The Garden Clickit                                 August

               By Bob Stewart

            Keeping your Garden in Bloom

            Now that it is August your garden should be rewarding you with some of its best color.  Here are some things you can do to keep it looking that way, because an untended garden can quickly fade in summer’s heat.

            Every blossom on a plant is that plant’s way of insuring the survival of its species.  To the plant the blossom isn’t important, it’s the seed that comes from it.  As soon as a blossom is pollinated it triggers a  hormonal change in the plant instructing the plant to begin channeling its energy into seed production.  The more blossoms pollinated, the more energy drawn from subsequent blooms, and less color for us.

            The best way to maintain good bloom is by removing old blossoms.  This is especially important in geraniums and traditional petunias.  A geranium is a composite flower, meaning that it is made up of many little flowers that mature together to make a large round ball shaped flower.   Often by the time all the separate blossoms have opened the first ones have aged and are starting to look bad.  When the overall appearance of the flower is objectionable, follow the flower stalk back to the stem of the plant and snap it off.  If done properly there will be a triangular wedge on the end of the stem you removed.

            Petunias can be kept vigorous by continuously picking off all the old blossoms.  The flowers of petunias are very delicate and often a hard rain or improper watering practices can destroy them.  Simply pluck off the slimy bloom and more will quickly follow.

            As petunias grow their stems stretch and grow tall.  Each of these stems can only throw out just so many blossoms then they stop and channel their energy into seed production.  To coax the plant into bloom again all we need to do is cut off these tall stems.  Don’t be timid, the more you cut off, the more energy diverted back into new stems and flowers.  If only we could rejuvenate ourselves like that when we get old.  Petunias come back very quickly, but if you don’t want to lose all your color at once, thin the plant removing some long stems and leaving others that still have some buds.

            Marigolds are another plant that can easily be kept in bloom by removing old blossoms.  Simply pop off the brown and withered blooms.  Just a quick pinch and pull is all that is needed.  Take a blossom apart and look at the seeds inside.  You will then appreciated how much energy the plant is putting into seed production, especially if you consider the number of blooms on the plant.

            Fertilization in August is essential to maintain good green foliage and bloom.  The fertilizer the plant was treated to when it was young is now long gone and much of the plant’s energy has been sapped making seed.  Remove those old blossoms and feed frequently, I like to do it about every third watering, which can be quite frequently in August’s dry windy weather.  Follow the recommendations on the label for the proper rate.

                                    Bob Stewart has a B.S. in horticulture from Penn State

                                                            He has worked as a wholesale grower, grounds

                                                            manager and retail florist.  He can always be                                                                  reached at Myer the Florist Inc., Milford, Pa