notice the roots have a nice flare at ground level.   Sadly, that is not always the case in our gardens.

Who can resist being outside this time of year?  I’m sitting on my deck enjoying a delightful breeze off the marsh and admiring the garden.  To top it off, there’s a Painted Bunting at the bird feeder – what more could one ask for?   The flowers are blooming, the temperature is rising, but we still have time to add color or make changes if desired.