I want a fancy pond with my new bog plants

I really want a fancy pond with my new bog plants planted carefully around it, the bullrushes trimmed, the thimbleberries cut back and not a buckthorn seedling in sight

Greetings fellow gardeners, 

Sometimes we must compromise. I really wanted long, white lacey curtains in the bathroom. So pretty. The curtains have been pulled down twice now as the too-many cats wrestle for domination of the bathroom windowsill. I guess I shall go back to the short, lace curtains and put the long ones on one of the basement windows. That is my compromise. Sometimes we need to compromise in the garden as well.

New Pond and Water Garden

I really want a fancy pond with my new bog plants planted carefully around it, the bullrushes trimmed, the thimbleberries cut back and not a buckthorn seedling in sight. Right now, my pond area is bordered by a big pile of apple tree branches that came down two storms ago and the crabapple branch that split off during the last storm. I have moved what I can, but now I need to cut up these branches in order to get close to my pond and my hügelkultur.  Until I am able to deal with this situation, I am keeping the pond full, making sure the bog plants are happy in their containers, and pulling out the grapevines that have sprung from the hügelkultur. If I start to fuss about this, I will only end up being sad. What are the positives? The pond has water for the bees and pollinators, and they are everywhere. The influx of insects means that my flycatcher birds that nest near the bathroom window are finding so much food for their babies. The little birds like finches and chickadees are jumping about in those branches, eating bugs, and they are protected from the hawks. That is positive. 

There are ideas that can be gained from the 2023 Ottawa Water Garden Tour.

Removing Goutweed

I really wanted all the goutweed out of my garden this year. Right now, it is happily blooming and has taken over most of my front garden and making friends with the creeping bellflower. It is daunting. I took myself aside to mention to me that I have just had a knee operation with another one coming in August, and I need to give me a break. So instead of a total removal, I am making sure I remove every goutweed flower that I see. I regularly pull up creeping bellflower as well, so it is not as bad as it was before. What is the positive? Well, I have been planting interesting annuals and plants that need a home in and around where the goutweed lives, and it is starting to look nice. The pot with my purple climbing beans has some orange cosmos volunteers from last year and that will look marvelous. I am using the beans to cover the dead branches of my bird-feeding tree. The birds will find that interesting.  That is a positive.

I was so happy to see the rain. I happened to be attending an outdoor wedding as the first showers of the week rolled in, but we made it through. Something about surviving monsoon conditions as a group is a bonding experience. The many laughs as thunder boomed each time the bride’s name was mentioned made it so much fun. 

I am now looking forward to working on my basement. The insurance company is giving me a year and I must document it. I shall reclaim that plant shelf and make a potting table and …. we all can dream. 

Outside, the branches and trees need to be organized and who knows when the grass and groundcover gets cut, but the sweet bird song and fresh breezes need to be embraced now. Enjoy your week. Judith. (Email:  sghorticultural@gmail.com)  Veggie Bites are available at https://sghorticultural.wixsite.com/website or https://gardeningcalendar.ca/category/veggie-bites/