Sometimes you just need a break

How's everyone doing? I think we are now past the worst of the summer heat but to be honest I was ready for fall weeks ago. We may like to complain about the weather but when you are out in the hot burning sun day after day I think it's justified. Congratulations on making it through the dog days! Labor Day is the traditional end of summer but you and I both know there will be weeks of beautiful - even hot - weather before we trade sunscreen and Gatorade for hoodies and Carhartts. But today, let's get out of the sun for a minute and do some shade gardening.

I'm a big fan of shade gardening, and the plants that thrive in shade and partial shade. I used to have an enormous Hosta collection but now that I am gardening in the country I had to scale back on those because they are basically expensive entrées for our hordes of deer. I keep a few favorites behind fences but out in the yard I have better luck with ferns. 

Lest you think that all ferns need daylong shade, I have quite a colony of Ostrich fern that do just fine in nearly full sun. In fact they were getting a little carried away so I had to take some of them out. Here they are happily crushing my baptisia.

You're going to need to provide supplemental water especially under big trees, but established ferns can be surprisingly drought tolerant. Maidenhair fern can be a little fussy but Autumn, Lady, Male and Cinnamon fern are all happy in part sun to full shade, which is also where you will find ME when it's 90° or better. And you should really try to have some Painted fern if at all possible. 

So let's take a break from summer heat and enjoy this word search puzzle created by our very own Jeff Good. (Answers here)