The third week of July is when many vegetables and fruits are ready to harvest, so make the most of your fresh bounty by picking beans, peas, lettuce and kale while the produce is young and tender.
One tip for harvesting leaf crops is to cut only the outer leaves of lettuce, kale and Swiss Chard to keep the plant producing more foliage.
A plastic laundry basket with webbing is a great way to bring in the harvest as you can take the basket to an outdoor spigot and hose off the vegetables before bringing them indoors. A sharp blast of the hose and a soak in salted water will remove aphid and green worms from cabbage and broccoli.
Q. I have a mostly shaded back yard. I have mostly green plants in my yard and would like some summer color. I do know from following you on Instagram that you have a lot of hydrangeas. What hydrangeas will flower in the shade? — T.W., Tacoma
A. The big leaf or traditional hydrangea macrophylla will bloom in the shade, but the amount of shade and the time of day the plant gets sun will determine how many flowers a hydrangea can produce. The ideal conditions for hydrangeas are 4-6 hours of morning sun. The hot afternoon sun will wilt the big leaf hydrangeas but then they revive once the sun sets.
In deep shade with just a few hours of sun, consider planting “Endless Summer” hydrangeas because these flower on both old and new wood, or the very hardy “Invincible Spirit” hydrangeas beause these are smooth, or mountain hydrangeas that bloom despite cold winters or random pruning at the wrong time of year. My favorite hydrangea for shaded spots is the “Blushing Bride,” a white hydrangea that slowly changes to a soft pink.
If the shade makes your hydrangeas long and leggy with floppy flowers, try the new hydrangea variety called “BloomStruck,” another reblooming variety bred to have sturdy, red to purple stems with plentiful blooms. This is a great hydrangea to grow in a container.
Q. I have a sad-looking hanging basket. It is an ivy geranium, but the leaves are turning yellow, and the flowers have all but disappeared. I do keep it watered, but I just realized the tag says full sun and my balcony gets almost no sun at all. What can I do? — A.D., Bonney Lake
A. You may need to throw in the trowel and donate that sun-loving plant to a neighbor that enjoys a sunny situation. Ivy geraniums are as demanding as tomatoes when it comes to craving sunshine and heat.
But it is not too late to enjoy a summer of color on your shaded balcony. Local nurseries still offer annuals such as begonias, coleus, lobelia and fuchsias that will thrive with very little sun. You can also enjoy houseplants such as spider plants, dieffenbachia and even orchids outdoors during the summer and then bring them back indoors for the winter. Most houseplants will burn in the hot summer sun so your shaded balcony is a safe place for them to enjoy a summer break.
Catch Marianne live
At 11 a.m. Sunday, July 28, Marianne will appear at the Highline Botanical Garden ’s free Ice Cream Social to speak about “Best Plants to Avoid and those to Grow if you are a Lazy Gardener.” The botanical garden is at 13735 24th Ave. S., SeaTac.
Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of several books. Reach her at binettigarden.com.
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