Dahlia 'Striped Vulcan', Photo by Amanda Jarrett
The Garden Website for JULy
New Blog! Heritage Vancouver 7th Annual Garden Tour
Need Help? - Job Postings - Learn How to Prune - Garden & Plant Events
July Introduction - July Plant Combo - Amanda's Garden Blog - Ask Amanda: Lilac Leaf Blight
July Garden Chores - Garden Inspections - Tomatoes - Powdery Mildew
July Garden Stars - Plant Police - Water Restrictions - Butterflies & Bees
Blight on Potatoes & Tomatoes - July Lawn Care - Summer Pruning
July Arrangement - For the Tropical Gardener - Plant of the Month: Red-hot Poker Plant
Need Help? - Job Postings - Learn How to Prune - Garden & Plant Events
July Introduction - July Plant Combo - Amanda's Garden Blog - Ask Amanda: Lilac Leaf Blight
July Garden Chores - Garden Inspections - Tomatoes - Powdery Mildew
July Garden Stars - Plant Police - Water Restrictions - Butterflies & Bees
Blight on Potatoes & Tomatoes - July Lawn Care - Summer Pruning
July Arrangement - For the Tropical Gardener - Plant of the Month: Red-hot Poker Plant
My July garden includes yellow striped red daylilies, mauve garden phlox, white cone shaped flowered pee gee hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora') and Jill pompom dahlias.
Heritage Vancouver 7th Annual Garden Tour
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If you missed Heritage Vancouver's 7th Annual Garden Tour that took place in June, don't worry as I wrote a blog about it. I've included a small description of each garden, but the pictures really tell the story. There's some great garden ideas, plant combos, super colours and cool plants. To go to the blog click here. For the previous year's Heritage Vancouver 6th annual garden tour, click here.
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July Intro
Double Play Big Bang Spirea.
Despite the lack of rain for the past few months followed by a cool wet June, BC gardens didn’t seem to suffer too much. Bilious blossoms overflowed garden beds even those that were neglected. My camera never rested as I took oodles of pictures. It’s my way of capturing and owning some of that beauty. Picking flowers from the garden suits that same need – to bring their gorgeousness inside to enjoy. It’s officially summer and as the days get hotter and drier, plants will start to succumb, especially ones in containers. Watering becomes a daily chore especially those crammed with plants, those that receive hot afternoon sun, plants in small pots and those in moss lined baskets. Every summer I vow to have fewer planters, but by the time spring rolls around, I’ve forgotten all about the extra watering and just remember how lovely they were. Speaking of planters, I hope I get some time this month to clean out my shed as it is full of all the pots and cell packs I used this spring. It’s quite the chore because I have so many. I do it outside in the garden in an old laundry room sink I found at the side of the road during the city’s spring clean-up. It’s a wet and dirty job so it is best done outside when the weather is decent, which means before it gets cold and rainy. Since the sink isn’t hooked up to any plumbing, I fill it up by using the garden hose and buckets of hot water from the kitchen. To disinfect and clean the pots I add some dish liquid and bleach and let them soak for a while. I wear rubber gloves to protect my hands from the bleach and any sharp edges from the cell packs. Most people think that digging, weeding, deadheading are garden chores, but hey, washing pots well – it's just one less thing to worry about when spring comes around. Cheers, Amanda 
Double Play Big Bang Spirea prefers full sun to light shade. It's a deciduous shrub for growing zones 3 to 8. Grows 4 ' to 6' x 5' to 7'.
INSTRUCTORS WANTED
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Question
Do you know what might be eating my lilac leaves? Underneath some leaves there are clumps of white foam. Thanks kindly, Lisa |
Hi Lisa, I do believe that is lilac leaf blight. At first glance, I also thought it was insect damage, but the leaf looked puckered and the holes were irregular; typical symptoms of lilac leaf blight. The disease starts out as small spots on the foliage. The disease kills the tissue, which browns and eventually falls out leaving irregular holes. As the disease progresses, new shoots and flowers will wilt and turn black.
To lessen further infection, improve the air circulation around the plant, especially if it is overcrowded. Go easy on the nitrogen and avoid fertilizing after September. Fall cleanup is essential to prevent it from overwintering . Add a 3 inch layer of mulch to further slow the spread of the disease.
Prune off any infected stems that have wilted – to their base. Disinfect pruners after each cut in a solution one part Lysol to 4 parts water. Place the solution in a hand sprayer for convenience as you must disinfect your tools after each and every cut. Discard all prunings and debris. After removing infected parts, spray with an organic copper fungicide. In January or February, just before bud break, spray with another organic spray solution: dormant oil and lime sulfur. Read and follow the instructions before applying. For more info click here. By the way, the white foam, could be spittle bugs. Not to worry as they are harmless. These little insects surround themselves with a foamy solution that resembles spittle, hence their common name.
To lessen further infection, improve the air circulation around the plant, especially if it is overcrowded. Go easy on the nitrogen and avoid fertilizing after September. Fall cleanup is essential to prevent it from overwintering . Add a 3 inch layer of mulch to further slow the spread of the disease.
Prune off any infected stems that have wilted – to their base. Disinfect pruners after each cut in a solution one part Lysol to 4 parts water. Place the solution in a hand sprayer for convenience as you must disinfect your tools after each and every cut. Discard all prunings and debris. After removing infected parts, spray with an organic copper fungicide. In January or February, just before bud break, spray with another organic spray solution: dormant oil and lime sulfur. Read and follow the instructions before applying. For more info click here. By the way, the white foam, could be spittle bugs. Not to worry as they are harmless. These little insects surround themselves with a foamy solution that resembles spittle, hence their common name.
This foam-like substance is a result of a frog-hopper, a tiny insect that causes no harm.
Amanda's Garden Blog
- Heritage Vancouver 7th Annual Garden Tour
- Growing Potatoes
- Pruning Shrubs into Trees
- Portland's International Rose Test Garden
- 10 Steps to Festive Planter
- Christmas Tree Selection
- Collecting & Saving Seeds
- Heritage Vancouver 6th Garden Tour
- The Dunbar Garden Tour 2018
- Easy Roses Do Exist.. Really!
- Dart's Hill, A Garden Park
- VanDusen Botanical Gardens Visit
- Tall Kale Tales
- Northwest Flower & Garden Show, Seattle
- Pruning in Winter
- Pruning & Training Grape Vines in Winter
- Insects & Diseases Control with Dormant Spray
- Why Christmas cactus Don't Blossom
- A Quickie Festive Swag
- Putting the Garden to Bed
- How to Drain Soggy Soil
- A Visit to the Arizona - Sonora Desert
- Banana, Palm Tree Winter Protection
- Lasagna Gardening, Sheet Mulching
- Saving Geraniums, Coleus, Bougainvilleas & Other Tender Plants
- Spiders Everywhere - Oh My!
- Tomato Troubles & Soil Solarization
- Trees That Drip That Sticky Stuff
- Balcony Bliss
- One Huge Beetle!
- A Summer's Day Harvest
- The Dunbar Garden Club Private Tour
- Leaky Birdbaths and Slug Free Strawberries
- Easy Roses
- Oops... Wrong Plant, Wrong Place
- I Had An Ugly Lawn...
Learn How to Prune
What to prune now? How to prune? What tools to use? How far can a plant be cut back? All are great questions. Register here for Amanda to teach you all about pruning your plants in your garden at your convenience.
The flower of German garlic, Allium senescen is visited by a hungry bee.
LIST YOUR GARDEN & PLANT RELATED EVENTS
For plant and garden club events, plant sales, garden tours, workshops and other plant related events.
To post your event here click here.
For plant and garden club events, plant sales, garden tours, workshops and other plant related events.
To post your event here click here.
Need Help?
Need help figuring what to do in your garden? Make an appointment for Amanda to come to your garden to show you how to grow food, sow seeds, prune, design beds etc. Need help trying to figure out how to get the garden ready for spring? Get Amanda to teach you the ropes by making an appointment here.
Blue Waterfall campanula (C. poscharskyana 'Blue Waterfall') weaves its way through a fern.
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.
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Acanthus mollis, bear's breeches, herbaceous perennial, 3'-5' x 2'-3', sun to part shade. Zones 7 to 10.
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Campanula glomerata ‘Superba’, clustered bellflower, herbaceous perennial, 1.5' -2.2' x 1'-2', sun to shade. Zones 3 to 8.
Calla lilies, Zantedeschia, herbacous perennial, 1' to 3', sun to partial shade. Zones 8 to 10.
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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.
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.
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Casa Blanca Oriental hybrid lily, bulb, fragrant 6'' to 8" flowers, 3 to 4' tall. Zones 5 to 8.
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.
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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.
Catalpa, deciduous tree, 50' - 70' x 20 - 40', fragrant flowers, bears long seed pods, sun. Zones 4 to 9.
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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.
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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.
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JUly PLANT COMBO
Roses, lavender, thyme and spirea grow well together in full sun.
This winning sunny combination not only like the same conditions they also flower together. These colourful combo includes Ketchup and Mustard floribunda rose, English thyme, English lavender and Japanese spirea.
Watering Restrictions Continue
Lawns need at least 1 inch a week to survive the hot summer months.
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
If you allow your lawn to get too dry, weeds and insects will take its place.
Follow these easy steps to keep your grass as healthy.
A deep pink Million Bells (Calibrachoa) is an annual that resembles petunias but they produce 'millions' of flowers.
plant police
The pale tomato leaf on right is showing signs of a nitrogen deficiency.
Pale leaves and lack of vigor are typical signs of a hungry plant in need of some nitrogen. Nitrogen is responsible for making plants lush and green. It encourages foliage over fruit and flowers. Nitrogen is the first number on fertilizer labels (8-2 -1). The higher the first number the more the nitrogen, but don't overdo it. Too much of it burns roots, encourages excessive foliage at the expense of flowers and fruit. The resulting tender growth is also a beacon to aphids. To learn more about fertilizers and what the numbers mean click here.
Pictured are two tomato leaves. The one of the right is pale because it's lacking nitrogen. A nitrogen deficiency is first noted in the older leaves and travels up the plant if the deficiency isn't rectified. Liquid plant food such as fish or kelp work quickly and contain many goodies besides nitrogen. They also benefit the soil. Add compost to the soil and/or well-rotted steer, sheep or llama manure to provide longer term nutrition and to build soil. For more on organic fertilizers click here. For container grown plants use liquid fertilizers high in nitrogen for a quick fix followed by a slow release plant food. Mix it in to the soil surface and water. to learn more about fertilizers click here. Watering Tips
These rhododendrons won't last much longer without a thorough soaking and regular watering.
Hydrangeas need lots of water and quickly wilt when they don't have enough.
Water Me Please!
If you want prolong the life and health of your ornamental cherry trees water them during the summer drought.
Garden Inspections
When inspecting plants, look underneath the foliage and along the stems.
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:
Ouch, that's gotta hurt!
Tomatoes
To tame tomato plants remove suckers that form between the stem and the leaves.
Tomatoes:
Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildew on a veronica (Veronica spicata).
This prevalent disease looks like talcum powder on leaves, flower and stems, but usually appears first on new foliage and flower buds. This white, dusty coating quickly yellows and distorts plant growth. The infection begins as small white dots on top of leaves, which spreads to engulf the entire plant. There are many plants that suffer through the indignities of this prevalent disease. The good news is that it is often not fatal unless a plant suffers severely year after year. If that is the case, then move the plant to a more suitable location where the soil doesn't dry out so much, nothing drips on the plant from above like an overhead tree and air flows freely.
The following are a few of the many commonly affected plants: peas, beans, soybeans, grapes, apples, pears, squashes, cucumbers, melons, tomatoes, roses, veronicas, garden phlox, maples, lilacs, monarda, tuberous begonia, impatiens, catalpa and columbines. To learn how to control powdery mildew and for a safe, organic spray click here. |
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.
Sow broccoli seeds indoors now to harvest in late fall.
De-flower: Pinch the flowers from basil, dusty miller and coleus as soon as they appear to promote longer plant life and bushy growth.
Roses
After each flush of bloom is over, remove the spent blossoms, water and fertilizer for another cut of bloom. Pictured 'Windermere', a David Austin rose at Seattle's Portland Test Garden.
Deadheading Roses: Remove spent blooms by cutting back just above an outward facing leaf with 5 to 7 leaflets. Don’t just remove the dead flowers as it inhibits more flowers. 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 roses click here.
Take cuttings from partially mature stems of trees and shrubs that will snap when bent. The cuttings are boxwood.
Semi-hardwood cuttings: Take cuttings now until early fall from partially mature wood just after a flush of new growth. Remove a stem that when bent will snap and the leaves are mature size. If it bends and doesn’t snap, it's too young. It's too mature if the branch doesn’t bend. Most evergreens including broadleaf and conifers are propagated this way. Take cuttings from most deciduous shrubs including roses, spirea, smokebush (Cotinus), hydrangeas, boxwoods, fuchsia, lavender, beauty berry (Callicarpa), elderberries (Sambucus) and viburnums.
Gladiolus need to be staked or place them where the are supported by other plants.
A tastyJuly harvest.
Butterflies & Bees
Swallowtail butterflies larvae feed on numerous shrubs and trees, including birch, cherry willow and ash.
It's summer and gardens are buzzing with bees, butterflies and all sorts of pollinating insects - or it should be. To lure them into your garden, plant joe pye weed, butterfly weed, butterfly bush, daisies, zinnias, marigolds, lantanas and verbenas. If you want butterflies, you'll have to sacrifice some plants to their babies - caterpillars! And they are voracious eaters. So don't kill those caterpillars feasting on your milkweed as they are probably monarch butterfly larva. Swallowtails are a Canadian favorite and their caterpillars feed on many common trees and shrubs. If you want to attract specific butterflies, know what the their larva like and what they to feed on. Grow their nectar plants and, grow those plants and allow them to be devoured by their caterpillars.
Butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa, attracts butterflies with its nectar and its larva also feeds on the plant. Bees love it too!
Sow Some Seeds
Sow seeds of perennials and biennials like this black hollyhock, Alcea rosea 'Nigra'.
Potato & Tomato Blight Early blight on tomatoes is an ugly disease that quickly destroys plants.
Humid, warm weather will bring 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 remaining on the soil. Don’t plant any tomatoes or potatoes in that same spot preferably for at least four years. Summer Pruning
Summer prune apple trees by cutting back side branches to a couple of buds.
It is common knowledge to prune in winter and in fall, but summer pruning is unheard of for many people. It is quite beneficial as it inhibits growth as compared to winter pruning, which promotes growth! It’s just more difficult to do with all the leaves in the way.
Summer pruning is a must for fruit trees. It represses growth and encourages flowers and fruit. Remove overlong branches, crossing and broken ones. Prune off diseased, dead growth and suckers including watersprouts. Remove spindly growth and old non-productive wood. Thin out overcrowded stems and fruit so the fruit aren’t clustered together. They’ll be prone to diseases, insects and may rot on the tree. Don’t prune any plant when it is wet. It promotes diseases and is unsafe as wet pruning tools easily slip. Apple trees: Remove suckers, watersprouts, dead, diseased growth, Cut back overly long stems and ones that are too low and in the way. If you want more fruit, cut back side stems to 2 to 4 buds. The will revert to fruiting spurs in a couple of years. Suckers & Watersprouts: These abnormal stems look different from the rest of the branches on a tree. They grow perfectly upright, don’t branch and they must be removed. Cut them off at their base so they don’t grow back. Vines: Cut back all side branches from 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. July Arrangement
July's flowers include numerous lilies, dahlias, glads, ferns and a wee bit of kale.
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Plant of the month
Torch Lily, Red-Hot Poker, Kniphofia uvaria
Torch lily flowers, like this regal 'Royal Castle' resemble bottle brushes.
Torch lilies mix well with other plants in sunny borders.
A tall, peachy coloured torch lily.
Drooping tubular flowers attract hummingbirds.
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Common Name: red-hot poker, torch lily
Botanical Name: Kniphofia uvaria Form: vase shaped, spikey, upright clumping Family: Asphodelaceae Genus: Kniphofia Species: uvaria Plant Type: clump forming rhizomatous evergreen herbaceous perennial Mature Size: 3’ -4’ x 2’-3’ Origin: South Africa Hardiness Zone: 5 to 9 Foliage: sword shaped, linear, bluish-green to 3ft long and 1 inch wide, evergreen Flowers: leafless flower stalks with drooping two-toned tubular blossoms that emerge red and turn yellow Stems: basal stems that emerge from a central crown Exposure: full sun Soil: soil tolerant, except wet soils. Uses: perennial borders, drought tolerant, containers, small gardens, seaside, rockery, cut flowers Propagation: remove plantlets from crown or divide crown in spring Pruning: remove brown foliage anytime and cut back plant in spring when new foliage appears Problems: rots in wet soil Comments: Architectural interestingly bold plants with eye-catching elegant flowers that last from summer into fall. Resists deers, rabbits but attracts butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. They are also salt and drought tolerant. Protect crowns in winter in Zones 5 and less. 
Torch lilies are dramatic with their leafless flower stalks that are topped with clusters of tubular flowers.
Torch lilies make striking upright colonies as they mature.
Torch lily flowers vary in shades even on the same plant.
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Mango Popsicle, foliage grows to 19″ and spreads to 16″ with 30″ flower spikes.
Flamenco grows to 30 inches and 22 inches wide. Flowers bear shades of yellow, orange and flame red.
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This red-hot poker plant is quite happy in the hot dry locations at the foot of this eucalyptus tree.
Redhot Popsicle, foliage height is 16″, flower height is 24".
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Pyromania Orange Blaze, 24 to 30 inches tall and spreads to 24 inches.
Landscape Job Postings
For landscapers looking for work and landscape companies looking to hire.
If you are looking for work or if you wish to post a position please go to Job Postings. Landscapers, post your contact info here.
If you are looking for work or if you wish to post a position please go to Job Postings. Landscapers, post your contact info here.
THE GARDEN WEBSITE INDEX
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Container Growing 101Monthly 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.
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