Plant of the Month
Coreopsis
Most perennial gardens are not complete without at least one of the many varieties of Coreopsis. These are easy to grow, long blooming members of the sunflower family. Typically little to moderate water requirements, almost any soil and sun is all these deer resistant flowers need besides the occasional deadheading to keep them blooming longer. (Deadheading- removing spent flowers before they go to seed.) Yellows and a few reds are the predominant colors, but you can find some oranges and pinks. My experience is the yellows are the strongest and most long-lived. One of the coolest for cut flowers is the annual Coreopsis tinctoria, in which case you might want to let go to seed for next year.
Summer/Fall Hours start July 1st
Open 9-5, 6 days a week.
CLOSED WEDNESDAY
July Specials
- Summer bulbs and summer vegetables (while supply lasts) 50% OFF
- Coreopsis- $1.00 OFF 4 inch pots
- Roses 20% OFF
- Fruit Trees (not including citrus and olives)- 20% OFF
July Newsletter
High summer is here. The Coneflowers are beginning to bloom, Black-eyed Susans are looking good and the annual Vinca has arrived. We are starting to see some bloom on the earlier Crape Myrtles and the Rose of Sharons. Soon the Hardy Hibiscus will be joining them. We also have Dahlias in color, along with Zinnias and Coreopsis. If you planted Morning Glory they too are starting to bloom. For more color there are Petunias, Calibrochoa, Marigolds and Scaevola to name a few. These are all good choices for a sun to part sun location. For annual color in light shade you can use Geraniums, Coleus and Impatiens
I got a late start on my garden but I have cukes and zukes. Still waiting on the tomatoes. Last year they did not come till August for me. July is a month when the focus in the vegetable garden is on watering, fertilizing and harvesting. Prune cherries and apricots after fruiting. Summer prune your fruit trees to keep them manageable. Cutting back some of the new growth in the summer keeps your fruiting wood forming where you can reach it. That means more for you and less for the birds.
This is the month where we typically have our highest transpiration rates. That means moisture loss through the leaves. Sometimes I feel the need to cut things back a little so there is less foliage for the roots to have to hydrate. Not too much or I will burn the inner plant that has been shaded by the outer leaves. If it is hot, dry and windy, new tender foliage has a hard time. I find this to be especially true with roses, along with any blooms also getting thrashed. Remember mulching always helps keep the moisture in the ground where you want it and not baking and evaporating in the hot sun.
We are expecting another cement statuary order this week-end. We sold all the Lanterns and Buddhas from the last order. If you did not get a chance to see them they were quite nice and reasonably priced. Our big news is we just received an order from a nursery out of Arizona and he is a link to the Arizona plants on our website. There are a few Australian natives, but most are natives of the Southwest and Mexico. Very heat tolerant. If you are looking for things that can handle hot, reflective light then we have some ideas for you. Try the Hesperaloes, Emu Bush or Bull Grass. We have Yucca baccata that produces an edible fruit, Purple, and Pine Cone Prickly Pear, White Evening Primrose for the moon garden and a Penstemon whose flowers can reach up to 6ft tall. All in all, we have 30 varieties of plants we have never had at the nursery before. What with water shortages and drought always a threat some of these plants could be just what you have been looking for. I insisted that they should be hardy to 15 degrees at the very least. A lot of these are arid plants that require good drainage so keep that in mind when picking your spot and preparing your hole.
We still have quite a few veggie starts left and they will be half off while supply lasts. I feel we are overstocked on fruit trees so they will continue to be discounted. We have run out of room for this years Crape Myrtles so we want to move some of the roses. We still have some David Austins, tree roses, deer resistant rugosas, and a selection of shrubs and climbers. If you have not tried the Drift roses and are looking for a 2×2 long blooming shrub you should consider these. They will also be discounted this month. It is already time to get the fall bulb order in, the rose orders for next year and to start thinking Christmas trees.
Now that spring is over we will start closing on Wednesday again. Please try to remember. Someone will be here watering for part of the day but the gates will be closed.