Lacrosse Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum 'Lacrosse')
The Garden Website for JULy
Summer Rose Care - Taking Cuttings - Summer Watering - Plants That Shouldn't Dry Out
In the Veggie Garden - Garden Inspections - Potato & Tomato Blight - Composting
Peony Measles - July Tomato Care - Tomato Troubles - Sow Flower Seeds - Powdery Mildew
Going on Vacation - July introduction - Amanda's Blog - July Garden Stars
July Garden Chores - July Lawn Care - July Plant Combo - Plant Police - July Arrangement
Water Restrictions - Ornamental Tropical Shrubs - Plant of the Month: Calla Lilies
In the Veggie Garden - Garden Inspections - Potato & Tomato Blight - Composting
Peony Measles - July Tomato Care - Tomato Troubles - Sow Flower Seeds - Powdery Mildew
Going on Vacation - July introduction - Amanda's Blog - July Garden Stars
July Garden Chores - July Lawn Care - July Plant Combo - Plant Police - July Arrangement
Water Restrictions - Ornamental Tropical Shrubs - Plant of the Month: Calla Lilies
Forest Green Man Lavender Farm
July Intro
Seattle Dahlia
It must be summer; the dahlias are finally struttin’ their stuff, putting on their lipstick and fluffing their petals. They are bold as brass as they pump out flower after flower. It’s difficult keeping up with removing their dead blossoms, but they appreciate the preening as it gives them the wherewithal to create more.
Removing spent blossoms is big part of summer gardening and as it’s not just dahlias putting on a show. There are many summer flowers besides nasturtiums and other annuals that benefit from being tidied up such as lilies, daisies, phlox and roses. Many plants will re-flower, but some like lilies, won’t produce more blossoms, instead they can devote their energy to produce next year’s flowers. As flowers fade and satin petals become colourful confetti, I’m reminded of The Flower Fairies, my favorite childhood book by Cicely May Baker. As a child (and as an adult truth be told), I really wanted these tiny wonderful magical creatures to exist and not just because they are cool, but because they are the care-takers of all plants. A flower fairy is born when a seed sprouts and are bound to protect and care for their flower. These beautiful mystical creatures are clad in satin petals to match their chosen blossom, with matching pretty bud bonnets. To add to their allure, each flower fairy is accompanied with a quaint poem. It would be nice if Flower Fairies did exist. Just to catch a glimpse of their gossamer wings at dusk and to know that I am not alone in tending to all my beautiful flowers in my magical garden. For my parting words, I leave you with the Fuchsia Fairy poem. Cheers, Amanda
|
Amanda's Garden Blog
Flower Carpet Coral rose, an easy care rose.
Foxglove is a biennial, and will reseed if you don't deadhead.
|
An arrangement of July flowers feature lilies, phlox, butterfly bush, dahlias and hydrangeas.
July Garden Stars
Lucifer montbretia, Crocosmia 'Lucifer', herbaceous perennial, sun to part shade, 2 - 3' x 1 - 2', attracts butterflies, hummingbirds. Zones 5 to 9.
|
Hardy fuchsia, Fuchsia magellanica, tender deciduous shrub, 4' to 8' tall and wide, partial shade, prefers moist soil, attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Zones 6 to 9.
|
Acanthus mollis, bear's breeches, herbaceous perennial, 3'-5' x 2'-3', sun to part shade. Zones 7 to 10.
|
Sweet pepperbush/summersweet, Clethra alnifolia 'Vanilla Spice', fragrant deciduous shrub, 3' to 6' tall & wide, likes moist soil, sun to part shade. Zones 4 to 8.
|
Catalpa, deciduous tree, 50' - 70' x 20 - 40', fragrant flowers, bears long seed pods, sun. Zones 4 to 9.
|
Oakleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia, deciduous shrub, 6' to 8' tall and wide, flowers mature to pink and persist into winter, plum fall foliage colour, sun to part shade. Zones 5 to 9.
|
Casa Blanca Oriental hybrid lily, bulb, sun, fragrant 6'' to 8" flowers July, 3 to 4' tall. Zones 5 to 8.
|
Lupins, Lupinus x hybridus, herbaceous perennial, 3’ – 4’ x 1’ – 1.5’, flowers May to July, sun, attracts butterflies. Zones 4 to 8
|
Clustered bellflower, Campanula glomerata ‘Superba’, herbaceous perennial, 1.5' -2.2' x 1'-2', sun to shade. Zones 3 to 8.
|
'Phyllis Smith' shasta daisy, Leucanthemum × superbum 'Phyllis Smith', herbaceous perennial, 18” to 2’ x 12” to 18”, attracts butterflies, sun to part shade. Zones 4 to 9.
|
Adam’s needle, Yucca filamentosa, broadleaf evergreen, June to July, 4’ to 8’ x 2’ to 3’, sun, attracts butterflies. Zones 5 to 10.
|
Kanika Peruvian lily, Alstroemeria 'Inticancha Kanika', tuberous herbaceous perennial, sun to part sun, 1 -3’ x 1 -2’. Zones 8 to 10.
|
Bugbane, Actea simplex, herbaceous perennial, 3' to 4', part shade to shade, bears 1 to 2ft long fragrant flower spikes. Atropurpurea has purple foliage. Zones 3 to 8.
|
Purple Emperor coneflower, Echinacea ‘Purple Emperor’, herbaceous perennial, 15” to 18” x 12” to 16”, sun to part shade, attracts butterflies, July to fall. Zones 4 to 8.
|
Dappled willow, Salix integra 'Hakuro Nishiki', deciduous shrub grafted onto a single stem, 4 to 6 ft x 5 to 7ft, grown for its white, pink and green foliage, catkins in April to May, sun to part shade. Zones 5 to 7.
|
Trumpet creeper, Campsis radicans, a deciduous vine, 25' to 40', orange, yellow or red flowers, sun to part shade, attracts hummingbirds, aggressive, produces suckers. Zones 4 to 9.
Cape fuchsia, Phygelius capensis, herbaceous perennial or sub shrub, summer flowers into fall, 2’–3’ x 2’, sun to part shade, yellow or pink, attracts hummingbirds. Zones 6 to 9.
|
Yellow wax bells, Kirengeshoma palmata, herbaceous perennials, 3’ to 4’ x 2’ to 3’, June to July, part to full shade. Zones 5 to 8.
'King Arthur' Delphinium Pacific Giants, herbaceous perennial, 4’-6’ x 2’-3’, flowers from June to July, attracts hummingbirds and butterflies, needs good drainage and full sun. Zones 3 to 7
|
Albizia julibrissin, Persian silk tree/mimosa, decidous tree, 16 to 52', fragrant, sun and dry soil. Zones 6 to 9. Albizia was August's 2017 Plant of the Month.
French California lilac, Ceanothus Gloire de Versailles, broadleaf evergreen, fragrant blue flowers in summer, 4’- 6’ tall and wide, sun to light shade, attracts butterflies. Zones 6 to 9
|
JUly PLANT COMBO
The easy care rose called Oso Happy® Candy Oh! and 'Blue Spires' veronica.
A match made in heaven features the trademark landscape rose Oso Happy® Candy Oh and Blue Spires speedwell (Veronica spicata 'Blue Spires'. Both plants like full sun and well drained moist soil. The rose grows to 3 to 4 feet and is complemented in the foreground with the speedwell that grows from 18 inches to 2 feet.
Watering Restrictions Continue
Water restrictions state to water in the morning, not the evening.
For Metro Vancouver, B.C.
Water restrictions start May 1 and end October 15. If you don’t live in Metro Vancouver, contact your local municipality for their watering restrictions. Residential lawn watering schedule:
Even-numbered addresses: Wed and Sat, 4 to 9 a.m. Odd-numbered addresses: Thurs and Sun, 4 to 9 a.m. Trees, shrubs & flowers: Any day from 4 to 9 am for sprinklers, hand watering and drip irrigation. All hoses must have an automatic shut-off device. Non-residential (businesses) lawn watering schedule: Even-numbered addresses: Mon, 1 to 6 a.m., Fri 4 to 9 am. Odd-numbered addresses: Tues, 1 to 6 a.m., Fri 4 to 9 am Trees, shrubs & flowers: Any day from 1 to 9 am for sprinklers, hand watering and drip irrigation. All hoses must have an automatic shut-off device. For more information, click here Lawn Care for JUly
Cut the grass to 4 inches during the summer.
Raise the mower to 4 inches.
Set the mower to 4 inches, but do check to make sure it is cutting the grass at 4 inches!
Follow these easy steps to keep your grass as healthy.
Two neighbouring lawns show the difference of raising the mower. The greener lawn in the rear was cut at 4 inches, the paler lawn in the foreground was cut at 2 inches.
plant police
Rose bloom balling is caused by environmental conditions.
Rose Bloom BallingIt’s frustrating to see perfectly formed rose buds become corpses and fail to open. Their outer petals become brown and fuse together so the blossom cannot open. It occurs when the outer petals become rain soaked then dry quickly in the sunshine, which prevents the flower from opening. The inside petals quickly turn to mush and the unopened buds fall to the ground. Read more.
Watering In Summer
This sad rhododendron is in desperate need of a nice long soak.
Lack of water has made this hydrangea collapse.
Plants That Should't Dry outWater Me Please!
This leaves of this katsura tree are folded inwards, signs of drought distress.
Garden Inspections
Look inside curled leaves for caterpillars.
When you find something not right while perusing your garden, you’ll have to do a bit of detective work to figure out what is going on. Here’s a few diagnosing tips:
Peony measles!
This peony has the measles!
Look familiar? The discoloration on these peony leaves indicate they infected with Peony Leaf Blotch also referred to as 'peony measles'. There's no control, just remove and discard infected leaves before winter. Click here for more.
July Tomato Care
To tame tomato plants remove suckers that form between the stem and the leaves.
Tomatoes:
Blossom end rot on tomatoes is caused by a magnesium deficiency from irregular watering. It's very common on tomatoes grown in containers.
Tomatoes -
|
July Garden ChoresPlease note that coloured text are linked to another page on this website or another website. Most of the pictures are also linked and will redirect you if you click on them.
The curled leaves of this field of corn indicates drought stress, which will effect the yield and the corn will not be sweet and juicy.
Cut back hedges before September.
Protect winter crops by covering with a cloche and mulching with straw.
Plant Your Winter Veggies: Sow seeds of winter hardy plants: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cilantro, kohlrabi, kale and cabbage. Plant where the soil drains well so they don't rot with winter rains. Protect plantings from insects with a cloche covered with floating row covers that will also keep them a tad warmer. In fall, add a layer of straw to insulate the soil from the cold. For more on Winter Veggie Gardening, click here. For more on cloches, click here.
Deadhead annuals/bedding plants: To encourage more flowers and bushy growth on petunias etc., cut off the ends of spindly stems.
Rose Care
Munstead Woods, a David Austin rose produces more flowers once the dead ones are removed.
Deadheading Roses: If you want new blossoms to replace the dead ones, remove spent blooms by cutting back just above an outward facing leaf with 5 to 7 leaflets. This also applies when cutting roses for flower arrangements. For stems without foliage, cut canes back by ¼ to just above a node or side branch. For more on pruning roses click here.
Take cuttings
Take cuttings from partially mature stems of trees and shrubs that will snap when bent.
Semi-hardwood cuttings: Make more plants trees, shrubs, evergreens and conifers now by taking semi-hardwood cuttings. Suitable stems should bend Select without breaking. For more on taking cuttings click here.
This sneezeweed (Helenium) needs dividing.
This sad planter has been left too long without food and water. It needs all dead plants and flowers removed, a drink and some food.
In The Veggie Garden
For large onions, snip off their flowers as soon as they form.
Pick new potatoes when they flower.
Potato & Tomato Blight Early blight on tomatoes is an ugly disease that quickly destroys plants.
Humid, warm weather brings out the blight in potatoes and tomatoes. Look for dark edges on the foliage. There’s no cure, so harvest as much as you can then destroy the plants and remove all plant parts from the soil. Don’t plant any tomatoes or potatoes in that same spot preferably for at least four years. Composting
Cover the green layer such as kitchen scraps, with a brown layer like shredded newspaper.
Attract butterflies with slices of oranges around the garden and get the camera out!
Sow Some Flower Seeds
Sow seeds of wallflowers and other biennials this month through fall.
Summer Pruning
Summer prune apple trees by cutting back side branches to a couple of buds.
Summer pruning inhibits growth while promoting flowers and fruit. It's a good thing. Unlike winter pruning that encourages growth, pruning in the summer slows plants down. Summer pruning also promotes flowers and fruit on many plants including fruit trees and wisteria.
Remove:
Vines: Cut back side branches to a couple of buds at the base of each stems on grapes, evergreen clematis and wisterias to a few buds. Read more. For more on pruning click here. To learn how to prune your plants in your garden, make an appointment with Amanda click here. Going on Vacation?
Who's minding the garden?
July Arrangement
Hydrangeas and dahlias.
The white flowers are hydrangeas called 'Bobo". The purple flowers are mophead hydrangeas and the apricot coloured blossoms are dahlias called 'Jill'.
Click here to go to the Flower Arrangement page for monthly arrangements, |
Plant of the month
Calla Lilies
Callas originate from South Africa.
A burgundy calla lily cultivar.
|
The white petal is not a petal at all but a bract, or spathe. The yellow spike is called the spadix.
|
Calla lilies are not lilies at all, but arums and are related to Jack-in-the-pulpits.
Callas prefer full sun, but don't mind partial shade, especially in hot climates.
Since callas prefer moist soils, they are perfect marginal pond plants.
Callas are suitable for mixed borders.
This deep maroon calla also has attractive spotted foliage.
Pink calla lily (Z. rehmannii).
Deadhead flowers so they don't form seeds, which deplete the plant's energy.
Calla lilies are summer stunners.
Arrow shaped foliage emerge from rhizomes and bear no stems.
|
Common Name: calla lily
Botanical Name: Zantedeschia aethiopica Form: upright vase Family: Araceae Genus: Zantedeschia Species: aethiopica Plant Type: bulbous rhizomes Mature Size: 2 to 3 feet x 1 to 2 feet Growth: slow to establish Origin: South Africa Hardiness Zone: 8 to 10, Zone 7 with protection Foliage: arrowhead shaped green leaves arise directly from rhizomes Flowers: June to July, white flowers, many coloured cultivars Fruit: seed pods contain many seeds, remove to encourage more rhizomes Exposure: sun to part shade Soil: moist Uses: annual bedding plant, houseplant, marginal pond plant, rain garden, cut flower, borders, containers Propagation: rhizomes, seeds Problems: All parts are poisonous. Their rhizomes were once used to treat wounds in their native South Africa. Japanese beetles. Comments: Calla lilies’ showy flowers are coveted by many, and not just because they are so perfect and elegant. These tropical South African natives are tough to grow in many areas of the world, especially cool climates, which adds to their allure. To grow callas successfully they need similar conditions to their native habitat of tropical South Africa. The temperature of their tropical home is relatively constant with only a rainy and dry season to indicate a change of season. For those living in climates cooler than USDA Zone 8 (Zone 7 if given plenty of winter protection), callas are grown as houseplants, used as annual bedding plants, or they are dug up and stored over winter. Despite their name, calla lilies are not lilies at all but are arums (Jack-in-the-pulpits). All arums have a central spike (spadix) that’s surrounded by a thick, colourful bract (spathe), and callas are no exception. They have thick, white leathery spathes that surround a central bright yellow spike on leafless stems. Plant breeders have made the spathes bigger and introduced more colours that delight and excite, which makes these tropical jewels even more appealing. Leaves are now also spotted or streaked with white. Outside planting Instructions: After the danger of frost has passed, plant rhizomes 3 to 4 inches deep and 12 to 18 inches apart. Plant in full sun or partial shade. They will fail to flower if it is too shady. Soil should be kept moist as dry soil leads to dormancy and death if drought is prolonged. Add a winter mulch (fall leaves) or mound soil overtop in fall covering the plants from 3 to 6 inches deep. Remove in spring after danger of frost has passed. Instructions for overwintering indoors If grown in containers over summer, bring indoors before frost. Place in front a bright, sunny window and keep as a houseplant. To induce dormancy, place them in a dark frost free location and repot with fresh potting soil in spring. Potted callas like a rich moist soil so add 1 to 2 parts compost to potting soil and mix well. If grown directly in the ground, dig up the rhizomes before frost. Store them in a cool, dry location. Replant in spring once frost has passed. 
White calla lilies represent innocence and purity.
As a cut flower, pink calla lilies represent admiration and gratitude.
Calla lilies make a bold and lush tropical statement.
An orange mango cultivar called 'Mango'.
|
A lush perennial planting of pure white calla lilies grown in USDA Zone 8.
THE GARDEN WEBSITE INDEX
|
Container Growing 101 Monthly Flower Arrangements
Growing Roses Introduction Mulching & Types Introduction |
for the tropical Gardener
While working in Florida as horticultural consultant, it became apparent that there was a need for a book on tropical shrubs. There are so many wonderful shrubs to choose from, so I wrote a reference book to make the selections easier. Ornamental Tropical Shrubs includes pictures in full colour and information about the plants in point form. So if you live in the tropics and subtropics and need a reference book on tropical shrubs, or you just want to have a look-see click here.
|
|
Copyright 2017 The Garden Website.com, Amanda's Garden Consulting Company - All Rights Reserved