End of July already! Garden notes July 27th -

16 years ago

It's hot but there's so many things blooming this time of year, it almost makes in tolerable.

Coneflowers are still blooming but starting to look ratty. Will they rebloom if I dead head them now? I'd rather leave the seed heads for the birds unless I will get another round of flowers. I've enjoyed watching the goldfinches going after my sunflowers this summer. I had several volunteers this year from my bird seed and the goldfinches don't even wait for the petals to dry before they start pecking the seeds out.

Some annuals I'm trying this year that are new for me:

Cuphea - I like this stuff. It seems to be taking the summer heat pretty well so far and always covered with blooms. It hasn't grown a LOT but is spreading out some.

Gazania - Lots of flowers but it always has more dead flowers than live ones. They must not last very long. I was trying to keep them dead headed for awhile but gave up.

Portulaca - Seems to be pretty tough but I'm not getting very many blooms.

One of my new penstemons, 'Blue Buckle' kicked the bucket already. I was hoping it would be perennial and it wasn't even annual for me. : ( I didn't get to see it bloom at all. I bought two other penstemons that are doing great though. One is Pikes Peak Purple and I can't remember the name on the other.

Do you have plants that weren't very impressive at first but you like them more every year? I bought a clethra 'Ruby Spice' several years ago and it seemed to have such a short bloom time at first and I didn't think it was very fragrant like other people claimed. Well, it smells WONDERFUL this year. I really enjoy walking past it every day.

There's not much rain in the forecast, just a slight chance tonight. I'm trying to keep everything watered. I had to buy a new sprinkler yesterday. My son said "Is that for ME?" lol I said sure but you have to share with my plants.

Is everyone keeping their Off handy? We have a few more mosquitoes than usual this year. Something was flying around our front yard just as it was getting dark last night and my daughter is sure they were bats. They were definitely going after flying insects and it was fun to watch them.

Ceresone - How are you doing? I haven't seen you post for several days I think.

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Comments (6)

proudgm_03
16 years ago
Mosquitoes are horrible. My DH answer - quit watering the flowers. Isn't he just so helpful?
gldno1
16 years ago
It's about this time of year that my enthusiasm fades.............I am watering too and doing serious weeding out of the largest beds that always seem to get ahead of me. Also been pulling up dead plants, cutting down hollyhocks, trimming back some, etc.
Christie I leave the coneflowers for the finches but you could just try a few to see if they would come back.

I checked with Gaylord Moore about the June Bugs on the Oak tree and he thought it was something else girdling the limbs causing the sap to leak which draws the J.B.'s. He didn't think it would hurt the tree. I sprayed some with Sevin and there are hundreds of dead JB's on the ground now. I still have Japanese Beetles now and then on the roses.

I tried a new annual salvia this year that I really like better than Victoria or Blue Bedder. It is Strata, shorter and a more intense blue. I will be saving seeds and hope they come true.

I hope the big tomato growers do check in with a taste test result. I haven't been too pleased with my main crop variety this year.
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oakleif
16 years ago
About the only thing i've got blooming is purple cone flower,liatris,black eyed susans, petunias,begonias,geraniums and perannual hibiscus,and a small pink flowered wild flower i've got to look up.
I have black butterflies flocking to my cone flowers. Does anyone else?
Bought more big pots and soil and am going to transplant iris in pots now.
I'm watering too. I'm finding out pots need frequent watering. But i can handle that.
Tonight on the news. There was a woman in Van Buren that had a $200 palm in a tub in her front yard that was stolen. It was heavy and hard to move.I guess some peope will steal anything if they have to go after plants in yards.
Gld, was glad to get an update on your junebugs in the oak. I've wondered about it.
I've been wondering about ceresone too. Hope she and DH are ok.
Did you get the strata salvia locally or sent off for them?
We're having the peach festival this weekend. I bought 4 peaches and i will never admit to how much i paid for them. They were from Ruston LA.
Gold is probably cheaper.
vickie
gldno1
16 years ago
I had a senior moment there on the salvia. It is Evolution and I got the seed from Jung Seed Co. I also got the Double Click cosmos. Love them both....will try to post a couple of pics later today (when the sun comes up).

Our orchards are now selling Ca. peaches....I didn't bother to call for prices....knew it would be scary.
kaye
16 years ago
Last day of the month and it's been a strange but good year. The veggie garden was the best ever..still picking tomatoes and trying to get them canned. Green beans were awesome as was the corn. The flower garden is doing great..had enough without too much rain. Been having to water all the roses in pots nearly daily but got a nice shower yesterday that gave me a break. The roses are finishing their third flush and I've been trying to get them all deadheaded. I can't remember how I got all this done before I retired last August!
christie_sw_mo
Original Author
16 years ago
We had a lot of rain in the area over the weekend but it skipped over our house. My yard is really starting to dry up. I've been watering quite a bit. I HOPE that doesn't encourage mosquitoes Proudgm. I think they would need water that stands for a few days to breed in and my puddles dry up pretty quickly. Spray your hubby with the hose if he says that again. lol

Oakleaf - I saw LOTS of Black Swallowtails last year and the year before but they've been very scarce this year for some reason. I have bronze fennel and rue planted for them for host plants but have only seen a couple caterpillars that I think got eaten before they could finish. : ( I also haven't seen very many Buckeye butterflies this year which are usually very common. I've seen more yellow Tiger Swallowtails this year though. Those are so pretty.

I was pulling weeds this week and found my Chinese Astilbe that I thought died the year before last. What a nice surprise. It's very small though and needs to be moved to another spot. I also found a little sprig of epimedium that I thought was toast after the late freeze. It sure took a long time to come up again.

Kaye - Hope you're enjoying your retirement. Some people don't get started on gardening until after they retire. You've got a nice head start.

End of July already! Garden notes July 27th -

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End of July already! Garden notes July 27th -

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