Early mornings in the summer garden are magical. The air is fresh, and sweet with ever-changing fragrances.
The cool of the morning is ideal for spot watering, and for taking note of what is blooming and what is ready to pick. Last week I gathered zucchini, cauliflower, baby broccoli florets, onion and carrots for a pasta salad in a sour cream, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard and honey dressing.
It’s a lovely time of the day as well to pause and absorb the loveliness of individual plants and to stop and sniff floral perfumes like the intoxicating fragrance of Eternal Fragrance daphne.
Along a curved path leading from the garden shed, past a lavender hedge, kiwi vines and a fruit-laden fig, there are broad clumps of tall shasta daisies and many Matilija poppies (Romneya coulteri, California tree poppy) bearing majestically large, white, crinkly-petalled blooms. Under the kiwi vines lie tiny but richly flavoured treats on the small alpine strawberry plants.
Garden life. On these early morning strolls, I am not alone. In the back garden, a pair of nuthatches always seem close by, gently poking about under and around the vegetable plantings. They are nesting in an old snag near the kiwi vines.
One morning, I noticed one of the little birds trying to access the centre of a small circular sprinkler that had been on earlier to water a plot’s corner. When I realized the bird was seeking water, I scrubbed a few plant trays of different sizes and set them near the nest site, at a slight slant so that insects could also access water in the trays from the safety of the dry, upper part of the tray base.
Early last week, on my way to water part of the front garden, a junco appeared close to my feet and proceeded to scurry about on the lawn, picking up pieces of dry grass.
I waited to see where the bird was building a nest. Its beak full of an impressive bundle, it flew directly to the centre begonia basket of five hanging from a broad overhand across the north-facing front of the house. I had noticed earlier a junco moving from basket to basket, not realizing it was checking each one’s real estate potential.
A discreet check revealed a little nest formed on the inner, house-facing part of the basket — three metres away from where I sit writing at my desk, next to the window.
Juncos are ground-nesting birds. Last year, the “ground” they chose for nest building was under Himalayan maidenhair fern foliage in a pot next to the front door, where eggs were laid and baby birds fledged successfully and with much noisy fuss.
Oops. Two weeks ago my neighbour Tom called to ask whether I had extra mint. The new potatoes in his garden were calling out to be prepared with mint, which had been “weeded” out by a gardener Tom had hired.
Unfortunately, I’d thinned my potted spearmint plantings with a little too much enthusiasm, leaving me with not nearly enough to process “minted” peas from a hefty harvest this summer.
No luck finding any fresh cut mint in local stores, but in a nearby garden centre I found pots of a Kentucky Colonel mint, a cross between spearmint and apple mint. A crushed leaf exuded a bright, slightly fruity spearmint aroma. Richters Herbs lists it as “Improved Spearmint.”
I bought two pots for Tom and two for myself. My plants are now growing in deep nursery pots against the back fence.
GARDEN EVENTS
Organic plant sale. The Victoria Compost Education Centre is holding a plant sale on Saturday, Aug. 10, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Haegert Park, 1202 Yukon St. At least six vendors will be selling organically grown plants. The event will also feature music, and a parent and child gardening workshop
Arts & Music. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd., is hosting its annual family friendly Arts & Music n the Gardens festival on Saturday, Aug. 10, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival will feature local artists, musicians, local vendors, food trucks and children’s activities. The centre’s popular sunflower bouquets will be available and Master Gardeners will be on site to answer gardening questions from customers shopping in the plant sale area. Admission $12.
