August die she must

August has certainly rushed by though the rainfall was more monsoon and the flood more literal, as aside from one or two intervals, it has not been the hottest or driest of summer months. Add to that the socially slow and masked mandates for Covid-19 and I seem to have drifted aimlessly through these days.

The garden has been happier for the rain as too those slimy stomach-on-feet gastropods which consider my ‘Happy Days’ dahlia a signal to tuck in with gusto. Since I do not use slug pellets I’ve been trialling salt granules trailed along wall and path borders and that does seem to be having some effect.

Whilst Louisiana has recently been struck by the Category 4 Hurricane Laura, our storm Francis brought strong winds (and rain!) with some consequential damage. Note to self – securely anchor plant pots and their stands and don’t be caught napping!

Hydrangeas as the name suggest love rainy days and my nameless large-leaved mophead I call ‘Apple Blossom’ is coming into its own. Now is the time to collect those heads for drying so that through the winter months they are more than a distant memory. When blooms are just past their best I pick and place in an inch of water to dry out slowly.

Back to the subject of slugs and snails but on a happier note to end with. I was going to discard this pot of French Marigolds chewed down to the stem but instead moved them out of the way and they came back with a zing!