Hello My Dear Friends,

July is almost finished and you have probably been cutting the grass and scratching all those bites you are receiving! Try an old remedy: a little ammonia on a piece of cotton wool dabbed on well will take the itch out almost at once – be very careful not to smell it – ammonia will take your breathe away. I wonder if that is what smelling salts were made from?? Good thing that we no longer get “the vapours”, but then we do not wear tightly laced corsets do we??? I hear that people are growing a very good crop of poison ivy this year, but be very careful, especially those who say “I never get a rash”. Neither did I until last year! Now I have a large area on my poor swollen legs that itches like crazy.

-When cutting the grass, make sure that it is no shorter than 5 centimeters, or 2 inches

-Fertilize annuals and vegetables - water soluble 10-20-20 although I prefer 20-20-20

-Continue to shallow hoe all your gardens regularly

-If your annuals are getting straggly then just pinch them back – my petunias are blooming very well but no leaves - I hate to pinch them back when they are struggling valiantly to combat the heat!!

-Water your gardens thoroughly, during the dry spells – once a week – but water very deeply is better than just a drop every day

-Harvest any berries that the birds have left for you!!!

-After your strawberries are harvested, mow the tops down to 5 centimetres (2 inches) and narrow the rows to 24 centimetres (12 inches)

-Sow seeds of perennials and biennials in nursery beds

-Take softwood cuttings of shrubs, vines, ground covers and houseplants

-Yes it is that time: order your spring bulbs, roses, and perennials. Shrubs and trees for fall planting

-Divide overgrown perennials after flowering and if you are a member of Lakefield Horticultural society – pot them up for our plant sale coming in August

-Pinch backs the mums and asters

-Replant harvested areas in the vegetable garden

-Prune back the raspberries

-Now pour yourself either a cold beer, or maybe a glass of a really good wine

I have been asked, “Why have my Impatiens stopped blooming?” Once again it is the heat, but Impatiens also need a rich sandy soil, loam, ample moisture, some shade and plenty of room, several trans-plantings, (if you have grown your own from seed) leaving them finally 2 feet apart are often desirable. Pinch off the first buds, but as these have already gone, remove any side shoots, if you would like heavy central spikes of bloom.

Do not forget to feed your annuals, I am always amazed when people tell me “oh I never bother to fertilize” then they wonder why their plants do not grow well. I have been using a product called Land and Sea - it is a wonderful fertilizer - both Deborah and I had some left over at the end of last year. This spring when we took the bags out to the garden we found that they were full of earth worms, the contents were so rich.

God is sitting in his big comfy chair in heaven, when a scientist comes to him and says “Lord, I think that we do not need you anymore, Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of nothing. In other words we can do what you did in the beginning.”
“Oh is that so?” said God.
“Well,” said the scientist “We can take earth and form it into a likeness of you, breath life into it, thus creating man.”
“Well that is indeed interesting, show me.”
The scientist bends down and starts to mould it “Oh no no no!” interrupts God.
(I loved this ending) “GET YOUR OWN EARTH!!!!!”

Now for all you clematis lovers – you are always asking about pruning so here is a list for you to keep – I know that it will help you next year:

Group 1 of Clematis

These are the plants that bloom in the very early spring, on last year’s growth. You do not prune these, until after they have finished flowering. Now all that you need to do is remove any weak or dead branches. If you need to reduce the size of the plant this is the time to do that too. They need very little attention, a good clean up around them and some compost will help here. Some of the species are C alpine, C macropetala, and C Montana.

Group 2 of Clematis

This group is, I admit a little trickier, for they flower on any new growth that is produced on last year’s old wood. Only a light pruning is needed to produce branching, but be careful not to remove any flower buds that were set last year. How do you know which these are? By March or April, you will see the flowering buds in the leaf axils, by the large swelling – now prune each stem to just above the last pair of these fat buds, be careful to remove only a short stem in each case. This group includes the early flowering hybrids, that is those with double flowers and those that usually flower before the end of June like The President, Ramona and Josephine.

Group 3 of Clematis

If a clematis plant first flowers late in the season (June-July) and then again in the fall, it is growing on this season’s growth and the old growth can be removed. When do I remove it? In April, remove it to a point just above a good set of buds, around 12 inches (30cm) above the ground e.g. Jackmanii, Rouge Cardinal and Hagley Hybrid. Species such as Tangutica and C. viticella.

Some types such as C. texensis and the herbaceous C. integrifolia and C. herbacleifolia will die to the ground each year. These are usually described in group 3 for easier reference. If you know the name of your plant so much the better, if not, watch for when the primary flowering period is. If you are still worried about this, treat it as group 2. Next spring you can do a better job of pruning more accurately.

This is another reason I keep telling you to keep records of all your plants, it does make life easier. Record all flowering times - remember that a little care will give you more blooms, a stronger plants, and years of enjoyment.

I hear many of you say “My clematis has died” - usually it is not so, Clematis can be ornery and not bloom or even grow for a couple of years, so do not dig them out, just leave them alone, add some compost to the area, water well and wait. Pauline’s ‘Lancashire Lass’ took 4 years to re-appear!!!!!

Well my dear friends I have tried to make up for my tardiness. Good gardening in all this heat that we are enduring! Remember it is worse for your plants - they do not have the benefit of sunscreen.

Hats, gloves, sunscreen, and bug repellent.

Lovingly,
Beryl