Timi DeBusk
Master Gardener, Master Naturalist
May 2008
What a glorious time of year!! I love all the shades of green. It has been so much fun discovering things that are coming back after winter. Several things I thought were goners (I usually blame loses on Fred, who knows so little about gardening, he doesn’t know to defend himself) are coming back even better than I remembered them to be.
That brings me to the subject of perennials, meaning plants that live year after year. Most perennials are deciduous (die back during the winter months). A few are evergreen. We get requests all of the time for things that will look good year round. They are far and few between. Right now as I watch things pop up and leaf out and bloom, it brings such surprising joy, it is so worth the "down time". A few perennials that you may consider, if you aren’t already using them, include coral bells, salvias, lantana, bee balm, yarrow, and stonecrop.
Stonecrop is a sedum that tolerates full sun and minimal water. It blooms summer to fall.
Citrus trees need to be watered regularly during this heavy growing season. They love plenty of sunshine but don’t like to dry out.
Pecan trees require some attention in the early spring. According to John Kuyendahl, former Llano Co. Ext. agent, zinc is vital to good growth. He advises spraying zinc to the underside of the leaves every couple of weeks from early April to mid May. John advised not to expect a huge crop this year since last year was such a bumper crop for pecans. Don’t despair, the trees will build up their strength this year and you can expect a better crop next year. Pecans tend to cycle.
Fruit trees are beginning to set fruit and you will do yourself a favor by thinning the fruit. Trees will only produce a given number of pounds of fruit and it is better to have fewer, larger pears, peaches, apricots, plums, etc. than to have a lot of small fruit.
One fruit tree that is a great ornamental tree is a pomegranate. It puts on great orange blossoms and then attractive fruit. There is a dwarf variety that makes a shrub size plant with the same great orange blossoms and mini pomegranates. If you have the patience to eat them they are loaded with antioxidants. Beautiful and healthy: win, win.
It is not too late to plant tomatoes, peppers, cucs, squash. It is perfect time to plant melons, okra, corn.
Herbs are great this spring. It is important to cut back certain herbs to keep them under control and to stop them from bolting. Cilantro especially needs to be watched. If it looks more fernlike, snip those branches back to about half.
Sweet basil will also bolt. I love the flowers that it puts out, but it will get woody and less tasty. I always let my Holy Basil bloom. That is why I grow it. It attracts the bees, butterflies, and hummers. I put out dill to give a host to Monarch caterpillars and then found them comfortably at home on my parsley. Go figure!
This is the best show of the year for roses. Enjoy! Extend the bloom time by deadheading continuously. As the blooms fade, snip off down to the first 3 leaf cluster. If you leave the spent blooms and hips on the bush it tells the plant that there is no need to put on more blooms. In fact, most flowering plants need to be deadheaded to promote a longer season. Snip, snip, snip. Roses need to be fed during this heavy bloom time.
There is still time to give your lawns a wake up call with a good shot of nitrogen. I maintain that Miloganite is best! I have had several people mention to me that once they applied it the next day they could see a difference. Set your mowers to at least 2 ½" high. If you have St. Augustine, 3" is better. Are your mower blades sharp? Keeping sharp blades and setting it to the proper height is a great way to promote healthy lawns.
Anything that will hold dirt and drain calls out to me to be planted. I love container gardening. If you are having trouble deciding what to plant in those containers, bring them to the nursery and experiment. Sometimes it is hard to look at a container and then know exactly what will fill it or what may go together. I find it is so much easier to set things together and then tuck one thing here, add a little height there, a punch of color here. Bring your containers and let’s get creative!
Happy gardening - Timi
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