IN THE GARDEN

By Doreen Trudel

Normally by July, summer planting is complete but this year we must watch the weather and let it be our guide. If July temperatures remain mild we will still be able to fill gaps and add those late season finds from the garden center.

It is not too late to plant autumn flowering bulbs such as Colchicum, Crocus or Nerine. These bulbs flower on bare stems after the foliage has died back.

A strawberry grower in England told me that after all of the strawberries are picked he cuts the old leaves off the plants. He says it eliminates diseased leaves and within a few weeks new foliage appears in plenty of time to prepare for winter and next year’s crop. I have not tried this but it certainly works for him.

I recently returned from seven weeks in England fulfilling my gardener’s fantasy, a different garden to enjoy every day. I even joined the crowds to spend a day at the Chelsea Flower Show in London which wasn’t as crowded as I expected and spent a morning at David Austin’s nursery. It was a dream vacation.

Much of England’s climate is similar to ours so garden designs and plant combinations are pertinent to the Pacific Northwest. Although many of the garden designs at Chelsea Flower Show or in private gardens are very contemporary in style and use of materials and arrangement of plants, the philosophy of the gardens and the specific plant material used follows the same ideas that guide gardeners here.
Some design considerations that were evident at the gardens we visited were, climate change, reducing water usage, using native plants and selecting low maintenance, water-wise plants. To encourage wildlife, reduce mowing and conserve water, large sections of lawn were allowed to go wild.

One trend that fascinated me was the green roof, literally a planted roof. I was aware of the concept and I had seen photographs of houses and office buildings with this feature but several gardens used a smaller but very effective version of the green roof. A garden shed or even a trash bin enclosure can be made attractive with a living roof.

You need to make sure the structure can hold the extra weight of water-saturated soil and plant material and there needs to be a good waterproof base on the roof.

Choose plants that need lighter soil or aggregates which also means the plants need less water. Sedums are the most common living roof plant but you can add other alpine plants such as Dianthus gratianopolitanus, Sempervivum arachnoideum or Petrorphagia saxifraga for added interest. A moss roof would work well in a shady location. For further information simply search under green roof or living roof on the internet. Most of the sites are from the United Kingdom but the information applies to western Washington too.

I have received several emails from garden organizations warning that we are in the middle of a seven-year tent caterpillar cycle which means that for the next three years we will see more web-like nests in trees and large shrubs through mid summer. The best way to control the population is to destroy the nests in the evening when the caterpillars have returned. If you can reach the nest simply cut the branch where the nest is attached and catch the nest in a bucket and somehow destroy it.

Another tent-forming caterpillar that you might see later in the season is the fall webworm. They are just as destructive and should be eliminated in the same way. I know it seems like a lot of work but tent- caterpillars can denude large sections of a tree before you even notice the nest. If this happens in your garden don’t panic. The damage is usually temporary on a healthy tree.

I hope to see you at the Point Roberts Garden Tour on July 8. Tickets can be purchased at Nielson’s Building Center and Bloomers Nursery.

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July.