- Author: Betsy Buxton
Last week was hot! Almost too hot to be out in the garden, raking, weeding and watering in the back yard. That's why I decided to do a “whirlwind” watering of the plants not on automatic drip irrigation. I flew out to the back deck to water the pots sitting on the patio, and the roses on the arch which are farther out there. So far, so good; I can whip out watering and then go on to the potted plants in the front yard. Hey! I might even not get too hot out here. Zipping the central hose onto the hose support, off I zipped to water the dry creek side yard! Ok, got those hostas watered and checked; yep, finally, the sprayed on clematis – sprayed with fence preservative over 6 months ago and died! – is finally coming back from the root and the new shoots are approximately 2 feet tall. Yeah, another good thing is going on. Then – zip – rewind that hose and head for the “weed patch” on the other side of the house. It's the “weed patch” because of the ultra healthy Bermuda grass living there. Didn't get around to spraying the area this spring, so the weedy growth is full and lush exactly what I DON'T want there! And then it happened . . ..
“Haste makes waste” goes the old adage and it is/was so true that day. Whipping the side hose around, I managed to fill the birdbath on that side. Then came the potted plants under the pergola, next then was watering the potted plants along the other side of the sidewalk, and I WAS DONE! Done I tell you, and I hadn't really broken a sweat. Through the Bermuda grass to turn off the water; after that was the talk back to sidewalk and the AC – I thought! Two thirds of the way, in my hurry, I didn't see that the hose had made a small loop, just big enough for a foot to fit in. Down I went, in all my majesty as my mother used to say – trapped between the broken concrete planter and a lovely rose bush that decided to hold me captive when down! Terrific, what to do: I'm face down in the lovely Bermuda grass and pinned to a rose bush and snuggled up to a bunch of concrete chunks and not enough to get a knee up to hoist myself up. Visions of laying there for awhile waiting for Bruce to get up and wonder where I went; having the neighbors looking down on me from their second floor window and wonder if I was still breathing-or what? Thankfully I was able to figure out that all my parts were working and that I could finally get up and limp into the house. There Bruce calmly suggested that I might want to check out my nose which was bleeding. The rose bush had struck again!
All this is to remind others that flying through the yard while working there is not the best way to garden nor to give oneself time for noticing trip hazards, branches that might “bite” if you're too close. It is also not the best way to get tasks done at all. If I had but taken my time and looked where I was going, I wouldn't have an achy knee, ankle and foot, a very sore shoulder and “lovely” scabs on my nose.
While I'm on a role about being safe in the garden, here are a couple of warm weather tips from the Master Gardener Program THINKING SAFE AND GREEN, August of 2007:
- Acclimatize to the prevailing weather conditions and wear clothing that is appropriate
- Always drink plenty of fluids; this is equal to 1 quart of water/sports drinks per person PER HOUR
- Wear a summer hat with a brim and loose-fitting, light-colored and light-weight clothing like cotton
- Schedule vigorous activity during the coolest portions of the day, and of course, take frequent break during the day. (Me: If you don't get the job completed, there's always tomorrow)
- If you or anyone working with you begins to feel the symptoms of heat illness or overheating, take a rest period in a shaded area, such as under an umbrella, inside a portable structure, inside a ventilated building or vehicle. Me, I go into the house and sit until I feel cooled down and then back outside if I want to.
Hope this helps you to beat the heat!