Fun in the sun

Hooray, summer is here and so are the toasty days. These are great in some ways, but not so great in others. Under "great" comes a long list of enjoyable outdoor activities such as biking, picnicking and swimming, etc. Under "not so great" is another list. This one has things like higher utility bills from running the A/C and needing to do extra watering to keep the lawn green and garden going. It's a trade-off, what can I say?

We need to be extra diligent now about keeping those hanging baskets watered. On the hot and/or windy days, we may need to do this twice. They are worth the effort.

For those of us who feed the hummingbirds, warm weather means bringing the feeders in at least twice a week to wash and fill with fresh sugar water. If we get lazy, the feeder juice will go bad and the hummers will go elsewhere for their food.

Once again, many yards have been sporting lots of tiny dark red roses. These were not planted looking this way. When a nice grafted rose bush "changes color" in the spring, this means that the top part of the bush has died. The little dark roses are coming from the rootstock, usually one called Dr. Huey. Your original pretty roses will not return ... ever. It's best to yank the bushes out and replace them. To be sure this doesn't happen again, look for roses grown on their own roots. Otherwise, make sure you cover each graft in late fall/early winter and hope for snow cover.

Are your lupines covered with aphids? If so, dig some systemic pesticide granules around the base of the bush and water it in. Do this early enough and you will avoid the aphids altogether.

Here is my biggest no-no of all: Lawn mowing in bare feet or sandals. What are you thinking? Every time I see someone doing this, I get a queasy feeling in my stomach and a shudder up my back. This is not the best way to trim you toenails!

The clematis vines have been gorgeous this year ... as usual. If you notice a lot of brown leaves on some of the vines, this is called clematis wilt. The only cure is to follow that vine to the base of the plant and dig it out. The rest of the clematis will probably recover.

Most perennials have a fairly short blooming season, usually 2 to 3 weeks. Luckily there are some that bloom a lot longer and are worth growing. Try coneflowers and black-eyed Susans. These are both very easy to grow. They like full sun, good drainage and are happy with fairly poor soil and occasional water.

And now for my sage comment of the day: "I hope to someday be the person my dog thinks I am."

Elaine Cerny has gardened most of her life, starting in 4-H. Since then, she has always kept a garden of some sort, growing everything from fruits and vegetables to flowers and house plants. She has belonged to garden clubs in three states and is currently secretary for the River City Gardeners Club in Post Falls.