Good morning, and we're getting there. Welcome to Saturday Morning Garden Blogging.
Denver's weather has been remarkably unremarkable this past week: we've had one day — Wednesday over 90° (91° at our house, 90° at the airport), but overall temperatures are a couple degrees cooler than normal; the thunderstorm activity has calmed down in our area — I've actually had to water this week, although we did get a good soaking last night with over a half-inch of rain.
The forecast for the upcoming week is for more of the same, although we may finally see a string of days in the 90s. For the middle of July, that's damned pleasant.
And the Zen Frog is enjoying the little fountain the Mister installed last weekend — a half-way step to a bigger water feature to be installed — perhaps — eventually. The Mister really, really, really wanted a fountain, but really, really, really didn't want to do any digging for it. Hence, this little one that makes a nice sound, but needed only assembling and plugging in.
We've definitely moved out of the early, and into the mid, summer gardening season. The snap peas are toast and I'll finish pulling the vines this weekend. However, the new corn variety I'm trying this year, Quickie, already has tassled, and the silk is starting to darken. The stalks are very short — shorter than me! — so I could plant them in front of the late corn I planted at the same time. The only possible disappointment would be that it tastes like crap (could happen), or that the ears are as diminutive in size as the stalks (the literature says 7.5 inches, and the late corn I usually plant has 9 inch ears... does size matter?).
I've also (of course) been continuing the bindweed eradication effort. I decided to try brush killer on it, as it's made to work more slowly than Roundup; my theory is it has a better chance at getting all the way down into the roots. Because the bindweed is growing amongst my expensive and newly-installed perennials, I'm using a disposable foam brush to paint it on, rather than trying to spray. I cut a hole in the lid of a plastic tub just big enough for the handle of the brush, so I have pot of brush killer ready for application during my daily survey for bindweed starts. It's taking several days to kill the top growth so perhaps my theory is correct. In any event, the first of the bindweed treated in this manner has died back all the way, so in a few weeks I should know if it's going to come back— whatever roots are there are pretty damned deep so if they're not dead, it will take awhile for the new growth to get back to the surface.
This weekend — beyond pulling the pea vines — the plan is to install a 2' x 2' square of red flagstone in the middle of the lawn patch; the Mister and I will be heading up to Paulino Gardens in a little bit to fetch it. Last year I bought a wonderful Turkish grill to use as a fire pit (because it's technically a grill, it skirts Denver's ban on outdoor fire pits because you can cook food on it) — but to be really useful, it needs to be in the middle of the yard. But in the middle of the yard the heat would kill the grass. Thus, we'll be cutting out the sod, laying down a nice thick layer of sand, and putting down the stone. The actual work will likely take place this evening (and after I cut the grass).
I want to get this done before the next Garden Blogging Garden Party and Meeting of the Colorado Chocolate Fountain Caucus (Saved The Bored Pooties Edition), scheduled for July 25. After the stone is set I can get busy cleaning up the house (and garden!) to get ready for the bash.
That's what's happening here. What's going on in your gardens.