The Whistling Gardener

by Steve Smith

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, located at 3915 Sunnyside Blvd., and a respected local expert on all things horticultural. You can reach Steve at 425-334-2002 or by e-mail at info@sunnysidenursery.net.

Just because July is over doesn't mean that summer is too. From now until late September, it is an excellent time to fine tune the flower beds, tackle a major landscaping project and add a few more goodies that weren't available in the nurseries back in April, May or June. Along with discovering new plants, here is a list of chores to tend to during this period of high growth in our gardens.

LAWNS: Resist the urge to mow the lawn closer as the growth rate slows. Two inches high is just right. Warmer weather helps weed killers work faster. You can spot spray for dandelions and clover and see results in just a few hours. Aerating will do wonders to improve water efficiency. Considering how hot it has been, I would wait until late August to plant a new lawn. Apply only an inch of water per week. Most of us tend to overwater everything.

ROSES: It's time to fertilize and prune off the old flowers. Go down the stem until you see a leaf with five leaflets that is attached to the outside of the stem and cut just above that point. A new shoot will emerge that will grow away from the center of the plant and produce another flower. We are entering mildew season and preventive sprays will go a long way to keeping your roses looking great.

PERENNIALS: Keep shopping throughout the summer for fillers in the perennial beds. We get new shipments weekly. Remember that most perennials only bloom for five or six weeks, so you need to choose carefully to orchestrate a continuous blooming composition. Combine early, mid, and late summer bloomers for the best effect. Also, if you dead head plants like yarrow and delphiniums now, they will bloom again for you in the fall. And don't overlook the value of foliage. Contrasting coarse and fine textured plants makes for an interesting arrangement, even when there are no flowers.

CONTAINERS AND BASKETS: Keep fertilizing and grooming for continued bloom. Remove seed pods from fuchsias and water thoroughly. The new trailing petunias such as the "Wave" and "Supertunia" types will trail two to three feet by the end of the summer if you keep feeding them. If your containers look like hell, then go down to the nursery and get some fresh stuff. They will grow and bloom for another two months if you do.

WEEDS: The best advice I can give you for weed control is to mulch, mulch, mulch. Use a Hula Hoe or spot spray with an appropriate weed killer to clean up the weeds. Apply a "pre-emergent" weed preventer such as "Preen" or Corn Gluten and then lay on the mulch. One inch of a fine bark mulch or compost is all you need. It will keep the weeds down, conserve moisture and improve the soil quality over time.

FRUIT TREES: Watch for pear slugs this month. They really love pears, plums and cherries, but will sometimes get on apples. Set out traps for apple maggots. This is a nasty bug that, unlike codling moths, will render your apples inedible. As fruit develops on trees be sure to prop up the limbs so they don't break. Thinning is very important for some varieties of fruits, so space fruit out to 4 to 6 inches in order for the remaining fruits to obtain adequate size.

VEGETABLES: This has been a fabulous year for veggies. Cool season crops are about done now, but corn, bean, cukes and squashes are going nuts. Give your corn an extra shot of fertilizer now and watch it grow overnight. You can replant lettuce, radishes and carrots now, and even broccoli. Harvest in the mornings and do it often, especially the zucchini.

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached at the nursery at 425-334-2002 or email at info@sunnysidenursery.net.