THE GARDEN FANATIC
"Hot time, summer in the city ... "
-- John Sebastian
"Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer."
-- Nat King Cole
The calendar indicates that we are entering the "dog days of
summer" ... although the anticipated warm and clear days have been
inconsistent. There is, however, plenty to do for avid gardeners, as
well as those of us not quite so committed. Our gardening list
includes watering our trees and shrubs as deeply and infrequently as
possible and fastening all plants that require staking in preparation
of the Santa Ana winds.
Spent flowers and seedpods should be removed and tall fescue lawns
cut taller than in spring. Vegetables, lawns and flowers should be
fertilized with regular, mild feedings. And pests, such as weeds,
insects, and diseases should be dealt with responsibly.
After the rush of spring blooms, it is difficult to maintain color
from shrubs, which often become quite drab by midsummer. Enter the
bedding plant, the savior for those of us who enjoy the "idea" of
flowers and enjoy a splash of color in the garden. From a practical
point of view (which means not overburdening ourselves with
uncongenial work), bedding plants are easy to buy, easy to grow and
are the easiest way to a colorful garden.
By designing your garden with flowers of colors that please you,
your garden will be appealing and renewed. Keep your flowerbeds and
containers well filled and neat by removing spent or dead flowers and
foliage, and your entire garden will appear as trim and well tended
as Catharine.
Garden Sage, Salvia officinalis, has lovely blue or white spiky
flowers and grows in full sun. Fairly drought resistant, it requires
well draining soil. With a maximum growth to 1 1/2 feet, this sage
should be cut back after blooming and fertilized regularly. The
flowers are fragrant in cut arrangements, and the leaves can be used
for seasoning.
An all-purpose summer annual, Sweet alyssum, Lobularia maritima,
displays colorful white, pink or purple flowers in borders, rock
gardens, hanging baskets and anywhere else there is at least a little
sunlight. Reaching one foot in height, the flowers will bloom all
year from self-sown seeds in Laguna.
Cosmos, Cosmos bipinnatus, is one my favorite plants for the
summer. Planted in full sunlight, it blooms in white, pink, rose,
lavender and crimson. Varieties vary in height from two feet up to
eight feet in height.
Mounding into your garden, Dwarf Cup Flower, Nierembergia
