Blueberries Are a Breeze
These are some of the best fruits to grow in your garden and won't take up too much room. They have great organic appeal because they have few pests or diseases. (Translation: fruit without spraying!) Rabbiteye blueberries (Vaccinium ashei) grow well in the heat of the Lower and Coastal South. Plant selections such as 'Beckyblue,' 'Climax,' and 'Tifblue.' Northern highbush blueberries (V. corymbosum) are best for the Upper and Middle South. Try kinds such as 'Bluecrop' and 'Bluejay.' It's important to plant two or more selections for optimal pollination so you can have lots of fruit. Five plants will provide plenty of berries for a family of four. Berries ripen over several weeks, so you can pick them as you need them. Blueberries are loaded with good-for-you antioxidants and are one of the simple joys of summer. --Gene B. Bussell
Fertilizing
Feed tomatoes, peppers, squash, and tomatillos with composted manure, fish emulsion, or a slow-release granular fertilizer (such as Dynamite Flowers & Vegetables 13-13-13 or Osmocote Vegetables & Bedding 14-14-14) to promote plant growth and vegetable production.
Bird's Nest Fern
Enjoy the beautiful foliage of this graceful plant inside and out. Indoors, place one in a location with bright, filtered light. Outdoors, put a pot in the shade.
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Daylilies
Select these dependable perennials now while they're in bloom so you can get the color, size, and flower forms you prefer. Good choices include 'Black-eyed Stella,' 'Miss Mary Mary,' 'Buttered Popcorn,' and 'Happy Returns.' It is important to plant in a location that receives at least six hours of full sun a day. They prefer soil that has some organic matter, such as composted manure, but can adapt well to a range of soil conditions as long as there is good drainage.
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Container Recipe
Try this combo for sure success. You will need a 21-inch-diameter container. Plant one purple fountain grass (4-inch pot), two 'Dallas Red' lantanas (4-inch pots), and one 'Chartreuse' Joseph's coat (4-inch pot). Place in a location that is mostly sunny. Enjoy.
Garden Journal
The summer solstice comes on June 21, marking the beginning of the new season. Keeping a small notebook of your observations (when seeds were planted, bloom times, rainfall amounts, flower selections that worked well, etc.) is a great way to learn about gardening.
FLORIDA
The Right Crepe Myrtle
Though most of us buy crepe myrtle selections primarily for their flower colors, we should also consider the forms of growth: wide and spreading, upright and narrow, rounded or vase-shaped. The ultimate height of the tree is very important too. If you want a small tree, up to 12 feet tall, consider 'Acoma' (white flowers, spreading), 'Caddo' (bubblegum pink, spreading), 'Cheyenne' (red, rounded), or 'Pecos' (medium pink, vase-shaped). If you want a larger tree, around 20 feet tall, consider 'Apalachee' (light lavender, upright), 'Comanche' (coral pink, upright, rounded), or 'Centennial Spirit' (dark red, upright). Trees taller than 20 feet include 'Arapaho' (dark red, upright), 'Biloxi' (light pink, vase-shaped), 'Natchez' (white, rounded), and 'Twilight' (dark purple, upright). Select a tree that fits the space of the site so that you don't have to prune it drastically each year. All crepe myrtles need full sun to flower well. --David W. Marshall
North and Central
Beautiful ornamental grasses--To provide your garden with graceful plants that need minimal water once established, use 'Adagio' Japanese silver grass, 'Cabaret,' Japanese silver grass, porcupine grass, or zebra grass.
Flowering shrubs--Hydrangeas, gardenias, and yesterday-today-and-tomorrows (Brunfelsia pauciflora) are good choices for spots that receive morning sun and afternoon shade. For full sun, try oleander, golden dewdrop, and firebush (Hamelia patens).
Central and South
Lawn care--With frequent rains, gray leaf spot can develop in St. Augustine lawns. If it becomes severe enough, you may have to use a fungicide such as Bayer Advanced Fungus Control for Lawns. In areas of full sun, high numbers of chinch bugs can cause straw-colored patches in the lawn. If there are damaging numbers of chinch bugs, you can spot treat with an insecticide such as Spectracide Triazicide Once Done! Insect Killer.
South
Mangoes--To enjoy tasty fruit, plant a mango tree in full sun, allowing a distance of 25 feet from buildings, other trees, or utility wires. Water the new tree every other day for the first two weeks. Then decrease waterings to twice a week. Feed monthly with a product such as RiteGreen Citrus, Avocado, & Mango Fertilizer 4-6-8.
Entire State
Watering--Summer rains are usually fairly frequent in June. If so, adjust your irrigation system so you don't overwater your plants. If your landscape is well established, you may not even need any supplemental irrigation now. Water only when rainfall isn't received and the soil begins to dry out.
Easy-care color--Continue to plant for summer color. Summer Wave Hybrid torenia is an excellent choice for areas that receive morning sun but have protection from the late-afternoon sun. For more shaded areas, use Brazilian plume flowers, impatiens, caladiums, coleus, and Persian shields. In full sun, plant pentas, Profusion Series zinnias, sun coleus, 'Purple Knight' Joseph's coat, melampodiums, and bat-faced cupheas.
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TEXAS
Pretty Blooms
Set out 4-inch, 6-inch, or 1-gallon containers of 'White Lightnin' or 'Snow White' lantanas, 'Indigo Spires' salvia (blue-purple), and esperanza (yellow). 'Gold Star' is a particularly compact-growing esperanza that blooms all season long. The larger containers will give you more immediate impact. These lantanas are fairly compact and are most effective when used in front of the 'Indigo Spires' salvia and esperanza. All three plants are drought and heat tolerant and thrive in average garden soil. --William C. Welch
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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. |
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