I’ve got evening primrose growing in a few untamed parts of my yard. The plants are low growing and insignificant all spring, and then suddenly the whole area bursts into yellow blooms in mid-June.

The dish-shaped flowers last just a day or two, but the plants are so covered with buds that the bloom cycle goes on for weeks. The paper-thin flowers almost look like poppies. As the summer progressives, the leaves turn reddish.

These perennial primroses, which are also known as sundrops, are part of the Oenothera genus, which includes about 125 species of annuals, biennials and perennials.

Calling them evening primroses is a bit of a misnomer because so many of the Oenothera plants in our gardens, including mine, are daytime bloomers.

Oenothera biennis, a biennial evening primrose, actually opens at night, throwing off lots of fragrance and attracting moths.

Evening primroses grow best in soil that’s not too rich, and they will tolerate clay and other poor soils. They want full sun. Once established, they are quite drought tolerant. Deer resistant, too.

Sundrops are native plants that some gardeners find too aggressive for perennial beds. You can simply mow them down after they bloom to keep them from reseeding.

Or you can just let them wander about your garden, which I prefer.

Perennials: Plants growing in shade may need water in spite of rain showers. Trees act as umbrellas, keeping the moisture from reaching the plants under them. Check the soil to make sure it has not dried out. Tuberous begonias provide a colorful display either hanging in baskets from low tree limbs or planted under them. Continue cutting back early-blooming perennials so that they will bloom again.

Flowers: If pansies’ blooming has slowed, shear them and give them a drink of liquid fertilizer. They will bloom again when the weather cools. Geraniums and fuchsias should be well fed. Fill in bare spots in the garden with annuals that can be purchased at a bargain this time of year. Edible flowers taste best when picked and eaten the same day. Harvest these flowers in the morning, after the dew has dried or right before sundown. Add them to the dish just before serving.

Vegetables and fruits: Three rules for tomato plant care: get plants off the ground; give them room and never prune or tie plants when the leaves are wet. Pinch off suckers and stems below the first blossoms. Keep moist and mulched. Apply Bt (bacillus thruringiensis) to cabbages for cabbage looper and to broccoli for worms. Bt is a bacteria that poisons the worms as they eat the leaves.

Trees and shrubs: Deeply water newly planted shrubs and trees to help their roots become established. Continue pruning spring-blooming flowering shrubs.

Lawns: Moss in the lawn may indicate insufficient sunlight, poor fertility, low soil pH or poor drainage.

Houseplants: Continue to repot houseplants as needed.

General: If the weeding and chores are done, take a well-deserved holiday break and wave the flag for America.
Susan Henry

Ask the master gardeners

Q: I am having trouble with deer in my vegetable garden. Can I use deer repellents on my vegetable crops or must I use a fence?

A: Controlling deer in a vegetable garden can be challenging. A fence at least 8 feet high is the only sure way to exclude deer from an area.

Most deer repellents work by making plants smell or taste bad and they often contain an additive that makes the repellent resistant to washing off.

Many deer repellent products, including organic ones, are not labeled for use on vegetable crops so be sure to read the label before spraying your vegetables.

You might try spraying a repellent on pieces of cotton fabric spaced about 10 feet apart and tied to a fence. This would allow you to use a protective fence shorter than 8 feet and with fewer horizontal wires.
James Lee, master gardener, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Westchester

From Pam Freeman at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies:

“A FORUM ON
OPPORTUNITIES
IN ECOLOGY

“Tuesday, July 7, 2009
9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
at the Cary Institute Auditorium

“This forum provides undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to hear firsthand about a wide range of career paths in ecology, including:

·        Media
·        Education
·        Museum Science
·        Academic Ecology
·        Environmental Law

·        Advocacy
·        Governmental Research
·        Conservation & Stewardship
·        Industry
·        Consulting

In the morning session (9:15 a.m.–12:30 p.m.), speakers representing each field will discuss the rewards and motivations involved in their work.

In the afternoon session (1:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m.), speakers will join small groups for informal discussions about issues of concern to the student participants.   Read more of this entry »

Here’s a link to an excellent article in Fine Gardening on pruning tomatoes for maximum fruit.

Proven Winners’ Project Manager, Kerry Meyer, has a great article called “Hope for Hanging Baskets” on their Web site. —click here to read it.  Every month, Kerry writes a new article for their Winner’s Circle consumer newsletter, I’m told.

Ask the master gardeners

Q: One corner of my property is shady and tends to become boggy. What are the best perennials for wet shade?

A: Before planting, first test your soil to make sure that it is appropriate for bog plants, as most prefer acidic soil. Use tall plants for the back of your planting area.

Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) is a deer-resistant native plant, 5  to 8 feet high, with dark green fernlike foliage and long arching white blooms that form seed pods for winter interest.

Indian rhubarb (Darmera peltata) has tall pink flower spikes in mid-spring, followed by 1-foot leaves atop 3-foot stalks. It lends a tropical look, though it’s hardy to USDA Zone 5.

To set off your foliage plants, plant toad lily species (Tricyrtis hirta and T. formosa), both graceful plants with stalks of star-shaped white flowers. The native Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower), which attracts hummingbirds and butterflies, provides lovely red accents, and Ligularia dentata (leopard plant) produces clusters of yellow flowers in summer.

Shorter plantings toward the front of your wetland area might include Lousiana and Siberian irises (Iris sibirica and Iris louisiana), creek monkey flowers (Mimulus guttatus or M. ‘Orange Glow’), Siberian pink cups (Baldellia ranunculoides) and golden buttons (Cotula coronopifolia).

A border of blue forget-me-nots (Myosotis palustris) can be accented with curly watercress (Barbarea verna praecox), which adds texture to the border and variety to your summer salads.

As a tropical accent, consider a shade-tolerant canna such as Canna ‘Stuttgart,’ which reaches 5 to 8 feet high with white-striped green leaves and yellow flowers, or the 4-foot-high Colocasia esculenta ‘Violet Stem.’ Both need to be dug up before frost and kept in a cool cellar until spring.

Among annuals, coleus and caladium species are interesting additions. In late fall, cut back any decaying foliage and mulch your boggy perennials with leaf cover or wood chips. Leave black cohosh until spring when the pink flowers of Indian rhubarb announce the beginning of another season.
—  Janet Cooper-Wetherly, Congers, master gardener, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rockland

I’ve got a few things coming out on time delay over the next week, but I’ll be away unil July 6.

A little more sun would be nice, but here’s to no watering. My new shrubs are very happy.

Happy gardening (and weeding).

A note from Ed Impara:

“Add to your new nursery list, Sundial Farm Perennials on Route 134, (Croton Dam Road) just west of the Taconic Parkway.

Owned and operated by Penny and Bill Hawkey, they can be reached at 914-329-7498”

It’s been a good year for my daisies.

They self-seed and move around the yard, in and out of the lawn, field and garden beds. I like that about them.

Like so many other self-sowers, they like to plant themselves in open pathways. I can’t bear to mow them down till they finish blooming.

A clump just outside my new root garden.

They mix well with sweet William, which blooms around the same time and also self-sows easily.

They have a spicy fragrance and work surprising well as cut flowers — very long lasting in a vase indoors. Deer never bother them.