Irrigation and pest control get top billing on the gardeners’ schedules in July and August, especially east of the Coast and Cascade Ranges. Along the coastline up into southern Alaska there is more humidity and some rainfall but the burden of watering, even in those areas, is largely up to the home owner. Cool night temperatures make it advisable to irrigate early in the day, especially in the vegetable garden where sensitive plants, such as tomatoes, react unfavorably to warm days and cool nights.
Ground irrigation, rather than sprinkling, holds down water bills. Soil soakers make this easier this season. Face-down soil soaker watering in beds and borders cuts down evaporation and guards against damaged plant foliage.
Routine pest control with weed killers and all-purpose insecticide-fungicide sprays or dusts keeps things in order. Make it a week-end or every-ten-days routine.
If ants are active in your trees, put rings of Sevin around the bases of the trees. Slugs continue active through the summer, so dust or sprinkle beds and borders with metaldehyde to keep them under control.
Take cuttings of rhododendrons, camellias, roses, and other shrubs that have developed soft wood. Also take cuttings of carnations and other perennials that you wish to propagate. Budding of roses can be done during July and August.
Divide and replant bearded iris, lily-of-the-valley, violets, violas, and primroses. Mix a handful of bonemeal into the bottom of the hole first. Also, sow fresh primrose seed as soon as it is available to get strong plants before winter.
Cut back stems of lupins and delphiniums to encourage a second crop of bloom. Divide dicentras and astilbes after they finish blooming. They are not likely to bloom again enough to matter.
Sow seeds of sweet William, digitalis, pansies, and violas, to be set into their permanent locations later for next season’s bloom. Take cuttings of coleus, lantana, balsam, impatiens, and similar plants to be kept indoors this winter as house plants. Lantanas, especially, carried over indoors, will add a great deal to your garden next year.
Remove raspberry sprouts that are out of line and when the older canes have finished with their crops, remove them also, leaving four to six good canes for next year’s crop.
Train conifers (needle-leaved trees) now and take cuttings. Keep wisterias pruned, and cut back branches of early-flowering clematis that carried this year’s flowers.
Slow down on watering of rhododendrons and let roses take a rest. Spray rhododendrons with a commercial bud setting material, available at garden stores. Rhododendrons must not go into fall and winter with tender new growth. Roses, on the other hand, should be given a boost the first of September for the fall flower crop.
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