Perennials for July

Many of the early blooming plants from spring don’t like the hot dry conditions of July and will begin to die back. They will sacrifice leaves, flowers and stems during drought to send all their water and energy to the roots. It’s a survival instinct so the plant will grow again. Simply cut back the dry leaves and wait for rain to come. Often the plants will send up a few new ones later in the summer when the rains return. Typically, many a flowering plant can sense when it's in a drought and so it will bloom earlier than normal. The flowers are often short lived and last a week or two, then it begins to set seed. The hot temperatures trigger this need to finish blooming so it will propagate. 

 

 

The bright colours of coreopsis daisy and Shasta daisy are typical for July. Yellow day lily, purple Liatris, and some varieties of hosta all begin to bloom in early summer. Astilbe and purple coneflower are all beginning to come into their own as the days heat up.

In

Variegated Plants

Variegated foliage can add color and interest to a shade garden because of their stripes, patterns, spots, streaks, veining or frilly edges. Their are many types of plants like shrubs, trees, herbs, annuals and perennials that all have different kinds of variegated foliage. They can add light to a dark shady spot or be planted in amongst darker plain leafy plants. MINT: Some mints have splashes or edges of white, some have dark veins that make them stand out. Apple mint, pineapple mint, salvia or sage, thyme and oregano all come with interesting variegated leaves.

 

 

TREES and shrubs like Dogwood and Maple, as well as shrubs like Laurel, Barberry, Euonymus, Box, and Ivy all have some type of variegated form. They tend to be smaller in size but don’t grow as vigorously as the plain leaf varieties often do.

ANNUAL plants are usually grown indoors for house plants and many are varieties are available in variegated form. Swedish ivy, pathos, coleus, scented geraniums, citrus trees, impatience, and African daisy are all good ones to try both indoors and out.

Perennials include the ornamental grasses, ground covers, and herbaceous non woody plants that all return every year to form large clumps and then die back in winter. Ribbon grass, moor grass, cord grass, and zebra grass add height and have stripes or banding on the foliage. Streaked and spotted plants like lungwort, figwort, goutweed, and lily of the valley are all catch the attention and brighten up your yard. Sedum, daylily, giant iris add cottage garden charm and height with colors of yellow, gold and white.

 

Grow them for the bees

Plants for both bumble and honey bees need to have fragrance and bright colors. The nectar also is what they want to feed on as adults. The pollen is a protein that they gather to feed their young larvae in the nest. While collecting the pollen, they transfer it around your garden to help pollinate as they go from plant to plant. This produces fruits and vegetables as well as seed production. Without the bees we would have no apples, pears, blueberry, strawberry, tomatoes, melons, cucumbers and many other important crops. Farmers raise bees or move colonies into orchards when the trees are blooming to ensure that they have a successful crop. All types of bees are an asset to any garden by cutting back on destructive predators and pollination to produce fruit and seeds. You the gardener can plant many of the flowering plants that bees love. Make sure to never use pesticides that will harm the bees. Many native plants like clovers, mints and catnip, sedum and alliums will bring the bees to your yard. Borage, Basil, Bee balm, Oregano, Thyme, Sage, Rosemary and Chamomile are herbs they love. Flowering shrubs like mock orange, and honeysuckle will provide nectar. Some of the other plants you can use to bring the bees are Bellflower, heather, lavender, speedwell, Baptisia, lungwort and coreopsis daisy.The long lasting blooms on Lambs ears will attract many types of bees and beneficial insects to your garden.