Author: Ungs1951

July is your prize after many months of gardening from autumn prep to spring preparation — and you now get to reap your rewards with new fruits, vegetables and fragrant flowers. It’s a time of wealth.

July is not the best planting month for Southeast gardens, but it is a good time to prepare and plan. The weeds won’t let you rest, but they may slow down into a manageable pace throughout the dog days of the summer. Rainfall will best determine how long you will spend weeding. Weeds that are fewer , little rain. More rain, more weeds.

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Cut back annuals: Cut back summer annuals in order that they don’t get leggy. A good time to do this is right before you go on vacation; in this manner, you’ll be gone since the plants get a fresh start. Petunias benefit from this type of summer pinch. This cutback in the ends of the stems encourages branching, leading to a bushier plant.

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Practice shrewd watering methods: July could be a month with rain. When nature stops supplying routine rain, you might need to supplement. Here are a few pointers to help your backyard during a dry season:
Odds are your container plants need to be watered daily. Check by doing the finger test. If the top inch of soil is dry, it is time to water. Water thoroughly. Small pots will dry out quicker than bigger pots, and containers at sunlight will dry out quicker than those from the shade.Add mulch. A layer of mulch, 3 to 4 inches deep, can moderate soil temperature and reduce evaporation. Organic mulches include: composted leaves, shredded pine or hardwoods, and even nuggets. Mulches will also reduce marijuana creation and keep the lawn looking tidy.First season plants — those fall and spring additions — will need more frequent watering than established ones. Water new additions two or 3 times a week until the plants are created. Established plants usually require watering after a week.Conserve water by simply conducting a sprinkler during cooler hours, typically early in the morning. This can help reduce water loss due to evaporation. When at all possible, set up a drip irrigation system or a soaker hose to minimize waste. Watering in the morning also makes it possible for the water to dry on the leaves, minimizing mould formation.

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Deadhead and deadleaf spent flowers: Remove hosta flowers after the blossom is invested. They are primarily decorative and not a power source to the plant, so they don’t need to die back completely before removing.

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Deadhead the spent flowers of daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.) , Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum spp.) ,black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp. ) and bee balm (Monarda spp. ) to prolong the bloom time.

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Do these yellow leaves of this daylily allow you to see red? They do to me. Not only do I deadhead my daylilies, but I also deadleaf. I really don’t like the appearance of yellow or decaying daylily leaves.

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Split irises: Can you have success with your new iris planted this year or two at the autumn? If not, it might be due to several factors: too much shade, too much fertilizer, too deep a planting, or crowding. July is a good time to fix any of these problems by lifting and relocating or repositioning into a more positive location.

Plant the iris high with the rhizomes along the surface of the dirt. They will be coated finely and gently using mulch, but not soil. Make sure that you are able to either see the rhizomes or even have the ability to brush away the mulch exposing the bulb.

With the exception of Louisiana variety, irises need six to eight hours of sun to blossom and require decent drainage. In case you’ve got a damp, partial sun location in your garden, plant a Louisiana iris.

Read on growing irises

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Harvest summertime edibles: Harvest berries when they are ripe. There’s nothing better than sinking your teeth into a ripe tomato, heated in sunlight. Weren’t plant tomatoes? See your regional farmers market to get a selection of new, field-grown varieties.

Inside your home backyard, keep an eye out for early blight. Blight is a fungal infection which will cause spots to develop on the foliage. The leaves begin to yellow and then drop. Pinch off foliage in the beginning indication. If too severe, there are numerous fungicides which can be used to reduce the symptoms.

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After the blackberry and raspberry harvest, remove the old fruiting canes to create room for the new canes that will make next year’s harvest.

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Manage pests: Do yourself a favor rather than explore the “eye” of a bagworm. Bagworms have got to be the most disgusting looking thing ever — to me anyhow.

Bagworms can be treated by removing them by hand and dropping into a bucket of soapy water. In case the bagworm infestation is not within easy access, they are sometimes sprayed with Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt.

Bt is a microbial insecticide that is frequently used to control various caterpillars such as the red-headed azalea caterpillar along with many others, in addition to bagworms.

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Minimalist design has moved beyond inner layout. In the last several decades, glossy lifestyle magazines have featured immaculate interiors composed of carefully selected decoration, blank walls, practical furniture with transparent work surfaces and no mess.

But the concept of the minimalist garden follows the thoughts of the modernist architecture of the 20th century, when glass and concrete buildings took a unadorned surrounding landscape, and takes leads from your Zen gardens of Japan.

Minimalist gardens have become popular with those who prefer order, with simple lines and prohibitive planting, combined with the advantages of low care.

Let us look more closely at a number of the common themes found in minimalist garden layout — the usage of distance, pristine hardscaping, restrictive planting and formal water features.

BERGHOFF DESIGN GROUP

A Doorway to Minimalism

The debut of this “rooms outside” style of garden design in the 1960s led us to see smaller gardens in another manner. Rather the garden turned into an extension of the house.

The debut of patio doors with large regions of glass, and later, bifold doors that pare back to remove any barrier between the interior and exterior, has forged the way for the invention of the minimal garden.

By making use of exactly the identical flooring material inside and outside a smooth transition is made between the distances.

To Japan’s Zen gardens, we should look for the supply of minimalism. The perfectly placed rocks set in immaculate gravel, raked into trapping patterns, are pure minimalism.

Japanese gardens are made in the pursuit of spirital equilibrium, but at the West that has become a garden style.

MyLandscapes

The usage of Space

Space is perhaps more significant in a minimalist layout compared to some of those individual defined features. The equilibrium between the zones or areas is vital in producing oneness with the comprehensive layout, and nothing should be permitted to distract from the invention of minimalistic perfection.

MyLandscapes

This beautiful illustration of a modern minimalst backyard, by London garden designer Amir Schlezinger, brings together the key features we’ve come to expect from this sort of layout.

The layout is appropriate and easy, upkeep is low, there is little or no ornamentation and planting is restricted. Each area of the garden is nicely defined, be it that the dining zone or relaxing/sunbathing area.

The weed-free and manicured lawn is elegantly straightforward and perfectly flat, with crisp edges.

Grounded – Richard Risner RLA, ASLA

Striving for Paving Perfection

Paving in minimalist gardens has to be easy and straightforward, yet highly engineered. The materials used need to be immaculate in complete — limestone or light sandstone are favorites utilized by designers, though polished concrete also fits the bill.

Although any minimalist garden should be as maintenance free as possible, any hardscaping has to be maintained pristine to acheive the look.

Maintenance tip: Pressure washing needs to keep more absorbent rock, such as limestone and sandstone, free from algae and dirt stains.

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If regular pavers are used, they are generally butted with quite tight joints of 3 millimeters or not. The easy planting of boxwood (‘Buxus spp.’) Highlights the apparent lines of this paving.

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Where Fewer Plants Can Be

With fewer plants utilized within this manner of layout, each plant needs to be carefully selected to do the job demanded of it — make it a focal point or a visual partition. Restricting the range of plants (such as this case to four species), enables the planting to soften the hardness of the design, but not detract from the line and structure.

Maintenance tip: Plant maintenance should be easy and not time consuming. Minimize watering by adding water-retention granules to planting composts, and use an automatic irrigation system on a timer. Slow-release fertilizer pellets may turn feeding into just an annual job.

MyLandscapes

The clean lines of this deck — minimalism has brought the use of decking to the maximum echelon — are complemented with all the bold tropical-style planting. This could be anywhere in warmer climes, but this courtyard is set on the banks of the River Thames at London.

The plants have been carefully selected to provide the feeling demanded. Hostas, Ligularias, bamboos and tree ferns have been planted in repetitive groups.

C.O.S Design

Creating a Reflective Atmosphere

Water attributes can change the mood of this style, which may be somewhat sterile or sterile. A reflective pool can help attain a relaxing setting, whereas the soothing sound of a modern waterfall or fountain brings a additional dimension.

The size of any water feature should be kept in scale with the distance and fit to the set geometry — many minimalist water attributes are formal.

The asymmetrical formality of the layout shown here is constructed around the tiled floor pool, linking all spatial regions of the backyard.

Thuilot Associates

This extended pool appears to flow out of the house, its reflective surface echoing the glow on the inside floor.

The pebble floor of this pond gives extra texture to the layout, yet a pure black reflective surface could have been achieved with black pond dye added to the water. This would have the benefit of blocking light, which would help prevent the development of algae and keep the pond at the spotless state demanded of minimalist layout.

Any water feature employed in minimalist designs must be ideal in construction and maintenance, and care needs to taken with water levels, pond hygiene as well as the disguising of almost any pond liner.

Huettl Landscape Architecture

This garden really sums up the ethos of how to create a minimalist design you can live with.
The space is crystal clear and obvious with a generous dining area set on immaculate paving floating over a profound refective pool. The plantings are easy, insistent and easily maintained.

More:
Give Your Little Garden Some Room
Set of the Landscape: Modern Garden Style

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