Entire State
Houseplants--Give your houseplants a summer vacation. Select a shady, protected location for ferns, orchids, bromeliads, cycads, and tender succulents. If space is limited, hang some containers on walls, fences, or tree trunks. Use these as accessories for outdoor living and cooking areas.
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North and East
Beautiful containers--Liven up shaded areas with caladiums, wax begonias, coleus, impatiens, and pentas. Sweet potato vines such as 'Margarita' and 'Black Beauty' spread quickly and provide excellent contrast with each other. Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima) and sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) grow well in partial shade and provide nice contrast.
Central, West, and South
Bright summer plantings--Use bachelor's buttons, sunflowers, celosias, Mexican sunflowers, zinnias, and perennial hibiscus for a color boost. All of these will bloom continuously from now until cool weather if watered, fertilized, and pruned.
South
Lawns--Good choices for South Texas turf include St. Augustine, Bermuda (both common and improved types), and Zoysia. St. Augustine is the best choice for partially shaded locations. Common Bermuda grass can be established from seeds while St. Augustine, Zoysia, and hybrid Bermuda grass are best started from plugs or sod.
Panhandle
Ornamental grasses--These plants add texture and interest and can be substituted for shrubs or other perennials. They have showy plumelike flower heads that last well into winter. Good choices include 'Morning Light' Japanese silver grass, purple fountain grass, 'Feesey' ribbon grass, and 'The Blues' little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium).
Central, East, and South
Vegetables--Pick okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and peppers so that the season will be extended and you and your family can enjoy many small, tender veggies rather than one or two the size of a bread box. Irrigate as needed, and feed every three to four weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer to maintain growth and production.
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"Around Your Garden" is from the June 2007 issue of Southern Living.
