Dayton "Dirt" - July 22, 2016

Again, the dog days of summer have arrived with high humidity and oppressive heat. In the afternoon on Thursday and today, clematis vines for next year’s sales are being potted which is a good way to limit exposure to the hot sun. The clematis will grow this summer and early fall and then overwintered until they begin to grow in late February when a hard trimming to the surface of the pot is accomplished. After the hard trimming, shoots will even emerge from below the surface as on set of growth nodes has been planted below the surface which also is the proper way to plant them at home.

Next week plants (plugs as they are called) of creeping phlox arrive that are so small that 128 plants will fit into a 10" x 20" tray. Growth is rapid in late summer and fall until the phlox shuts down for winter only to explode into growth in early April to be followed by their legendary spectacular color of magenta, white, purple, pink and blue. Only rabbits are the plants enemy when they are young as the rodents will eat the tender foliage if the phlox are not placed in an open structure with sides to keep out the critters.

Rainfall for everyone is needed badly especially with the heat. Surprisingly, in the shade garden of the Wolf Creek Botanical Garden the soil that is sandy and gravely is not dry! Decomposing pine wood chips and rotting fallen leaves of the past few years serve to keep in the precious moisture while providing an ideal environment for root growth for the rhododendrons, mountain laurel and azaleas which once were far apart when planted in 2006 but now are massing together.

Saturday too brings the arrival of Seiberling sweet corn to the market. The Owl barn will offer the same price for the corn as the farm and the same freshness for those that don’t wish to travel to the farm even though it is only 2 miles west of Norton center. How strange it is the Europeans think that corn is only fit for hog food!

Tom