At this time of year I find myself re-thinking my gardens. This has been a difficult growing summer in my area with too much rain and cold nights. A few crops either failed or did not do as well as I expected.

July and August in my zone 5 growing climate seem to be the perfect time to re-evaluate the perennial gardens and add more color with annuals. I fill in any empty areas with new fresh annual plants and trim out any dead perennial growth.

Garden art also perks up the gardens. At this time of the year many garden centers and stores will put their garden fountains, benches and other seasonal items on sale. Add a new focal point to your planting and you will be amazed how the blues will disappear.

If you have time make your own garden totems, stepping stones, bird houses or gazing balls. You could even turn this into a family project.

This is also a good time to buy new perennial plants. You can add plants that bloom in the summer through fall and add color the the entire season to you plantings. Many flower bloom in the early spring and summer but die back at this time of year.

By purchasing new perennial plants now you can select plants that are in bloom and purchase the plants by color. Several dependable perennial plants for color later in the season are Asters, Bee balm, Autumn Sedum and Mums.

I also consider what annual plants I will save by over wintering and what vines I will bring in in the fall. By planning now I can make sure I have room in the greenhouse or sun room. I can also make sure I have enough pots and planters.

This is also the perfect time to fertilize your gardens and add new topsoil or mulch. I know that I will be needing a lot of topsoil so I have my compost piles working overtime to make sure I have a good supply of healthy soil for my plants in the fall.

Spring summer and fall all have their bright spots and lulls and being prepared for each makes gardening more fun and relaxing.

Our summer has been rather wet so slugs have been more of a problem. Slugs do help to decompose organic matter in the soil so I don’t mind a few but if they destroy plants or vegetables they have to move to another garden! You don’t need toxic chemicals to rid your garden of slugs. There are many natural methods that work!

One of the easiest ways to keep slugs away from your plants is to have a tidy yard and garden. If they don’t have dead vegetation or places to hide they are less likely to stay around.

Here are several methods to try in your yard and gardens

Barriers. Slugs are soft-bodied and do not like to get scratched. Surround susceptible plants with rinsed, crushed eggshells – slugs will not crawl over them, and they are good for the soil.

I have used soot or ashes. They add nutrients to the soil so they also have a positive benefit to the garden area.

You could also use Diatomaceous Earth, also known as DE, which is ground up marine fossils. This can usually be found in available at good garden centers, online or in gardening catalogs. This will need to be replaced after heavy rains.

In the most popular area for slugs in my yard, the front garden, I use 4 inch copper strips placed in a ring around the base of the plant. The slugs get a “shock” from the copper.

Trapping is another method of slug control. The old tried and true beer trap is somewhat effective: place beer in a shallow dish and bury at soil level where slugs are active. Personally I don’t like this method, I find the pan gets spilled to easy. But I have friends who think this is the best slug control.

Another trap is to leave the rind of 1/2 a grapefruit, orange, or small melon out in a moist spot overnight. The slugs will hide under the rind during the day so you can pick up the rind and dispose of all the slugs underneath. If you have any groundhog or small rodent problems do not use this method.

You can also lay down small wooden boards, which the slugs will hide under. This has worked well for me. I use a few baords as walkways and just check under the boards occasionally.

Toads, snakes and certain birds love to eat slugs. Having these creatures in you yard will greatly reduce your slug population. I place toad houses in my gardens to encourage these friendly creatures to live in my garden. They add fun and laughter to your garden.

With a little care you do not need to use chemicals in your gardens. Chemicals harm good insects and birds so I try to avoid using them.

Tags: organic pest control, control slugs naturally, chemical free gardening

Trellises add to the garden by giving certain plants that vine the proper growing environment. They also are a plus in adding more gardening room to gardens and yards by growing plants vertically. I myself grow tomatoes, most squash, gourds, cucumbers and many other plants on trellises. I have also noticed insects are easier to control when plants are off the ground.

One additional use for a trellis is it can shade an area of the yard and can actually be used as a break to separate certain areas form others. It’s also a great way to create a secret garden.

Points to considerer when adding a trellis

• You can install your trellis in the ground or in a large pot. I use a pot for plants I may want to move later or for accent plants. (Specialty plants that add to a room or garden area)
• Choose a location for your garden trellis that receives the required amount of sunlight needed by your climbing plant.
• If the trellis is freestanding, it needs to be driven about 2 feet into the ground for stability. Its a lot of work to stand a trellis back up if it falls over so take into consideration the weight of the plants, particularly gourds, tomato and squash plants.
• If the trellis is in front of a wall or other solid object it can be secured with a bracket. If the posts are not long enough you can add a length of wood or metal post.
• Drive the trellis into the ground with a mallet or hammer. If the ground is too hard to drive the posts into the ground you can dig a hole then insert the posts. Pack the soil back around the posts firmly. Hint: I put in trellises after a rain or wet the ground thoroughly. Wet soil is easier to get posts and trellises in.
• It is wise to use a level to determine if the garden trellis is level vertically and horizontally. Your gardens will look nicer if your garden props are straight and secure.
• Plant your climbing plant at the base of the trellis and weave or tie the vines through the trellis as desired.

In the fall I remove annual vines and trim any perennial vines.

Trellises will last for years if properly put into the ground and maintained. They add an artistic touch to a yard and eye pleasing color. There are many interesting vines that you can add to your yard.

Tags: how to set up a trellis, what to grow on a trellis, creating garden room or secret gardens