Sanhedrin Nursery – Garden Blog

• Petunias can’t be beat for large, colorful blooms all summer long. The “Wave” petunias make wonderful hanging baskets for full sun. They come in purple, bright pink, and pale “misty lilac.”

• Ivy geraniums make wonderful hanging baskets for partially shaded spots where they will bloom all summer.

• Cage or stake tomatoes while still small so that you can train them as they grow.

• Cover cherry trees with bird netting to protect your crop.

• Ladybugs are a big help with aphids in your greenhouse or garden. Release at dusk in problem areas.

Delightful Daisies

Ask any 4-year-old to draw a flower, and chances are she’ll draw a daisy. Daisies have an innocence and simplicity that are attractive to young and old alike.

Daisies belong to the family called Composites. They are one of the largest families of flowering plants with some 25,000 species distributed all over the world. The family includes lettuces, artichokes and sunflowers as well as chrysanthemums, dahlias and many other popular garden flowers.

Most daisies are very easy to grow. They flourish in ordinary garden soil that is well-drained in winter, with plenty of sun. There are daisies for almost any garden setting, and they deliver an abundance of summer color.

Start with Shasta daisies, a hybrid created by Luther Burbank. This is one tough plant, growing happily on rugged hillsides where even the deer don’t bother them. Their beautiful white flowers are 3-inches across and grow on stems varying from 1 foot to 3 feet depending on variety. The wild ‘Crazy Daisy’ has shaggy, double white flowers that may be frilled or twisted with bright yellow centers.

The Gerbera or Transvaal Daisy is a real show-off in the garden. The large flowers come in every bright color and they bloom all summer long in sun or part shade. They don’t always winter-over in our climate, but they but on a glorious show all summer.

Old-fashioned painted daisies come in shades of pink and red. Their simple flowers grow on tall, straight stems. Give them afternoon shade in our climate.

Marguerite daisies are too tender to winter over here, but golden Euryops makes a fine substitute. Yellow flowers cover these dark green bushes all summer, and they’ll come right back next year and do it all over again.

Coreopsis is an easy-to-grow perennial. From the tall ‘Early Sunrise’, to medium-sized ‘Baby Sun’ and low-growing auriculata ‘Nana’, these golden beauties are constantly in bloom all summer long. ‘Moonbeam’ coreopsis has lemon yellow flowers and threadlike leaves, and it makes a good companion for ornamental grasses.

Dahlias are tuberous rooted perennials that come in all colors except true blue, and a large variety of flower types and sizes from 2 to 12 inches across. Tubers should be planted right away for summer blooms.

Sunflowers are always a garden favorite. Both the dwarf ‘Sunspot’ and the 10-foot tall ‘Mammoth’ produce edible sunflower seeds. People eat the roasted seeds; birds enjoy the raw ones. Sunflowers for cutting come on compact, branching plants and bear 4 to 8 inch blooms in a rich variety of colors.

Use daisies to fill up spaces quickly and create an ‘established garden’ look while slower perennials fill in, and to brighten corners with their cheery flowers. It’s nice to have plants you can depend on.

• Rhododendrons are in full bloom now. Choose plants now for spectacular blooms in your shade garden.

• Earwigs are out and about and hungry. Control them with the new “Sluggo Plus”, or diatomaceous earth sprinkled around the plants, or go out after dark with a flashlight and a spray bottle of Safer’s Insecticidal Soap. One squirt will put an end to the spoiler.

• It’s time to plant tomatoes. Choose from the many varieties available now so you can enjoy delicious home-grown flavor.

• When you plant your vegetable garden, why not grow a little extra to donate to the food bank this summer.

• It’s time to put out oriole feeders. You can also attract them with fresh orange halves.

Hanging Baskets for Summer Beauty

Hanging baskets filled with colorful flowers bring outdoor living areas alive and make them a welcome retreat. Whether you have a sunny porch or a shady patio, you can brighten it up with hanging containers.

For a sunny spot, petunias, Million Bells and verbenas are perfect. The Wave petunias, Purple Wave, Pink Wave, Blue Wave, Tidal Wave and Misty Lilac Wave are ideal for hanging baskets. They grow in a horizontal habit, hanging down over the edge of the pots. Their bright colors are very eye-catching.

For the traditional colors, in red, pink, purple and white, Supercascade Petunias produce unending blossoms all summer.

Million Bells Calibrachoa makes a beautiful hanging plant. It is covered all summer with colorful flowers that resemble miniature petunias and they shed cleanly when the flowers fade. They come in bright cherry, red, rose, violet, blue, orange and yellow and grow very well in full sun.

Ivy geraniums grow well in morning sun and afternoon shade. They have a light, airy charm and come in red, pink, lavender, purple and white flowers. Their glossy ivy-like foliage is a handsome background for the bright colored flowers.

Several new Verbenas are now being used for hanging baskets. Tapiens Verbena makes an excellent flowering groundcover or hanging basket plant. They are fast growing with feathery leaves and bright-colored flowers on a neat, multi-branched plant. This is a very tough plant that is heat and drought-tolerant, thrives in full sun and even holds up well in windy conditions. Verbenas come in bright pink and purple.

Fuchsias are popular for shady areas. Their lush foliage and bright hanging flowers are frequently visited by hummingbirds. The flowers come in many shades of red, pink, purple and white and they bloom all summer if the seed pods are removed, and the plants are fertilized regularly.

Impatiens make lovely baskets for the shade, though they don’t really hang. You can plant them on the sides of a moss basket, though, to create a sphere of color by mid-summer. Add begonias and coleus for a riot of color all summer long.

You can create your own hanging gardens with combinations of colorful annuals. Impatiens, lobelia and violas provide summer-long color in shady areas. Petunias, alyssum and verbena give lots of color in sunny locations. You might also look for combination baskets already planted and blooming.

Hanging baskets should be fertilized weekly and watered daily in hot weather. Pinch off faded blossoms for continuous color all summer. Add a lovely color boost to your house or garden with hanging baskets.

• Fuchsias in hanging baskets make beautiful patio plants. They bloom all summer and attract hummingbirds to their pendulous blossoms.

• When you plant your tomatoes, put a handful of bone meal in the bottom of the hole to help prevent blossom end rot on the fruit later on.

• Spray roses every two weeks to keep them healthy and prevent leaf diseases. Neem oil is a safe alternative to chemicals.

• Flower seeds can be sown directly in the garden now. Cosmos, marigolds and zinnias will give you beautiful flowers all summer.

• Mulch blueberry plants with aged sawdust and feed with cottonseed meal or an acid fertilizer.

Spice up your Cooking with Flavorful Basils

Basil is an annual herb belonging to the mint family. It is enjoyed for its rich, spicy flavor and is easy to grow in any sunny spot. There are over 40 known varieties of basil though Sweet Basil is the most commonly known and grown.

Basil plants are small and bushy with attractive foliage that varies from light green to deep green to purple. It is very ornamental in the perennial bed or the vegetable garden, and there are many delightful flavors to choose from.

The sweet-scented basils include lemon, cinnamon, and licorice basil which are named for their fragrances. Lemon basil has an intense lemon fragrance and is ideal for tea and potpourri. It has a very strong lemon scent if touched, and regrows quickly when harvested.

Cinnamon basil comes from Mexico. It has a distinctive cinnamon taste and odor and can be used in sauces and salads. Licorice or anise basil was originally from Persia. It has a licorice scent, dark purple flowers and a purple tint to its leaves. Its branches can be half-dried and then woven into wreath shapes, then decorated with dried peppers and flowers.

Thai basil has a sweet and spicy flavor and aroma. With its reddish-purple stems and pinkish-violet flowers, it is very attractive in planters or in the garden. It is good in both Thai and Vietnamese cooking and is used in salads, soups and curries.

Spicy Globe basil makes a small, dense plant, about 8 inches tall, with tiny leaves that scent the garden day and night with their spicy fragrance. Use the leaves of this flavorful variety just as you would any other sweet basil.

Genovese basil, often sold as Sweet Basil, has extra-large leaves that are easy to harvest. It is one of the best basils to grow because it yields 7 to 8 cuttings and makes excellent Italian pesto.

Dark Opal or Purple basil has beautiful dark foliage that accents any herb bed and makes a lovely garnish. It is recommended for flavoring oils and vinegars. Purple basil combines beautifully in the garden with green and silver-leaved plants.

Holy or Sacred basil, know as Tulsi by Hindus, makes a delicious tea and is attributed with many healing properties. This clove-scented basil is used in Ayurvedic medicine and in salads, drinks, and tea.

Basil is very easy to grow from seed, either started indoors or broadcast outside in the garden after the danger of frost has passed. Basil is very tender and sensitive to frost injury. Fertilize basil sparingly as this decreases the fragrant oils. To encourage a bushy, healthy plant and to maximize production, prune basil every 2 to 3 weeks. Pinch off the flower buds as soon as they begin to emerge since the flavor in the leaves is reduced when the plants go to seed.

Enjoy fresh basil in your salads and pesto this summer, and be sure to dry some for use all winter.