Midsouth Garden tips for July.
by Patty Crawford owner of Lavender Earth, Inc.
Summer is more like a zone 8 than zone 7. This
means you take care of zone 7 plants the way your gardening books say to
care for zone 8 plants. Only plant the perennials
recommended for zone 7 though; you never know what our winter will be like.
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July and August are the test of endurance months. The key is not just
water, water, water, though it seems that is what the plants are screaming
to get. The key is when and how to water. Water in the evening,
as the sun is going down, a good two hour soaking with a sprinkler will
be the best. This month a good soaking in the morning is also good. If
you must water during the day, be sure to run the water in the lines until
it turns cool. The hot water in the hoses can hurt the plants. |
If you have not gotten your beds planted, there are still some plants I
call Hot plants you can put in the ground and pots. These include purslane,
vinca, celosia, most perennials (especially the fall bloomers like salvia,
rudebeckia, sedums and cone flowers). These need to be purchased in
pots, it is too late to separate perennials in beds until the fall;
they will wilt and you may kill the mother plant. These plants can be planted
early in the morning or late in the evening but try your best not to plant
them between 12pm and 6pm. These are our hottest hours and plants can wilt
tremendously and may not survive this test of endurance; their roots are
used to the cooler ground. |
| Grass should be mowed with raised blades to
avoid thatch.
Deadhead flowers (cut off the dead blooms) and cut the tip blooms before
they open on zinnias, Salvia, petunias, scabiosa and buddlleia, this will
encourage a bushier growth and more flowers.
If you find your plants are wilting and seem to be rotting at their
roots, this is most likely due to poor drainage. We have mostly clay in
our soil and plants have difficulty putting their roots through this deep
enough to keep them cool and the clay holds hot moisture around these shallow
roots. Beds must be prepared before planting. Check back in the January
and February tips for the best ways of doing this or look in the Lavender
tip
(in the meantime, be mulching your fall leaves). |
