I remember the absolute horror I felt when first confronted with hornworms – huge creatures perched on my tomato plants and chewing so fast you could watch the leaves disappearing. They get their name from the horn-like protuberance at the rear end.

When is the best time to plant? We say spring or fall, and those are good times for a perennial, shrub or tree to make a transition from one growing environment to another. In spring, the plant is in good condition when you buy it from the garden centre, and it’s revving up to jump into the race for maximum growth over the summer. In fall, the plant can settle in for winter’s long rest, and be in place and ready for action the next year. 

It was lovely, watching the rain come down. It started around 6:30 pm two nights ago and continued intermittently yesterday. It met the puddle test, but when I went to scratch the soil, barely half an inch of moisture had soaked in; underneath, dust. Altogether, Wednesday and Thursday, I estimated three quarters of an inch of rain had fallen. Not enough to make a difference.