Sun-Loving Blooms for Summer
Fast Flowers
Zinnias are easy-to-grow, long-blooming annuals. Everyone loves their big, bold flowers, and butterflies visit these sun-lovers for nectar. As a bonus, when you cut flowers for arrangements, new ones will develop quickly. To have these plants blossom in late summer, sow seeds directly in your garden now. Or, plant nursery seedlings for earlier blooms.
Zinnias come in a huge range of colors, flower sizes and heights. Small types, such as “Peter Pan,” stay under 12 inches tall. “State Fair” is a cut-flower favorite that reaches 3 feet, with long stems and 4-inch single and double blooms.
Shop for seeds or plants at nurseries and garden centers. Remember, zinnias thrive in full sun and heat, and prefer well-drained soil. For the widest selection of varieties, order these flowers from a seed catalog. The following catalogs are excellent mail-order sources for zinnia seeds:
* Burpee, 300 Park Ave., Dept. TH698, Warminster, PA 18991-0001, https://www.burpee.com, (800) 888-1447
* The Cook’s Garden, Box 535, Dept. TH698, Londonderry, VT 05148, https://www.cooksgarden.com, (800) 457-9703
* Johnny’s Selected Seeds, 1 Foss Hill Road, Box 2580, Dept. TH698, Albion, MA 04910-9731, https://www.johnnyseeds.com, (207) 437-4301
* Park Seed Co., 1 Parkton Ave., Dept. TH698, Greenwood, SC 29647-0001, https://www.parkseed.com, (800) 845-3369
* Shepherd’s Garden Seeds, 30 Irene St., Dept. TH698, Torrington, CT 06790-6658, https://www.shepherdseeds.com, (860) 482-0532
Gardens Grow Children
Most children love playing in the dirt and watching things grow--ingredients that help make gardening with your kids a rewarding experience. To pass along the pleasures of gardening, start when the kids are young and curious.
Preschoolers aren’t too young to have fun and grow plants successfully. Give your children their own small garden plot. This provides a sense of ownership without overwhelming them. And rather than assigning repetitive chores, expose your kids to the whole process--preparing the soil, planting, maintenance and harvesting.
Suggest vegetables and flowers that grow quickly or dramatically. Radishes, beans, carrots, cucumbers and pumpkins meet these criteria, as do marigolds, snapdragons, sunflowers and zinnias. Then let the kids make the final decisions.
Offer enough instruction and guidance without imposing heroic expectations. So what if rows aren’t straight and radishes are eaten before they make it to the kitchen? Finally, focus on process, not yield. Even a single carrot is cherished by children if they grow it themselves.
Visit the following Web sites for more information on children and gardening:
* KinderGarden, https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/kinder/index .html. This program focuses on ways children can interact with plants and the outdoors. It provides information, resources and links, as well as an activity page for kids.
* Kids & Classrooms, https://www2.garden.org/nga/edu/home.html. This is the National Gardening Assn.’s forum for adults interested in using gardening to enrich kids.
Bugged by Mosquitoes?
The birdbath on your deck might look good, but did you know it could also be the breeding ground for mosquitoes? These insects breed and hatch in standing water. Females lay their eggs on the water surface or in low-lying places where water is likely to accumulate.
To control their breeding, drain or flush the water weekly in wading pools, roof gutters, flowerpot saucers and other spots where rain and irrigation water collect. Ralph Williams, an entomologist at Purdue University in Indiana, offers additional tips for discouraging these pesky insects:
* Eliminate tall grass and weeds, where adult mosquitoes hide during the day.
* Wear white or pastels in the yard--dark colors attract mosquitoes.
* If mosquitoes are really thick, stay indoors at dawn and dusk, when they’re usually hungriest and most active.
* Place citronella candles so that the breeze is directing the candle smoke toward you. The smoke is what repels mosquitoes.
* Don’t waste your money on a bug zapper. Recent field tests at the University of Notre Dame found that they don’t actually lower the number of mosquitoes in areas where they’re used.
For severe infestations, Williams suggests contacting a government mosquito-control agent through your local department of health. Trained personnel often treat breeding areas with a low-toxicity pesticide called Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis). It’s deadly to mosquito larvae yet harmless to people, pets and wildlife.
