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Congratulations to Tee and Keith Argenbright, our first yard of the month for 2022! We loved the colorful petunias and the overall layout of the beds that complements the style of the house. 

The Gardening Corner 

Susan and Barry Astroff

 

 The birds are singing, the bees are buzzing; spring has finally arrived in Fort Worth! That means nurseries are overflowing with colorful flowers and shrubs just waiting for us to stop by and take them home to our gardens. While the abundance of annuals and perennials to choose from is exciting, it can be overwhelming trying to balance your vision for spring with your yard's conditions and then also the needs of the plants you've selected. Here are a few tips to help make the process easier:

 

First, I find that afternoon shade is essential for everything but the hardiest plants. As we know, Fort Worth gets hot! Couple that with weeks'-long dry spells and life spent in constant sun is a difficult prospect for all but the most adapted to our weather. If you do have a sunny spot you need to fill, Vinca is my go-to for a resilient full-sun annual, while Lantana is another good option and a perennial native to Texas. For shaded areas, Impatiens and Coleus are attractive and easy to grow. If you'd like to try your hand at starting from seed, Zinnia are almost foolproof. Stagger planting the seeds over weeks and the flowers will bloom through September. Be sure and use a good time-release fertilizer as you plant and for heavy-feeding flowers, try attaching Miracle Gro Liqua Feed to your hose when watering by hand. If properly cared for, all of the above will provide color throughout the season. 

 

Second, while sunlight is important, it's only half the equation. Let's talk about water!. Nearly a third of residential water usage is in landscape irrigation and up to half of that is lost to wind, evaporation, and runoff from inefficient irrigation methods. With summertime droughts looming on the horizon, we want to be conscientious of our water usage. Set your watering timers for whichever two days a week you're allowed and be mindful of when it rains so you can switch them off. Program sprinklers to run very early in the morning, 4am for example, to minimize water loss through evaporation, as well as prevent fungus and disease in your yard. Grass appreciates a good soak, so we run our system twice: a short cycle first to wet the soil and minimize runoff and then a longer second round to actually water the lawn. Many plants, such as roses, hydrangeas, and phlox, don't like their leaves to be wet, so it's better to use soaker hoses in the ground beneath these to prevent issues. For the most effective means of watering, especially for home-grown fruits and veggies, drip irrigation can't be beat. However, if that's not a viable option, invest in some mulch! A thick layer of mulch can help retain as much as 80% of your soil's moisture, as well as suppress any enterprising weeds and it looks nice to boot! Lastly, later in the season, as the humidity rises, black spot and rust will likely appear on your roses and phlox. A good fungicide like Daconil or Copper Fungicide sprayed monthly will help to slow down these diseases.

 

Now that your plants are happy and hydrated, let's discuss maintenance. For those of us with Live Oaks, wait until July to do any necessary trimming. Oak wilt can be spread during this time and any reputable arborist will agree that waiting to trim is the best way to prevent any further tree loss. If you have bulbs in your landscape, resist the temptation to cut the leaves back as soon as they finish blooming. Without leaves, they can't store any of the nutrients they'll need for the upcoming year. If you're desperate to put your pruners to use, feel free to trim your spring-flowering shrubs as soon as they're done, so as to not accidentally remove any of next year's blooms later.

 

If you notice your beautiful warm-weather garden has attracted the attention of some undesirable insects, try not to immediately reach for the bottle of pesticide. Even the most well-meaning application of pesticides will kill beneficial insects, like bees, butterflies, and ladybugs in addition to those munching your plants. Instead, if possible, physically remove pests and affected parts of the plant or spray with a natural deterrent such as neem oil. Unless the bugs are really taking a toll on your landscape, sometimes it's best to just let them be for the good of nature. You can't make a beautiful, sustainable garden without sacrificing a few leaves!

 

Finally, if you're looking for inspiration on how to fill the empty space of your container gardens, consider some of the house plants you nurtured inside all winter. For a shady planter, snake plant, fern, philodendron, arrowhead plant, cyclamen, and spider plant all have similar light and water needs and would make for a free and easy arrangement to spruce up a patio or porch.

 

I hope these tips and suggestions work as well for you as they have for us. Happy Gardening!