Garden Mums  

Tired looking containers? The quickest way to freshen up your balcony, patio or garden is to replace spring and summer blooming annuals with fresh garden mums. You don't even have to re-pot. Just leave mums in their plastic nursery pots and set them down into pots. Then transfer the chrysanthemums into the garden at a later time.

Continuous Fall Color

There are different sets of mums which bloom from late summer through early fall into late October. So for a continuous show of color, buy an early blooming variety then replace later with a mid-late season blooming mum. Don't wait too long, as the best color selection is available early. Mums finish blooming by the end of October.

See our Photo Album of Fall Flowers on Facebook

Too Hot To Handle Sale
Sale Through August 18 or While Supplies Last

The Stuff In My Garden That Didn't Get Watered Or Looks Terrible & Needs To Be Replaced Sale

6" Annuals Sale $4.99 ret $6.49

10" Hanging Baskets $19.99 reg $26.99

12"Hanging Baskets $29.99 reg $44.99

Deciduous Tress 30% off excluding Crape Myrtle

Leaf Cutter Bee
Harmless or Harmful

If some of your roses or other plants have leaves cut in round half circles, it's the neat, meticulous work of a leaf cutter bee. As far as insect damage, it's pretty amazing to look at the leaves because unlike other insects who leave raggedy, edges, the leaf cutter bee damaged leaves look as if someone took a hole punch or scissors and neatly cut out half circles.
There's nothing much to be concerned about and no need to spray. It only becomes an issue if there is extensive damage.
Additional Information:
Leaf Cutter Bees
Colorado State Extension Service

Tropicals in Containers, Use Houseplants Outside
Houseplants are essentially tropical plants which means they can actually tolerate and thrive in Washington's heat and humidity.

For part sun to bright locations but not scorching, baking sun, you can put together an attractive container arrangement of tropical plants with a tall centerpiece like bird of paradise accented by colorful bromeliads, croton, anthurium and a trailing plant like asparagus fern.

Plus by using houseplants outside, you get the added bonus to bring the plants inside to enjoy in late fall & winter.

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER HINTS

Marta Caruso, Manager of our Kensington Store, recently gave viewers of News Channel 8 helpful hints on taking care of your garden during the Dog Days of Summer.  Watch the video and get them for yourself!

Summer Perennials, What's Blooming Now

Savvy perennial gardeners always seem to have something in bloom from spring through summer. Most perennials bloom about a month. So if you add a new perennial every month, you'll gradually build an ever blooming perennial garden.
It's not too late to add this season's most gorgeous sturdy reliable plants which will continue to produce flowers year after year.
Try these four award winning plants: Shasta Daisies (leucanthemum), Black Eyed Susans (rudbeckia), Purple Coneflower (echinacea) and Coreopsis which are available in pink, white, orange and yellow. Here's some more information about specific varieties from the Perennial Plant Association, although any varieties of these perennials perform well and are hardy in our area.
For More Information About:
Shasta Daisies or Leucanthemum
Black Eyed Susans or Rudbeckia
Purple Coneflower Echinacea
Coreopsis

Spotlight on Sunflowers

Cut sunflowers are looking especially gorgeous at this time of year. One simple arrangement is sunflowers arranged in a blue vase accented with limonium or sea lavender.  Here's another idea from one of our floral designers who put together this sunny arrangement with fragrant white lilies and fiery orange crocosmia.

July Pruning To Do List

Perennials & Roses

Prune back spent flower blossoms and leaves of hostas by clipping stems at the base of the plant. By deadheading roses and flowering perennials like salvia, coreopsis, yarrow and scabiosa, you will be rewarded with repeat blooms later this summer.

Herbs

If any of your basil is flowering, immediately snip off the tops of the plants which signals the plant to stop growing. Also, if you have a one to two foot basil plant, start harvesting and make pesto. The tastiest basil leaves are the young, tender leaves. By pruning back, you'll grow a fuller, bushier plant with more tasty leaves. If your mint is looking scraggly, clip back to enjoy for mojitos or brew green tea, sugar and mint leaves for refreshing moroccan mint tea. You can cut back right to the roots and mint always finds a way to grow back.

Herbs like cilantro and dill tend to not perform well in the heat so enjoy them while they last then use the space to plant other herbs like rosemary or sage.

Coleus & Caladiums

If you've got flowers at the top of your coleus or white spaths on your caladium, while pretty, it's best to snip these off so your plant will continue to produce new leaves. With coleus, if your plant is starting to get too tall, go right ahead and cut it back to six to twelve inches and it will create a sturdier, bushy plant.

Pansies

What? You've still got pansies? These spring blooming plants hate the heat. It's okay to discard these stringy plants and replace with resilient plants like begonias which will bloom up until first frost.

Annuals

Snapdragons and dianthus prefer the cool weather but if you take the time to clip back and continue watering, snapdragons will bloom again in the fall. What's sold as "annual dianthus" will actually bloom again in the fall and will easily perennialize.