Five things to do in the garden this week:
Herbs. Wall germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) is a member of the mint family from a Mediterranean habitat and an excellent candidate, despite its delicate look, for water-thrifty herb gardens. It has tiny, 1/2 inch leaves that are densely packed, giving germander an extremely lush appearance. It contrasts well with the foliage of other drought-tolerant plants, which often enough have grey to dull green foliage. It grows one foot tall and spreads to two feet or more due to its creeping underground roots. It can be utilized as a low hedge to border an herb garden and also performs well as a container subject. Its fragrance is somewhat citrusy, especially when its leaves are crushed. Pink flowers appear in midsummer for about a month, but its dark emerald foliage is what makes it special. Fruity germander (Teucrium cossonii) has a scent that has been compared to pineapples. Its foliage is gray, and it makes a perfectly symmetrical six-inch mat that spreads to three feet, flowering in spring and fall.
Fruit: Where fruit thinning is required, do it ruthlessly. When fruit is dime-sized or around an inch long is the time to do this. Plums should be thinned out so fruit is separated by 4-6 inches, peaches and nectarines separated by 5-7 inches, and apples separated by 6-8 inches on the stem. Where thinning of these trees is not done, June drop will occur, meaning fruit will be rather small, and you may lose more fruit than if you had thinned it out. Citrus, avocados, figs, cherries, and guavas do not require thinning. On any fruit tree, however, branches overloaded with fruit should be propped up with some sort of support in order not to break. Search “fruit tree branch support” on the Internet to find products made for this purpose.
Perennials: We think of impatiens as a bedding plant that lasts a year or so, or even less. However, there are several species of perennial impatiens, native to East Africa, that bloom nonstop and last for years as long as they are frost-protected. I recently planted white shrub balsam (Impatiens sodenii ‘Madonna’) and it’s been flowering with reckless abandon ever since, potentially growing as tall as eight feet. It is even considered to be somewhat drought-tolerant once established. This plant shares its growth and flowering habits with pink shrub balsam (Impatiens sodenii). Blue impatiens (Impatiens arguta) only reaches two feet in height, yet shows violet blue blooms throughout the year. Plant perennial impatiens in full sun along the coast but partial sun inland. Propagation is easily achieved with shoot tip cuttings.
Plant zinnias from seed. They are among the most rewarding of annual flowers with their many varieties that come in all sizes, from four-foot-tall California giants to the Profusion ground cover series. All colors are represented, excluding those in the blue to purple spectrum. Zinnia seeds require sunlight to germinate so scatter them on the soil surface and cover them with one-quarter of an inch of compost. Thoroughly mist the area after planting and apply a spray of water twice a day until germination occurs. Once seedlings are visible, water from below and, throughout the growth of your plants, never wet the foliage to minimize mildew development. A drip irrigation line for zinnias is therefore recommended.
Vegetables. Asparagus is probably the easiest vegetable to grow. You might not think so, judging by its price at the grocery store. Its durability is attributable to clusters of stout underground rhizomes from which spears are produced. In the manner of any bulbous or rhizomatous plant, allowing vegetative growth to flourish until it turns brown is essential to the yield of next year’s desired crop, be it flowers or spears, which are specialized flower stalks topped by flower buds. You will quickly become aware that there are two types of asparagus growth: spears and ferns. After harvesting spears in the spring, ferny growth should be allowed to fully develop — sending its metabolites down to the rhizomes for next year’s spears — until it dies. It is recommended not to harvest any spears for the first two years after planting asparagus crowns, widely available through Internet vendors, so that thick rhizomes, needed for growth of robust spars, can form.
Have you had success growing asparagus? If so, please send the recipe for your success to [email protected].
Related Articles
How to maintain a garden that works for both dogs and plants Too much or too little fruit on your tree? Here’s what you can do about it Why Pride of Madeira is such a memorable, drought-tolerant flowering plant The secret to a refreshing cocktail or mocktail might be growing in the garden How creating colorful plant combinations can create an impact in the garden Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Check out a low-water herb to complement your drought-tolerant garden )
Also on site :
- Metal Ions: The Next Frontier in Diabetes Management?
- Starmer to send failed asylum seekers abroad - a year after Rwanda scheme scrapped
- Trump’s embrace of Syria and its jihadist-turned-president could shake up the Middle East