Something I usually forget to mention this time of year is that now is the time to sow seeds for perennials and biennials that don’t need stratification — exposure to cold temperatures, before germinating.
This includes plants such as catchfly (Silene ameria), columbine (Aquilegia), delphinium, English daisy (Bellis perennis), evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), forget-me-not (Myosotis), lupine, dianthus, wallflower (Erysimum), yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and the annuals, snapdragon (Antirrhinum) and pansy (Viola tricolor).
The advantage of sowing now is that these plants can grow their first year stage this summer and reach flowering age and size for next summer/spring. Pansies planted now will bloom in time for the fall and spring, particularly those marketed as winter pansies. The snapdragons will appear next spring.
Trimming wisteria
While the primary pruning of wisteria is done in the winter, shape and flowering can be improved by a limited pruning in summer. Cut back the long shoots of current growth to about 6 inches after flowering.
These can then be cut back in winter to three buds. During this time you can also remove any shoots that do not contribute to the shape of the plant. Check for and remove any suckers that sprout from below the graft at the base of the vine.
This is not the time to do drastic cutting so use restraint or don’t do it at all. Drastic pruning now will encourage rampant growth and can reduce flowering as wisteria blooms on old wood. I found the article, “Pruning and Training Wisteria” by Meghan Ray on the Fine Gardening website to be very good in illustrating and explaining the pruning process (www.finegardening.com/article/pruning-and-training-wisteria).
The value of deadheading
Every year I remind you to keep your flowers deadheaded until near the end of the season. This is because deadheading not only tidies the garden but also encourages many flowers to rebloom. The lifecycle of a plant is to germinate, grow, flower and seed. If you allow the flowers to remain on the plant, you divert attention and energy to the formation of seeds instead of producing more flowers.
Allowing the late blooms to remain will allow seeds to develop for self-seeding or as a source of food for your garden wildlife. If you intend to collect seeds, note that hybrid plants may produce sterile seed or, even if the seeds are viable, do not produce identical plants as the parents. The easiest way to explain this is that any set of parents does not produce children that are identical to each other or their parents.
Also remember that when your annuals peter out, you can shear them back. It works particularly with petunias that get long, leggy and unattractive as the summer progresses. This will promote new growth and more blooms. Alternatively, there is no crime if you just toss them and replace them with new annuals.
A fun event last weekend
I really enjoyed the Perennial Extravaganza at Linden Hill Gardens (8230 Easton Road, Ottsville, 610-847-1300, www.jerryfritzgardendesign.com) last Saturday. One of my favorite garden persons, Stephanie Cohen, aka The Perennial Diva (theperennialdiva.com), presented a lecture on perennials that was not only informative but also highly enjoyable. She combines her vast experience and knowledge with a lot of common sense and humor. If you have a chance to hear Stephanie, I highly recommend it. After years on the national garden stage, Stephanie is interested in adding garden clubs and master gardener groups to her schedule.
The locale, Linden Hills, is beautiful with spectacular gardens and always the most recent have-to-have plants for sale in the nursery. Owner Jerry Fritz and his staff are very helpful and welcoming. A good day out anytime and an excellent source of inspiration for your own garden.
In our garden
The best of our garden is currently the container displays. I have a large pot with two bright red mandevilla vines climbing a metal pyramid and another pot with a purple and white double datura (Datura Ballerina Purple) just starting to produce blooms. My new white strawberry plant (Fragaria ananassa) has produced some great semi-double red blossoms and the first of the berries are forming.
I hope I get to taste them before the raccoons do. I bought an eyeball plant, aka toothache plant (Spilanthes oleracea or Acmella oleracea) for husband Fran. Its yellow ball flowers have a dark brownish red center and resemble eyeballs. Ours is full of blooms — an amusing novelty plant.
Sue Kittek is a freelance garden columnist, writer, and lecturer. Send questions to Garden Keeper at grdnkpr@gmail.com or mail: Garden Keeper, The Morning Call, PO Box 1260, Allentown, PA 18105.
Week in the Garden
Planting:
Start a final sowing of beets, bush green beans, chard, cucumbers, melons, okra, potatoes, pumpkins, summer squash and sweet corn.
Plant but protect from heat: late-season cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, peas and broccoli for late summer or early fall harvest.
Replace spent containers of pansies with heat-loving annuals. Move the pansies to cool shade and keep them watered during the summer if you want to keep them for the fall.
Plant trees, shrubs and perennials. Make sure soil is dry enough to work — don’t dig or plant in mud.
Use annuals for containers, annual garden beds and to fill in bare spots in perennial or shrub beds. Shop for summer bulbs.
Seasonal:
Stalk tall flowers and provide supports for vining plants.
Shear back damaged or ratty looking foliage on columbine (Aquilegia sp.) and cranesbill geraniums. Cut common bleeding heart (Dicentra spectablis) back to its base foliage.
Prune back clematis (Group I, C. Montana rubens, for example) and deutzia after blooming.
Give a light feeding to hellebores such as the Lenten rose.
Stop pinching back helenium, chrysanthemums and asters now.
Deadhead flowers and trim damaged, diseased, and dead foliage to keep beds tidy.
Cut back peony flower stems as the blooms fade. Allow the greens to grow until fall and then cut back.
Clip back iris flower stems as the blooms fade; divide crowded beds.
Lawn:
Treat for chinch bugs and sod webworms.
Cut as needed, based on growth not schedule, to a height of about 2 ½ to 3 inches tall. Use a sharp blade and fresh gas.
Keep newly seeded or sodded lawns watered; supplement rain in weeks where less than an inch
Apply pre-emergent crabgrass control in the next few weeks.
Fill in holes and low spots in lawn.
Apply corn gluten based weed control in the garden; reapply at four to six week intervals.
Chores:
Harvest crops regularly, at least every other day.
Check hoses; replace washers and correct leaky connections
Dump standing water and remove anything that may collect rainwater to help control mosquito populations.
Check seed inventory for second or later plantings or for late crops and fall planting.
Inventory and restock seed starting and potting supplies. Clean, disinfect and store pots and trays used for seed starting and transplants.
Provide deer, rabbit and groundhog protection for vulnerable plants. Reapply taste or scent deterrents.
Clean and fill bird feeders and birdbaths regularly. Clean up spilled seed and empty hulls. Once a week scrub/brush birdbaths before refilling to dislodge any mosquito eggs.
Clear gutters and direct rainwater runoff away from house foundations.
Tools, equipment, and supplies:
Sharpen tool blades, get fresh gas, check and/or replace oil. Send mowers and tractors for tune-up or repair.
Clean and oil hand tools.Check and store winter/fall equipment, repair or replace as needed.
Safety:
Clear lawns of debris and keep pets and children away from areas being mowed.
Don’t prune anything that can’t be reached from the ground. Hire a certified and insured tree pruner for high pruning or heavy branches or for work around power lines.
Store garden chemicals indoors away from pets and children. Discard outdated ones at local chemical collection events.
Photograph storm damage before clearing or repairing for insurance claims and file promptly.
Avoid tick and mosquito bites: Use an insect repellent containing Deet on the skin. Apply a permethrin product to clothing. Wear light-colored clothing, long sleeves, hats and long pants when working in the garden.
Stay hydrated. Drink water or other non-caffeinated, nonalcoholic beverages.
Apply sunscreen, wear hats and limit exposure to sun.
Wear closed-toe shoes and gloves; use eye protection; and use ear protection when using loud power tools.
