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Favorite Christmas Plants

The U.S. holiday season traditionally kicks off with Thanksgiving and its televised parade extravaganzas (e.g., Macy’s and Philadelphia). Both feature marching bands, lavishly decorated floats, giant balloons and (Oh boy!) Santa Claus.  We are old enough to remember watching the parades on black & white sets. All of that was great fun for our kids too; less so for our grandkids who somehow acquired a streak of cynicism in their teens that I can’t recall before. That’s OK. Christmas is big enough to include both the sacred and secular in its bosom; not to mention the remnants of Pagan traditions dredged up from the past. The latter are best represented by traditional Christmas plants. Here are our own favorites.

Poinsettia

Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a shrub-to small tree-sized plant. The winter bloomer hails from Mexico and Guatemala where it was considered by Aztecs to be a symbol of purity and was cultivated as a medicinal plant. The actual flowers are small, green or yellow, and are concentrated in the center of a bunch of leafy bracts at the tip of each stalk. The bracts turn bright red and are typically mistaken for flower petals. This is how they appear when brought home for the holidays. All well and good, except that when the plant is kept and nurtured the following year, no colored bracts. The trick is that the colors of the bracts are created by subjecting the plants to at least fourteen hours of absolute darkness (not even a night light) at a time for 6–8 weeks in a row prior to the holidays.  They also need abundant light during the day for the brightest color.

Poinsettias are reputed to be poisonous (ASPCA link: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/poinsettia). So, keep pets and little ones away from them, if you don’t want a child, puppy, or kitty sick under the tree.  If you have further questions can always “Ask a Garden Expert” on our Black Gold Page here https://blackgold.bz/ask-a-garden-expert/garden-questions-answered/ 

Photo Credit Jessie Keith

Christmas Cacti

The Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) should not be confused with the Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata).  The common names refer to the time of year they usually bloom.  Christmas cactus blooms from December through February. Thanksgiving cactus blooms in November and December. Despite appearances, neither plant is a cactus. Instead they are succulent epiphytes that live on tree branches in subtropical rain forests. So you must not treat them like a standard cactus, or your reward will be a dead plant. On the other hand, Christmas cactus is incredibly easy to start. Just pick off a Y-shaped piece and stick it in a pot of moist Black Gold© Succulent and Cactus Mix and you are done.

Plants should be kept in bright, indirect light. An east-facing window or a bright bathroom is ideal. Too much direct sunlight can bleach the sensitive leaves. A daytime temperature of 70°F (21°C) and an evening temperature of 60-65°F (15-18°C) is best. In the summer, Christmas cacti can be placed in a shady spot in the garden or in an unheated porch until temperatures get below 50°F (10°C). Keep them out of direct outdoor sunlight.

Photo Credit Jessie Keith

Holly

The genus holly (Ilex spp.) is the primary representative of the holly family, Aquifoliaceae. Popular decorative hollies with red berries and spiny leaves are Ilex aquifolium in the Old World and Ilex opaca in North America. In Europe, Holly branches have long been used to decorate homes in winter. The tree was seen as a fertility symbol and a charm against witches, goblins and the devil. And it was thought to be unlucky to cut down a holly tree. When British colonists arrived in North America, they were surprised to find holly was already present, similar, though a different species.

American holly grows as an understory tree in forests of south and southeastern United States, and reaches a height of 30 feet or more.  With its dark green, prickly foliage, solid pyramidal shape, and abundant crops of red berries on female trees, American holly is a great asset to any yard or garden. With careful pruning, enough holly boughs can be cut to deck your halls quite nicely without damaging your tree. If you don’t have your own trees. Attempting to collect your own holly bought in the wild may be fruitless at best, as American holly is not a particularly common tree anywhere in its range. Attempting to gather holly on public land may also be illegal. If you ask nicely, a kindly understanding neighbor may allow you to take a few. Otherwise, I recommend checking with local Christmas tree merchants.

Photo Credit Jessie Keith

Whatever you come up with, we wish you the joy of the season. And, keep safe.

About Teri Keith

Garden columnist, Teri Keith, has gardened for over 50 years in her home state of Indiana. She served as a longtime IGC nursery manager specializing in annuals and perennials in Bloomington, Indiana and still gardens with passion. Each year she plants and maintains over 50 flower containers, many gardens, and a large collection of lilacs.

Shrubs

When I was a child my parents had a beautiful flowering bush next to the front porch.  It bloomed in the spring with small pink trumpets that had gold etching inside. It turned out that the name was fittingly Beauty Bush (Kolkwitzia amabilis). Now I have a gorgeous one arching over my pond.  Not something you see often – something different.

 

There are quite a few shrubs that are a delight in the spring and throughout the year yet are for most people something different.  Beauty Bush is still available, now in fancy varieties such as ‘Maradco’ and ‘Dream Catcher’ with ever changing foliage: copper in early spring, yellow in May, chartreuse in summer and orange and gold in fall. The height is 7 to 8 ft. and it likes full sun (plus it’s deer resistant).

photo credit to Jessie Keith

Deutzia ‘Duncan’ and ‘Chardonnay  Pearls’ are low growing shrubs only 2 to 3 feet tall with willow like leaves. The branches are covered with tiny, white flower buds resembling pearls. The buds open to a myriad of fragrant flowers in April to May. This variety also has lemon-lime leaves as one of its benefits.  Deutzia likes sun to part shade and will grow in our clay soil.

 

Hydrangea ‘Quick Fire’ is a new paniculata hydrangea with many advantages.  It starts blooming a full month earlier than others of it species and is in bloom from early summer to late fall.  Flowers are cone shaped and white to start. They turn pink and then a dark rosy-pink in the fall. It likes full sun to full shade so you can put it anywhere.  It is a rather large shrub at 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide so give ‘Quick Fire’ plenty of room.  All paniculata hydrangeas bloom on new wood, so they can be pruned to the ground in late winter or early spring.  Unlike big-leaved hydrangeas, this and the following hydrangea varieties never die in the winter and you will have them for many years.

 

Hydrangea arborescens with white ball-shaped blooms has also been improved.  The ‘Annabelle’ series have stronger stems than the other types and so won’t flop over.  Besides the familiar white Annabelle, now there is ‘Invincibelle Spirit’ which produces pink blooms from June to September on new wood and can be pruned from the ground to 1 foot each winter.  They like partial shade, and grow in clay, rocky, wet, or dry soil.  It has a height of only 4 feet and I highly recommend them.

 

Fothergilla ‘Blue Shadow’ is a new variety of this unusual shrub.  It has fragrant, upright, white bottle brush flowers in late April to May.  The leathery leaves are up to 4 inches long. They are a beautiful blue to blue green, then turn red and orange in the fall.  To keep the blue color, plant in part shade and well drained acidic soil. Feed with a rhododendron fertilizer.  ‘Blue Shadow’ is a slow grower that will grow to 6 feet over 10 years.

 

 

Most of us are familiar with butterfly bushes, but not with the new Flutterby Petite series.  This is the first butterfly bush that can be used as a ground cover or container plant.  ‘Petite Blue Heaven’ only grows 2 feet 6 inches tall and wide, with beautiful purple-blue blooms and silver leaves.  ‘Petite Pink’ has medium to dark pink flowers and only gets 1 to 2 feet tall and wide.  Plant in full sun in medium to semi- dry soil.  Butterfly bushes bloom from summer to frost and are heat and drought tolerant only needing occasional clipping of old flowers.

 

The last shrub on my list is beauty berry ‘Wine Spritzer’.  Beauty berries are usually grown for the purple berries they bear in fall, but ‘Wine Spritzer’ has gorgeous large white and green sprinkled leaves with burgundy stems as well.  It likes well drained soil and is heat and deer tolerant.  It does best in sun but will grow in partial shade and gets 4 to 5 feet tall. If cut to the ground each winter, it will improve leaf variegation for the next year.  By the way, an old wives tale that says rubbing the leaves of beauty berries on your skin will repel mosquitoes and ticks has been proved to be true by the USDA.

 

You will not have to go far to try any of these wonderful shrubs as all are carried by Bloomington Valley Nursery on old 37 south.  I know you will be glad you did.

About Teri Keith

Garden columnist, Teri Keith, has gardened for over 50 years in her home state of Indiana. She served as a longtime IGC nursery manager specializing in annuals and perennials in Bloomington, Indiana and still gardens with passion. Each year she plants and maintains over 50 flower containers, many gardens, and a large collection of lilacs.

Winter Refugees

Fall is a time for change. The old year is slipping away. And despite our best intentions the yard and garden start getting unkempt and a bit seedy. The vegetable garden (if you put one in) has given up most of its bounty and what is left tends to be root vegetables like turnips and beets. It is a time for asters and mums to show their stuff before a big freeze sets in.
Most falls find us trying to decide how and where to make extra room indoors for some winter refugees. That is, annuals that have done well in the growing season that we hope might reward us with a bit more beauty in exchange for a sunny window and regular watering.
In recent years, I have devoted more time to container gardening on our back deck. Recent favorites have included geraniums, gerbera and coleus. However, bringing plants inside does not always work. Here is a list of things to consider before bringing your favorite plant indoors.
Clean pots; remove dead or unhealthy growth.
Check for pests; treat with pesticide or leave outdoors.
Repot if necessary.
If you are not repotting, top off plant with fresh soil.
Rinse and water.
Ensure you can meet all of the plants’ indoor needs, especially air temperature, humidity and light
Keep the plant out of reach of animals and children, if necessary.

Geraniums and pots were rather made for one another. Our deck has a southern exposure so sun is not a problem in summer; but they should be kept in a location that is sheltered from prevailing winds. In fall, it is simply a matter of hauling them in the house, 2-gallon pots and all. If indoor space is going to be a problem, you can take cuttings and place them directly into a potting mixture in 8-inch pots. Black Gold® All Purpose Potting Mix offers a great substrate for potting full sized geraniums or cuttings. Make sure your mixture is well drained. Water the plants when the potting mixture is dry, but do not overwater. Geraniums need lots of light to flower so give it a south- or southwest facing window. Avoid heating registers or cold drafts.

Photo credit to Jessie Keith

Coleus hail from Asia, Africa and Australia. They became popular as bedding plants in Victorian gardens. More recently, plant breeders have developed many new varieties that I love. Coleus is mostly valued for its intricate multicolored foliage. The blue, purple or white flowers are insignificant. In summer, I like to put them outdoors in 4- to 8-inch pots in front of garden beds or along garden walks. Pinching back new shoots will encourage new growth. While it is important to keep the soil moist, avoid overwatering. Indoors, Coleus likes bright light. However, they are poisonous to cats and dogs; so if Rover or fluffy like to munch on household plants, it might be wise to give this indoor plant a miss.

Bigleaf Begonia is another favorite of mine. They have waxy green to bronze leaves.  Outdoors, it can be placed in full sun to shade, and is considered a low-maintenance plant. It can grow to 18 inches in height. When I bring them indoors, I generally upgrade them to the next largest pot filled with a Black Gold® potting mixture. Indoor plants need full to partial sun and frequent watering to keep the soil moist. It is somewhat poisonous to house pets so be careful.

Gerbera is also known as Transvaal Daisy. These beautiful plants produce flowers that resemble giant daisies in bright candy colors of red, yellow orange and pink. They like a rich soil with added organics like Black Gold® Natural & Organic Raised Bed & Potting Mix. Make sure the pot has an adequate drain hole.  Feeding will also help with bloom production.  Feeding every two weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer (24-8-18) will encourage blooming. Set pots near a sunny window so they can get bright indirect sunlight. Sunlight will encourage blooming, but too much direct sunlight can harm young plants. Good air circulation is also important to reduce humidity and discourage fungal growth. Take care not to overwater Gerbera. Do not water until the top inch of the potting mix is dry. Gerbera is also somewhat toxic for cats so be careful.

About Teri Keith

Garden columnist, Teri Keith, has gardened for over 50 years in her home state of Indiana. She served as a longtime IGC nursery manager specializing in annuals and perennials in Bloomington, Indiana and still gardens with passion. Each year she plants and maintains over 50 flower containers, many gardens, and a large collection of lilacs.

The November Garden

 

 

November is a sort of in-between month. Our warm days are gone, and we are into, what I would call, a typical Oregon fall season. The daylight hours are shorter, the rainy season is here, day and nighttime temperatures are cool and sometimes cold. Yet, there are still many plants providing color with flowers, foliage, and berries.

On this November day, my hardy fuchsias are still blooming and show no signs of letting up. In my own garden and others that I visit, hardy fuchsias have been amazing this year. They seem to perform equally well in both pots and planted in the ground. Contrary to popular belief that they need shade, many in my garden receive sun for most of the day. They should continue blooming until we get a frost, although with continuing days of rain and cold weather, their bloom will diminish.  As an added precaution to give the roots some protection during the winter months, I add 3-4 inches of compost around the base of each plant. Black Gold Garden Compost Blend would be ideal. Some gardeners prune the branches severely after a frost, but I have found that sometimes branches that appear to be dead are actually not and new buds will appear in spring.

It is not too late to plant spring flowering bulbs, favorites like tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and crocuses are the most common. All of these do well in pots, and it can be fun to try different combinations. Using Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix should get your bulbs off to a good start. Try planting crocus around the rim of the pot and then plant pansies over the top for instant winter color.

Many gardeners like to try new plants or bulbs in their garden. While tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and crocuses are the mainstream spring flowering bulbs, Galanthus, (Snowdrop), should not be overlooked. Bulbs can be planted now and, in the spring, they will be among the first bulbs to bloom as the winter is ending. Their clumps of nodding bell-shaped flowers are pure white and are a delight to see on a winter day. Snowdrops are a good plant for a rock garden as well as for under shrubs where they can be allowed to naturalize. They prefer a soil rich in humus such as Black Gold Garden Soil. Work this into the soil at the time of planting.

There are also many deciduous trees that provide us with some spectacular fall color.

Certainly, one of the best is Oxydendrum, (Sourwood). The autumn foliage can be in shades of orange, red, purple, and all shades in between.

There is a huge array of Japanese Maples to choose from. The leaves can vary widely in shape and color. This is an excellent time to visit an arboretum or your local garden center to see what varieties are available. It is often more accurate to see the leaf color in person rather than relying on a photo. The two below are favorites in my garden.

Acer palmatum ‘Shishigashira’:

Acer palmatum ‘Fairy Hair’:

Of course, the work in the garden is never done and a few non-plant winter tasks would be to clean and oil the lawn mower, clean and oil and sharpen pruners, rake and compost leaves, and look through seed and plant catalogs to get ideas for spring!

Enjoy the fall garden and don’t be limited to the plants mentioned here, especially regarding leaf color.  The list for trees and shrubs for fall leaf color is vast. Walk around your neighborhood and visit other gardens to get ideas.

 

About Mike Darcy

Mike lives and gardens in a suburb of Portland, Oregon where he has resided since 1969. He grew in up Tucson, Arizona where he worked at a small retail nursery during his high school and college years. He received his formal education at the University of Arizona where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree in Horticulture, and though he values his formal education, he values his field-experience more. It is hard to beat the ‘hands on’ experience of actually gardening, visiting gardens, and sharing information with other gardeners. Mike has been involved with gardening communications throughout his adult life. In addition to garden writing, he has done television gardening shows in Portland, and for over 30 years he hosted a Saturday radio talk show in Portland. Now he writes, speaks, gardens and continues to share his love of gardening. To be connected to the gardening industry is a bonus in life for Mike. He has found gardeners to be among the friendliest and most caring, generous people. Consequently, many of his friends he has met through gardening.

Climbing Wonders

 

Climbing Wonders

In the heat of the summer, here in the Midwest, many of the most beautiful, flowering garden vines are blooming their hearts out.  When I go out on the back deck, the Morning Glories (Ipomoea) are about to start opening their large trumpet shaped flowers, which will last until frost.  Morning Glories are native to Mexico, and were thought to have spirits by Native Americans.  The first one to become popular in modern times is ‘Heavenly Blue’. Some years ago, I planted ‘Heavenly Blue’ in one of my gardens.  Morning Glories reseed, and after a few years, I had pink, dark blue, purple and magenta flowers, coming up every year. Now seeds are available in all these colors, plus red, white and yellow, some with stripes.

Morning Glories are annuals that flower from early summer to frost.  Plant them in full sun, in any well drained, soil and keep the soil moist.  Soak the seeds for 8 hours, in ½-inch water, before planting.   Find a trellis, a fence, or a pole, to give them something to climb.

Hummingbirds and bees will be happy if you plant Morning Glories, but deer will not.

Clematis have been popular since 1862, when Clematis jackmanii, a purple flowering vine, was discovered in the Orient.  Since then several hundred varieties have been developed, with colors including blue, pink, white and deep red.  Most of them are single star shaped flowers, but some have gorgeous puffs, such as ‘Taiga’, a winner at the famous Chelsea Garden Show in 2017, with bright purple blue flowers, and centers of, white tipped petals that curve in.  ‘Rouge Cardinal’, another beauty, has 4 to 6 inch wide flowers of red with small white centers, and I even have one with small, blue, bells, ‘Roguchi’. Clematis is a perennial, and will come back every year on its own.  They range from 3 to 20 feet long, and can be trained along a fence, or trellis.  Plant in full sun, well-drained soil, with the crown 2 inches, below the surface.  Clematis are deer resistant.

Honeysuckles (Lonicera) are an old-fashioned favorite.  They have a strong, sweet fragrance, as well as beautiful, tube shaped flowers.  There are two kinds of Honeysuckle plants, shrubs and vines.  One of the shrubs, Lonicera japonica, has become invasive, around the world.  Vines, however, are not a problem, and there are some gorgeous varieties. The Coral Honeysuckle varieties are native plants.  The flowers are fan shaped, and face down.  ‘Major Wheeler’ is covered with red and gold flowers all summer long.  It grows 6 to 8 feet tall and 5 to 10 feet wide.  ‘Goldflame’ has bright rose buds that open to yellow flowers, on 10 to 15 foot tall, and 5 to 6 foot vines and ‘Scentsation’s flowers, are yellow and white, and are extremely fragrant. It gets 10 feet tall, and 6 feet wide. Honeysuckles are one of the humming bird’s favorite flowers, and are deer resistant. Plant in full sun, in well-drained soil.

Last, but the best, are climbing roses.  You do not often hear about climbing roses here in the US, but they are common in Britain. You may have seen them, clambering up  English cottages, in British TV shows, like Midsomer Murders, or Downten Abbey, but these roses would only bloom in spring.  Seventy years ago, an English rose breeder, named David Austin, began cross breeding these roses with Chinese roses that bloom all season. The results are spectacular.  Most range from 6 feet, up to 12 feet, but some are even taller. They have a classic English rose shape, with an outside layer of flat petals, and a thick, bowl shaped, packed center, you will not see in the US.  They come in every color, white, pink, peach, rose, yellow and red.  Most have a strong fragrance as well.  These roses have been available in America for many years. Just go online, or order a catalog.  Some of my favorites include, ‘Gertrude Jekyll’, pink, ‘Lady of Shalott’, peach, ‘Zepherine’ deep rose, ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’, red. Plant with the crown at ground level, in a hole a little bit bigger then the plant.

For best results, with all garden plants, dig the hole, put a generous amount of Black Gold® Garden Soil in the bottom, then mix some more in the soil you are putting back into the hole.  Sprinkle with Osmocote on the top, and find a place to plant a climber.

 

About Teri Keith

Garden columnist, Teri Keith, has gardened for over 50 years in her home state of Indiana. She served as a longtime IGC nursery manager specializing in annuals and perennials in Bloomington, Indiana and still gardens with passion. Each year she plants and maintains over 50 flower containers, many gardens, and a large collection of lilacs.

Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are a genus of woody perennial shrubs. The majority are small to medium-sized shrubs, and four species and their varieties have found their way into American gardens. Flower forms are variable: lacecap flowers are more or less flattened with small flowers in the center and larger flowers around the edge; mophead flowers are arranged in a dome shape; ball hydrangea flowers are arranges in large, showy balls, and panicle hydrangea flowers are arranged in closely packed pyramidal clusters. Hydrangeas are native to western Asia, South America and eastern and southeastern North America. Hydrangeas can tolerate all sorts of shade or sun conditions, but cannot withstand dry soil conditions.

Hydrangea paniculata (Panicle Hydrangea)

Panicle hydrangeas are virtually indestructible, always a plus in a family with small children or pets.  They are native to southern and eastern Asia. They can grow up to 8 feet, but are usually shorter.  Paniculata does well in full sun to partial shade and is hardy in zones 3-8.  The flowers are on cone-shaped panicles, up to 16 inches long, and they attract pollinators.  Prune the stems back to 6 inches tall in late winter or early spring. Here are some excellent varieties:

‘Moonrock®’ This gorgeous 5-6 foot tall shrub features creamy white flowers with lime green centers. Flowers in late summer but lasts through fall.

‘Firelight®’ This new, cold-hardy 6-foot hydrangea sports creamy white flowers on large panicles that bloom in summer then gradually turn pink in fall.

 

Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf Hydrangea)

Oakleaf hydrangeas are hardy in Zone 5-8. They are an easy to grow shrub and are native to the southeastern United States. Their leaves resemble large oak leaves 4-12 inches long, hence the name.  Height varies from 3 feet to 8 feet.  They don’t need pruning other than removal of dead branches and blooms.  The large panicle flowers appear in May to July and stay on the plant until frost. They grow in full sun to part shade, tolerate heat and like moist, well drained soils.  They attract pollinators, but are not deer resistant. Some of the best varieties are:

‘Gatsby Pink’  has large pink blooms.  It is 6 feet to 8 feet tall and wide, so give it some room.

‘Ruby Slippers’ is a dwarf variety only 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide ‘Ruby Slippers’ made itself into our garden a few years ago.  It has 9 inch flowers that turn deep red, and is a fast growing quick blooming shrub.

Hydrangea arborescens (Smooth Hydrangea)

Smooth hydrangeas are native to the eastern United States.  They will grow in all soils including clay. Smooth hydrangeas like sun to part shade, have few pests and are hardy in zones 3-9.  They have a ball type flower form.  Prune to the ground in late winter. Here are a couple of outstanding varieties:

‘Incrediball’ has white balls up to 12 inches in diameter.  They are 5 feet tall and wide, are long bloomers and will grow rapidly, blooming the first year.

‘Invincibelle’ is a Proven Winner. it has hot pink flowers that fade to soft pink and is a rebloomer from early to late summer.  It is only 3 to 4 feet tall and wide.

 

Hydrangea macropylla (Bigleaf Hydrangea)

This is a native of Japan. Flowers are either mopheads or lacecaps (not both). Mopheads will remain attractive longer. Other than that, they have the same growth and care characteristics. Flower colors depend on soil pH. Soil pH below 6.0 yields bluish blooms; soil pH above 7.0 yields reds; soil pH between 6 and 7 yields blooms of bluish-pink. Hardy in Zones 6-9 and may grow up to 7 feet tall. Prune late fall to early spring by cutting branches back to the first large new bud. They do best in full sun to partial shade  and need moist but well drained soil. They do not attract pollinators, but most information sources consider them to be deer resistant. Here are some excellent varieties:

‘Big Daddy’ prefers full to partial shade. Enormous ball-shaped flowers up to 14 inches in diameter. Shrubs have a rounded appearance and grow 5-6 feet tall.

‘Masja” is a dwarf mophead hydrangea with flowers up to 6 inches in diameter. It blooms in mid to late summer. The flowers maintain their color for a long time, then turn a metallic hue. Leaves may turn reddish in fall. Perfect in containers too.

 

About Teri Keith

Garden columnist, Teri Keith, has gardened for over 50 years in her home state of Indiana. She served as a longtime IGC nursery manager specializing in annuals and perennials in Bloomington, Indiana and still gardens with passion. Each year she plants and maintains over 50 flower containers, many gardens, and a large collection of lilacs.

 

Summer Garden Tasks

by Mike Darcy

The spring season of 2022 will not go down the annals of ideal gardening weather here in the Pacific Northwest. We had record rain and cool, (cold), days and nights which delayed the typical planting season for many gardeners. Warm season vegetable crops like tomatoes, squash, beans, etc. were delayed until late May and early June. Many gardeners also delayed buying their hanging baskets and flowering annuals as well. While this cool and rainy weather put the garden season behind the usual schedule, it did not take long for plants to put on vigorous growth and now it appears that they are where they should be for July.

There are lots of tasks for July but most important is to enjoy your garden and don’t get overwhelmed.

With container gardening, keep in mind that potted plants will dry out much faster than if they were in the ground, Usually, daily watering is necessary especially for hanging baskets. Adding Black Gold Just Coir to the soil surface of pots will help to hold moisture. Also, check pots to be certain that they are draining adequately. I’ve found that drainage holes can get plugged and it may be necessary to take a piece of rebar or heavy wire to unplug them.

It is not too late to add some color to your garden. Most garden centers carry summer blooming annuals, and these can easily be potted in your own containers for some instant color. No one has to know that you just planted them! Be sure to use a potting soil that will help hold moisture. I like to use Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix, because with pumice or perlite, it will also ensure good aeration.

 

Dahlias will be coming into bloom this month and should continue through the fall or until there is a frost. Keep the flowers picked for continuous bloom. Earwigs seem to prefer dahlia flowers over many others and if you see the flower petals being eaten, that is probably a sure sign of earwig damage. Take a flower apart and you will probably see them. Control as necessary, always following label instructions. Dahlias need regular summer watering and if the soil constantly dries out quickly, add Black Gold Garden Compost Blend. Tall growing dahlias usually need to be staked

As the name suggests, Hydrangea is a moisture loving plant. While some can grow in a full sun location, I’ve found they do best with some afternoon shade. They are quick to wilt with lack of moisture, but also quick to bounce back. A mulch of Black Gold Just Coir, especially during the summer months would be beneficial.

Some of the smaller fruited tomatoes may be beginning to ripen. Be sure tomato plants have good drainage and adequate water. Tomatoes have an extensive root system so water them deeply. If they stress for water, they may drop the fruit. Plants often get very dense with growth, and it is a good idea to thin some of the branches and leaves to increase air circulation which can help prevent some diseases. While it is too late to plant tomatoes, if you did not get a spring vegetable garden planted, make plans for a fall one in mid-August. While the crops will vary from spring, there is much that can be planted for a fall harvest.

 

 

Take some time to enjoy your efforts. I like to have a walk through the garden in the early morning and just enjoy the peace and quiet. I have many plants that attract hummingbirds, and it is a delight to watch them in action. I have other plants for attracting bees and other insects as well as an assortment of birds and several sources of water for all. I strive to be respectful of our planet.

 

 

 

About Mike Darcy

Mike lives and gardens in a suburb of Portland, Oregon where he has resided since 1969. He grew in up Tucson, Arizona where he worked at a small retail nursery during his high school and college years. He received his formal education at the University of Arizona where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree in Horticulture, and though he values his formal education, he values his field-experience more. It is hard to beat the ‘hands on’ experience of actually gardening, visiting gardens, and sharing information with other gardeners. Mike has been involved with gardening communications throughout his adult life. In addition to garden writing, he has done television gardening shows in Portland, and for over 30 years he hosted a Saturday radio talk show in Portland. Now he writes, speaks, gardens and continues to share his love of gardening. To be connected to the gardening industry is a bonus in life for Mike. He has found gardeners to be among the friendliest and most caring, generous people. Consequently, many of his friends he has met through gardening.