An extraordinary lily flower blooming in the summer garden provides a wonderful surprise. ‘Lady Alice’ was planted last fall, the photo online of the flower was spectacular and when blooming this summer, lived up to the hype from the catalog. When things are planted in the heat of battle, they are often forgotten until the put on their show. It’s one of the things that makes gardening wonderful.
Lilies are the queen of the summer garden and are one of the plants which can be found on sale at nurseries.
Once the lilies are done blooming at the garden center, they are hard to sell. It takes patience as lilies planted now will not bloom for a year.
Summer bargains are fun to find and searching for them is an annual ritual for many gardeners.
There’s still over three months left in the season before frost so annuals, hanging baskets, vegetable plants and more can be found at a discount this time of the year.
Filling holes in the garden where perennials have finished or in containers where plants haven’t thrived gives the landscape new life.
Cool loving crops like lettuce have bolted and gone to seed, they can be replaced with bush bean seeds or maybe some big pepper plants.
‘Simpson Elite’ lettuce is a variety which does well in the summer. Lettuce seeds can be sowed every few weeks to keep the harvest coming.
Swiss chard loves the heat and will grow well into winter. Sow some seeds now for a late summer, fall harvest.
Beets would also be a good choice to start from seed now as they don’t mind the summer weather and will grow through winter.
Harvesting beets during a January thaw by pushing back a thick layer of mulch is one of the joys of gardening.
Summer maintenance includes watering when needed, most plants in the ground need about an inch of rain per week.
If Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate, watering should be done in the morning. That gets the plants ready for the day and allows time for the foliage to dry out. That’s important for plants like tomatoes, beans, squash and other crops that are susceptible to fungal diseases.
Containers dry out quicker than the garden and need water along with fertilization during long hot days.
A liquid, organic fertilizer gives the plants in pots instant nutrition. Water the container first, then come back with the fertilizer. The moist soil will hold the fertilizer in place better than dry dirt in the pot.
Refreshing mulch will help deter weeds, keep the soil evenly moist and prevent diseases.
With a hot and humid summer, one issue in the garden has been slugs. They are basically snails without the shells. Slug damage can be mystifying for gardeners as they feed at night, spending days buried under the cool mulch which was just refreshed. Look for a slimy, silvery trail in the morning to verify slug damage. One of their favorite foods are hostas, but they’ll go after just about anything.
One organic control is Sluggo, the pest eats the pellets which overdose the slug on iron.
Nothing else will eat the pellets and they will dissolve into the soil in time, and the plants like the extra iron.
Some people trap slugs by filling a container buried at ground level with stale beer, emptying the container is not a pretty job. Slugs can’t cross copper, so some gardeners put down copper wire as a barrier.
Summer is a great time to do a few small things to keep the garden looking great and save a little money too.
Doug is throwing the first ever Pittsburgh Garlic Festival
The first ever Pittsburgh Garlic Festival will be held on August 23, 2026, at Flora Park in South Park from 12-3 p.m.
Supporting the South Hills Interfaith Movement.
People are asked to bring fresh produce and other donations for the food pantry which will be distributed to families. Everyone who donates receives a hose sprayer from Dramm.
Doug will present “Secrets to Seven Harvests when Planting Garlic.” He’ll also explain how to deal with the allium leaf miner, which has bothered garlic growers for the past several years.
He’s also serving Ultimate Garlic Alfredo Pasta for free.
The festival will offer seed garlic for planting, music, a chance to taste spotted lanterfly honey and much more.
Flora Park is a garden center and ice cream creamery located at 430 Corrigan Dr. inside South Park in Bethel Park.
SHIM provides compassionate support, helping neighbors connect to essential resources, so individuals and families can meet their needs, find their footing, and move toward a stronger future.
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Host of "In Doug's Garden" on CBS KDKA-TV Streaming
Host of the Talking Trees podcast for The Davey Tree Expert Company
Consultant for Farm to Table Buy Fresh Buy Local
Columnist for Pittsburgh Earth Day's "The Green Voice"
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