Before 7:30 AM

One of the best times to work out in the garden is the early morning before 7:30 AM. Anytime thereafter the temperature and humidity skyrockets, at least here in Tennessee. Early morning is also one of the best times for watering. It gives the plants water in the coolest part of the day when they can absorb the most since it doesn’t evaporate as fast. You also avoid the heat of midday which can contribute to fungal diseases. Fungi likes warm and wet. For me working before 7:30 AM is essential since anytime after that my little girls could wake up for the day.

Here’s a few of the chores I got done before 7:30 AM this morning:

I Transplanted

I transplanted several English laurels into either larger pots or dirt. They all came from cuttings. Four of the laurels were recent cuttings that have be crying out for re-potting for quite some time. They just weren’t happy staying in the sand. The other four were from cuttings I put into one large pot in the fall. They had a good deal of new growth and needed moved into separate pots. Now these 8 laurels will grow in their current pots until fall when I’ll transplant them into the ground.

I also transplanted my Father’s Day Japanese Maple into a larger pot. I have a great idea of where to plant it in our landscape but the spot isn’t ready yet and probably won’t be for at least a month, and most likely a bit longer. Until then a pot will have to do, besides fall is a better planting time for trees and shrubs then 90 degree June days.

I Watered

I watered some daylilies near the vegetable garden, watered all the pot transplants, and watered a few plants I put in the other day like Butterfly Weed, Salvia lyrata, ajuga, and a Silver mound (artemsia).

I Planted

My new additions to the garden include monarda and a neat little fern that I picked up from my wife’s Aunt’s garden. I have some research to do to find out the name of the new fern. It was in her garden that I found the variegated hydrangea.

I Took Cuttings

My sidewalk garden is coming along nicely with the silver mound forming a fluffy border that I want to continue down the length of the sidewalk. I didn’t have enough plants to do that yet so I made five more cuttings of silver mound. It roots easily and thrives in our hot climate. I also collected three more cuttings of my Russian sage. I only took from branches that weren’t forming flower stalks. Those stems should create a few more branches and make a bushier plant.

I Drank Coffee

When I finished I drank a cup of coffee. Yep I needed that!