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Trees – Fruit Trees – Ornamental Trees
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Flowering Plants Gardening & Landscaping
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What to Do in the Garden
What to Do in the Garden was compiled by one of the Ellis County Master Gardeners as a helpful guide to share with the community that covers maintenance suggestions to keep a healthy and kept garden year-round.
Click on the image or the HERE to download a copy!
October: What To Do
PLANTING
- Plant cool-season annuals such as pinks, snapdragons, ornamental cabbages, and kale early in the month. Wait until temperatures have cooled to plant pansies and violas.
- Complete planting these fall vegetables early in the month: radishes, spinach, and turnips. { Last chance to sow wildflowers to have blooms next spring. Always purchase “fresh” seed.
- Purchase spring-flowering bulbs while the selection is good. Chill tulip and Duch hyacinth at 45 degrees for 60 days before planting. Daffodil and grape hyacinth require no special handling but should be stored in a cool location until planting (soil temperature below 55 degrees) Recommended daffodil varieties include Ice Follies, Fortune, Carlton, Cheerfulness, and Tahiti.
- Fall is a great time to set out perennial herbs including thyme, oregano, rosemary, parsley, lemon balm, pineapple sage, and Mexican mint marigold. Work a few inches of compost into the soil before planting and mulch the plants after planting.
FERTILIZING AND PRUNING
- Remove annuals that have completed their life cycle. Leave seed pots to self-seed next year (cleome, cosmos, four o’clock).
- Continue to feed tropical plants in containers and hanging baskets with a water-soluble fertilizer. Cut back or repot overgrown houseplants and fertilize with the same fertilizer.
- Spring and summer-flowering shrubs and vines (including climbing roses, wisteria, etc.) should not be pruned at this time because they have already established their buds for next year’s bloom. Prune these plants immediately after they stop blooming next year.
GARDEN WATCH
- Watch for brown-patch fungus on St. Augustine lawns. Water only in the mornings and apply turf fungicide at the first sign of fungus.
- Watch for cutworms and looper caterpillars on young leafy vegetables. Products containing Bt are safe to control these pests. Control aphids with a strong spray of water or insecticidal soap.
- Attention, Christmas cactus owners! To initiate flower buds, give the plants bright light each day followed by 12-14 hours of total darkness at night for 30 days starting mid-month. And keep nighttime temperatures under 65 degrees.
September: What to Do in the Garden
PLANTING
- Plant these fall vegetables now: beets, carrots, “greens” (mustard, collard, turnip), kale, lettuce, radishes and spinach.
- Lawn establishment using warm-season grasses such as Bermudagrass, St. Augustine, zoysia, and buffalo grass should be completed early in the month.
- Overseed established Bermudagrass lawns with perennial ryegrass this month if desired.
- Plant these fall-blooming annuals from bedding plants before buds have opened: marigolds, petunias, asters, pinks, snapdragons, and mums. Wait until cooler weather to plant pansies, violas, ornamental cabbages, and kale.
- Complete sowing bluebonnets to ensure spring flowers. For season-long color, purchase a wildflower mix that contains annuals and perennials, as well as cool-season and warm-season plants such as bluebonnets, black-eyed Susan, Indian blanket, Indian paintbrush, Mexican hat, plains coreopsis, purple coneflower, and evening primrose. Sow seeds in areas that are free of grasses and lightly tilled. Lightly rake the area to get good seed-soil contact before watering.
FERTILIZING AND PRUNING
- Apply high-nitrogen fertilizer (4-1-2 ratio) on lawns and shrubs to prepare plants for fall and winter. Container plants will benefit from using high-nitrogen, water-soluble fertilizers.
- Tidy up summer perennials by removing dead and faded flower stems and seed stalks. Continue through fall.
- Root-prune trees and shrubs are to be transplanted this winter. Cutting the roots around the plant with a spade will stimulate new root growth in what will become the soil ball when the plant is moved.
GARDEN WATCH
- Apply a pre-emergent herbicide to lawns early in the month to control winter weeds. Depending on the type of weed targeted, it may be necessary to apply two products one for grassy weeds (annual bluegrass, ryegrass, etc.) and another for broad-leafed weeds (chickweed, clover, dandelions, henbit, etc.).
- Make final application of Image® or SedgeHammer® before mid-month to control nutsedge in warm-season lawns.
- Remove webworms from pecan trees. Cut off the ends of branches as soon as the webs appear. Tear open large webs to expose worms for birds. Spraying is not practical.
- Spray roses suffering from black spot and powdery mildew with labeled fungicide.
- Prepare beds for spring-flowering bulbs. Add organic matter to improve water drainage.
July: what to do in the garden
Planting
- Plant tomatoes and peppers from four-inch pots. Visit Aggie Horticulture
vegetable section for recommended varieties; click HERE to access the site. - Early July is the time to plant small and medium pumpkins for a Halloween harvest.
- Plant heat-tolerant annuals that have been acclimated to hot, sunny conditions. This includes
moss rose, purslane, trailing lantana, purple fountain grass, firebush, and copper plants. - Lawn grasses can be planted this month, but you will need to water twice daily for short intervals to
keep the soil surface moist until the grass has established good roots, usually in two to three weeks.
Fertilizing and Pruning
- Fertilize plants that bloom on new growth, such as crape myrtles, tropical hibiscus, and roses, with a high-nitrogen fertilizer to promote late-summer growth and fall blooms. Apply the same fertilizer to boost summer annuals and fall-flowering perennials.
- Light pruning of erratic spring growth may be done to maintain the natural form. Dead and diseased wood from trees and shrubs should be removed. Major pruning should be postponed until mid-winter.
- Deadhead all blooming plants. Remove dead leaves and spent blooms from container plants.
Garden Watch
- Be a “plant health” detective! Plants respond in various ways to heat and drought stress. These symptoms are often misdiagnosed as an insect or disease problem. Correctly identify the problem before turning to a pesticide.
- Galls on leaves of oaks, hackberries, and other trees are caused by many species of gall-forming insects and are a result of the
female stinging the leaf tissues as she lays her eggs. Galls are harmless since the insect doesn’t feed on plant tissues. - Watch for lawn pests. Dry, light-colored areas in sunny parts of St. Augustine are probably the result of chinch bugs (small black insects with white diamonds on their backs). Apply Merit (imidacloprid) or other labeled insecticide. Grub worms are the culprits if the turf turns brown and easily comes up when pulled on. Treat with a granular insecticide.
- Rapid death of established landscape plants and orchard trees during the summer may signify the presence of cotton root rot, a soil-borne fungal disease common in our calcareous clay soils. Since there is no effective control, verification by the Plant Diagnostic Lab at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will help you know what plants can be used as replacements; click HERE to access the site.
JUNE: what to do in the garden
Planting
- Buy and plant crape myrtles in bloom to be sure you are getting the desired color. Know the variety’s mature size to avoid future pruning. Ask for varieties that are resistant to powdery mildew.
- This is the best time to plant vinca (periwinkle) in full sun. Look for the variety “Cora” since it is resistant to soil-borne diseases. Water with drip irrigation or soaker hose to keep water off foliage.
- Plant these tropical annuals for their flowers: tropical hibiscus, “Gold Star” Esperanza, Mandevilla, and Mexican heather. Use Croton, Bougainvillea, and variegated Tapioca for their foliage color.
- June is the time to select day lily varieties as they reach peak bloom.
Fertilizing and Pruning
- It is time for the second application of an all-nitrogen, slow-release fertilizer on turf grasses. Cut the amount in half to prevent excessive growth which means more water and mowing!
- Fertilize container plants and hanging baskets with a water -soluble fertilizer every week or two.
- Prune back autumn sage and mealy cup sage by one-third their size. Deadhead salvias, as well as annuals and perennials, to stimulate new growth to allow the plant to continue reblooming until late fall.
- Continue to prune as necessary, fall-blooming plants such as Mexican bush sage, mountain sage, Mexican mint marigold, copper canyon daises, asters and mums to keep them compact and to prevent buds from forming prematurely. Do not prune after September 1, when buds begin to form.
- Remove flower stalks on coleus, caladiums, lamb’s ear and basil before buds open. This will promote new leaf growth.
- Take a critical look at your landscape while at the height of summer development. Make notes on how the landscape can be better arranged: plants that need replacement, overgrown plants that need to be removed; or possibly areas that can be converted to more family-friendly activities. Save this information for implementation later in the year or next spring.
Garden Watch
- Control aphids on crape myrtles with a strong spray of water.
- Spider mites can be troublesome, especially on tomatoes. Treat with an appropriate organic or synthetic pesticide.
- Control webworms in pecan and other trees using a pole pruner. Remove while webs are small.
- Wrap the trunks of newly planted Shumard Oak and Chinese Pistache trees to prevent sunscald and borers.
May: What to do in the Garden
PLANTING
• Plant heat-loving annuals including copper plant, firebush, gomphrena, lantana, pentas, purple fountain grass, and ornamental sweet potato in sunny areas.
• In shady spots, plant caladiums, begonias, coleus, impatiens (mildew-resistant types). Seeds of celosia, cosmos, marigold, morning glory, portulaca, and zinnia can be sown directly in the beds. Keep the seeded area moist until the seeds germinate.
• Achimenes, cannas, dahlias, and other summer flowering bulbs can be planted now.
• Establish new lawns before the summer heat sets in. Sow seeded varieties of Bermuda grass early in the month, or sod Bermuda or St. Augustine grass. Water daily for the first few weeks to develop a good root system.
FERTILIZING AND PRUNING
• Feed fruit trees, perennials, annuals, ground covers, and vines with a lawn fertilizer (3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio).
• Fertilize tomatoes and most other vegetables every other week for productive and vigorous plants.
• Manually thin the fruit on peaches, pears, plums, and apples to 5-6 inches apart early in the month.
• Prune spring-flowering shrubs and vines soon after flowering. Keep the natural shape of the plant in mind as you prune and avoid excessive cutting except where necessary to control size. Deadhead roses and other reblooming plants.
• Allow foliage of daffodils and other spring-flowering bulbs to mature and yellow before removing.
GARDEN WATCH
• Allow bluebonnets and other reseeding annual wildflowers to die and the seeds to dry before mowing the stubble. Delay mowing until the end of the growing season if other wildflowers are growing in the area.
• Check tomatoes for signs of early blight (yellow blotches on lower leaves). Apply a labeled fungicide if needed. Keep soil adequately moist to prevent blossom-end-rot (browned tissue on the bloom end of fruit).
• Look for squash bugs in the early morning. Destroy eggs found on the underside of leaves by hand. Vegetable pests can often be controlled by mechanical, biological, or organic means rather than by synthetic pesticides.
• Watch for bagworms on junipers and other narrow-leafed evergreens. Apply Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) or general insecticide at the first sign of larval feeding. Remember that once the bag has formed, your only option is to manually pull it off.
• Make initial application of Image® or SledgeHammer ® to control nutsedge in established warm-season lawns.
It’s April – What To Do
PLANTING
- Annuals and perennials: direct seed or transplant. Allow transplants to harden off before introducing them to full sun. Try some Texas Superstar Plants, recommended by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service as performing especially well throughout our state; click HERE!
- Lawns: now is the best time to plant Bermudagrass and St. Augustine grass sod. Grade and smooth the area before installing sod to ensure good soil contact. Keep moist until roots are established. Seeded varieties of Bermudagrass may be sown starting mid-month. Keep soil moist until seeds germinate and grass has established a good root system.
- Herbs: basil, catnip/catmint, comfrey, fennel, horseradish, feverfew, oregano, thyme, rosemary, Mexican mint marigold, peppermint, lemongrass, lemon balm, lemon verbena, bay laurel.
- Vegetables: corn, cucumber, eggplant, okra, peppers, southern peas, summer squash, tomatoes, beans, and melons. Click HERE for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Vegetable Variety Selector for Ellis County.
FERTILIZING AND PRUNING
- Soil purchased for use in beds, low areas, and containers should be examined closely. Nutsedge and other weeds are often brought into the yard through contaminated soil sources.
- Add compost to beds. Mulch as you cut back dormant perennials. Fertilize with slow-release granular late in the month or as dormant perennials leaf out. Add compost around trees and fertilize. Be sure to dig out grass several feet from the trunk, ideally to the drip line of the tree canopy.
- Fertilize established lawns with an 8-2-4 or other similar ratio. Do not use “Weed and Feed” products.
- Look for rose rosette disease. New growth on diseased roses exhibits elongated/enlarged canes, reddish leaves and stems, and excessive thorns. Remove and destroy infected plants and roots immediately. There is no proven control for this fatal disease.
GARDEN WATCH
- Watch for aphids and spider mites. It’s easy to spray them off with a hard blast of water. Be sure to get the undersides of the leaves. Ladybugs and green lacewings will be chomping down those aphids, so watch for them and their larvae. Watch for tomato hornworms on tomatoes: squish or spray the plants with BT (Bacillus thuringiensis), a natural caterpillar control that won’t harm you or your pets. To fend off squash vine borers, keep row cover on and hand pollinate.
- Do not let weeds go to seed. Do not apply chemicals: pull them up or mow down before they set seed.
Make sure you HYDRATE, use SUNSCREEN and wear a HAT!