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August 2014
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Vol 4, Issue 4
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Garden Notes
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Greetings from Christianson's!
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"The night was so very sultry. . ."
~ A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
At the height of summer, the garden takes on a special patina. The lusciousness of spring is gone, subjugated by the often oppressive heat and the fact that mid-summer is the season in which many plants start preparing for dormancy. Katsura trees start taking on a special golden color; a hint of fall, especially if drought stressed, which is often the case with moisture loving katsuras. Roses are still blooming and edibles are well into setting fruit.
While many plants are slowing down, many perennials are still going strong. The article in this issue's Great Design Plants highlights some of our favorite August blooming perennials and shrubs. Annuals, on the other hand, tend to need a hair cut by this time of year and require copious amounts of water, often twice a day if grown in containers. Often, containerized annuals are so root bound by August, no amount of water and fertilizer will help. Instead pluck out some of the rattiest looking ones and replace them with fresh stock. Motivating oneself to get out in the garden to work when the temperatures climb into the 90's can seem rather unappealing. I for one would rather just enjoy the fruits of earlier labor, lounging in my Adirondack chair, sipping a cold drink while reading a good book. Best to do mid-summer gardening in the morning or evening at this point, avoiding the heat of midday. There's still a week or so in the beginning of August when a gardener can prune out what was missed in July (summer pruning works great on plants that like to sucker - there isn't that adventitious growth spurt because it's past the growth cycle) and there's always watering. If a gardener does only one thing in August, it should be watering. Proper watering in the landscape is a craft. It's surprising how much water it takes to sufficiently absorb into the soil at a depth of more than a couple of inches. Casually standing in front of your garden with a hose in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other does little to give the thorough soaking your plants need. Try digging down a couple of inches after a light watering and you'll notice that the water has barely gone down an inch. For trees and shrubs, especially new plantings, this causes several problems. First, hand watering doesn't encourage the roots to grow down deep, but rather they stay at the surface which weakens the plant and causes it to dry out faster. Because the roots dry out faster, the plant gets drought stressed because it hasn't gotten enough water which can stunt its growth and ultimately, kill the plant. Until the plants are well established, a persistent watering schedule in mid-summer is most important. Drought tolerant plants get that way only when their root systems are well developed. During our driest weather, as a rule of thumb watering should be done three times per week with a trickling hose set directly over the root ball for 30-45 minutes. The water needs to penetrate a good foot down. Periodically check the moisture level around the root system to see if it's moist or too dry between watering times and adjust accordingly. If you don't want to move a hose around all day, a good low volume irrigation system or at least soaker hoses are in order which will save you a lot of time and get the job done.
Good watering practices will keep your plants looking great all summer and save a lot of time and money in the long run. And who's not into that!
For more information on what to do in your garden in August, read Rachel Anderson's article The Garden In August.
Debra Lacy,
Certified Professional Horticulturist & Editor
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Where To Find Us
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15806 Best Road
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
Map and directions
www.christiansonsnursery.com
360-466-3821
1-800-585-8200
Summer Hours
Open daily 9 am - 6 pm
Weekly Radio Broadcast:
Sunday Mornings at 10:30 am
The Garden Show
with John and Mike
KAPS AM 660
Voted Best Greenhouse and Nursery
in Skagit Publishing's
People's Choice Awards for
2010, 2011 and 2012
Voted Best Nursery
in Cascadia Weekly's
Best of Skagit Awards, 2014Special Events
WSU Master Gardener's
Plant Clinic
August 23, 10 am - 2 pm
 Giant Pumpkin Festival Info |
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August Specials
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August 1 - 17
Our huge selection of small to very large
glazed and terra-cotta outdoor containers
20% off
August 18 - 31
Summer Heather
Hardy blooming plants in a variety of colors
20% off
August 18 - 31
Water Plants
Water lilies, floating plants, iris and more
30% off
We still have many rose varieties to chose from
Click here for our Rose List
Call for availability
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Upcoming Classes & Events
No classes in August - classes resume in September:
.:SEPTEMBER:.
.:CLASSES:.
Classes are very popular and fill up quickly. Please call us soon to reserve your spot at 1-800-585-8200.
For more information visit our web site at
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The Garden in August
by Rachel Anderson
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One of the most fun and entertaining parts of gardening for me, is having the opportunity to slow down from the busy pace of everyday life, taking the time to be observant and allowing my curiosity to ask questions and follow up to find the answers. Read more .....
To download a printable copy of this article, click here. 
Thanks to her mom, Rachel has been gardening since childhood. She was part of the team at Christianson's for 13 years before deciding to strike out on her own as a full time professional gardener and continues to contribute to Garden Notes. She's a Certified Professional Horticulturist with a passion for roses and vegetable gardening. Rachel and her family enjoy gardening together and now share their urban garden with a menagerie of ducks, chickens, two cats, and a dog.
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The Fourth Annual Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival!
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2013 Grand Prize Winner, Ron Barker
Photo by Eve Boe
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Saturday, September 27, 2014
at Christianson's Nursery & Greenhouse
Sponsored by the
Pacific Northwest Giant Pumpkin Growers
Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off
Harvest Food ~ Pony Rides ~ Face Painting
Family Carnival Games ~ Toad Races ~ "The Bat Lady"
Cash prize for the biggest pumpkin!
Howard Dill Award for "Prettiest Pumpkin"
We'll also have prizes for
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Christianson's Great Design Plants
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Plants that like it hot are perfect in the summer heat of August. Here's a few hot varieties that give visual interest and color during peak summer!
Perennials:
Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame': Bright reddish orange, tubular flowers with a yellow throat are densely packed on tall stems. Multiple side branches and sterile blossoms mean a very long bloom time. Grows to 3 feet tall. Likes well drained soil in sun to part shade. It's exact hardiness is unknown, but it is hardy to at least 15 degree (F).
Echinacea 'Piccolino': This Echinacea is a double pink coneflower that typically grows in upright clumps to only 9-12 inches tall and to 15-18 inches wide on short, sturdy, well-branched stems that do not need staking. Flowers appear in a floriferous bloom from late spring to late summer, sometimes with additional sporadic bloom until frost. Each double flower (to 3 inches diameter) features downward-sloping pink ray florets which surround a large, rounded, pompom-like center cone of darker pink disc florets. Center cone has a green eye. Good fresh cut or dried flower. The dead flower stems will remain erect well into the winter and if flower heads are not removed, the blackened cones may be visited by goldfinches or other birds that feed on the seeds.
Salvia nana 'Curling Waves': This cultivar is an attractive, rich flowering, compact plant. The bi-color (blue and white) flowers decorate the plant throughout summer. This upright habit, disease tolerant plant grows up to average height of 12 to 18 inches. It has thick oval red-purple leaves that turn greener in late summer. Likes good drainage and full sun.
Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Moxie': Commotion™ Blanket Flower has vibrant yellow, fluted blossoms with ruffled tips surrounding bright orange centers. Mounding dark green foliage and and long blooming habit makes a cheerful display in decorative containers or planted near the front of the border. Deer resistant and useful in native gardens. 18 to 24 inches tall and wide. Makes an ideal cut flower. This sturdy, award winning plant thrives in full sun and is tolerant of heat and dry conditions once established. Bred by local John Dixon, who resides just down the road from our Nursery.
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Digiplexis
'Illumination Flame'
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Echinacea 'Piccolino'
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Salvia nana
'Curling Waves'
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Gaillardia x grandiflora
'Moxie'
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Crocosmia 'Walberton Yellow': From English plant breeder David Tristam of Walberton Nursery, this outfacing Montbretia hybrid goes full tilt July - August. 'Walberton Yellow' creates an impact from bright golden yellow flowers packed closely together and flowers heavily even when clumps get overcrowded. With a shorter height, it's a great choice for containers, too. Growing to 18 inches tall, Montbretia in general is easy to grow in full sun and well-drained soil. Echinacea 'Hot Papaya': 'Hot Papaya' coneflower from Holland's Arie Blom produces vigorous 3' tall stalks, topped through the summer with an amazing display of lightly fragrant, bright scarlet pom-poms, surrounded by a row of single drooping petals. Plus it's attractive to hummingbirds. Grow in well drained soil for optimum winter survival. Monarda didyma 'Balmy Purple': This dwarf cultivar of Bee Balm is covered in deep purple blooms in mid to late summer. It has excellent mildew resistance on a compact form that only grows to 24 inches tall. Heat and drought tolerant and prefers full sun. The flowers of 'Balmy Purple' attract hummingbirds and butterflies and make great cut flowers. Caryopteris × clandonensis 'Lisaura': Generally grown as a woody-based perennial, Bluebeard, (blue spirea or blue mist) is a low-mounded, deciduous shrub that is valued for its aromatic foliage and late summer flowers which are said to resemble clouds of blue smoke or mist. 'Lisaura' commonly sold under the trade name of HINT OF GOLD is a variegated C landonensis hybrid that features bright golden yellow leaves with mint-green margins. Some leaves have more gold coloring than others, but the bottom line is that the variegated foliage is superb and lasts well throughout the summer. This new hybrid typically grows to 2-3' tall and as wide. A butterfly magnet.
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Crocosmia
'Walberton Yellow'
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Echinacea
'Hot Papaya'
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Monarda didyma
'Balmy Purple'
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Caryopteris
'Hint of Gold'
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Shrubs
Hibiscus syriacus: You can rely on Rose of Sharon to provide lots of color during the hottest months. From midsummer to early autumn, the shrub erupts in tropical-looking blooms in shades of pink, lavender-blue, and white. Sterile varieties, such as 'Minerva', won't fill your garden with a ton of weedy seedlings. Deciduous. Grows 10 feet tall and wide and likes full sun and well drained soil. Potentilla fruticosa: Potentilla is one of the easiest deciduous shrubs to grow. It starts blooming in late spring and continues through autumn, bearing cheery yellow, orange, red, or white flowers that look like single roses (which attract butterflies). It has attractively divided foliage. Grows to 3 feet tall and likes full sun and well-drained soil.
Buddleia davidii: Butterfly bush is like a summer-flowering lilac. The blooms appear in similar colors: purple, lavender, blue, pink, and white and are deliciously fragrant. Happily, butterfly bushes offer a longer bloom season than lilacs: from summer into autumn, especially if you pinch off the old flower clusters as they start to fade. The species type is considered invasive to our area so select from a wide variety of cultivars that are sterile such as, 'Petite Snow', 'Miss Ruby' or 'Lo and Behold'. Deciduous. Grows from 3 feet to 12 feet depending on the cultivar. Likes full sun and well-drained soil.
Clethra alnifolia: We like summersweet because it blooms in shady spots. We also love that its pink or white flowers have a wonderful fragrance. Add its golden fall leaf color and you have an ideal deciduous shrub. Cultivars, such as 'Ruby Spice', offer an extra-long bloom season. The species grows to 8 feet tall and wide and likes partial shade but is adaptable and tolerates wet soils.
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Hibiscus syriacus
'Helene'
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Potentilla fruticosa
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Buddleia davidii
'Petite Snow'
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Clethra alnifolia
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Primrose Antiques & Gifts
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A Promise of the Unexpected
Primrose is stocked with creature comforts of old for high summer days and hot summer nights in August. Our vintage camisoles are wonderful used as a bikini cover-up (my Great-Great Aunt Maude would surely be blushing) but also can be worn with a pair of shorts or jeans for dinners out, walks along the lake or rides on a ferry. They add such a feminine look to romantic summer weekends and vacations by the sea. You can also choose from a selection of either pure cotton, pure linen, or metis (a blend of linen and cotton) nighties to take you through the 'too hot for comfort' nights of August and early September when it will then be time to bring out flannels, cozy quilts, candelabras and comfort food.
 We also have antique, hand woven, hard working 100% linen sheets from France to use as light summer bedcovers. And, since linen is another one of those fibers that is cool in the summer and warm in the winter, these sheets can be used solo in summer and under a warm, fluffy down in the winter.
So let's take this time to really enjoy the last remnants of summer so we will be sincerely looking forward to the first chill in the night air signaling the arrival of Autumn.
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Fresh Ideas
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Here's an assortment of fun ideas, helpful tips and great recipes for August. Simply click on the link below the photo to learn more. We hope you enjoy this month's collection of fresh ideas! |
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Closing Thought...
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Photograph: Michael Kooren/Reuters
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Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don't they should,
for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.~Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine
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Garden Notes Editor:
Debra Lacy, Public Relations
Christianson's Nursery & Greenhouse
360-466-3821
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