Clinton News-Record, 1978-04-13, Page 46Page 22
Hot weather color? these flowers can take it
Garden flowers vary all over the lot in their ability to bloom despite pro-
longed hot weather. Much depends on:
Age and Maturity of Plants—if
they ,:are mature, flowering heav-
ily, and setting seed when hot
weather sets in, plants may cease
flowering or perish under the stress
of seed formation. Removing spent
blossoms helps prolong flowering.
Size and Inherent Vigor of
Plants—small or delicate plants
lack the food reserve and extensive
root system needed to sustain them
through energy -sapping weather.
Resistance to Foliage and Root
Diseases—mildew and certain
blossom blights can damage leaves
and flowers during humid
weather. Root diseases can be min-
imized by not growing the same
kinds in beds in successive years.
Raised beds raise
much better produce
Relative Humidity of the
Air—however intolerable muggy
weather may seem to humans,
humidity acts as a brake on air
temperature which might other-
wise soar beyond the 100 degree F.
mark.
Soil Temperature—insulating
mulches, the cooling effect of sur-
face evaporation, and afternoon
shade can add weeks to the life of
flowers in extremely warm cli-
mates.
Watering Practices—flowering
plants will last for weeks longer if
they have a deep, strong root sys-
tem. Frequent, shallow watering
brings roots near the surface and
Talk to most any gardener who
has built frames to enclose
raised beds for vegetables and
flowers and you'll get an en-
thusiastic recommendation.
Raised beds are so effective that
you'll kick yourself for not
building them sooner.
Here are some of their ad-
vantages:
The soil drains faster and
warms up quickly, therefore
vegetables mature earlier.
Labor in weeding, watering
and harvesting is reduced.
Water soaks in rather than
running off.
Earthworms thrive in the
moist environment.
Yields of vegetables are in•
creased because the soil is
deeper.
Gardens look neater.
Soil compaction is elimi-
nated because you rarely step
into the beds.
If your budget is tight, you can
get by without wooden frames,
as the Chinese have for cen-
turies. Mix compost with sand
and soil to build up beds 6
inches higher than the sur-
rounding soil level Beds
without frames tend to erode
where rainfall is heavy and to
run somewhat drier than is
preferred by vegetables
Raised beds need not be ex-
pensive. Frames can be built of
used or rough lumber, painted
or dipped in copper napthe-
nate, a wood perservative that
is not toxic to plants. Do not
use creosote, "Dipenta" or cop-
per sulphate for rot proofing;
they can kill plants. Frames
should be at least 6 inches deep
and not more than 4 to 5 ft.
wide so that vegetables can be
harvested without stepping into
the bed and compacting the
soil.
One of the advantages of
raised beds has to be ex-
perienced to be appreciated.
Gardeners who have clay soils
know not to walk into the
garden when the soil is moist
and sticky. With framed -in
beds, you can scatter wood
chips, sawdust or straw down
the walkways to keep down
weeds and to make the garden
accessible at all times. You will
find yourself starting your
garden earlier and working it
later in the year.
It would be a mistake to fill
frames with ordinary soil be-
cause it tends to crust and
shrink away from the frames,
making thorough watering dif-
ficult. Mix sand, soil and com-
post. Or, dump in 2 -inches of
soil and dig in 3 inches of
organic material such as peat -
moss or composted sawdust.
Suggestion. You will need to
anchor the frames with stakes
driven every 4 to 6 ft. Drive
them outside the frame or you
will forever be tangling with
them when you spade the soil.
Use only galvanized nails in
construction.
makes plants vulnerable to hot
weather damage. Deep watering
by flowing a hose for 30 minutes to
one hour per location is prefer-
able.
For a number of years, the Na-
tional Garden Bureau has taken
notes on the heat resistance of
flowers in every corner of the USA
and offers the following lists of
proven performers:
EXTREMELY HEAT RESIS-
TANT FLOWERS
Amaranthus, especially A .
tricolor, "Joseph's Coat"
Canna, a perennial that can be
grown from seeds
Crape Myrtlette
Creeping Zinnia, Sanvital:a pro-
cumbens
Four O'Clock
Gloriosa Daisy and other species
and hybrids of Rudbeckia
Hibiscus (Mallow)
Madagascar Periwinkle
(Catharanthus rosea or "Linea
rosea')
Morning Glory
Ornamental Pepper
Sunflower
Tritoma
Zinnias, various narrow -leaved,
drought resistant kinds such as
"Classic" and "Mexican"
Zinnias.
HEAT RESISTANT FLOWERS
Celosia and Cockscomb
Cleome or Spiderflower
Cosmos, especially 'Diablo' and
'Sunset'
Gaillardia or Blanket Flower
Geranium
Globe Amaranth, Gomphrena
globosa
Helichrysum or Strawflower
Hollyhock
Lythrium
Marigolds, especially the triploids
and giant hybrids
Nicotiana or Flowering Tobacco
Nierembergia or Cupflower
Petunia, especially multifloras
Portulaca or Moss Rose
Salvia, red or blue
Sca`biosa or Pincushion Flower
Shasta Daisy
Verbena
Zinnia, all kinds, especially the
vigorous hybrids
HEAT RESISTANT IF
SHADED
Achimenes
Begonia, Fibrous Rooted
Browallia and Coleus
Exacum
Impatiens or Sultana, Lobelia
Torenia
Flowers classed as Extremely
Heat Resistant, when spring
planted, wil bloom all summer
long across the Deep South, south-
ern Great Plains, Soqthwest, and
low desert areas of the West. In
these areas, most gardeners plant
two crops of the flowers that are
somewhat less durable, the second
in late summer.
—
Flowers classed as rieat Resis-
tant, when spring planted, will
bloom all summer long across the
Southern Atlantic states, the Mid-
south, lower Midwest, central
Great Plains, and moderately
warm intermountain areas.
In cooler parts of the USA and
Canada, virtually all flowers will
survive most summers. Even the
flowers with a strong preference
for cool weather — pansies for ex-
ample, can be trimmed back, and
revived in late summer with plant
food and water.
Scarlet cosmos 'Diablo' All -America
Selections award winner
Vinca or Madagascar Periwinkle. One
of the most heat resistant flowers.
Annuals grow easy from seed
Increase the variety and color
in your garden this year. Grow
annuals from seed.
A dollar or two will buy a few
packets of seed that will help
create a more interesting and
colorful garden, says R. A.
Fleming, Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food hor-
ticulturist.
Plants such as calendula,
bachelor's buttons, cornflower,
coreopsis, cosmos or nasturtium
can be sown outdoors as soon as
the soil can be prepared.
Other annuals such as baby's
breath, nemophila, scabiosa and
nemesia and vines such as
morning glory, sweet pea,
thumbergia and the clock vine,
can also be grown successfully
from seed.
Birch miners need control
The clean, slender lines of
birch trees and the woodsy ap-
pearance achieved by grouping
them make these trees a popular
choice in home landscaping. As
clumps of birches are used more
and more, so the birch leafminer
is more in evidence, says
Ministry of Agriculture and Food
horticulturist R. A. Fleming.
The leaf miner maggots burrow
into the leaves of white and paper
birches where they feed,
disfiguring leaves with large
dead areas and causing many to
turn yellow and drop
prematurely. Heavily attacked
foliage appears brown.
"Cygon 2E, a systemic in•
secticide, is very effective in
controlling birch - leafminers,"
says Mr. Fleming. "The Cygon is
absorbed by the tree and tran-
sported to all of its parts. The
insects are then killed when they
feed tin the plant tissue."
Colorful bedding plants such as marigolds, petunlas.and salvia give a structured terrace with permanent plant-
ings of evergreen and deciduous woody plants a well-dressed took for summer.
The simplest control is ob-
tained by painting a band of
Cygon 2E around the trunk below
the lowest branches before the
leaves are rfully expanded. The
chemical is absorbed into the
tree's sap and protects the plant
from within. The amount to be
used and other directions can be
found on the label.
Most annuals can be sown from
early to mid-May. Calendula,
cornflower, larkspur and
snapdragon can be sown as early
as late April.
Sow the seeds thinly on a well-
prepared, moist seedbed. Seeds
should be covered lightly and the
seedbed kept moist until
seedlings emerge.
To avoid unnecessary com-
petition, remove weak or over-
crowded plants. Allow eight to
ten inches between plants. Mr.
Fleming says that although
further thinning may be required
as the plants grow, these young
plants may be transplanted to
open areas of the garden in much
the same way as boxed plants.
Annuals allowed to go to seed
often stop flowering, so remove
spent or faded flowers to en-
courage new shoots.
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