It’s been light for an hour or two. ‘Before the day heats up, I take a meditative walk through the garden.
As I walk out the front door, I take a deep breath and exhale. I walk slowly and notice the newly built spider web on the front porch.
I could spend the rest of the morning sitting in my Adirondack chair studying the spider’s web’so strong yet fragile; beautiful yet deadly. ?
I notice the water jewel-like droplets on the draping strands. No meal as of yet for this spider. He’s welcome to a housefly, or two.
The sweet, heavy smell of the oriental lilies greats me as I make my way along the front walk.
I stop and study an Annabelle hydrangea. Each white flower head is made up many delicate, beautiful white flowers. ‘Each flower is as perfect as a rose. One hydrangea flower head really is a bouquet. ??
The hostas provide waves of green, chartreuse, blue, and yellow in the dappled shade.
A house sparrow chirps his annoyance from the nearby crabapple tree.
A female cardinal, silent in the winter, sings a sweet song.
I hear the baritone note of a bullfrog and a splash. Bumblebees and honey bees are busy in the zinnias. I find their soft hum soothing, like a ceiling fan over your bed at night.
The white Shasta daisies dance with the yellow Achillea while the hardy Russian Sage, with its delicate blue flowers, feathery leaves, and curved branches adds softness a perennial border along with subtle scent.
Joe-Pye Weed provides breakfast for a Monarch butterfly.
The vegetable garden is preparing its bounty. The tomato plants are filling in their allotted space and holding on to their still-green fruits. I rub a basil leaf between my palms. My hands smell like summer. ?
The rugosa roses are at their prickly best. ‘I planted these because they remind me of beach vacations out east.
The spruce trees smell of Northern Michigan and the leaves of the quaking aspens bordering the wetland provide the only movement on this hot, still day. ?
This is what is happening in my garden this summer morning. Tomorrow, I’m sure, will provide a different story.
Mary Pellerito is a garden writer living in Brandon Township. She is a Master Gardener and a member of Wild Ones. Contact Mary at mary.pellerito@gmail.com.

If your spring and summer in the garden have been anything like mine, you are probably a little worn out by now.
This has been a great gardening season. The vegetable harvest has been phenomenal and the summer flowers are not quite faded. I have pulled my share of weeds and in the past few weeks I’ve been doing a lot of hand-watering.
There is one more garden chore that I want to complete before it gets too cold outside’giving my garden soil a little TLC.
Every fall, I add compost, and if available, well-aged horse or cow manure to my garden beds. Compost does not add a lot of nutrients to the soil, but it does a great job conditioning the soil. Mixing compost with sandy soils help to retain moisture levels. Adding compost to clay soils helps loosen the soil.
After the first frost and after I pull out the annuals, I dig compost into the perennial beds, shrub border, and vegetable garden. If I can get some horse manure from friends in the area, I’ll mix the manure with the compost and add that to the gardens. In past years, I have ordered a truckload of organic compost from local landscape supply companies.
In addition to having well-conditioned, friable soil, plants need NPK. Nitrogen (N) maintains plants? green color and is responsible for good leaf and stem growth. Well-rotted manure is a great source of nitrogen. Phosphorus (P) is important for root development, blooming, and fruit production. Bone meal and rock phosphate are good sources of phosphorus for organic gardeners. Potassium (K) is essential for plant growth and aids in winter hardiness. Potassium can be found in the wood ashes from your fireplace and from greensand.
If you do not want to mix up your own NPK mixture, you can always go to your local garden supply store and look for commercial organic mixtures. The numbers on the bag refer to the amount N-P-K in the mixture.
Soil pH is another important component to your soil’s ability to support healthy plants. Soil pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of soil. The pH scale runs from 0 to 14. Pure water is perfectly neutral with a pH of 7. As the numbers decrease from 7, they indicate greater acidity; as the increase from 7, they indicate greater alkalinity. To raise the soil pH, add lime. To decrease soil pH, add sulphur.
The best way to find out what amendments your soil needs is to get a soil test done through Michigan State University. You can pick up a soil-test kit at the MSU Extension office.
Enjoy the last few months in your garden and with a little soil TLC this fall, your plants will reward you next spring and summer.
The MSU Extension Office is located at 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Building 26E, Pontiac, MI 48341.
Mary Pellerito is a garden writer living in Brandon Township. She is a Master Gardener and a member of Wild Ones. Contact Mary at mary.pellerito@gmail.com.