We are perched precariously on the precipice between cool spring evenings and hot summer nights. This is probably the broadest range of temperatures that we will face until the cool down in November. This is the last month for planting shrubs, dividing perinnials, and getting things mulched and ready for the hot days ahead.
If you love clematis as much as I do, plant some right away, and then sit back and let it take over a trellis. Best bets for the Coastal South include Nelly Moser (mauve with deep pink centers), Henryi (white, with a purplish tinge), and Jackmanii (purple). I used to be a purist, and only planted one variety in each place, but I have come to love the way the vine scrambles over the trellis, and intermingles with whatever is nearby. This year, I'm putting in a Nelly Moser and Henryi next to my back door, in a dry, sunny spot, and hoping for a big show come October. It will replace a thunbergia that I grew from seed two years ago, but that struggles in that sunny spot during the hot weather. The black-eyed Susan vine will take over a place of prestiege in the shade near the main gate to the back yard. It is one of those plants that dislikes our hot summer nights, but it will sit tight for the summer, and come out with a big bang in the fall, blooming happily throughout the winter on my south-facing back wall.
Clematis loves lots of sun as long as their "feet" are in shade. Do plan on planting something at their base that will hold leaves through out the summer, and then mulch them in well. Plan on providing a LOT of water, and fertilize lightly every six weeks throughout the growing season. There's a lot of debate about pruning clematis, and I just stay out of it. If it's too big, cut it back. If it's not, leave it alone. You can increase the number of vines you have by draping one branch in a circle around the base of the plant in October, and then bury it in the dirt about an inch deep. When new growth begins in the spring, each leaf axil will produce a new vine. The plant can be cut back and divided the following winter, providing several more plants for the garden.
This is the week that I am pulling out my cool season vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage, which are starting to bolt (grow flower stalks out the top, and set seed) Bolting makes them taste bitter, so I will make a grand, large salad, and enjoy the last of it until next fall. I will put in carrot and radish seeds, basil and thyme, and plot my next move regarding the tomatoes. I really don't have enough sun for them to thrive, but every year I try them, anyway. My other MUST HAVE summer vegetable is an eggplant called "Ichiban." It is first and foremost, a beautiful plant with broad leaves and dark purple stems. The fruit is long and cylindrical, dark purple and very sweet. The skin is so tender that you don't have to peel it off. It is great grilled, but makes the best Eggplant Parmesan you have ever tasted. (My recipe is in the sidebar to the right.)
The St. Augustine has been creeping into all the flower beds, so this is the time to pull it all out, and trim up the edging of the walkways and beds. The plastic edging never works for the fast-spreading grasses that do so well in the coastal South, so I use brick edging as much as I can. I put in a vertical row, and then a horizontal row on the outside, providing a ground-level platform for the wheels of the mower to ride on. Where I don't use brick, I edge in liriope, but those beds have to be trimmed regularly using the half-moon edger and digging down about 6 inches to provide a moat to stop the grass. Well, nothing stops it, but the moat provides a place where I can grab a-hold and pull it out. The St. Augustine has disguised itself in the liriope by growing tall, but you'll recognize it by it's bright green color against the cooler dark blue-green of the liriope. Clean out the grass now, because the liriope will begin their bloom season next month, and you don't want to pull up any of the flower stalks.
And speaking of grass.... Fertilize lawns now - but check with your local AgCenter (listed on this page) for recommended formulations and application rates. Centipede needs different treatment than St. Aug - so do your homework, and you won't be fighting brown patch this Fall. Never apply fertilizer to wet grass! After application, water in well. If you don't get a good rain within a week (an inch or so in a week) then water again within 7-10 days. Remember to raise your blade as high as you can stand it - this will provide a lusher lawn that will shade out weeds. Mowing on the lowest seting may save you time mowing, but it will ruin your grass in the long-run. Save mowing time now, only to spend it laying sod later. Your choice.
Now is a great time to plant bulbs that will put on a show well into the fall. Plant calla lilies, crinum, ginger, tuberose, and cannas. There several new varieties of dwarf canna that produce a smaller plant, but great big flowers. You can put out summer bedding plants, too, such as marigolds, salvia, and impatiens. Mulch them well, and provide lots of water. All these bulbs and plants will benefit from a liquid fertilizer such as MiracleGro throughout the summer.
Find a place in the shade for your houseplants, and give them a big boost of fertilizer and water. Peace Lilies will want full shade, and lots of water.
Aphids are a huge problem right now, so watch for infestations and spray with insecticidal soap. Be sure your plants are well-watered before treatment, and don't spray a heavy dose on new, tender growth. Watch weekly for re-infestation, and treat immediately. Persistence is the name of the game here. It's too hot now to treat camellias with oil sprays, but watch them for aphids and camellia scale, and treat with insecticidal soap. It's a stop-gap measure that will help some - the real treatment is to plan now for oil sprays in the Fall and Spring.
Enjoy the lilies, and look forward to the hydrangeas...it will be a beautiful summer on the Coast!
Showing posts with label task list. Show all posts
Showing posts with label task list. Show all posts
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The First Day of Spring - Can Roundup Be Far Behind?
Sigh. The birds are singing, the mosquitos are buzzing, and the dandilions have taken over the rose beds. It must be the first day of spring! ACHOO! My car is covered with yellow pollen, and just when the weather gets gorgeous, I have to go inside, change the air filter, and close my doors and windows. Shucks!
If you can tolerate the pollen count, this is the time to plant small trees and shrubs. Putting them in the ground now, while the nights are still cool, gives them a little bit of time to settle in and get their roots growing. This will allow them to up-take enough water to survive the hot, still nights of summer, when the temperature seldom dips down below 85 degrees.
I have put in some Lil' Gem magnolias this last year, and they are doing very well. They are a dimminuative version of our Southern Magnolia (magnolia grandiflora) and grows slowly, and stays small, growing only to about 20' tall, 10' wide over 20 years (according to Dirr). It is a great hedging plant, and the Monrovia introduction roots easily from cuttings taken in the spring.
This is the time of year to plant these broadleaf evergreens, and others, such as hollies and azaleas. It's also the time to divide and replant (don't forget to share!) ferns, perennials, and ground covers. Bulbs like lilies can go in the ground, though it's a little early to put out caladiums. They won't come up until the ground warms up in May, and they rot during cold, wet springs. This is a great time to lay sod!
Stop fertilizing the acid-loving plants like camellias and azaleas (you should have done that by now), and instead, fertilize everything else. If you live far enough north to be able to grow peonies, now is the time to top dress them with a little lime. Clematis and boxwood like this treatment as well.
If you live the coastal zone, you will need to begin spraying roses for blackspot this week. Just put it on your calendar, and don't forget - or plant one of the new, disease-resistant varities like Knockout Roses and Flower Carpet Roses. I have grown the Knockout in the bright, hot pink, the first of the introductions, and I fell in love with everything about it except the color. I have also grown the light pink "apple blossom" variety, and it has most of the charm and charisma of it's parent. It is just a "little less" across the board in my Louisiana garden (less mildew-resistant, less hardy, less tolerant of drought, etc.) The bright pink Knockout is appearing in commercial landscapes wherever I look, and for good reason. The Flower Carpets I have grown include the white and the apple blossom. Both were outstanding, low-growing plants for the front of bed. I don't remember ever spraying for black spot on any of them, and they were very dependable, blooming late into the fall, and starting up in early spring. (See my blog: Plant Food: It's Not What You Think!)
Have fun out there, and don't forget to take your Benedryl! ACHOO!
If you can tolerate the pollen count, this is the time to plant small trees and shrubs. Putting them in the ground now, while the nights are still cool, gives them a little bit of time to settle in and get their roots growing. This will allow them to up-take enough water to survive the hot, still nights of summer, when the temperature seldom dips down below 85 degrees.
I have put in some Lil' Gem magnolias this last year, and they are doing very well. They are a dimminuative version of our Southern Magnolia (magnolia grandiflora) and grows slowly, and stays small, growing only to about 20' tall, 10' wide over 20 years (according to Dirr). It is a great hedging plant, and the Monrovia introduction roots easily from cuttings taken in the spring.
This is the time of year to plant these broadleaf evergreens, and others, such as hollies and azaleas. It's also the time to divide and replant (don't forget to share!) ferns, perennials, and ground covers. Bulbs like lilies can go in the ground, though it's a little early to put out caladiums. They won't come up until the ground warms up in May, and they rot during cold, wet springs. This is a great time to lay sod!
Stop fertilizing the acid-loving plants like camellias and azaleas (you should have done that by now), and instead, fertilize everything else. If you live far enough north to be able to grow peonies, now is the time to top dress them with a little lime. Clematis and boxwood like this treatment as well.
If you live the coastal zone, you will need to begin spraying roses for blackspot this week. Just put it on your calendar, and don't forget - or plant one of the new, disease-resistant varities like Knockout Roses and Flower Carpet Roses. I have grown the Knockout in the bright, hot pink, the first of the introductions, and I fell in love with everything about it except the color. I have also grown the light pink "apple blossom" variety, and it has most of the charm and charisma of it's parent. It is just a "little less" across the board in my Louisiana garden (less mildew-resistant, less hardy, less tolerant of drought, etc.) The bright pink Knockout is appearing in commercial landscapes wherever I look, and for good reason. The Flower Carpets I have grown include the white and the apple blossom. Both were outstanding, low-growing plants for the front of bed. I don't remember ever spraying for black spot on any of them, and they were very dependable, blooming late into the fall, and starting up in early spring. (See my blog: Plant Food: It's Not What You Think!)
Have fun out there, and don't forget to take your Benedryl! ACHOO!
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