Plant of the Month
Lobelia laxiflora
I love this perennial from Arizona and Mexico. It grows in full sun to part shade with little water. Blooms over a long period with tubular red and yellow flowers on 2 – 3 foot stems. It can spread up to 6 feet or we have the ‘Helen Ewart’ cross without running characteristics. They both make good container plants, cut flowers and are hummingbird attracting. Mine disappears in winter to re-emerge in spring.
$1 OFF 4 inch plants
Specials
Specials last month for the spring soil special
Buy 3, get 4th FREE (2 c.f. organic potting soil)
Deciduous fruit trees – Buy 3, 4th FREE
Berries and grapes- Buy 3, 4th FREE
Roses – Buy 3, 4th FREE
June Newsletter
Summer is nigh, bringing plenty of pests to our gardens. Our mild winter did nothing to kill off overwintering insect eggs and our humid spring has brought plenty of rust and powdery mildew to our roses and other plants. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the cucumber beetles this bad. One customer said he’s finally found success with a rosemary / neem oil spray. We carry the neem but the essential rosemary oil can be found at Live Foods or Hardesters. Clove oil might work too and a citrus spray made of natural citrus cleaners could work, too. I’ve read it’s good for fleas, which some of you have this year. I’ve tried the milder fungicides on our roses but had to use the harsher copper for better results.
Some annuals are just starting to turn up now, like 4 inch zinnias. We are still waiting for that flowering annual vinca to become available. If you’ve never growing it you should. It’s native to Madagascar, heat and deer resistant, and blooms all summer long with no maintenance.
We still have some vegetable starter plants and it’s a good idea to succession plant a lot of vegetables; bean, corn and even cukes and squash for extended harvest on younger plants into early fall. It’s not too late to plant flowering annuals like zinnias, morning glory, marigolds, and sunflowers from seed.
Make sure your irrigation is working properly, keep mulching to keep the ground cooler and conserve water and continue to monitor for bugs. Trim back shrubs if you need to so moist loss through the leaves is reduced being careful not to cut back too much and sunburn the plant. If you have not painted or unwrapped your young trees you better do it now. Fertilize flowers and shrubs after bloom with E.B. Stone All Purpose or Rose and Flower. Now is the time to fertilize any camellias, azaleas, or rhodies you have. It’s recommended that your stone fruit be fertilized again this month (plums, cherries, peaches, apricots, and nectarines) and cherries and apricots should be pruned back after harvest.
For those of you looking for Lantana in 1 gallon sizes we have them now along with dahlias. We have plenty of great summer blooming bulbs in the sales room and it’s not too late to plant them. These include glads, crocosmia, liatris, elephant ears, begonias, and cannas.
We stocked up on windchimes and statuary and still have plenty of trees and roses. We carry top of the line hand tools and these all make good Father’s Day gifts.
Happy Gardening,
Tanya