Garden tips for August Garden tips for August (August 20, 2004)

Design a garden path for strolling, viewing plants

By Jack McKinnon

The summer Olympics in Athens, Greece are now in session. Greece is home to some of the greatest landscape architecture in the world. The path to the Acropolis is one of the most famous stroll paths in the world.

Go to http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21101a/e211aa01.html on the Web. Designed between 650 and 480 B.C. this path not only kept out invaders but provided rest areas and was an easy walk to the Parthenon with spectacular views of Athens. The Olympics are a great opportunity to get together with friends and family and enjoy watching some of the world's best athletes. This also gives occasion for gardening work, play and celebration.

Here are the tips:

1. Design a path in your yard that allows you to stroll, stop and view your plants. This path can be gravel, brick, stone, bark or just about any material that will give a good stable footing.

2. Place sculptural elements in your garden. A bust on a column or a stone bench gives a solidity and permanence to your design.

3. Try a pool or fountain of stone for a water feature. It can be as simple as a bowl hanging on a wall with a re-circulating pump and just enough water to make a trickling sound.

4. Have a garden container planting contest with friends or neighbors. Have some rules like spending limits and time to completion. Vote with secret ballots and the winners get gold, silver and bronze medals (made up from craft store supplies).

5. Have an Olympics and garden party with barbecue, salads and drinks in the garden preceded by or followed by (depending on the timing of events) your favorite Olympic sports events on TV.

6. Make wreaths and table decorations with bay laurel, olive branches, rosemary and grape leaves and vines.

7. If you need to protect plants from direct sun make a shade screen out of lath for the hottest days. You can remove it when the weather cools off. Check the weather reports for hot spells and be sure to do extra watering.

8. Set your mower up higher so your lawn can fill out. Next month will be time to renovate. If you haven't fertilized for a couple of months do it now and be sure to water it in well.

9. If you have gophers, I recommend two plants to deter them from your garden. Scilla is a spring flowering bulb that you plant as soon as you can find them in the nurseries. Euphorbia (also called gopher plant) has a sticky, bad-tasting sap that seems to keep gophers at a distance. It will be found in one-gallon containers. Read up on these plants in your garden book and I think you will find that they help to discourage the little rodents.

10. Here are flowers and vegetables that you can start by seed this month for winter bloom and harvest: Stock, viola, calendula, Iceland poppy, primrose, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, radishes, spinach and beets. You can grow lettuces all year round. It sure is nice to live in California.

Good gardening.

Jack McKinnon worked in the Sunset Magazine gardens for 12 years and has been a private garden coach for six years. He can be reached at 879-3261, or by e-mail at jcmckinnon@earthlink.net.

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