GARDENING
Don’t blame the goldenrod THE ENVIRONMENTAL GARDENER Erica Glasener is the Community Involvement and Events Manager for the Piedmont Park Conservancy. She also serves on the advisory board for Trees Atlanta. August in Atlanta is a good time to get caught up with your weeding, especially after the recent summer rains we’ve been experiencing. And while it’s not the best time to add plants to your garden (since roots will be slow to get established with high soil temperatures and plants will require extra water), it’s an ideal time to add structures and hardscape, like edging for beds, walls, paths and fences.
Weeding
The best time to weed is after a long, gentle rain during the early morning or evening, when temperatures are bound to be a bit cooler. The soft soil will make it easier to pull out weeds, roots and all. Spending an hour per day weeding can make a difference (or so I keep telling myself) and you get immediate gratification seeing the results of your labor. But don’t be too hasty. Some perennials, like goldenrod, can be mistaken for weeds by the novice gardener. Goldenrod offers striking yellow summer blooms and comes in a range of sizes. It is also a favorite of pollinators. Unfortunately, this native beauty gets blamed for causing hay fever because it flowers at the same time that ragweed (the real culprit) blooms. The timing of the blooms is the only thing these two plants have
Garden with arbor
in common. Learn to recognize the difference between the foliage and the flowers of goldenrod and ragweed. The good news is that the best way to eradicated ragweed is to pull it out by hand, before or as soon as it blooms. This will keep the plants from spreading by seed and causing you and other unsuspecting visitors to your garden from sneezing or getting watery eyes. When you weed, make sure to wear long sleeves and gloves to avoid any possible skin irritations that this plant may cause.
Ideas for Adding Hardscape Edging
If you have flower beds that run right up to the edge of your lawn and there is not any separation between the two, consider adding a stone or brick edge. This will also help keep turf from creeping into your planting beds. The materials you choose should complement or be the same as the material that your house is made of. If your house is made of brick, brick edging makes sense.
with paving, the material you choose for your arbor should complement the style of your house and garden. A tip: If you are putting in an arbor, make sure it is not too skimpy and is in scale with the house and garden. If in doubt, make it one size larger than you think it needs to be. Use substantial size posts to support plants.
Arbor
Tall Perennials for Summer
An arbor provides a welcome an entrance to your garden as well as a place to train vines like Climbing hydrangea, native honeysuckle or crossvine. As
AUGUST 2021 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com
Silphium and Joe Pye Weed
Fencing
Before you install a fence check with your local government or homeowners’ association about any restrictions on how tall fences can be or if they are allowed in the front yard. Fences make great neighbors and offer a place to train vines or provide screening. You can leave them unpainted or plant a hedge in front for a dark backdrop.
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Ironweed
Cardinal Flower-Lobelia cardinalis – growing 2 to 4 feet (it’s not the tallest, but offers a great August bloom), this beauty grows naturally in moist soils along
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