Ten-Finger Exercises

gardening not at its best

We've turned off the irrigation water even though the weather is still in the 80's. Our yard, which, other than plagued by oxalis, was beginning to look good, had developed a worse problem. The northestern corner was seriously wadable, although the sprinklers were still putting out, fooling us into thinking maybe it wasn't a leaky pipe underground. Wishful thinking.

Half the fish pond was suffering its own peculiar problem: the liner was floating. BIll had to cut a hole in the bottom to let the ground water in. He thought maybe we had a spring coming up in the yard, since we are only a yard away from a creek. We didn't know what we'd do if that was the case, and he hasn't pumped the pond out again to see if water returns with the main line turned off.

So tonight we'll head out to hand water. Not much longer, I suppose. Tomorrow I need to buy some more round-up. The beds I cleared along the fence for iris rhizomes I bought from the iris society are suddenly infiltrated with bermuda grass from the other side. Yuck. It is a nasty weed, and the roots go very deep. I'm not sure if I can get rid of it. It's in a narrow patch of yard between fence and shop with flagstones sunk in, but bermuda will go up and over anything, if not underneath.

I'm interested in gardening in the winter and early spring, but, you know, by September, I really don't care much. However, I've got to save what I can.