Hot Tropicals For The Summer

Hot Tropicals For The Summer

As the temperature slowly rises to the sizzling heat of summer I would like to recommend tropical plants that know how to beat the heat of summer and will 

Bougainvillea

bloom all summer long until 
the first frost of fall. 







Tropicals are the plants to purchase no matter how intensely hot the summers are in your area. These plants really know how to beat the heat of summer and can be planted in either a container or your favorite flowerbed.

With tropicals you can reinvent your patio for summer fun and barbeques. To reinvent your patio or outdoor living space for the summer activities, you’re thinking where do I begin? To start, take an inventory of your patio or outdoor living space you would like to reinvent. Do you have any empty pots or containers that you would like to use or would you like to start with a fresh new look this summer for your patio or outdoor living space? Let me mention that I would recommend saving any empty pots or containers to be recycled and used with your current vision. After taking an inventory of containers or places to

White Wing Caladium

revitalize near your patio.















I would like to suggest the placement of containers and plants, which can be used. When working with containers it is suggested to stay with the same shape container such as round, square, oval, etc. Personally, that is very boring to use the same shape container. My patio had all shapes and colors of containers and the design technique got rave reviews from my neighbors. With this in mind, I would suggest using any shape that you like and try to have a color scheme in mind, such as warm color or cool colors, or even neutral colors.

The placement of the containers should be taken into mind when setting up your patio for the summer season. Place the containers away from high traffic areas, but in an area where all can admire your prized plant. Grouping together the same shape containers, and having different container sizes of the same shape makes your patio more interesting, and gives an illusion of varying heights of plants.  

Firebush

These Hot Tropical Plants will beat the heat of summer and the plant list will include an array of plants that will beat the heat of summer, but will also attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and deter mosquitoes from your outdoor living space for 

Firecracker Plant

summer fun entertaining. I would recommend purchasing citronella candles to deter mosquitoes. Light the candles 30 minutes in advance before your outdoor fun begins. The plant heights and spacing mentioned in the article are for plants in the landscape, and container grown plants will grow considerably shorter than the same plant, which is planted in the landscape.   

Homestead Purple Verbena

Bougainvillea: Bougainvillea spectabilis - Type: Vine. Height: Variable, depends on variety. Spacing: 5 – 7 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Additional Uses: Heat, drought, and salt tolerant. Can be grown in hanging baskets.

Fancy Leaved Caladium: Caladium X hortulanum ‘White Wing’ – Type: Tuberous annual. Height: 2 feet. Spacing: Tubers 6 – 12

Butterfly on Lantana

inches apart, 1 – 1.5 inches deep with pointed side up. Caladium plants 15 – 24 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to shade. The Lance-Leaf cultivars will grow in full sun.

Firebush: Hamelia patens - Type: Shrub. Height: To 15’. Spacing: 3 – 5’ apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Butterfly and Hummingbird attractant. There is a dwarf variety, which has become extremely popular.

Firecracker Plant: Russelia equisetiformis - Type: Perennial. Height: 36” – 48”. Spacing: 3 – 5’ apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Butterfly and Hummingbird attractant.    

Mandevilla

Hibiscus: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis - Type: Shrub, annual outside USDA zone 9. Height: To 12 – 15’, pruning can control height. Spacing: 3 – 5’ apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Butterfly attractant, Hummingbird attractant, and heat tolerant.

Homestead Purple Verbena: Verbena canadensis 'Homestead Purple' - Type: Perennial ground cover. Height: 6 – 10”. Spacing: 12 – 24” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Additional Uses: Butterfly attractant, Hummingbird attractant, heat and drought tolerant.   

Lemon Grass

Hybrid Ixora: Ixora 'Nora Grant' – Type: Shrub. Height: 3 – 4 feet. Spacing: 3 – 5 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Additional Uses: Butterfly attractant, Hummingbird attractant, heat, and drought tolerant.

Lantana: Lantana camara 'Miss Huff' - Type: Perennial. Height: 4 – 5’. Spacing: 3 – 5’ apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Butterfly attractant, Hummingbird attractant, heat, and drought tolerant.

Lemon Grass: Cymbopogon citrates - Type: Perennial. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 12” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Nectar plant for butterflies, Mosquito repellent plant, leaves are used in cooking, in potpourris, and sachets.   

Mexican Marigold Mint

Mandevilla Vine: Mandevilla splendens – Type: Vine. Height: Variable, depends on the height of trellis. Spacing: 3 – 5 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Additional Uses: Drought tolerant and great to use in hanging baskets.

Mexican Marigold Mint: Tagetes lucida - Type: Perennial. Height: 24-30”. Spacing: 12-18” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Butterfly nectar and larval food plant, Mosquito repellent plant, fresh flowers are used in salads; leaves are used as a substitute for French tarragon.

Moss Rose: Portulaca grandiflora – Type: Ground cover. Height: 5 – 6 inches. Spacing: 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Additional Uses: Salt and drought tolerant. Great to use in hanging baskets.

Pentas

Pentas: Pentas lanceolata - Type: Perennial. Height: To 3’, depends on variety. Spacing: 24 – 36” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Additional Uses: Butterfly attractant, Hummingbird attractant, heat and drought tolerant.

Periwinkle: Catharanthus roseus (Vinca rosea) – Type: Perennial in zones 10 and 11. Height: 10 – 12 inches. Spacing: 10 – 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Heat, drought, and salt tolerant. Great to use in hanging baskets.

Pride-of-Barbados: Caesalpinia pulcherrima – Type: Shrub. Height: 12 – 15 feet. Spacing: 5 – 7 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Additional Uses: Heat, drought, and salt tolerant. Fertilize with a low nitrogen fertilizer.

Trailing Lantana

Pride-of-Barbados: Caesalpinia pulcherrima var. flava - Type: Shrub. Height: 12 – 15 feet. Spacing: 5 – 7 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Additional Uses: Heat, drought, and salt tolerant. Fertilize with a low nitrogen fertilizer.

Prostrate Rosemary: Salvia rosmarinus 'Prostratus' - Type: Perennial shrub or groundcover. Height: 12-18”. Spacing: 2 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: The leaves are used in lamb and fish dishes, butterfly nectar plant, Mosquito repellent plant, and drought tolerant plant. 

Prostrate Rosemary

Purslane: Portulaca umbraticola – Type: Ground cover. Height: 6 – 8 inches. Spacing: 8 – 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Additional Uses: Can be planted in hanging baskets, a filler plant for containers, or a seasonal ground cover.

Rosemary: Rosmarinus officinalis - Type: Perennial shrub. Height: 4 feet. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: The leaves are used in lamb and fish dishes, drought tolerant plant, Mosquito repellent plant, and butterfly nectar plant.

Trailing Lantana: Lantana montevidensis - Type: Perennial, annual outside USDA zone 8. Height: 18 – 24”. Spacing: 3 – 4’ apart can spread to 5’. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Butterfly attractant, Hummingbird attractant, heat and drought tolerant.

Turk's Cap: Malvaviscus arboreus - Type: Shrub, annual outside USDA zone 9. Height: To 12 – 15’, pruning can control height. Spacing: 3 – 5’ apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Butterfly attractant, Hummingbird attractant, and heat tolerant.   

Turk's Cap

Wax Begonia: Begonia X semperflorens-cultorum - Type: Annual. Height: 6 – 12”. Spacing: 8 – 12” apart. Light Requirements: Partial shade to shade, the bronze-leaf varieties will tolerate more sun. Scarletta Begonia will take full sun even in the sizzling heat of Texas.

Wax Begoinia

Yellow Allamanda: Allamanda cathartica 'Hendersonii' – Type: Shrub or vine. Height: Variable. Spacing: 2 – 3 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Additional Uses: None.

Yellow Elder: Tecoma stans (Stenolobium stans) - Type: Shrub, annual outside USDA zone 7. Height: To 12 – 15’, pruning can control height. Spacing: 3 – 5’ apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Butterfly attractant, Hummingbird attractant, drought, and heat tolerant. There is an Apricot variety of this plant that will do exceptionally well in a container or planted in your flowerbeds.

Yellow Elder

Yellow Allamanda

All photographs and digital images are ©Cheryl Ann Meola. All Rights Reserved. All photographs and digital images displayed in this newsletter are for viewing purposes only and cannot be duplicated or copied. 

May Gardening Newsletter

May Gardening Newsletter

May Gardening Tasks:

Plant: Spring is one of the best times to search for trees, shrubs, and roses. Numerous species of flowering shrubs and trees are in bud or full bloom in your area, and certain species of plants are only offered during the spring season. Now would be an excellent time to survey your garden to observe which plant(s) survived the extremely hard winter we had as gardeners. If, the plant(s) are not beginning to flush with new growth already they are not going to later. Now, is the time to think about replacing the plant(s) that did not survive the winter. Several gardeners here in Texas have informed me that they drove around their subdivision to survey what lived and died in their area before they decided which plant(s) to use for replacing in their existing garden. While other gardeners were expressing another option, in the Texas area are just taking out all the plants and starting an entire, newly designed garden.

Roses: Trim your spent roses back to the second or third leaf under the blossom. Pruning in this fashion will keep your rose bush nice and tidy during the growing season. Prune climbing roses after the spring bloom. Remove dead or non-productive canes. For more information on trimming, caring, and fertilizing your roses click on my blog.

Vegetable Gardening: Garden center retailers are still reporting skyrocketing sales for vegetable starts and seeds this year versus last year’s sales. Start planning and planting your vegetable garden now to reap the rewards of homegrown vegetables, if you are thinking about having a vegetable garden this year, today is the time to start. Vegetables can also, be planted in large containers or raised planter beds. Put on your gardening gloves and reap the rewards and benefits of a spring vegetable garden. Vegetables to Plant: Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, Beans, Corn, Squash, and Cucumbers. Be on the lookout for loopers and worms on your vegetables and other plants in the landscape. You can use Bacillus thuringiensis a biological insecticide to control the pesky critters. For more information on vegetable gardening click on my blog.

Herbs: During the spring garden centers carry a large selection of herb plants. Herbs can be planted in the ground with your vegetable plants or can be planted in containers. Our Hexagon Cedar Planter in a 14-inch or a 17-inch makes an excellent container for growing your herb plants. Herbs to Plant: Parsley, Dill, Basil, Chives, Rosemary, and Oregano. Click Here to Purchase the Hand-Crafted Hexagon Cedar Planter.

Color Annuals: May is the month to start thinking about replacing your cool weather color annuals with spring and summer annuals. Here are a few of my favorites: Caladiums, Celosia, Coleus, Cosmos, Dahlberg Daisy, Dusty Miller, Gazania, Geranium, Gerbera Daisy, Ivy Geranium, Lantana, Marigolds, Mexican Sunflower, Moss Rose, Periwinkle, Petunia, Primrose, Purslane, Salvia, Snapdragons, Verbena, Wax Begonia, and Zinnia. Use Caladiums, Begonias, and Impatiens for your shady areas. All of the annuals mentioned can be planted in soil or in containers.

Shrubs: Trim your spring flowering shrubs and vines after they finish blooming, and fertilize with the appropriate plant food.

Azaleas: Once your azaleas finish blooming trim back to shape. Azaleas bloom on last year’s growth so it is important to trim your Azaleas no later than the middle of June. Azalea’s set their buds during the fall months and this is one reason to trim your Azaleas during the time frame that is provided. After pruning your Azaleas you need to fertilize them with an Azalea plant food and also add a new layer of mulch. Instead of throwing your spent coffee or tea grounds away your Azaleas will benefit from sprinkling the grounds around your Azalea bushes, and any acid loving plant such as Ferns, Tropicals, Junipers, Boxwoods, Camellias, Rhododendrons, and Hollies.

Hibiscus Care: Time to Go Outdoors. Once the weather warms up in your area, to 40 - 50 degrees, you can start acclimatizing your Hibiscus by placing it in the shade outdoors and then slowly move the plant to partial shade and finally to full sun. With the unusual weather we have been experiencing this spring bring your prized Hibiscus plant back indoors if you get freeze warnings. Now would be a good time to fertilize and prune your Hibiscus. Follow the recommended fertilizer rates listed on the label. Pruning encourages a bushier plant. For more information on caring for your Hibiscus plant Click Here. For Hibiscus Fertilizer Click Here.

Hibiscus Plants: Tropical Hybrid Hibiscus Plants have arrived. This Year’s Selection Will Be An Assortment Of Double Flowering Hibiscus Plants In 4-inch Containers that are ready to transplant in a 10 to 12 inch container. Offering this season are: Hibiscus Double Peach/Apricot; Hibiscus Aurora; Hibiscus Mon Ami; Hibiscus Persimmon. Click Here To Purchase Your Hand-Crafted Cedar Planter. Can’t Find the Hibiscus Plant you are searching for, send me an email at: Cheryl@hibiscusandmore.com

Hibiscus Fertilizer: Click Here To Purchase Your Hibiscus Fertilizer That Is Especially Formulated For Hibiscus Plants.

Houseplants: April and May is the time to move your houseplants outdoors and place them in an area that is full shade. After a few weeks you can move them to an area that receives filtered shade, in other words, morning light, afternoon shade. This is also, the time to check for any bugs on your plant. Be sure to check underneath the leaves, and if you see those pesky critters on your prized houseplants spray with an insecticidal soap or horticulture oil. If, you need to prune back your tropical foliage plant now would be a good time to do it. Philodendron micans – Velvet Leaf Vine is Back In Stock. New tropical foliage plants that just arrived are: Butterfly Orchid – Encyclia tampensis, Chinese Evergreen – Aglaonema brevispathum Hospitum, (This plant does extremely well in an office environment, even if your office does not have a window. Trust me I tested the plant myself.), Heart Leaf Philodendron – Philodendron scandens oxycardium. Click Here To Purchase Tropical Houseplants. Are you searching for a special houseplant? Please send me an email at: Cheryl@hibiscusandmore.com I am always looking for new and exciting plants to grow. Tell me your favorite tropical plant.

Hibiscus and More found another inventive way you can recycle for the environment. Click Here and be inspired by the article on Tire Gardening. Sounds like fun!!!

Are you new to Hibiscus and More’s newsletter? You can read the archived newsletters on our blog. Click here to visit the Hibiscus and More blogspot.

Need a Horticulturist to help you with your gardening questions? Click Here to Ask the Texas Certified Nursery Professional a question.

Happy Mother’s Day From Hibiscus And More.

Fall Bulbs

Fall Bulbs

As the Labor Day Weekend comes to a close that is our signal that the fall season will be coming very soon. We as gardeners know that we have a mental list of gardening duties to perform before the fall season ends. One of the gardening duties would be to plan ahead for planting fall bulbs in your garden. Fall bulbs are sold only for a limited time during the season and should be purchased in advance because a few of the bulbs mentioned require to be chilled in the refrigerator before planting, if you reside in USDA zones 11, 10, and 9. Crocus, Hyacinths, Narcissus, Daffodils, and Paperwhites all require 4 to 6 weeks of chilling. Tulips require 8 weeks of chilling. Bulbs are easy to plant and give you wonderful spring color.

Anemone. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Height: 10 – 15”. Planting Requirements: 2 “deep at 3 – 4” apart planting on their sides. Soak the tubers over night before planting and water well after planting. Planting months are from October through December, and to extend the blooming season you may plant the tubers at two-week intervals starting in late October. The flowers are good for cutting.

Calla Lily. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Height: 14 – 18”. Planting Requirements: 3 to 4” deep at 1” apart. Planting months are from September through November, and to extend the blooming season you may plant the tubers at two-week intervals starting in late October. The flowers are good for cutting.

Crocus. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Height: 4 – 6”. Planting Requirements: 1 to 2” deep at 2 – 3” apart. Planting months are from September through November and require 4 – 6 weeks of refrigeration before planting.

Freesias. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Height: 18 – 24”. Planting Requirements: 1 – 2” deep at 3” apart. Planting months are from October to November, and to extend the blooming season you may plant the bulbs at two-week intervals starting in October. The flowers are good for cutting and are very fragrant.

Hyacinths. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Height: 10 – 12”. Planting Requirements: 5” deep at 6” apart. Planting months are from November through December and require 4 – 6 weeks of refrigeration before planting. The flowers are good for cutting and are very fragrant. The Dutch varieties are good for forcing.

Iris – Bearded. Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade. Height: 30 – 32”. Planting Requirements: ½ - 1” deep at 8 – 12” apart. Planting months are from August through November. The flowers are good for cutting.

Iris – Dutch. Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade. Height: 18 – 22”. Planting Requirements: 2 – 4” deep at 3” apart. Planting months are October through November. The flowers are good for cutting.

Leucojum. Light Requirements: Partial shade to shade. Height: 16 – 20”. Planting Requirements: 2 to 3” deep at 4” apart. Planting months are from October through November. The flowers are good for cutting.

Muscari. Light Requirements: Full sun. Height: 5 – 6”. Planting Requirements: 1 to 2” deep at 3” apart. Planting months are from October through November.

Narcissus – Daffodils. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Height: 18 – 20”. Planting Requirements: 4 – 5” deep with 5 to 6 bulbs per square foot. Planting months are from November through December and require 4 – 6 weeks of refrigeration before planting. The flowers are good for cutting.

Paperwhites. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Height: 14 – 16”. Planting Requirements: 4” deep with 5 to 6 bulbs per square foot. Planting months are from October through November and require 4 – 6 weeks of refrigeration before planting. The flowers are good for cutting.

Ornithogalum. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Height: 10 – 12”. Planting Requirements: 2” deep at 5 – 6” apart. Planting months are from October through November. The flowers are good for cutting.

Ranunculus. Light Requirements: Full sun. Height: 18 – 24”. Planting Requirements: 2 “ deep at 4 – 6” apart planting with the claws pointing down. Soak the tubers over night before planting and water well after planting. Planting months are from October through December, and to extend the blooming season you may plant the tubers at two-week intervals starting in late October. Can be combined with Anemones. The flowers are good for cutting.

Tulips. Light Requirements: Full sun. Height: 20 – 22”. Planting Requirements: 6” deep at 5” apart. Planting months are from late December through January and require 8 weeks of refrigeration at 48 to 55 degrees before planting.

Watsonia. Light Requirements: Full sun. Height: 4 – 6 feet. Planting Requirements: 3 – 4” deep at 4 – 6” apart. Planting months are from September through November. The flowers are good for cutting.

Have You Visited Our Web Site, Yet? Visit: www.hibiscusandmore.com

Fall Color Annuals

Fall Color Annuals

Before we know it the arrival of fall will be on the horizon and with this in mind I would like to mention planting fall color annuals. When we as gardeners think about the season of fall, images come to us such as cooler temperatures, Halloween, fall vegetables, and fall color annuals. Picture on the right: Pink Dianthus.

The beauty of fall color is that you will have color all season long; the plants can withstand freezing temperatures after being established in the garden, and require very little care or maintenance. Fall color can be used even if you only have a patio or porch. The annuals do beautifully in containers to give you a bit of color in your outdoor living spaces.

For the annuals to be effective I prefer to plant masses of solid colors, and there is nothing more spectacular than complimentary colors massed together. For example: a mass of bright yellow pansies, and then a mass of dark purple pansies. Another color combination would be dark blue or dark purple pansies in the background and a wide front edge of white sweet alyssum. Your yard will be the hit of the season with these color combinations. You can even be very creative and plant your color in masses of diagonal strips, or horizontal strips. A few of the annuals do come in mixed colors such as pansies and there is a right place for these annuals, too. May I suggest when using mixed color annuals such as pansies either plant the mixed color alone with out using another complimentary color, or plant the mixed colors with solid pansies without “a face” (the dark center in mixed colored pansies is called a face). All the color annuals listed prefer the cooler temperatures of fall and winter, especially if you live in the south or southwest. For my newsletter subscribers that live in the northeast or northwest you may use the plants as spring color.

Calendula. Height: 12 – 24 inches. Spacing: 12 – 15 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Red Dianthus is pictured left.

Cyclamen. Height: 4 – 6 inches. Spacing: 10 – 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade.

Dianthus. Height: 6 – 15 inches. Spacing: 8 – 15 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade.

Johnny Jump Up. Height: 6 – 8 inches. Spacing: 8 – 10 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Pictured right.

Mums. Height: 24 – 36 inches. Spacing: 24 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Mums make an excellent cut flower.

Ornamental Cabbage and Kale. Height: 15 – 18 inches. Spacing: 12 – 15 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Pictured left.

Pansy. Height: 6 – 8 inches. Spacing: 8 – 10 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade.

Petunia. Height: 8 – 12 inches. Spacing: 8 – 10 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Pictured right.

Primrose. Height: 6 – 10 inches. Spacing: 8 – 10 inches apart. Light Requirements: Partial shade to shade.

Snapdragons. Height: 6 – 36 inches. Spacing: 10 – 15 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Snapdragons make excellent fresh cut flowers. Pictured left.

Stocks. Height: 12 – 20 inches. Spacing: 8 – 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Stocks have a wonderful fragrance and make excellent cut flowers.

Sweet Alyssum. Height: 4 – 6 inches. Spacing: 4 – 6 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Sweet Alyssum has a wonderful fragrance and requires less water than all the other annuals mentioned.

Viola. Height: 6 – 8 inches. Spacing: 8 – 10 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Pictured left.

With the coming of fall we think of what fall brings to us. I think of Halloween Decorations, Fall Vegetable Gardening, Bird Feeders, putting on your gardening gloves, and the wonderful cooler temperatures that come with the season. What Images Do You Imagine With The Coming Fall Season? Check Out Our End of Season Sale. Hibiscus and More is having an early fall season sale to get you ready for the upcoming holiday - Halloween!!! New this Halloween Season we are offering solar Halloween Decoration garden products. Hibiscus and More has a solar jack-o-lantern and a solar spooky skull. Our early season sale will only last until September 18, 2009. This offer is for a limited time only. The jack-o-lantern is originally priced at $34.95 and with your early purchase you save 37% off the original retail price. The spooky skull is originally priced at $29.95 and with your early purchase you save 27% off the original retail price. Hurry!! This is a limited time offer to all my newsletter subscribers.

Don’t Forget To Plan Your Fall Vegetable Garden: Click Here For More Information On Planning Your Garden. Tip: Keep your bird feeders full all year long, and attract more birds by providing a variety of bird feeders. Click Here To Order. Take advantage of Hibiscus and More’s End Of Season Sale On Hibiscus Plants in 4.5 inch Containers and Gardening Gloves. Click Here To Check Out The latest News From Hibiscus and More.

Fall Vegetable Gardening

Fall Vegetable Gardening

With the arrival of August, and the month of September just around the corner we need to start planning our fall vegetable garden. There are numerous vegetables that require a cool growing season rather than a warm growing season. For my readers that reside in USDA Zones: 11, 10, 9, and 8 you get the benefits of having two vegetable growing seasons, one in the spring and one in the fall. As the weather cools in your area, and as gardeners we start thinking about fall and what fall brings to us; it’s time to start gardening again. With this in mind I would like to mention the wonderful benefits of a fall vegetable garden.

Home-grown vegetables have a richer, fuller taste and tend to be fresher than store bought since you pick them yourself. Home-grown vegetables are easy and inexpensive to grow as well. Vegetable gardening can involve the entire family from the little ones to the teens. As well as being an educational tool, the time the family spends in the garden is quality time spent together, and can give one a sense of pride.

In today’s economy more and more families are finding ways to save money, and one way to save money on your grocery bill would be to start your own vegetable garden. Vegetables can be grown from seeds or vegetable starts, and more retail garden centers this year are reporting that vegetable starts and seeds are up from last year’s sales; and as a result of our current economy more families decide to spend more time at home and in the garden.

Some of you maybe thinking to yourself I have never grown vegetables before, and I don’t think I can grow vegetables. One of my task as a professional horticulturist to a private estate was to grow home-grown vegetables, and my thoughts were exactly the same; and as a Texas Certified Horticultural Professional I would advise our retail gardening customer’s on how to grow vegetables, but I never grew vegetables professionally. I took my vegetable gardening advice that I gave to my retail gardening customers, and my horticultural experience and put all that knowledge to the test. The results of the vegetable garden test are in the pictures included in this article.

The vegetable garden that I planted last year had a wide variety of root vegetables and above ground vegetables. Root Fall vegetables would include: potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, beets, radishes, shallots, and asparagus. Asparagus is the only fall perennial vegetable. You need to find a place where it can grow undisturbed for many years. The key to growing root vegetables is giving enough space in between each plant so the actual root (vegetable) will mature and not be misshapen because of planting to close. I grew Georgia Sweet onions from onion sets, Cherry Belle radishes, and Tall Top Early Wonder beets, all from seeds. The wonderful aspect of radishes is that the radishes mature in 22 days, and to have radishes all season replant your seeds every ten days. I was amazed and thrilled at how easy it was to grow vegetables from seed. The above ground Fall vegetables include: peppers, tomatoes, (with the peppers and tomatoes there are varieties to plant for the fall versus varieties for the spring), spinach, lettuce, snow peas, broccoli, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, mustard, cauliflower, chard, and collards. For the above ground vegetables I grew from vegetable starts, green peppers, tomatoes; and from seed there was Snow Peas, Black-Seeded Simpson lettuce, Mesclun Sweet Salad lettuce, Little Caesar Romaine lettuce. For recommended varieties to your area, contact your local extension office.

When planning your vegetable garden, either from vegetable starts or seeds don’t forget to add a little color to the garden. In the last couple of years seed companies have established several different colors in vegetables. You can now purchase peppers, carrots, and tomatoes seeds that will produce a wide range of colors. You can purchase bell pepper seeds that come in ivory, lavender, chocolate brown, yellow, and orange. Wouldn’t some or all of those colors look wonderful in a fresh tossed salad or homemade stuffed bell peppers? Carrot seeds now come in colors of yellow, white, golden yellow, red, light and dark purple, and of course your typical orange. Your family will just go wild over the variety of colors that will adorn the family dinner table each evening. Tomato seeds are now available in different shades of red, orange, yellow, and even a dark brown. With all the vegetable colors that are available on the market today, you can now color coordinate your dinner plate with home-grown vegetables, and become the ultimate gourmet chef without paying a gourmet price tag.

Vegetable plants can be grown in a container or a special designated area in your yard. When considering a container versus a designated area there are a few considerations to be reviewed before deciding. Containers are excellent for growing a small amount of vegetables and a good choice, if you have a nice sunny patio or have a small sized yard. When growing vegetables in your yard the designated area that you choose should be in raised beds versus planted in your local soil. Vegetables plants require a loose and peat moss soil mixture. Purchasing landscape timbers or landscape edging at your local hardware store or home improvement store can easily do this.

Deciding a Location: Choose an area that gets 5 - 6 hours of full sun; and if, you have an area that receives more than 6 hours of sunlight that’s all right, too.

Deciding a Container(s): Choose a container that is 14 inches or larger, but the lettuces and radishes can be grown in smaller containers than recommended above.

Deciding a Soil: There are several potting soils on the market and choosing one is a matter of your gardening preferences. Some of the chooses are inorganic verses organic, with moisture control or without moisture control, with timed-release fertilizer or without fertilizer. Some potting soils are especially formulated for vegetables.

Deciding a Fertilizer: There are several fertilizers on the market and choosing one is a matter of your gardening preferences. Some of the chooses are water soluble, granular, time-release, slow-release, organic, or inorganic. Choose a fertilizer that is formulated for vegetable plants.

Choosing an Insecticide: Choosing an insecticide is a matter of your gardening preferences, and while I was growing the vegetable garden I had an IPM (Integrated Pest Management) approach method. I would only use Safer Soaps or Horticultural Oils on all the vegetables that I grew, and realistically I hardly had to spray the vegetables at all. I was constantly watching for any insect or worm that would start eating my prize vegetables, and when I did see one I would simply dispose of the insect.

Choosing a Vegetable Support: Some of the vegetable plants that I mentioned above will need to be staked or in need of a vegetable cage such as tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, peas, cantaloupes, and sometimes peppers.

Watering: Of all the ingredients that I have mentioned for vegetable gardening success, water, is the most important to a successful vegetable garden. The soil for your vegetables will need to be consistently moist at all times, and the water source should be city water or treated water. This is one of the reasons for one of last’s years E. coil outbreaks; the vegetables that were recalled received untreated water during the growing process. More gardeners are starting to grow their own vegetables this year versus last year due to the recent E. coli outbreaks in store-bought produce. Just another reason to start growing your own vegetables, you supply the water, you supply the insecticide, and you know exactly what ingredients went into your vegetables. For states that are currently under water restrictions, you can water your food crops, personal food garden, or personal vegetable garden without penalty. Wash all vegetables before eating or cooking.

Planting: There are a few vegetables that do not like to be planted next to each other, and the vegetable combinations to avoid are:

Onions with peas or beans. Tomatoes or squash with potatoes.

Carrots with dill or fennel. Beans with onions and garlic.

Planting tomato Plants: Another planting rule that has always worked for me is to plant your tomato plants deeper than the original soil line, even if you grow your tomatoes from seed. When you are ready to plant your tomato plants remove two sets of leaves or four leaves total and plant the tomato plant that deep in the soil. You just do this with tomatoes and the reason for this procedure is that tomatoes will establish more roots along the stem where you removed the leaves, and tomatoes require a lot more water than the other vegetables mentioned in this article, and tomatoes are one vegetable that is a heavy feeder, i.e. tomatoes require a steady supply of fertilizer.

Put on your gardening gloves and reap the rewards and benefits of a fall vegetable garden. Tastier vegetables than store bought that you harvest on your own. As a vegetable gardener you know the ingredients, and there is nothing more rewarding than tasting the “vegetables” of your labors.

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All photographs and digital images are ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2007. All Rights Reserved. All photographs and digital images displayed in this article are for viewing purposes only and cannot be duplicated.

Mosquito Repellent Plants

Ageratum

As summer fast approaches, I would like to suggest plants that will repel mosquitoes in your landscape and how to use these plants to enjoy the outdoors during summer. In addition to the plants that repel mosquitoes I would like to suggest additional, eco-friendly ways to keep mosquitoes from your outdoor living spaces. The picture on the left is Ageratum.

Some areas of the southeast have had drought busting rainstorms and even 

Basil

with the tremendous amounts of rainfall, these areas are still considered to be under drought conditions. With the severe amounts of rainfall that comes into an area, and the warmer temperatures of the season that is a sure sign the pesky mosquito is not far behind. The picture on the right is Basil.

The plants that I am suggesting will repel mosquitoes from your outdoor living space. There are a few suggestions when planning to use the plants mentioned to enhance the natural repelling abilities:

v Use the plants in containers around your patio, deck, or outdoor living space such as patio tables and chairs.

v Use the plants in containers or planted in the ground by your front door and your back door.

v Lemon Grass is the #1 recommended plant to grow in the landscape and in containers to use around your patio, deck or outdoor living spaces to repel mosquitoes during the summer.

v Before having outdoor activities brush the Lemon Grass to release more of its fragrance.

v Lemon Grass can be used in cooking.

Here are a few suggestions recommended to do in addition to using the recommended plants:

v Fix all outdoor facets that drip.

v Drain your birdbath twice a week and refill your birdbath.

v Turn your empty outside pots and containers upside down to prevent the containers from collecting water.

v Drain your plant saucers that collect water once a week, mosquitos lay their eggs in stagnant water.

v To reduce numerous other flying insects, including mosquitoes, plant marigolds in containers or in the landscape.

Cadaga Tree

There are additional benefits to adding mosquito-repelling plants to your landscape. A few of the benefits are that the mixture of plants listed can be used in addition to repelling mosquitoes, but also used as herbs in cooking, the trees listed will attract additional wildlife such as birds to the garden to give natural predators of mosquitoes a safe heaven, the majority of the plants are nectar and larval food plants for butterflies in your area, and the Silver Dollar Tree can be used in your fresh cut flower arrangements as greens. The picture on the left is Cadaga Tree.

Ageratum or Floss Flower: Ageratum houstonianum. Type: Annual. Height: 6-12”. Spacing: 6-8” apart. Light Requirement: Full sun to partial

shade. Additional Uses: Butterfly nectar plant.

Basil: Ocimum basilicum. Type: Annual. Height: 2 feet. Spacing: 18-24” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial 

Basil

shade. Additional Uses: Butterfly nectar plant, the leaves are used in cooking.

Cadaga Tree: Eucalyptus torelliana. Type: Tree. Height: To 80 feet. Spacing: 20-30 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Additional Uses: Attracts wildlife to the garden.

Catmint: Nepeta faassenii. Type: Perennial. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 12-18 “

Catmint

apart. Additional Uses: Butterfly nectar plant, and your cats will love it. The picture on the right is Catmint.

Catnip: Nepeta cataria. Type: Perennial. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 12-18 “ apart. Additional Uses: Butterfly nectar plant, and your cats will love it.

Catnip

Citronella Grass: Cymbopogon nardus. Type: Perennial in USDA Zones 9 and 10, annual outside zone 9. Height: 5-6 feet. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: The oil from the plant is used in citronella candles. The picture on the left is Catnip.

Clove Tree: Syzygium aromaticum. Type: Tree. Height: 20-30 feet. Spacing: 25 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: The flower buds are the spice of commerce, and attracts

Clove Tree

wildlife to the garden.

Horsemint or Lemon Beebalm: Monarda citriodora. Type: Perennial. Height: 12-30”. Spacing: 12-24” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: The flowers can be used in fresh cut arrangements, nectar plant for butterflies and hummingbirds.

Lavender: Lavandula angustifolia. Type: Perennial. Height: 18-24”. Spacing: 12-18” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Nectar plant for butterflies, flowers can be dried, in potpourris, and sachets.

Lemon Balm: Melissa officinalis. Type: Perennial. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 12-18” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: All leaves can be used in potpourris, flavor hot and iced teas, and used as a substitute for lemon peel in cooking.

Lemon Grass: Cymbopogon citrates. Type: Perennial to USDA zone 8, treat as an annual elsewhere. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: The leaves are used in cooking.  

Lemon Grass

Lemon Scented Geranium: Pelargonium crispum. Type: Perennial. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 12” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Nectar plant for butterflies, leaves are used in cooking, in potpourris, and sachets. The picture on the right is Clove Tree.

Lemon Verbena: Aloysia triphylla. Type: Perennial to USDA zone 8, treat as an annual elsewhere. Height: To 4 feet. Spacing: 18-24” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: The oil is used in perfumes; the leaves are used in flavoring teas and jellies. The picture on the right is Lemon Grass.

Mexican Marigold Mint: Tagetes lucida. Type: Perennial. Height: 24-30”. Spacing: 12-18” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Butterfly nectar and larval food plant, fresh flowers are used in salads, leaves are used as a substitute for French tarragon.  

Mexican Marigold Mint

Mindanao Gum Tree: Eucalyptus deglupta. Type: Tree. Height: To 225 feet. Spacing: 30 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Attracts wildlife to the garden, fragrant leaves and colorful bark.

Mindanao Gum Tree

Pitcher Plant - Nepenthes alata. Type: Herbaceous perennial. Zones: 10-11. Height: To 14 feet, usually grown in a hanging basket. Spacing: N/A. Light: Partial shade to shade. Uses: Will attract and capture all types of pesky insects from your garden. The plant is available at local garden centers in hanging baskets and can be placed in tree limbs or placed on patio plant stands. The plant uses the insects it captures as fertilizer.

Pitcher Plant

Prostrate Rosemary: Salvia rosmarinus 'Prostrates'. Type: Perennial shrub or groundcover. Height: 12-18”. Spacing: 2

feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: The leaves are used in lamb and fish dishes,

butterfly nectar plant, drought tolerant plant.

Prostrate Rosemary

Red-Flowering Gum Tree: Eucalyptus ficifolia. Type: Tree. Height: 25-30 feet. Spacing: 20-25 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Additional Uses: After      establishment in the landscape the tree is very drought tolerant, the leaves are fragrant, attracts wildlife to the garden, very showy red flowers in spring and summer. 

Red-Flowering Gum Tree

Roman Wormwood: Artemisia pontica.
Type: Perennial. Height: 18-24”. Spacing: 12” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Additional Uses: Nectar and larval food plant for butterflies, drought tolerant plant, ground cover, beds, and containers.

Roman Wormwood

Rosemary: Salvia rosmarinus. Type: Perennial shrub. Height: 4 feet. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full 

Rosemary

sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: The leaves are used in lamb and fish dishes, drought tolerant plant, and butterfly nectar plant.

Silver Dollar Tree: Eucalyptus cinerea. Type: Tree. Height: To 20 feet. Spacing: 25 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Additional Uses: Attracts wildlife to the garden, the foliage is used in fresh cut flower arrangements as greens, and dried floral arrangements.

Silver Dollar Tree

Tansy: Tanacetum vulgare. Type: Perennial. Height: 3-4 feet. Spacing: 12-18” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to 

Tansy

partial shade. Additional Uses: Nectar food plant for butterflies. The picture on the left is Prostrate Rosemary, and the picture on the right is Pitcher Plant.

Wormwood: Artemisia absinthium. Type: Perennial. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 18-24” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Nectar and larval food plant for butterflies, drought tolerant plant.

Wormwood: Artemisia 'Powis Castle'. Type: Perennial. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 3 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Nectar and larval food plant for butterflies, drought tolerant plant.

June is National Rose Month. Click on Hibiscus and More's Blogspot for more information on growing and caring for your roses.

All photographs and digital images are ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2009. All Rights Reserved.

©Cheryl Ann Meola 2009.

All photographs and digital images displayed in this article are for viewing purposes only and cannot be duplicated. Place your cursor over the picture for the plant name.