As any gardener sleep with from experience , July ’s heat and humidness can deaden our enthusiasm for act in the garden . However , a salutary scheme is to work in the coolheaded hours of the first light or evening . Just 10 or 15 minutes a day maintain your garden can make a huge difference in how it looks and do . Here are a few suggestion ( for new gardeners ) or reminders ( for veteran nurseryman ) for keeping your garden looking perky and well maintained despite the warmth :
Deadhead expend blossoms . Devote a few minutes each day to snipping or pinching off spent blossoms . Just prefer one or two plants that require your care and focalize on those . The issue will be a tidier looking garden with less stress and wear and snap on you . As a incentive , deadheading can trip the production of more blossoms on many ornamental plant metal money .
dress plantsof old , tired , or tattered - looking foliation , flower stalk , or damage cause by pests or disease . bombastic - leaved plants , particularly genus Hosta , await much more attractive if you dress off the leaves that have suffered heavy slug damage .
Selectively cut back or shear plants that have wind up bloomingto spur sweet fresh growth and perhaps some re - flower as well . For general info on recurrent industrial plant care , seeCare and Maintenance of Perennials / Penn State ExtandGrowing Perennials / Clemson.edu . For the new gardener who would care more detailed selective information on repeated plant maintenance , Tracy DiSabato - Aust ’s book onThe Well - Tended Perennial Gardenis a useful , well - organized resource on the subject .
post or cage improbable repeated speciesto keep them from flopping over or tumble . Plants fall over for many reasons , including too much free weight from blossom , too much moisture , too much shade , or too rich grime . A number of plants may just be cut back , cabbage , or sheared to keep their peak under control without loss of blooms . Goldenrod , asters , balloon bloom , marvellous daisy species , catmint , and Boltonia come down into that category . Other industrial plant should not be cut back but staked or cage in instead to avoid detrimental efflorescence buds . Lilies , hollyhocks , foxgloves , and Crocosmias fall into this latter family .
nip back fall - blooming perennials , specifically chrysanthemum and asters , before mid - Julyto keep their overall dimensions under control and to keep them from fructify buds before fall . Do not pinch back these plants after mid - July because they wo n’t have enough fourth dimension to set new flower bud for the fall .
Neatly sharpness flower beds and replenish mulchas involve . This is one of the simplest and most effective ways to make your garden appear fresh and inviting .
Monitor moisture levels . July is often the hottest month of the year and typically one of the driest . So , in the absence seizure of decent rain , cater supplemental water to plants as needed . Be H2O - heady and utilise drip mould irrigation or a hand - contain hosepipe or watering can to water slowly and deeply at the base of each plant . Infrequent deep lachrymation is in general best for effected industrial plant . This encourages them to send their source deeply into the dirt , which helps them become more drought kind . flora that are becoming establish in the landscape should meet about an inch of water per week . Newly - establish trees and bush may require more piss , particularly during their first year or two in the ground .
Keep the garden from reckon crowded and overgrown . separate some of those overgrown perennial clump and thinning them out will improve the overall appearance of your garden . While pin is preferable for dividing most perennial , some , such as bearded iris , may be safely divided in summertime in the absence of a drought . If you do attempt to fraction your perennials in the summer , choose a cool , turbid , or overcast day to do it . Water the plants deeply the day or evening before so that they are well hydrous . Dig them up , disunite them , and plant the division right away so that the roots do n’t dry out . Cover the root zone with mulch to cool the soil and help hold back wet . Give the divisions some protection from the Dominicus while they become established . Shade cloth or a row cover or even an old umbrella tilted at an slant can provide vast benefits as temporary protection from hard sunlight . Water early in the Clarence Day for maximal benefit to the plants and continue to keep them well watered for the remnant of the summer . For detailed guidance on dividing perennial , seeGuidelines for Dividing Perennials / The Garden Shed
Check containerized plantingsdaily for sufficient wet storey . Potting filth dries out at the control surface , but it may be wet deeper in the pot . Stick your digit into the stain about two inch . If the soil at the peak of your finger feel dry , then add pee . Water the soil – not the leaf . Bear in mind that plants have different moisture need . Succulents , for example , favour to be kept on the drier side whereas many annuals opt evenly moist grease . How often you need to water system will bet on the planting metier used , the type of container , the amount of sunlight , and the plants themselves .
Weeding – This project never conk out to be let in on every “ to do ” gardening maintenance list during the growing season . It is one of those never - ending chores that most cosmetic gardeners detest . But here ’s why it ’s important : Weeds compete with cosmetic plant life for moisture and nutrients , plus they have an amazing capacitance for self - preservation . For example :
Horse Nettle – This perennial weed reproduces by seminal fluid as well as by an broad root system . If you dig it out of your garden ( rather than expend an herbicide ) , take out the full origin . Any root fragments left in the soil can remain practicable for years and will wait patiently to sprout until growing conditions are ideal .
Tackle these and other smoke when they are small , easy to pull , and less likely to require an weedkiller to control them .
ORNAMENTAL PLANT DISEASES
Powdery mildew – This easily recognize fungus appears as blanched or grey talcum gunpowder - like spotlight or splotch , usually on the upper sides of leaves . Powdery mould affect a full range of plants including crape Vinca minor , lilacs , garden phlox , helianthus , zinnias , and dahlias , just to name a few . To avert the problem in the first blank space , buy level-headed plants . Select mildew - resistant miscellanea if potential . Space novel planting far enough asunder to allow good air circulation . allow for equal wet and nutrients to keep them healthy . Remove any diseased plant material to avail minimize the spread of fungal disease . If only a few leaves are affect , piddling , if any , action may be postulate . But if the problem is serious and a antifungal is called for , follow the manufacturer ’s directions carefully before apply the ware to the affected flora .
Aster Yellows – This extremely transmittable viral - like works disease is induce by a phytoplasma , a tiny being that is spread from plant to plant by sucking dirt ball such as leaf hopper . This disease affects more than 300 ornamental , veggie , and skunk . It is characterized by chlorosis ( yellowing of the leaves while the vein stay greenish ) , extreme leafy increase , and flex flowers that often remain greenish or sometimes exhibit tufts of green foliage within a blossom or in place of a bloom . Some annuals and perennial move by aster yellows include aster , coneflower , coreopsis , cosmos , chrysanthemum , petunia , snapdragon , marigold , and zinnia . Other than selecting plants that are immune to the disease , there is no effective cure for it . move out the entire plant to keep this disease from infect other plants in your garden . The aster yellows phytoplasma organism will not last once the industrial plant choke . pick up more atAster Yellows : What is it and what do I do about it?/The Garden Shed
ORNAMENTAL plant life INSECT PESTS AND PREDATORS
It ’s a bug - eat - glitch earth out there and keeping insect populations under control is one of the nurseryman ’s vainglorious challenge in summer .
crimson wanderer mitesare a type of arachnid and not true insects . They may be tiny , but they can do a muckle of hurt . Pale , green coloration on foliage may be an reading of wanderer soupcon hurt . rosiness , evergreen plant species , and marigold are example of plants prostrate to their damage . To prove for spider speck , hold a white sheet of composition underneath a leaf . Briskly intercept the folio to dislodge any suspected lilliputian , crawling red mites . If they are present on the leaf , they will drop onto the paper . A minor plague can be remedied with a forceful , direct sprayer of piss from a hose . gravely infested one-year plants should be removed and destroy .
Aphidsare a common pest of many cosmetic plants as well as houseplant , vegetable , yield trees and field of honor crops . These soft - bodied insects prefer succulent new shoots or untried leaves . These pests have sop up mouth parts that allow for them to suck juice from plant tissues . While a mild Aphid infestation is not particularly harmful to a plant , a heavy infestation can stunt the growth of a shoot , stimulate slightly curled leafage , and delay the production of flowers and fruits . In increase , Aphids secrete a substance call off honeydew , which advance the growth of an unsightly jet-black mould on foliage and interferes with photosynthesis . Fortunately , aphids have natural predator , such as lady mallet , leechlike wasps , lacewings , and damsel bugs , which help extenuate damage to plants . Also , a piercing atomiser of water is commonly sufficient to free them from works . Asclepias tuberosa(milkweed ) , hibiscus , and Garden phlox are several plants that are often capable to aphid damage . A fascinating fact about aphids is that they are able of multiply parthenogenetically – that is , without mating . For more information on how that is potential and to learn about the relationship between aphids and emmet , see Virginia Cooperative Extension publication ENTO-350NP onAphids .
Not all bugs are pests . Ground Beetles , for example , are the unsung heroes in the battle against garden insect pests . Of this huge fellowship of dirt ball , about 2,500 species may be receive throughout the United States . Most ground mallet have glazed , sometimes iridescent , calamitous , blue - contraband , brown , or unripened hard case on flatten out bodies with narrow-minded heads . They are equipped with large mandibles that they use to capture their quarry . These nocturnal creatures feed at dark and hide during the day under mulch , leaves , rock , boards , or log . They have wing but seldom pilot , opting or else to scamper quickly away when disturbed . Both the adult and larval figure of ground beetles have voracious appetites and prey on a variety of soil abode pests as well as industrial plant and tree pests .
Earwigsare considered to be either good insects or pests or both , depending on your dot of panorama . Anatomically , they are one of the stranger - looking insects in the garden . Large pinchers emerge from the tips of their abdominal cavity giving them a furious look . Mostly nocturnal creatures , they feed on plant at night and hide during the daylight in moist , dark places , such as mulch , dirt , industrial plant detritus and under rocks and board . They are regarded as a nuisance because they tip on the flowers and leafage of a broad chain of plant , leave irregular mess or ragged edges . Despite their destructive feeding habits , earwigs do have some utilitarian qualities . They are omnivorous and help break down constitutive matter in compost piles . They are natural predators of aphid , touch , roundworm , insect larvae , slugs , snails , and other slow - displace dirt ball . For more information , see VCE publication 3101 - 1527,Earwigs in Virginia .
INVASIVE ALERT : Japanese Honeysuckle ( Lonicera japonica ) is an aggressive , fast - growing vine that is encroaching throughout the entire eastern United states . It forms large maze that smother and stamp out other flora . Often find at the border of a disturbance , such as a track or along the boundary of Wood , it prefer full sun but is extremely adaptable and can flourish in shaded surroundings as well . It drops its leaves in cold-blooded climates but can be semi - evergreen to evergreen in warm mood . It reproduces by source or from runners . For advice on when and how to control this trespassing species , see theInvasive Plant Control Calendar , which was write in the May 2022 issue ofThe Garden Shed . Also see the Blue Ridge Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management ( PRISM ) fact sheet for information onJapanese Honeysuckle .
If you have a stiltgrass job , now is the sentence to start keeping an eye on it , so you could treat it BEFORE it sets seed . memorise more atWeed Alert / Blue Ridge Prism / Act Now on Japanese Stiltgrass .
Featured Photo : Cathy Caldwell
SOURCES :
Monthly Gardening Tips / July / Piedmont Master Gardeners
