Most of you will agree this was a challenging summer for the garden… Fighting the weather, (drought, heat and wind) is not a battle we will ever win.
Struggling after a most unusual winter, many trees and shrubs could not recover to their previous glory and in my case, many didn’t make it. It’s a reminder to us that creating a garden is not about perfection but about acceptance. This is a lesson I’ve not learned well!!!
A good part of June was spent mourning the loss of so many of my long-established boxwoods. The boxwood graveyard grew higher and higher every week. I don’t know many I replaced but at the last count, it was 130 (there were many more after that). It seemed I was doing a run to the garden centres every other day to pick up more and I’d be surprised if I didn’t clean out the Green Velvet supply in Edmonton.
It will take some time before the hedges look full and lush again, and as a precaution, I didn’t clip the hedges that survived for fear of stressing them further. Thankfully, we didn’t have any water bans this summer, and I’ve been watering often, hoping this disaster does not happen again next Spring.
All was not lost this summer. Although most perennials came up later than normal, they did shine. At one time, the tulips, lilacs, peonies and roses were blooming simultaneously. The Mock Orange and Snowball Viburnum were laden with blooms and the newly planted white borders last year survived and performed beautifully.
Reflecting on the past five months, I can’t let the lows overshadow the highs. I’m grateful every day for my garden and the lessons I can learn from it.
Soon the garden will be tucked away for another season and we’ll be daydreaming about what comes next…
How was your summer?
xox Judy❤️
Oh Judy, what an absolute joy to see your post this morning🥳👏🙌!! I literally yelled out “Judy’s back” and of course the boys knew right away who I was talking about😂🥰. I feel awful abut your boxwoods😢after all the time and effort you’ve put into them. Everything in our garden that did survive bloomed much later than usual as well. My big white coneflowers, that I planted last year, barely came up through the ground. To make up for it, though, my Russian Sage was beautiful and looked like I had French Lavender along my deck, which was my intention. A bit of give and take I guess🤷🏻♀️. I’ve been anticipating your return just like my garden in spring and I’m SO glad you’re back🥰! Enjoy the beauty of fall and, if you’re like me,…being right back out there planting bulbs….does it ever end🤪😂. Thank you for another beautiful post Judy (those tulips are gorgeous!!). Hugs, Karen xo❤️
Hi Karen, so good to hear from you again. I’ve talked to quite a few gardeners over the summer and most had similar tales of woe regarding the performance of their gardens. I’m happy you did have some successes…it’s enough to keep us going. Yes, the bulbs have been planted and with the weather changing for the worse, the few good days we have left are hopefully enough to get all the chores done before the snow flies! xox Judy❤️
I would agree! I too lost my 8 year ild boxwoods!!
Hi Tina, Oh no…what a disappointment. Knowing how creative you are, I’m sure you had a grand garden plan with the boxwood as the headliners. xox Judy❤️
HI Judy yes it was such a challenging summer, the intense heat was the most difficult for my plants on the balcony! Many of them recuperated just in this last month, bugs were gone and they were blooming again. Sorry to hear about all your boxwoods, heartbreaking! I tried to quickly cover some last night as I saw it was going down to zero…alas the time has come…I’m grateful for the joy my wee garden brings me 🙂
Hi Catherine, I noticed that the roses in my garden has really perked up since it’s cooled off too. We’re starting to feel the chill in the air and soon the season will be over for another year. Your patio garden is always so enchanting and I’m sure the birds will soon miss the beauty they have been surrounded by. xox Judy❤️
So happy to read your post today Judy! As with everyone else, it was a very slow start to the perennials this Spring, and many of them did not perform all that well. We had a busy Summer around the yard, resurfacing the sidewalks and patio with a Rubber Stone product, spreading river rock under trees, and in window wells etc. It was a lot of work, but we are really happy with the results. I can’t imagine the amount of work it took to replace all the Boxwood. Watering them in really well before the ground freezes, and covering them, they will flourish next Summer. I am awaiting Halloween to be over, so I can crack open the Christmas decor! Looking forward to your upcoming posts Judy.
Hi Karen, it’s good to hear from you too! It does sound like you had a busy summer getting the hardscape in place. Complimenting all that hard work with the trees, shrubs and perennials is the fun part. I’ve starting prepping for fall…burlap everywhere! xox Judy❤️
P.S. I hope you enjoyed your glass out-door room over the summer? Would love to see a picture Judy.
Yes, we did spend a lot of time in the “bar” trying to escape another problem this summer…the wasps! Maybe I will include a photo of the bar in next weeks post…
So happy to see your post and I’m so sorry you lost so many boxwoods! This year was very odd and it surprised me as to what did well and what suffered. My little garden was abysmal so I am hopeful about next year.
Hi Cathy, Good to hear from you again. I’m sorry to hear your garden was less than stellar this summer too…you have the right attitude about hoping for better results next year. xox Judy❤️
Hi Judy, lovely to read. Miss our conversations!
We’re keeping quite busy since we added laser tattoo removal to our medical clinic. Medical clinic scaled down a lot.
Regards
Elmarie
Hi Elmarie, It’s great to hear from you…I, too, miss the conversations we had in the store about our shared interest in travel, and, of course, Paris. Happy to hear things are going well with you. xox Judy❤️