Planting Guides

We just love these guides provided by our friends at The Old Farmers Almanac

Welcome to our plant guide to flowers, shrubs, and houseplants.
Learn how to grow common annuals, perennials, bulbs, roses, and more.
We'll give you helpful information on planting, growing, and caring for common plants.
You'll also find tips on garden pests and problems, recommended plant varieties, free e-cards, and a dose of Almanac wit and wisdom.
Click one of the free plant guides below—then select your plant!

 

Flower Guide: Bulbs, Roses, Perennials, Annuals

 

 Shrub Guide

 

 

Houseplants Guide

 

 

Flowers, What Flowers by our friends at Proven Winners

My plant was flowering and now it's stopped.  Why did it stop flowering?  More important, how do I make it start again?

Gardening sometimes seems to require the skills of a juggler and the coordination of a balance beam gymnast. However, if a plant has a problem flowering there are a few things that are the likely suspects. When a plant stops flowering we need to adjust the simple variables that we have been juggling in the garden: soil, light, water, temperature, and nutrition. We need to look the conditions in the garden or container, to look for clues as to why things (environmental conditions) are out of kilter. What changed from when the plant was blooming to now when it is not?

Understanding why plants flower in the first place will provide clues to help you diagnose why your plants are no longer flowering. At its simplest, a plant’s whole purpose it to live and procreate. They are concerned only with survival, making us happy is a side effect! Flowering is necessary for plant survival. Flowers attract pollinators, get pollinated and set seed.

Most gardeners include annuals and perennials in their landscapes for color, structure and duration, but mostly for flower color. When the plants don’t perform as expected, experienced gardeners start looking for reasons. Environmental conditions such as moisture, nutrition, temperature (both day and night), and even soil and soil volume all impact the flowering activity of most plants. All of these factors interact to affect garden performance, often making it difficult to pinpoint what factor is out of alignment. Adding to the confusion, if one factor is changed, it may well impact several other factors.

Stress:

Plants react to stress by shifting from vigorous growth to simply trying to survive, a lot like humans. If the environmental factors are optimum for plant growth (the right temperature, the right moisture level, the right nutritional level and a great root zone, free of obstructions) and there is no stress on the plant or its environment, there would be minimal need for pollination and seed set.

Now let’s look at the flip side of the coin. A plant is growing in poor soil, or in an over crowded pot, it hasn’t rained in a month, there are no nutrients in the water and minimal nutrition in the soil and it is hot and dry. The plant is stunted due to lack of both nutrients and water; probably its foliage has taken on a grey or olive grey color, and the plant has flowered and begun to die. Why? The plant is threatened; survival of the species is the triggering response: flower, attract a pollinator, set seed, and survive!

Fertilizing:

You have probably seen lush tomatoes and impatiens with thick green leaves yet no fruit or flowers. These plants have been given everything they need, and there is minimal need to flower or fruit because there is no risk of death. Overly lush plants are often a product of over fertilization. Over feeding puts that plant in a heavily vegetative state, under feeding produces flowers but not many and not very pretty.

You have also seen plants where the foliage is turning yellow and the plant simply looks sickly, although it is probably pushing out at least a few flowers. This is likely the result of under fertilization. The best practice is to apply a balanced fertilizer about every three waterings for containers and about once a month in the garden. Look for slow release formulas of fertilizer for you garden as they last longer, let you fertilize less, are more environmentally friendly, and in general give more constant supply of food.

Have I been feeding the right amount? Is my foliage really lush indicating over feeding? Is my foliage yellowish indicating underfeeding? There are some plants that are supposed to have yellow foliage, if this is your plant ignore this statement. Click here for more on fertilizing.

Watering:

In order for your plants to be truly happy, their basic needs to be met without over indulging. Too much water causes rapid growth and fleshy, weak branches and poor roots. Not enough water causes restricted growth, instigation of the flowering cycle, grey green foliage color with tough brittle stems. Remember that it is best to water in the early morning hours rather than at dusk. Water sitting on the leaves and flowers overnight helps diseases get a foothold in your garden.

Ask yourself, have I been watering the right amount? For more on watering, click here.

Pot size:

Give your plants lots of room to grow! Plants that are root bound are much more likely to use up all their fertilizer, and their water; quickly becoming both nutrient starved and stressed from drying out repeatedly. Plants need a lot room in a pot to grow new roots (new roots = new blooms and growth) if they remain crowded too long they simply stop, set seed and decline. Always plan for a summer’s worth of growth in the pots you plant in spring, it is not only better for your plants, it is also better for you because the plants will need less care in larger containers. This is part of the reason for a national trend in larger containers, less care and everyone benefits. Click here for more on planting containers.

Sunlight:

Sunlight is the source of all plant energy, especially those really colorful annuals and perennials that expend so much energy putting out big beautiful flowers. In most cases, flowering plants need about 6 hours of sun a day in order to gather enough solar energy to keep their health and flowering up to par. Often gardeners underestimate how much sun an area gets and only find out later that the situation doesn’t provide enough light. Even hanging baskets of flowers usually look better on one side than they do on the other because one side receives more light (you can counteract this by turning your baskets once a week or so.)

Does your plant just look weak? This could be a problem with not enough sun. If your plant needs full sun make sure it is getting at least 6 hours of direct sun a day.

Too much of a good thing? Does the foliage on your plant look silvery or coppery? This could be too much sun. Your plant has literally gotten a sunburn (shade plants need less than 4 hours of direct sun a day and it is best if they don’t get mid-day sun). Move it to an area with more shade. If the amount of sun is correct this could also be an indicator of a need for fertilizer or micro nutrients being out of balance.  To learn more about sun versus shade, click here.

Temperature:

Many times we see gardeners having problems in the heat of summer, when night temperatures get very high, and humidity rises. This causes some plants to slow down or stop flowering because they cannot rest and recuperate when night temperatures are too high. It’s like sleeping without air conditioning in the south; you wake up even more tired than when you went to bed. Under this type of conditions, an early morning watering is the best way to help the plants; it cools them down a little and makes sure they have enough water to avoid stress the following day.

Deadheading:

Does your plant have all dead flowers and not new flowers? This could indicate that your plant needs deadheading. If a plant has already set a bunch of seed it may decide that it has done its job of procreating and stop producing new flowers. Remove the old flowers to help it re-bloom. Click here for more in deadheading.

Is your plant just not flowering but all of these conditions seem to be right? Check for insects and disease, they can impact flowering and treat as needed, following the label instructions. Your local University Cooperative Extension Agent should be able to help you diagnose insect and disease problems. They know what insects you are likely to find and also when these insects and diseases emerge each year in your area.

A beautiful garden is the result of juggling these factors, a little bit of detective work, and your choice of plant material. Properly balancing moisture, soil, nutrition, temperature, and light will prompt and sustain good flower and foliage development. By providing a water soluble fertilizer every three waterings, by growing in a well aerated soil, and by planting in a container that is large enough to support root growth, the gardener will find true happiness. Balance, moderation and observation are keys to happy gardening.

 http://www.provenwinners.com/

Attract Butterflies with this Annual

A native of Peru, heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) grows 4 feet tall in its native environment. It's grown as an annual in most of the United States, usually reaching just 12 to 18 inches tall.

Heliotrope's clusters of flower heads have a fruity fragrance and bloom throughout the summer. In Europe, flowers are used for making perfume. The dark green foliage is rough, wrinkled, and sometimes slightly tinted with purple. Plant heliotrope in containers, annual flower beds, hanging baskets, and window boxes where you can watch the butterflies it attracts.
 

Plant Facts
Common name: Heliotrope, cherry pie
Botanical name: Heliotropium arborescens
Plant type: Short-lived shrub usually grown as an annual
Height: 12 to 48 inches
Zones: 10 to 11
Family: Boraginaceae (Borage)

Growing conditions

• Sun: Full sun
• Soil: Moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter
• Moisture: Water regularly to establish roots on new plants. Once established, water moderately.

Care

• Mulch: Apply an organic mulch to deter weeds and retain soil moisture.
• Fertilizer: Use a balanced fertilizer monthly.
• Pruning: Pinch shoots to encourage a bushy habit. Remove spent flowers to encourage more flowering.

Cultivars

• ‘Atlantis' (pictured) has dark purple flowers with a sweet fragrance.
• ‘Alba' has fragrant white flowers.
• ‘Marine' has violet-blue flowers 6 inches across.
• ‘Mini-Marine' is a dwarf variety with violet-blue flowers.

Garden notes

• Where not hardy, set out seedlings after last frost in spring.
• In warmer climates, plants like some afternoon shade.
• Shorter cultivars like ‘Atlantis' are good for containers. They can be overwintered in a bright spot with temperatures from 50ºF to 60ºF.
• Heliotrope does well as a houseplant if it has enough bright light.
• Contact with foliage might irritate skin and eyes. Some sources list foliage as poisonous when ingested.

Pests and diseases

• Watch for white flies, mealy bugs, aphids, and spider mites.
• Rust and leaf spot occasionally occur.

Propagation

• Sow seeds indoors 10 to 12 weeks before last average frost date.
• Take cuttings of cultivars in summer.

All in the family

• Some better-known perennials in the Boraginaceae family include Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla), Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica), woodland forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica), and lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.).

Text by Mary Pestel, photo courtesy of Monrovia Growers.

For more gardening info check out our friends National Home Garden Club

Gardening Jobs for June

From our friends at The Old Farmers Almanac

Any bedding plants you find for sale can safely be planted outdoors in beds, boxes, or containers.

The pros recommend treating tulips as annuals with the exception of species tulips. Painful as it may be, yank those tulips up, compost them, and plan to plant the bed anew in the fall.

If you long for a hanging basket filled with blossoms, compare prices on different-size plants. It may be more economical to buy several small plants and combine them yourself rather than pay for one large plant. Starting this month, keep hanging plants such as fuchsias well watered and out of direct sun, or their leaves will burn.

Plants that bloom now include balloon flower; Canterbury bells; clematis; coreopsis; delphiniums; English, painted, and Shasta daisies; foxgloves; Oriental poppies; and sweet William.

If you're growing June-bearing strawberries, pinch off all the flowers that bloom the first spring after planting. If not allowed to bear fruit, they will spend their food reserves on developing healthy roots.

Encourage young fruit trees to develop strong limbs and a wider crotch angle by weighing down the branches with clothespins.

Thin fruit trees by leaving 1 fruit approximately every 6 to 12 inches along the branches or 1 fruit per cluster. The higher the leaf-to-fruit ratio, the sweeter the fruit. A standard apple tree should have about 40 leaves for each fruit. Dwarf apples, which usually produce a ration of 1 fruit to about 25 leaves, will yield better-quality fruit when thinned.

Stop cutting asparagus when the yield decreases and the spears diminish in size. Top-dress the bed with compost or well-rotted manure.

Stake tomatoes or build cages around them.

Plant beets and carrots for a late-fall crop.

As the days grow warmer, yank up lettuce that begins to bolt and toss it on your compost pile. Plant another crop of beans in its place.

Thin crowded plantings of lettuce, carrots, beets, and herbs. Give them a good watering when the job is finished to help the roots of remaining plants recover from any damage your pulling may have inflicted.

Religiously patrol your basil plantings and remove all the clusters of flower buds that form at the stem ends the minute you see them forming. This will encourage nice bushy plants and a continuing supply of leaves.

Place beer-filled plastic tubs or saucers in the garden, set level with the soil, to lure slugs to a drunken death. (Studies show they prefer imported beer.) Or place a few old boards in the garden and turn them over every morning to find slugs as they sleep. Dispose of them by dropping them into soapy water or crushing them with a brick.

Mulch around trees to create a safe zone where your mower won't go. Nicking a tree trunk can seriously damage even a well-established tree.

Mow your lawn according to the needs of the grass, not the calendar -- for example, every Saturday. Grasses thicken and provide better cover when regularly clipped at the proper height. Adjust your lawn mower blades to cut the grass at 2 or 3 inches rather than at 1 1/2 inches.

Prune rhododendrons after they flower. On young and old plants, snap off spent flower stalks by bending them over until they break away from their stems. Be careful not to damage growth buds at the base of each flower stalk.

Don't trim iris leaves into scallops or fan shapes after the flowers fade. Leaves carry on photosynthesis and develop nourishment for next year's growth. Cut off brown tips and remove the flowering stalk down to the rhizome. If you're dividing irises, cut the leaves back by about half just before you move them.

If you're growing plants outdoors in containers, don't use a soilless potting mix. Be sure it contains at least half soil. Or make your own blend for window boxes and patio containers by mixing one part compost, one part garden soil, and one part builder's sand.

When shopping at a nursery, don't buy a tree or shrub with a damaged root ball. Inspect it carefully to make sure it is uniform, not crushed, and a good size. For every inch of the trunk, the ball should be seven to eight inches in diameter.

Unless you're working your way through knee-high grass, don't remove those grass clippings from the lawn. Leave them where they fall to filter down to the soil, decompose, and recycle nutrients into the roots.

Attract Humming Birds

KidsGardening.org

Hang some hummingbird feeders around your garden. Place a bit of distance between them, to avoid the squabbles, which can be quite a sight! Powdered “food” formula is available, but you can easily make your own by combining one part sugar to four parts water, and boiling it for two minutes, then cooling and storing in the fridge. Never use honey, which can ferment, or red dye, which can be harmful to the birds.




From our friends at Kids Gardening