Northern California July Garden Checklist

Planting

• Bearded irises: Best time to plant rhizomes. Full sun (light afternoon shade in hottest areas); fast-draining soil. Space 1–2 ft; barely cover tops. Mail-order: Beautiful View Iris Garden (El Dorado Hills), Brook Lomond Iris Farm (Ben Lomond).
• Bigleaf hydrangeas: Most bloom on old wood; rebloomers (old + new wood) excel where cold damages old wood. 'Endless Summer' (pink in alkaline, blue in acid soil). 'Madame Emile Mouillere' (white with pink/blue eyes, aging to pink-dotted).
• Patriotic pots: Red/white/blue annuals/perennials for July 4th. Combine tall, bushy, trailing. Red: phlox, celosia, dahlia, flowering tobacco, geranium, petunia, Salvia coccinea, scarlet sage. White: alyssum, phlox, dahlia, dwarf cosmos, flowering tobacco, geranium, heliotrope, nemesia, petunia, white scarlet sage. Blue: gentian sage, lobelia, mealycup sage, nemesia, petunia, verbena. All need full sun.

Maintenance

• Deadhead to prolong bloom. For mass bloomers (marguerite, santolina), use hedge/grass clippers.
• Fertilize cymbidiums every watering for next winter's bloom. Orchid fertilizer per label, or 20-20-20 at half strength.
• Fire protection: Mow wild grasses/weeds wide around property. Trim dead shrub/tree growth; prune overhanging branches. Sweep roof debris.

Pest Control

• Budworms (Zones 7–9, 14–17): If geraniums, nicotiana, penstemons, petunias lack flowers but look healthy, check for bud holes and black droppings. Spray Bt every 7–10 days.