Landscaping Newsletter and Garden Tips

July, 2014 Volume 121

Summer is going way too fast this year. How can I make it slow down?

My gardens are growing fast too. We first picked green beans on Friday, June 13th. And, I've got my eye on some yard long beans that are sprouting quickly.

Yes, I am growing yard long beans. The seeds were given to me by a gourmet neighbor. She insists that you've never eaten a green bean until you've tried one of these.

Here I am, about a month ago. I fretted
about my garden every day. Everything was so tiny then.

Now, the yard long bean vines are huge! I'm trying vertical gardening this year and these vines are bigger than everything else in the garden. They're growing up an old piece of ornate wrought iron fence.

Look at the difference after almost a month.
My vegetables might even be prize winners this year!

We've planted some beautiful new pieces in our landscape beds this year. One unusual item is a large pot of Night Blooming flowers (Cereus.) We haven't gotten any blooms yet, but I understand they are so fragrant, it will knock you over.

We're also planting Jacinta Bean Vines again. This is my favorite unusual twining vine. It's strictly ornamental, despite the name.

The foliage is dark, olive green. The spring/summer flowers are light purple. Then, the late summer/fall bean pods are a dark eggplant color.

Here's a picture of my Jacinta Bean Vines from late last summer. They were gorgeous.

I harvest the beans from pods in the late fall. These seeds were originally given to us by a co-worker, many years ago. I've never seen them for sale in any seed catalog or nursery.

However, if you're interested, I'm willing to share. Come by the office and I'm happy to give you enough seeds to start your own beautiful vines.

The vines crept over my white picket fence. The flowers were so pretty.
I wish I had taken pictures of the purple pods from last fall.

We'll keep you apprised of my vertical gardening efforts as the summer goes on. And, if I have a bumper crop of anything, I'll let you know.

How's this for an advertising slogan? "Free tomatoes while we weed your gardens!" Hmmm...might need to work on that a little more.

July Garden Tips

* Continue to stake floppy plants and vines. If your tall plants are anything like mine, they're growing (and falling over) at a record pace. I like to use green plastic plant twine. It's unobtrusive and more importantly, it's soft enough so that it doesn't harm stems and stalks.

* We've got a bumper crop of basil in the garden this month. I'm thinking pesto is in my immediate future. When I'm cooking with it, I cut back whole stems, instead of just leaves. It helps keep the basil plant fuller and not as leggy. Then I just pull off the leaves I need.

* Another garden tip I read about basil suggests that you cut it in the morning. The oil in the leaves is at the highest peak then.

Here's a photo of "Mammoth Basil." I read
that there are 50 - 150 types of basil, although not all of them are edible.

* This is a garden tip that I always have trouble following...

"Pick your beautiful perennials for a fresh bouquet indoors. This will

encourage more blooms on most perennials."

I want fresh flowers indoors. I really do. Yet, I hate to disturb the symmetry of my garden. I like looking at my outdoor plants. So, I usually just let them live out their lives, right in my garden.

* Continue deadheading your annuals. They will produce more blooms, for a longer period of time, if you pinch the blooms back.

And, on the flip side, experts suggest that you stop deadheading fall blooming plants by mid-July. Flowers like mums and asters will not benefit from further pinching back.

They may not bloom on schedule if buds have been removed too late in the season.

I found this little guide for deadheading plants on one of the gardening blogs I subscribe to. Ominous as "deadheading" sounds, it's actually vital for plant health.

* You may need more mulch in your garden in spots as the summer wears on. It's been particularly rainy this year and mulch may have eroded.
Remember, not only does mulch provide an even pattern to your landscape beds, but it's beneficial too. It helps retain water and protects the soil from erosion. Mulch helps prevent weed growth too. Just don't layer it too thickly. You want to protect plants, not smother them.

Here's a freshly mulched landscape bed. Look at our natural/organic lawn behind it.

This is another garden with fresh plant material too.
See how closely we mulch around the plants?

We're giving away another
FREE tick repellent service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You may know that my company has an extremely successful tick repellent program. I like to do a good deed occasionally and offer a free service for one lucky family.

We usually run it like a contest and draw the name out of a hat. Our latest contest
offers a free tick repellent spray, valued at $500.00. We'll select the next winner on Friday, July 11, 2014.

Here we are at the Amish Market on Saturday, June 14th. We set up an information booth about tick repellent, right outside the front door.

We met a lot of nice people that day. There are
over 100 entries for the tick repellent contest already!

Here's a great picture of the winners of that gorgeous purple
hydrangea plant. This is Mr. & Mrs. Tyde Mowers.
Congratulations! We enjoyed visiting your beautiful home to install the plant for you.

Here are some highlights about my tick repellent program:

Our Integrated Approach to Tick Control

* Barrier Tick Repellent Service

* Brush removal to eliminate squirrels, mice and other rodents.

* Damminix tubes which kill ticks in nesting areas.

* Natural/Organic Deer Repellent Service.

* Programs specifically tailored for individual properties.

This is Bill, one of the foremen of my tick repellent service teams.
He's been spraying properties for several years.

And here's a little more about the service...

We assess the tick activity on your property and recommend a course of action.

Each property is reviewed individually. Your program will be tailored for you, using various methods to repel ticks.

We may combine a barrier spray, Damminix tubes which kill ticks in nests and a personal insect repellent. We might also recommend various programs such as deer repellent and brush removal. These steps may decrease the total incidence of tick activity on the property.

Our company has offered this program for many years. We've protected hundreds of families. Estimates are always at no-cost. Please call for an appointment if you're interested.

Good luck with the contest!

Go to dellsadler.com to enter.

The form is right on the front page of our website.