Hot Summer Flowers
If the El Nino rains kept you out of the garden during the weeks you would normally do your sporing planting, you still have time to add some colorful annuals and perennials to your plot before the heat of summer hits the San Fernando Valley. But you have to be careful to choose plants that can get established quickly. “There are gardeners who believe that the only good planting times out here are fall and spring,” says Rich Melendez of Sperling Nursery in Calabasas. “They are the best, but if you use the right techniques, there are plants that can be put in the ground now, even with the high temperature we get in the Valley.” In addition to the plants mentioned below, others that can go into the garden are marigolds, verbena, salvia (the blue Victoria works well), bougainvillea and alyssum.
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Summer Maintenance
Water: Deep watering is especially important during hot weather. Surface watering stunts roots.
Mulch: A 2-or 3-inch layer of shaved bark or compost around plants helps hold moisture in soil.
Weeding: Use a hand weeder to pry summer roots out of the ground. Dispose of them properly to prevent seeds from taking root elsewhere in garden.
The root of successful June planting
1. Plants grown in containers at a nursery often are root-bound by the time you purchase them. Unbinding the roots before planting is especially important at this time of year so that the plant can get enough water.
2. The first step is to carefully break off the bottom of the root ball, where it is probably the most tightly bound.
3. Then, untangle the remaining roots. to the point that they are loose. But be careful to retain as much of the dirt that comes with the plant as possible.
4. You are ready to plant into garden soil that has been dug up, loosened and amended. Pack soil on top of and around the plant firmly (but don’t stomp on it) and then water.
Good candidates for June planting.
Zinnia: Summer annual, 1-3 feet tall, Colors include white, pink, red, yellow and purple
Impatiens annuals, 8-20 inches tall, Colors include pink, white, red
Statice: Annual and perennial types, 2 feet tall, Lavender
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Sources: Sperling Nursery, Los Angeles Times Garden Editor Robert Smaus, “Sunset Western Garden Book”
