Old sayings are so often true and in the garden this summer, there is no doubt at all.
No way, is this post full of cheer, the summer is miserable for gardeners and plants alike. But as always we can learn a lot and really we have to. Like it or not gardens are just essential for birds and lizards and insects of all sorts. They count on plants for their very life—and what would a gardener be—without a garden —so what to do?
Don’t forget about grasses. This is seep muley, not dramatic but looks good in a quiet way.Common Mullein has lots of bad habits but don’t overlook all the good ones.
Observation comes to the rescue and brings a bit of joy and hope. Some plants are holding on—and even blooming—if not right this minute they are planning to—soon. These are the plants we must remember, be sure to plant again for the next summer—which we sincerely hope will be more pleasant but –we can’t count on it.
Mealey blue sage is a self seeder, sometimes too much, but tries hard and what lovely color in hard times.When plants self seed, they find what works for them and are often far healthier than the ones planted by us.
Some of these plants are not the most spectacular but they are lovely in their own right and most important provide essential nutrition for the little lives counting on the garden. Fennel is a host plant for black swallowtails, plus we can enjoy using fennel and it is still alive.
Carry on watering mulching deadheading and trimming—it honestly isn’t so bad early in the morning. But don’t stop there. Take pictures make notes do what it takes to keep the plants that are surviving and even succeeding in your garden in your mind. That way there will be less wasted work and money next year. Sadly of course remember also what failed miserably. When the going gets tough—some plants just give up. More than likely not their fault at all they just were never intended for this weather. Best to face it and remember it clearly.
Yarrow, not blooming, but healthy and will bloom again when the time is right.Candelstick trees seend themselves then send down roots before they grow tall. This is a great plant for dealing with adverse conditions.Amaranth has a long history of living in hot places.Clammy weed doesn’t give up. This plant is in a little shade which helps.Tithonia requires upkeep but it’s worth it for flowers in serious heat.
Hope isn’t the best strategy for the summer garden –at least around here. Look at what works in your garden and in gardens you visit, Raincatcher’s welcomes visitors any time. Tuesday mornings there will be gardeners available to answer questions. You might even enjoy summer gardening!
Make experience; even of this dreadful summer—count for knowledge of what works—and what doesn’t. That will make us all better gardeners!
Susan Thornbury, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008
You’ve probably noticed them in numerous landscapes across the metroplex. Their bold, bodacious, fluffy flowers create an eye-catching spectacle in the garden. They grow tall and strong in almost any type of environment from morning sun to full sun, dappled shade to mostly shade. How can you not love those dramatic blooms that hang around from late June until mid-October with colors ranging from lime green to creamy white to dusty rose and sometimes burgundy?
Of course, this proven winner beauty is the plant known as ‘Limelight’, Hydrangea paniculata. It’s a unique hydrangea that has literally revolutionized landscaping across North America. Mine were planted in a backyard bed flanking our fire pit area about a year ago and I am still captivated by their huge, football-shaped irresistible flowers. During periods of extreme heat (100 – 110+) as we’ve experienced most of August, blossoms will go through a time of weeping and loosing their vibrancy. Just hold on until September when a refreshing rain will perk them up!
Driving around neighborhoods in our area and beyond, I’ve seen them used in some pretty imaginative ways: as a showy flowering hedge to screen off those unsightly air conditioning units, in circular beds surrounding old, stately live oaks, and in large entry way stone containers welcoming guests to a front door.
For me, the real bonus is found in the drama they bring to floral displays in my home. When height is needed, Limelight stems are snipped close to the ground and used in long, slender vases. Shorter stems can be carefully arranged in floral foam for a low-profile option. Placed in the center of a dining room table set for dinner with guests or gracing a cherished antique entry chest they never fail to lend an air of elegance to any room.
Another summer flower that goes into my garden around mid-April and stays until late October is the showy, colorful little darling known as Pentas (Pentas lanceolata). Did you know that they are also known as Egyptian stars for the bloom’s five-pointed petals?
Pentas color palate offers gardeners a profusion of jewel tones that range from white to pink, red, lavender and purple. Across Dallas you’ll find everything from single tone beds to the most stunning mixed combinations of two, three or four colors. The possibilities are endless with pentas filling both in ground beds and gorgeous containers. Each year I like to experiment with a different color combination. So far, my favorite is pink, purple and red!
Some of the perks for growing pentas include:
*Pentas are low maintenance plants. Give them plenty of water, sunshine and heat and they will perform beautifully and reward you with an abundance of flowers.
*They are not prone to many diseases.
*Once in the ground, their blooms continue until a cold snap or light freeze. In Zone 8 we get to enjoy them for around six to seven months.
*Pentas can be enjoyed as cut flowers for your indoor arrangements.
*Bees love pentas!
FYI…After taking so many photos of limelight’s, I’ve observed that when the temperature soars to 100+ degrees they tend to do best with some afternoon to evening shade. The limelight’s flanking our firepit are covered with shade starting at 3:00pm and continuing for the remainder of the day.
Limelights in the Spotlight and Pentas on Parade
Linda Alexander, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008
How many of these “truths’ ‘ are there?? Sadly quite a lot but let’s not get discouraged and think about one at present.
That “one” is DEADHEADING and it will give us plenty to think about.
First, what is deadheading? Maybe it would sound more acceptable to just call it removal of spent flowers. Flowers that are obviously going over or past their prime.
Zinnias must be deadheaded to prolong bloom, bu take time to enjoy the beauty of this common but special flower.
Why do that? It is essential to think like a plant here. For annual flowers there is one goal in life. Literally one and that is to ensure that next year there will be plenty of plants/flowers just like them. They do not care about anything else so setting seeds is their one and only goal. Even perennials want to set seed to ensure more plants for the future.
When the plant succeeds in its goal –well job over—go knowing success was achieved.
The plant may stop or slow down blooming or even die altogether after all it succeeded in what it set out to do.
For the gardener this is not ok. The whole point of the plant from the gardeners point of view is to keep flowers for as long as possible.
For pollinators its also not ok. Sure they assured that the flowers were pollinated but they need to eat they need nectar and pollen for as long as possible.
So how to reconcile these goals? Obviously the answer is deadheading. When the flowers that have already been pollinated they are ready to move on to the seed setting phase. Here is where the gardener must step in and interrupt the process by removing those spent flowers.
Sometimes the plant tags and seed packets ignore this when they promise “season long blooms” and “easy care”.
But it can’t be ignored. So as soon as blooming starts the gardener must be observant and as soon as faded flowers are seen they must be removed.
This isn’t hard but it does need to be done with care. Use sharp clippers and cut the stem back to the next bud or set of leaves. Do not ever just cut the flower and leave its stem this stem will brown and die and make a mess. Ideally the deadheading should be not at all obvious—just takes care and observation—IT IS NOT HARD OR COMPLICATED.
This is Tithonia, butterflies love them but they absolutely must be deadheaded to keep them blooming and in fact, keep them from dying before their time.
What it is-is constant and it happens in the summer. No one likes that. But think of the reward. Flowers will bloom far longer. Your garden will look so much better. A huge consideration is the absolute need for bees and butterflies and hummingbirds to eat. Without flowers, they cannot live their lives and are dependent on gardeners. This is serious and as gardeners we must accept our role in their very lives.
But it’s hot and some of those pollinators bite—what to do??
Getting out to the garden as early as possible first light is ideal but as soon as possible will do. Be careful bees are rarely an issue even wasps are more intent on their work than they are on you but look before you grab a branch or cut a flower. Remember they might not realize how beneficial your actions are!!
Think of the things you will see when you are right in the garden. Tiny creatures can easily be overlooked but not by you—not now. The beauty of individual flowers can be missed just walking by but again when you are close –you see it.
Deadheading is work but it’s a opportunity to look closer. Do you see the tiny lizard?
What about saving seeds? Yes you can still save seeds just wait until the end of the season to do it.
Since you have been so observant and careful, you will know which plants are the healthiest and most beautiful. So you can gather seeds from them and have a much better chance of great plants next year.
Verbenas on the left in a sad state of neglect. Verbenas on the right after deadheading. Not perfect but still blooming.
Deadheading yes its inconvenient without a doubt—But it’s essential—you will be so glad you did!
Susan Thornbury, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008
A little more information:
Should all flowers be deadheaded?
No, Amaranth is an an example. These seed heads are the whole point of growing this plant.The colorful bracts of yard poinsetta do not need to be removed. Bees love the tiny flowers in the center.
In 2016, a wonderful new cookbook was published by the Dallas County Master Gardener Association. The title was ‘A Year on the Plate’. One of the cookbook committees’ favorite photographs was taken late in the afternoon with long shadows stretching across the yard as sunlight drifted slowly behind the trees. The dish to be photographed was from the honey section of the book. It was a charcuterie board featuring an assortment of salty cheeses and nuts with a lovely round honeycomb serving as the main attraction. Looking through several options, we were thrilled with the dreamy look of one particular photograph that captured the essence of our star ingredient.
Since that day over seven years ago every imaginable type of charcuterie board has been created. And, as you might have guessed, each one is almost always designed around a honeycomb. Carefully cut and oozing with sweet honey, it is a magical gift of nature that comes from honeybees. During the months of July and August, we’ll take a look inside the hive to discover some of the most amazing facts about honeycomb construction and why it is considered to be the building block of the hive.
What is honeycomb? Honeycomb is a cluster of repeating hexagonal beeswax cells made by honeybees and used for raising brood and storing honey and pollen. Honeycombs store honey because honey is valuable to bees. It feeds their young and sustains the hive.
Why are honeycombs constructed using the hexagonal shape? First consider spheres, pentagons and octagons. All of these produce gaps. Bees are efficient creatures so anything with gaps isn’t the answer. As it turns out, there are only three geometrical figures with equal sides that can fit together on a flat surface without leaving gaps: equilateral triangles, squares and hexagons. So, which one is best? It’s a very old question and one that a Roman soldier/scholar/writer named Marcus Terentius Varro proposed an answer to in 36 B.C. Ever since then, Varro’s answer has been referred to as “The Honeybee Conjecture”. Simply stated, he thought that a honeycomb built of hexagons could hold more honey and, maybe, hexagons require less building wax. Why is the issue of wax important? It takes thousands and thousands of bee hours, tens of thousands of flights back and forth to the foraging source to gather nectar from countless flowers just to start the process of building a honeycomb. Is it, therefore, reasonable to assume that bees want a tight, secure structure that is as simple to build as possible?
As was eventually determined, compactness matters. The more compact your structure, the less wax needed to construct the honeycomb. Wax is a precious material. A honeybee must consume about eight ounces of honey to produce a single ounce of wax. It is an accepted fact that the hexagon shape uses the least amount of wax. Additionally, years and years of research have demonstrated that honeybees use the shape of their bodies as rulers to build each cell exactly the same. Even Charles Darwin himself once wrote, the honeycomb is a masterpiece of engineering. It is “absolutely perfect in economizing labor and wax.”
Linda Alexander, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008
July is National Ice Cream Month and July 16th is National Ice Cream Day. Thomas Jefferson is credited with the first ice cream recipe, read the cold, hard facts here.
If you love homemade ice cream on a sizzling hot summer day, Blueberry Honeycomb No-Churn Ice Cream is a super easy treat that will take you into dreamland!
Every so often one reads something that Is just so honest and truthful that its almost a shock. That recently happened.
For some reason an interview with a tourist information official from Nebraska seemed to jump off the page. He said—“To be honest it’s not for everyone”. Oh my thatis a wonderful thing. One expects technicolor sunsets—incredibly happy couples eating amazing food laughing children at the theme park—but not this time—“To be honest its not for everyone”
That should make anyone want to head for Nebraska—now. Because you would know what to expect—a perfectly nice place where you might have to make an effort to have a great time.
And then it seemed the absolutely perfect motto for the Pollinator garden at Raincatchers.
It’s a wonderful area but people who work there—well they have to work at it. The butterflies and bees and birds—obviously appreciate it but they keep quiet—no rounds of applause or words of thanks.
Often it is said that native and adapted plants are “low maintenance –but work is required and it is repetitive –deadheading trimming weeding—necessary but it can be hard too and somehow—never quite “finished” And without a doubt not at all glamorous.
So—it’s clear now right?? Come and work in the pollinator area you get to see insects and birds and lovely plants—yes it is work and it might not be spectacular—but isn’t that the whole point of a garden.
Cenzio or Texas Sage being pollinatedThanks to Joe and Abbe for the return of our iron butterflyWould you believe we plant salvias like this for our pollinators?For a low key summer exercise, watch black swallowtail larvae devour fennelThis candlestick tree will hopefully be eaten by sulfur butterfly larvae Moth atop Sedum
It’s a wonderful experience but you have to work at it. It may not be for everyone —-but—maybe its for you!! You will always be welcome! And just like Nebraska—the rewards are there with just a little effort!
Susan Thornbury, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008
During the hot summer days, we work early at Raincatcher’s. Monday morning and Tuesdays you will find Master Gardeners in the garden early-even before 8am.
Beginning this month, dallasgardenbuzz.com will introduce a new idea which allows the natural world to speak to us as seasons change and our gardens evolve. Once each month, we hope to share with our readers the joy of using seasonal gifts from the garden in floral displays, arrangements and more.
Look for fresh and innovative ways of gathering unusual combinations of flowers, herbs, branches and other natural ingredients to display in your home. Let creations from your garden bring happiness to a friend, neighbor or family member. Embrace a mindset of filling your life with beautiful gifts from the garden every month of the year.
To start, we’ll begin with a quintessential summer flower – zinnias! Offering one of the most colorful palates found in the garden, zinnias bold and bright blooms range from white to orange, pink, yellow, purple and red. We’ve chosen to combine our blooms with another plant that is thriving in the Dallas heat – basil.
With dozens of varieties to consider, two types currently growing in the garden were the perfect complement to our monthly arrangement. Basil ‘Wild Magic’ is a robust grower with purple/violet flowers and dark green leaves with purple margins. For leaves with an even deeper purple presence, ‘Red Rubin’ also adds an aromatic touch to arrangements.
If a compact, tight arrangement seems a little too crowded, consider going in a different direction. Give each zinnia space to breath while making its own individual statement. A flower show judge might suggest that a more open design reflects the natural habit of flowers growing in the garden. In this type of arrangement, there’s plenty of room for “a butterfly to move from bloom to bloom”.
And finally, for a moment of simplicity, use individual blooms as illustrated in this arrangement. A collection of vintage ceramic vegetable vases sitting under an oil painting of our house needs only a delicate touch to enhance its beauty. The soft tones of puffy little salmon zinnias are the right choice!
Our promise to you is that all of our displays will feature botanical material growing in the home garden. In other words, these are not flower shop creations. We want you to be inspired and encouraged to appreciate the simple elegance of using gifts from your garden to bring a touch of beauty and charm to everyday life.
Linda Alexander, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008
Tomatoes, I owe you an apology. All is forgiven. We had some rain and a mild beginning to the summer. You behaved reasonably under those circumstances and gave us an abundance of delicious fruit. I’m sorry for all the negative things I’ve said about you. I have called you names. I have described you as difficult. I have suggested to beginning gardeners that they avoid you and try peppers instead.
Our biggest problem with you this year was that certain bushy tailed scoundrels found you irresistible even when you were green. That was not your fault. Never fear, we are planning our squirrel defense strategies for next year.
Now our high temperatures are in the triple digits and you have developed blight and begun providing food and shelter to stink bugs. You held out as long as could be expected and for this I thank you.
Diane, our photographer friend, snapped this picture of a stink bug. Notice its fierce mustachioed look. It has already begun assaulting our tomatoes.
Tomatoes, despite the pain of previous seasons, I am grateful for what I have learned from you-mostly patience.
Beverly Allen, Dallas County Master Gardener, Class of 2018
As humans, we live in an information age where advancing technology continues to take us to new horizons. Amazingly, for as long as honeybees have been on the planet, their highly effective way of communicating has remained the same. Survival in the world of honeybees is dependent upon good communication. Let’s look at how the concept of ‘moving in the right direction’ plays a major role in the process. An Australian zoologist named Karl van Frisch (1886-1982) measured aspects of honeybees’ dances by artificially manipulating forage sources. He described two types: the round dance and the waggle (or figure-eight) dance. Scout bees returning from foraging flights immediately attract the attention of other bees which huddle close to monitor the scout’s movements in the darkness. A short Q & A will provide a better understanding of these astonishing dances and how bees use them to share precise information with the hive. Why do bees dance? To communicate the location of food. Foraging is a highly organized operation. When a forager bee finds a particularly good source of nectar, she returns to the hive and directs others to the source. Specific instructions for the location are communicated through the patterns of the dance. How do bees learn to dance? Bees need “tutors”. In order to learn the dances correctly, they must follow other experienced dancers. The concept of social learning ultimately shapes honeybee signaling giving them the ability to use a complex form of spatial referential communication. What is learned from the dances? In a strangely mysterious way, dancing communicates the direction, distance and quality of a resource to nestmates by encoding celestial cues, retinal optic flow and relative food value into motion and sound within the nest. If you thought it was just a colony of bees buzzing around in the hive, it is scientific fact that these curious movements (bee language) are used to manage the work of the hive. “Busy as a bee” is truly something to be admired. How is the waggle dance explained? Outgoing forager bees gather in a specific part of the hive to watch returning foragers perform the dance. The dancer walks across the comb in the pattern of a figure eight, waggling her abdomen back and forth as she moves through the straight portion of the pattern. The direction she faces while waggling charts an angle in relation to the sun. Other foragers use this information to help navigate their way to the source. The more she waggles, the better the foraging in this area. Also, the longer the dance, the farther the distance from the hive.
What determines how much the scouter bee moves her abdomen? The fervor with which she vibrates her abdomen during the dance, the greater the richness of the forage source.
Linda Alexander, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008
It’s tomato time at Raincatcher’s garden of Midway Hills. Over 84 pounds were donated and the plants are loaded down with more fruit to harvest this week. It looks to be a very good harvest and we wanted to share the story of our 2023 tomatoes.
Thirty tomato plants, determinate and indeterminate varieties, were started from seeds in January 2023 and put into the ground and in raised beds in early April. This was later than is recommended but the nighttime temperatures were too low in March. It is often difficult in Dallas to get the necessary time for a good crop to mature in between the last frost and the onset of temperatures above 92 degrees.
Prior to planting we amended the beds with compost and MicroLife Multi-purpose fertilizer. After two weeks, Tomato-tone fertilizer was applied and that schedule has continued. The lower leaves are trimmed up off the ground to help prevent fungal disease.
Our team decided that with our hot weather it would be best not to prune the suckers (new growth in the areas between the main stem and branches). Instead we allowed them to stay in place and protect the developing fruit from sunscald. There are many different opinions about this practice but it might be that those advocating for drastic removal of suckers live in areas with less extreme weather.
Harvest before they are ripe, but after color appears. Squirrels keep a keen eye on the ripening tomatoes and early on they ate on the larger varieties before we could take them off the vine. To combat that, tomatoes are harvested at the first sign of color change and ripened indoors. When ripe, fruit is then weighed and donated to the North Dallas Shared Ministries Food Pantry.
The indeterminate varieties, such as Celebrity, Cherokee Carbon, Early Girl, Juliet, and Sweet 100, are towering over 6 feet in the air in a fenced garden area and in tall, raised beds with supports.
The determinate varieties are producing abundantly as well in raised beds. The variety, Patio Choice Yellow (AAS), has impressed our team with its prolific crop, disease resistance, and sweetness.
Patio Choice Yellow, one of our new favorites
While we are enjoying this season of abundance, we are aware that the blooms here in North Texas will soon slow to a crawl, due to the lack of cooler weather in the early morning. In general nighttime temperatures over 75 degrees will cause the plants to stop setting fruit. We are quickly approaching that season.
There are two ideas of thought about what to do –
Cut the tomatoes back severely so when it gets cooler they will begin producing again, or
2. Pull up the plants when the blooms stop coming and prepare to start new tomato plants in July for a fall harvest before the first frost. Smaller varieties with shorter days to maturity are recommended for fall due to the risk of an early frost.
Our dedicated and determined gardeners frequent Raincatcher’s most days, but our scheduled work times are Monday and Tuesday mornings.
Please leave a comment below if you have a favorite tomato variety for our area or tomato wisdom to share.
Starla Willis with input from Beverly Allen, Dallas County Master Gardeners
DALLAS GARDEN BUZZ 