Huntree Newsletter July 2026

Hi there, gardeners!    It’s July already….. so here we go.

Things are growing by leaps and bounds.  Gardens are bursting forth with beautiful color which makes us all happy.

Better talk about garden problems first.  Our customers are entering the front door with baggies in hand.  Most of them have fungus in them.   All this rain and heat have made the spores proliferate.  It may show up as black rectangular patches (on Hydrangea leaves), as little orange dots (on Crabapples or Serviceberry), gray powdery film (on Monarda) or white fluffy globs (on lawn grass) to name just a few.  A little leaf fungus is not a major problem to be concerned with.  But if it continues you can spray with either Neem Oil or Copper Fungicide.   If it is severe, grab the bottle of Copper Fungicide which does a better job in severe cases.    Tomatoes are notorious for fungus on the lower leaves which can spread upward.  Pick off those affected leaves and throw them in the trash.  (Do not put in the compost pile.)   If you have had fungus on your tomato plants in the past, you may want to do a preventive Neem Oil spray every 7 to 10 days.   You can prevent blossom end rot by using Tomato Tone which has extra calcium in it.

If you see strange and weird mushrooms growing in your mulch, do not be concerned.  It’s just good decomposing fungi doing it’s thing in this heat and humidity.  As soon as the mulch dries out and conditions change it will disappear.  (Don’t squirt it with a strong stream of water to break it up.  That will just make it grow all the more.)

Now the insects.   Do not be alarmed if you have a few chew bites in various leaves.  The insects have to eat too.  There are a few exceptions you should be on the alert for:   Check your Arrowwood Viburnums for the Viburnum Leaf Beetle.  If left unchecked they can devour your plant.  They need to be treated with a systemic insecticide.  We have Bonide All Season Insect Control to do the job.   Another evil one is Black Vine Weevil on Rhododendron.  It’s not common, but worth noting because they also eat the roots at the base of the plant.    Look for half circle notches on the edges of the leaves.   Bring in a sample if you are suspicious and we can check it out.   (Grasshoppers can chew on the leaves but their chewings look much different.)

Roses have been a great show in my yard.  They are about finished with round one.  Deadhead them immediately down to the first set of 5 leaves.  They will begin setting new buds for round two.  Leave the hips on and the energy will go into making seeds instead of new flowers.   Fertilize every 6 weeks for a spectacular rebound.  I’m happy to say that my Knock Outs are fungus free.  I may have to plant a couple more.

Hey, you organic, holistic gardeners out there.  You may be interested in our beautiful Elderberry ‘York’ plants.  They are big and ready to blossom.  Their flowers and berries can be used medicinally and are very high in antioxidants.  Make yourself some Elderberry tincture to boost your immune system this winter.

Elderberries are a great bird attractor.  Also consider Aronia, Coneflowers, Liatris, Panicum, Rudbeckia, Clethra.

Come in and take a gander at our Hydrangea serrata Tuff Stuff Ah-ha plants.  The deep pink color and lacy flower heads are spectacular.  They are hardier than the bigleaf Hydrangeas.  The color can be altered from pink to blue by using Espoma Soil Acidifier.

While you are here you can pick up your Saugatuck/Douglas Garden Club tickets for the garden walk on JULY 18.    What fun it is to get the opportunity to see some spectacular gardens in our own neighborhoods!

We are expecting a fresh load of concrete statuary very soon…. Maybe even by the end of the week.    Always an exciting time!

By the way, keep in mind, all you Holland people, that there is a way to get back home and avoid the slowdown (or stoppage…  ugh) on the expressway going north.   Go east on M-89 at the Shell to 58^th St.  Turn left onto 58^th St. to Holland.

Wishing you a a lovely July!

Jan and the Huntree Gang

Categorised in: Newsletter

This post was written by MHarrison9