School’s out!! I love this time of year because I have never let go of the feeling that new possibilities are around the corner.  It’s time for adventure, and I feel like painting with my own brush.  What is filling your cup these days?  I am trying to be outside all I can before the sweaty season arrives.  We put our table in the middle of our backyard to have supper during the golden hour.  I love looking for lightning bugs (fireflies for some folks) and listening for birds in my backyard. Nowadays at about 8pm my bushes are alight with these magical creatures. Seeing the white blooms of my ‘Snow Queen’ Oakleaf Hydrangeas and ‘Incrediball’ Hydrangeas glow during the sunset hours brings me joy.  I am soaking up the magnificent blues of my fickle but glorious ‘Endless Summer’ Hydrangea blooms by my garden gate.  Before the ‘skeeters show up, I am taking advantage of every moment.  This month, I invite you to envision how you play in your backyard. I will share where to go for inspiration, tips for your own garden, and a favorite June blooming native plant.  Thank you for taking a moment to share with me…it means so much. 

Wishing you this lovely month of June to feel the abundance that nature brings.    

RVA IMMERSE

I’m writing this on a spectacular June morning after a long walk with my dog along the James River Park system trail I tend to frequent.  After a very full week, I was treating myself to a morning ramble along the muddy riverbank before the humidity kicked up.  Last week, the stormy weather had made the trails mostly impassable for me.  Logs were stacked at familiar trail entry points, and the mud made it too slippery to walk along the bank.  Climbing over logs and hoisting myself over and under branches made me feel nervous.  My knee ached, and I slipped on some mud and ended up on my butt looking up at the sky.  Hilarious at the time, but also disconcerting as different parts of my body ached for days.  This morning, the joy of getting out on the trail was infectious as I saw an old friend at the beginning of the trail, and talked to several dog walkers.  As I made my way through the trail, an older man with a sweet hound stood wondering about a tall plant with pink blooms.  “It’s Milkweed,” I enthused, and we shared a moment of discovery together.  He was enjoying learning about trees at his “old age” and I reflected on all the joy learning more about nature has brought me later in life.  “We will be seeing more butterflies soon,” we agreed, and I headed on down the trail. I soon came to the spot that had caused me angst last week, and started balancing on a stack of logs.  On the other side, a gregarious group of older women asked if they could make it across.  “Absolutely!” I said, and they watched me walk over up and under the logs and branches, and finally crab walk under the most difficult patch.  “You made it look so easy!” they said and made me smile.  One by one, they helped each other across and called out encouragement to each other.  I stayed to cheer them on and we all laughed together at the joy of the moment.  If felt so good to be out in the sunshine and feel and such joy in doing something NEW.  To come back to that tangle of logs and mud, and try again. I love the fact that my body can learn new things, and I’m still having adventures.  This month, I wish for the same joy of doing something that makes you a little bit scared.  Of coming back to play and see what happens.  You can do it!  It’s time for some new adventures. 

There is no better way to (safely) test your limits than a river rafting trip with Riverside Outfitters.  Yours truly took a long ago trip on Father’s Day and managed to stay in the boat.  Or maybe kayaks are more your thing.  You can get out and enjoy the city’s riverfront as you paddle at sunset. 

I loved listening to a new podcast featuring Riverside Outfitter CEO Matt Perry and Andy Thompson highlight an urban oasis called Sharp’s Island.  Located in the heart of downtown riverfront, Sharp’s Island is a hidden gem featuring a camping destination, an event space, a home for public art and a site of historic ruins…Take a listen to their video podcast from an island in the James.  

I am always up for enjoying a new garden adventure.  This month, I am checking out a native garden tour near my neighborhood hosted by my local chapter of Wild Ones.  I also visited Brookside Gardens in Maryland if you are in the area.  Here is a fantastic native garden to virtually tour.  And don’t forget our fabulous local botanical adventure…Lewis Ginter.  You can enjoy Free Admission to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden on Juneteenth.

GARDEN GUIDANCE

Tune into the the rainfall this season.  Be sure you are ready to water your baby plants days over 90 degrees now and during July and August.  You may want to press pause on planting until the Fall, unless you are committed to watering.  Mother Nature or you needs to add an inch and half of water per week to your garden to keep new plantings from failing, and established plants healthy. 

Mulch is your friend because the weeds are thriving along with Spring planted trees, shrubs, and perennials.  A little bit of mulch is welcome to cool off the earth and prevent weeds.  It also helps retain moisture for your established and newly planted trees, shrubs, and perennials.  Your mulch can be shredded pine bark, or green mulch (groundcover).  Here is a fantastic article on the advantages of green mulch in the garden. 

Weeding:  A weekly ramble through your garden and you will find weeds trying to take over your beds.  Pull and compost your weeds, or put them in brown leaf bags for pick up.  Watch out for Poison Ivy… Leaves of three, let them be.  From experience I REALLY encourage you to read this article about identifying poison ivy.  It looks a lot like Virginia Creeper and will really ruin your week if you are allergic to it.  Be sure to never let your skin come into contact with it. If think you have, wash with Tecnu and this really works to remove the Urishol from your skin.  Dawn soap and a good scrub will also help.

NATIVE PLANT LOVE

This Spring we have had a lot of rain, and I feel compelled to write an ode to one of my favorite shrubs in all the world…Oakleaf Hydrangea or HYDRANGEA QUERCIFOLIA.  She glows, she shines, she shimmers in every season. In the Spring, bright green shoots emerge from the tips of branches. These first leaves look like green flowers!  In the Summer, the blooms last for a month. The blooms are huge—bigger than your hand, and provide lots of space for multiple pollinators to land.  In the Fall, Oakleaf Hydrangea leaves turn into fiery shades of copper and red. Because their leaves are so large, the effect is stunning.  The exfoliating cinnamon colored bark highlights the shape of the shrub during Winter.  Truly a four-season shrub for most every garden in the South. 

In the wild, Oakleaf hydrangeas are often found along streams. They like moist, rich soil like you’d find in a woodland, but once they’re established, they’re very hardy and surprisingly drought-tolerant. They can grow in many soil types, including sand and clay, but they do not like to be waterlogged and will struggle in very wet spots.  In the South, they appreciate morning sun and afternoon shade, or partial shade and can light up dark corners of the garden.  It’s hard to pick, but my favorite Oakleaf Hydrangeas are include Snow Queen, Snowflake, and a chartreuse foliage of Little Honey.  Plant one and you will love the easy care, fulsome Oakleaf Hydrangea.  The blooms also dry beautifully for everlasting arrangements. Here’s a great article on how to dry hydrangea blossoms.  Here’s an article about how to plant and care for your Oakleaf Hydrangeas. 

ON THE BLOG

If you would like a moment to immerse yourself in a magical garden, please check out my blog featuring the incomparable talent of garden designer Bunny Mellon and her gardens at Oak Spring.  This was a life-changing visit for me to see new ways of freeing my own creative spirit.  I hope you enjoy it too.