Gardners! I need HELP!

[Gilly Bean]

When I was little, I would always go with my step mom to pick up marigolds to plant in these three little sections we had for gardens. (The sidewalk had sections built in, we planted in those)

I did the same with my grandma, only she was far more colorful, and we could pick anything we wanted. I was always partial to impatients and geraniums.

Anyway...

We have moved so much that I've never actually gotten around to making my own garden. Last year, I tried, but the neighbors moved in and mowed over it. Grr. It was a small patch, granted, but COME ON!


Ok, so anyway, this is what my climate is like: Hot, dry, one side has afternoon shade, the other three sides are pretty exposed from around noon and on.

I want something that will grow easy, but that has loads of bright colors. No orange, I had too many marigolds growing up, and they just are not my favorite color anymore.


My other problem is that I just don't have too much of a green thumb when it comes to just plants. I want flowers in the back (where it's solid sun most the day), and in the front, where it's partially shady.

Also, there's a REALLY icky nasty patch of onion grass that is growing right next to our door. It's probably 3ft in length, and 4 feet across. We get yelled at if we don't keep it cut down, because the park managers say it's weeds, but when we trim over it, or mow it, my allergies go wonky. Anyone know of a good way to get rid of this? The thing drove me NUTS last summer.

 

[intrigued]

Lots to work with here. Zinnias come in many different shades, they even have multi colored blooms within one plant, as well as single colors. They love the heat and sun, but will stay thirsty, so you'll have to water them (especially if growing in full sun) probably twice a day.

For height, Cosmos cannot be beat. Again, multi and single colors, can be grown from seed EASILY and will self seed for years afterwards. They will take orinary soil, and are mitli branching daisy shaped flowers. These will grow to about 5 feet.

A good ground cover that will reach 6-8 inches and will "mound" beautifully is Portulaca. Its commmon name is "Moss Rose". This looks good underplanted with Lantana and also Zinnias, and similiar color Roses. Portulaca loves the heat, doesn't need tons of water.

Wave petunias will blow you away. They are low growing like petunias, but grow out, instead of up, so they mound into huge plants. They usually spread out 4 feet within one season. Makes very dramatic baskets, too.

Similar to wave petunias is Verbena. Grows in a spreading manner, very low maintenance, and makes quite a display. Has delicate, lacy foliage and is available in white, purple, pink and red.

Another good one for your conditions is Vinca. It looks similiar to Impatiens, but is a full sun plant. It can take pretty much anything, is available in many colors and is impressive in mass plantings.

Try www.parkseed.com it is a seed company and you can get a free catalog, and see the plants online. Also:

www.hgtv.com Excellent site for gardening and home improvements. They give gardening advice, how to's and even have message boards.

You can also do a search with the words "annuals that love heat and full sun" and add to it your location...your State. That will help you alot.

As for your onion grass, theese sites can help you with that, too. You can also call your county extension agent, they can tell you what to do, specific to your climate.

Best of luck!

 

[Lost Cause]

Asphalt....

If you can't eat it, it's worthless.

You could make flower boxes, so you could nurture your flowers of choice inside, and rotate them outside.

Sunflowers are really awesome plants!

 

[Gilly Bean]

Thank you for all the wonderful flower choices, intrigued!

One thing I've been wanting to do as well, is plant tomatos, and watermelons, but I'm not sure I'm allowed to actually tear up large amounts of ground for that.

It's only march here, and outdoor planting won't begin until the end of May or begining of June, but I am planning to plant the seeds indoors within the next few weeks, rather than paying up to $10 a flat at the 'oremium planting time'. I can wait a month, and pay only $5-6 a flat, but by then, it's July, and too hot for them to properly take to the ground, they die, and it's all done with.


Annuals would be nice, as well, and I also have been looking into maybe planting a few lilac bushes. Another thing I want, is to plant a tree. I know we can, so long as we ask first. Our lot has no trees at all on it, and the back porch where the kids play is solid sun from noon on, so it's too hot back there.

All of these questions result from having recieved a nursery catalogue in the mail. Anyway, there were weeping willow's in them, and the blurb on it says it's ideal for lots of climates and conditions, and can grow up to 10 feet every year, which would provide quite a bit of shade in a fairly short amount of time.

I'm thinking I want flower boxes for the back porch, as well.

Definatly want a nice looking yard this year.


Anyway, thank you both for those replies.

 

[intrigued]

You're welcome. I'd like to suggest a Leyland Cypress for your tree, also. It grows super fast, and has a "Christmas Tree" shape to it that is really nice. I planted one that came in a 3 gallon container three seasons ago, in the Fall, and its about 9 feet tall now. My 1.6 acres is full sun everywhere but the very edges of the back yard, so I know all about the hard conditions of full sun.

Did you know tomatoes can be planted in containers, and even hay for that matter?? You can also do a layering of your flowers by using containers in with your ground plantings. For height, you can use plant stands, pedestals, etc. Just remember with the containers that you'll need to water more frequently.
I've decided that since I'm moving, I'll do everything in containers this year. I love making "mini gardens" with them...mixing alot of different plants in one container, its beautiful!

Let me know if you want more info on the tomatoes in containers...

I fixed my typo above, where I left out the word "cosmos".

 

[LadyG]

I have full sun from about 9 a.m til 4 and impatience have worked wonders, both regular impatience and new guinea impatience (larger leaves and flowers) plus the multitude of colours you can combine is endless!

I can't kill 'em so that counts for something!

 

[Soblue]

Hi Gilly,

I think weeping willows are river bank trees, so they are happier with their roots very wet.

I love daisies, and they love the hot sun, they also come back every year.

You got a lot of good advice, but I'd just add that for the best results, start with good dirt. Dig out and throw away any weedy patches (you might think it's gone if you turn the dirt, but the weeds will come back if you don't get rid of it), and add some compost, peat, sand and new topsoil in.

Miracle grow is your friend, once every other week.

I can't wait to get started in my yard! Spring will be here before we know it *Looking outside and seeing 6 inches of snow*

Good luck

 

[Gilly Bean]

The tomato packet I grabbed last week did mention containers, so I want to grab a nice big one, and do that. Unfortunatly, watermelons need room to spread, so I don't know if that would be a good idea for those.


I will look into the cypress. This lot is just way too hot. It's part of a 'newer' addition that was added on a while ago, but when they added this lot on, they only planted a few trees, where as the front half is almost completly shaded. Must have more trees!

This catalouge has really good prices on trees right now, but I'd have no where to put them until spring, so I can't order yet. I looked at buying trees at a nursery last year, but they were asking anywhere from 20-100 per tree. This catalouge is more like $1-25 per tree, which would put me in a nice price range to maybe buy a flowering tree.

I've always loved magnolia trees, and I know they grow in this area well, so that's one I want to look into, as well.

Another one I had seen was called a Corkscrew Willow. The branches grow upwards instead of down like the weeping willow, and they spiral in corkscrew shapes.

One other one is called a 3-in-1 flowering crab tree. It blooms in clusters of pink, red, and white, all over the tree. It looks beautiful, and flowers in the spring, but won't bloom for a few years, and grows slow.

And finally, I saw a beautiful hydrangea that will sprout red (more of a deep mauve color), white, and blue all on the same. It's really pretty. Won't grow up here, though, I don't think. It needs partial shade, and rich, moist, well drained soil. From all these hard summers, our ground in the front where the shade is, is really hard.

Acttually, I want to see if someone around here has a rotatiller, so I can till it up, and plant new grass cover, and get rid make it so it's not so hard.

 

[Killswitch]

Firts of all not to be anal, but they are "Impatiens" Not in patients or whatever. They do nicely in moderate shade,(even full shade) and with a good fertilizing with miracle grow ,and water once a week, they do great. Colors available are endless, but lots of reds, whites, pinks, and purples are standard issue.

You may look into planting some bulbs in the fall. Impatiens are annuals, and will need to be planted every year, mand can get reasonably expensive depending on how many flats you would need. Bulbs can be annual, biennual, or perennial. Annual=1 year growth, Biennual= 2 years, and perenials grow for more than two years, but every plant has its limits. Check with your nursery.

I am also a large user of ground covers like Intrigued suggests....they are perenial, and low maintanence, however, ususllly evergreen, and dont offer much if any actual color....other than green.

Look at the website, and choose what you like.....when buying plants information is widely available as to final height, colors, sizes, needs, where they grow best and care.

The onion grass.....if its onion grass, you can get a product called "Roundup" You can get this pre mixed, or in concentrate. I suggest for your needs a pre mix. Roundup is what is known as a non selective grass, and weed control. It will kill most every plant material it touches, so be careful around grasses, and other materials that you wish NOT to damage. Non selective also means you can not use it on weeds growing in the lawn, or it will kill the grass too. But, it is great for grass, and weeds, that grow in the cracks in the sidewalk, drive, around your foundation of your home (for easy mowing, and less trimming) used carefully around trees and fencelines make trimming after mowing a breeze or un necessary.

Basically get some Roundup, and spray the onion grass when it starts to grow in the spring, when it dies (and wait two to three weeks for total death, pull it, repeat as necesary.....weeds must be actively growing to translocate these weed controls so dont mow them or whatever when the stuff is doing its thing. If the roundup doesnt do what we want, step up to Ortho " Triox....it is a vegetation killer, and is way more powerful, but be warned ....Triox will cause some soil sterilization, and you wont be able to grow anything around where this stuff is used for a while, maybe a year, or better.

Use all these things on calm days....early morning, calm day is perfect!

Pm me if you want more help.....This is sorta my job, and I can ramble on about some issues here, but can ramble on about this stuff for days.

;(

 

[Gilly Bean]

I think this would be best:


All the gardners come on up/down/over for the weekend, and bring all the tools ya have, and we'll have a nice gardening orgy.

 

[LadyG]

Firts of all not to be anal, but they are "Impatiens" Not in patients or whatever. They do nicely in moderate shade,(even full shade) and with a good fertilizing with miracle grow ,and water once a week, they do great. Colors available are endless, but lots of reds, whites, pinks, and purples are standard issue.

Just once, it would be nice to see you respond to anything WITHOUT being anal.

Btw, it's FIRST not firts, kettle.

I am quickly understanding why everyone dislikes you.

Sorry, Gilly

Marigolds are great for keeping squirrels and certain bugs out of the garden, so I plant them intermittently, here and there. I did the sea of orange for a while and got sick of it!

 

[Killswitch]

Magnolias are nice, but slow growers, and tend to have an issue with an insect called "Scale" It is easily managed though with proper techniques.

Cypress......ugh....I just cut down a 100 year old cypress that was a mess maker.....I actually liked it, but it was in the way of my driveway we were pouring.

Let me know if you are planning on tree planting.....I have lots of knowledge about grasses, and some about flowers, but trees is my game right now.

I will tell you.....that when you are planting anything, realize this stuff GROWS! Dont forget that and plant to closely togetherr, under powerlines, or too close to the house etc etc......

 

[Killswitch]

Just once, it would be nice to see you respond to anything WITHOUT being anal.

Btw, it's FIRST not firts, kettle.

I am quickly understanding why everyone dislikes you.

Sorry, Gilly

Marigolds are great for keeping squirrels and certain bugs out of the garden, so I plant them intermittently, here and there. I did the sea of orange for a while and got sick of it!

Sowwy....I'm half awake.

I cant even try and do something nice without being reminded like a schoolboy that no one likes meeeeee.....

Pffft
whatever

Go plant some marijuana then.......

 

[LadyG]

I would, but it's too cold.

 

[WaxNWane]

It gets to be pretty arid here in the summer, over 100 often and with little rain - so I can recommend lantana & salvia. They're perennials, you can get those in several colors, and you just need to water them a bit. Good butterfly plants, too.

 

[Gilly Bean]

I didn't see any lantana in the catalogue, but I did see some Salvia.

 

[Sheaf_Beast]

Gardners

maybe this may be of intrest,

http://www.almanac.com/index.php