Invest time in midseason so you’ll be able to enjoy your beautiful perennial gardens now until the first snowfall.
What You Need
– Bypass pruners
– Hedge Shears
– Mulch
– Bamboo stakes, twigs or other supports
– Twine
– A bit of time
CARE TIPS
Deadheading: Removing faded flowers to:
– Improve the plants’ appearance but does not extend bloom time (Bergenia, lamb’s ear, peonies, perennial geraniums)
– Extend bloom time by encouraging additional flush of flowers (Bee balm, coral bells, daylilies, fringed bleeding heart, phlox, purple coneflowers, salvia, veronica, yarrow)
How to Deadhead
– Cut spent flowers back to side shoots with flower buds or healthy leaves. (Coneflower, catmint, salvias, Shasta daisies, turtlehead, veronicas)
– Remove individual flowers on flowers cape (flower stem) as they fade. Once all the individual flowers have faded and deadheaded, remove the whole flower stem. (Daylilies and balloon flower)
– Prune the flower stem back to rosette of leaves at the base of the plant. (Coral bells, hosta, lamb’s ear)
– Shearing is useful for plants with an abundance of small flowers (Creeping phlox, rock cress and threadleaf coreopsis) I prefer to dig and divide threadleaf coreopsis every few years to promote continuous bloom.
Pruning
– Cut back plants to promote compact growth. Keep mums and asters to 6″ throughout June; stop the beginning of July. Late summer and fall blooming perennials–complete pruning by the beginning of July.
– Manage flopping growth with perennials such as Walker’s Low Catmint (Nepeta) when plants flop open.
– Cut back after flush of flowers to promote compact growth and additional bloom. (Salvias, veronicas)
– Thin overcrowded plants to increase light penetration and airflow.
– Ground Level Pruning (Bleeding heart and other perennials) that dieback mid season.
Dead leafing
– Remove or trim back discolored foliage, allowing the flowers to remain the center of attention.
Stake plants in need of support
– Stake flopping perennials to reduce disease and increase beauty.
– Although its always best to put stakes and supports in place as plants emerge in spring, you can still add a bit of support mid season. Use bamboo stakes and ties, twigs woven into stems or other attractive or virtually invisible stakes.
– Mark next year’s calendar to remind you to put stakes in place in spring as plants emerge.
Mulch
– Spread a thin layer of shredded leaves, evergreen needles, twice shredded bark or other organic material over the soil surface.
– Mulch conserves moisture, suppresses weeds, keeps roots cool during hot weather and improves the soil as it decomposes.
Weed: Continue to remove weeds throughout the season by:
– By removing weeds before they form seeds, this will eliminate hundreds of weeds in next year’s garden.
– Reducing the risk of insects and disease, as some weeds attract pests and serve as a host for diseases that can damage your perennials.
– Eliminating competition with perennials for water an nutrients.
Plant: Add perennials or annuals to fill voids or mask declining spring bloomers.
– Water new plantings often enough to keep the roots moist for the first few weeks.
– Eventually switch to thorough, less frequent waterings to encourage deep, drought-tolerant roots.
– Mulch the soil to keep roots cool and moist.
Written by gardening expert, Melinda Myers. Melinda Myers is a nationally recognized gardening expert with more than 30 years of horticulture experience. She is a wealth of knowledge and we are pleased to share Melinda’s Gardening How-To with you!
