SUMMER 2010
The Official Start for the First Day of Summer is June 21, 2010. The astronomical beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere is marked by the June solstice, which by the way is the longest day of the year.
Summer is a favorite time of the year for most people, including me. A time to really enjoy the sunshine (be sure to wear sun-block) and the warm weather. We seem to become more active during the summer months with activities like biking, camping, hiking, swimming just to name a few. A great time to really take in all of nature’s beauty and enjoy all the life has to offer.
Other celebrated goings-on are picnics and barbeques an ideal time to gather with family and friends in the backyard or park. My favorite’s foods for summer are hamburgers, hot dogs and of course my “renowned” potato salad oh yes, something that must be included is mouth watering watermelon. Yum!
So get out there,take a walk in the sun, listen to the birds rejoice and stop and smell the Flowers!
Holiday and Observant for summer are:
Father’s Day...June 20
4th of July....July 4
Labor Day......Sept 6
Have a wonderful summer! :)********************************** Flower Garden Summer Maintenance
Caring for Garden in the Summer
A quick guide to flower care during the hot summer months and tips on how to enjoy your flower garden more, too.
There are routine summer maintenance chores to do in the summer flower garden, but the hectic pace of spring gives way to a sense of languid, hazy enjoyment. Be sure to stop and notice the butterflies, the scents and the pure delight of the garden as you work among the flowers. The following gardening tasks and pleasures should be on your summer garden maintenance to-do list. Deadhead Faded Flowers Deadhead or remove the faded, spent blooms. This is a pleasant job that leaves the garden looking tidy and neat. Daylilies need deadheading daily.
Weed the Flower Garden A regular routine of mulching and ongoing garden maintenance will cut back on weeds so you have fewer each year than the year before. Your best bet in the summer months is to follow these 3 easy steps to control weeds.
When faced with a nice crop of weeds in the summer flower garden, you need to be smart about how to stop the weed growth now and limit future weeds. Follow this step by step guide to summer weed control strategy to regain control over the weeds in your flower bed in three easy steps.
1). deadhead the weeds (trim off the flowers) so they can’t set seed and reseed themselves in the flower garden. This will go a long way toward preventing their spread. 2). trim the weeds off short. Clip them back by hand, or use a hedge trimmer or small edge trimmer, or cut them off with a hoe. Removing the foliage slows their ability to photosynthesize and weakens them, temporarily limiting their growth. Leave the foliage on the ground where it falls. Eventually, it will compost in place. 3). smother the weeds. Cover the weed stubs and trimmings with newspaper and organic mulch to exclude light. Tidy Up Faded Foliage Cut down faded foliage of plants that die off in the heat such as pansies and perennials that die back and go dormant, such as bleeding heart and oriental poppies. Also remove any diseased foliage from the garden and dispose of it in the trash.
Harvest/Save Flower Seeds Save seeds from your best plants, either to strew in the garden or start indoors next winter. Check for Pest Problems Pest patrol! Scout regularly and follow modern Integrated Pest Management methods. Add More Mulch Fluff and replenish mulch. Packed mulch repels rain or irrigation water, so keep it fluffed up. Add more as needed to maintain a depth of about two to three inches. Watering the Flowers Water only if needed to supplement rain. Dig down into the soil to see if you need to water. Better Composting Compost "happens" faster in summer, especially if you are adding fresh grass clippings to your composer. Use half finished compost as mulch, or use completed compost as a top dressing.
Plan your Shaded Flower Garden for Next Summer High summer is the best time of year to get the most out of your cool, shady garden. There are many different flowers you can grow in the shade. Hardy perennial flowers that do well in part shade to shade include: Actaea spp. (Bugbane) Alchemilla mollis (Lady’s Mantle) Astilbe Aquilegia (Columbine) Begonia grandis (Hardy Begonia) Bergenia (Pigsqueak) Brunnera (Bugloss) Dicentra (Bleeding Heart) Epimedium (Bishop's Hat) Helleborus (Hellebore) Hosta Iris cristata (Crested Iris) Lamium maculatum (Spotted Deadnettle) Phlox divaricata (Woodland Phlox) Primula (Primrose) Pulmonaria (Leadwort) Tiarella (Foam Flower) Tricyrtis (Toad Lily) Viola (Violet) Annual flowers that do well in part shade to shade and bloom all summer include: Impatiens Begonia - including tuberous, angel wing and fibrous rooted begonias Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco) Torenia (Wishbone Flower) Viola Special Fragrances of Summer There is nothing else like it—the perfume of flowers and foliage wafting in the heat of a summer afternoon! Early evening has its own special scent, too. Do you need to add more fragrant flowers and plants? Sweet Alyssum
Sweet Peas
Fragrant Roses
Lilacs
Peonies
Lavender
Favorite Fragrant Perennials spicily dianthus
Iris "Royal Storm",“Scented Bubbles" "Vanity" and Iris "Midnight"
Daylily "Siloam Double Classic","Hyperion","Chorus Line"and Daylily "Raspberry Candy"
For a Shady garden grow fragrant HOSTA such as:
"Honeybells"
"Fragrant Bouquet"
"Fragrant Blue"
"Heaven Scent"
"So Sweet"
"Aphrodite"
"Royal Standard" Enjoy Butterflies You can plant a special butterfly garden or simply incorporate lots of flowers butterflies love in your normal flower garden. Plant these butterfly flowers and the butterflies will thank you!
butterfly bush (Buddleia)
purple coneflower(Echinacea purpurea)
black eyed Susan(Rudbeckia)
Brazilian verbena (Verbena bonariensis)
daylily(Hemerocallis)
catmint (Nepeta)
Lavender
Phlox
Goldenrod ironweed(Vernonia)
Asters
sedums
Plant a generous swathe of annuals:
Zinnias
Marigolds
Cosmos
Cleome
lantana (Lantana is perennial in some areas, annual in others, and butterflies love it.) Plan for Fall Bulb Planting It’s never too early to plan ahead. Many of the bulb catalogs offer summer sales specials with great discounts. Order now for fall planting and then enjoy the flowers next spring! The best way to plant spring blooming bulbs is in quantity, so allow ample space for a terrific spring bulb display. Take Time to Enjoy! A well maintained flower garden looks lovely and offers a special kind of respite. Be sure to set aside a little time this summer just to enjoy the many benefits of all your hard work! article by bm martin |