John Hethrington has been gardening since the age of 9. He started a career in gardening in high school and launched his own gardening service by Grade 12, and grew the business from there. He spent his early life gardening in Toronto and earned his certification as a Master Gardener before moving to Meaford where he cultivates 2.5 acres with 20 different gardens including perennials, roses, a xeriscape garden, a meadow, two bog gardens, several shrub borders and a pond. He publishes monthly garden tips for local newsletters and his column will appear on CollingwoodToday.ca as well.
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July is all about watering and watching for bugs when it comes to gardening. Master Gardener John Hethrington suggests adding these gardening chores to your July to-do list.
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Watch for the Japanese beetle on your Lilies, Roses, Rose of Sharon, Dahlias, Hollyhocks, and numerous other plants. Handpicking and squeezing, combined with a beetle trap, are the most efficient way to limit these ravaging critters. Some lily gardeners have given up and pulled out their real Lilies (Lilium). Luckily, the little red devils don’t eat Day Lilies (Hemerocallis)
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Water well, water deep. A good two-hour soaking three times a week is much better than daily hosing from the front porch.
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Watch for earwigs. Spray plants with a 40:1 mixture of water and dish soap.
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Ants are also a problem. The ant powder does not seem to work for me. Maybe the ants didn’t read the instructions to take it back to their nest. Boiling water works, but will burn the grass in a lawn.
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Trim evergreens, cedar hedges, etc. as needed.
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Pinch back and/or stake straggly annuals and perennials for renewed growth.
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Raise lawn mower blades for summer mowing. (Grass should be at least 5 - 7.5 cm high to stay healthy and weed-free.)
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Prune spring flowering shrubs after blooming, like Forsythia and Spirea. If you really want to be picky, remove spent lilac blooms.
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Try a second round of weeding and add mulch again to keep the weeds at bay.
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Mulch your tomato plants. When a ripe tomato falls to the ground, it won’t get muddy.
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Thin, hoe, weed and water vegetables as required. This is why I stick to flowers.
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This has been a cold and wet April and May and now there was little rain in June and forecast for July. Tackle weeds before they go to seed.
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Stake tall perennials that may be weakened by too-rapid growth.
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Turn compost regularly and check moisture level - not too wet, not too dry. Like Goldie Locks, just right.
A big thank you to everyone who turned out for the “COVID” Plant Sale at St. George’s, the Anglican Parish for the Blue Mountains, in Clarksburg. It opened at 7 a.m., and by 10:20 a.m., the 637 potted plants had been all gobbled up! Next year’s sale (hopefully non-COVID) is set for Saturday, May 29, 2021. See you there.
