GARDENING WITH CONFIDENCE™

THIS MONTH IN THE GARDEN

Mid-Atlantic Region

Cercis canadensis subsp. texensis 'Traveller'

INTRO

The entire month of April is wrapped in spring. With March madness behind us and the merriment of May ahead, we feel the need to stop and appreciate our gardens in April.

Our area’s last listed frost date is April 15th. The IRS has made this easy for us to remember! Sure enough, the date has been accurate in my journal for several years, but it is always close. All was fine until April 17, 2007 when we had, not just a late frost, but a killing winter freeze. I don’t recall experiencing anything like it before.

The month of April is full of tulips, daffodils, Virginia bluebells, Youshino cherry, flowering dogwood, crabapple, candy tuff, azaleas, creeping phlox, and more.  

BULBS

If you forced paper-white narcissus indoors over the holidays using a soil based medium, they can be planted outdoors for years of enjoyment. If you forced them in the absence of soil, they are spent; compost them!

I know it drives you crazy to see the fading leaves of the daffodil. Yes, it really is necessary to keep the green as long as possible for next year’s food.

ANNUALS

Wait until after the last frost before planting tender annuals such as Impatiens and Petunias.

PERENNIALS

The Cross Vine trellised over my garden gate and up the side of our house is striking in April. Love, love, love this vine. This is why we put up with a ratty looking vine in the winter or at least, this is why I do. The sticks of Miss Huff Lantana left for architectural interest (or should have for the health of the plant) can probably be cut to the ground now. I usually leave mine until the new growth comes in so I can have a visual to remind me of what will come.

Now is a good time to divide Hostas. There is lots of good advice out there on the proper way to do this. I take the in-situ method; i.e. as the green appears, I take a shovel, split the plant while still in the ground, pull half of it up and move it to its new home. Works for me. But in Helen’s Haven, I no longer grow Hostas, which saddens me greatly. The one area where we can grow them is infested with voles. Trying all the usual tricks, none have worked. But I would not longer grow them there even if I didn’t have voles. This area also too dry. When I re-worked Helen’s Haven into a water-wise design, I was no longer willing to bring water to this area. Such is gardening. The real beauty in gardening is the wealth of plants available to fill any niche one door closes with one door opens. I now have a very nice display of hellebores. Hellebores provide year round greenery, flowers in the late winter (wow), are drought tolerant and poisonous to voles, so they stay clear.

TREES AND SHRUBS

The time to prune azaleas is just after they bloom. In fact, a good rule of thumb is to prune most blooming shrubs right after they bloom. If you wait too long, you will cut off next years bloom.

If you have to tame forsythia, do it now. It can be cut back – as much as you need – and still have some flowers next winter.

If you got winter burn on your gardenia, just cut off the burned ends. Or, take the lazy method, which is what I do. Let the new leaves self prune the dead. The dead leaves will eventually drop off. If you see a lot of yellow leaves, test the soil and remember gardenias like acid soil! However, also remember this is part of the plant’s natural cycle. It looses leaves in the spring and then produces new growth. So be patient.

Now is good time to cut back the red-stemmed dogwood branches. The winter red color is on the new growth.

It is normal to see a large amount of Magnolia leaves shed beginning this month. Some find it messy, but if the Magnolia was left to grow properly, the leaves will fall within the drip line and should be of little consequence. By ‘grow properly’, I mean Magnolias are not meant to be limbedup. In fact helping the branches droop is encouraged. In earlier days, it was common to weigh the lower branches down with rope and bricks. By keeping a ‘skirt’ on the tree, it hides the falling leaves and makes the tree very stately from the ground up. Once the limbs are cut, there is no going back. I have friend in Burtee County. Her sister inherited a pre-civil war home with magnificent Magnolias out front. For whatever reason, she limbed them up. Now the beauty of these magnificent Magnolias has gone with the wind.

ROSES

HERBS

Plant herbs after the treat of the season’s final frost. Plant annual herbs such as basil, bi-annulas such as parsley, and perennial herbs such as rosemary, chives, thyme, and mint.

VEGETABLES

WATERWISE

SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES

GARDEN PESTS

WILDLIFE

Helen  Yoest is a garden writer, speaker and garden coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

MY GUEST THIS WEEK

My guest today is Debra Lee Baldwin, author of  Designing with Succulents , Succulent Container Gardens. Both of these wonderful books are bestsellers.

Debra will be talking about her book, Succulent Container Gardens and how we can add these beauties to our gardens.

Succulent Container Gardens

Helen  Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Like Page.

Each week, Helen host’s a garden talk WebTalkRadio.net show called Gardening With Confidence™.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

Folks living in or traveling through the community surrounding Highland Methodist Church in Raleigh, NC on Ridge road, are seeing a delicious view.  Garden Supervisor and horticulturist, Cullen Whitley has taken the church’s outreach vision, and along with a dedicated team of volunteers, created a community garden that is educational, functional, and beautiful.

In November 2008, a mission team from Highland United Methodist Church, looked to their own front lawn to help area residents.  As a way to help recent immigrants who attended  ESL (English as a Second Language) classes at Highland, the church decided to build a community garden as a way for these students to be able to work the soil.  Countries represented in the ESL program include Asia, Nepal, Cuba, Pakistan, Vietnam and others. Most are apartment dwellers with no access to garden, building a community garden would help them with a secondary goal as a demonstration garden and a teaching garden.

The vegetable garden has been named “Victory” garden.  As Cullen explains, “Victory means something different to each individual.  For us, there’s victory in a hard day’s work.”  Volunteers are encourage to write what ‘Victory” means to them and put into the mail box.  Cullen plans to publish these essays.

Cullen Whitley

The success of Highland’s Victory Garden has lead to interest from 5 other area Methodist churches and a retirement community.  Cullen will work with these organizations as they build a Victory gardens on their front lawn.

As you drive by on their Saturday morning work session, stop in and say hey.  You will be welcomed with a hearty hello and offered  the sweet taste of goodness, cultivated from the soil.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Like Page.

Each week, Helen host’s a garden talk WebTalkRadio.net show called Gardening With Confidence™.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

Each day, your front garden welcomes friends and family, as well as, those passing by on foot and in vehicles.  With a few considerations, your curb appeal can pleasantly welcome visitors all season long. A desirable notion since, as the old adage goes, you don’t have a second chance to make a good first impression.

With your personality starting at the edge of your property, create a style that is uniquely yours.  As you walk up your drive, consider what others see.  Is it an expression of who you are?  Can your visitor clearly find the front door? Is it pleasing to the eye year round?  Does everything just seem to fit?   With a fresh eye, evaluate what you have and see where this may lead you.

CHOOSE A THEME

The style of your home will guide you in choosing a theme.  Staying within this theme, helps to pull everything together.  Your home’s style gives you the place to start.  Adding elements that speak to who you are, is where you come in.  Just remember, for your look to stay cohesive; for a look that all fits together, stay within your style choice.

Sweet, flirty pedestal urns will look out of place in a garden of a contemporary-style home. A ranch-style home is the most flexible in allowing you to tweak your style. If doing so, still stay within the theme of change.  Whether accentuating a traditional, relaxed, or formal look, maintain the look throughout.

YOUR BEST INVESTMENT

Your best investment of time and money is to focus on the entry way.  A visitor should not be confused; make the entrance clear and obvious.  Ideally, the path is wide enough for 2 adults to walk side-by-side (4 – 5 feet) and made with a material that compliments your home’s style.

Adding Color at the Entrance

Adding color at the entrance gives the most impact and welcomes visitors.  It also makes it easiest for the homeowner to maintain.

Color can be added to containers, garden beds, and with garden accents.

Containers

Container gardens at the home’s entrance works well with any home style.  Experiment with the placement and arrangement of containers.  A staggered, asymmetrical placement with small grouping getting bigger as you the approach the house, leads the eye forward.

A pair of pots formally frames the front door.  For a more relaxed style, add layers of planters beyond the front steps.  Adding hanging baskets from the roof eaves, window boxes, and arrangements on the front porch can add impact to welcome your visitor.

Garden Beds

Well maintained garden beds and borders will convey a relaxed feeling.  Remember, the front garden is always on show.  Keeps beds weeded, pruned, and top-dressed with fresh mulch, with an edge that is clean and crisp.

Garden beds and plantings should be in scale with the home.  A Southern Magnolia is well suited as an specimen tree for a two story home, but would be overpowering next to a single story ranch.

Garden Accents

A well placed garden bench at the front entrance welcomes your visitor.  Garden art, boulders, sculpture, or a fountain can be added to create the perfect welcome.

With just a few considerations, you can begin today creating curb appeal that tells something of your personality even before you open the door and say, “Welcome.”

First printed in Triangle Gardener.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Like Page.

Each week, Helen host’s a garden talk WebTalkRadio.net show called Gardening With Confidence™.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

Reducing Lawn

Helen's Haven™ Mixed Border BEFORE How the garden looked when we first moved here in 1997

The duties of lawn mowing fell to me at an early age.  As a child, Saturdays in suburbia were spent mowing the lawn.  Lawn mowing tends to be a typical task for the boys in the house.  Not ours.  My brother preferred doing any other chore, including cleaning the house.  We worked out a deal; he would clean for me and I would mow for him.  I believe I got the better end of the deal; so does he.

There is a movement in American for Lawn Reform, a collation started by friend Susan Harris with 9 others, made up of a mix of lawn-haters and lawn improvers.  I’ve always had a love affair with lawn.  But even with love, there is always room for improvement.

Motivated by being practical and efficient, I set out to maximize my lawn while minimizing the care.  A little bit of well place turf can go a long way.

Each year since 1997 when we purchased our home, I set about to reduce the lawn.

It started innocently enough, reducing lawn as a way of making mowing easier.  I wanted a continuous run.  My approach was to start the mower, go forward and complete the job with no other gyration – no turning in a terminal end, no working around a tree, no little area off by itself needing care, and no backing up.  If there was something in the lawn that needed to be worked around, like a table and chairs set, it was moved to another part of the property.

That first year’s season as I mowed, I left those awkward areas to grow so I could see the shape they made.  In doing so, it became clear where I would add beds.  The decision of what those bed areas would become was made at another time.

As a result, the perimeter around the property, with the exception of the street-side, became beds.  The trees in the center of the grass were tied together into a mulched island.  Awkward areas on the side of the property were no longer dealt with as grass.  Those areas became mulched beds with no vision of what they would become.  I was optimistic it could be figured out in coming years.  In the short term, I grew vegetables there.  In the long term, I amended the horrid, clay soil with of organic matter in the form of composted leaf mulch.

This mulching process was applied to all the areas throughout the property where the tall grass grew from not mowing.

AFTER defining the space, cutting an edge, adding wetted newspaper to kill the grass and covered with composted leaf mulch

The shapeless areas formed from the mowing efficiency effort were covered with 8 – 10 sheets of wetted newspaper, then piled high with 4 – 6 inches of composted leaf mulch purchased form the City’s compost operation.  None of these areas were planted that first year.

That first year, I was still deciding what the garden would be; how it would look.  This was to be the home where I raised my kids.  A place we were putting down roots.  There was no rush build the garden.  No rush to have it done in a day.  My oldest daughter was just one year old and she was followed by a brother and a sister within three and a half years.

I knew the garden needed to be organic, easy to maintain, with long sweeps of grass so my children could run safely and play with no threat of chemicals touching their bare feet.  They needed no fear of chemicals on the figs when they would stop their play on a summer day for a sampling or to pause for the taste of a ripe tomato from the vine.   I knew I needed to create a garden that would attract wildlife so they could marvel at nature’s beauty and harmony.   In those early years with kids, I focused on safety, shape and efficiencies.

Every year since that initial effort, I have reduced more lawn. The first year saw the most efficiencies, but subsequent years saw added value.

The second year found me further defining the shape of the beds created during the previous year while staying with the mindset of keeping a continuous flow.  Another year, found me doubling  the size of the front Red Bed; during another year I narrowed the width of the backyard “soccer” field.  Then there was the year I removed the area from the front path to the porch.  A great year was the one where I widened the right entrance into the secret garden; then I widened it again the next.  Last year, I added a bed next to the driveway so I could trial Proven Winners plants.

In 2010, my latest project was to widen the path to the north entrance of the garden.  Previously, the path had a mow strip on each side with a garden bed to the property edge on one side and a bed to the office on the other.

Each time I reduced lawn, I wondered what took me so long.  I may actually be out of ways to reduce for the near future.  As long as the kids are young and kicking a ball, the “soccer” field will be their domaine.  Wether it’s for a soccer ball, a putting green, a place to chase fire flies, or just a place to lie upon to view the stars in the night time sky; the grass that remains is there for my kids to enjoy.

BEFORE entrance into back garden

AFTER In the next couple of years, the this area will be planted for a lush tropical feel.

There are no gender roles in our household.  I still mow the lawn and I’ve taught my children to do the same.  We have a differing opinion when the lawn needs mowing, so more often than not, I’m the one mowing.  That’s OK.  I like to mow the lawn.  As a child and even today, the task of mowing is un-troubling; a time to think.  A time to gain clarity.  A time to see immediate results of a job complete, and in the spring, the smell of a freshly mown lawn has poets prosing, candle makers perfuming, and children giggling.

There will be a day when my kids move away.  My mind wonders what that bit of turf will become.  Will it stay the same for the nostalgia or for when they have kids of their own?  I can see change.  But for now, I’ll just enjoy my lawn with the kids on a summer day in the south.  Or perhaps, I’ll grab a blanket and a bottle of wine and see if my husband would like to join me to watch the evening stars.

Dig This

The easiest way to add a new garden bed is to commandeer existing turf.  Mark the shape either through efficiencies like I did above or by creating shape with marking paint or a garden hose.  Once the shape has been decided, mow at the lowest setting.

Using the marking paint or hose as a guide, take a straight-edge shovel to cut into the sod straight down.  This will become the bed’s edge.  Once the front edge is cut, turn around and repeat, this time inserting the shovel in at a 37º angle creating a wedge.  Throw and spread this dirt into the area to become your new garden bed.  Cover with 8 – 10 sheets  of wetted newspaper and then cover with 4 – 6 inches of composted leaf mulch or compost.  Let nature do the work for you.  Over time the earthworms and microbes will incorporate and decompose the area into usable, friable earth.

Each year, repeat by adding more compost or composted leaf mulch.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Like Page.

Each week, Helen host’s a garden talk WebTalkRadio.net show called Gardening With Confidence™.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

MY GUEST THIS WEEK

Join us as we hear from Danielle Ernest with Proven Winners about new annuals and perennials introduced this year, what we can expect expect for 2011 and where we can buy Proven Winner plants.

Anisodontea ‘Slightly Strawberry’ Trial in Helen’s Haven™ Words like Anisodontea don’t roll off my tongue as well as l would like them too. But Proven Winners has helped with that. Check out their audio to pronounce the Latin names.

I find the naming of new hybrids interesting and often wonder how the process works.  In the absence of first hand knowledge, I envisioned this:  The Fictitious Naming of ‘Pretty Much Picasso.’

TIP OF THE DAY WEEK – Extend your fall season by pruning summer annuals.

As the summer cinders on, some annuals, particularly petunias, will start to look leggy and tired.  Don’t miss the chance to enjoy these blooms well into the fall.

In late summer, many gardeners fall victim of thinking summer is nearly over, so they might as well ignore their tired looking flowers or remove them altogether.  But by doing so you will have a lost opportunity of extended fall pleasure.

There is no reason not to have your annual flowers blooming until first frost.  Revitalize your tired-looking annuals instead by giving a mid-season pruning.

The beginning of August is a great time to trim back annuals. Just trim them back by a third to a half.   Within a week, the trimmed plants will begin to flush out more bushy and fresh looking.

So prune now, and then relax and enjoy the rest of your summer knowing fall will continue to bloom for you.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Like Page.

Each week, Helen host’s a garden talk WebTalkRadio.net show called Gardening With Confidence™.

Welcome to Gardening With Confidence™ on WebTalkRadio.net.

MY GUEST THIS WEEK

My guest this week is Kathy Purdy founder of Cold Climate Gardening.

Kathy Purdy joins us this week to talk about Colchicums.  Fortunately for me, this very underused bulb has found its way into my southern garden.

Kathy shares tips on growing colchicums in your garden. It’s just perfect for my fall garden, where I’m always searching for great plants to extend the fall season.

Check out Kathy’s Colchicum article in American Gardener Oct 2007

TIP OF THE WEEK – Gardening thru First Frost

With the weather cooling again after a long, hot summer, the fall is the perfect time to be in the garden again.

We can begin to extend our season by visiting local botanical gardens, going on local garden tours and, of course, visiting our local garden centers.

Have a look around to see what interests you; note the colors, textures, turning foilage, and seed pods.  You will be amazed at what all is available.

Garden centers tend to carry plants when they are in their most interesting phase, such as the blooming phase,

but it could also be when the plant is showing off another interesting attribute, such as the peeling bark of a crape mrytle.

This, of course, makes sense from a business perspective since we consumers are not going to get jazzed about buying a plant in its dormant state.

Well, at least we are not as likely to be spontaneous.

But this is OK, I suggest you plan to go the garden center in the fall, and each season, for that matter, to see what is blooming and what’s of interest.

Then purchase what you like.  The good news is fall is also the best time to plant trees, shrubs, vines, and perennials.

The watering demands are not as high and the lower temperatures are easier on the plants and the people tending them.

Plan and plant for every season, extending our garden’s full glory for as long as we can.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Like Page.

Each week, Helen host’s a garden talk WebTalkRadio.net show called Gardening With Confidence™.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

7 Must-have Garden Tools

Chris Sabbarese joins us from Corona Tools to talk about the 7 must-have garden tools for planting a vegetable garden. The discussion also goes into how these same tools are used in the ornamental garden, plus discussing my favorite gardening tool.  Who knew tools could be so cool?

Corona Tools has graciously offered the Razor Tooth 8″ Pruning Saw as a give-away. Be sure to listen in at the end of the show to hear details to win.  

TIP OF THE WEEK – Saving Time with Tools

At any given time in the garden, I have my clippers in my back pocket. As best I can, when I start a new project in the garden or when I’m just going about my weekly maintenance, I try to anticipate what tools I may need and pull them in advance to  save me time from going back and forth to the shed.

So, if today I’m planting, I’ll head to the shed for a shovel and probably loppers too.  If you are wondering why I bring loppers to a digging project, I do so, because I find the digging easier when I can cut roots with loppers (or clippers) as opposed to using the shovel.

Another trick I’ve learned over the years, is to have a tools stashed in a handy spot in addition to those in the shed.

For example, I keep a hand trowel, a hand cultivator, and a pair clippers (pruners) on the south side of my 1/2 acre habitat which is on the opposite side of the yard from the shed.  That way when I’m walking through garden and see a tiny task that needs to be done,  I’m not discuraged by having to walk all the way to the shed.

These three are the ones I use most.  If the job needs more than these can do, I just make short work of it and go fetch the appropriate tool from the shed.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Each week, Helen host’s a garden talk WebTalkRadio.net show called Gardening With Confidence™.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

THIS MONTH IN THE GARDEN

Mid-Atlantic Region

July Garden Maintenance Guide

INTRO

July is your reward to many months of gardening efforts.  Whether you vacate to see what the rest of the gardening world is doing or staycate to reap your rewards with fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers, either way, now is the time to put down your trowel to travel and tour!

ANNUALS

• Cut back summer annuals so they don’t become leggy.  A good time to do this is right before you go on vacation. You will be gone, thus missing the unsightliness of the haircut. This will help the plants look good through the fall.
• Petunias will benefit from a summer pinch.  By removing an inch or two from the ends of the stems throughout the summer, encourages branching, resulting in a bushier plant.
• Cleome, cosmos and zinnias, can still be planted or sown for continuous blooms ’til frost.

Cleome

• Bulb catalogues are arriving.  Many pages of many catalogues sitting in the table of my reading are dog eared.
• On my summer flowering bulb list are: Calla lily (Zantedeschia), canna, Crinum lily, Liatris (at least the one the bunny missed), Asiatic lily, Oriental lily, and tuberose.

Crinum

HERBS

• Harvest Provence lavender.  Cut stems, bundle, hang upside down and in a dark, dry place.  Within 2 weeks, the florets will easily fall from the stems.   To make lavender sugar, grind dried florets in a coffee grinder and mix with sugar.
• Cut back basil to keep from going to seed.  Don’t forget to use it!
• Keep oregano cut back to keep from going to seed.

PERENNIALS

• Continue to deadhead to tidy the garden and encourage more flowering.  There are many perennials grown for the wildlife so don’t be to tidy; ‘leave some seed heads.’ Not only will the birds enjoy the seed, you will enjoy watching them retrieve the seed.

• Perennials that benefit most from deadheading include bee-balm, black-eyed Susan, daylilies, coneflowers, salvia, Stoke’s aster, yarrow. Also Coreopsis will benefit from a shearing to encourage a second bloom.

• Garden centers may have reduced prices on earlier blooming perennials. A great opportunity to save some money, but this is not a good time to plant.   If you proceed, provide extra nurturing (and watering) until established.

• As a butterfly gardener, a purple coneflower is a staple in my Mixed Border.’Even if I was just gardening for the flowers, Echinacea purpurea would be at the top of my list of must have plants. ‘There is now a wide range of colors ‘ ‘Sunrise’, Sundown’, Twilight’, Harvest Moon’, Summer Sky’, ‘After Midnight’ and more. Sadly, the bunnies find all the colors tasty.

• Did you know there is no research showing that English Ivy climbing up your trees will actually harm the tree?   It is not one of my favorite looks and I encourage others to keep it from climbing.   If you want to remove it, cut it at the base and wait a year or so for it to die back before pulling it off; otherwise, removing it will harm the tree (taking bark with it.) When it climbs, the adult ivy forms.  Here is where it seeds and makes more ivy. If not able to climb, it will spread, but can more easily be kept in check.  Just keep an eye on it.

• Perennials

The first year they sleep

The second year they creep

The third year they leap

Author unknown

TREES AND SHRUBS

• This is not a good time for planting trees and shrubs.  If you find some good deals at the garden center, by all means purchase.  But wait until fall for planting.
• As the new growth emerges on your specimen conifer, candle-prune to maintain the shape.

ROSES

Pink Peace

• It’s Japanese beetle time!  They are attracted to the color.   To discourage this, keep the roses in the green whereby cutting your roses for our enjoyment indoors.  I hand pick Japanese beetles off the plant and drop into a bucket of soapy water.
• Water your roses deeply to encourage a deep root system.  At Helen’s Haven, I have the upper garden’s French drain empty here.  In effect, it’s a rain garden, but with supplemental watering in the absence of natural rainfall.  The hotter it is, the more water roses require.
• To reduce fungal disease such a black stop, avoid watering the leaves. Of course, there is nothing you can do to prevent this when a summer rain falls.
• Ensure the roses are mulched to help retain moisture.
• Prune climbers and ramblers that bloom once on last year’s growth. Thin out dead canes.

MULCH

• As you added annuals and perennials up to now, the spring mulch has no doubt been disturbed.  Now is a good time to do an abbreviated mulching to tidy up the disturbed areas. But of course, the best reason to do so is to retain moisture, particular for these new plantings until they are established.

WEEDS

• The best advice anyone can give you with regards to weeds, pull them when you see them.  Walk your garden often.  Enjoy the journey and pull a weed when you see it.  It keeps weeds in check and saves you from having to tackle a major problem latter.
• Like a grey hair, every weed you pull, three grow back or so it seems.

PESTS

• Bagworms abound! Bagworms can be treated with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).

WATER

As summer begins, so do summer vacations.  This also arises the need to have your garden looked after while you are gone!  When preparing to go on summer vacation, there are three main areas in the garden the elicit attention: Container gardens, plants in the garden not yet established, and plants in the established garden.

CONTAINER GARDENS

There is no need not to have container gardens just because you are going on vacation and don’t want to be bothered.  Why let a week or two away keep you from coming home to some nice plantings?  Here are some tips to caring for your container gardens and houseplants while you are on vacation.  These tips are for those with and without automatic irrigation systems.

• Bring houseplants outside under the cool of the porch or eves of the house.
• Get a neighbor kid to come over everyday to check on things and to water. Most pots will need watering everyday.
• Pool you pots together near a water source and out of the afternoon sun.
• Add extra mulch to the base of the plant.
• Add water lines to your containers from your irrigation system.
• Don’t have an irrigation system?  The garden centers and big box stores sell automatic systems that hook up to your spigot.  These systems are easy to install, include a timer to turn on the water a certain time(s) of the day and for a dialed in duration.

CARING FOR YET TO BE ESTABLISHED PLANTS IN THE BED OR BORDER

• The neighborhood kid or friend will be a big help while you are gone.  In the absence of automatic irrigation, caring for the garden while you are away is a little trickery.  For your convenience and to aid the person helping while you are gone, marking the plants yet to be established, thus needing additional attention, will be important. Clearly mark the plant with a survey flag. This will help remind you and your care giver who needs a drink while you are gone.

CARING FOR ESTABLISHED PLANTS IN THE BED OR BORDER

• Most established gardens should survive a week without watering. Most years, the concern is with container plants and plants that have yet to establish, both concerns are addressed above.

• Even in an established bed, some plants will require more attention than others.  One of the best ways to learn when you’re your garden needs watering is to identify an indicator plant. An indicator plant is usually one of your garden’s the thirsty-er plants.  For my garden, Helen;s Haven, it’s an Endless Summer Hydrangea.  If my indicator is looking thirsty (wilted) in the morning, it needs water.   As such, I would then direct the caregiver to water while I am away.  If not, then you should be good to go.   It should also be noted that this same plant may look wilted in the last afternoon, but this is not a true indication.   Have them check it again in the morning.  If not wilted, then it is fine

It is also a good idea before you leave to weed, deadhead, and water everything thoroughly.

WILDLIFE

• Continue to fill feeders, provide clean water daily, and refresh hummingbird feeders with fresh sugar water.

Formula for hummingbird nectar: 4 parts water, one part sugar.  Heat until the sugar is dissolved.   Once cooled, fill feeders.  Nectar can be stored in the refrigerator up to a week. Change the feeder nectar often, daily when temperatures reach the upper 80s.

7 Comments

1. 

   tina said

   June 25, 2009 @ 10:19 am \’b7 EditExcellent tips. I like the gray hair simile. It must be why I have so many:)

   When are you posting on your visit with Janet, Racquel and Les

2. 

   gardening with confidence said

   June 25, 2009 @ 11:15 am \’b7 EditHey Tina, with regards to weeds and gray hairs, maybe we should stop pulling them. How bad can it get? Never mind, I just had an imagine of weeds EVERYWHERE!

   I\’92ll post the visit with Janet, Racquel and Les during my Sunday puttering post. Since returning from my scouting trip, I am behind \’96 as in a big behind not even my big purse can hide! I have 3 deadlines waiting first!

   H.

3. 

   Racquel said

   June 25, 2009 @ 1:12 pm \’b7 EditWhat a great information post Helen. Thanks for all the tips & reminders. It gets so hot at this time of the year sometimes I forget.

   Reply

4. 

   Janet said

   June 25, 2009 @ 1:25 pm \’b7 EditHi Helen, good tips\’85..summer is when my garden explodes!! Guess I should at least deadhead some stuff in the early mornings.

   Reply

5. 

   gardening with confidence said

   June 25, 2009 @ 1:59 pm \’b7 EditHey Racquel and Janet, boy do I love to dish out the tips, but right now, I\’92m having trouble getting my air conditioned self out there doing it. There\’92s always this evening

   I went to this most amazing garden during my Virginia/Outer Banks scouting trip. She had thousands of daylilies (more than 500 varieties) and EVERYONE was deadheaded. I bowed to her greatness and wanted to hang with her all day long. I make not bones about being a tidy gardener, but when I saw this maintenance poster child, it confirmed it all the more, maintenance matters! H.

   Reply

6. 

   flowergardengirl said

   June 25, 2009 @ 10:20 pm \’b7 EditYou know I like these post. Love your Cleome and agree that July is our reward for working hard.

   Reply

   

   Jesslyn said

   June 25, 2009 @ 11:57 pm \’b7 Editcool tips tina!!

   the pink peace rose is beautiful

   thx a lot for sharing..

   GooD Day

   Jesslyn Tanady

   All Gardening Secret