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.

In a normal year, I might tell you to relax and enjoy the summer, knowing that you had accomplished all your summer chores earlier in the season. But we all know that this year was anything but normal and for most of us, we are just now pulling the last weeds out of the garden and getting the lawn in shape. For 2011, August will be the month to install new landscapes and renovate old ones.

Contrary to popular belief, summer is an excellent time to do planting. While the soils can actually be too wet in the spring, the summer soils are drier and, with some pre-irrigation, can be made moist enough for planting. With careful attention to watering, summer planting is actually better than spring.

To be successful in this normally dry and hot season you will need to follow my foolproof recipe for establishing new plants in your garden.

1. Dig the hole twice as wide and just as deep as the size of the root ball.

2. Fill the hole with water to the top and let it soak into the surrounding sides and bottom of the hole. This may take as much as 12 hours for a 12 inch deep hole. If the hole still has water that just won't go away, then fill with soil to above the water line and plant on the "high side." Of course, if you have sandy soil, then poor drainage is not an issue.

3. Follow good planting practices, using compost to amend the soil and organic fertilizers to enrich it. Loosen up the root ball to "release" pot bound roots (this is where you can take out your aggressions), place the root ball into the hole so that the top of the ball is at the finish grade of the garden and fill in the hole with half of the amended and fertilized soil.

4. Firm up the replaced soil with either your hand or foot and fill with several gallons of water. Allow water to soak in.

5. Replace the rest of the soil, firm and form a watering basin that will hold an inch or two of water.

6. Fill the basin several times with water until you feel the new plant is thoroughly watered-in. Leave the basin in place for as long as you can stand to look at it.

7. Go have a glass of wine and relax, knowing that you have just properly planted your new selection and won't need to water it again for probably 3-6 days.

Now that I have put your anxieties to bed concerning summer planting, here are some chores to fill the rest of your time in the garden.

Fertilize: The rule is simple--feed them and they will grow. Plants need food, especially annuals, perennials and veggies. If your plants look tired and off-color, chances are they need to be fed.

Pruning: Yes, you can prune shrubs and trees in the summer, just not severely. Go tackle the fruit and flowering trees and get the suckers out now. This is the perfect time to dress up your hedges too.

Roses: Keep removing old blooms and fertilize every 6 weeks. Control mildew, rust and black spot with your favorite fungicide.

Bugs: Tent caterpillars and fall web worms may start showing up this month and a natural product containing Spinosad will take care of them in short order. Bonide markets this under the Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew label. Aphids never really go away completely, but I think the lady bird beetles are finally starting to keep them in check.

Diseases: All the damage we had from the long cold and wet spring on cherries and lilacs and laurels and who knows what else is best dealt with now with the loppers. Cut out dead and diseased wood and fertilize and water to stimulate new replacement growth.

Lawns: It's looking like our lawns may not go dormant this year, which is fine with me. Apply an inch of water per week and some food if they are looking pale and you should have a nice soft green surface to recreate on for the rest of the summer.

Veggies, herbs and fruits: I will be picking my first zucchini this week and I can hardly wait to chop it up and add it to some scrambled eggs. I have been pigging out on my blueberries and raspberries too. Cherries should be good to go this month but it is looking like my peach trees won't be ready until the end of August. If you are feeling jealous, refer to the above info on summer planting. It's not too late to plant some fruit trees, berries, grapes and hardy herbs.

Enjoy the sun when it shines and don't be afraid to do some planting. Fall is just around the corner. You can reach me at 425-334-2002 or online at info@sunnysidenursery.net.