'Deadheading' flowers helps prolong... part 2
written by Deborah Benge Frost
...Some plants have individual stalks with flowers opening at the bottom first and finishing at the top. They lend themselves to pruning individual flower stems. As the plant has just a few flowers at the tip, they should be deadheaded. Salvia darcyii, Salvia coccinea, lady in red, white nymph and coral nymph, Mexican bush sage, larkspur, indigo spires salvia, and yellow bells are good candidates for this deadheading.
Plants can be deadheaded with your fingernails, scissors, hand pruners, snippers, lawn shears, hedge shears or a weed eater. There are some cordless, mini-hedge trimmers that are great for deadheading autumn sage and other heavily blooming plants.
Keep your flowering color blooming with some additional nitrogen to promote healthy growth and continued blooming.
There are a variety of fertilizers you can use, but make sure you are adding some nitrogen which is represented by the first number on a bag or bottle of fertilizer. Ammonium sulfate (21-0-0), urea (41-0-0), a slow release 24-0-0, and blood meal are good sources of nitrogen. These are all quickly available except the slow-release 24-0-0, which will slowly release nitrogen over many weeks. If your nitrogen source is quickly available, apply it in small amounts every few weeks for maintenance.
If you are getting some pretty good lightening along with some rain, your garden is getting a free liquid application of nitrogen. Lightening fixes atmospheric nitrogen, so when it rains it is carried down to your plants and soil.
There are many other organic and inorganic fertilizers that will provide nitrogen to your plants. Cottonseed meal is organic fertilizer that is slow-release and adds some nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Fish emulsion, sewage sludge and many others exist.
If plants are growing in soils that are highly amended with compost and soil- enriching mulches, you may not need any or very much fertilizer. Compost and organic mulches decompose slowly and act as a slow release fertilizer. If you are consistent in adding mulch and compost to your soil, you may have eliminated the need for additional commercial fertilizers.
If you find your garden void of color this time of year there are several plants for some quick summer color.
Look for blue plumbago, yellow bells, Lantana, hardy hibiscus, Pentas, annual vinca, fire bush, dwarf zinnias and Salvia coccinea, of which there are several cultivars on the market. Even though it's hot as blue blazes, these plants can tolerate being planted in summer-like conditions. Remember, you'll need to baby new plants until they are well-rooted and flourishing. Once they are established they can get by with average treatment.
You can also get some great summer color from seed. Some plants that are easy from seed during hot weather includes zinnia, cosmos, gomphrena or globe amaranth, red salvia, cypress vine, and ornamental sunflowers.
Caladium bulbs do very well when planted during hot weather. They won't even peek out of the ground until it's hot, so they are a good option right now.
...Some plants have individual stalks with flowers opening at the bottom first and finishing at the top. They lend themselves to pruning individual flower stems. As the plant has just a few flowers at the tip, they should be deadheaded. Salvia darcyii, Salvia coccinea, lady in red, white nymph and coral nymph, Mexican bush sage, larkspur, indigo spires salvia, and yellow bells are good candidates for this deadheading.
Plants can be deadheaded with your fingernails, scissors, hand pruners, snippers, lawn shears, hedge shears or a weed eater. There are some cordless, mini-hedge trimmers that are great for deadheading autumn sage and other heavily blooming plants.
Keep your flowering color blooming with some additional nitrogen to promote healthy growth and continued blooming.
There are a variety of fertilizers you can use, but make sure you are adding some nitrogen which is represented by the first number on a bag or bottle of fertilizer. Ammonium sulfate (21-0-0), urea (41-0-0), a slow release 24-0-0, and blood meal are good sources of nitrogen. These are all quickly available except the slow-release 24-0-0, which will slowly release nitrogen over many weeks. If your nitrogen source is quickly available, apply it in small amounts every few weeks for maintenance.
If you are getting some pretty good lightening along with some rain, your garden is getting a free liquid application of nitrogen. Lightening fixes atmospheric nitrogen, so when it rains it is carried down to your plants and soil.
There are many other organic and inorganic fertilizers that will provide nitrogen to your plants. Cottonseed meal is organic fertilizer that is slow-release and adds some nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Fish emulsion, sewage sludge and many others exist.
If plants are growing in soils that are highly amended with compost and soil- enriching mulches, you may not need any or very much fertilizer. Compost and organic mulches decompose slowly and act as a slow release fertilizer. If you are consistent in adding mulch and compost to your soil, you may have eliminated the need for additional commercial fertilizers.
If you find your garden void of color this time of year there are several plants for some quick summer color.
Look for blue plumbago, yellow bells, Lantana, hardy hibiscus, Pentas, annual vinca, fire bush, dwarf zinnias and Salvia coccinea, of which there are several cultivars on the market. Even though it's hot as blue blazes, these plants can tolerate being planted in summer-like conditions. Remember, you'll need to baby new plants until they are well-rooted and flourishing. Once they are established they can get by with average treatment.
You can also get some great summer color from seed. Some plants that are easy from seed during hot weather includes zinnia, cosmos, gomphrena or globe amaranth, red salvia, cypress vine, and ornamental sunflowers.
Caladium bulbs do very well when planted during hot weather. They won't even peek out of the ground until it's hot, so they are a good option right now.
posted by blogger at
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
