Drought - Not Floods - And the Birds Frolic

 Starlings are usually the first birds to jump into the birdbath as a group. Today all the varieties seemed to be taking their turn.

We had an unusual gathering of birds today, because it is getting so dry and hot, aiming toward 95 degrees soon.

Knowing the prediction, I emptied both baths, cleaned them, and filled them with shallow water, sitting on a slight incline. Birds love to land on the dry area and slowly walk into shallow water. The splashing follows.

Ranger Bob advised me not to water when the day was so hot and sunny. I wanted the gardens relatively dry before evening, because slugs come out in the zillions among the plants at night. Watering greatly encourages them, and they love to eat holes in tender vegetation, including new Hostas and Calladiums. 

 Humpback Whale Hostas are striking in color, size, and beauty. My investment in time has paid off for the first plants to grow and dominate.

I told Bob, "You fix the cars while I fix the gardens." He laughed. 

 Calla Lilies keep blooming when watered. "They are in bloom again, rawlwy they are."

Calladiums can be Cardinals

 Or Sweethearts

I have booked the backyard gardens for tomorrow morning, to give the new Joe Pyes a good start and perk up the Hostas, about to bloom for the hummingbirds. 

 Or a White Christmas

Slugs Served Coors Beer. Calladiums are Sweethearts.

One reader wondered how I happened upon beer in the house. My wife and I are not beer drinkers, but there it was, in a cupboard we do not use much.

Many recommend a bowl of beer for slugs. I knew we had plenty from the spring rains - creeks and rivers at flood stage - and a midnight look at their work.

Last night I re-purposed the small roasting pan (birdbath) we dug up from the backyard. I filled the pan with beer and set it out in the straw bale area. At 5 AM I had about 15 slugs in the pan and more crawling to get in.

Some other cures are:

1. Grapefruit halves left upside down - they attract slugs and provide a false shelter for the slugs.
2. Copper mesh or strips will set up an electrical charge that kills slugs.
3. Garlic spray repels them.
4. A board or any other temporary hiding place will gather them for disposal in the morning - dropping them into a solution that solves the problem.
5. Toads, ducks, and garter snakes. I have seen two of the toads that live at the Jackson Rose Gardens. Clay pot shelters and logs are good for their homes. Flat pans filled with water give them the hydration they need.

New Rose Garden Mulched

Before the weather got really hot and humid, our helper came over to mow one day and mulch the next. We put down newspapers around the maple tree base and covered the area with cyprus mulch. I had thick patches of grassy weeds that are now feeding the soil and compost now.

We planted garlic around the maple tree last fall, so that will be encouraged to grow and multiply - the best all around treatment for roses. Garlic will drive away pests, including slugs, and make the roses healthier. 

I planted Sweetheart calladium bulbs in the early spring and never saw a sign of them. Now they are growing up through the mulch under the crepe myrtle and unfurling their colorful leaves.