Summer 2012 Newsletter
The extreme heat as of late slowed our gardening efforts here at Pender Pines. Fortunately, this week’s rains and cooler temperatures gave us a chance to get busy again. We just finished cleaning and refurbishing our display gardens along Highway 17.
Now that summer has settled in, it’s a great time to plant heat-loving annuals and perennials. Some of the standouts of summer are Black-eyed Susans, Lantana, Portulaca, hardy Hibiscus, and Mexican Petunias. The hotter it gets, the better these plants seem to do! We have many new crops of other plants ready to fill in any empty spaces in your yard. These include Knock-Out Roses and Crape Myrtles, as well as houseplants, which will be available all summer.
Our staff has been very busy cleaning the greenhouses and fields, preparing for new crops. The fall mums are doing well, and this year, we have many more shrubs that we grew ourselves. These shrubs include Loropetalums, Gardenias, and our Proven Winner Hydrangeas that can tolerate the sun.
Now is the time to plant your fall tomato crops as well. Other fall vegetables will be ready at the end of August. And it’s not too early to think about fruits for next year; blueberries, blackberries, figs, and other fruit trees can be well established by next spring.
Now that it has rained and your garden is growing again, you can trim many shrubs to improve their shape for this fall and next spring. Lorapetalum and Gardenias both benefit from pruning at this time. July 4th is the suggested cut off for azalea pruning in order to have healthy spring blooms. However, large bushes can be reduced in size by removing 1/3 of the tallest branches. Just reach down inside your azalea and prune back to another branch. You can get your size reduction without losing your spring bloom.
Don’t forget that even after a heavy rain, we need to continue our normal watering schedule. For new plants, set a sprinkler out for 45 minutes every other day. A fresh layer of mulch or pine straw will help conserve water and keep weeds down that steal water from your garden plants.
We are always happy to help with insect, disease, or plant identification questions. We are available seven days a week, so feel free to stop by any time with samples.
Enjoy your summer,
Gary