Spring faded to early summer with some mild and pleasant temperatures in June which made planting your gardens a pleasure. As we head into July and the temperature starts to climb you may be worried about how the heat will affect your garden spaces. The afternoon direct sun can make a lot of your plants wilt and look almost near death. But fear not, as your plants were growing all through spring and early summer their roots were getting strong. Deep watering in the mornings will help your plants get through the intense afternoon heat and they should perk up as soon as the sun starts to set. If you find it necessary to water in the afternoon, keep in mind to water at soil level as some plants do not fare well with overhead watering in the sun.
If your garden spaces are anything like mine, they are constantly changing. As the season progresses and you learn more about which plants do better in certain areas of your garden, or which planters are getting more sun exposure than you initially realized, there are lots of flowering perennials you can plant in July. Echinacea, Verbena, Gaillardia, and Penstemons are great perennials for season-long color.
There are a few simple tasks that will help to keep your blooms looking beautiful throughout summer. To encourage longer flowering, deadhead bedding plants and all your repeat-flowering perennials. Feeding and mulching borders and containers is very important as it helps to insulate roots and keep your soil from drying out too fast.
If you are interested in planting more vegetables, beans are a quick growing crop that’s perfect for sowing in the late season. The classic hot weather green, collards can be sowed right through summer. Crowder peas are another incredibly productive staple crop, they’re drought-resistant and do well in warm soil.
Ashland Greenhouses has a variety of beautiful flowering perennials to add to your gardens and containers as well as a large selection of our famous hanging Calibrachoa baskets. We will be stocking a new shipment of colorful and fun garden art soon, including some amazing seasonal items. Check out what plants we currently have by going to our website, www.ashlandgreenhouses.com and clicking on “availability list” at the top of the web page. We are open seven days a week throughout summer. As always, feel free to send an email to grow@ashlandgreenhouses.com, or give us a call at (541) 482-2866 if you have any questions.
