Gardening Guides
Mid-Atlantic Gardener: What to Do in July
Seedpods, herbs and flowers galore take center stage in the garden this month
July brings steamy temperatures, less rain and plenty of blooms here in the Mid-Atlantic. This month begins the harvesting of various fruits, vegetables, herbs and even seeds. Don't be discouraged by all the heat and bugs. Just keep collecting your garden bounty and ignore the plants that have gone to seed or have been eaten alive.
In my garden, a groundhog has decided radicchio is his green of choice, so I am choosing to overlook his thievery and focus on the mass amount of mustard plants going to seed right now. Dijon, anyone?
Below are a few more of my July favorites here in the Mid-Atlantic. Feel free to add your own favorites in the comment section below — I'd love to hear them!
In my garden, a groundhog has decided radicchio is his green of choice, so I am choosing to overlook his thievery and focus on the mass amount of mustard plants going to seed right now. Dijon, anyone?
Below are a few more of my July favorites here in the Mid-Atlantic. Feel free to add your own favorites in the comment section below — I'd love to hear them!
July is the month when the garden comes into its glory and then starts a slow descent into autumn. Sunflowers are at their best this month, from massive single-bloom stalks to multiblooming branch specimens such as 'Bashful'. Allow the seedheads to dry on the stalk and collect the seeds when they become black, dry and brittle.
Sunflowers aren't the only plants showing off seedheads and seedpods. Check out the spacey-looking seed pods from love-in-a-mist this time of year!
One of my favorites this time of year is rose hips, which begin to develop after the roses have finished blooming. Rose hips contain seeds but do not grow from seed easily. Instead, try eating them for a dose of vitamin C. They also make a fabulous tea. (Just watch out for the fine hairs inside the hips, as they can irritate your throat a bit.)
Even when the hips are ready on Rosa Rugosas, you might get a second flush of blooms from the other rosebushes in your garden. Keep cutting roses to get the best bang on second blooms.
Lavender, arguably the best plant in the summer garden, also blooms this month. With its relaxing scent, waving purple wands and tough growing habits, this plant is a winner in any garden.
To harvest lavender and other herbs, wait for a hot, dry day and snip a bundle of stems off the plant. Allow the stems to dry or use the fresh herbs in food or bathing preparations.
To use lavender, scrape the flowers off the top of the stem with your fingernail and discard the woody stem. The lavender flowers then can be ground into a powder and used for a variety of homemade luxuries, including lavender salt, lavender oil and even play dough.
Collect leafy herbs early in the month before they start to fade and go to seed. To prolong their usefulness, move pots to a shady area or shade in-ground plants with summer vegetables like zucchini and cucumber. Even if you aren't using your basil, make sure you snip off the tops to encourage tender baby leaves to grow. This goes for greens such as spinach, mustard and chard as well.
It isn't all about the edibles this month — plenty of summer bloomers are showing off, including daisies, a wide variety of wildflowers, and shrubs such as the smokebush (pictured).
Many flowering vines shine this month in the Mid-Atlantic, including trumpet vine and the old-fashioned, classic morning glory. Make sure you don't confuse morning glory with its cousin, bindweed, which is one of the worst weeds in the garden. Bindweed blooms white, and the leaves have a sharper, thinner shape than those of the traditional morning glory.
Whether you are snipping coneflowers for arrangements, gathering lavender for bath salts or finishing up the basil, July is a month of abundance. Keep deadheading and snipping leafy herbs for more production into fall, and keep thug weeds such as bindweed out of the garden. Don't forget to enjoy the steaming weather while it lasts. Snow will be here before you know it!
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