WORKSHOPS & EVENTS
Friday Oct 9th
ART IN THE GARDEN IV
"Rendezvous With The Blues"
featuring
Elliott & The Untouchables
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KEEP UP TO DATE BETWEEN NEWSLETTERS AT
WATCH VIDEOS OF WORKSHOPS & EVENTS AT
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WE RECOMMEND:
Ruchelle Gee for Landscape Design
Old South for Installation
Focal Point for Water Features
PS Designs for Hardscapes
Call us for a referral
803-359-9091
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| I drive by houses in my neighborhood, and the landscapes already look stressed by the summer heat. It seems people just give up on their yards when the temperatures reach 100 degrees! I wonder why! You can still have a pretty yard in July and August. In this issue, I'll give you some tips for keeping things pretty in July and August, as well as recommendations on plants that love our hot South Carolina summers. |
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50% OFF
Summer Annuals, Tropicals, Herbs,
4" Perennials
BUY ONE GET ONE FREE
Roses(except Knockouts), Camellias, Sasanquas |
PRETTY COOL PLANTS
FOR AWFULLY HOT WEATHER
KNOCK OUT ROSES - These disease resistant shrub roses bloom their hearts out all summer. They get about 4' wide by 4' tall and love full sun. After each bloom cycle, cut them back about six inches to clean up the "dead heads" and promote more bloom.
GAURA - This perennial is light and airy and sways in the breeze, making you feel a little bit cooler, even if you're not. The gaura forms a long taproot and is very drought tolerant. It performs best in well-drained soil with full sun. You will be happy to know that this is one plant that does not need large quantities of organic matter or frequent applications of fertilizer to put on a good show.
DURANTA - A great tropical chartreuse-colored shrub that will liven up your landscape until frost. Ours are about 2' X 2' in a 3-gallon pot, on sale for $10 each. A zone-9 plant, it may make it through the winter with some protection. 
BUTTERFLY BUSHES - You can get a big splash of color in full sun for most of the summer. Oh, yeah, butterflies and hummingbirds love them, too.
GRASSES - Love dry conditions and lots of sun. And, they're really pretty when they bloom in the Fall. The bloom on pink muhly grass looks like cotton candy floating over the grass.
SEDUMS - You might be familiar with old fashioned plant, "hens and chicks." There are many more varieties of sedum today. These plants have thick leaves and stems, which hold water like a cactus. They are great for hot, dry weather. "Lemon Ball" sedum has that bright chartreuse color, is winter hardy, and puts on bright yellow flowers.
CUPHEA - Also called the cigar plant, this particular variety is known as "Flamenco Cha Cha." It is a great annual that has a bright bloom. It spreads and blooms prolifically. And, it often reseeds for next year.
EUPHORBIA - Perennials in 4" pots get very stressed here at Wingard's since soil in small containers dries dry out very quickly. But looking through our inventory, the Euphorbia looks great, even in 4" pots. So, it's a sure winner for hot, dry conditions.
TROPICAL HIBISCUS - Think about it.... they live in the tropics in full sun. They thrive here and bloom all summer. Even better, since they are annuals here, ours are on sale - half price.
BUTTERFLIES LOVE PERENNIALS THAT LOVE THE HEAT - Cone Flowers, Bee Balm, Black-Eyed Susans, Salvia, Mexican Petunias (we have white, pink and purple - 6" tall and 36" tall) and Perennial Hibiscus are all flowering and look great right now.
Black-eyed Susan Cone Flower Bee Balm
Blue Salvia Mexican Petunias Perennial Hibiscus
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GARDENING TIPS FOR HOT WEATHER
- Establish a regular watering routine, whether you use an irrigation system or a milk jug. Some of your beds or containers might need water every day in this heat. We're watering our plants here at the nursery twice a day!
- Water deep. It's better to soak a plant less frequently than to give it too-little water every day. Watering shallow promotes shallow root development, which dry out faster and need more water. It's a vicious cycle.
- Water will run right through a container or hanging basket that has dried out. The best way to revive a "forgotten" plant is to set the container in a birdbath or other shallow dish or even the bathtub and let it soak up water from the bottom.
- The leaves on your plant are wilting even though you water every day? Leaves will wilt from too much water or from not enough water. To determine whether you are giving the correct amount of water, you need to dig down around the root ball and check the soil below the surface. For a tree, go down six inches below ground level (not down from the top of the mulch). For a shrub, 4 inches is probably ok. For a container, stick your finger down in the soil about 2 inches. If the soil is only slightly damp, water. If it is definitely really wet, you can wait another day and check it again.
- Use a "Plant Nanny". This is a terra cotta spike, to which you attach a wine bottle or a two-liter soda bottle. Water your plant and fill the bottle with water. The water will leach into the soil as it dries out.
- Use "Soil Moist" crystals in the soil of your flower bed or container. This is a polymer that absorbs water and releases it as needed.
- Going on vacation? Move your containers so they get hit by the sprinklers.
- Dead head and trim off dying foliage. You will get a lot more bloom out of your perennials if you don't let them "go to seed." After the flowers die off, a plant puts it's energy into making seed. It forgets all about foliage and flowers, that's why it starts looking bad. So, if you trim off the flowers or any seed pods that have formed, the plant will start working on making flowers again. It needs flowers in order to make seeds, in order reproduce. And just like everything else in nature, plants live to reproduce!
- Are your annuals looking spindly and stressed? Cut back 1/4 to 1/2 the plant. And give them a shot of bloom booster fertilizer. Fertilizer has three components. The middle number promotes bloom, so make sure the fertilizer has a high middle number (a high percentage of phosphorous).
- Use a thick layer of mulch. Hold that moisture in!
- Be a morning gardener. Amazing how cool it is at 6:00 am.
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ANNOUNCING OUR 2009
LAKE MURRAY CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT
CELEBRATING
"PURPLE MARTINS ON LAKE MURRAY"
2009 LIMITED EDITION
SECOND IN A SERIES OF
LAKE MURRAY ORNAMENTS
PRODUCED AND SOLD EXCLUSIVELY AT
WINGARD'S NURSERY & GARDEN CENTER
ARRIVING IN SEPTEMBER
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PLEASE JOIN US FOR ART IN THE GARDEN IV
"RENDEZVOUS WITH THE BLUES"
Customer Appreciation Night
A Fundraiser To Benefit
Lexington Interfaith Community Services
FRIDAY NIGHT
OCTOBER 9TH
ELLIOTT AND THE UNTOUCHABLES
SHOWCASING WORKS BY LOCAL ARTISTS
Suzanne Wilkins, Melony Stuckey, Laura Torres, Michel McNinch, and more
SOUTHERN CUISINE BY
Dupre Percival Catering
TICKETS $20 ON SALE AUGUST 1ST AT WINGARD'S
Limited number of tickets will be sold
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Don't give up on your flowers in hot weather! Plant your yard so that there are things that thrive in every season, even the dog days of summer. The butterflies and hummingbirds will love you for it. There's always something blooming at Wingards!
From My Grandmother's Garden to Yours,
Delores Wingard Steinhauser
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Hours: Mon - Sat 8:30 - 6:00
