Garden Parties: Celebration Is Worth The Toil
Aside from good friends and delicious food, what does it take to throw a garden party the first week in June? That’s the question we faced last fall when the wonderful news of a spring wedding was announced to us. Son Tom and his fiancee Karin picked a date for their out-of-town wedding and our window of opportunity for a garden party celebration fell in early June.
June may be the traditional month for weddings, but outdoor celebrations early in June are no picnic.
Why is this such a difficult time for garden parties? WEATHER! The weather last winter, the weather this spring, and the weather the day of the party - all can present obstacles.
Spring cleanup: Our relatively late winters make early and quick spring cleanup really rough. It’s usually well into April before we can do much and there’s so much to do. Weeding, planting, edging, weeding, starting the vegetable garden, repairing rock walls, checking the sprinkler system, weeding, cleaning the pond, bark touch-up, pruning, many runs to the dump and yes, a little more weeding. To make it more difficult, if the winter was severe (as it was this past one), massive pruning of dead limbs and branches or even removal of dead trees can be added to the chore list.
Need for color: Because of cool temperatures and the threat of late frost, annuals aren’t even planted until mid-May. By June, they may have some blooms, but nothing compared to their summer display. A few spring tulips may still be flowering, but only if it stayed cool. And the opening of spring flowering perennials is totally dependent on weather.
Lawn: If the party is in the yard, healthy, good-looking grass is certainly desirable. Turf problems from the prior year or a tough winter have little chance to recover in time.
Party day weather: We all know how unpredictable the weather can be on Memorial Day. One week later is usually no better. A huge canopy tarp does little to enhance the beauty of the yard.
So how did the Stephens’ household approach these formidable obstacles?
Spring cleanup: Since the scope of our landscaping has been a bit ambitious over the years, we have considerable spring chores to accomplish even when there is no deadline. With this year’s timing, serious planning was necessary. Lists of chores and accompanying deadlines were developed and, believe it or not, followed. If you’re crazy like we are, and plan this type of event, you must pay the price with long hours.
Need for color: In anticipation of the party, last fall dozens of late spring-flowering tulips were planted, hoping that they would still be in bloom in early June. Though most faded a week or two before the party due in part to warm weather and wind, a few clusters of bright pink fellows stuck around for the festivities.
Because of the cool spring, newly planted annuals looked like newly planted annuals - single, straight stems topped with a single flower. However, when stuffed closely together in containers, these young plants put on quite a show.
The real color in the garden fell on the shoulders of the perennials. Anemonies, columbine, lupin, iris and forget-me-nots were a few of the bloomers for the party. With a proper mixture of perennials there will always be at least a few blooming all through the season. Not only that, we can always count on the color, texture and shape of their foliage to add substance and interest during this iffy time.
Lawn: Winter was particularly tough on our grass this year. Early on it looked so poorly we were afraid it might have developed the dreaded necrotic ring spot. Luckily this was not true. A solid regimen of good turf practices actually brought the lawn out of its doldrums and into mid-summer shape by party time. We core-aerated the end of April, fertilized shortly after, mowed frequently the last four weeks (every 3 or 4 days) and poured the water to it. Thick green grass was our reward.
Party day weather: Nothing we could do about this but hope and pray. The day turned out picture-perfect.
Preparing for a garden party, no matter what time of the year, will always be crammed with hard work and prayer. But it’s the friends that come to celebrate with you that makes all the toil well worth it.
, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Phyllis Stephens The Spokesman-Review