Gardening Tips for July 2026

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• Vines- Annual vines for quick color: Ipomoea (Morning Glory), Mandevilla, Thunbergia.
• Shrubs - Gardenia, Abutilon, Hebe, Buddleja, Callicarpa (Beautyberry).
• Annuals - Calibrachoa, Impatiens, Ipomoea batatas, Lobelia, Verbena.
• Perennials and Tubers- Fuchsia, Echinacea, Veronica, Begonia, Canna.
• Veggies- There are still plenty of veggies you can plant now. Pay attention to the amount of days until harvest on the label to make sure your plant will have time to mature in your area.
• Seeds- Morning Glory, Sunflowers, Nasturtium.
• Extras - BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) spray for Petunia Bud Worm (a caterpillar). Apply at first sight of chewed Petunia leaves. They also eat Calibrachoa (Million Bells) and other flowers.
   

ALERT! Figs: Black Fig Fly - As homeowners you can help even if you do not grow or like figs, please spread the word. Keep all fallen fruit picked up daily. If you start to see signs of this Agricultural Nightmare it may be best to remove all the fruit (as Mary has from her tree) and either put all the fruit in the garbage disposal or bag in sealed clear plastic bags to solarize for several days and then put in the garbage not the compost bin. Write on the bags so the garbage company knows it’s Black Fig Fly fruit and doesn’t fine you for not putting it in the compost. There is more to know. Here is the best site Mary has found so far to help you identify this pest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JUNwRhW2VA This video is from Southern CA but the Black Fig Fly is now in Sonoma County!!

Tips for Watering Plants

• Containers – A great way to play with Flower Colors and Foliage Textures is to combine plants in containers. One container combo that’s really pretty is lavender colored Bacopa with Calibrachoa (Million bells) ‘Blackberry Pie’ and a Dark Purple Verbena. For tall containers remember to add a spilling plant, such as Ipomoea batatas for extra drama. Also, combine plants that have the same water needs.  Play and Have Fun! Here in Sonoma County CA it’s not too late to create new containers or plant in ground. Contact Mary for an appointment to learn more about design combos and your other garden questions. 
• Watering Containers – By this time of year many containers are completely dry in the rootzone, even though gardeners are watering daily. As small plants grow larger their water needs change from watering lightly each day to deep soaks every few days. If plants are staying the same size or ants have taken over the container the culprit is usually a dry rootzone. Dig down about 4 to 6 inches to see what’s really going on in the soil.
• Pruning- Penstemon: prune off spent flowers down to first or second set of leaves below the flower or prune part or all stems down to bushy growth-3 to 6 inches tall (this may delay a second flowering but will create a fuller plant). For plants, such as Zinnia, Fuchsia, Gaillardia, Dahlia, Gazania, and Begonia, encourage more flowers by removing old flowers including the stem attached to that flower (this practice is called deadheading). Shear Dianthus (carnations). Watch The Gardening Tutor Video Shearing Plants to Encourage Flowers or Foliage. Also shear Alyssum, Nemesia, Lobelia erinus by half, and Thyme leaving short, leafy stems (avoid pruning down to just bare stems as they usually do not come back from pruning into bare stems). Shear Nepeta down to three inches, yes way down to three inches (this plant can be sheared into bare stems and come back great!). After shearing encourage the new growth by giving the plant a short shower of water through all the stems a couple times a week, until new growth starts growing back well. Japanese Maples, this month is a good time to shape these beautiful trees. Use mostly thinning cuts and avoid heading cuts when possible.  
• Fruit Trees: Mother Nature helps by naturally thinning some fruit from trees in June (called June Drop). Now's the time to thin out some more of the fruit from your peaches, nectarines, apples and pears by hand. Thinning helps fruit trees to have a good crop every year and creates large, healthy fruit. Thinning also keeps your tree branches from breaking but in some cases, you may still need to brace under the branches. Remove enough fruit to give the remaining fruit room to grow and to lessen the overall weight of each branch. See more about Growing Fruit Trees. 
• Watering - How do you know you are watering your plants "deeply"? A few hours (or the next morning) after you or your irrigation system water your plants, gently dig a small hole down 3 or 4 inches into the soil and see how moist it is in the rootzone. Ideally, with most plants, they will appreciate the soil in the rootzone being damp (like a rung out sponge) but not soggy. Containers: On hot days, plants in containers may need water twice a day (depending upon how small the container is) but when you water your container plants slowly, you may not need to water so often. When watering, come back around for a second round of slow watering before you put the hose away. Before a heat wave, water container plants at night (avoid watering the leaves) to give your plants all night to hydrate. Small containers can be put into a bucket with an inch of water in the bottom so that, overnight, the container plant can soak up the water they need. Water Holding Polymers placed in the soil can really help container and in ground plants do well without daily watering.  
• Pest Management-  Learn about the Black Fig Fly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JUNwRhW2VA. Some gardeners use "broad spectrum" pesticides without realizing that "broad spectrum" kills all insects (including the beneficial insects). If you have to use a pesticide be sure you know what pest you are trying to control. Sometimes all you may need to keep a pest population (such as whitefly) down to a manageable level are some yellow sticky traps and in the case of whitefly changing the environment by watering the area more with showers from the hose. Also, keeping your plants happy (with water and a layer of mulch) instead of stressed will generally prevent them from attracting pests in the first place. If you plan to use Neem Oil, spray before or after the bees are out. Fruit trees: picking up the fallen fruits from under your fruit trees will help manage unwanted pests.
• Fertilize- Many repeat blooming plants, such as roses, clematis, zinnias and many annuals will appreciate being fertilized on a regular basis during the growing season. Mary uses Maxsea fertilizer products. Hanging fuchsias and begonias love to be set in a tub of liquid fertilizer so that they can soak up the nutrients like their roots are straws! Fertilize hanging bloomers with a weak fertilizer solution once a week. Avoid fertilizing dry soil though or you could burn your plants. Watch The Gardening Tutor's Video: Two Quick Ways to Apply Liquid Fertilizer.
• Weeding- Bermuda grass blooms are one of the highest pollen producing plants in our Sonoma County area. Weed now as Bermuda grass spreads above ground, below ground and by seed! Bindweed is also a perennial weed that comes back from roots and reseed from those pretty flowers, pull bindweed as soon as you see it before it starts to flower and stay on top of it before it spreads throughout the entire garden. Weeds attract pests, such as aphids and fungal diseases . Keep your veggie garden free of weeds for healthier veggies. Watch the Gardening Tutor's Video: Weeds-How They Grow and How to Manage Them.
• Remember to make some time to sit back and enjoy your garden.
   

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ALL CONTENT by Mary Frost (no AI).