July in the Garden

While the membership of Garden Club R.F.D. does not meet in July, its members are still busy in their gardens. This month brings long, warm days that continue into the evening. It’s just perfect for pottering in the garden, hosting barbecues and enjoying the beds and borders of their gardens as the plants reach their peak.

The garden is bursting with life, so you must be sure to keep watering and giving your flowers and vegetables extra care to keep them growing. Mostly this is an expectant time with a bountiful harvest of greens and fast-growing root veggies. And, of course, your perennials are back once again and new annuals that were planted in May and June are blooming with exuberance and color.

Here are some of the jobs you must continue to do as these summer days have arrived:

1. Make sure that tall plants and climbers are well supported in case of a summer storm as Mother Nature may provide a few more surprises. May and June, this year, presented us with some severe weather.
2. Water your garden at dusk to reduce evaporation and use mulch to retain moisture around your plants.
3. Regularly deadhead bedding and perennial plants to encourage new blooms for as long as possible.
4. Cut back faded perennial plants to keep borders tidy.
5. Cut back growth in hanging baskets to encourage new flowers and foliage and please be sure to feed your baskets well after doing this.
6. Continue to train new growth on climbing plants and vegetables (cucumbers) and tie them to stakes appropriately. Cut up panty hose make for good and inexpensive ties.
7. Divide clumps of bearded iris so they have time to form roots and flower buds for next year, before the cold weather arrives.
8. Deadhead your roses to keep them looking tidy.
9. Keep an eye out for pests on plants -- early treatment is best. Look for treatments that are safe—more natural and less chemical. Google it!
10. Clear weeds regularly, as they constantly compete with your plants and crops for nutrients and water.

Garden Club R.F.D. is a nonprofit organization that meets at the Little Red Schoolhouse, an historic site. We maintain the herb garden at Marlpit Hall in Middletown, the cement planters at the Middletown train station and work with senior residents locally to bring the joy of plants into their lives. The Club meets on the third Tuesday of the month, September to June; provides programs that teach and develop the arts of flower arranging and horticulture and holds an Annual Plant Sale each year to raise funds to maintain the Little Red Schoolhouse as well as to support educational, charitable and environmental causes. Special programs are presented at the Middletown Arts Center.

The Club is open to accepting new members and welcomes all inquiries. Information can be obtained by calling Nancy Canade at 973-452-4846 or emailing Ruth Korn at ruthkorn77@gmail.com. The Club is a member of The Garden Club of New Jersey and The Central Atlantic Region of State Garden Clubs, Inc. as well as The National Garden Club, Inc.