Jeepers Creepers

 

July, 2026

Pickaway to Garden

 

Jeepers Creepers

By Paul Hang

 

“Jeepers Creepers where’d ya get those peepers? Jeepers Creepers, where’d ya get those”… Ivies? That’s not exactly the way the song goes. But if you have English Ivy (Hedera helix), Winter Creeper (Euonymous fortunei) or Periwikle (Vinca minor), you have creepers more like the horror movie by the same name. In the case of English Ivy and Winter Creeper you also have climbers. They can reach upwards of 75 feet. Periwinkle can climb to about 16 inches.

 

Sometimes we want a plant that can cover an expanse of soil from a few square feet to several square yards, a ground cover. We also might want a vine that can climb a trellis, a wall or a fence. Who wouldn’t want a plant that is: evergreen, a vigorous grower, low maintenance, deer resistant, a weed suppressor; a stabilizer of slopes, happy in full sun or shade, and tolerant of most soil conditions?  That describes the Terrible Trio mentioned above.

 

The Terrible Trio also: out competes native vegetation, damages trees, and disrupts ecosystems. They are serious invasives. They suppress weeds but also other desirable plants that they invade. I have had them overwhelm hostas and more desirable ground covers. They are fast growing and, except for Periwinkle, cover vertical surfaces when available. They spread by vegetative growth and seeds. They are still sold as ground covers and houseplants. I have even heard popular garden show hosts recommend them. The climbers have aerial roots that exude substances that help them adhere to walls and trees. English Ivy also has berries toxic to birds and humans.

 

Removing them can be challenging. Starting at chest height cut and remove the vines to the ground and an area a couple feet away from the vertical surface. With trees do not attempt to remove higher growth. It may injure the bark. It will die and fall off naturally.  On the ground remove the root stems by cutting and treating with an herbicide. You may need to repeat treatments.

 

Identification and treatments can be found on YouTube and in other references. There you can also find native alternatives. Pay attention to descriptive terms like “aggressive” or “vigorous  growers” as some, e.g. Trumpet vine or Campsis radicans, though native can cover a barn in just a few years. If you have any of the Terrible Trio as house plants put them in the trash when you are through with them. Consider not sharing them.  

 

Things to do in the garden:

 

The dog days began July 3^rd.  Time to take stock. What has gone wrong in the garden and what has gone right? Some days I am tempted to “throw in the trowel.” Once I see my daylilies in bloom, some tomatoes forming on the vines I get over that feeling and I resolve to keep on.

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Are you waiting on cucumbers and squash to start bearing fruit? They get male flowers first then later the female flowers come on. This is the time to dry herbs. Harvest before they flower. Pick on a sunny dry day and in the morning. Tie them in small bundles with rubber bands. Hang them upside down in a hot, dry, dark, well ventilated spot in an attic, barn or shed. It is time to harvest garlic. Harvest when leaves are turning yellow but there are still one or two green leaves. Hang them or lay them out to cure.

 

Weeding, deadheading and watering are high on the list of routine activities. If July turns out to be bone dry, water the equivalent of one inch or more per week. Don’t let your plants wilt. This will cause blossom end rot in tomatoes and other solanaceous plants like peppers and eggplant. Mulch to conserve moisture and keep down weeds. If you haven’t mulched yet do so after a soaking thunderstorm or a good deep watering. Vegetables high in water content need more water e.g. tomatoes, watermelons, onions.

 

Keep your mower blades sharp; cut your grass long, 3-4 inches is ideal. If you use a pesticide for grubs you are also killing the ones that produce fireflies. Consider organic methods if you have a grub problem.  Kill Japanese beetle scouts before they let their comrades know about your garden. Brush them off into a cup of soapy water or alcohol (not Jim Beam). Repeatedly letting the lawn go dormant and reviving it by watering can kill the grass. Either keep watering or wait for Mother Nature to do it for you. Don’t forget to water your compost heap. It needs to remain moist for fast decomposition.

Container plants in the hot sun may need watering daily.

 

If grafted trees or roses are suckering below the graft, cut the sprouts off. In the case of roses these sprouts won’t produce roses like the original graft. If that’s all you have, consider replacing it. Keep picking seed pods off the annuals and clipping spent flowers (deadheading) to encourage bloom all summer. Pinch back mums July 15^th for the last time. Thin out fruit on heavily laden fruit trees. Prune climbing roses after bloom. Divide bearded Irises and do not re-plant too deep. Plant gladiolus up to mid-month. Add soil to potatoes as they grow.

 

Always read the labels on your plants for fertilization. Most woody plants have completed their growth and their buds for next year so fertilizing trees and shrubs after early July is a waste of money and may harm the plant. Keep watering trees and shrubs planted in the past 2-3 years. Ten gallons for every inch in diameter every week is good.

 

Consider planting a fall garden later this month. Plants such as cabbage, broccoli, spinach, collards, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts (plant seeds now, seedlings later), kale, Swiss chard even beets and parsnips thrive in our fall weather. Consider starting your plants indoors (except for root crops). Acclimate seedlings to the sun before putting them out in the garden. You can still plant beans, cukes, summer squash, greens and corn.

 

If you would like to see much more of things to do in the garden, as if this is not enough, see Margaret Roach’s web site awaytogarden.com (no relation). She gardens in Zone 6a in upstate New York. Have gardening questions? Call the Gardening Helpline 740-474-7534 and check out bygl.osu.edu.