Victoria County Master         Gardener Association

TIPS TO REDUCE SUMMER STRESS:

in your lawn and garden

June 05, 2020

by Charlie Neumeyer/Victoria County Master Gardener

Edited by Charla Borchers Leon/Victoria County Master Gardener



PHOTO CONTRIBUTED  BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER CHARLIE NEUMEYER

Salvia 'Henry Duelberg' (blue) and Salvia 'Augusta Duelberg' (silvery-white), shown here front and back respectively, will both add color to a summer bed until the first frost.  They are great fill-in plants for a large area, are drought tolerant and are disease-and insect-free.  The blue Salvia/sage 'Henry Duelberg' was designated a Texas Superstar native plant originally found in a Central Texas cemetery.  The 'Augusta Duelberg' was found at a nearby grave and named for the marked grave.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER CHARLIE NEUMEYER

The Salvia 'Amistad' sports very large tubular flowers in purple, shown here, with blooms constantly from early spring until frost.  It is more compact than some with a fuller blooming habit than others similar to it.  Its flowers are a magnet for butterflies and hummingbirds.  It can be used as an accent, border, or container plant as well as a mass planting in a large bed with a 5 feet width by 4 feet height.  It tolerates full sun and heat.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER CHARLIE NEUMEYER

Mulch helps keep moisture and controls temperature in the ground and can be done any time.  To keep costs down, mulch can be applied to just around the base of individual plants as shown here.  This helps retain moisture and cool the temperature in the plant's root zone.  A combination of drip irrigation and a pre-emergent labeled for use in vegetable gardens help control the weeds in the unmulched areas.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER CHARLIE NEUMEYER

Many roses are self-cleaning, but some cultivars require help.  The Polonaise Rose variety shown here needs to be deadheaded after each blooming period.  Deadheading generally increases the bloom, and many kinds of flowering plants, including annuals, can benefit from a well-timed trim. 

Annuals to plant now

• Vinca
• Zinnia
• Cosmos
• Rudbeckia
• Salvias
• Moss rose purslane

Vegetables to plant now

• Okra
• Southern peas
• Pumpkins
• Watermelons
• Squash

Various annuals with easily harvestable seeds

• Cleomes
• Cosmos
• Larkspurs
• Poppies
• Zinnias







It’s gonna get hot out there. Those late cool fronts that came through in May are just a fond memory now. The heat is ramping up, but with some care, your gardens and you can avoid the heat-related stress.

Not too late to plant some ornamentals

Most of us set out bedding plants in early spring, but there are many varieties that can be planted now. Need to replace single-blooming spring annuals? Summer annuals such as zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, vincas and some succulents can be added to your beds now. Initially they will require daily monitoring for water, but after they are established, these plants will require a minimum of care.


Let’s talk pruning

Some of our spring blooming perennials may need a haircut about now. I have lots of rose bushes in my garden that are self-cleaning, but one of my favorites needs to be deadheaded after each blooming period.

All flowering plants can be deadheaded. Doing so may extend blooming time. Plants such as gardenias and azaleas should also be pruned after they have bloomed. According to the Central Texas Gardener, trees, especially tropical varieties like the Mexican olive tree, can be pruned now for shaping and raising the canopy. Do not prune live oaks and red oaks now. Do those in February.

Vegetable gardens can be expanded also

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Vegetable Planting Guides list several varieties of vegetables that can be planted now. Okra, southern peas, pumpkins, summer and winter squash and watermelons can all be started now. If you have room, you could also add some tomato plants to increase the length of your harvest season.

Be on the alert for insects. The squash bugs have been ferocious in my garden this year. Aphids have also been an issue.

Herbs, anyone?

During the winter, I have dill, parsley and cilantro that spill over from my herb garden to the flower bed. In addition to being tasty, they add color and texture to the winter garden. But they have all bolted and are dead/dying.


So, now is the time to plant hot weather herbs. Basil is my No. 1 seasonal choice, but I have also added culinary sage, Cuban oregano and Greek oregano.

Moving on to lawns

Since our lawns in this part of the state are warm weather grasses, you can expect more rapid turf growth this time of the year. Keith Hansen with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension said there are several things that you can do to help your lawn survive the heat.

• Cutting

The first thing is to raise your cutting Phtblade. The longer blades of grass will provide shade for the roots. Also, he suggests that you mow more often and do not remove the clippings.

• Watering

Monitor the amount of water you are using on the lawn as we tend to overwater. Infrequent, deep watering is preferred. Even though the grass looks stressed in the evening, it may not need water. Look at your lawn in the morning and if it has perked up, you can probably go another day or two. It is best to water early in the day so the lawn has a chance to dry off. This will help prevent fungus in the lawn.

• Feeding

Fertilize with a 21-7-14 analysis. This early summer feeding should take your lawn to the fall.

Sprinkler systems

There are several general tasks that are really ongoing. You should check your water delivery system often. Sprinkler heads get run over by the lawn mowers and now water the road, or worse yet, get broken off. Heads that are completely covered by a thick turf may not “pop up” so they can flood areas. Drip lines may no longer drip, especially if you have hard water. If you see white salt/calcium deposits on your emitters, run the system to check water flow.


Mulch, mulch, mulch

It is never too late to mulch. I “patch” the mulch in areas that have grown thin. In my vegetable garden, I mulch the root area of each individual plant rather than the entire garden. To stretch that bag of mulch, you can put down a layer of leaves and then cover them with a top dressing of mulch. Remember, mulch helps both to retain moisture and control soil temperature. Not to mention it helps prevent weeds.

Looking to next year

As flowers go to seed, you might want to collect those seeds to plant next year. I routinely harvest my poppy seeds. We use some for baking, but I scatter some seed to start poppies in new areas. My Mexican olive and Anacacho orchid tree seeds are sprouting. I will transplant them later.

The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.