Q: I'm just really beginning to be more attentive and interested in my yard and garden (after decades of amateurish mistakes). My question is about rototilling my 7-foot-by-20-foot veggie patch. I had difficulty locating someone to do the work this year, and casting about among my acquaintances, I got two new thoughts (but no names for the job). One girlfriend (an excellent gardener) told me that rototilling has fallen out of favor since it destroys the layers of the soil structure. The other friend believes that it digs up lots of weed material. I did find someone who charged me far more money that the little plot is worth, but I chalk it up to cheap "therapy" in the end. I love to work my fingers into the soft rich dirt to plant my seedlings after the ground is tilled, but after paying the price this spring, I wonder if there's an effective and cheaper way to do this with some kind of hand tiller, or small motorized one. Any thoughts?
A: The jury is still out on the subject of rototilling. Please realize in your reading and conversations that there is a big difference between rototilling and plowing. A good rototilling breaks up the soil surface and does not go very deep into the soil while plowing does.
Either way, it can leave a layer of hard soil, a layer below the soil which is constantly being rototilled or plowed, in which roots and worms and friendly microbes find it difficult to penetrate. So probably in a home garden the size of yours, rototilling or even hoeing is enough. True, rototilling a large garden is a lot easier on the back then doing it by hand, although many gardeners find the strain and vibrations of using a rototiller hard on the back and hip/thigh muscles as well. One of the best known garden-size rototillers is made by a company named Mantis, but for the number of times you will use the unit in a garden the size of yours it might not be practical, pricewise (although it does come with attachments and buying one and sharing with a few neighboring gardeners might be very practical).
Q: When best to transplant Lily of the Valley? They are spreading a bit more than I want.
A: Lily of the Valley is best transplanted in the fall. You can do it in spring/summer, but since you'd be going into a hot dry period of weather then, the leaves will be unsightly. Transplant in the fall and you won't notice the browning yellowing leaves and the following spring, the plants will re-emerge with new leaves and lots of flowers.
To keep them within boundaries, they will probably need transplanting and thinning every three to five years. Dig the new planting area and amend the soil with manure and compost, then you might want to add a barrier to help prevent spreading.
Q: Three years ago I planted two Trumpet Vines in a fully sun drenched area with trellises. One is orange/persimmon colored and the smaller is yellow. After that first year I've only seen sparse blossoms but wildly happy vines and foliage. I prune early in the spring, only taking old non-viable wood. What can I do to encourage flowers? I'm afraid to fertilize lest I have a Jack and the Beanstalk creation!
A: It's probably too soon for your campsis vine to be blooming heavily. Seed plants take about 5 to 7 years to bloom although plants started from cuttings might take only 2 to 3 years. Next year, don't prune excessively, although they do bloom on new growth, and be very careful not to use any high nitrogen fertilizers anywhere near the plant as these fertilizers produce a lot of heavy foliage growth but no flowers. (These fertilizers are found in all of the spring lawn "green-up" fertilizers.) Campsis requires little fertilizer, lots of sun and a little water and much patience. Then, it takes off! (Did you know some species are considered as invasive?)
Q: My poor hydrangea! It was given to me as an Easter flower many years ago and I put it in the ground after flowering was done (sunny, hot, dryish). It flowered a bit in subsequent years but recently just abundant and happy foliage. I dug it up two weeks ago and moved it to a sun/shade area, fertilized, limed and mulched and watering regularly. It's looking pretty dead right now, but I'm sure I won't know for sure until next year. What's your thought about changing the environment? I thought hydrangeas liked full sun.
A: The changes you made to your hydrangea were perfect! The name comes from the Latin hydro which equals water. Hydrangeas require lots of water. And partial sun, morning sun, is preferable. Strong, direct sun dries the plant out and will fade the flowers. Dead or diseased branches should be pruned out anytime but major pruning should be done immediately after flowering each year.
July dates to remember
"Whenever July and August do not boil, September cannot fry"
Dog Days of summer begin July 3 and last until Aug. 11. This period is named for the dog star, Sirius, which is rising, which is said to add its heat to the sun, giving us the hot, hot days in July.
"If Dog Days are bright and clear, it indicates a happy year."
Onion skin's mighty thin,
Mild winter is coming in;
Onion skin very tough,
Coming winter will be rough.
The higher the clouds, the better the weather.
Bees swarming in July bring little more than a dry.
When the dog eats grass, it's likely to rain.
July 3 — Dog Days of summer begin
July 4 — Independence Day - U.S.
July 14 — Bastille Day – France
July 15 — St. Swithin's Day. If it rains today, there will be 40 days of rain to follow!
July 15 — Stop pinching garden mums. A mum pinched after mid-July will not produce as many buds and flowers in the fall. Keep pinching poinsettias until mid-August for Christmas bloom.
July 19 — Begins days of "Cornscateous air," a period of warm, damp air, ideal for growing corn but dangerous for people with asthma and respiratory problems.
July 31, 1769 — Hail fell in Scituate. It was 12 inches deep and lasted on the ground for 30 hours.
North Shore Gardener by Barbara Barger of Beverly is a regular feature of the Home North section. Reach Barbara by e-mail at nsgardener@comcast.net or write to her c/o Salem News, 32 Dunham Road, Beverly, MA 01915. Her Web site is www.nsgardener.com
