Gardening: Good start can help garden through hot, dry summer
We aren’t out of the woods completely as far as cold weather goes. The low temperatures Thursday and into the weekend need to be watched, especially if you are in the notoriously cold parts of the region. I am holding off planting my warm-seasontomatoes, peppers and eggplant until early next week, depending on the forecast. I have planted some stuff in pots on my deck but am keeping a light blanket handy. The houseplants that usually spend their summer on the deck will have to wait until after Memorial Day to get their first dose of fresh air.
It’s been warmer and, unfortunately, drier than usual already this spring. While I have no idea what the summer will bring, I am soaking my gardens well now. The WSU Master Gardener Clinic has seen a few examples of plants that took a beating in last summer’s heat and are not leafing out well this year. These plants might recover if they are watered well through this year. Some of them, however, will struggle along for a couple of years and then give up the ghost in the next drought or cold snap. The long-range forecast says there is a good chance for a La Nina next winter, which means cold, wet weather. Keep plants well-watered as they dry with deep soakings that get water 8 to 10 inches into the ground.
As the spring-blooming plants finish their season, deadhead them to allow roots to store up energy for next year. Leave bulb foliage alone until it begins yellowing so the plant can store up energy. If the foliage looks ugly, plant other low-growing plants in front of the bulbs so their foliage can hide behind them. Lilacs should be trimmed just below the faded flower to encourage flower buds for next spring. Wait until early July to dig and divide iris.
Lastly, take care of your noxious weeds now before they go to seed. Noxious weeds are botanical thugs that crowd out more desirable grasses and low-growing plants and leave behind a monoculture of themselves and little else. Knapweed, bugloss, hounds tongue, skeleton weed and a few dozen others are on the Spokane County Noxious Weed Board’s list of weeds that landowners are responsible for controlling on their property.
Spring is the best time to control them, as they are growing vigorously and haven’t sent up their seed heads yet. The judicious use of herbicides is the most effective way to control noxious weeds down to their roots. Even if you prefer not to use herbicides, judiciously getting them under control with well-timed applications will allow you to use more benign control methods in the future.
Pat Munts is the co-author, with Susan Mulvihill, of the “Northwest Gardener’s Handbook.” Munts can be reached at pat@inlandnw gardening.com.