Does your garden feature late July blooms? Colour can be a little anemic this time of year here in Ontario, so your gardens may need some extra TLC.
Fill in with Late July Blooms
My solution? I try to visit garden centers every two weeks to purchase perennials in bloom at that time, then take them home and add them to the spots lacking colour in my gardens.
I did just that earlier this week. I found this huge container of pink larkspur that broke up into six individual plants when I took it out of the pot. Bonus! One was blooming, the others have tons of blooms ready to explode. I planted all of them separately to add splashes of colour throughout my backyard garden.
If you have more patience or less money to spend on plants, take note of friends’ or neighbours’ gardens with late July blooms and ask them for a chunk. They shouldn’t divide their plants while in bloom but may be willing to part with a piece to enhance your garden next year.
Annuals Offer Late July Blooms Too
This time of year I also add annuals to my containers that need a colour boost or to replace annuals that are not performing well. Here are a few pictures of the same containers with an infusion of colour…
Ask a Neighbour to Water for you When on Vacation
During this heatwave we have been sweating through, my containers need watering every day. That fact and vacation do not go together well. I recently came home from an extra-long weekend at the cottage to find the cleomes (one of my favourite annuals) on my front veranda were fried. They have since been replaced with three Spanish lavender plants that are considered annuals in my Ottawa area. At present all it has to offer is a heavenly scent, but it should bloom soon…
If you go away for more than two days, ask a neighbour to water your containers, or move them (the containers, not the neighbours) to a shady spot to prevent their demise. Water balls (the things you fill with water and insert into the soil) work well for a few days too, depending on how hot it is and how thirsty your plants are.
The pink wave petunias are stretching towards the sun, but look like they are trying to escape through the railing of my veranda.
Also needing daily attention (refilling) are the numerous bird baths in my gardens, a chore my 2-year-old granddaughter tackles diligently when she is here.
Lily Trees
The lilies are absolutely spectacular, there must be close to thirty blossoms on the three plants at my front lamp post and more in my back garden…
My lilies in part sun spots are still looking good too, and my weigela tree is providing an encore…
My Annabelle hydrangea is coming along, parts of it are in bloom, and others are still working on it…
… and this pink gayfeather is just beginning to show off…
By next week its bold spires will be stretching to the sun and waving in the breeze.
That’s it for blooms in Gardens4me now that July is on its way out, but into the history books for our hottest and driest July in many years.
Stay tuned for more pictures soon.
