Gardendelightsnursery’s Blog
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Summer Watering Tips!
One of the best things you can do if you find that some container plants dry very fast is to repot them into a larger container. By doing this you will accomplish several things. You will reinvigorate your plant since it now has more soil to grow in and you will help to reduce its watering interval period. That fresh soil will act as a natural fertilizer to the plant and you will see new growth which will likely bloom more if a flowering plant, and fresh foliage will soon come if it is grown for foliar effects. A side benefit is that plant will become larger and you will have a bigger display and your watering will not have to be so frequent until the roots fill in and grow in that new soil.
Be sure to tease the roots open (or just cut those circling roots from the old root ball) when you plant into the larger size container and fresh soil. You should also make sure that the plant root ball is well watered before you begin this replanting as it is difficult to rehydrate a root ball when you plant it in a larger container and root pruning and a well watered root ball is not performed before you replant.
Now for the after care of the new transplant, all you have to do is to make sure the plant does not wilt. Do not over water, just give enough to make sure the old root ball seems moist to the touch and let it dry slightly between waterings. The plant should then be fine and grow to fill the new size container without any problems. You can fertilize slightly if you wish after about a month or two after the transplanting operation, and your plant will provide you with a grand flush of growth and ensuing flower display depending on what kind of plant you have.
If the plant seems to wilt a lot after transplanting, you can place it in a shady spot for about a week until new roots grow then bring it back into more light.
Most Spectacular Iris in Bloom Now…The Japanese Iris
Here we are entering the month of June and with it the last of the large iris family. The Japanese iris are the most spectacular of all iris, having blooms to over 1 foot across and brilliant colors, deepest cobalt blue,violet, purples, pure whites, pink, variegated patterns and veins contrasting with the base color of the petals.
Dramatic clean foliage, always nice looking, even after the flowers finish. These iris like moisture and must have acid soil in order to thrive. They like heavy fertilizing with acid plant food as well, this promotes strong vigorous growth. Under good culture, these plants can grow to over 5 ft tall, and have 3+ branches, thus promoting more flowers, extending the flowering season.
a somewhat daunting thing about them is that most have Japanese names, so to the average gardener, in person inspection to see those blooms is necessary. In many cases, a paragraph is needed to describe the color patterns of the flowers, so varied are the blooms.
Petals can number between 3 and 6 most often, but some varieties have 9 ormore petals. Iris are classed as having two basic types of petals, upright petals are usually shorter in Japanese iris and are called standards, the lower, often hanging petals are called falls. Depending on variety, standards can develop into falls, and other floral parts, stamens, etc. can also become falls, thus giving a more ‘double’ shaped bloom with numerous petals.
three fall varieites are the classic types, proportions are exquisite. The six fall types give the impression of a rounded flower, some people call them ‘dinner plate’ shaped flowers. Here the petals can be held to the horizontal or can hang. These are very showy, since the petals are large and there are more of them than ‘singles’/ three fall cvs.
Of course, multiple petalled forms present an even fuller blossom since there are many more larger petals often giving the impression of a very double flower or pom pom.
The styles (female parts of the iris flowers) can also be multiple and also give quite a contrasting show of color to the blooms. In some cvs. they can look like pom poms in the center of the flowers. If they are of a contrasting color to the petals, they can give a bicolor effet to the blossom.
These iris can be grown in water, but do not need it to thrive. They need a lot of water and will do fine in any perennial border. Just give additional water.
They can also be grown as bog plants or on the shore of bodies of water. They look lovely planted near water, or in water. Just let them not be in water in winter since they can die if the water freezes.
These iris have been bred and cultivated in Japan for over 200 years and have been developed into the largest flowering of all iris. as the dark colors are in the blue range, they give a truly spectacular effect when in bloom. If dark forms are planted with whites, the effect is beyond compare….it is so spectacular, it will remain a cherished memory forever in the mind’s eye.
care for plants in high heat
Just as people appreciate coolness during very warm weather, so do plants. If they cannot stay cooler, it is very important to keep them well watered. If they are dry, growth will be checked or set back due to drying out and growth abortion results from lack of moisture. We are having a very warm spell just now, and the softer growth of spring is more tender to it than summer growth, so now is a very important time to keep your plants well watered so they can make it through this warm period and any following hot weather.
A basic tip and observation is that if the plant is wilting, water it immediately, amking sure to see that the root area is saturated. Various plants such as maples and other ornamentals that like ample water throughout their growing season will greatly benefit from additional water applied during hot spells. It is important to thoroughly wet the root zone,so water deeply, then ease off and let the soil dry out somewhat before watering again.
Water is best applied during the early morning hours, but if you cannot do that, just water the plant when you can. With Japanese maples, it is recommended to keep the water off the leaves in the full hot sun of the day, otherwise they might burn. Dusk is alright since it can cool the area off as long as you can dry off the plant before nightfall.
Watering containerized plants is even more important since all the roots are only in the confines of a pot and the plant does not have the benefit of deeper roots in lower levels of the soil.
As long as the soil drains excess water freely away and the plant is not waterlogged after watering, you can apply water. (In containers, you may need to water several times in a very hot day.)
Various ornamentals such as roses and bamboos will definitely show stress and damage if they do not get enough water in heat waves. Flowers dry up and abort, leaves may dry and burn/ later falling off, and growth is checked. Younger plants tend not to need as much water as older plants, but you need to water larger, older plants very well in order to wet the entire root zone they have grown over the years. All plants in soft growth condition will burn badly if they do not have ample water in a hot spell.
If you have missed a watering or (like me) did not apply enough sometimes and burned off tips or leaves result, all is not lost. Check the stem condition of the plant. If it appears plump and healthy, you probably got water to it in time to save it. Do not pamper it too much with excessive care at this time. Just continue your regular watering routine and you will see signs of new growth in a short while. Burned leaves will drop off to be replaced by new growth. (Do NOT fertilize! now). With things like fruit trees, well, you may have lost your crop this year, but the tree will continue to grow and then bloom (and perhaps set fruit) next year.
With potted plants in bloom, you can just move them to a shady area until the heat passes, keeping them well watered of course. They will appreciate the warmth and show it by making new growth, after the flowers have finished.
The key to a great gardener filled with expertise is the fact that they have lost a number of plants and learned from those trials/failures. Remeber that plants are living things, and sometimes living things just die. So don’t be too hard on yourself if that happens. Figure out what went wrong and try once again! …with renewed enthusiasm.
