Things To Do: Settling Into Summer

By now the initial surge of spring energy has mostly evaporated from many gardeners.  That nursery binging and bed creating has given way to maintenance and the art is looking more like a chore to many.  This past spring we SE Michiganders were absolutely blessed with a very early last frost in April, and May featured quite a lot of heat and moisture; as a result, especially after our brutal February and lingering cold March, we got active very early.  Burn out is inevitable in those who sprint instead of marathon run!

So what can still be done these days, especially with local nurseries that still have stock?  Well, don't be afraid to go out there and grab some of those last veggies or annuals.  Many of them will start to come on sale, and the creative does not need to give way to the preservative so quickly.  Eastern Market still has lots to offer the eager grower, and the Ann Arbor Market is going to keep on being impressive through early July.  Those two shows are by far the best around, but most towns and cities will also feature a more intimate, local flavor market: click here to find one.  As usual, get excited over your local market, but don't neglect your local permanent nurseries either.

In particular, I would like to take the opportunity to say thanks to a great vendor at the Ann Arbor Market, namely Wagner's Homestead Farm.  Cheryl Wagner had a lovely display of color that managed to immediately draw in my discriminating eye. 

As the sign notes, her family has been at this for some time now, and it shows in the quality of the bedding plants they bless our little slice of the world with.  The displays are reason enough to go visit vendors like the Wagners, as they serve a vital early summer role as both sustaining art and inspiration.  This is a wonderful time to make some minor additions and write new chapters in the organically evolving garden, and with frost a distant memory and certain perennial shows being "in between", now might be the time to consider the merits of annual beds.  Anyway, the last time I visited Cheryl's stall I purchased an Annual Phlox which I then decided to punish/experiment on by putting it in the cacti boulder pile I have going.  Don't worry, I actually do water the things, and they seem to be doing pretty well in the pile.

Hey, she did say it could take hot and dry, and so far both plants are positively thriving.  Annual Phlox (or Phlox Drummondii) is a gift to us from Texas, but has not been eagerly received in Michigan for the most part.  As is usually the case, this North American native is extremely popular in Europe and people went nuts for it ever since Thomas Drummond brought some seeds back with him from his Texas adventure in the 1830s.  You could be exciting Michigan and exotic and unique by trying out some of the stuff like our fussy European friends, or you could be boring Michigan and just buy some flats of whatever over at Home Depot.  If you are one of the cool gardeners and happen to be in Ann Arbor tomorrow, buy some phlox and see what other great offerings Cheryl and her neighbors have to offer.  If you are slowing down on the momentum and enthusiasm, this might be just the ticket to rekindling the romance!