GARDENISTA: Labor Day - a time to rest?

To me, Labor Day Weekend signals the beginning of the end of the worst of summertime's heat. Not that it won't get hot any longer, but we should stay out of triple digits more reliably, and our chances for rain typically increase. This means we are entering a season of rest for the landscape. A time of year when blooming slows, many plants already having set seed for next year's new starts, and there is a general sense of a winding down.

My journey of a thousand weeds began with a single pull this morning. I got another area essentially cleared out in preparation for the receipt of my oldest's potted culinary garden since he has moved to a smaller place without any outside spaces for gardening.

We now have not one but two Meyer lemon trees and I am excited to report at least one fruit seems to finally have decided to move from lime to lemon territory color wise. Several of the smaller plants were heat and water loss stressed but we will pamper them with partial shade and extra watering until they get back on their little plant feet. I don't think we will totally lose anything - hope not, anyway.

I also got to the nursery to buy more wildflower seeds and some arugula, mache, mesclun and cilantro seed to plant for the upcoming cooler, rainier growing season that can easily last well into January before any freezes will interfere. That gives me plenty of time to get some baby plants started as long as I am good with watering once the seedlings show. I am counting on the fall being a rainy one (based upon nothing more than how handy that would be for me and my plans) to help me get the various greens growing and established while the heat is still on.

I'll be keeping my trowels crossed on that one.

I was noting today that our ruellia and more of the obedient plants are starting to bloom. This is the time of year in our garden when it is both the primarily white and the plants featuring shades of pink and purple that take the lead for the most part.

As long as I stay far enough away, I don't see the worst weedy patches so clearly any longer and can enjoy a bit more of the areas we worked so hard to take out of lawn and into garden beds this year. I know it will all be easier and prettier next year, so I am heartened that things are doing this well after a hot summer and a rough start with late freezes and freak hail storms.