Page 3 - Agway Summer Mag

Watering Time!
Garden
Coach
As the summer heats up, our Cape Cod soil dries out. It’s time to have a solid watering plan!

Priscilla
Garden Coach
Gardeners all appreciate a rainy day when it when needed with a liquid fertilizer so they
comes but summer showers are fleeting. look great all season. I deep water my lawn
Sadly, we can’t rely on the rain to provide our with an overhead sprinkler therefore only
Priscilla
gardens with the water they need to thrive. have to water a couple of times a week. For
The old adage is 30% of water is evaporation, all plants, the deeper you water the root
30% of water is runoff and only 30% of structure the better able it is to withstand
water reaches the roots. A rain gauge is helpful dry periods.
to know the amount of fallen rain, be sure to
place it an open place for an accurate reading. A timer is a good tool to control the amount of
water we use so it is not wasted and a 2 or 4
Be mindful of your water system and how way valve makes it easy to work from a single
much is reaching the roots of all your “water station” when doing different
plant material, especially if you have watering jobs. I have more than one
a thick layer of mulch. Also if your hose at each station so a hose
plantings are under a tree as my hanger or reel is good to keep
Garden Coach
shade gardens are, be aware that things neat and organized and
the canopy of the trees may off the ground.
restrict the amount of rain

At some point many of

Priscilla reaching your garden. I have Garden Coach my plantings become
a variety of ways to keep my

gardens hydrated… Priscilla “established” and I don’t have
SUMMERTIME TIPS My vegetable garden is watered by drought. But I know that if I want
to water them except in times of
featuring Garden Coach hand, it is very important to always my plantings to always look healthy
and beautiful, water is the elixir to
keep the foliage of our vegetables dry to
make that happen!
prevent fungus on the leaves of tomatoes,
It wouldn’t be summer on Priscilla Husband peppers, squash and just about everything of Cape Cod
else. I use a watering wand to reach the
Cape Cod without hydrangeas. wells that I have created when planting to
So for our Agway Summer ensure the roots (of all my gardens) get all
Magazine, we start here. For thing. Hydrangeas love morning their size, like under a window, the water. In my shrub beds I have a drip
those of us who love Hydrangeas sun, a gentle light on the flowers, you will be cutting many of the hose circling each shrub for complete and 4.15.2021
Garden Coach Stamp
June and July are glorious but many new cultivars can take flowers you love. deep watering as the shrubs grow and
months. Walking around the full sun or even part shade now, increase their root structure. My perennial
hydrangea selection at Agway expanding our options. Annabel Hydrangeas create flowers on gardens are alongside my lawn and get a
I am always amazed at the show and Oakleaf hydrangeas do well new growth and old growth, mix of drip and overhead water while my
stopping beauty of each flowers in shade. Be flexible with your giving you continuous flowers container plantings of annuals are watered
as it develops from buds to petals. hydrangea choices and check the when cared for properly. Always
When someone chooses a very informative tags to plant know the maturity of the shrub
hydrangea to take home I always them in the most advantageous and plant accordingly. There are
say, “ make sure you give it a good place on your property. many smaller varieties of hy-
home so it will always look as it drangeas now along with a mix
did when you fell in love with it”. When people ask me when to of colors like pink, lavender and
prune their hydrangeas I often purple. Imagine a blend of hy-
Most hydrangeas require the same say never. Removing dead stalks drangea colors in the landscape!
things, good moisture retentive in the spring and deadheading Whether or not you have hydran-
soil, a mix of sun and shade and the rebloomers is all that I do. Be geas in your own landscape, take
regular watering—especially right careful not to plant any shrub the opportunity to enjoy them all
after planting. Picking the right (including hydrangeas) in a place over Cape Cod this season—you
location is the most important where you will have to control will surely become a convert!