What’s New in My Garden?

My last blog was about using prayers as a way to time watering your plants with the hose’s nozzle.

I wasn’t using the blog to hint to my husband; really, I wasn’t.

Greg loves a project. He always has to be creating something or tearing something apart.

I’m the blessed one, in that I am often the recipient of his creations.

I happened to have told him that since it’s been so hot in Texas, I spend about an hour and fifteen minutes each day watering the six raised gardens he created for me last October.

The next day he’s looking at drip or soaker hoses and PVC pipe at Lowe’s. Within a day he created a system of PVC piping that reached each of the six raised beds. After letting the soaker hose warm up in the sun, he started cutting and attaching them to the pipes.

Greg examines the PVC pipe.

After laying the PVC, it was my job to cover it back up.

I got to help a bit by replacing the loose gravel over the white PVC and then adding light mulch over the soaker hoses.

Greg figures he’ll have to replace the soaker hoses in a year or so, but I’m ecstatic! Since I usually have the garden hose already hooked to the PVC valve, it now takes me about 10 seconds to do the watering! I turn the valve and leave it to do the watering for a couple of hours; and since it’s a slow release, it doesn’t hurt my water pressure.

I can shut off individual beds with the black switch if they don’t need water.

Now my Pink & Purple flowers get all the water they need.

Finally, my zinnias won’t suffer for lack of water this summer!

It’s not only helpful to me, but the soaker hoses are better for my plants and the environment. I use less water because the water is delivered slowly and directly to the plants’ roots; there’s less evaporation going into the air; I’m not spraying beyond the plants; and I’m reducing the chance of fungal disease from water getting on leaves.

Go to this site to learn more about soaker or drip hoses: https://www.savingwater.org/lawn-garden/watering-irrigation/drip-irrigation-soaker-hoses/Watering system.docx

Since I have more time to water, I’ve added some potted plants. See the pictures of the Bush Morning Glory I propagated by seed during a Master Gardening class last fall. So far, each day I get 10 to 12 blooms. Unfortunately because of the heat, they only last until noon.

Close up picture of my Bush Morning Glory. In person and on my Android phone, the color is a much more vivid pink.

It’s hard to imagine this plant was just a seed last October. And check out all those new little buds.

To me, the flowers have the subtle scent of Lucky Charms marshmallows.