July has just turned to August and the garden is a riot of color. Even as we enjoy the bounty of our planting this spring, my mind turns to next year and so, I've begun to collect seeds from some of the annual and perennial plants in the beds. Also, the time has come to find some early deals on this year's plants. I've been planting a few last-minute shrubs and perennials that will pay off next year.
Things to do this week:
1. Collect Zinnia and Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan) seeds. I've been keeping track of the surprises that a pack of Cut and Come Again Zinnias has served up this year and selecting the most interesting and beautiful plants for seed selection. Wait until the flowers begin to brown and dry on the plant, and if you are lucky, the birds will have spared a few blooms for seed collection. Trim off the flower and gently pull on the petals. If the arrow shaped seed at the end of each petal is dark brown, the seeds are ready for saving. I put mine in an envelope, labeled, and set aside for spring sowing. NOTE: Cut and Come Again variety is an heirloom seed, so hopefully the child plants will resemble the parent. Hybrids often do not.
2. Start visiting garden centers and even big box stores looking for deals on perennials and shrubs. I found some nice ground cover for less than two dollars a plant that will help fill in an empty spot this year and three really lovely Endless Summer Hydrangeas that I added to what will eventually be a new fence line border garden.
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