May Is Full of Color

red carpet roses in a vase

hydrangia blooming early

May is almost over, but it has been a busy garden month with nice, spring weather and rain showers some afternoons, which helps keep things watered.  We haven't had that for quite a few years.  The summer flowers are starting to go crazy, along with the poison ivy!  So be careful of the "leaves of 3, let it be!"  Make sure you know what it looks like so you can avoid it.

pepper plants in the garden

May Activities:
    ·         Plant summer annuals and herbs
    ·         Fertilize established flowers every 2 months
    ·         Pick strawberries
    ·         Mulch all beds for summer, so it is 2-4 “ deep
    ·         Put out hummingbird feeder; oil wire to deter ants
    ·         Mist houseplants frequently during this month
    ·         Cut back established mums by 1/3 and fertilize
    ·         Divide hostas
    ·         Start regular watering schedule
·         “Dead-head” (pinching off spent flowers) on most flowering plants
·         Can  still plant summer vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers, squashes, cucumbers, etc.  Plant  on a cloudy day, so they are less stressed by heat.

purple heart, lantana & yarrow

Some Easy-Care Plants and Combinations

If you have lots of sun but don’t like to water often:

·               Ornamental grass, coneflowers and lantana(P:Perennials- come back year after year)

·               Yarrow(P), purple heart(P) and zinnias(A:annual)

·               Liatris (Bulb), Coreopsis (P), Verbena(P & A)

·              Blackeyed susans (P), Red-hot poker plant (P) and Ice Plant(P) or        Sedum (P & A)

·               Ornamental Grass,  Purple Coneflower(P), Sedum (P), and Blanket Flower(P)

·               Gladiolus(bulb), Irises (rhizome) and Daylilies(P) & Creeping phlox(P)

shasta daisies, gladiolus, yarrow

If you have afternoon shade and water moderately:

·         Shasta Daisies (P), Sages(P & A) and Petunias (A) (Supertunias can take more)

·         Roses(P), daylilies(P) and begonias(A)

·         Hydrangeas (P), marigolds (A)

·         Gardenia Bushes, Hibiscus (P)

·         Porch plants:  Asparagus fern, spider plant & begonias

 potted caladiums and elephant ear

If you have mostly shade:

·         Impatiens(A), Coleus(A), Hostas (P)

·         Ferns( A), Lenten Rose (P)Caladiums (annual bulb)

Basic Plant Care for Southern Gardens: 

1.      Mulch beds and pots well. 

2.      Water deeply (at least an inch) every week for the best flower production. 

3.      Pinch off faded flowers, to produce more flowers. 

4.      Feed with 3-month fertilizer granules when planting, or apply plant food added to water every other week.

herb pot

some carrots just pulled

Vegetable and Herb harvesting:  The more often you pick the fruit and vegetables, the more it will produce.  For instance, green beans, try to pick every day or two, refrigerating till you have enough for serving.  Harvesting in the morning or evening is best.  For Herbs, pinch off tips/ends to use leaves, like oregano, basil, etc in the morning before the heat of the day.  This will give you the best flavor and also encourage branching.  

birdbath with daylilies and gerbera daisies

Plant Care during your Vacation: If you can find a neighbor gardener that works with their own plants, then you should be set.  If you don’t have that option, here are a few ideas:

·         Place potted plants under tree cover or in afternoon shade, having a drip hose on a timer that will drip into the pots. 

·         I have also placed a 2 liter bottle with lid (add a nail hole to the bottom) into my pot to slowly drain into the soil. 

·         For Beds, a soaker hose on a timer is best, setting it for the morning hours.

flowerbed along back fence

     TIPs for Curb Appeal:  To make the most of the front of your house (and backyard)

1.      Focus on texture and foliage for a lush-looking all-season garden.  Flowers come and go, but starting with an ever-green background will carry it through all seasons. 
2.     Then punctuate with color.  This can be leaf-color, just as much as flowers.
3.  Repeat color to unify.  If you like blues, use plants with blues and purples.  If you like bright contrast, pick yellows, purples and reds.  Same with pastels.
4.      Plant flowers in groups of 3-5 plants, like in a triangle or group, rather than straight lines for more impact and interest.
5.  For less work and cash over time, use low-maintenance perennials to fill out beds, adding a few annuals.

March is Here

 My Garden activities for March:

Violas in pot

• Re-pot tomato starts after 6 leaves appear, pinching of cotyledons.  
• Enrich melon patch
• Start feeding Blueberries
• Divide and take cuttings of yarrow.
• Plant  starts of lavender, mint, oregano & cilantro when ground is cool.
• Divide Shasta Daisies as shoots appear
• Fertilize honeysuckle as new growth appears
• Apply car wax to outdoor furniture and do paint touch-up.
• Re-pot house plants is needed or top-dress with new soil.

Cedar waxwings flocking to fountain

It is March here in North Atlanta and the Spring flowers are in full bloom: tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, grape hyacinth, forsythia bushes, camellias, and  flowering trees. We had a huge flock of cedar waxwings hanging around our yard last week!  They were in and out of the trees, eating the berries off of the hollies and would flock down to my front water fountain.  I think I took 250 pictures trying to get a fantastic one.  But we don't usually have these birds in our yard.  Then this week they were gone!  They must have been migrating through.  It was fun to watch them.

onion sprouts in garden

A week ago, I tilled up the garden with the tiller- I was so sore afterwards,  but I love doing the work.  We took down the chicken wire fence that needed help.  I got my younger girls out there and we planted the onion and garlic sprouts.  I re-seeded the cool-season vegetables.

summer bulbs by back fence

This week I tried to do a gardening activity every day.  I have been moving around some flowers that wintered over, dividing yarrow and cosmos.   I started an new bed of extra cannas, gladiolas, irises and lilies behind the vegetable garden.  These taller plants, hopefully will give some color to the back fence till the vegetables get going.

ornamental sweet potato tubers

I also emptied some hanging baskets that I had in the greenhouse.  I threw the dried up and dead stuff in the compose pile.  Finding the sweet potato vine tubers, I took them inside, laid them in an ice cream bucket with soil and placed it in the kitchen window.  So, hopefully, I won't have to buy any sweet potato vine this year!

Red verbena in greenhouse needs trim

I have been trimming the starts that overwintered in the greenhouse, like verbena, so they will be more compact when I plant them in my pots.  I hate cutting off the flowers buds, but I know it will make for better looking plants.

I started some coleus seeds and "Little Sprite" zinnias.  I love coleus for its leaf color in pots, so that you don't have bland spots when other flowers fade.  I was looking for a zinnia that I could us in hanging baskets, so hopefully this will fit the bill.

tomato sprouts

pepper sprouts

And the peppers, tomatoes and basil are coming along.  The tomatoes are getting tall.  So after their are 6 leaves, I will re-pot them in the containers so more of the stem is under the dirt.