GARDENING CALENDAR

TEXAS AGRILIFE EXTENSION SERVICE

BEXAR COUNTY  BY DAVID RODRIGUEZ

June 20, 2009

Evaluate the volume of water delivered from lawn sprinklers to ensure healthy, stress-free grass during the heat of the summer. One thorough watering which will deliver one inch of water at a time is better than several more shallow sessions. The amount of water available through flower bed sprinklers may be checked by placing several shallow pans among shrubs or flowers.

Removing faded flowers from perennials before they set seed will keep them growing and producing flowers. A light application of fertilizer every 4 to 6 weeks will also be helpful.

For a hot summer plant, consider Pride of Barbados, Dwarf Poinciana. It loves the heat and blooms a stalked cluster of bright orange-reddish flowers with a tip of gold. This is a future Texas SuperStar plant. For more about this and other Texas SuperStar plants, visit http://texassuperstar.com/.

We all need some help in being good stewards of the environment. Is your landscape contributing to a healthy and sustainable environment? Could your landscape techniques be improved? How about taking the Earth-Kind® Challenge? Visit this Texas A&M University modeled Horticulture Program http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/index.html and take the challenge.

David Rodriguez is the County Extension Agent-Horticulture with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Bexar County. For more information, call the Master Gardener “Hotline” (210) 467-6575 or visit our County Extension website at http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu.