Advice and folklore for mid-summer
- Hollyhocks grow from from 6 to 8 feet tall and are among our tallest flowering garden plants. Their edible flowers make an attractive garnish and can be used as serving cups for dips.
- Make your own hummingbird food: dissolve 1 part sugar in 4 parts boiling water. Cool the solution completely and then fill your feeder. Clean feeder often to keep the hummers healthy.
- New potatoes can be dug and enjoyed 3 weeks after flowers appear.
- If Japanese beetles attack your roses, gently remove them from the bushes with a small, portable vacuum (or with a gloved hand and soapy water).
- Mosquito plant doesn't repel mosquitoes at all (but looks nice). Citronella grass and catnip do repel mosquitoes, but only if you rub or crush the leaves near where you are. Just planting them won't do the trick.
- Divide irises, lilies, and poppies after blooms fade. Replant with compost and bonemeal.
- Fruits and vegetables, with their range of colors, sizes, shapes, and scents, can transform a bouquet into something extraordinary. Hidden under blooms, tiny fruit like raspberries or tomatoes add extra texture and a pop of color, and vibrant vegetable green tie elements together.
- Many vegetables are perfect for pickling now - carrots, onions, green tomatoes, and turnips to name a few. Cucumbers will be ready for pickling soon!
- A plant that is termed "self-cleaning" has blossoms that fall off on their own and do not require deadheading.
- Lavender cotton is a 1-3 foot tall Mediterranean evergreen shrub with aromatic, silvery green foliage and golden, button shape flowers in summer. The plant's oils and aroma (likened to that of oregano or woody camphor) deter rabbits and deer. It thrives in almost any space from borders and beds to rock and knot gardens, but is hardy in Zone 5. Drought tolerant and appreciates hot, dry summers and full sun. Likes consistent irrigation.