“You inherently have responsibilities to take care of things.” — Jack Dangermond
N ow that summer is in full swing, we need to rev up a bit in our garden maintenance. You don’t want weeds to compete with your phlox, so weed a little bit at a time, but do it fairly often. You will have the daily satisfaction of staying ahead of the game. Pull weeds when they are small; don’t wait until they are waist high and could be confused with a new cultivar. Try to get the entire root out and watch out for poison ivy insidiously hiding among the greens. I garden with surgical gloves; a heavier, thicker material does not give my fingers the dexterity I need to do a good weeding job. I can discard these gloves after my daily weeding foray and keep my fingers and nails clean.
They will come … some of your cultivated plants self-sow: campanula, digitalis, cleome, cosmos and quite a few others generously re-seed. It is up to you to destroy these seedlings, leave them in their spot or transplant them to another site in your garden. I end up doing all of the above — the garden is bountiful. And keep in mind, never walk by a weed, pull it when you see it or it will just get bigger.
About 12 years ago, a friend gave me beautiful seedpods to add to my winter outdoor decor. The following spring I noticed an unusual looking seedling, very different from the ones I usually see in my garden. Being curious, I potted it up and gave it to a friend who kept it until early summer. Then she returned it to me and I planted it in the periwinkle bed. And what do you know, this tiny seedling has grown into a stately tree, about 40 feet high and yes, it turned out to be a pawlonia, the empress tree. Beautiful in the spring with large 12-inch purple clusters, resulting in interesting seed-pods and bountiful huge leaves. But now its seedlings are overwhelming and I have to make certain not to let any of them mature.
So, be careful what you plant and be ruthless in keeping out undesirables.
Another serious invader is the petasites. Nothing can stop them. They fight their way through the gravel, through brick paths, spread out and conquer territory that was not theirs. The foliage is interesting, but their control is almost impossible.
Beware of friends bearing horticultural gifts!
If you are looking for some midsummer color, consider caryopteris (bluebeard) with its distinctive bold, blue color. It blooms through late summer, loves full sun and grows quickly, but maintains its smaller stature, not growing taller than 3 feet. It is a troublefree highlight in your summer garden.
One of my favorite plants is the big leaf hydrangea in colors ranging from clear pink to intense deep red. Look for them in your garden center. They are a great investment and add weeks of strong color to your garden vista.
The garden is all about anticipation and hope.
What to do now:
Water the compost bin during dry spells to keep it active.
Fertilize late summer and fall flowers with an all-purpose product. Roses should get their last feeding by Labor Day.
Still time to sow seeds of radishes, lettuce, spinach and beets into the first week of September.
Keep tomato plants well watered during the heavy production period.
Continue deadheading and removing spent stalks.
Remove dried leaves and blossoms from day lilies. Cut back stalks.
Harvest herbs; dry or freeze them for later use.
Happy gardening!
Gotti Kelley, past president of the Navesink Garden Club, serves on the Board of the Garden Club of New Jersey and The Central Atlantic Region of National Garden Clubs Inc.

