Bearded Iris
Bearded Iris are always divided, planted, or moved in early fall. Their large blooms add a splash of color when spring is in full swing. Easy to grow and very reliable.
Add superphosphate or bonemeal periodically to enhance the blooming, the best times being March and July.
The rhizomes or fleshy roots need to be divided and replanted every 3-5 years for best flowering.
Longfellow’s stocks mostly re-blooming bearded iris varieties. Rhizomes are available for sale in August and September. Potted plants are available in spring and various other seasons.
Knockout Roses
To keep Knockout Roses blooming and looking their best, prune them right now. Pruning stimulates new growth and new growth produces more flowers.
Knockout Roses will continue to blossom until November. If the plants look rough after the summer (chewed leaves, uneven growth, and maybe even reduced blooming), it’s a shame not to have them look their best for the next 3 months. Cut them back, anywhere from just a branch here or there, to as short as 12″ from the ground. They will reward you with fabulous color all fall.
Fertilize one last time this year. Don’t use Osmocote or any time-released fertizer. It will feed your plants too late into the fall.
Both pruning and fertilizing need to be done before the end of August for best results.
Deep Watering
Deep watering during the hot, dry summer months ensures quality blooms next spring.
Late August is the time that spring-flowering shrubs and trees set their flower buds. If these plants are suffering from drought, the flower bud quantity and quality is affected. Sufficient water allows the plant to maximize the nutrition available and produce great blooms for next spring.
Deep watering once a week is much better for trees and shrubs than light watering daily. Remember, an inch of water a week is a good guideline, especially during hot summer weather.
Set a hose on a slow trickle near the base of the plant and let it run 15-60 minutes. On larger trees, move the hose periodically to different spots in the root zone to soak a larger area. New plantings (anything planted within this year) need the original root ball area watered weekly, plus the ground around it, soaking an area at least 2′ in diameter.
