Acceptance

Posted on August 18, 2026 by shobha

Last week, I expounded on the climate crisis we’re facing. It struck a chord with many readers and the question of how to keep our gardens thriving after all the work we’ve put into them was expressed . The answer of course is complex and still evolving.

While the new normal is yet to be known, what is to be done right now? How do we keep our gardens going as we always have? We don’t. Because continuing to do as we have always done is not working anymore. Simply carrying on as usual and demanding the garden produce the expected results is futile. What we must do first and foremost is accept that change is already happening.

This is a tough ask because change is never easy. And this particular change carries with it great uncertainty. Who knows how long its all going to take to get to that new normal?!

To begin with, stop fighting the battle of expectations. Accept that the roses will bloom (or not) according to the weather pattern. Accept that the heat waves have put paid to some plants. The grass cannot be expected to be green when there is a sad lack of rainfall – are we really going to stubbornly water and feed it and force it to be lush and verdant? Why? At any given point that’s a wasteful effort but right now, it is singularly foolish.

Instead, lets accept that it is what it is. We are waiting and watching to see what unfolds. We’ve got to let go of old expectations and habits – they no longer serve us. If we are to move forward in a positive, hopeful way, then, each one of us must change our own attitudes.

We can do this. Look around – see all the beautifully exuberant pollinator gardens? That did not happen so easily – there was a fair degree of reluctance on the part of many. Giving up neat and tidy gardens full of gorgeous non-native/exotic plants and switch to (mostly) native flora that supports native fauna and loosen up the overall design was not met with immediate enthusiasm. When I set up compost piles and a rain barrel 3 decades ago, I was mocked and called “quaint and old fashioned“. But here we are now – nobody blinks an eye about that these days.

Heck, we even come around to accepting the fact that low-rise jeans flatter absolutely no human body! See?

While we’re n the process of making sense of everything, we can appreciate the many examples of resilience in our gardens. There are plenty of plants thriving. Most are the native ones and/or ecologically beneficial non-natives that have, over the years, naturalized in our gardens. That’s already a positive thing is it not? Despite the data showing a significant reduction in numbers and varieties of birds and beneficial insects, if I can count even one swallowtail butterfly or a Monarch caterpillar, it means there is potential for more. The take home is that I’m doing something right and I need to do more.

Solutions follow only with acceptance.

Yes, I came up with that profound line because that’s what I believe. It’s possible greater minds than mine have said the same thing but I don’t know any of them so I’m taking the credit. So there.

Here are some images of what’s keeping me in good spirits –

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Hot, Humid And Horrid

Posted on August 11, 2026 by shobha

It’s been a long horrible week of high heat and even higher humidity. This week doesn’t look any better. Getting even a minimal of garden chores done is quite a challenge for me as I wilt like a petunia in such circumstances. Add the explosion of ravenous biting bugs and I’m ready to throw in the trowel.

As if that’s not enough, the dreaded Spotted Lantern Flies have made their presence known. I’d been hoping the harsh winter would’ve destroyed the lot of them but alas, that was wishful thinking. I guess the winter did not stay that cold long enough. Ugh.

More than complain of which I’m doing plenty, I’m deeply, deeply concerned about how we can cope with the volatility of the changing climate. Plants are certainly more resilient than we are but they too need time to adapt to change – they must be experiencing horticultural whiplash with all the extreme fluctuations they’re being subjected to. Likewise the fauna that has co-evolved with the plants. Add human disturbance (and destruction) to this situation and we have a genuine crisis on our hands. I exaggerate not. The data and evidence prove it.

Trying to determine the long term approaches to gardening in a changing climate is tough – are we looking at conditions of drought or excess rain? Our Hardiness Zones are shifting significantly so many of the plants we acknowledge as specifically native to our zones are not going to remain as such. Do we make our own predictions and act accordingly or do we simply wait and see? If the latter, for how long do we wait and what and how should we garden in the interim? How do we help both flora and fauna?

There are far more questions than answers at this time. Scientists and experts in climate/environment/plant/animal/horticulture/geology/meteorology/agriculture/hydrology/health and every related subject are working to understand and figure out how to cope and resolve this urgent problem. BUT there is currently a severe paucity in both funding and manpower to properly address it. Enough said. IYKYK.

Meanwhile, what can each member of the gardening community do right now? How can we cope?

To start, lets recognize that we are a sizable part of the population. We can make a difference. First and foremost, every single of us must be seriously worried about what is obviously happening and we can get loud in expressing our concern to friends, family, neighbors, community, coworkers and any and everyone who will listen. Elect and support leaders at every level (town, city, state and national) who will do what it takes to save and protect all our natural resources. We cannot, must not hesitate to make good trouble. Too much is at stake.

In managing our own gardens, lets go as local as possible. Populate your garden with native plants. They are most resilient and hardy and best equipped to survive the climate changes happening right now. Choose them to be the main residents of every garden. There are several non-natives, first introduced a long time ago, that have naturalized very well in the landscape, serving pollinators admirably. So much so, many people would be surprised to learn they are not indigenous plants. They too can be included in the garden but in smaller numbers.

Purchase plants grown locally. I realize that small, family owned farms and nurseries with a good selection of plants are few and far between these days but they do exist so find them and give them your business. Our support is the only way to ensure their continued existence.

If you really do not have a source of locally bred plants, widen your search to neighboring counties. Finally, go online and identify small growers of native plants who will direct ship to customers. There are many of them and I’ve only had experiences with them.

Avoid the big sellers who obtain their plants indiscriminately from anywhere and everywhere.

Instead of pointlessly, painstakingly pursuing perfect, pristine lawns, and overly neat borders, liberate yourself by bringing shabby chic style to said lawns and borders instead. No more mono-cultured lawns or tightly controlled plant beds. Let plants express themselves which by no means precludes trimming or staking. Just let them spill out a little, gently lean or weave into a neighbor. Shrink lawns down drastically. They are costly to maintain – demanding time, money, water, energy and often toxic products to be perfect. Plant native trees and shrubs instead. They will nurture more beneficial insects and other wildlife than one can imagine. With what lawn remains, let in other ‘greens’ like common blue violets, lance selfheal (Prunella vulgaris ssp lanceolata). Even yellow woodsorrel.

Mulch with tree bark nuggets and native groundcover plants to suppress/inhibit weeds as well as retain moisture so the soil doesn’t dry out quickly. I typically place layers of newspaper or cardboard around the various plants first and then top off with smallish nuggets of tree bark.

Seriously consider installing rain barrels. As we face increasingly long spells of drought interspersed with rainstorms that dump large quantities of water in quick bursts resulting in mostly run off and very little being absorbed into the ground, collecting rainwater makes perfect sense.

It goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway – use only organic products for feeding plants, preventing and/or combating pests.

Do away with gas powered appliances – mowers, blowers and such. Perfectly effective electric or battery powered ones are available.

If we continue to have the level of humidity we’ve had lately, allowing plenty of space between plants for good airflow is going to be imperative. Otherwise, mold and fungal growth will surge and threaten the health of all the plants. I’m already planning to ruthlessly thin out some areas as soon as the heat lets up this weekend. Being proactive is easier than damage control.

All of this might sound like a lot but in reality, it will actually be easier to implement. The hardest part is to get rid of old mindsets and adopt the current recommendations. We know better so lets do better. Together.

NOTE: I’m not sharing any photos this week. Instead, I humbly ask you to spend a few minutes imagining what a world lacking in the familiar beauty and joy of our gardens, parks, woodlands and meadows would look like. How does that make you feel?

I thought so. Lets not let that happen. Please.

Wry And Dry

Posted on August 12, 2025 by shobha

I’m having a hard time contending with the shifting weather patterns. No season is panning out to be ‘normal’. Trying to determine how the present slate of long residing members of the garden is coping is proving frustrating.

After a dry, milder winter, some plants emerged earlier than anticipated, others showed up late and the remaining were right on time. So which lot were the savviest in anticipating the weather? More importantly, who amongst them timed themselves to align with their favorite pollinators? Native plants have co-evolved with native insects and the jury is still out on how any or all are handling the changes.

Spring started out cool and wet but finished blisteringly hot with some days of rain. And thus began summer with a string of heat waves only to have August arrive cool as a cucumber but dry as a bone. So here we are – still sans rain but steadily heating up.

The ground is parched and many plants are panting with their tongues hanging out. The rain barrel is so low that the watering cans sit looking forlorn and unloved. I’ve resorted to watering the pots by turning on the taps and using the hose. The majority of the plants are of course in-ground and I’m debating whether to give them a good soaking or let them tough it out. Since drought conditions haven’t been declared so far and I’m loathe to lose some treasures, I’m leaning towards the sprinklers itching to be set up so they can madly shower the garden.

However, looking long term, it is worth examining what sort of plants one ought to be introducing/replacing in the garden. Certainly heat and drought tolerant ones but does that mean plants that have till now been ‘native’ to zones clearly south of mine? Or southwest? ‘Native’ will be a fluid term for sure.

Accordingly, what does this mean to the bird and insect population? Without any apparent clarity at present, I’m not in any hurry to pull out any old faithfuls. But, I do think I must start considering adding in new (to these parts) members to make some sort of headway in what and how we grow our gardens of the future.

I’ve always maintained that the garden is one big laboratory and gardening is a series of experiments. Well, right now, we are at the crossroads of setting up one complex experiment. In this chartered territory of gardening during climate change, I cannot determine if I’m a profoundly inexperienced novice or a truly mad scientist. Only time will tell.

Hot Colors of summer –

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Thugs, Slugs And Bugs

Posted on July 29, 2025 by shobha

It’s high summer and hence peak season for contending with all the trials and tribulations in the garden. Plants, pollinators and pests are going wild.

Lets begin with the thugs. The weeds are of course deliriously happy. I can’t seem to stay on top of this menace. Mostly because it has been way too hot to spend the vast amount of requisite time to vanquish them. Clearly they’re loving the respite from me as each time I return to this chore, they are bigger and even more plentiful than before. I’m seriously considering making them legitimate members of my garden.

Okay, I agree. It would be a horrifying sight.

But the real thugs are the deliberately chosen members who decide to show their gratitude by going rogue. I’m looking at you natives -woodland anemone, ornamental raspberry and common aster. Just because the pollinators smother you with attention does not in any way give you license to overrun your better behaved sisters. Behave! I’m really tired of having to keep reining them in.

When my friend Beth recently discovered leopard slugs in her garden, I urged her to kill them off. Not simply because they’re slugs and universally disliked but, because they are non-native. Don’t get me wrong – I willingly murder our own native American varieties when I find them chomping on prize ornamentals or decimating my $40 tomatoes (each). After all the hard work I’ve put in, how dare they!

But, let me take a moment to put in a good word for the indigenous slugs. Believe it or not, they actually have a valuable purpose. They help break down decaying plant material like leaf litter, old logs and such and return nutrients to the soil. Some types of slugs are also predatory and feed on other slugs, snails, worms and insect larvae thereby keeping their populations in check. Slugs aerate the soil which is important for plant growth. They are a good food source (protein!) for birds, frogs and other invertebrates. So, that’s my Public Service Announcement for the season.

(But, do get rid of the non-native varieties.)

Finally, I’m currently consumed by the full on invasion of the Spotted Lantern Flies (SLF). The mild winter and wet spring is the reason. Climate change is not a hoax or fake news. It’s really happening and really horrible. The SLF nymphs are crawling all over. They are hard to swat (or crush) and kill like one can the adults. They hop away so fast. Given that these pests are everywhere, it’s not prudent to spray the recommended organic products as that would affect all the beneficial creatures as well. On that same vein, I cannot limit the SLF food supplies by cutting back the perennial plants. What would the native bugs and birds eat then?So the decision has been made to focus on just the fruit trees, Concord grape vine which is a particular SLF favorite and, some important shrubs. These are all plants that would be much harder to replace.

Note: many non-native plants are sought after by SLF. Possibly because they’re from the same places as the offending bugs. So it’s a good incentive to get rid of plants one shouldn’t be encouraging anyway.

Neem spray has had no effect thus far. We will keep trying of course. Meanwhile, we’ve cut back some of the grapevine so the SLF nymphs and adults have less shade to hide under and we’ve also done some dedicated vacuuming along the main trunk and limbs of the grapevine. This has been quite effective in sucking in the nimble nymphs as well as the adults. So we’ll see. Might end up vacuuming more often in the garden than inside the house this summer. Adults seen anywhere else will be crushed with relish.

War has been declared.

NOTE; I’m not going to dignify the pests and thuggish plants by showing their images. Instead, here are some glimpses of the garden doing it’s best in this endless heat wave of a summer –

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Tested By Fire

Posted on January 14, 2025 by shobha

I had planned on writing about something specific to gardening but my mind and heart have been filled with what’s happening in LA. It’s nothing short of devastating. When all is lost it is hard to see even a sliver of light at the end of what seems to be a very long, dark tunnel. For now, while we witness this reality unfolding, I submit to you 2 poems that I hope will give some food for thought and then some hopeful comfort. Most importantly and urgently, each of us must do whatever we can to help and assist those impacted.

Climate Change

Kangaroo floods leap across miles

Yankee storms hit with power

Aztec earthquakes sacrifice young lives

Norse volcanoes conjure blinding smoke.

Pacific winds fan relentless fires

Sumatran tsunamis wash countless souls

Bantu droughts parch migrating throats

Peking skies mark mankind’s limit

Polar icebergs diminish penguin turf.

Climate change at full throttle.

– Shobha Vanchiswar

Dark And Light

The light of day

sparkles honest

Cobwebs shimmer

rewards promised

Hope soars

confidence shines

Courage accompanies

mountains to climb

Sunrises occasion

plans anew

Clarity surfaces

Beliefs ring true

Nightfall arrives

slow and sure

Shadows lurk

luring fear

Darkness imposes

time to remember

Review, regret

call to surrender

Sunsets precede

hidden dreads

Anxiety reigns

awake in bed

Reality lies

in plain sight

There’s nothing in the dark

that’s not in the light.

-Shobha Vanchiswar

Some of my watercolors depicting snowscapes – a sense of serenity that we could all use right now. –

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December Discourse

Posted on December 17, 2024 by shobha

It’s that time of year when I look through the rear view mirror of the year and do a performance review of sorts. Based on that, I look ahead to the new year and accordingly make plans. In the interest of this blog, I shall focus on the garden.

The underlying factor that unquestionably impacted the garden in 2024 was the unpredictable weather. From a very mild winter that coughed up a single snowfall to an early spring that oscillated between cold and wet to mild and dry to a summer that got way too hot and had too much rain to a fall that was long, mild and very dry. We’ve been so dry that we’re under a burn ban of all categories as well as a water restriction warning till Dec 31. Naturally, it followed that leafing out, flowering and fruiting times of many plants were hastened or delayed. I can only imagine how much these uncertain conditions affected all other life forms that coexist with the plants. While most gardeners took it in stride, the writing is on the wall or more appropriately in this case, on the earth. Climate change is well underway.

In order to come to terms with it and be a responsible gardener, I’m giving the matter a great deal of thought and doing a fair amount of research. It can no longer be gardening as usual. New understanding, new attitudes and new ways are in order. Gardens and gardeners must change together with the climate. That is a tall order because change is not easy especially when it requires a lot to happen in a short amount of time. And time, for many things, is no longer unlimited. We must act now even as we adjust and adapt by the seat of our pants. There’s no how-to manual for the situation we’re in. However, gardeners are resilient, resourceful and always ready to learn and do what it takes to serve their piece of Paradise well.

So, come 2025, I intend to share my findings, thoughts and plans on how I intend to garden in this climate challenged world. I hope you too will give the matter your due consideration and communicate back to me. We are stronger together and together we can do our part to nurture our gardens and the world at large. That will be our legacy to the future.

I will not post next week. I will see you in the New Year!

Happy, healthy holidays to all!

Note: Scenes from my home and garden right now –

I am so proud of this wreath! Made entirely from materials from my garden, it is 3 feet in diameter and celebrates itself loud and proud!!

Seasonal images from elsewhere –

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Worried About Weird

Posted on October 22, 2024 by shobha

October – the month of strange and spooky sights culminating in the grand finale that is Halloween. But this year, the weather has decided to go all in and turned positively weird. And I’m a bit rattled. The month began typically enough with temperatures dipping as the days got distinctly shorter. That signaled to me to get cracking with the Fall chores in the garden. Having been away a while, I was behind in tasks like getting the greenhouse cleaned and its winter residents prepared for the move in. So I hustled. A few plants were already showing some stress from having been kept outdoors a tad too long. Finally, this past weekend the whole project got done. Whew!

However, by aforementioned weekend, the temperature had climbed to suggest we were back to summer. Sunny and warm felt great personally but not for this time of October in the garden. Positively unsettling. While most plants are retiring for the season and many have gone to seed, some, emboldened by the weather, have begun reblooming completely out of turn. It’s a confused state of affairs alright.

Meanwhile, weirdly, there was no sign of the shipment of bulbs that usually arrives by early October and I was getting a wee bit concerned. What a relief when it was finally delivered late Saturday evening. But now, we were looking ahead at a whole week of daytime temperatures in the 70s going down to late 50s at night. Way too warm! For bulb planting, the soil temperature needs to be below 55 degrees. I’m hoping to plant over the first weekend in November. All my under-gardeners (okay family) have been told to be ready. I hate to consider postponing the great planting marathon. It’s a quandary that might be a foretelling of future gardening practices as the climate changes.

Until a few years ago, I planted bulbs in early October. That has been slowly delayed into November. To think of doing the job closer to Thanksgiving and beyond is weird. And there is also concern about the winter itself. Many bulbs require weeks of solid cold to bloom in Spring. Will we have that? And for how long? Worrisome for sure.

Other Fall chores like emptying, cleaning and putting away pots, winter-pruning hedges and shrubs, cutting back certain plants, draining and shutting off outdoor taps were also accomplished. Felt mighty odd to be doing the work in summer like weather. It’s been very dry here so the lack of rain is an additional bummer. What on earth is going on?!

But one thing I’m certain of – we gardeners are resilient and will figure out how to pivot and learn what needs to be changed, adjusted and adapted. Till then, we shall commiserate, complain and carry on gardening.

Scenes from the garden today – senescence, renaissance in the nonce!

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Climate Change Is Cruel

Posted on August 20, 2024 by shobha

We have been talking about Climate Change for many years now. From the days of hearing about the hole in the ozone layer (remember that?), global warming (old term) has been on the radar pretty much consistently. Those of us who work in/with Nature are the canaries of Climate Change. We notice any anomaly that occurs in the environment.

Over the last few years, I’ve observed a diminished number of butterflies in the garden. My organically maintained garden full of butterfly magnets for plants used to see a diverse range of butterflies but now hosts fewer and fewer of them and that is cause for concern. Grave concern. I’ve spent countless hours trying to understand what’s happening. Was it something I said to put off the beloved visitors? Frivolity aside, I really have agonized over the situation. I’ve questioned every action taken and have failed to find an explanation. But, there are distinct possibilities.

Two things seem plausible. They are not really separate but rather belong to a cause and effect scenario. The first, is that a few years ago, a neighbor began using a landscaping service to spray their property with an ‘organic’ chemical to kill whatever ticks might be around. Now, any spray of any kind, from simple vinegar solutions to aforementioned organic solutions to synthetic inorganic compounds is never specific. They kill any vulnerable bug – good and bad. They are not bug specific. And while a property is being treated, the wind carries the spray well beyond the property lines. I have no doubt that over the years my garden has received its fair share of that organic application every two months during the growth seasons. Hence, adults, larvae or eggs of good insects have possibly been killed. A crying shame of a terrible loss.

Additionally, these neighbors actually do not garden at all. It’s all mostly closely cropped grass lawns. Nothing would want to or could live there! The way to keep the tick population down is to have lots of plants attractive to birds and other pollinators which would control those darn ticks. This logic completely eludes the neighbors. I also have great concern for the long term health consequences for their young children and dogs who play on the sprayed grass. It’s all very frustrating.

The other factor is of course the climate that is indeed changing. We’re all contending with milder winters, too much rain, too little rain, unprecedented heat, frequent and more fierce storms – all wildly alarming. As a result, the native flora and fauna that have co-evolved are thrown out of sync. Spring arrives ahead of schedule because of the warmer winter preceding it. Flowers bloom but they are earlier than expected and their specific pollinator are not present. They either have yet to return from their winter retreats or are still to awaken from their seasonal sleep.

This year, the milkweeds and several other plants bloomed too early – no doubt because of the very hot temperatures in June and July. Well before many butterflies show up. I have, to date, this season, noted only a couple of swallowtails and exactly one Monarch. Really sad.

Other plants are late to bloom. So the eternal optimist in me is hoping the butterflies will show up when those tardy flowers decide to perform.

And then, there is the sad fact that because of the prolonged heat wave(s), lack of timely rain followed by too much rain, all the nicely developing fruits such as apples, pears and persimmons have dropped off. Nary a fruit remains. I’m trying to understand how, if at all, to handle the shifting climate which, in truth, is a moving target. Any thoughts?

Meanwhile, the dreaded Spotted Lantern fly has reached my part of world. Ugh. Unsurprisingly, they were first seen on the Concord grapevine and were ruthlessly crushed right away. The bugs not the grapes. If the grape harvest will happen at all remains to be seen. The pests have been seen elsewhere in the garden as well. Again, vinegar or soap sprays are recommended but I’m not sure they will actually work because they must come in direct contact with the bugs. In which case, if I can actually see them, I might as well crush them and thereby prevent spraying any beneficial critters hanging around.

On inquiring how a couple of public gardens in my area are dealing with this particular pest, I’m told they vacuum them when they’re seen. Beyond that, they’ve noticed some predation but are awaiting for some sort of natural balance to occur. In my garden, we’re counting on the birds to come feast on the pests! So, we are back to saying that we must plant to support the beneficial wildlife!

Tried and true old fashioned knowledge and practices are going to have to be revived and made de rigueur.

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Draining Disruptions

Posted on July 24, 2024 by shobha

Just when the summer garden is hitting its peak and one is tempted to sit back a bit for extended hours of basking in the glow of job well done, comes along a project that can no longer be ignored or put off. In a couple of weeks the two perennials beds in the front garden and most of the length of the side path are going to be dug up to get some drainage problems resolved.

For years now, every time we experienced a really ferocious bout of rain, where the rate of falling water outpaced the rate of drainage, water seeped into the basement through those aforementioned foundation walls. A French drain in the unfinished basement could not cope with the water at such times so there’d be pools of water in various parts of the basement floor. Things would dry eventually and because the floor was built at a slight slope and opens out to the terrace, there is never a possibility of flooding. However, as we all know, letting damp linger around is not a good thing. For a good while I put off getting the situation remedied. Creating chaos in the garden made me procrastinate. However, with climate change, thunderstorms are happening more fiercely and frequently. The drainage problem simply had to be solved.

Out will come a large portion of perennials to make room for digging trenches 6 feet deep. Corrugated irrigation pipes placed at the bottom of the trenches after waterproofing the foundation walls that meets the garden, will allow rain water to be diverted to a dry well in the herb garden. A part of the herb garden will be temporarily dismantled to create that dry well. After all that work has been accomplished, the trenches will be filled back in and herb garden reestablished. Path and front beds replanted and order restored.

I chose August for this project because that meant the project would be completed well before bulb planting season. As much as I’m loathe to have my garden dug up, I’m using this opportunity to seriously and ruthlessly review the plantings. For some time now I’ve been thinking about redoing the front beds but its daunting to deal with established areas. Now however, with plants dug up anyway, one might as well execute the ideas and plant the plants that were just items on a wish list till now.

My initial resistance to starting this project is making way for creativity and the joy of new experiments with design and plants. I’d like to keep it simple but exciting. Not everything will be new. Some beloved longtime residents such as Baptisia, Joe Pye, phlox paniculata and such will be grandfathered in. I must find my wish-list of plants-to-try and make my selections. Source those plants preferably at my local nursery. No horticultural divas allowed of course. The human ones are bad enough.

My immediate challenge will be keeping the plants set aside for replanting safe and healthy till the whole project is completed. Fingers crossed no heat wave will occur. Plants evicted from the beds will be given new residences elsewhere in the garden. Some will be re homed in a friend’s new garden. No one will be cast away. The tenets of humanism will prevail. Always.

Note: In keeping with the theme of creating some disorder, here are some images of (mostly) the front beds in random order –

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Chill In!

Posted on June 18, 2024 by shobha

It’s a heat wave – all week long. We’ve had such a gloriously beautiful and long spring that it’s really hard to switch gears and confront the soaring temperatures with accompanying humidity. I shouldn’t complain but I know I will. Particularly about not spending enough time in the garden. However, it’s best not to fight common sense guidelines on how to cope in a heat wave.

First and foremost, do only the bare minimum in the garden. That really comes down to light weeding, watering as necessary and general deadheading and tidying. Do these chores in the early morning or later in the evening when the heat is somewhat tolerable. If you’re not up to doing anything at all, that’s okay. Your health is priority number one. The garden can wait – plants are resilient. When the heat wave passes, you will tend to the chores.

Lets see what useful things we can accomplish –

A non-negotiable for me are the hummingbird feeders which must be refilled more frequently. The sugar water will begin to ferment when the days are very hot and that can be very harmful to the tiny birds. Under circumstances like the present, I take the feeders down every other day to empty and wash out thoroughly. I replenish with fresh sugar water (1:4 sugar to water ratio) but I do not fill up the whole feeder. Instead, I add only a third of the volume which is about how much the birds typically consume before the next fill-up. That way, I’m not wasting too much of the nectar.

Similarly, the birdbath is kept filled with clean water for other thirsty avian friends. While you’re at it, remember to keep yourself hydrated!

This is a good time to do some simple propagation and it can be done indoors or in the shade. Lavender, rosemary, dianthus and such are prime candidates. Take 2-3 inch cuttings of non-flowering shoots from the parent plant. Strip away all lower leaves and poke the stems around the edge of a pot of gritty compost. Water and place in sheltered but still bright area. Monitor. When you can see strong, new growth, gently lift and check for good root development. Transplant each new ‘baby’ to its own appropriately sized pot.

Begonia, African violets and succulents can be multiplied from just a leaf. Stick a healthy leaf of the plant into a pot of free-draining compost or sphagnum moss. Water well. Create a greenhouse for each pot by placing it in a sealable, clear plastic bag. Close the seal properly. In a few weeks, new growth will emerge. At that time, cut off the original leaf and repot the new plant.

In the cool of the indoors, examine your wish list of plants for fall planting. Source them. Preferably from your local nurseries. Otherwise, place your orders online. Schedule delivery in time for planting.

On a similar vein, start selecting your bulbs for fall planting. It’s not too early! Popular choices get sold out fast. The orders get shipped out only at the right time for planting in your temperature zone. You also get charged only at that time. I find it hugely freeing to place my bulb order well ahead. Then I can go about the business of enjoying the season, go on vacation, harvest flowers and fruit without worrying about the likelihood of forgetting the bulb order or missing out on my favorite selections.

The heat wave is by no means a blessing but one can certainly find the silver lining in the thick of it.

Here’s what‘s doing in the garden right now –