05 June 2020
A Garden Tip from Helen...
It’s 90 degrees outside, so it must be June and it’s very dry. Hopefully, we have a shower or two today, or tomorrow. But if not, and you have the ability, consider watering the more drought susceptible plants in your garden, especially the vegetables.Hydrangeas are thirsty plants too. Since they are just starting to bloom, you may want to give them a drink as well
To the left is a new hydrangea planted last year called hydrangea petiolaris. It will do all right in the sun unlike most other hydrangea varieties.
All around, it has been a glorious growing season. Consequently, the chrysanthemums have budded early, so it’s time to give them a bud cut. I use hedge trimmers to simply shear them off just below bud level. You don’t have to do this, but your mums will bloom in a week or two if they aren’t blooming already, and you will have very few flowers in October.
The roses are beginning to show signs of black spot. What can I say!! If you weren’t able to spray them in February, there is very little you can do about it now other than to keep the ground underneath the bushes free of dead leaves to discourage spreading the fungus. Don’t forget to keep feeding your roses. If you are using a commercial product, the manufacturers typically recommend feeding every six weeks. If using the homemade variety, apply every other week. I am continuing to find a lot of dead wood on my roses this year, so I am continually pruning. It may be because I didn’t prune this winter after following a new practice recently touted by the experts. Next year, I will go back to winter pruning. I think the bushes benefit from it by encouraging more new growth at the crown and allowing for more consistent blackspot control.
Since this growing season has been spectacular, I will forgo any additional commentary, and instead, rely on pictures from my own yard. Some of my plants are native and some are not. Whether you wish to go native or not, is obviously your prerogative. Personally, I like a balance!
Happy gardening,
Helen
P.S. Here are a couple more pictures from the garden to enjoy:
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