Some Helpful Tips for Gardening in July

The secret to a long summer flower show is deadheading — removing dead blooms on annuals, perennials, and roses. Snipping dead blossoms encourages the plant to form more flower buds.  Cut mums to 6” high in the first week of July.

If annuals, like petunias, in your flower garden look scraggly and tired, cut them back by one-third. New growth will emerge in a few weeks.

Early-summer perennials, such as daisy, campanula, and delphinium, may form more flower buds if you cut plants back after bloom. Cut back to the main body of the plant.

Many late-summer and fall bloomers tend to grow tall and fall over. Flop-prone perennials include aster, goldenrod, Joe Pye weed, and Russian sage. To prevent this, cut plants back by one-third by the first week of July.

Container Garden Tip: Check container gardens daily; water when soil is dry. Give plants a water soluble bloom booster fertilizer every 10-14 days to increase the number of flowers you see.

Summer Watering

Taking simple steps will make the most of the time you spend watering planting beds and containers — conserving water and saving you money.

–Some water waste occurs through evaporation. Eliminate that waste by applying water directly to soil with soaker hoses or a drip tube irrigation system.

–Irrigation timers make watering a hands-free operation. Choose a timer with a rain gauge, and your timer will automatically calibrate irrigation based on local rainfall.

–If you love the latest technology, look into wireless timers that connect to local weather observation stations. The timer adjusts irrigation frequency based on local weather data, including temperature, evaporation rates, and rainfall.

–Repair and replace leaky hoses.

–Take time to watch your automatic sprinkler system. Adjust sprinkler heads so that water lands on planting areas — not pavement. Collect and measure sprinkler water – lawns need about 1” per week.

–Collect runoff from a home, garage, or shed roof by installing a rain barrel. Buy a barrel with a cover to keep children and wildlife out. Consider elevating the barrel to enhance gravity flow of water.

–Water in the cool of the day. The best time is morning but, if you water in the afternoon, allow enough time for foliage to dry out before sunset. This reduces the risk of mildew and other fungi attacking leaves, and there’s less chance you’ll get caught by the evening shift of mosquitoes. Mildew frequently attacks roses, pumpkin, melon, zucchini and cucumber. Spray with liquid copper. Repeat after heavy rain or irrigation. This remedy won’t reverse mildew damage, but it’s an effective preventative.

–If you can only water occasionally, try to water plants deeply and use that opportunity to simultaneously feed and correct mineral deficiencies. Apply a soluble fertilizer such as Stutzmans All-Purpose.

Take care of budding plants

Does your tropical hibiscus drop its buds and flowers? As hibiscus initiate budding in summertime, sudden loss of buds and flowers is often a consequence of the plants drying out, particularly when they are growing in containers. Mulch and water deeply during hot, dry weather to limit this common and irritating problem.

The tags on many of these list taller sizes, but that is more for areas with warmer winters such as zone 7 or higher. In Kansas most Crape Myrtles experience some winter dieback. Some years only a little, some years a lot. A few years ago we had cold at the wrong times and my Crape Myrtles had to come back from soil level. Since they like warm weather they are one of the last plants to leaf out in the spring. Be patient! Some of my newer ones took until May to leaf out the first spring after planting. Because they leaf out so late I recommend pruning in the late spring. That way any winter damage is on the part you trim off. My dwarf varieties I trim back to about four inches tall. Don’t worry they grow fast and will reach their full size every year. The medium ones I cut to 12” – 18”. The largest ones I cut back to where I notice buds or leaves starting on the stems. Obviously, the taller you trim them the taller they will grow out to. However much you choose to prune them is kind of up to you. I do recommend at least some pruning every year. This will make them fuller, bloom heavier with more new growth and generally give you a neater looking plant without any dead tips showing.

I hope this article has helped show you what great plants Crape Myrtles are. Beautiful summer color when other things are looking tired, heat and drought tolerant, low maintenance and good fall colors. If you have any more questions about Crape Myrtle or any other gardening topic please e-mail me at retail@stutzmans.com

We’re happy to announce we are growing the Enduring Red Crepe Myrtles.

Thanks,

Jason