On Saturday, July 20, there will be a Made in the Shade: Tips, Tricks and Free Plants” demonstration with Marianne Binetti at the Shark Garden at 1:30 p.m. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-class-dos-and-donts-of-container-gardening-with-marianne-benetti-tickets-933986186827?aff=oddtdtcreator (or just show up).
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 to harvest 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. First, you are invited to the class on shade gardening this week (Saturday, July 20 at 1:30pm) at The Shark Garden in Burien. 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 four to six 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 look for ‘Endless Summer’ hydrangeas as these flowers on both old and new wood or the very hardy “Invincible Spirit” hydrangeas as 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. 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.
Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of “Easy Answers for Great Gardens” and several other books. For answers to gardening questions, visit plantersplace.com and click “As The Expert”. Copyright for this column owned by Marianne Binetti. For more gardening information, she can be reached at her website, www.binettigarden.com.
