Here are some tips we've learned over the years to keep our plants healthy during the extreme summer heat and humidity:

1.  Move containers to a shadier spot if possible during extreme heat.

2.  You cannot overwater when you have sandy soil.  The more water the better.  Clay soil holds water, so even though it's harder to plant in clay, it's easier to keep plants alive.  You have to be careful not to overwater when you plant in clay soil, but don't let that lull you into not watering at all.  Refer to Wingard's "How To Plant Trees and Shrubs"  brochure for more tips on planting and watering in clay or sand.

3.  When in doubt, dig down about 6 inches around the rootball of a plant that is planted in the ground to determine if the soil is wet or dry.  Often the surface condition will fool you.  With a container, stick your finger about 2 inches into the soil to determine the watering needs.

Available at Wingard's

4.  I started using a digital moisture meter to determine whether I needed to water my containers. It's works great!  You just stick a probe down into the soil and it instantly reads the moistures on a scale of 0-10.  Takes all the guesswork out of watering.  We sell them at the nursery.

5.  Overhead water promotes fungus, such as powdery mildew and blackspot.  It's best to use drip lines if possible.  A soaker hose works well if you don't have an irrigation system.  Get a timer, so the water comes on periodically without you having to think about it.  We have timers and soaker hoses for sale.

6.  It's best to water in the early morning.

7.  Many of you are transitioning to natural products to replace chemical insecticides and fungicides.  Be careful in the heat.  These products are often oil- or sulfur-based.  You cannot apply oil- or sulfur-based products directly to the leaves of plants in the heat.  They will burn.  The only organic products we recommend using in extreme heat are insecticidal soaps.  We carry the Espoma line of organic pesticides.  Visit the Espoma website for more details.

8.  Put a "Rain Mat" in the bottom of each container.  It holds the water and releases it as your plant needs it. 

9.  Use a "plant nanny" when you go on vacation.  Yes, hire a caretaker for your plants.  Or, put out the hoses, set the timers and fill up water bottles with ceramic "nipples" to water your containers as they need it.  We have these in stock.  I would do a test run before I left town to see how long a 2-liter bottle of water lasts in this heat.

10.  If you forget to water and your plant dries out, it takes time to rehydrate it.  Water will run right through the pot without soaking into the dried up roots.  It's like water running off a dry sponge.  If a plant has dried out, you have to water it, water it again, then water it again.  If you can sit the pot in a birdbath or a large dish and let it soak water up from the bottom, that is the best way to restore moisture to the roots.

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Congratulations to our four graduates -- Robert, Cassidy and Zach from Lexington High School -- and Andrea from Spartanburg Community College with an associate's degree in horticulture technology.  Here they are (all but our son Zach) in front of a new bed they designed and planted at the end of the strawshed. 

Robert and Andrea will continue working with us in the Fall as they further their education at Midlands Tech.  We'll be sending Cassidy off to Georgia and Zach off to Florida in August.  In the meantime they'll be working hard this summer to ensure...

There's Always Something Blooming At Wingard's! 

From my Grandmother's Garden to Yours,