Hardy Hibiscus

Hardy Hibiscus

It is hard to beat the beautiful mid summer bloom of the perennial hardy hibiscus. The flowers can be anywhere from 4 to 12" in diameter. Often called rose mallow, the hardy hibiscus blooms in mid summer and continues blooming until mid September. They are relatively easy to grow, and once established will delight you year after year with their huge showy blooms. Colors range from white to deep reds, purples and pinks, as well as a new variety of yellow. Foliage colors also appear in many shades of green as well as copper and burgundy.
Hardy hibiscus need a sunny location and moist well drained soil to be their best. They can be planted from May to as late as Labor Day, giving them plenty of time to get rooted in before winter. Although they have a woody stem, they may die back to the ground during the winter. They frequently don't reappear in spring until mid to late May, but grow quickly once they appear. Give these plants lots of room to grow and expand, as some can reach up to 6 feet tall and 3-4 feet in diameter. A slow release general purpose fertilizer applied as soon as they begin to appear in mid spring will assure a strong, healthy, showy specimen all summer. Watering is usually not a problem unless two or three weeks goes by without rain, in which case you will have to water them as you would any woody plant. This is, of course, after they are established. New plantings will need more frequent watering until they are well rooted in.
For an easy, showy perennial to have in your landscape, Calico recommends you find some space in your flower bed for one or two of these magnificent specimens!

By: Gayla Parker
Gardening Expert at A.J. Rahn Greenhouses

Drought

Drought

Drought conditions can occur at any time of year, but tend to occur most frequently during the summer and fall months. Most gardeners will recognize the effects of even a short term drought on annuals, lawns, shrubs, and perennials in their landscape, and will respond appropriately and in a timely manner with a thorough watering of the affected plants. Many people, however, may not recognize early symptoms of drought in landscape trees until those plantings are in severe stress. Symptoms of drought injury to trees may be sudden, or take two or three years to be revealed. Symptoms can include wilting, curling, yellowing or even browning of foliage on both deciduous and evergreen specimens. Often drought stress may not kill a tree outright, but may weaken it to the point where infestation of insects or diseases takes it's toll. Considering the fact that replacement of a tree specimen in your landscape can be quite costly, it is wise to pay even more attention to your trees than your lawn or plants.
How much water a tree should receive depends on the tree size. Small trees (one to seven inches in diameter) and medium trees ( eight to fifteen inches in diameter) should be watered deeply at least three times per month April to September if significant and/or frequent rainfall has not occurred for two weeks or more. Watering methods include: automated drip irrigation systems; soaker hoses coiled several times under the dripline; five gallon buckets with 1/4 " holes drilled in the bottom (place at least three under the tree if small, five or more for medium to large trees); watering bags; soil needles (deep root feeders). Remember the roots on established trees may be quite deep, so a light watering is not helpful, even if you do it every day. Water deeply and slowly for 4 to 8 hours based on tree trunk diameter size three times a month as mentioned previously.
Healthy, mature trees should be able to withstand a short term drought, but keeping them healthy is most important. Remember to look up for signs of drought in your trees, especially when you notice your landscape plantings suffering from lack of moisture.

By: Michelle Lynn
Gardening Expert at A.J. Rahn Greenhouses

Delphinium

Delphinium

Delphinium are an old fashioned favorite in many gardens. Their tall elegant spires and beautiful colors stand out in bold fashion at the back of any garden. For a bright blue color that may be hard to achieve in your garden otherwise, Delphinium provide many blue hues from very dark to all shades of light blue. Other colors such as white, pink, yellow, and red are also available.
Delphinium prefer full sun, but cool roots, so provide this with summer mulch. Good winter drainage is a must to prevent freezing and thawing of the crown. When watering, don't allow the foliage to get wet as you will then have to fight mildew. Before blooms appear, only water when the soil is somewhat dry. Once they begin blooming, however, they will need water more frequently. Fertilize with bone meal in the spring when they first begin to appear above ground. Slugs can be a big problem, so keep slug bait around the plants to avoid holey foliage. Since many of these beauties have such tall flower spikes, up to six feet with some varieties, staking is helpful to prevent breakage and crimping of the stalks. There are newer varieties, however that only achieve a foot or two in height for those who don't have space for such tall varieties. Most varieties survive and flower about three years, after which you should dig up and divide the plant. Reseeding also occurs freely if you don't deadhead the old flowers.

By: Sandy Weinkam
Gardening Expert at A.J. Rahn Greenhouses

Tomatoes

Tomatoes

A long awaited treat for summer is now available in many backyard gardens and local farmer's markets. Juicy ripe tomatoes that we dream of all winter are finally here! This easy to grow vegetable/fruit plant thrives in full sun and really grows well in decent soil. It will also produce in poorer soils but perhaps not as prolifically. You can start seeds in February inside and slowly move to bigger pots as the seedlings produce two or three sets of leaflets, being always sure to keep them on a sunny windowsill. As April arrives, move them outside during warm days for optimum sun exposure, being careful always to bring them in at night. Tomato plants simply abhor cool or cold nights (below 50F) and may take quite awhile to recover from a chill. They can be safely planted in our zone 5 after the 15th of May. For an easier, less hands on job, many garden centers have plants available usually in late April. These can be planted directly in your garden, again when weather conditions permit. If you apply a slow release fertilizer at the time of transplanting them into your garden, they will provide you with abundant fruits from sometime in July until late September or later, dependent on the night temperatures. Staking or caging your plants keeps the fruit off the ground where they might rot. Water only when the soil is completely dry once they are planted. If you wish to plant in a container, use only one plant in a container no smaller than 14" in diameter, as these plants need lots of room for roots and plant.
Pests include the tomato hornworm, a very large green caterpillar that will defoliate your plant rather quickly, and the smaller green and black tomato worm, that bores into the fruit whether it's green or red. Neither are very prolific, and can usually be spotted with regular exams of your plant. When you find one, the best control is to pull them off (Tomato Hornworm), or out of your tomato (Tomato Worm), drop them to the ground and apply your garden shoe to them. Squirrels have also become major pests recently. Short of completely fencing your tomato garden including the top, just plant enough for everyone to share. Sometimes the squirrels are just looking for moisture, in which case a birdbath or dish of water not too close to the garden usually helps.
There are as many types of tomatoes as there are tastes. Heirloom tomatoes that have been around since tomatoes were first domesticated, are very flavorful, but perhaps not as prolific as the hybrid varieties. Cherry type tomatoes and grape tomatoes are extremely heavy bearing plants that will keep you and your whole neighborhood supplied with enough tomatoes for all your salad needs or just to pop in your mouth for a healthy snack. Now also available is the tomaccio tomato that is easily dried for use in pestoes and other dried tomato recipes. The most common tomatoes planted, however, are the big Beefsteak or Supersonic varieties, or the Big Boy or Better Boy medium size tomatoes, very flavorful and heavy bearing..
Whether you have lots of garden space, just a small space in the flower bed, or only room for one potted tomato plant, it is definitely worth planting this easy to grow vegetable/fruit if only to have the fulfillment of juicy, flavorful taste all summer long.

By: Sandy Weinkam
Gardening Expert at A.J. Rahn Greenhouses