Melinda’s Garden Moments is heard Mon.-Fri. at 7:45 and 10:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. on WHAV.
Memorial Day is the traditional start of gardening for many. Get your plants off to a healthy start with proper planting.
Include annuals on your Memorial Day planting list. They can add a little color and even fragrance to any garden in any season.
Maximize their beauty and your enjoyment with proper planting.
Push on the sides of the container to loosen the roots and slide out the transplant. Gently massage the roots of potbound plants to encourage them to grow beyond their original rootball.
Plant at the same depth they were growing in the container and cover the roots with soil, water and mulch.
Now comes the hard part. Pinch off the flowers. This allows the plant to put all its energy into forming roots instead of flowers and seeds. Can’t stand to do it to every flower? Try removing the flowers from every other plant or every other row. Then a week later remove the remaining flowers. Your sacrifice will result in fuller plants and more flowers throughout the season.
A bit more information: Add a few fun annuals sure to please all members of the family. Tiny mice Cuphea is a hummingbird magnet and a close look at the flowers are sure to make you smile. The flower resembles a mouse’s face. Eye ball plant (Spilanthus) looks like an eyeball while the flowers on the candy corn vine (Manettia) may generate thoughts of Halloween. And, take a look inside the wishbone flower (Torenia) to uncover the source of it’s common name.
For more gardening tips, how-to videos, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com.