Remember how bad our landscapes looked in the spring because of the devastating freezes in January? My how things have changed. Our long, warm growing season, fertile soil and generous rainfall are providing rapid growth and recovery.
This is a mixed blessing. It is often said among area gardeners that the challenge of gardening in southeast Louisiana is finding plants that will grow well here and then keeping them under control.
As we move into summer, it is important for gardeners to keep an eye on flower beds, shrubs and vines in the landscape, looking for plants that are growing too large or beds too crowded. Lots of plants have grown enthusiastically since spring. By midsummer, it is highly likely that beds of annuals, perennials and tropicals may benefit from a gardener’s controlling hand.
It might be hard to get your head around trimming a beautiful Kauai Torenia Lemon Drop like this one, which has white flowers with yellow patches on each petals, but a little trimming will keep the plant healthier and the flowers coming.
A gardener often has to play the role of a referee. Plants grow larger than expected and start crowding other plants. Tall plants shade out or fall over onto smaller plants. Plants spread into areas where they were not intended to grow. Vines develop a mind of their own and take off in totally unexpected directions.
Without a guiding hand, the resulting chaos can lead to disaster — particularly if things are allowed to grow unchecked for an extended period.
Some of these problems can be avoided by becoming familiar with a plant before you include it in the landscape. You should always know what the mature size of a plant will be, but this often doesn’t happen. This can result in planting trees, shrubs, vines and perennials that will eventually become too large for their locations.
Even in a well-planned landscape, though, control is always important. The most useful methods for dealing with especially enthusiastic plants are pruning, supporting and digging out or barriers to prevent unwanted spreading.
This Serenita Raspberry angelonia produces flowers is in full bloom and may be ready for a trim.
LSU AgCenter photo
A snip in time
When it comes to pruning, it’s good to remember that it is better to prune lightly, occasionally, as needed, than to allow a plant to get way overgrown and then cut it back severely. I almost always carry a pair of pruners when I walk through my garden. A few judicious snips here and there help to keep more vigorous plants from overwhelming their less vigorous neighbors. Done properly and regularly, this type of pruning is not even noticeable.
Pruning can be used to control the size or shape of a plant or influence how it grows. Lightly trimming back a plant such as a coleus, hibiscus or impatiens every now and then will keep it more compact and bushier. Cutting wild shoots that occasionally occur on shrubs will keep them shapelier and more attractive. And, of course, removing or shortening growth that is covering nearby plants will help those plants to stay healthy.
Roses are among the plants that may benefit from using stakes.
RICHARD ALAN HANNON
Means of support
Staking or otherwise supporting plants is done to keep plants from leaning or falling over onto nearby plants. It helps the tall plant look better and obviously benefits the plants that would otherwise be covered. I suggest you use bamboo or plastic-covered metal stakes. With the constant presence of termites, wooden stakes are almost certain to become infested. They are also more prone to decay.
The stake should be tall enough to do the job, but not be too obvious. If young children will be playing around the garden, however, the stakes should be taller than they are to reduce the possibility of injury. You should also be careful when bending over in beds where plants have been staked.
Stakes may simply be placed in such a way that the plant is supported leaning up against it, or it may be necessary to tie the plant to the stake. Green, brown or black twine or plastic ties will be less obvious than other colors. Make sure you tie the lower and upper parts of the plant to the stake to provide proper support.
Another less noticeable and useful way to support plants involves the use of a brick or stone and works remarkably well. Straighten the plant up into the desired position and then wedge a brick or stone at the base. You will find that the support at the base will usually hold the plant more upright without being visible. If this doesn’t work, a stake might be necessary.
Other techniques for support include tying twine in a loop all the way around a plant, using a wire cage (best done early in the growing season allowing the plant to grow into it), tying a plant to a sturdier, nearby plant or using one of the commercially available support systems, of which there are many.
Butterfly gingers are herbaceous plants that spread through rhizomes.
FILE PHOTO
Controlling spread
Many perennials and tropicals spread by underground rhizomes, some fast and some slow. If growth shows up outside the area you have allotted for that plant, promptly dig out the unwanted growth. Or dig up the whole clump and divide it in spring or fall. This can be done annually to control aggressive spreaders. Extra divisions can be replanted somewhere else, potted up and given to friends or discarded.
Barriers extending at least 8 to 12 inches down in the ground around aggressive spreaders can help keep them under control. A plant can be planted into the ground in a container with its bottom cut out to limit or slow spreading.
Use your imagination and deal with each situation creatively. The important thing is to deal with these situations where control is necessary promptly and regularly. We gardeners often think of ourselves as designers and cultivators, but don’t forget, we must also often play the role of mediators and referees.