Early August Garden Update | The Southerner's Northern Garden

[@PleasantPrickles]

Some plants just die back naturally after they’ve done the job of setting seed. I noticed your Cleome had seed pods, so it’s probably what is causing the dieback, not an environmental or soil fertility issue. I just ripped out yellow tomato plants that were just at the end of their life having produced many tomatoes. Your garden looks marvelous! 🌸🌸🌸

[@debrabray8855]

Wow! I can't believe how much you have accomplished in less than a year. What stunning garden grounds you have created. I love it all❤

[@sandyg8794]

Hi Matthew! Everything is looking so pretty. It was fun seeing Louis, Margo and Lil. I'm looking forward to your trip to Bailey's. Thank you so much for sharing!

[@nancykulp8545]

We had Tropical Storm Debby come through our area, suburbs of Phila, PA last Thursday through Saturday. Got around 7 inches of rain. My flowers were drooping their pedals for a few days, but when the sun came out on Sunday, they started to come back. The grass is now green again. Your flower garden is so beautiful, and it's so lush! Your hard work has paid off so much!

[@RawLondonGardener]

This is just amazing, top stuff, plants doing great 👍🏼

[@doloresramirez3289]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@mzkimmer93]

Wow! That bed has filled in nicely!

[@MichelleSuggs-ls1ki]

Matthew, it is all looking so wonderful thanks for sharing

[@anaelechavez8358]

All your hard work shows ❤❤❤.!

[@TruthSeekerHuman-je5pd]

From Rose Geek I learned to use sealer on cane/stems when I trim roses--if not many of my roses get rose borers (wormy insects) in canes then I have to cut the canes until the borers are gone--as borers can eventually kill roses.

[@jasminelouisefarrall]

Gorgeous Mathew 🥰

[@cathyhatfield5340]

Love the pink hydrangeas border so pretty maybe my favorite!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@pamelacarroll]

I loved seeing your dogs! I also have three that garden with me. What a beautiful job you have done….this garden is so beautiful. Bravo!👏🏻

[@marksiezure3285]

Of course your garden looks great, but what really impresses me is how few casualties you have had considering how much you planted in a short amount of time.

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

I, too, am shocked there's not been more losses. I usually have pretty good results if I can get things on drip irrigation quickly.

[@CiniaThomas]

Ur place came a long way! BeautifulI have been following u for yrs.

[@dinac7361]

Your pkants exploded w growth,wow,just so pretty!! It’s looking amazingly beautiful!!

[@lynnlong1656]

Jenny at Creekside Nursery cut her Cleome way back a few weeks ago and fertilized them. They really look good now.

[@cathyhatfield5340]

I have that distant drums can’t wait until it grows up😎👍

[@carolyncourts6510]

I've said it before.. 50 miles makes a huge difference. Western Ohio has gotten a ton of rain with barely a raindrop east of Cincy. My tomatoes are loving it though. That Silver Falls I want to try to grow next summer. Its so beautiful.

[@virginiaallisonpeck2517]

so beautiful, thank you ❤❤❤

[@michellekieper1741]

The garden is looking great. I can’t believe some of it was just planted this season. It usually takes me 3 years of layering cardboard and mulch in the spring and fall to completely get rid of all the crabgrass in a bed. The struggle is real. And yeah cleome always does that for me by July. The white seems to look better longer for me.

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

Good to know! Thanks!

[@krisleonard1428]

You have done such a fantastic job! You should be so proud!

[@heathersgardenpeace]

I've mostly used it for our blueberry areas, but I use elemental sulphur. I was able to order it from Tractor Supply f or delivery to the store and then pick it up. It was recommended by my extension agent here in central Kentucky.

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

That’s what I’m looking into. Thanks for the recommendation. I’m researching the cheapest place I can find now as I’ll need quite a bit from time to time.

[@heathersgardenpeace]

@@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden I definitely understand that. I actually had a bit of a hard time finding it. I believe what I ended up with was tiger brand and the 50-pound bags.

[@betwil3]

Was that Margo, Leo, and Luis? Adorable dogs. People that love dogs are the best people in the world in my opinion.

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

Margo, Lilly (Lil), and Louis. They’re my babies.

[@terrimarks3694]

So beautiful!!!! Your vision is amazing! Thank you for sharing.

[@samanthahoos9827]

❤ Thank you for showing the not so good plants too! We’ve had too high heat and now overwhelming rain making plants go wacky. I look forward to September when I can do a bit of resetting before garlic planting. 😊

[@camicri4263]

Blessings 🙏🏻🤗

[@kathrynmettelka7216]

Happy to see your dogs enjoying the garden.

[@jorelsmith1985]

Great video 📹

[@PeggyMills]

Not bad for August in a new garden, Matthew. Loved seeing your dogs.

[@laurahale5774]

Beautiful!

[@sannaericditsler4034]

Everything looks good. Thanks for the video.

[@rhondaschenk5727]

It’s looking great, Matthew! Thanks for the tour!

[@lindamurns1245]

You guys stole my rain !!! Give it back, lol !

[@carolyncourts6510]

Right! I watched the radar the other night and it looked like we were going to get a lot of rain. Sadly it all fizzed out over southern Indiana and Hamilton Co., Ohio. Parched here in Clermont Co.

[@KarenDole-i1f]

I have a sarcaccoca in my yard for close to 25 years. It is part of the boxwood family. This year, late winter we got a week of 13° weather which is unusual for western Oregon. Lost most of the leaves as spring came on. Since it needed trimming, it got cut almost 3/4 of its size and pouncing back nicely. The insignificant flowers perfumes the area late winter and is a nice welcome as guests come to the front door. My cousin has a hedge lining her front walkway. This year I found several babies growing presumably from the dropped berries.. have planted them in four inch containers and given them away.. they love a shady area but mine gets a little afternoon sun. I hope you love it as much as we do.

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

Nice! It's odd it lost most of its leaves during those temps, but maybe it wasn't used to it. The tiny one I planted last fall kept dark green leaves all winter even in our negative Fahrenheit temps.

[@judyrhine234]

Laura and Arron Garden Answer use the soil acidifier weekly when they have a problem Have you tried Better Boxwoods?

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

This is not intended as a shady response, but a realistic one. They have a partnership with Espoma and are able to afford doing that, along with a crew to do it for them. That’s not a reasonable application rate for the average gardener due to the cost of Espoma products and time it would take. I’m out to find something more reasonable.

[@FrediOlson]

You might try hacking your Cleome back by 1/2. Might be a little late in the season, but Jenny at Creekside Nursery did that to hers and they flushed back beautifully. She's in NC. Loving what I'm seeing, sorry I viewed a little late. Thanks, Matthew!

[@JONLUCK-xo9zd]

Hi, we have just been watching your latest youtube video (early August update) and you were commenting on your boxwoods. We garden in the UK and have many boxwood topiarys and have suffered with box moth and box blight, we have now found a treatment that has helped with these problems, but as an alternative, we have found a plant that looks like boxwood, acts like boxwood and stays green in the winter without the boxwood issues, the plant is Ilex Crenata, the leaves are slightly smaller than a boxwood, but apart from that you can shape them and they look just as good. Maybe this would be worth trying in the future? we enjoy your videos and keep up with all the hard work, its worth it!!

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

I’m already trying holly in this new garden, but typically they do not thrive in the higher alkaline soil we have. They suffered severe decline in my last garden. Before I invest in more I’m going to give it some time to see if they like this soil any better.

[@JONLUCK-xo9zd]

@@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden Great! Just a suggestion, we garden on 6acres of heavy clay soil, floods in winter, rock hard in summer, we understand all the challenges gardening brings, but that is the fun of trying out plants that can survive harsh conditions, good luck in finding new solutions.

[@CameronAnthony-m]

I live in Ohio as well and my dogwood did the same thing!

[@erikas974]

Mathew can you show an arrangement you are making of the cut flowers please.

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

I haven’t made as many as I’d like, but I usually post them on Instagram when I do.

[@erikas974]

@@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden I do not have instagram. Shame I can not see. Maybe just once you can do youtube😉😊

[@cyhomer]

I don’t know…I have never had much luck with Cleome, no matter the variety…but I still love it..just can’t seem to grow it….😢

[@LULC0759]

My Cleome, Senorita that I planted early summer looked like your problem ones soon after I planted. They didn’t grow well and foliage was yellow. I finally cut them down. I did see some new growth peeking up but we’re close to the end of season I don’t know if it will grow in time.

[@kelcatflowergirl1208]

When it gets pruning time, can you show how to prune hydrangea standards so they don’t flop. I have 3 & they flopped after a rain storm. We’re looking awesome before the storm.

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

I have a video on pruning hydrangea paniculatas and specifically Limelight standards already here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXKamYpjfpxpgq8. I don't have any Limelight standards at this new home because they can have issues with flopping (particularly with a young plant) and I'm waiting for newer varieties with stronger stems to come in standard form before I purchase more standards. Flopping could have many reasons - including the amount of light or water the plant is getting, but oftentimes Limelight can just have issues flopping with heavy winds, rains, or snow/ice load because its stems are quite as strong as some newer varieties.

[@carolynclark8780]

Matthew, I hate to burst your bubble but sarcococca is susceptible to the same blight as boxwood. They belong to the same plant family. Also, sarcococca prefers part to full shade. Even here in the coastal Pacific NW where it's hardly ever blazing hot, I’d never consider growing it in full sun. It yellows and looks sad in the sun, whereas it looks lush and healthy in shade. We use hebe or pittosporum; dwarf loropetalum, myrtle, euonymus, escallonia, lonicera, vaccinium or small-leaved rhododendron; evergreen azalea; or the ilex you mentioned as boxwood alternatives here. But I think most of those are either non-hardy in your colder winters and/or acid-loving. Some people use barberry, but I refuse to put up with its thorns. And for shade, there's skimmia. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Wish I could be more helpful...

[@lindamckeown2830]

Matthew, I have the old fashion cleome. I really can't get rid of it because it reseeds so much. I pull hundreds of babies each spring and still don't get them all. They always look tired be the end of the season. Maybe that's just the end of their life cycle. 5 inches of rain over night in SC. I'm ready for Debbie to go away now.

[@jessicacook8186]

Your dahlias are gorgeous!

[@jennifero7189]

Perhaps you can try boxwood basil? Of course it’s an annual, but if it doesn’t work out, you’re only out the cost of the seed, and not the outrageous price of shrubs.

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

Ehh, I'm very much a shrub guy. I don't particularly enjoy the upkeep that comes with annuals sometimes. It's why I'm always on the hunt to find the best annual for me that requires the least amount of inputs and maintenance. Plus, shrubs (particularly evergreens) give winter interest which is needed in our climate with long winters.

[@peggy-ann1961]

Hi Matthew, what do you miss, if anything, from your previous property, and why? 🇨🇦👏🌸

[@frasersgirl4383]

The garden is looking amazing! Do you have to deadhead or prune those flowers off the Limelight Prime hydrangea hedge before next year??

[@sandyduncan914]

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸💕

[@evag1679]

🥰❤❤❤

[@kristywhited8857]

I am experimenting with Pieris as an evergreen in my garden. So far, results are not great. I initially bought two (different varieites). Only one survived. It is still growing and put on a lot of new growth this year. I purchased four more (a third variety), put them in a temporary spot, then moved them. I added one more and guess what? The four transplants look dead, dead, dead, but the new one I added straight from its pot looks fantastic. So, two out of seven? Good grief! Money wasted. Zone 6b.

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

I’ve had one die at my last home too. I think they like pretty specific conditions like acidic soil and winter protection.

[@rebeccaolson4819]

Gorgeous! What are you doing in Minnesota?!

[@TheSouthernersNorthernGarden]

Touring Bailey Nurseries facilities - home of the First Editions Shrubs & Trees, Endless Summer Hydrangeas, and Easy Elegance Roses brands.

[@bonniemontroy4040]

💞💕💓💯💡

[@jennifergreene8891]

Good morning Michael! Thank you for sharing your garden with us!

[@sonyasanders5170]

To much water!!

[@katherinelarini8514]