JulyBegonia "Bonfire"
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.
|
|
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. |
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. |
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.
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.