The Online Garden Gossip

1011 North Woodlawn, Kirkwood, MO 63122                         314-965-3070                                 www.sugarcreekgardens.com

Up close and personal
with Ann Million,
Sugar Creek rosarian

It started with a pumpkin seed...in a tiny pot...on a window sill. I was 5 or maybe 6. There were several siblings younger than I and the little pot fell one too many times.  That was the end of my first gardening experience.  The next one was when I was 19, now the eldest of 10.  This time I attempted a tomato patch -- alone.  Dad grew roses and tomatoes. He was successful; I was not. However, the digging, dirt and sweat were not adverse to me at all.  As much as I liked to get all dressed up and lady-like, I liked playing in the dirt even more, and nine years of piano lessons, eight years of knitting and sewing, four years of college art and six-and-a-half years as art teacher had not assuaged my desire to work with my hands.
 
The serious garden attempts grew after I married my best friend, and we acquired our first and only house in Crestwood. 

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Features
A good haircut can revive your perennial garden

There are several reasons to prune your perennial garden throughout the summer, and we'll touch on a few of them here.

1. To extend bloom period or promote repeat blooms
Deadheading, or the removal of faded or spent flowers, can give life to your garden through prolonged bloom or repeat bloom of certain species.  In many cases, if the bloom is not allowed to go to seed, the plant will continue to put out new blooms in an attempt to complete the life cycle.  When we deadhead, we force the plant to put its energy into new flower and shoot production, rather than into seed production.

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Why we love Soil Moist

We've all suffered through the searing heat of the last few weeks, and that includes our plants.  At the nursery we spend our days watering, and when we're done, we water some more!

If only there was a way to make the soil hold the moisture longer...you see where I'm going with this, right?  Soil Moist polymer granules absorb water, and when the soil dries out, gradually releases water back into the soil.  It can be used in pots or in the garden itself.

For an 8-inch pot, mix 1 teaspoon of Soil Moist around the roots of the plant.  If you have a container that's already potted up, gently make holes in the soil with a pencil near the plant roots, then sprinkle the Soil Moist in the holes. In the garden, use 1 oz. of Soil Moist per 6-foot row.

A 3-oz. bag is $3.99.  You can also buy potting soil, such as Miracle Gro, that already has the moisture granules in the mix. J

Upcoming talks at Sugar Creek:
You're invited, and they're free!

“Some Like It Hot: Heat-Tolerant Perennials and Ornamental Grasses,” Saturday, Aug. 12, 10 a.m., Peggy Hoelting, horticulturist.  Discover the plants that laugh at heat and humidity and look good even in the hottest of summers.  In this informative class you’ll hear all about best, long blooming hybrid perennials and grasses, along with the toughest wildflowers.

“Successive Blooms: Keep Your Garden In Bloom Spring Till Fall,” Saturday, Aug 19, 10 a.m., Peggy Hoelting, horticulturist.  Learn the secrets of a breathtaking, ever-blooming garden.  You’ll learn about the showiest perennials along with the longest blooming, heaviest producing plants available.  Peggy will also share with you the techniques needed to keep these plants in flower all season.

“Indian Summer:  A  Late Season Garden,” Saturday, Aug. 26, 10 a.m., Roxanne Cronin, horticulturist.  Though beautiful in their own right, chrysanthemums and ornamental kale need not be the extent of your end-of-the-season garden display.  There are a surprising number of beautiful flowering perennials that are at their best in late summer and fall.  Learn the secrets of a breathtaking late season garden.  J

Karen's gardening calendar

Every few weeks we feature timely advice on things you can do in your garden, thanks to Karen Collins, one of Sugar Creek's longtime employees and a master gardener.

Things you can tackle in your garden this month include:

• Feed mums, asters, and other fall-blooming perennials for the last time.
• Roses should receive no further nitrogen fertilizer after August 15.
• Dicentra (or bleeding heart) and Bloodroot (sanguinaria) can be divided and replanted.
• Divide bearded iris now.  Discard old center sections and borer damaged parts and plant so tops of rhizomes are above ground level.
• Divide oriental poppies now.
• To shape hedges, pruning may be done for the last time this season.
• Later in the month, evergreens can be planted or transplanted to ensure good rooting before winter.  Plant and planting site should be watered several days before moving.
• Periodically soak shrubs during dry spells with enough water to moisten soil to a depth of 8-10 inches.
• Hummingbirds are migrating through gardens now. J

We love our e-newsletter customers!  In appreciation, here's a coupon for a free plant in August -- buy one plant and get a second plant, of equal or lesser value, free.  Happy gardening!

Featuring pink spikes that defy all blooming logic, this baby is in flower almost all summer.  It reaches 10-24 inches and has glossy green foliage.