As you can see they come in multiple colors-purple, pink, scarlet and
white. Sit back and enjoy the crepe myrtles.

For more information go to: Drought Tolerant Crepe Myrtle Trees Around Modesto CA

Happy Gardening

The tools and materials you will need are a bulb planter or garden trowel, a shovel, fertilizer, and the bulbs you intend to plant. You should make sure you draw a diagram of what variety you planted in each area so you can plan you colors and bloom times.

Plant the bulbs that grow the tallest in the back with the shortest flowers in the front. Don’t plant in rows, but rather in random groupings. You will have bursts of color all summer long with some careful planning.

In case you missed the last episode Aerating Your Lawn Part 2.

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In case you missed the last episode Fall Lawn Overseeding.

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The weather is cooling down so you need to cut back on the amount of water you are applying to your yard if you haven’t already.  The days are not as hot, and we are not having as much evaporation as we did during the heat of the summer.

I try to take a walk early every morning to get the blood flowing through my veins.  It’s a good way to start the day.  It’s kind of nice to be able to walk through my neighborhood just as the day is waking up for everyone.  One thing I’ve noticed here in Modesto is even though Mondays are a do not water Day.  A lot of people have not changed their sprinkler system to the correct schedule or run their sprinkler system every day.

Water savings is something that I’ll continue to talk about, because it’s a subject that is close to my heart.  I enjoy the challenge of growing a nice lawn and nice yard and using the minimal amount of water needed.

You can Google water days, and put in the city that you live in.  You should be able to find the regulations most cities have adopted for watering days here in the United States.

A lot of times, cities will schedule the watering days according to the last number in your street address with even-numbered days watering on Tuesday Thursday and Saturday and odd-numbered days watering on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.  It’s definitely important to stop using as much water on your lawn and your planters now that the plants don’t need as much.  If it runs off and runs down the storm gutter you’re wasting it anyway.

Let’s all do our part to conserve water.

If you missed the previous episode we talked about target="_blank">garden
art tips to recycle old junk.

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Some reasons tomatoes will split:
Allowing your tomatoes to dry out and then giving them too much water.
Too much water during high heat conditions.
Weather conditions that cause the fruit to increase in size faster than the skin can stretch.
Genetics can be a factor in splitting tomatoes.

It is best to deep water tomatoes on a regular basis. Balance the water they receive. Don’t allow them to dry out but don’t over water either.

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Jose writes,

How long should I water my lawn here in Nevada?

Jose,
Typically your lawn should have about an inch of water a week. This can vary some depending on the type of grass, type of soil it is growing in, and the weather.

Harry in Houston wrote in and had these questions,

I would like to know when to plant
1) potatoes
2)cabbage
3)broccoli
4)carrots
5)beans
6)tomatoes
7)cucumbers
8)onions
9)garlic
10)squash

Harry here are some recommendations of when to plant your vegetables in Houston.
Keep in mind that this can vary a little with the weather.
1)potatoes Feb 1->Feb 15th
2)cabbage Jan 21->Feb 21 & Sept 15th ->Oct 15th
3)broccoli Jan 21->Feb21 & Sept 15th ->Oct 15th
4)carrots Oct 15->Nov 15th
5)beans( lima and snap ) – March 1->April 7th & Sept 1->Sept 21
6)tomatoes Mar 1->Mar 31
7)cucumbers Mar 21->Apr 30
8)onions Jan 15->Feb 15
9)garlic Jan 21->Feb21 & Sept 15th ->Oct 15th
10)squash Mar 15th ->Apr 30

Right now a few of the vegetables you can plant are:

2)cabbage Sept 15th ->Oct 15th
3)broccoli Sept 15th ->Oct 15th
5)beans( lima and snap ) – Sept 1->Sept 21
9)garlic Sept 15th ->Oct 15th

Quinn had an interesting question.
He says;

“Hi Phil. I have found this strange flower in northern Minnesota and don’t know what it is. i need a name. its round like a ball all the way around, its purple, has kinda a… soft fuzz on the stem but the stem is hard. its like a thistle. Its very sharp, like thorny, the plant grows around two feet high. Each “flower” is on its own branch off of the main stem. any ideas?”

I replied to his email asking for a picture to help me more readily identify it.

Quinn did send me a picture of the bloom. and from that bloom I determined that it likely was a Globe Thistle.

Gardeners, continue to send me gardening questions. When you do, please send a picture of the whole flower. Sometimes it is just as likely I can identify the plant by the leaves and plant structure as the bloom.

Happy and Healthy Gardening to all and keep sending in your questions.

Again feel free to send gardening questions by filling out the form at Ask
Phil The Gardener a Question

http://www.philthegardener.com

I am not going to bore you with all the names of the flowers that can be planted between now and late October to give a little color to your garden as summer flowers fade away.

Suggested list of perennials to plant:

Anemone, Crocus, Daffodils, Dwarf Irises, Hyacinths, Siberian Squill.

Plant perennials in rows for a formal look or scatter seeds in open beds for a more natural look. Plant this month, so the young seedlings will be ready to be transplanted into their permanent location next spring.

As the weather cools down, plant new or replacement perennials and dig and divide overcrowded perennials. Move them to a new area or give some away to your friends and neighbors. Bearded and Siberian irises and peonies can be divided, now this is the ideal time.

The foliage and the seed heads on perennials can be colorful so don’t be in a big rush to cut them all back.

Migrating birds love these seed heads for food too.

Cut back those that might become weeds if they’re allowed to go to seed, also cut any blossoms that are looking past their prime or have some disease on them.

Sometimes you just run out of anything in certain areas of your beds and there is just no color. You can go down to your local garden shop and buy some perennials or late-season annuals to add in right now, check the ads that come in the mail there should be some sales.

Bulbs

Dig up summer bulbs that you want to keep soon after the first frost and put them in a cool dry area for winter storage.

Once the soil temperature drops below 60° spring flowering bulbs can be planted. You can be assured your bulbs will be disease-free healthy bulbs if you order them from reputable garden shops. Add in a good bulb fertilizer or bone meal as you prepare the soil.

As a rule of thumb, you should plant your bulbs three times deeper than the greatest diameter of the bulb. Remember bulbs always do better in well-drained soil. This keeps the bulbs from rotting over the winter.

By now you should have already selected your bulbs from your online catalog, but there is still time if you haven’t. Here are a few links to some online catalogs.

Gardens Alive

Wayside Gardens

Be adventurous try some new varieties of bulbs. This will give you an idea what really does well in your area.

Here are a couple of tips you can try to enjoy your more colorful flowers.

Pick some flowers that are in bloom and dry them for future arrangements.
Bundle the flowers together, hang them upside down in a dry sheltered area. They’ll be ready for your winter arrangements.

Resources for you.

Here are a couple of links to some sites that are a good resource to figure out what kind of bugs you have on your plants or in your house.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/buglinks/

Email From Mari:

Mari sent me a note requesting help for her garden.

She wrote “My garden looks terrible. My agapanthas are thinning and dying. What should I do?”

“Answer from Phil The Gardener”

Mari, make sure your agapanthas are in full sun, have good drainage, and are not being over watered.

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In this episode we are going to continue to give you some more “To Do s”

Fertilizing Your Trees and Shrubs
You shouldn’t fertilize your trees and shrubs at this time. Like pruning, fertilizing acts as a stimulus and you should wait until autumn is really here. You can start fertilizing your shrubs and trees in late September or early October. At that time the soil temperature is still warm and the roots are still growing, but the weather is cool enough to not encourage massive top growth.

Mulching
If you’re mulching to cover your perennials don’t start yet. It can be great for protecting them from the freezes, but you need to wait until you have a couple of cold snaps. I know you say freezes Ha! it is still hot, but never you fear, the cold is coming.

In some parts of the country where young shrubs and young trees need the roots protected from the heat, you can put down what we call a top dressing or a bark mulch. This will protect the shallow roots from the sun and it helps to conserve moisture, keeps the weeds and grass from germinating also. A couple inches of bark mulch, or three to 4 inches of oak leaves, pine straw, pine bark, or leaf mold will help in your quest to grow healthy plants.

Japanese Beetles and White Grubs
The optimal time to control White Grubs and Japanese Beetles is late August or early September. Use a soil insecticide, while the slugs are still small and close to the surface. You can use diazinon, if you can get it in your part of the country. Diazinon must be watered in well. If Diazinon is not available check with your local garden shop or write to me and I’ll see what is available for you to use.

Plan for your bulbs.
Go ahead and add some compost or leaf mold into your soil of the beds now to prepare for planting bulbs in October.

Order your spring flowering bulbs for fall planting now.
You can order Dutch Iris, Daffodils, Narcissus, Amaryllis, Tulips, and Hyacinth.

Cool Season Vegetables
Plant some cool season vegetables like broccoli, brussels, sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, beet, lettuce, spinach, potatoes, radishes, and English peas.

Plant mums for September bloom and fall color.
Plant asters, Celosia, Marigolds, and Zinnia to replace any faded annuals you’ve got.
For planting flower seeds you could plant Calendula, Columbine, English Daisy, Forget-me-not, Pansies, Violets, and Sweet Williams.

Fertilize
Schedule a two week feeding for your mums with a complete fertilizer and make sure you water them thoroughly until the buds show color.
Check your acid loving plants like Azalea, Camellias, and Gardenias if they’re showing any signs of chlorosis, which would be a yellowing of the leaves. Giving them a treatment of iron chelate should help them to regain their color.

Lawn Care
Give your lawn about 1 inch of water a week and cut the grass a little higher at two and a half to three inches high. This helps to shade the roots and preserve moisture. If you can, use a mulching mower and spread the clippings on your lawn. If possible mow a little more frequently.

Now I have given you some more tips for your gardens, it’s your turn to git ‘er done!

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Don’t just check the surface of the soil surface press your finger an inch or two into the soil and check the root zone to make sure there’s enough moisture.

Your plants need to be watered thoroughly but do not over water them.

In another episode we talked about dividing Agapanthus. You can use these same tips and methods to divide your day lilies.

If you’re starting fall perennials from seed, sow them directly into the soil in your garden. You can you start planting them in August or September.

August is a great time to plant your fall blooming crocus. This will give them an extra week or two of flowers after your main garden plants finish blooming for the year.

Prune your summer blooming shrubs, after they’ve finished flowering and remove any diseased or dead branches.

Your gardens appearance will really improve if you just take a few minutes and pinch off the old dead flowers from your Zinnias, Marigolds, and other annuals, this goes the same for your perennials.

If you can pinch the blooms off as soon as they die back it will encourage the plants to produce more flowers. Once they’ve gone to seed, flower production will drastically reduce or stop.

For your fall vegetable garden, now’s the time to get started planting. You can plant your seeds or starter plants directly into the garden.

Beets, carrots, green onions, lettuce, radishes, and spinach are some of the most popular vegetables to grow in your winter garden.

As you continue through August you need to be vigilant in watching for snails, slugs, and bugs.

Now I have given you some more garden tasks for August.

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Weeds can make a nice landscape look unsightly. In the past few months there have been a lot of homes that have been foreclosed on. When people move away and either abandon their home or are pushed out by the banks. The first thing that starts to suffer is their landscape.

The water gets shut off and the landscape starts to die. This takes a toll on the whole neighborhood, because only 1 yard looking bad in a neighborhood will detract from a nice area. Multiply this by hundreds for the current times, and you will see that whole neighborhoods are looking really sad.

A lot of areas in the country are in a drought situation now. There hasn’t been any rain to speak of this summer. It is a big turnaround from just a few short months ago when there were devastating floods.

Water conservation is going to be a priority for the coming year. As long as you deep water. This will help you keep water around the root zone where the plants need it.

Shallow short waterings do not help the plants it is a waste of water. The cycles need to be long enough to allow water to penetrate the soil. Of course water runoff will not grow concrete.

Some areas require you to only water on certain days. The agencies will cite homeowners and businesses who choose not to follow their guidelines. Check with your local agency for your water days.

Broken sprinklers are another problem, and will waste a lot of water. Also sprinklers out of adjustment will not water properly and again, will waste water.

If you are on a water ration, and you can not keep enough water on your grass to keep the green. Yes, it will turn brown, but never fear. During the heat and dry at times, grass will go through a dormancy as soon as water is reapplied your grass will come back. The only problem is the weeds have a tendency to do well even when the grass is gone dormant.

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