Perennial Color
The beautiful blooms of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) will blossom year after year in your garden. There are lots of great selections in shades of purple, such as ‘Ruby Star,’ ‘Magnus,’ and ‘Bravado.’ ‘White Swan’ and ‘White Lustre’ offer elegant white blooms. The Big Sky Series adds a new range of colors: reddish-orange (‘Sundown’), yellow (‘Harvest Moon’), and pale yellow (‘Sunrise’). All prefer well-drained soil. Improve drainage by adding some organic matter, such as composted manure, finely shredded pine bark (soil conditioner), or mushroom compost. When adding coneflowers to your garden, plant them at the same depth they were in the container and water them well until established.

Beautiful Hydrangeas
Our native oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) blooms early. Good selections include ‘Snowflake’ and ‘Snowqueen.’ Another great native is smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens); ‘Annabelle’ is the best selection.

Blackberries
Newer, larger-fruiting selections of this Southern favorite have made it a desirable addition to the garden. Thornless types such as ‘Arapaho’ and ‘Apache’ offer large fruit on upright plants. ‘Kiowa’ has thorny stems. All prefer full sun and well-drained soil. They can be grown easily along a fence or wall. Space plants 4 to 5 feet apart. Order them from Johnson Nursery, www.johnsonnursery.com, or Petals from the Past, www.petalsfromthepast.com.

Fertilizing
Feed peppers, tomatoes, squash, and tomatillos to improve plant growth and vegetable production. Use granular, timed-released fertilizers such as Osmocote Vegetable Plant Food 14-14-14 or Dynamite All-Purpose 18-6-8 for easy feeding.

Dill and Basil
Now that the soil is warm, you can add these tasty herbs to your garden or containers. For lower growing selections of dill, look for ‘Bouquet’ or ‘Fernleaf.’ There are many great selections of basil such as ‘Genovese,’ ‘Red Rubin,’ ‘Cuban,’ ‘Mrs. Burns,’ and ‘Thai.’

Great Tool
Water your garden like the pros with a Rain Wand. Its aluminum extension and nozzle let you apply a shower of water to your plants and control the amount with an easy-grip shutoff handle. Ask for one at your nursery or garden center.