06 July 2020
A Garden Tip from Helen...
‘Tis July!!! Time to simply enjoy the results of your labors from the past few months. Many plants are in bloom. Weeds are still growing but moderately so, or not at all, if you haven’t had any rain, like me! Plus it’s hot, so pull up a chair and relax.
If you must do something, iris can be divided now or later on in the month. Dig the rhizomes and break the sides off the middle one where the flower bloomed. Now throw that rhizome away and keep the newly formed rhizomes around it to replant. Iris are forgiving plants – they can stay out of the ground for weeks, but I try to get them replanted as soon as possible. If you can’t replant iris right away, keep them in the shade and sheltered from the wind. When you do replant them, dust the broken edges with garden sulphur to prevent disease before placing them back in the ground. At this point you can also trim the leaves back to six or eight inches to promote maximum root growth before fall.
My indiscriminate planting has now afforded me with at least six hydrangeas of various colors and types.The original intent behind planting them was to provide color at a time when few other plants were blooming during mid-summer. I chose more white hydrangeas than other colors so they would really stand out in the landscape. However, last year I bought some pink ones because they like partial shade as opposed to total shade like most other varieties. They are lovely this year. The white ball-like varieties will bloom later and the oak leaf ones (the “lacy” blooming ones) bloomed already.
Enjoy the break and happy gardening!
Helen