Gardening on the Moon ( GOTM )

Written by Jeff

My broken foot has still not healed completely so some of the more strenuous garden chores still go undone, but I have begun to tend the plants on a regular basis. They will get a second boost of fertilizer this week which is watered in with a weak solution of fish emulsion.

Several pots of plants lived through the mild winter without significant damage and now look quite nice with no help from me. Because we are bothered by rabbits and javelina,certain varieties don’t survive the onslaught of the wildlife so we need to be careful about which plants we select. Last year, the birds and chipmunks did in my Boxing Glove Cholla even though it was quite spiny. How they were able to do this is still a mystery, but I think the birds pecked at it to release the moisture which left an opening for the other animals. Luckily, I was able to salvage cuttings which, to date, are doing well on the other side of the house.

In the pots pictured here are several colors of Calibrachoa Million Bells (or similarly Superbells) . They have performed surprisingly well considering the soil they are growing in has not been renewed since they were planted last fall. They received a fertilization six weeks prior to these pictures, but other than that, they have had minimal attention. To add height to the arrangement, one pot has a Dracaena Marginata in the center while the other has a decorative grass. I had an extra white Stock plant left over and potted it in with the other plants alongside the Dracena and it too has survived the winter and is now adding color the mixture. You might also note a Coral Bells (Heuchera) in the back which has wispy pink flowers held high on slender stalks.

The pots do well in a partially shaded spot. The pot with the Coral Bells needs more shade. As the sun becomes hotter in the Sonoran Desert, I move the plant closer to the house which casts shadow during more of the day. The pot then receives early morning sun and late afternoon sun, but is sheltered during the hottest part of the day.

The Madagascar Palm is growing new leaves since it dropped all its leaves in the colder weather. While I was prepared to bring the plant inside for much of the winter, it was only moved into the garage on two evenings and did very well with the cooler weather. The “trunk” looks healthy and green. Importantly, the vermin leave it alone because of all the spines. I enjoy growing the plant because it never fails to get a comment when visitors see it.

Once again, we have planted Vinca by the front door. This year we selected a pink flowered variety. We have used purple or lavender colors in the past. Vinca is an ideal plant for the southwest since it is draught tolerant, and seems to stand up to all the heat that comes its way. During the hottest days, it gets watered each morning with several doses of time-released fertilizer throughout the season. Surprising to us is one pot of vinca that is now starting its third year. We need to rejuvenate the plant by repotting it in fresh soil and now that my foot is feeling better, we will try to address that as soon as possible.

We have our share of cactus as well. Here is one plant that we purchased two years ago and is flowering for the first time. It has more than a dozen buds which are dainty and quite colorful. After it flowers, it will be repotted in a pot that is only slightly larger. It will also get a dose of fish emulsion this week to provide some nutrients. I don’t have the exact name of this plant since it wasn’t labeled when purchased. Many cactus look alike and they are hard to identify if they weren’t properly named by the original grower.

Part II will discuss how more of our plants fared since last fall, especially some of landscape plants and cactus.

(Continued… )

Read How Does My Garden Grow? April, 2009 – Part II

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post

Article References:

Dracaena Marginata - http://www.gardeningtipsnideas.com/2007/03/how_to_grow_dracaena_marginata.html