Due to the rains and the way I had my garden soil set up I've lost about everything in my front 2 beds. Even the gladiolas are brown. I've lost all but 2 of my scabiosa and 2 of my early sunrise coreopsis.
Now this isn't a whine fest. I need advice. I'm going to go in this weekend, dig everything that isn't dead up and dig out the soil (gardening soil designed to drought proof, backfired on me) and mix a hefty dose of our local sandy soil for more drainage. Now I'm not really sure what to put back in. I'd like to buy more salvias to replace what I lost (all of them) and coreopsis and scabiosa if I can find any. Do you think this wise or should I wait? If it gets too hot things will have a tough time also. Not to mention yours truly out trying to replant. I'm in a round robin and have gotten some really cool seeds but it's awfully late for seeds. What do y'all think?
what now?
If the soil is wet digging there will only compact it more and make it harder for it to drain.
If I were you I would wait until the soil is at the right amount of moisture, and then amend it to make it less dense and improve the drainage.
Also raising the level of the beds will allow them to drain better.
if you buy potted plants you can set those out just about any time.
Good luck, I am sorry you had this problem, but it seems that the abundant rains have given many people a lot of problems.
Josephine.
If I understand this correctly, you took out the existing sandy soil and replaced it with a water retaining mix? Did you incorporate some of that soil into the native soil under the mix before putting in pure mix? This provides a transition zone. Otherwise you end up with a gigantic tub.
Take out but 4" or 5" inches of the mix. Using a spade or rototiller incorporate the mix into the soil underneath. Do this to a relatively large area. The current thinking on amending the soil is not to do it unless you are amending a large area. Have you considered putting in a raised bed. That way you don't waste all that mix.
Your replacement plants would have a better chance of surviving the summer heat if they already had a large root system. Buy plants growing in 1 gallon cans or larger.
You could start the seeds later next month and plant them late summer for a fall garden.
The garden soil method worked well last year. It was dry and as you said the tub was empty. You're right that's exactly what happend, especially since there's clay about a foot or so under the sandy soil. So the new plan is to mix the existing soil and the sandy soil that it replaced (put in a low area on the property) and try to build it up considerably.