Happy Monday! I got a nice start today with an hour in the garden. Things are going crazy out there with the promised of more to come as we go into August. Here’s some miscellaneous stuff to read this week.
I’m not much into roses but I have a few climbers in my yard. One is a pretty pink climber hanging over an arbor in my yard. I first saw this variety in Texas a few years ago. We were driving through a neighborhood and I spotted it. I got out to take pictures and was greeted by the plant’s owner. He told me the story that it was named after a woman named Peggy Martin. She had lived through Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. A few weeks after the hurricane, she was allowed to go back to her home which has been completely underwater for days. When she got there everything was destroyed, but this rose was climbing out of the middle of the rubble, strong and apparently unfazed by all the mess.
I was telling my friend, Chris, about this rose and he knew the story, too. Turns out he had this variety growing in his yard and gave me a cutting he had propagated. It really took off when I planted it. This climber densely blooms along the length of the branches with brilliant pink flowers. Even better, this rose has no thorns! If there’s a downside, it would be that the flowers have no scent. Two out of three is fine!
I planted my cutting in a location that doesn’t have room to showcase this beauty in its full blooming glory and I’ve decided that I’m going to place this beauty next to my Cecile Brunner in the alley. The different shades of pink will complement each other, one will have a nice smell and one will be spectacular in bloom.
I waited until the last bloom cycle was over and took cuttings of new growth. To start perfect new rose clones, cut below first leaf set below the flower, count down 4 more leaf seats, cut, remove bottom two leaf sets, stick cane 1/2 way into dirt. I’ve got three in process. Now we wait!
I’m not sure if this one is going to make it.
But this one has fresh growth starting to peek out!
Trailing Jade – Senecio jacobsenii – I am growing a few of these and love them! They are pretty tough and grow in a variety of situations. Of course, the more stressed they are, the more color they will have, plus this variety tends to bloom prolifically when it’s growing under tougher conditions.
Your roses need mulch this month. The plants thrive on the heat but they don’t like their roots to get hot, so mulching helps them maintain a happy medium. Mulching will also cut down on the water you would otherwise use unnecessarily. Two to four inches is appropriate, keeping it away from the trunk of the plant.
Keep the weeds under control and watch your plants for pests.
Planting
Cymbidiums are actively growing but now it’s too late to divide and replant. If you disturb their roots now they are less likely to bloom next year.
Transplant fibrous begonia, calendula, chrysanthemums, crape myrtles, dahlias, daylilies, delphiniums, dianthus, foxgloves, hibiscus, hydrangeas, impatiens, penstemons, petunias, rudbeckias and salvias. Keep them shaded during the hottest portion of the day and sprinkle the foliage several times a day for the first week after they’re transplanted.
Hibiscus: This is a good time to plant tropical shrubs. Continue to prune, water and fertilize hibiscus. Add worm castings to the planting medium and wash plants off with Jungle Rain to control white fly. Use a hose end sprayer to wash off the white fly and aphids.
It’s still a good month for planting avocados. Being sub-tropical plants avocados prefer to be planted during the long warm part of the year.
Transplant basil, celery, chard, cucumbers, dill, kale, leeks, summer-maturing lettuce, okra, green onions, melons, white potatoes, pumpkins, summer savory, New Zealand spinach, and summer and winter squash.
Sow or transplant alyssum, celosia (cockscomb), cosmos, forget-me-nots, gazania, marigolds, nasturtiums, portulaca (moss and sun rose), salvias, statice (sea lavender), verbena, and zinnias. Keep garden soil moist and mulched until they’re established.
Annuals: You can still plant annuals thru July. Good choices are vinca, marigolds, zinnias and celosias. Keep newly planted annuals well watered until they are thoroughly rooted, Some choices include ageratum, begonias, coleus, cosmos, dahlias, gomphrena, impatiens, lobelia, lisianthus, marigold, petunias, portulaca, salvia, torenia, verbena and zinnias. Keep deadheading to keep them blooming.
Watering
Cantaloupes are a bit finicky about their water. They like to be watered on a routine, but they don’t like to be over watered. It dilutes their sugar content which causes them to taste bland. Water them deeply once a week, with supplemental watering if we have a really hot spell. This is good advice for a lot of fruits and veggies. Tomatoes immediately come to mind.
Over watering can cause fruit to split. Better to water less frequently, more deeply, and early in the morning for stronger, healthier plants. Be vigilant about picking all ripe tomatoes before watering.
Citrus and avocado trees need to be well-watered through the heat of summer. Build a basin for water to soak in deeply but start it one foot away from the trunk to prevent crown rot.
Pay attention to your roses. As the weather heats up, it is critical to irrigate them thoroughly or the plants will become stressed, making them more susceptible to diseases. Hopefully, your roses are mulched which will keep moisture and temperature regulated. Irrigate your roses with an inch of water, two times a week. Also, breaking from the usual practice of not watering roses overhead, this is a good month to wash down the plants. Make sure to do this in the early morning so the leaves are dry by the evening.
Fertilizer
A good rule of thumb when applying fertilizer – Always water thoroughly before and after feeding. If you fertilizer when soil is dried out, you plants will suffer burn and won’t absorb the fertilizer. Water one day, fertilize the next.
Tomatoes could use a dose of fertilizer now. Use an all-purpose fertilizer and water thoroughly when you are done. For best flavor, it is suggested not to pick tomatoes for at least 24-48 hours after applying for best flavor.
Recommended fertilizer for roses is a formula called Ada Perry’s Magic Formula™. Walter Andersen Nursery is the only place in town that carries Ada Perry’s special mix. Rose growers swear by it!
Avocados need fertilizing this month. You can buy specific fertilizer for this purpose, typically a 7-4-2 mix, that will make your citrus, berries and grapes happy, too.
Check for chlorosis on your gardenias, camellias and azaleas. Apply Ironite to bring iron levels back up to necessary levels.
Citrus trees are actively growing so they need feeding this month. Use a fertilizer formulated for citrus to make sure your trees get the trace minerals they need. Citrus trees also like their soil a bit acidic, so some cottonseed meal is a good amendment, for your citrus. Water deeply, before and after feeding. This will be the last feeding for a while.
Fuchsias need a dose of phosphorus, but they don’t like to be too heavily fertilized. A fertilizer with equal parts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium will make them happy.
Orchids are actively growing now. Fertilize every two weeks for the next couple of months while they are expending a lot of energy.
Pest & Disease Control
Snails, slugs, pillbugs, and other pests are out in force now. Sluggo Plus is a safe, effective weapon against the garden munchers. Make sure to clean up dead leaves and fallen fruit so as not to encourage these pests to come in for a snack.
Keep an eye out for horn worms on your tomato plants, and caterpillars on your roses that can do major damage to the foliage on your bushes. Take a proactive approach and spray with Bacillus Thuringensis or Spinosad every two weeks to keep the caterpillar population down, and damage to a minimum. A word of caution regarding Spinosad. It is toxic to bees when wet, so factor that information into where you spray. I spray in the morning so it will dry out, and I won’t spray a plant that is a popular bee hangout; for instance, my African Blue Basil.
Spray off your bushes and trees to control whiteflies, aphids, ants and mites. Watch hibiscus closely for whitefly because it spreads fast and can really weaken your plants, but if you take the proactive approach to feeding and watering, hopefully, your plants will be strong enough to fight off these invaders.
Ants, spiders, and aphids: When the weather gets hot and plants are stressed, ants and aphids arrive. Any reputable nursery can help you with the proper insecticide to control the problem. Once the aphids leave, so will the ants.
Pruning
Continue deadheading your roses. Don’t cut too far back because the plant is using its foliage to manufacture food. A guideline for deadheading is to clip at the first set of five leaflets. Also, it’s important to harvest your fruits and veggies when they are ripe to keep your plants in the producing mode. If you leave ripe fruit or veggies on the vine too long, the plant starts to shut down production.
Thinning of your fruit will yield a more robust result when you harvest. (Do as I say, not as I do. This seems to be a hard concept for me! It looks so pretty hanging from the foliage!)
Pinch back herbs to encourage branching and keep the plants from getting too leggy. Use your clippings either fresh or dry. The flavor of herbs peaks just before they flower.
If your citrus trees have dead twigs on them, it’s time to do some light pruning. Dead twigs might be indicative of a freeze last winter, but you might not have noticed because the first set of leaves came out on the trees in March. Since the twigs were damaged, the leaves eventually drop off and you are now seeing the aftermath. Trim to promote fresh growth from your tree.
Hydrangeas: After hydrangea flowers have faded dead-head blooms and feed with Dr Earth Azalea and Camellia food. New wood will spring from these to bloom next year. On young plants don’t cut back any green stems that haven’t bloomed yet as these will also bloom again. To maintain blue tint use Aluminum Sulfate (Hydrangea Blue) with each feeding.
Miscellaneous
Succulents – Repotting is best done in the warmer months, but if you must repot make sure to add plenty of porous material like perlite or pumous to your new soil which will help the pots drain and dry out faster providing some insurance against winter weather.
Ripen your melons on upside-down aluminum pie tins. The reflected light and heat will ripen the melons more quickly and evenly, and the fruit is less likely to be gnawed on by slugs, snails, pill bugs and other pests.
Oh, rats! I mean that literally. The rats are out of control in my yard. This is different than the occasional sighting. I don’t mind the periodic rodent issue, but they have crossed a line. They are eating my succulents! The rats have crossed over from cute to not so cute. It’s me against them!
In the picture at the right, the top pot was a beautiful lush plant that hung down to the pot at the bottom. You can see the purple pieces laying in the bottom pot. 🙁
This is now an unattractive graptoveria. This plant has been stripped of most of its succulent leaves.
Although I haven’t actually seen it in action, I can just see the rats sitting on top of this pot and reaching down as far as their little paws can reach to pick the leaves of this sedum.
This crassula was so pretty and covered the pot before it became an entree for the rats. ….sigh….
I want to look on the bright side and say that I have the opportunity to buy some more plants but I can’t even be enthusiastic about replacing anything if it will just suffer the same fate. Stay tuned…..
What else could I feature this week but the beautiful Jacaranda tree aka Jacaranda mimosifolia. I’m always amazed when I hear complaints about this tree being so messy but there’s a trade-off, and this one is definitely worth the hassle of sticky flowers.
Jacaranda trees grow well in USDA Zones 9-11. They prefer enriched sandy, well-drained soils but are tolerant of most soil types. This tree will tolerate some shade, but prefers bright, sunny conditions for a more productive bloom. Once the tree is established it is fairly drought-tolerant. Jacaranda trees are native to Central America, South America, Cuba, Hispaniola and the Bahamas. We have Kate Sessions to thank for these beautiful trees. She is credited with introducing them to San Diego.
There is something magical about a carpet of purple/lavender flowers freshly fallen. I also love coming back to Coronado and seeing the faint spots of purple color visible when you come over the bridge from San Diego.
Okay, I had a beautiful basil plant growing, until this morning. Something chomped it to nubs. I don’t think it is caterpillars but I’m not sure what could have done damage that quickly. Yikes!
I cut the whole plant way down, just about the bud nodes on each branch. Time will tell if it will come back but I’m hopeful!
I have been having fun with my succulent bonsai trees. This one is coming along nicely. It’s a Crassula Ovata commonly known as a jade plant. The variety pictured here is ‘Ogre Ears’ or ‘Shrek’s Ears’ which I think is a perfect description of the leaves. This variety seems to be much more tolerant and trainable than the more common crassula argentea.
I am having fun with this project. It takes a bit of patience but there’s a lot of room for error if you make a regrettable branch cut. I am starting to pinch the ends of the crassula argentea variety because they tend to get a bit leggy and I’ve had a number of branches falling off. I’m hoping the pinching will promote more bushiness and hopefully smaller leaves. Time will tell.
To give you some scale, the oval pot measures about 3 x 4 inches across and about 3 inches high.
I was looking at the tree and it seemed a bit “crowded” was time for a trim. The branch I’m holding is the one I decided to cut back.
I only removed one branch but I think the tree looks much more balanced.
I am not much of a math person, but the first time I learned about Fibonacci numbers, it opened up a whole new perspective on numbers and how it is all connected to nature. This video is a beautiful demonstration of Nature in Numbers. Happy Easter!
