Right of wrong? If you plant Lantana in the spring they will always bloom all summer and fall until the snow flies? The answer is wrong. This year temps cycled up and down and caused our Lantana and those of others to set seed in early July. It is fall they said. But at our local Skinners Garden Store we were told to cut the seed heads off and treat the plants with Root and Bloom, a 9-58-8 fertilizer. Also water heavily. We did that weekly for a few weeks and all our Lantana are blooming like brand new. We are happy about that.
Our tropical Hibiscus have done well but I read that since they need a lot of water one should restore the fertilizer that the water washes away. So I have been doing that and there are multiple flowers and buds on every plant. They were ok, now they are great. Just using an ordinary fertilizer and they gobble it up.
And so goes gardening as July turns to August. Our zinnias and those from others have helped out bouquets and look nice. I am learning how to container garden so things turn out well for inside the house.
I moved the geraniums from the back to the front while the front Lantana was on vacation and they broadcast bright red in spots among the green-only Lantana. Now we have both geranium and Lantana blooms. I also water the bushes the next door neighbor had me plant and their blooms are epic.
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Our next garden group meeting in early September will be about winterizing things and I can find out what outdoor plants I can maybe bring in and tend over the cold weather. There should also be good information on how to avoid bringing in the usual outdoor pests and diseases that so often hitch a ride with them. So far our garden group has had very good meetings and informative stuff.
Back to the flowers: we have had a good Rudbekia crop and more buds are forming. Ditto for the Yarrow and the Lavender. Down at #20 Farm the mums have been flowering a good bit earlier than expected. The blooms are small but worth picking. The climbing roses are taking a break but I expect more in a few weeks.
Back home the little hydrangea tree behind our fountain has been producing nice white flowers and we might just pick some of those. It came as a small plant but has leafed out well with daily watering.
So that’s the garden report. Water and fertilizing pays off. It is what I like to do and we have many compliments on the flowers. That is nice to hear.
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