Your Backyard Garden Information Source
EVERY gardener knows that Sweet Alyssum, variety Little Gem, is among, if not the best, plant to use to outline beds or borders. In this month it needs a good shearing or cutting back at least half way, so that new growth is encouraged and the blooming season is prolonged until frost. In August one begins to make new seedbeds […]
Then comes summer, real summer in our garden. Flowers bloom and our friends tell us they are lovely. But we see the flaws and errors. We feel almost guilty to have our garden praised, so many glaring faults and shortcomings have it. The color scheme is wrong, there are false notes here and there. There are tall plants where short […]
Learn the August garden tasks for your gardening hardiness zone. Do you know what your hardiness zone? Once known, then find the required task. Zone 1 Sow seeds of wildflowers and fall veggies Aerate, dethatch and fertilize the lawn As first frosts threaten, pick mature green tomatoes to ripen in a dark, cool place indoors Purchase containerized trees and shrubs […]
August is generally a month to harvest, not plant, crops although it’s not too late to put in one last crop of lettuce, as well as spinach, chard, and kale for fall picking. It’s also a good time to plant perennials in pots to add late-season color to the garden. Check with your local garden store or perennial nursery to […]
Dahlias, especially small flowered kinds, have great possibilities as border plants. They may be used in masses or planted in combination with annuals and perennials. Most of the small Dahlias are early and profuse bloomers, starting to flower in July and continuing right through till frost. Dahlias in combination with other flowers should be planted as early as the ground […]
Growing butterfly milkweed, harvesting garden produce often, and keeping container plantings watered are some of the gardening activities for this month. Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is not a weed at all (a plant out of place that you don’t want in your garden). Better common names are butterfly or orange milkweed, as it is in the milkweed family, has orange […]
Of all the fragrant annuals, the petunia is the best known and the most profuse flowering. At the time we buy plants in the spring, the moon vine is a poor-appearing plant; otherwise, more people would buy them. How delicately fragrant they are, how fragile! Have you sown seeds of them? They are hard and need to be soaked in […]
Provided is a list of tasks you need to perform in your garden during July. Please understand your gardening zone which is identified in the menu above. Look for Hardiness Zones. Zone 1 Reap herbs for maximum flavor by harvesting them as the first flower buds appear Lanky annuals need your help! Pinch them back now to encourage bushy growth […]
With the arrival of July and hotter weather, many gardeners leave the garden to fend for itself. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help the harvest. Although your planting may be done, to ensure good yields you need to spend time in the garden to water, weed, and check for insect pests. Some crops will benefit from a modest side dressing of nitrogen […]
The North Annual flowers that come into bloom quickly may still be sown and give excellent results. Calliopsis, candytuft, cape-marigold, Gypsophila, cornflower, and love-in-a-mist are a few dependable ones. Hot, dry places may be planted with Dwarf Morning-glories, portulaca, California-poppy, calliopsis, and annual phlox. Spring-blooming shrubs, such as the Vanhoutte Spirea and Forsythia, should be pruned now. Paper mulch is […]