LIFESTYLES ©

. WELL JULY has finally arrived, and with it I hope, a Jong
spell of well-deserved. summer weather. Here are a few of
the things you should think: about doing ‘in the coming

month:

° ‘e Watering — Two or three real-

ly hot days can make the moisture -

supplied by the. wet days of spring
disappear. If you. let some plants
get too dry, even. for. a day, they
can sometimes ‘sustain irreparable
damage.

* Fertilizing — - The lawn should
have its second to last application
of a high nitrogen. fertilizer now.

« As ‘trees and shruts will soon be
ending the growing cycle for’ the .
“ year, this should. be their last sup- °
per.: Annual :flowers and_ fruiting ~

vegetables: such as. tomatoes - are
best fed every two weeks with a
water soluble fertilizer such as 15-
30-15.:

° Lawa Care - —-As well as regu-

‘) lar watering and feeding, you must.

mow the lawn regularly if you wish
it to do well. Grass that is allowed

to get ‘too long will thin out and.

suffer once it is cut.
© Weeding — If you were clever
and got.an. early start before the

weeds threw seeds, you should now
be coasting with only small
amounts of upkeep. If not,you will
now need several weekends. to
catch up.

© Deadheading ,—- This is the
term used to describe the removal
of spent flowers.’ The idea is to
rechannel the energy spent in the
production of seed into enhancing
the growth of the plant.

Rhododendrons. and similar
flowering shrubs, for an example,
should be deadheaded immediately

after they have finished blooming.-
Annuals such as ‘marigolds and...
-petunias should: be done ‘two’ or

three times per week to achieve the:
best results. ©

© Disbudding.— If you remove
the smal! .side: shoots and their

‘respective side buds from fiowers
such’ as. dahlias and chrysanthe- -

mums, the flowers that are Teft will

: be much larger.
‘This disbudding is the method :

used by exhibitors to produce
those huge flowers in the shows.

© Staking — Some of your taller
growing vegetables, such as

tomatoes, and. flowering plants,

_ over the
. garden gate

Geoff Tobiasson

such as gladiolus ‘will need ‘staking:
to keep the growth upright.:Try to |
use strong thin supports which will

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© Insect und Disease Control —

A. regular, close-up inspection of

your garden should enable you to

combat most of these problems by

simply removing
parts.

If the problem becomes more
widespread, use the least harmful
product that will produce results.

the affected

‘In all. but the nastiest cases, insec-

ticidal soap and/or garden sulphur
will do the trick with repeated ap-

- plications.

® Lift ‘Tulips and Hyacinths —:'
If you want the best results from

. these flowering bulbs, they are best *

removed ‘from’ damp . soils and.
placed | in cool, dry environments
until ‘mid-October. “Try storing ;
them *:in- old. nylon. stockings, ;
suspended from the ceiling of an‘
unfinished basement or. garage.’

* Pruning — It is best to’ prune .

most. of those flowering shrubs in
need immediately after’ they. have-
finished flowering...In general, if.
you wait too long you will not ‘get
as many flowers next year.

© Hedge Trimming — It would”
be unwise ‘to delay imming the -

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PRESSURE (*s

1988 — North Shore: News

hedge any longer than the end of
this month.

Late trimming can cause the late ..

appearance of new growth that can
be damaged by an early frost. This
is especially true in the broad-leav-
ed evergreens such, as the English
laurel.

“e Fruit Trees — It is safe to
remove. water.. Sprouts. Last

winter’s heavy pruning will proba- .
bly have resulted in the develop-

ment of
suckers.

This. year could produce. an.
abundant harvest, so protect any
heavily laden. by supporting them
with poles... Thinning will produce
larger fruit. ,

* Vegetables: — Mulching
around’ lettuce,:.cabbage, Brussels
sprouts, «cauliflower; etc.; will:
reduce the risk of bolting.

il Continue sowing: -fill-ins “and

these : thin, whip-like

fall/winter crops, Continue staking.
“ tomatces: and removing their side”

shoots. fe

f ts

:@ Propigaticn — ~ Collect seeds

. for future sowing. Take cuttings:

“from herbaceous plants“ and try
. layering woody plants. a

; RUG fel