July in the Garden
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Greetings from Birch Meadow,
Every little thing in our garden is a miracle and nourishes our soul if we take the time to stretch into the wonder of it all. Take this single fern frond and these 3 allium that gently unfurl and unfold with the passing of time. What is time to them, I wonder? Witness the change in their faces over time, the shadows cast in various stages of lightness and darkness.
Spending time in the garden seems to create time and space. To me, the garden is the heart of all sacred spaces. Let’s go there and roam …
THINGS TO DO IN YOUR GARDEN IN JULY
• Here is a link for things that should have been done in June, just in case you are still catching up!
• Click here for Central NC Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs.
• Plant seeds of fast-growing vegetables such as zucchini, lima and bush beans for a late harvest.
• Plant seeds of collards, kale, broccoli, cauliflower and pumpkins in containers to be set out next month in the garden.
• It’s not too late to plant basil!
• Plant zinnias and cosmos for a second round of flowers.
• Sow coneflowers, black eyed Susan’s and coreopsis in pots. By fall they will be ready to plant in the garden.
• July is still a good month to take cuttings of shrubs. Take 6” long cuttings, dip in rooting powder, plant in half sand/half soil mix, keep moist. Tug to check for roots after 4-6 weeks.
• Dig up, divide, and replant iris now.
• Keep removing suckers from tomato plants.
• Pull Japanese stiltgrass in garden beds. If you have large areas of stiltgrass that is not mixed in with perennials, you can string trim and have the same effect as weeding because you've prevented it from going to seed and it will not come back from the root this late in the season. We recommend string trimming stiltgrass in wooded areas and under bushes monthly from now until first frost to decrease the likelihood of spreading.
• Continue to trim any Spring flowering shrubs such as forsythia, azalea, rhododendron, quince, loropetalum until July 10.
• Prune gardenias immediately after blooming but not after August 10.
• Continue deadheading faded blossoms from all perennials.
• Continue to water your favorite plants at least one inch per week during periods of dry weather. We recommend watering in late afternoon, as the heat of the day is gone and the water has a chance to soak into the ground instead of starting to evaporate right away. If that’s not possible, watering in the morning is fine.
• This might be a good time to have your soil tested. The test is free to NC residents. Click here for more info. You may get kits here or ask us to test your soil for you. In that case, we can provide any necessary amendments.
VIEW THE NEWEST VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE POLLINATOR PARADISE GARDEN!
For those of you who were unable to book an appointment for the live tour of Debbie Roos’ Pollinator Paradise Garden in Pittsboro before it was full, this 10 minute virtual tour includes video and photos that Debbie took in April from the garden. She highlighted some of her favorite plants and tried to show different parts of the garden.
FOR THE BUTTERFLIES – AND THE REST OF US
(By Margaret Renkl. Ms. Renkl is a contributing NYT Opinion writer who covers flora, fauna, politics, and culture in the American South.)
For Christmas last year, my husband ordered a sign for my butterfly garden from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a nonprofit that works to protect insects and other invertebrates around the world. “Pollinator Habitat,” the sign reads. “This area has been planted with pollinator-friendly flowers and is protected from pesticides to provide valuable habitat for bees and other pollinators.” A note about where to find out more information includes a QR code that takes a smartphone straight to the Xerces Society’s “Bring Back the Pollinators” initiative.
At least 75 percent of flowering plants require the intercession of pollinators — bees and butterflies and moths, yes, but also bats and birds, wasps and beetles — to produce fruit and seeds. Pollinators are responsible for roughly one out of every three bites of food that human beings eat.
Unfortunately, my pollinator-habitat sign from the Xerces Society is not the only new sign in my neighborhood. Once warm weather arrived, many of my neighbors’ lawns began to sprout signs advertising a local mosquito-killing company: “Try our ALL NATURAL botanical,” the yard signs urge, as though “natural” poisons aren’t actually poisonous. As though any chemical that kills mosquitoes won’t also kill every other insect in the yard, as well. If it weren’t for all the doorbell cameras, I’d tiptoe around the block in the dark and post my signs alongside the mosquito company’s signs. They would read: “Hemlock is natural.” “Nightshade is natural.”
But if you ask someone with a mosquito company’s sign in their yard why they are killing all their lightning bugs, why they are killing all their bumblebees and butterflies, they will look at you blankly. They don’t know they’re killing every invertebrate in their yard and starving out all the animals — birds and amphibians and reptiles and many mammals — who depend on insects for food. They never gave it any thought at all.
RADICAL SELF CARE
Corinna Wood, founder of Southeast Wise Women and co-founder of Red Moon Herbs, sustains the energy levels that her life requires without the use of caffeine or other stimulants. She practices radical self-care. The word "radical" means of the root. And self-care is indeed at the root of our health.
Spending time outdoors, daily if possible, nurtures our bodies and brains. This allows us to shift from the linear and dualistic thinking of bits and bytes to the organic shapes and sounds of the plant world. Ever since she ran barefoot as a child, she has loved laying on the earth, preferably with her feet up a tree!
The Wise Woman Tradition encourages us to remember that with every breath, we receive the gifts of Mother Earth. Stepping back into right relationship with her requires us to let go of the concept of being “other” than the land and the creatures that inhabit it.
As children, we were naturally drawn to run barefoot – to lie in the sweet summer grass, to play amid the autumn leaves, to sit on the ground. It’s time to reclaim that joy.
A large body of research has verified what ancient people knew about “earthing” – lying on the Earth for guidance and comfort. Even just a few minutes a day of simply lying quietly in the park, in your yard or garden, or in the woods benefits physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
Lie on the Earth, belly down, to receive nourishment and healing energy. Lie on your back to release and let go of tension, grief, or anger – energies that may be “stuck” in your body; allow them to flow through you into the soil to be absorbed and transformed in the healing arms of Mother Earth.
Much like snuggling with a beloved, laying on the Earth allows your mind and body to rest, relax, and receive.
Even if you can’t fully recline, simply taking off your shoes and walking for a while in the grass or sitting on a rock or log and feeling that attachment is calming and restorative.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CONTAINER GARDENING
Pots, tubs, and half barrels overflowing with flowers add appeal to any garden, but container gardening can serve a practical purpose too. Container gardening is ideal for those with little or no garden space. In addition to growing flowers, gardeners limited to a balcony, small yard, or only a patch of sun on their driveway can produce a wide variety of vegetable crops in containers. Basil, chives, thyme, and other herbs also are quite happy growing in pots, which can be set in a convenient spot right outside the kitchen door.
Container gardening also adds versatility to gardens large and small. Plants lend instant color, provide a focal point in the garden, or tie the architecture of the house into the garden. Place them on the ground or on a pedestal, mount them on a windowsill, or hang them from your porch. A pair of matching containers on either side of the front walk serves as a welcoming decoration, while container gardening on a deck or patio can add color and ambiance to such outdoor sitting areas.
You can use single, large containers for outdoor decoration, but also consider arranging groups of pots, both small and large, on stairways, terraces, or anywhere in the garden. Clusters of pots can contain a collection of favorite plants – hen-and-chicks or herbs used both for ornament and for cooking, for example – or they may feature annuals, dwarf evergreens, perennials, or any other plants you'd like to try. Houseplants summering outdoors in the shade also make a handsome addition to container gardening. Window boxes and hanging baskets offer even more ways to add instant color and appeal.
CONTAINER GARDENS FOR SALE
If you’re sold on potted plants but don’t have the time to put them together yourself, consider these beauties, each available for $30. Just e-mail admin@birchmeadowgc.com and let us know which one(s) you would like, and we will bring to you at our next visit. (Blue Salvia 1, Blue Salvia 2, Red Star Flower)
BIRCH MEADOW PLANT SALE - UPDATE!
First come, first served! E-mail admin@birchmeadowgc.com if you would like to purchase any of our overstock items. Make sure to put PLANT SALE in the subject line so that we don't miss your request! Click the link to see a picture and detailed description of each item and note the number of plants available and the price per plant listed below:
5 White Wood Aster $5
13 Bronze Fennel $3
2 American Beautyberry $4
6 Carex Cherokeensis $5
4 New Jersey Tea $12
17 Chrysanthemum (Peachy Pink) $6
3 Purple - Lovegrass $6
7 Eupatorium Boneset $6
7 Lantana Miss Huff $8
8 Lavender, Super Blue $4
1 Monarda Jacob Cline $8
13 Black Mondo Grass $7
5 Oregano 'Greek' $3
9 Phlox Subulata Emerald Pink $3
12 Phlox Subulata, Candy Stripe $3
16 Rosemary $4
22 Sedum 'Angelina' (Stonecrop) $6
2 Sedum 'Autumn Joy’) $6
17 John Creech Sedum $6
21 Sempervivum (Hens & Chicks - small) $7
2 Sempervivum (Hens & Chicks - large) $14
1 Stokesia Novae - Stokes Aster $6
1 Bald Cypress $22
6 Thyme Red Creeping $4
12 Thyme- Silver King $4
6 ’Archer's Gold' Creeping Thyme $4
3 Creeping Elfin Thyme $4
9 Spiderwort $10
23 Culver's Root $12
13 Ageratum Bumble Rose $8
6 Amsonia Bluestar $8
6 Cephalanthus Occidentalis /Button Bush $10
15 Cleome Rose Sparkler $3
5 Cosmos Sonata Mix $5
8 Dryopteris ludoviciana 'Southern Shield Fern' $6
1 Pawpaw, Allegheny $68
1 Pawpaw, Select $38
1 Pawpaw, Shenendoah $68
45 Penta Lucky Star Mix $3
1 Ratibida columnifera/Mexican Hat $11
38 Rattlesnake Master/Eryngium yuccifolium $14
42 Rhynchospora Colorata/White Topped Sedge $10
16 Salvia farinacea 'Victoria Blue' $5
53 Asclepias ’Tuberosa’ Butterfly Weed $5
22 Echinacea $5
6 Lobelia Cardinalis $7
4 Rudbeckia ‘Hirta’ $6
9 Onion Chive $3
7 Eutrochium fistulosum/Hollow Joe Pye $8
3 Chrysogonum Virginianum/Green and Gold $4
9 Heuchera Citronelle $8
1 Oakleaf Hydrangea $50
1 Limelight Hydrangea $50
15 Mountain Mint $4
2 Swamp Sunflower $6
2 Verbena, Firehouse Purple $4
3 Eastern Bottlebrush Grass $4
When prices appear to be super low, they may be very small plants which are native seed-cultivated plants. These plants take a bit of patience upfront but will benefit the pollinators and will end up being your most hardy plants for the long-term (see April 2021 newsletter on Why to Invest in Native Plants). In addition, these plants typically need no enhanced soil upon planting, no supplemental feeding over time, nor extra watering.
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If you would like help tending your established garden or installing a new one, please let us know! Click here for Maintenance Policy & Pricing.
Enjoy the busy buzz of July!
The Birch Meadow Team
Mary Beth, Kelley, Jared,
Barbara, Karla, Liz, Frankie,
Bride, CommUnity Based Landscaping
919-224-9697