Well, after spending the weekend knee-deep in the pond, things seem to have gotten back to normal in my underwater kingdom.

All it took was a thorough vacuuming, restructuring of the waterfall, plant rinsing, a multi-gallon water change, adding some new microbes to break down leaves, flushing the hosing from pump to filter and trimming back the waterlillies so I can actually see the fish again.
Sounds like a bit much, huh? Fortunately the weather was warm -- a little too warm on Sunday. August usually wreaks havoc on my pond's eco system, but my being away for two whole weeks was the primary reason for such a sludge build-up. Pond maintenance is usually a lot easier when there's a little done every other day.
Despite all the work, I even had a little leftover time on Sunday to sit by the tinkling waters for some reading and watching the dogs trying to catch the frogs (they never do, the frogs are too fast). So once again, the water is crystal clear, the fish are swimming thru the bubbler with glee and the frogs are sunning themselves on lillypads. Tranquility has been restored in my backyard oasis.

While sitting by the pond, I noticed that the zebra grasses are tufting, a sure sign that fall's around the corner. My zebra grasses are having a great season, most of them are over seven feet tall (without the tufts). The tufts are the closest thing to blooming the grass does. Feather-like fronds protrude from the tall blades standing usually at least a foot taller than the grass. It's a beautiful sight, further signalling the end of my favorite season.
My Ravena grasses have been tufting since about mid-August. Their fronds are different from the zebra's. Long, strong stems emerge from the soft grass and stand anywhere from 3 to 8 feet above the blades, with feathery puffs at the top. My Ravenas are easily over 10-ft. tall this season as you can see here with the lighthouse in the foreground for comparison.

It's a sharp contrast to the fountain grass, which has much softer cattail-like tufts that hover atop the mounds of grass. Now's a good time to buy some grasses for your garden. Many varieties are available at your local nurseries and a lot of them are discounted this late in the season. There's plenty of time to get them in the ground and established before the weather turns cold!

Soon it'll be time to get out those grass trimmings from last spring, which will adorn the front of my house for autumn decoration. I can't bring myself to do it yet, that's the final nail in the coffin of summer and I'm just not ready. Especially with the weather still so nice.Enjoy!
Next up: Fall garden planning

I'm going away for a few days, so I'm trying to get in a little garden maintenance before I leave.

First up is staking the lillies. Now that the peonies are finished blooming, I can use the peony cages to give the towering lillies some support. Nothing more disappointing than having a big beautiful lilly stalk hit the ground because the stem can't support the weight of all the blooms. A few of my lillies have gotten so big over the last couple years, that I need to tie them to metal fencing stakes to give them enough support. But it's worth the extra effort when they bloom.

Something else to keep in mind is tying up some of your taller grasses. My zebra grasses are having a great season so far, but their great size is taking its toll on the smaller plants around them. After it rains, the grasses hang over the annuals, blocking out the sun and causing them to wither. So, it's my "magic ball of twine" to the rescue! I can't tell you how much I rely on this gardening rope.

Each year, as I dig out the gardening stuff, I look for the magic ball of twine. The longer it takes to find, the more anxious I get. This year I splurged on some new twine and was thrilled when I found it in the color of green!! (Surprising, the older I get, the odd things that excite me.) But you fellow gardeners know what I mean ... when you find something that works, you stick with it.

Anyway, it doesn't hurt the grass at all to tie it up. My zebra grass along the path gets tied right to the fence. This photo was taken this week. Just look how big it is already!

The zebra grass around the pond just gets twine wrapped around it twice for extra support. I always seem to underestimate how much the grasses will grow, and grow, and grow. When I first put it around the back end of the pond, I made a little foot path between the grasses and the pond edge not only for enjoyment, but so I could get back there for maintenance. Well, the grasses are hanging pretty far over the path, the dogs can still get thru, but, as you can see, tying them up was the only option for the humans.

Moving on, now is also the time to cut back those mums. Actually you should have cut them back at least once by now, and be sure to do it again on or before the 4th of July. That will keep the blooms back until late summer-early fall. Also cut back your daisies, phlox and bee balm. I know it sounds crazy, but cutting them back will encourage them to branch out and ultimately lead to more blooms.

And now that the irises are pretty much done blooming, you can cut all that green foliage back to 6-8 inches if you desire a cleaner look in your flower beds or just to make more room for upcoming flowers. Also, cut back your Columbine, they should be done blooming by now, and it's goodbye to the bleeding hearts till next spring. And yes, I've relented and cut back my daffodil greens. I'm willing to take the chance that they've had enough sun to build up they're blooms for next year.

And make sure you get those tomato cages out on the tomato plants. It's a lot easier to put them on when the plants are small, rather than wait till you actually need them. You can usually find tomato cages at your local nursery or big box garden center (Lowes/Home Depot).

So have a great weekend and enjoy the great weather in your backyard oasis!!

P.S. - This Friday and Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. is your final chance to get to the Oley Valley Perennials Open House Sale, 675 Covered Bridge Road, Oley (one mile north of Yellow House). For information check the Garden Gal archives.

This past weekend was perfect weather for getting out and doing some spring cleaning in the garden.
Sorry I haven't blogged for a few days, but I've been busy. Saturday and Sunday were spent cutting down ornamental grasses, gathering fallen tree limbs (cutting and bundling, some for kindling and the rest for trash pick-up today), raking old mulch and leaves from flower beds bursting with spring bulbs and early perennials, tending the compost pile, and cutting back the butterfly bushes. After spending the winter inside looking out the window, dreaming of summer's colorful blooms, it sure felt good to get back out and into the dirt!
I mentioned my ornamental grasses above, and in case you were thinking of adding some to your garden, I can't recommend them enough! These hardy plants are perfect for people without a green thumb. They thrive in just about any area - full sun, partial or shade. And they come in all different sizes and colors!
My personal faves are Zebra or Porcupine grass (mine get about 7 ft. tall, not counting the plumes), Maiden grass (plumes to 12 ft.), Fountain grass (3 ft.), Silver grass (3 ft.) and Japanese Blood grass (just over a foot). I'm hoping to get a new variety called Northern Lights grass this year. It is yellow-orange in color and gets about 2 feet tall. I'll be checking my local garden centers for this one!
Grasses look great in the summer, some change color in the fall, and they're even pretty in the winter. Some people cut back their grasses in the fall, but I like to leave them up until spring. They add a beach feel to my yard even when covered with snow.
And when I do finally cut them down, this year using hedge-clippers (thanks for the idea Dad), I save the taller ones. They get bundled up with twine and stored in the shed over the summer. When the time comes to decorate for fall, I get them out and use them like corn stalks for decorating the front of my house. They look great and it's another way to recycle yard refuse. In November, they get chopped up and put on the compost pile, only to be recycled back into the flower beds the next spring!
More on those butterfly bushes later.
A quick update: I decided to wait to plant my perennial geraniums until May, storing them in the vegetable crisper in my fridge. As you can see, the weather is just too predictable right now.