Summer Gardening – NANCY WITH THE LAUGHING FACE

July 18, 2026

Helpful Strategies for Parched Summer Gardens

As we enter the hottest and driest time of the year here in New England, I’ve been thinking about some helpful strategies to keep our gardens hydrated and happy during July, August, and early September.

When rain becomes scarce in summer, it helps to establish a regular watering routine, because when we neglect our gardens to the point of acute dryness, the soil actually repels water! A good plan is to water early in the morning or late in the afternoon, while the sun isn’t beating down on your plants. Take your time and let the water soak in. Thoroughly watering a couple of times a week is ideal, but if you only have time to water once a week, make sure it’s a deep one. Pay particular attention to any new plants in the garden first, such as annuals, new perennials, shrubs, or trees added during the spring.

There are many ways to water our gardens, but, like so much in life, it really comes down to personal preference, and my absolute favorite watering tool is the long-handled wand. By replacing my hose spray nozzle with the wand, I can target individual plants with a generous waterfall that reaches those moisture-starved roots. The lowest setting is gentle enough for seedlings and young plants, and, because the wand allows for deep watering, I don’t have to water as often.

When pressed for time or the weather is just too hot for standing outside, I also use a sprinkler to cover large garden areas. The downside with sprinklers is that they can take hours to really soak a garden, and using them at night can encourage mold or mildew. If you choose to use an overhead sprinkler for watering, use it early in the morning or late in the afternoon, allowing time for your plants to dry off before evening settles in.

Once you’ve got your watering approach figured out, how do you keep the soil from drying out between soakings? Honestly, your greatest garden ally in the fight against dryness is mulch — a moisture-retentive organic covering for your soil. Gardens lacking in organic matter can’t hold moisture, no matter how much water you throw at them, so regular mulching is the easiest way to keep your soil hydrated and your garden looking lush.

The beginning of a sloped woodland garden to be mulched with oak and maple leaves

The same garden today with natural leaf mulch

Over the past couple of years, I’ve grown away from using traditional bark mulch in favor of the abundant oak and maple leaves that litter our property every autumn. When shredded by the lawn mower, these leaves make a lightweight mulch that can easily be applied to gardens in late fall. For more on leaf mulch, see my previous blog: Utilizing Autumn Leaves in the Garden – NANCY WITH THE LAUGHING FACE

Leaf mold, the byproduct of these decaying leaves, is said to hold up to 500 percent of its own weight in water, thereby reducing evaporation and keeping roots cool during the dog days of summer. And supplementing the leaf mulch with compost or thin layers of grass clippings around your plants only adds to this nutritious and moisture-retentive mix.

Low-growing groundcover plants create their own living mulch

Another strategy for keeping moisture in our gardens is by utilizing a living mulch – low-growing plants or groundcovers that spread around larger plants, filling in gaps and creating a natural barrier between the soil and the hot sun. Not only do these plants provide shade and retain moisture, they can also help prevent weeds from germinating. Some living mulches to consider are Ferns, Lamium, Forget-me-Nots, Ajuga, Creeping Jenny, Sweet Woodruff, Hardy Geraniums, and even Hostas. A word of caution here: Some groundcovers can spread aggressively, so do your research before planting!

Beautiful gardens aren’t made overnight — they’re the product of consistent care, season after season. By sticking with a regular, deep watering schedule, letting groundcovers do their quiet work, and mulching generously with organic coverings, your garden will reward you with lush, healthy growth even through the hottest months of the year!

All photos by Nancy Marie Allen

June 15, 2024

Exploring the Hardier Side of Succulents

Succulents are a huge genus of plants that have the ability to store water in their leaves, allowing them to endure long periods without rain. This ability makes succulents useful in xeriscape gardens where regular rainfall is unreliable, but many popular succulent varieties are tender and can’t survive cold weather or frosts.

Fortunately for us northern gardeners, hardy succulents can tolerate temperatures as low as -20 degrees Farenheit and live happily in colder snowy climates for many years. They are a versatile group ranging in size from miniature fairy garden plants all the way up to huge agaves!

The most well-known of the hardy succulents are the ever-living sempervivums or “hens and chicks,” aptly named because of the mother plant’s ability to produce many babies or chicks as the plant spreads out and grows, thus ensuring that the plant lives on. This clump-forming habit allows sempervivums to fill in pockets of soil around rocks, small statuary or driftwood in creative garden settings. Striking colors and forms, even white cobwebbing, add to their charm and they require little care other than an occasional morning drink in dry conditions.

A cobweb variety sempervivum in the garden

Personally, I find that sempervivums are especially fetching in natural looking hypertufa pots. These rugged stone-like planters enhance the beauty of hardy succulents while providing a frost tolerant environment where they can overwinter outside. That’s right, you don’t have to do anything special to protect the plants or pots when winter arrives; in fact, they’ll be perfectly safe under a soft blanket of snow while waiting for spring!

Hypertufa planters filled with hardy succulents and mosses

Planting hardy succulents in pots allows us to elevate them to a patio table or stand where they can be enjoyed close-up and we can also move those pots around as light conditions change over the summer months. These plants thrive in a half day of sun but morning sunlight with afternoon shade is best during the hottest months of summer.

Hardy succulent plants include sedums and ice plants amongst others. These companion plants to sempervivums make pretty fillers and spillers in planters and gardens alike, and they enjoy the same growing conditions. It’s always fun to mix the different colors and forms of hardy succulents and, delightfully, many produce beautiful flowers as well!

Grouped Sempervivum and Sedums — Close-up of hardy succulents in a hypertufa planter

The true beauty of hardy succulents is that they need little care other than an occasional watering when they become dry. After potting in fast draining succulent soil, I like to add a top dressing of worm castings which slowly feeds the plants over time. Additionally, small rocks or gravel can be used when planting directly out in the garden. The plants will need an occasional grooming to remove debris such as pine needles or dried leaves, but that’s really all the fussing they will require.

These charming, easy-care plants are an excellent choice for beginner gardeners, those with physical limitations and children, and I hope I’ve inspired you to try a few of these very special succulents in your own garden space!

The colors of sempervivums change with the seasons

August 14, 2020

Carefree and Colorful Caladiums

It has been a brutally hot and dry summer here in Northeast Massachusetts and I’ve done more than one rain dance while praying for a good soaking! Yet, in spite of these harsh conditions and pests galore, the gardens have carried on with abundant growing, blooming and producing.

Speckled Caladiums with Japanese Painted Fern, Hostas and Lamium (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

Over the years I’ve come to rely on robust plants such as perennial Sedums, Echinacea, Rudbeckia, Ferns and Hosta. Not only do they survive hot and arid summers, they sleep through frigid New England winters only to rise again with renewed vigor in the spring! Then there are the annuals such as Marigolds, Portulaca, Zinnias, Sweet Alyssum and Salvias that take whatever nature throws at them, all the while smiling back with joyful flowers.

Pink Caladiums with Japanese Painted Ferns (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

Even though I always count on my usual cast of characters to carry me through the growing season, every spring I like to try at least one new plant and take it for a test drive. If it succumbs to insects, critters or weather, I’ll mourn and give it a decent burial but chances are I won’t plant it again.

A red Caladium with Black-eyed Susan, Fern, Hosta and Campanula (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

The new kid on the block this year was the tropical Caladium, a plant I’ve often admired but was always hesitant to grow. After all, how could such a delicate-looking beauty possibly hold up to heat, drought and hungry pests? But, after finding a bargain bag of fifteen Caladium bulbs at Home Depot this past winter, I decided to try starting them under grow lights in my heated basement. Potted up in early March, it took several weeks before leaves began to emerge but once they started, they grew vigorously. After hardening them off outdoors for a couple of weeks in early June, they were ready to move to their permanent summer homes.

Low-growing pink Caladiums with Ferns, Hostas and Astilbe (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

Of the fifteen bulbs planted, thirteen somehow survived to adulthood. Some of the Caladiums I gave away while others were tucked into shady areas in my flower beds. Two brilliant matching reds were planted in pots on either side of the front door. Although those planted in the garden have grown surprisingly well with very little rainfall and lots of benign neglect, the two planted in pots have thrived with the extra watering and regular feeding they’ve received.

Tall Caladiums make a great thriller plant for summer pots (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

I have to admit that I didn’t have high hopes for any of them making it through the summer. Surely every insect in the neighborhood would find these exotic beauties and proceed to chomp off their heads! On the contrary, none of the plants were affected by pests or disease and have grown with a serene vitality all their own.

A summer planter with Caladium, Heuchera, Begonia and Creeping Jenny (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

Caladiums have large diaphanous heart-shaped leaves in shades of pink, red, white and variations thereof including speckles, spots, veins and bold green edges. They are medium-sized plants, growing from 1 to 3 feet in height, sometimes with a canopy of leaves. With such a variety of colors and sizes to choose from, garden design possibilities are endless!

A bold red Caladium (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

Native to the tropics, Caladiums love hot and humid weather and respond well to a little extra feeding with liquid kelp or seaweed. They positively light up shady gardens where they are most at home but I find some morning sun helps intensify their striking colors. Although they prefer evenly moist soil, they don’t like to be waterlogged and can even tolerate some dryness once established. Occasionally they will bloom with a calyx similar to a Peace Lily or Anthurium, but with leaves this stunning, who needs flowers?

White Caladiums light up the shade garden (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

What surprises me the most about growing Caladiums is how well they blend in with my established shade garden plants while adding bright spots of color. Their bold foliage looks especially fetching with the delicate fronds of Ferns or Astilbes and, as you can see in the photos, they make a striking addition to planters. If you live in an area with warm summers, I hope you’ll give Caladiums a try in your pots and flower beds next year. I know I’ll definitely be planting them again!