This
may not be the perfect month to enjoy your garden - generally, it
is hot and humid - but there are certainly a number of dramatic
plants to enjoy. Crape myrtles, hydrangeas, chaste tree are just
some of the colorful specimens in bloom now. And vegetable gardeners
have plenty of work to keep them busy.
July
is not the time to plant trees or shrubs so most of our work tasks
shift a bit. This is a time for maintenance and keeping one foot
ahead of the army of insects and critters trying to take over the
garden. Keeping faded flowers pinched or cut off will encourage
more blooms as well as benefit a plant's general health. It is preferable
to work during the early morning or late evening hours to avoid
the heat. A stroll through the garden after dinner to pinch off
faded blossoms is a good thing.
Plants
of Interest
What
to Plant
Annuals
(both plants and seeds) are one of the few plants that can be planted
safely in the heat of July. Sowing seeds now will ensure a good
fall crop of flowers. Some to consider are alyssum, cleome (spider
flower), celosia (cockscomb), cosmos, marigold, morning glory and
zinnia.
Daylilies
can be planted at any time and now is a good time to observe the
colors and habits of the wide varieties available. They can also
be divided and transplanted now as well.
Fertilize
roses
- fertilizer every two weeks with liquid fertilizer.
Give your roses an extra treat by occasionally alternating fertilizer
with fish emulsion.
water
Watering
is usually a must during the summer months. We have had an unusually
wet weather for the past two years which is a welcome relief. Keep
an eye on container plants (most need water every day in July) and
if there has been no rain within a week, then it is time to get
the hoses out!
Give
special attention to plants that were planted in the spring, especially
shallow rooted shrubs like azaleas.
pest
control
With
the heat comes the insects - and a multitude at that. Here are some
to be especially aware of:
bagworms
- they look like small paper bags clinging to your evergreens and
other ornamentals. If infestation is slight, they can be hand-picked
off. Severe cases may warrant a pesticide. Contact your local extension
office for recommendations or visit their
web site.
lace
bugs - an enemy of azaleas and rhododendrons and other ornamentals,
they suck the juices from the leaves leaving a mottled appearance.
Read more about them here.
borers
- can attack stressed or damaged fruit trees, japanese maples, dogwoods
and other ornamental and shade trees. If you see entire limbs mysteriously
dying, this could be the culprit. Look at the base of the tree for
saw-dust like powder. Since the borers live underneath the bark,
they are difficult to control. It is best to spray around the trunks
of infected trees during the months of March - May to kill eggs
laid on tree trunks. Contact your local extension office for more
information.
japanese
beetles - this is one critter that I wish could be eliminated from
the earth! I first noticed them in my garden during the summer of
2003. They are hard to miss - big, black, iridescent looking bugs
- ugly! They love roses but feed on other plants as well. The lure
is the blooms which they voraciously eat. Control is difficult.
They can be hand-picked from the plants and put in soapy water but
large infestations would make this task impossible. Traps are available
but many believe that they will attract even more beetles to your
garden. Sevin can be used but it would have to be reapplied after
rain and on newly opened blooms. Contact your local extension office
for more information.
prune
Light
pruning of roses (cut off the spent blossoms) will keep the blooms
coming.
Removing
spent flowers from shrubs (crape myrtles, althea, chaste tree) will
encourage more blooms.
Prune
spent flowers from annuals and perennials.
