Due to Rain, This Weekend Is Fine for Summer Planting
This is the weekend to make decisions for summer. I don’t mean when to take that vacation or which camp to send the kids to, but what to plant in the garden to make sure it’s as colorful as spring is.
Flowers planted back in the fall are in full bloom or may be finished already. The unusually warm weather sped the demise of some flowers and hurried others into bloom, so spring may be over sooner than normal.
It also brought up a whole new crop of annual weeds--things like purslane (that spreading weed with the reddish succulent leaves), spurge (the flattest-growing weed with tiny leaves) and a host of grasses, including crabgrass. These should be attended to quickly, because they are easy to scrape off with a hoe while this young. Just be sure to do so in the morning so they dry up during the day. Wait too late in the day and they may reroot during the cool, damp spring night.
The fact that so many weeds are germinating should give gardeners a clue that this is a great time to start other things from seed. All that seed you ordered can be planted right in the ground at this time of the year, or in little pots for transplanting.
Marigolds and zinnias in particular grow big and strong when planted from seeds sown directly into the ground this time of year. In my book, this is the only way to grow zinnias because they are so much sturdier started from seed.
Be sure not to cover the seed with more than a dusting of soil and to keep them wet until they sprout. And as one experienced gardener recently told me, “don’t sit down until you’ve put out the snail bait.”
It is also a great time to start lawns from seed, or to do a little patching and filling in. Cool-season grasses, such as tall or turf-type fescue and perennial rye, will sprout and grow quickly now. So will common Bermuda grass. Again, keep the seed wet and never let it dry out.
At the nursery, you’ll find a huge selection of small plants that will provide summer color, but I would advise staying away from those spring flowering things that will not last much longer.
Good choices to plant now include: ageratum, alyssum, amaranthus, balsam, celosia, bedding dahlia, dusty miller, gloriosa daisy, lobelia, marigold, nierembergia, petunia, portulaca (a relative of the weed purslane), salvia, verbena and zinnia. In the shade, try bedding begonia, coleus, forget-me-not and impatiens. All of these are summer stalwarts.
Summer flowers are the most wildly colored and most difficult to use with finesse, if that is your aim. If you don’t have a particular plan in mind, let me suggest one that is hard to beat. It uses the tall golden gloriosa daisies for a background, with the tall American or African marigolds in front. Plant here and there among the tall marigolds the cooling white flowers of Shasta daisies; the new strain named Snow Lady would also be a good choice. (It grows a lot taller than advertised however. Mine are flowering about 2 feet tall, though most of that is flower stem.)
In front of these can go the shorter, smaller-flowered French marigolds with a dash of blue ageratum or lobelia here and there. Leave a few open spots in the front row for the low-growing Chrysanthemum paludosum , which looks like a miniature Shasta daisy.
I saw this planting combination in a garden years ago and it was so bright and summery that I remember it still. All of these flowers are annuals (except the Shasta daisy, but it is often treated as if it were one), so they come out at the end of summer to make room for fall-planted spring flowers.
This is also perfect weather to plant perennials, many of which are beginning to flower. Coral bells, columbine and bearded iris are carrying the show right now, but many more peak in May and June. So if planted now, they will have just enough time to grow and flower--even if started from 4-inch pots.
Since our listing of perennials and nurseries that specialize in perennials appeared March 19, we have learned of another home nursery with a display garden: Perennial Adventure, 10548 Anaheim Drive, La Mesa, Calif. 92041, (619) 466-1203. Nurserywoman Christine Wotruba has an amazing list of perennials available.
Another source is Xotx-Tropico, 900 N. Fairfax Ave., West Hollywood, (213) 654-9999; owner Leon Massoth said if he doesn’t have it, he will try to get it.
Practically any vegetable can be started now, from lettuce to tomatoes, so leave some room for them, something I forgot to do this year, and I am already dreading having to put store-bought tomatoes in my salads and on top of my barbecued burgers.
One thing to keep in mind is that water is going to be scarce in much of the state this year--despite that surprise rain on Thursday--and even though our water supply is less threatened than that of Northern Californians, you can bet they will be pointing fingers in our direction. The city of Los Angeles has already suggested we try to cut back by 10% and that should be pretty easy. That nice soaking rain this week won’t make much of a difference in the long haul but it will help get plants off to a good start if you take advantage of the damp soil and plant this weekend.
If you live in the city and decide to get serious about water saving, consider entering the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s water conservation contest. There are four categories this year: professionally landscaped gardens, entire gardens, a section of a garden or multidwelling projects (condominiums and apartments). Entry forms are available at most nurseries or from Los Angeles Beautiful; telephone (213) 629-0689.
If you want to learn more about water-saving techniques and plants and irrigation practices, attend the DWP’s Xeriscape Symposium next Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the DWP General Office Building, 111 N. Hope St., Los Angeles. Make reservations by Thursday: call Allene Buchanan at (213) 481-7688.
