Gardening tips for Southern Oregon

Summer is certainly here and with the warm weather comes the task of WATERING.  If you don’t water enough, roots can stay near the surface which will make them more prone to the heat.  An inch of water a week is a good rule to follow.  Water deep so those roots will dig deeper.

PRUNING is also key during this time.  Keep pinching all late summer/fall perennials to keep them bushy and to stagger blooming times.  Also keep pruning all spring bushes like lilacs, azaleas, & rhododendrons by mid summer they will begin new growth for next Spring. 

Don’t be afraid to prune or worry about making a mistake.  It’s like a bad haircut, it WILL grow back!  But do some research if you are not sure how to prune or where to prune.

If you have ROSES prune back after 1st bloom.  Deadhead it or do a major cutback that includes deadwood as well.  Take off any spent leaves especially if they have black spot.   

FYI here is a homemade formula to fight black spot :                                            

1 TBSP Baking Soda, 1/4 tsp dish washing detergent in 1 gallon of water.

Even though we are midway through the summer that doesn’t mean its too late to plant!  Summer bulbs like Dahlias or quick blooming seeds such as sunflowers, nasturtiums or cosmos will give any garden lots of color.  Also, now is the time to plant bulbs that will bloom in the fall like colchium or lycoris.

Happy Gardening!

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