Xeric Garden Calender - SummerSummer is the time of year that paradoxically will seem endless, but when you come to get projects done, will magically seem way too short. Use your time wisely, and make your plans come to fruition - don't spin in ever widening circles trying to accomplish everything at once. That way lies madness! Energy...Days of sunshine and warm breezes, nights filled with starshine and frogs creaking near the pond; falling into bed gladly at the end of a day spent digging, transplanting, building rock walls or paved patios. Bliss!The important things in your xeric garden in the summer are mulching, mulching and more mulching. Water only if a plant is newly transplanted or young, leave the older more established plantings alone unless they look very stressed. If you must water do it deeply, don't tease. Then the roots will follow the water down into the soil, making it even more drought resistant in future. By the end of June, thyme propagation will grind to a crawl, as the stock plants reach full bloom. Cuttings won't root with blooms on, and taking the blooms off each minuscule cutting is time consuming.
Motivation...It's a good thing that from the end of June to the end of August is the perfect time to take cuttings of Sedum to root into plugs. Transplanting Sempervivum into 2" pots at this time will ensure good root growth in the warm days and nights.By mid August, I usually stop rooting all the hardy plants, as they have lower survival rate once planted into the landscape if they're propagated after this time. The tender succulents are making lots of growth in the long days and warmth, and cuttings root incredibly quickly. Sowing seeds of perennial plants can still be done and get good growth on the baby plants so they can be transplanted to a nursery bed in the fall. There is still weeding to be done, and new bed preparation continues, as does harvesting vegetables. Fertilizing perennial plants ends in mid August too, as new growth now will be in danger of getting frost damage in September, so no more compost tea! By early September, all plugs are being hardened off outside if they aren't getting shipped. Finding a place for all the flats can be difficult, especially until vegetable beds are emptied of their harvest to make room.
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