Earlier this week at water aerobics the ladies in my group were discussing the books that they had read or were currently reading this summer. So as I listened to the titles I made a mental note of them. I love reading, but I don’t always know what’s on the Best Seller’s list.
My reading tastes are all over the board and what I like has drastically changed over the years. For entertainment I love Science Fiction, but I don’t know the last one I read. I am drawn to biographies, autobiographies, historical novels, romance, spy, mysteries, and as you know bird field guides!
Am I currently reading Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens? - No, but it’s on my list. What I am reading is Making the Most of Shade by Larry Hodgson. My summer reading is a book on “How to Plan, Plant, and Grow a Fabulous Garden that Lightens Up the Shadows.” It was a Christmas present from my daughter to help me with my bird, bee & butterfly perennials garden!
My neighborhood is in the historic district and is loaded with huge trees that create lots of shade. Almost every inch of my yard is shaded due to 100 foot tall oak trees encircling our home! I love the Foreword that Mr. Hodgson begins his book with - “To all the wonderful trees that have graced every garden I have ever had the pleasure to work in and who taught me, after much head shaking and denial, that by accepting shade as a friend and not an enemy, I could accomplish wonderful things.”
As I work in the yard, I have found shade my friend because when one area gets sunny and my sweat starts to rolling, I always have a shady spot to retreat to and get away from the heat. In addition, to staying cooler, I actually love the plants that grow in the shade. Ferns, hydrangeas, azaleas, and hostas to name a few are just right for shady yards and they are “a few of my favorite things!”
One of the chapters in the book discusses mulch and the need to put mulch in your flower beds. Since I hate having to pull weeds, I love mulch! Mr. Hodgson also loves mulch! He recommends mulch and says that due to shade you will have fewer weeds anyway, but mulch will slow the growth of weeds even more.
Usually the reason that most people have a shady yard is because of trees and trees can give you the perfect mulch free of charge! If you have lots of leaves you can either chop them with your lawnmower or decompose them in your compost pile. Leaves or pine needles make wonderful rich mulch for your flowerbeds and I love that you can recycle them right back into your yard to nourish it.
Recently, I laid down leaves onto one of my new flower beds and then placed black mulch on top of it. After about a week mushrooms began to form on top of the mulch. I began to worry that I had done something wrong, but then I read an article on Lisa’s Landscape and Design’s website that when you see mushrooms growing in your mulch, it’s a good thing! “Mushroom growth in your soil and beds is a sign of a healthy soil.” The living organisms that make up our soil play a very important role in making our garden grow!
One thing that I have done this year that I am really happy about is that I put black mulch in my raised garden bed! I have black mulch around my tomatoes, peppers, herbs and cucumbers. The summer weeds have been almost non-existent because of it!
As I have looked at the new blooms in my yard this summer and the many birds that they have attracted, I am very happy I’ve read Matthew 6:26 and have taken time to “Look at the birds of the air….”
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