The humidity enveloped the landscape, constricting ever tighter, until flora and fauna wilted. Breathless, lifeless, and defeated, Summer had officially arrived in all its oppressive glory.  Oh, and we have cicadas. Heat stress is a real thing and can adversely affect our plants. When temperatures start to top 85 degrees,…

Summer marched forth to the cadence of the cicada, stumbling ever so often, as her rhythm slowly became out of sync.  Her easy going nature seemed strained, and her once verdant beauty disheveled and unkempt.  A kind word and a bit of support would again renew her spirit and loveliness. …

Nascent Summer seems to have settled in nicely, replete and contented.  Yet her once dewy, fresh face begins to grow sallow and somber under the impossible weight of hot, humid temperatures and lack of meaningful moisture. Her youth, vigor and novelty are starting to wear thin. As season’s change and…

The weathered stone was cool and smooth, flocked here and there with moss, its jagged edges softened by the elements and constant patter of traffic.  Flanked on each side, the perennials began to crowd the path, decked in seasonal splendor and hue.  Their blooms perfumed the air and extended towards…

Wilted and withered, Summer began to rot on the vine.  Her once dewy, fresh face grew sallow and somber under the impossible weight of hot, humid temperatures and lack of moisture.  Her youth and vigor were fading fast.   As season’s change and weather cycles, rain can seemingly turn off…

The humidity enveloped the landscape, constricting ever tighter, until flora and fauna wilted.   Breathless, lifeless, and defeated, Summer had officially arrived in all its oppressive glory.   Heat stress is a real thing and can adversely affect our plants.  When temperatures start to top 85 degrees, plants will begin to wilt and curl…

  The weathered stone was cool and smooth, flocked here and there with moss, its jagged edges softened by the elements and constant patter of traffic.  Flanked on each side, the perennials began to crowd the path, decked in seasonal splendor and hue.  Their blooms perfumed the air and extended…

  The air was polluted with tiny tufts of cotton, which neither fell nor glided to the ground, but instead bounced around on the breeze like atoms pinging off each other before eventually descending and snagging onto any and every surface in the landscape.  Some lawns seemed to take the brunt of…

    Writhing and skulking beneath the ground, nature’s twisted spine heaved forth the soil, leaving cracks and fissures in its wake.  The disturbed earth seemed at once alarmed yet relieved.  Its needs communicated by the subterranean undulations.  Water.     Since Summer’s official arrival, rainfall has been scarce.  Lawns are…

All seasons tell a tale of woe and wonder as the landscape bares witness.  Although we cannot deter or determine, we can listen to the narrative and interpret the anecdotal evidence before us.  That is, our grass is struggling. Why oh why, in one of the wettest Springs and early Summers, is our grass…