Happy Fourth of July

Happy Fourth of July. We have volunteers at the garden this morning taking care of watering. I believe there is a wedding at the gardens today as well. What an easy date for the groom to remember his anniversary. As soon as the firework tents go up in late June, he'll be reminded of his anniversary (and if he still forgets.....). Temperatures are pleasant today and it should be a clear night for fireworks. Notice the nice begonia hanging basket above. Our hanging baskets are designed by us but are started by a local nursery in April. The potting soil in these 16" fiber baskets has a slow-release fertilizer as well as water retention crystals. We additionally fertilize these once every three weeks. Our 24 large baskets are transitioned out in September and replaced with mum hanging baskets to extend the color. Watering is obviously vital for these baskets but always check them before they're drenched. Overwatering can be a concern.

We can all appreciate the beauty and architecture of flowers and plants. I'm always amazed by the innate talents of native wildlife. See the nest below that was constructed behind one of our clematis trellises by a determined mama bird. Rotary Gardens (and our home gardens for that matter) are homes to resident wildlife. Landscaping for wildlife should also include provisions for shelter and raising young. The bottom picture shows one of our containers that was accidentally hit by the contractors that were resurfacing our parking lot. Now we have to deal with repairing and ultimately replacing this expensive container. Oh well, those things happen.