Perennial Gardens in Late July
Perennial Gardens in Late July
Although perennials usually return year after year, these gardens need on-going maintenance in order to keep them looking their best from spring through fall. Late July is the perfect time for some flower garden tweaking. If you get out early in the morning to avoid the heat, and spend thirty minutes to an hour on the following tasks, you’ll be happier with the look of your perennial bed. Here are 6 tips for improving your perennial garden in late July.
1. Deadhead Daylily Plants
The early flowering daylilies such as Stella D’Oro and Happy Returns need a total deadheading right now, while the July blooming varieties can be cut as individual stems go by. Clip the old flower stems and browned leaves down to the base one by one, or use a hedge trimmer to chop the entire plant back to the ground. If you shear the entire plant back, it will create new foliage that looks good through autumn.
2. Cut Unattractive Perennials To the Ground
Some early-flowering perennials are not an asset in the garden by the end of July. Spiderwort, penstemon, and some salvias, for example, are not improved by a simple deadheading. These can be cut right to the ground. Many will respond by growing new foliage that looks better, while others will remain dormant for the rest of the summer but return again next spring.
3. Pull Weeds
The summer weeds explode at this time of year. Be on the lookout for crabgrass, purslane, carpet weed, spotted spurge and plantain, and pull or hoe them promptly. Since many of these can germinate in and under your perennials, look closely so that you can remove them before they get too large.
4. Shear Lavender
Once your lavender flowers have faded to gray, shear this plant with hedge trimmers, cutting the finished flowers stems and about an inch of the foliage. This will help the plant to stay thick and full, and frequently stimulates the production of a few more flowers.
5. Add Some Annuals
Yes, we know you love perennial plants, but adding a few annuals at this time of the season will keep you smiling into October. In any bare or open areas, or next to perennials that you’ve recently cut down, just spread some time-release fertilizer such as Osmocote or Shake n’ Feed, and plant a few annuals in that area. Water them in well right after planting, and be sure to spray with a rabbit repellant such as Plantskydd immediately. You’ll be rewarded with annuals that develop quickly and flowers until hard frost.
6. Keep Up The Watering
Since it remains dry on Cape Cod, be sure to water your perennials deeply every 5 to 7 days. Note that irrigation systems that go off for 20 or 30 minutes at a time are not soaking your plants deeply.
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Great tips and information. Than you
Thank you for the great tips for perennial maintenance and suggestions on adding annuals