"Deadheading in the Dog Days"

"Summertime... and the living is easy... It's hard to believe, but we have reached the mid-point of our summer season. The gardens are beginning to yield there bounty, days are long and life is good! However, I know that I am not alone in the feeling that time is racing by, and before we know it we are going to be up to our knees in leaves.

There are a few topics that I believe are important for this point in the season. The first being a practice called "deadheading". If you are a Boomer, you may be thinking tie dyed T shirts, a VW van and a road trip to an outdoor music festival. Sorry, but that's not it. What I am talking about is the practice of removing spent flowers from our perennials and shrubs to encourage re-blooming and healthier plants. Deadheading the spent flowers and seed pods will give planting beds a neat and well kept appearance, and will help the plant channel its energy to strengthen itself rather than using that energy to produce seeds. This will encourage re-blooming for daylilies, and will also reduce the likelihood of self seeding that occurs with plants such as Rudbeckia and Liatris. French and Common lilacs will benefit from the removal of the seed heads below the spent flowers. This will produce more prolific blooming next season. You want to be careful to not prune too far down from the old bloom as to avoid nipping off next year's buds. We recommend using a quality by-pass pruner such as a "Felco" #2 Classic model. Pruners and sheers should always be kept sharp and clean. Using Clorox wipes or a bleach solution on your pruners when moving between different species of plants will prevent disease transmission. A shot of WD 40 and a wipe with a cloth will remove sap, lubricate the blades and prevent rust. For detailed information on what and when to prune, check out the UW Extension Bulletins. Another great resource is Ortho's "All About Pruning "available on Amazon.com.

An important thing to keep in mind during the "dog days" is watering! During the first few growing seasons and especially during times of drought, it is critical to water trees and shrubs deeply. Five to fifteen gallons at a time, allowing the water to penetrate down to the bottom of the root ball. Check the moisture content regularly as the soil types vary in our area. Sandy soils will require more frequent irrigation than plants in heavier clay soils. One should monitor the moisture of plants in clay soil areas to prevent the "Bathtub effect"; where the plant drowns from being installed in a clay basin.

And finally, this is a great time to take inventory of what went right in the garden and what changes you would like to make. Transplanting time is coming up in September, and there will be more changes coming after that. So relax, put your feet up and enjoy the rest of the season. These are the "good old days". Soon enough we will be thinking... "What a long strange trip it's been"

James "Motor" Merritt/ partner

Living Color Landscapes

www.livingcolorlandscapes.net


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