Today I found this entry in my Composing Folder – should I call it the Composting Folder? I wrote it two summers ago -7/13/10- and failed to post it probably because I hadn’t taken a photo to go with it. Still without a photo, here it is. BTW: Cayenne doesn’t work. This year I’ll replace the front walk Hosta with Zebra Grass. I doubt even dog pee can kill that stuff.
Many months ago I started this Blog. I wrote two very lame entries that embarrass me much and I am tempted to delete them – one daughter’s suggestion – but I think I’ll leave them there. It’s a kind of self-flagellation that has a humbling effect on me and, truth to tell, I’m not certain I can do any better. There it is; this is my third effort.
It’s summer in CT. Digging in the dirt occupies me rather a lot. We two little people live in a small but adequate old house that has no style surrounded by extensive lawns over which GB labors much of the year. Because he is nearly 80 (heavenly daylights!), I’m trying to Swiss-cheese the vast green with islands of perennials. I like that they multiply so I can fill even more spaces with them and have some to give to my children who are establishing their own gardens. If I hear that something is “invasive”, I’m interested. So far I’ve purposefully planted Siberian Iris, Evening Primrose, Hosta, more Hosta, Bishop’s Weed, Artemisia, and so on. There is Hosta of one kind or another edging three sides of the place and some in the middle. Recently about 95% of the Hosta along the front walking path began to look as if a flame-thrower had been used on it. The rest of the Hosta , however, is flourishing. Could it be that the many dog-walkers who enjoy the path, while they bag up some of their dog’s deposits, curb their pets to my plants? Of course, once one dog does it, EVERY dog has to follow suit. A friend suggested sprinkling cayenne pepper between the walkway and the garden. Off I went to Ocean State for $5 worth at 88 cents a jar. I trimmed all the damaged foliage away and began laying a stripe of cayenne. It’s too humid and rainy to continue today so I didn’t get far. Meanwhile, another friend came by and went away with one of the sick leaves to show her “gardening expert”. Expert says it’s not weewee, it’s the record dastardly heat we’ve had the last 2 weeks. So now I’m wondering what to do with all this cayenne. And……I’m still wondering why the heat only affects the Hosta along the public path.
