Here we are in the middle of June and the gardens are lush, and I find it very relaxing to sit in our gardens after working out early in the morning to cool down and start the day off calm and relaxed. At the end of the day, I stop and take another moment to smell the roses.....or whatever else is in bloom.

The challenges I faced last year have certainly had a beneficial effect on my life this year. I have lost 40 lbs. since the first of the year by simply shutting my mouth and working out......what a concept :)

This weekend we are having an Open House at our design/build construction office. We are here to answer your gardening questions, guide you through our gardens or simply let you wander. So please stop by and enjoy our gardens as much as we do.

If you have a perennial garden or for that matter any garden, I would suggest that you try a drip or micomist irrigation system. When installed with a timer, your gardening gets a lot easier. You can also add an in line fertilizer and turn your irrigation system into a fertigation system. When you can consistently and efficiently water your gardens, the difference in the health and appearance of your garden is amazing. The plants are not stressed and if you water early in the day the water is absorbed into the soil and does not evaporate.

Avoid watering in the evening as the water will stay on the leaves and may cause fungus and other health challenges for your garden. Micromist or drip systems in vegetable gardens will help you grow an abundance of tomatoes, lettuce or whatever your choice is.

When we water, we generally will water once or twice a week for an hour. This deep root watering will help develop a healthy root system. We also use a beneficial bacteria which we mix into the soil prior to our planting. Most of these additives will also contain a starch-based polymer gel which does a tremendous job with maintaining water in the root zone. We have dug up plants to transplant two years later and the gel is still active in the soil.

Another great aspect of these sytems is, they are very inexpensive. We use Antelco brand since they can be controlled at every sprinkler head and now have press in place heads for easy removal or changing of heads.