July Gardening tip: Time to Prune Lavender. I've grown Lavender for years and have always done the spring pruning to remove the dead and woody stems. Recently, I came across a video on "How to Prune Lavender" which focuses more on the harvesting and shaping of the plant. After watching it, I went right out to try it out on my plants. Bonus: I now have wonderful, fragrant stems of Lavender to share with friends and neatly trimmed plants, too! This is definitely highly recommended viewing if you grow this plant.
Just in- a new Fine Gardening e-newsletter. Featured this month is an article on growing Big Leaf Hydrangea with tips on how to amend your soil to get either blue or pink flowers. Check out the videos on pruning techniques and soil testing too.
Also in this issue, more on designing with spikey plants and choosing the companion plants to complement them. Plants to consider are the Yucca's, Prickly Pear , Sea Hollies and Agaves some of which are hardy to zone 6. A favorite of mine is the New Zealand Flax. Although not hardy in our area, it is easily overwintered in the house during the winter, i.e. until it gets so huge you need to design your room around it!
A Summer Garden Festival!
On Saturday July 18th, Tranquil Lake Nursery in Rehoboth will celebrate their 18th Annual Open House and Summer Garden Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free and Open to the Public.
Each July, people from all over New England visit the nursery to wander among the perennials, display gardens and 10 acres of daylily fields during the peak season of bloom among the more than 3,600 varieties of daylilies that the nursery offers. Tranquil Lake Nursery is the largest grower of Daylilies and Siberian and Japanese Iris in the northeastern United States. To celebrate the occasion the nursery will offer free lectures and demonstration, free daylily tasting, cool drinks and a diverse assortment of garden activities and garden vendors all day long.
This year, the theme for the Open House and Summer Festival is
"Celebrating the Bounty of the Summer Garden." Twelve garden talks and demonstrations will be offered throughout the day, on the half hour, showcasing talented local horticulturists, gardeners, flower arrangers and herbalists. Each will explore creative aspects of gardening, design and harvest. Topics include selecting plant for the sun and shade, use of colorful flowers and foliage, design ideas to extend the season, exceptional woody plants, woodland and meadow flowers, utilizing tropical bromeliads, culinary and ornamental herbs, daylilies, dividing perennials, summer flower arrangements and using flowers and herbs to make edible gifts. There will be ample opportunity to taste daylilies and to learn about cooking with and growing with these special flowers. For more information visit
www.tranquil-lake.com
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