What a banner year for fruit. An overabundance is rare. Enjoy.
Celebrate B.C. Day on Aug. 6.
Full moon or Sturgeon Moon will occur Aug. 26, so called by First Nations as sturgeon were plentiful in August. Now an endangered species.
Join our weed and feed sessions Aug. 9 and 23, Thursdays at the Henry Road traffic circle at 4 p.m. See you there.
We Dig – Do It Now Tips
• Keep deadheading
• Keep baskets and planters well fed, watered and deadheaded
• Fertilize broccoli and cucumbers
• Keep water from shrub leaves while hot sun is out
• Divide iris
• Prune climbing roses and fertilize with fish fertilizer spray
• Trim evergreen hedges, including laurel
• Trim conifers to maintain shape
• To toughen trees, shrubs and perennials for winter, stop fertilizing
• Remove finished annuals, such as nemesia and schizanthus
• When cane plants such as raspberries are finished, cut the old canes to the ground
• Plant winter kale and brussel sprouts
• Brush the soil away from the tops of onions to assist in maturity
• Cut back stems of pumpkins and trailing winter squash. Make the cut just above the leaf growing beyond the last formed fruit
Did you know…the flower of the month is the gladiola, meaning ‘give me a break’?
…astronauts aboard the International Space Station are growing lettuce to study outer space gardening techniques?
…bananas contain a natural chemical which can make people feel happy?
…cabbage has a 91 per cent water content?
…the first type of aspirin came from the bark of a willow tree?
…there are 70-75 species of hydrangea?
Pick of the Month – Marguerite daisy (Paris daisy) Argyranthemum frutescens
A perennial native to the Canary Islands, they are great butterfly and other pollinator attractors. Vary in colour from white or yellow to pink or purple. Grow two to three feet and prefer full sun. Do not overwater as they can develop root rot, mold and mildew, but are not susceptible to aphids and the like. Although listed as perennial it only thrives two to three years.
AND… when I bought a fruit tree, the nursery owner gave me some insects to help with pollination. They were free bees.
Chemainus Communities in Bloom meets Tuesday, Aug. 21, 7 p.m. in the Steeples activity room.