Garden Self-evaluation: July

hanging baskets with creepy jenny and sunpatiens

♥Love this!♥

Back in May, my hanging baskets were in the “growing up” box. Now, I’m absolutely in love them! This is my favorite recipe for hanging baskets: 4 Sunpatiens Impatiens in 2 colors (qt size or 4″ pots) plus a 4-pack of Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia). I provide them with water and fertilizer and these hanging baskets reward my efforts. They will be pretty for most of the rest of the summer.


sweet 100 tomato plants

😀Growing Up!😀

These tomato plants are loving life in my greenhouse. I got a late start on them, but I see some fruit forming on them now. These are ‘Sweet 100’ hybrid cherry tomatoes. I like this variety because it does well in containers and the fruit rarely has blossom-end rot. They’ve been bred to produce masses of sweet tomatoes – which they do – and I can hardly wait!
 (Blossom-end rot is when the bottom of the fruit turns black as it ripens. This is caused by a combination of calcium deficiency and inconsistent water. Don’t allow tomato plants to dry out, and fertilize with a vegetable formula of fertilizer monthly.) 


peonies with powdery mildew

😕Working on it😕

The Peonies bloomed in June – and they were lovely – but now they’re just greenery in the garden. Unfortunately, mine is covered with powdery mildew which looks like a gray powder all over it. Peonies are quite susceptible to powdery mildew and while it won’t kill the plant, it is weakened. The mildew spots look ugly now and it is stealing away the Peony’s pretty fall foliage colors. I’m treating the infection by drenching the plant once a week with a mix of neem oil and water.

(Many plants are susceptible to powdery mildew. Avoiding overhead or spray irrigation can also help avoid powdery mildew. Neem oil or horticultural oil should only be applied in the evening to avoid burning the leaves.)

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Buzzword: Weed Barrier
Buzzword: Water Wise
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