Independence Day in the Garden

Creating long-lasting red, white and blue in the garden is made easier by using a few hardy tried and trues in vivid shades: for red, there is the Dahlia "Bishop of Landaff," whose only difficulty is to remember that these bulbs are not hardy and need to be brought in before frost.

"Nabob" (Abutilon) is a flowering maple in exquisite shades of red.  The Crepe Myrtle Arapahoe blossoms in a vivid cardinal red. 

For white, try the Japanese Anenome as it grows easily in dry soil or Philadelphus-"Belle Eloile."

A magnificent blue is seen in the repeat flowering Hydrangea-"Endless Summer" or the more delicate Blue Salvia patens. 

Plan on a lovely red white and blue bouquet for next summer. (There are many common annuals in patriotic tones, such as white geraniums, red impatiens and blue ageretum for instant color for a party.) 

Although your garden does not keep a strict calendar, the Fourth of July is kind of a benchmark, as well as a turning point in the garden. 

For the most part, planting is just about finished, with exception of succession seeding or the seeding for cool-weather crops. The garden is filling out now and in need of more maintenance than additions.

No, you don’t have to stay home from the beach to hoe the back forty, but there are a few essential tasks to complete before you go or OK, as soon as you get back. They will make life easier later.

1. Deadhead flowers to prolong blooming: Not only does deadheading your garden keep it neat, but it actually increases production of fruits or flowers. It is important to pinch off or trim with needle nose clippers, cutting off spent blooms before the plant “goes to seed." This works with all flowering perennials, such as coreopsis, lavender and delphinium; herbs, such as the basils; and repeat-flowering shrubs, such as knock-out roses.  Continue to pinch back chrysanthemums and Montauk Daisies until the middle of the month, when it is OK to let them go. (Asters are a good alternative to Chrysanthemums. They are fall-blooming natives attracting butterflies and birds.

Cut spent perennials all the way to the ground, to encourage new growth and fuller plants. This includes any spring-blooming plants, such as pulmonaria, spiderworts that have become leggy, mountain bluets, columbine-even scraggly pansies and Johnny-jump-ups.

2. Mid-summer is the time to divide bearded irises. This should be done every four years and helps plants produce healthier blooms after the first year when they may be a bit sparse. As soon as they finish blooming, they begin to send out new roots. Carefully lift a clump of the underground rhizomes with a garden fork, making sure that you do not gouge the plant’s base or damage the roots. The more roots left intact on each rhizome, the more quickly the plant will re-establish itself.

Brush off the extra dirt and pull the clump apart with your hands. Throw any soft or decayed rhizomes into the compost heap. With a clean, sharp knife, cut pieces of healthy (fleshy) young rhizomes. Cut about one-third of the longest roots and trim the fan of leaves on the top to about 6 inches. Replant the rhizomes about 6 inches apart, leaving the leaves completely above ground. Make sure they are in a sunny area with well-drained soil.

3. Divide Daylilies every three to four years. Wait until they have finished blooming. Dig up clumps with a garden fork, brushing off excess dirt. Use your hands, two spades or a sharp knife, and separate sections of a plant. Divide leaving three or four “fans” of leaves for each new plant. Discard any that seem rotted or mealy.  Replant or pot up extras to share with fellow gardeners.

4. Now is the time to dig out and divide spring-blooming bulbs.  Sparse blooms usually mean that the plants are overcrowded. Follow the same removal process as above, gently removing any faded leaves, flaky pieces of brown skin, discarding any soft or rotted bulbs.  You can replant them immediately or dry on a rack without touching, spraying with an organic fungicide and storing in a dark, dry and warm place for fall planting. Trim back completely yellowed daffodil leaves-never bind folded up leaves in rubber bands no matter how unattractive as this impedes the plants' ability to utilize necessary nutrients from fading leaves for next year’s bloom, severely hampering future vitality. Make sure there are no bulb flies--a yellow and brown fly with one pair of wings--discard any bulbs that the flies have burrowed in.

5. Continue to direct SOW vegetables and herbs. Fennel, swiss chard, turnips, beans, endive and lettuces may be seeded over the next two to three weeks for a continual harvest. Herbs such as basil, cutting celery, dill, cilantro, sweet marjoram, summer savory and parsley as well. In mid-month, direct spinach, peas, carrots and rutabagas for fall.

Consider planting edible borders. Lettuces and spinaches are attractive and effective as border plants. Both prefer cooler temperatures to geminate so SOW seeds a half-inch deep, one to two inches apart and keep evenly moist. 

Fertilize repeat-flowering plants and vegetables about every two weeks. If you potted your container plants in fertilized commercial potting soil, wait eight to 10 weeks from the potting date, then fertilize every two or three weeks. Make sure to water container plants more often, sometimes once or even twice a day in times of drought.  Water vegetables and other tender plants about one inch deep once or twice a week depending on the amount of rain.

Summer is not the time to transplant trees and shrubs. The intense heat is not conducive to roots establishing themselves; the preferred time is either spring or fall. If you have plants in containers, make sure to water them daily to keep them from drying out and damaging the roots. It is best to keep potted material out of direct sunlight--dappled is safer until the weather cools down in the fall.

Put some red, white and blue on your list of plants for next year.