Two Full Moons in July | Gardening Whisperer

Full Moons of July

Full Buck Moon and Blue Moon

We just finished the wettest month (June) ever in St. Louis. Going into June we were behind the yearly average by 1.59 inches. June’s has an average rainfall of 3.83 inches; we received 10.51 inches thus we are ahead of the year by 5.09 inches. The forecast for July is hot, hot, and hot so this may dry us out; I hope. The normal rainfall for July is 3.9 inches and the total for the year is 39.79 leaving us with only more 15 inches left for a normal year.

July has two full moons; One, July 1 which is called the Full Buck Moon and the other on July 31 is called the Blue Moon. Read why it called the dog days of summer and what is behind the names of the full moons on The Farmer’s Almanac; http://farmersalmanac.com/astronomy/2013/07/15/julys-full-buck-moon/

Bee and Misquotes

Other tidbits the Japanese Beetles are back and misquotes if they are not here they coming. (See picture) I hope we can see the full moon tonight instead of rain clouds. Hoping to see monarchs any day they were here several years ago and have not come to my garden since, but that is part of gardening; Hope.

Early flowering shrubs like Azaleas, Rhododendrons, and lilacs should have been cut back so they can set buds for next spring. Fertilizing of these plants and roses should not be done as the will stimulate growth which would be tender and damaged if early fall frost. If you can get out and exercise in the early mornings and enjoy the summer.

Happy Gardening