| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
grEen News from Smithfield Gardens August 2007
Don't forget Dog Days is Sat Aug. 4 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
|
Dear Fellow Gardener,
In case you have not been out of the house in the past couple of months, let us tell you what it has been like. It has been hot, which we expect this time of year, and more importantly to gardeners, it has been dry - very dry. In fact, we are more than 9" below normal for rainfall. This lack of water is especially hard on new plants with their smaller root systems, but it is also affecting well-established plants causing many to suffer. Take a look around your yard, in your neighborhood and around town, and you will see mature trees and shrubs turning brown and shedding leaves. Some of these will not come back, even if rains become more normal.
When we are not getting rain, the best way to water plants is to do it 2 to 3 times a week; new plants may need more close attention. You should water deeply and for a long time, avoiding short daily sprinklings. Soaker hoses are a great way to water thoroughly and efficiently. If you plan on being away from home, arrange to have a friend, neighbor or a service water for you, or get a timer that you connect directly to your spigot. Make sure that you also have a good layer of mulch around your plants. A 2-3" layer of mulch will hold moisture in and keep competing weeds out.
For most of us gardening is one of life's great blessings, so much so that we fail to see that it is also a great investment in money and time. Please don't lose your investment to this drought. Now get outside and water!
Happy Gardening!
Your Friends at Smithfield Gardens
|
|
Laughing in the Face of Drought
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Since we are on the subject of drought, I thought I would list my top five drought tolerant plants by category. I have deliberately not included the obvious choice of cactus, agaves and yuccas, although they are certainly tough. All of these came from a much more extensive list that we put together and is available at the store. If you prefer, e-mail us with your postal address and we will mail you a copy.
Annuals
Cleome - delicate pink to white flowers
Lantana - available in several colors and sizes, looks good all summer
Portulaca - not for night owls, only open when the sun is out, very tough
Scaevola - great bluish-lavender color, does well in hanging baskets
Vinca - the impatien for the sun, not good for wet areas
Perennials
Coreopsis - long blooming, cheery yellow flowers, other colors also
Daylilies - what list from Smithfield Gardens would be complete without them
Dianthus - blue-green, evergreen foliage, pink, white to red flowers
Gaura - wispy plant in pink or white, great for butterflies
Sedum - many varieties to choose from, all are very drought tolerant
Shrubs
Aucuba - tropical looking foliage, needs shade, can compete with tree roots
Eleagnus - salt and drought tolerant, evergreen, fast, great for birds
Juniper - many types available, all are tough
Vitex - violet-blue flowers in July, can be pruned to be a small tree
Yaupon Holly - this native evergreen can take it dry or wet
Trees
Chinese Pistache - a tough tree for tough situations, great fall color
Crape Myrtle - one of my favorite trees, I am glad it is on this list
Eastern Red Cedar - a slow growing native, evergreen
Ginkgo - this tree is very worth growing no matter what list it is on, likely to outlive you
Zelkova - similar to elm, but without the Dutch Elm disease, a good street tree
If you haven't already, I hope you will try some of these plants in your garden.
Les Parks
|
|
Help for Dry Lands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Watering is an easy task every gardener does to ensure the growth and welfare of their plants. In the springtime a little forethought goes a long way to making this job effortless, even in a drought. I have put together a list of watering aids for you to use next spring (or you could use them now). If you have any questions about these items contact us and we will give you the answers you need.
1. Soil Moist - This water retaining polymer (once hydrated) releases water back to your plants as needed. It saves watering time (from everyday to every 2 or 3 days) and should be incorporated into the soil at time of planting. Great for container gardening, flowerbeds and hanging baskets.
2. Soaker Hose - A definite friend in drought times. Lay these out in flower and shrub beds around your plants at the beginning of the spring season. Turn on the faucet for an hour or so every couple of days and you are set. No fungal problems with these as they release water slowly at the base of plants-not at leaf height.
3. Moisture Meter - A must have. Tells you moisture levels at the root of the plant. You know over watering is just as bad as under watering.
4. Sprinklers- These come in all shapes, sizes and forms. Try to choose one with a variety of spray patterns, this makes it easier to conform it to your bed's length and width.
5. Nozzles and Rainwands - Using these with their convenient shut off switch helps to get water where it needs to go as well as conserving water when going from one pot or plant to another.
6. Rain Gauge - Having one of these is essential to gardening in Hampton Roads. If it ever does rain you need to know how much so you can adjust your watering time.
7. Timers - Not always necessary but very convenient. A timer attached to your soaker hose or sprinkler will allow you "free hands" watering. Set in the morning before leaving for work and things get watered without you being there.
Margie Cooper |
| A Little Anticipation Adds to the Enjoyment
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Although my garden now includes trees, shrubs, annuals, tropicals, bulbs and vines, perennials remain my first love. Since 1994 I've been exposed, through my work, to a tremendous variety of unusual perennials to test--- both in the display beds at Smithfield Gardens and at my home garden. One valuable lesson I've learned over the years is to select plant material to extend the season of garden interest as long as possible, whether with flowers or foliage. As customers come back to visit us in the fall they are amazed that so many things are blooming in our display beds. This doesn't happen by accident!
Customers in garden centers in the spring and early summer often select perennials solely for early season bloom. If a plant that starts blooming in late summer or early fall is suggested to them most are not interested enough to purchase it. "Who would want anything that doesn't bloom all summer? ", they joke. The favorite perennials of many garden center employees are those that provide fresh blooms starting in late summer. Some examples are Japanese anemones, reblooming bearded iris, ginger lilies, Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha), hardy Begonia grandis, toad lilies, bluebeard, and asters (we love 'Fanny's' and 'Raydon's Favorite'). The pinkish-purple haze of the ornamental grass Muhlenbergia capillaris is a spectacular foil for many later bloomers. Every year we plant a lime colored 'Margarite' sweet potato vine near the dark purple Setcreasea and Muhly grass in our tropical bed. When the airy flowers on the grass pop open (as pictured here) it is what we fondly call a Fine Gardening moment!
In the classes that I teach here, I often urge customers to resist the impulse to pull out all of their annuals now as their thoughts turn to mums and pansies. Many of these summer annuals are still looking good and they will continue to bloom for several months yet. Purple annuals like verbenas, salvias and torenias seem to pop when yellow and orange plants are nearby. Consider setting a pot of bright yellow mums down inside an attractive container, then place the container down next to something that's blooming in your border. You can move pots like this around to create instant focal points with this idea, especially if you have colorful plants in two different size pots. Dark 'Purple Dome' asters will be quite easy to find soon and they look great with yellow. Remember that both the mums and asters are perennials, so planting them in the ground when they are finished blooming will mean great butterfly flowers for you next year. If you were lucky enough to purchase the new begonia 'Bonfire' earlier this season, that dark orange color would also look great with yellows and purples. Visiting a garden center now will give you a fresh perspective on fall gardening, plus you can take home some blooming treats for your late summer garden.
Ann Weber |
|
