I have several young women who work for me at various job sites. Several have traveled around working at organic farms here and abroad. As we were settling down to enjoy our lunch one day last week, Angela George commented, “I wish I could weed with my mind.” Don’t we all wish? There must be a way.
I have been focusing on weeds this week. Isn’t it odd how so many sneak into similar looking plants? For example my baby beets were overrun by what I call “lady fingers.” I sat on a stool and carefully picked through several beds of the root vegetables. Hopefully it will give them a bit of a headstart on the next inevitable crop of the tenacious weed. I believe this weed is actually edible. I’ve tried it and didn’t die. One would have to be on the verge of starvation, however, to enjoy it. It makes a pretty little flowers mid-summer, which throw millions of seeds for next year’s aggravation. It looks just like the heirloom flower polygonum orientale commonly known as kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate. No, I’m not making this up.
Poison ivy is out. In fact it never left. Now we can finally recognize it. Tecnu is a reliable product but it needs to be slathered on before exposure as well as after. The area between gloves and sleeves is particularly vulnerable. I am not too bothered by it but have seen people whose faces are literally deformed by a bad case. Caution is the key here. It’s everywhere on the Vineyard since it prefers an arid environment. I used to have a donkey who was rescued from Death Valley. He actually ate it.
Here it is Memorial Day weekend and the bridal wreath spirea is blooming right on schedule. This is the old-fashioned vanhoutte. It is not so widely available at Vineyard nurseries. For starters, the blooms are very short-lived and do not repeat. It’s gone by the time summer people arrive. Such a pity.
The other varieties of spirea such as Anthony Waterer and little princess will give three or maybe four batches of flowers if they are dead-headed in a consistent and timely fashion. Deer hate them. They can be cut within an inch of their lives and still perform.
Diane Ray rang to remind me to plug the annual Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club’s plant sale this weekend. It’s tomorrow, the 25th, and Sunday the 26th, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Old Mill in West Tisbury. I believe there will be rain barrels for sale, as well as great homegrown plants.
I finally put a few tomatoes into the ground. In my perfect world I would have the stakes already placed and mulch at the ready. I ripped them apart having never transplanted from the starter flat. Oh well! Errare humanum est.
I am pleased with the results of my starting dahlias from seed. I did a few big ones but mostly small bedding types suitable for borders. Figaro is one such cultivar.
So-called scandals are once again running rampant in our nation’s capital and in the press. Allow me to wax unpopular concerning the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups. First, it must drive the Tea Party types crazy to have President Obama agreeing with them. Secondly, (here’s where I’ll get some flack) I don’t think anyone should be tax-exempt. We all drive on federal highways, enjoy police and fire protection, depend on food and safety regulations, and want to help our fellows cope with disaster. Look at the help needed and provided this week in Moore, Okla.
Now about Benghazi. We all know it’s about getting Hillary before she even declares a run for 2016. Good for Major Garrett. He came out with the actual fact that the so-called email quotes were not accurate, nor were they from the White House.
I heard on Morning Joe on Monday, “Hillary eats scandals for breakfast.”
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