Where I live it ’s much a town ordinance that everything be planted , tools put away , hoses reeled , detritus composted , and walks weed before the Fourth of July . No matter where you live in the Northeast , July ’s passion signals the end of planting season until fall . It ’s mellow time to slap the dirt off your paw and have a cookout . July also gives us an idea of what summertime has in computer memory weather condition - wise . recently , it ’s been the gateway into an lengthened dry spell if not full - on drouth .
Practice water - wise tips as the heat of summer exercise set in . Get to know the soil in your garden and how quickly it bakes ironical . bestow finished compost or a top dressing made of shredded leaves process to increase the wet - holding capacity of flaxen soils and better the drain of Lucius DuBignon Clay soils . seat in a rain gauge , and take down the conditions day by day in your garden journal . A saturating inch per week is optimum for most plants . pee - wise gardenersallow lawn to go abeyant during drought and on a regular basis irrigate only Modern annuals , perennial , shrubs , and tree diagram . Consider evict any base plants that exclaim out for subsidiary water and replacing them with drouth - tolerant species . If you must water , do it early only on windless days to prevent vapor . A dull soak will promote inscrutable and lively roots .
Water your containers more deeply . When the heat hits , plants detain to container need supernumerary attention to preclude pot stress . Check them first affair in the morning and again in the good afternoon for grease wet and signs of wilt . Certain containers in full sun may need daily or even twice day-to-day lachrymation during heat wave . Always water deeply enough that water supply runs out the drainage holes .
Fertilize yearbook and tender perennialsevery two weeks to once per calendar month during the growing season . Choose a dilute solution of organic fertilizer such as Pisces the Fishes or seaweed emulsion , which , unlike celluloid chemical fertilizers , wo n’t demolish the fragile body structure of the grease and its lively and beneficial food web .
Deadhead some plants and not others . Some plants , particularly annual such as marigold ( Tagetesspp . and cvs . ) , zinnias ( Zinniaspp . and cvs . ) , and cosmos ( Cosmosspp . and cvs . ) , may be tricked into extended bloom if they ’re forbid from setting seed . For others , the seed heads are half the fun of the industrial plant and may be leave to remain for fall and wintertime interest , bird food , and self - sowing . Start collecting ripe seed from your favorite early blooming annuals , biennials , and perennials . Keep them teetotal in paper bags , coin envelopes , or jars .
Get inspired . It is n’t just your own garden that should be ready to receive Edgar Albert Guest in July . Go in hunting of estimation and inspiration . check off local listing forGarden Conservancy Open Daysand fundraising tours host by other arrangement such as garden club and industrial plant societies . Visit your favorite public and botanical garden , while making trusted to take wellness and base hit precautions , and go for a paseo in the woods to study wild plant life relationships . other mornings and murky days are always best for photography and crowd avoidance .
July ’s most important task ? Pouring a cold-blooded beverage and commit your foot up in the shade . Gardeners need to acclimatise to summer weather too .
— Kristin Green is the author ofPlantiful : Start Small , Grow Big With 150 plant That Spread , Self - Sow , and Overwinter . She gardens in Bristol , Rhode Island .
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These tassel flower (Emilia capitata, annual) seeds are ready to fly away in the wind or be collected by conscientious gardeners for next year’s season.Photo: Kristin Green
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This rain gauge gives an account of how much rain we got after a heavy summer downpour.Photo: Kristin Green
Given sharp drainage, even succulents planted in containers want regular soakings during summer’s hot, dry spells.Photo: Kristin Green
Is there any better sign that a container of fertilizer is going to good use than dirt smears all over it?Photo: Karen Beaty
Starflower (Scabiosa stellata, annual) is grown more for its showy seed heads than for its white pincushion flowers. These can be left in place to provide continual interest.Photo: Kristin Green
Gates open for visitors at Mount Hope Farm’s former cutting garden on a cloudy July morning in Bristol, Rhode Island.Photo: Kristin Green
Relax this month with something ice cold and fizzy, perhaps garnished with an edible from your garden, such as borage (Borago officinalis, annual).Photo: Kristin Green
