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Previously published in The Paper, an imprint of Morris Multimedia:
Petunias in March and other Gardening Disasters
For Georgia gardeners, these are the days that try our patience. Lured outside by sunny afternoons and stacks of gardening catalogs in our mailboxes, we head for the plant nurseries where we cannot help but give in. So many plants – the colors, the textures, the empty spots back in our gardens . . . . how can we help but buy!
Nobody seems to know “officially” when North Georgia’s spring average or last-recorded frost date is – the range goes from mid March to late April -- but we’ve all experienced a frost that once came too late to save our tender plants. So, gardeners, restrain yourselves and give it a little more time. Besides, plants are really not happy when you stick their poor little roots in that cold soil; a good rule of thumb is to wait with adding tender plants to your garden, as well as Canna rhizomes or Caladium and Gladiolus bulbs, until the nighttime temperature reaches 55° fairly consistently, around the middle of April or later. I was given a cutting of Angel’s Trumpet last fall and have tenderly cared for it in a glass of water; now I can’t wait to get it into the ground. But, like you, I’ve got to practice patience.
This is also not the time of year to prune your oak leaf or big leaf Hydrangea. These shrubs produce their flowers on “old growth” – from buds that were formed last season – and should be pruned (if pruning is required at all) only after they have finished blooming. But if your Crape Myrtle still needs pruning, go ahead; it’s not yet too late. However, keep yourself from committing “crape murder”, by which is meant shearing all the branches off at equal levels, often close to the trunk, resulting in an unattractive flowering crown in the summer.
Going from gardening “Don’ts” to Do’s”, this is a great time of year to appraise your patio, deck or porch planting needs. What worked well last year and what do you not want to repeat? What pots have wintered well and which ones have to be replaced? Tip: browse local antique shops for unique planters. Or go to Commerce, where The Pottery has a huge selection of pots and planters – and plants! – for even the most sophisticated patio gardener. Clean all pots well, removing soil traces, spider webs and plant remnants, get a few bags of good planting or potting soil, some mushroom compost to mix in, and you’ll be all set to beautify the areas closest to your home when that temperature needle moves a little higher.
What should you put in these pots? Use your imagination, or consult an expert. A few months ago, at a nurserymen’s conference in Athens, one of the most popular presenters was Rita Randolph of Randolph’s Greenhouses in Jackson, Tennessee. The photo gallery on www.randolphsgreenhouses.com is a sublime inspiration. This coming summer, more than ever before perhaps, area residents will have their herb gardens in pots. Close to the kitchen door, or on the deck, it’s easy to snip off a little parsley, some chives or sprigs of mint. Advice for growing parsley: plant lots of it and be prepared to add more over the summer months. We live in a popular area for swallowtail butterflies; their caterpillars are voracious eaters and parsley is their favorite food. It would truly be a disaster to have your patio or deck littered with emaciated caterpillars because the parsley ran out.
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