Bloom time: What to do in the garden in May and June

So far it has been a good spring. Though we have had some extremely warm days, we have also been enjoying some relatively mild days and cool nights recently. We have even had good spring rains and our plants are growing. Take advantage of this weather to continue your gardening work in earnest now, because soon summer’s heat will be upon us.

If you wish to add plantings to your landscape and garden, it’s best to do most of it soon, before summer’s extreme heat arrives. That doesn’t mean you can’t still plant in summer, but it’s much more pleasant to work outdoors now, and it’s less stressful to start new plants while temperatures aren’t as high.

Interested in growing new plants in your landscape? Come on out to the Leon County Extension Open House and Plant Sale taking place from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 13, at the Leon County Extension Office, 615 Paul Russell Road.

Also, the stocks of plants in nurseries are usually at their highest in spring. And if you wish to hire landscape design or installation services, you need to quickly get in line. The spring rush started in late February.

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Watering and irrigation

If you add new plantings, make sure you have a system in place to water them until they become well established. One of the most common causes of failure of new plantings is under or over-watering. I’m a big fan of micro-irrigation, a low-pressure, low-flow-rate type of irrigation that efficiently delivers water directly to where it is needed most, the root zone of plants.

You can find much information on the internet about micro-irrigation for home gardeners. You can find the parts needed through local garden centers or the internet.

A simple system can consist of a supply hose that attaches directly to a water spigot. To that supply hose you will connect smaller distribution tubes and/or emitters to distribute the water exactly where you will need it. It’s really not that complicated nor expensive, and it can be well worth the small investment to make sure the money you invest in new plants isn’t wasted.

Even if you already have a complete underground irrigation system to water your landscape, you may still find that a simple micro-irrigation system is worthwhile for a new planting. It will ensure that the new plants’ roots receive adequate water as often as needed without you having to run the entire underground system so often and overwatering established plantings.

What to plant for color

So what are some of the plants you may wish to be planting now? Color in the garden is a priority for many of us and nurseries are now loaded with many options. Make sure you visit a nursery that has informative plant signs that give you details to help you make the best selections. I often hear people say that they want all perennials, so that they don’t have to buy and replant each year.

While using perennials has its value, using a combination of both annuals and perennials will give you more continual color. After hard winters such as this past one, some perennials return slowly in the spring, or they may not return at all, or they may only bloom briefly. Annuals can give you color during such down times with perennials.

Firebush (Hamelia patens), Turks cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii), cigar flower (Cuphea micropetala), Plumbago, and Thryallis are among large shrubby flowering perennials that I enjoy. Agapanthus, Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’, purple coneflower, Pentas, and California bush daisy are among reliable smaller perennials. All of these need a lot of sun to flower well. If you need one for an extremely hot, dry location, try African bulbine. Explore various perennial types of Salvia too, because like the already mentioned Turks cap, cigar flower, and Pentas, most types of Salvia attract hummingbirds.

Annuals that will flower for a long time in sunny locations during the summer include Sunpatiens, vinca (Madagascar periwinkle), Melampodium, and various types of Zinnia. Marigolds can give a great show of color, too, though they may not hold out quite as long. Given adequate watering, Sunpatiens, appropriately named, will tolerate the full sun, though they can be used in shaded areas too. Your easiest options for color in shaded areas are red shrimp plant (perennial) and plants with colorful foliage such as coleus, crotons, and variegated shell ginger (perennial).

Replace overgrown shrubs

You may be replacing overgrown shrubs close to your house with more appropriately sized plants this spring. Some interesting ones I’ve seen in the nursery that may grow no taller than three to four feet are ‘Touch of Gold’ holly, Loropetalum ‘Cerise Charm’, ‘Florida Sunshine’ Ocala anise, and two cultivars of Distylium, ‘Cinnamon Girl’ and ‘Swing Low’. Spreading or prostrate Japanese plum yew, Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Prostrata’, is another commonly used shrub that is easily maintained at a low height.

And, remember, all your foundation plants don’t have to be woody shrubs. Plants such as Lomandra, Dianella (flax lily), Crinum, and Agapanthus (Lily of the Nile) can be good foundation plants too. If you’re having a difficult time figuring out how to redesign your overgrown landscape on your own, consider contacting a nursery for landscape design help soon, as schedules tend to get booked out well in advance this time of year.

Lawns and citrus

If you do have problem areas in the lawn, this is an excellent time to buy grass plugs or pieces of sod to fill in areas of the lawn. If it’s an area that you continually replant, be realistic about whether there’s really enough sunlight for grass to grow well there.

Crepe myrtle flowering season is just around the corner. When selecting crepe myrtle cultivars, consider the mature height and spread of the plant and make sure you select a cultivar that won’t outgrow the site. You shouldn’t have to prune a crape myrtle to keep it at the desired height. There are shrub-sized and patio-sized crape myrtles if that’s what you need. The garden center personnel should be able to help you find the appropriate variety if you tell them your needs.

This is the best time to plant citrus, so that they have a long growing season to establish before next winter. Fertilize every four to six weeks with a special citrus fertilizer that contains micronutrients. Blueberries, figs, and blackberries ripen in late spring to summer and can also be planted now.

More veggies

Fertilize vegetable plants that you planted in March or April. You can also still plant heat-tolerant vegetables such as okra, eggplant, peppers, Lima beans, southern peas, and sweet potatoes, as well as herbs such as basil, fennel, and rosemary.

Master Gardener Volunteers have been propagating a wide variety of plants all year for Saturday's Open House and Plant Sale, including native trees, shade-loving ferns, pollinator plants, and a variety of summer fruits and vegetables.

Proceeds from the Plant Sale fund Leon County Extension’s horticulture program, school garden support, and the expansive demonstration garden. Be sure to check out the 4-H Silent Auction and Mother’s Day bouquet sale, both of which provide funding for 4-H youth clubs and camps.

David W. Marshall is a landscape consultant with Tallahassee Nurseries and an Extension Agent Emeritus with UF/IFAS Extension Leon County, an Equal Opportunity Institution. For gardening questions, email the extension office at AskAMasterGardener@ifas.ufl.edu.

If you go

What: Leon County Extension Open House and Plant Sale and Mother's Day Bouquets

When: 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 13

Where: Leon County Extension Office, 615 Paul Russell Road

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: How to keep your garden blooming through the summer