July tips and care for annuals

Wed. Jul. 1, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: July care for annuals

Summer’s here and the livin’s best outdoors!! If you haven’t mulched yet, now is a good time.

Mulch truly is a garden’s superhero. It will keep weeds out, moisture in and soil temperatures stabilized.

fresh mulch laid

This is important for some of our more tender plants. Applying a thin layer, about an inch, right now will keep the soil temp a bit cooler and moisture in.

  • You should water well and deeply but less frequently this time of year. This will encourage the roots to grow deeper.
  • Stop fertilizing during extremely hot, dry weather. It’s a little like your boss throwing paperwork on your desk at 5 o’clock on Friday afternoon.  You’ve already been working like crazy to finish up, you do NOT need more stress. Your plants feel the same way in hot, dry weather.
  • Of course, there’s still time to plant more!!! Take advantage of all those plant sales. This is also a good time of year to plan for next year. 
  • Everyone’s gardens are really starting to look great, take pictures of what you like and what you don’t like so you remember, “oh yeah, I didn’t like that plant”. 
  • I would really encourage you to have a garden journal. I know, just the words, garden journal, can glaze over the eyes of some while others shudder. In reality, they can save you a lot of time and money.

Looking back on past years gardens has definitely shaped what I plant and how I plant for the next year. Just pull up a seat in the shade, gaze over your gardens and report what you see! I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve thought, oh, I’ll remember THAT. Not so much.

Case in point (on keeping a journal, keeping tags!)

the coleous with no name…

I had so many people remark on this coleous and want to know what kind it is… I have no idea. I didn’t save the tag.