How is your summer garden growing?

Grease - Summer Nights

Rose of Sharon use as a privacy hedge

Hardy Hibiscus for a norther climate!

One of the prettiest tall growing shrubs to flower in our yards during July to September is the Rose of Sharon. This wonderful plant can be planted in groups, shrub borders, specimen on the end of a building and my favorite in a hedge for privacy or to cut back on road noise.

At the age of 14, I was working as a gardener for a retired Insurance man in Massachusetts. His name was Seifert Smith and he helped to teach me everything he knew about gardening and a few years later took me for my college interview at University of Massachusetts. He wanted the school to know who I was and make sure they taught me how to become the best in my field. Thank you, Mr. Smith, for this and teaching me how to garden.

Mr. Smith had a lot of traffic noise in front of his house and no privacy from all the cars, so he had me plant a hedge of Rose of Sharon to cut down on road noise and give him privacy in the front yard. We started with 3 to 4-foot-tall plants and planted them on 4-foot centers. We started by rototilling a 4- foot wide planting bed. We removed all the grass and prepared the planting bed with peat moss and cow manure. We spaced the plants in the bed on 4 feet centers and in a straight line. I marked the placement of the root ball and started digging the holes.

Mr. Smith was a perfectionist so nothing could be planted until all the plants were perfectly straight. I added additional cow manure and peat moss to the hole. I removed the burlap and planted the Rose of Sharon so that the top of the root ball was level to the planting bed and firmed the soil around the root ball with my feet. That weekend we planted 25 Rose of Sharon for color, privacy and noise control. When all the plants were in I spread 5 yards of Pine bark mulch in the planting bed, 3 inches deep and watered all the plants good. We fertilized again in the fall and I thought I would never work on them again, wrong!

The next spring, we fed the plants and added a bit more bark mulch and he had me cut back the plants by 3 inches. I was puzzled, why would you prune a plant that you want to grow tall? It was simple because first thing you need to do is to make the plant grow thicker and wider so they can grow together to form a hedge. During that Summer, the Rose of Sharon plants doubled in width and so did the flowers produce. The plant also grew and additional foot in height that year. In the next 4 years those Rose of Sharon, grow to over 6 feet tall and the hedge filled in perfectly. We did prune the hedge every spring to keep it full and to control the shape and size.

Rose of Sharon is a deciduous plant and has no real fall color just a bit of muddy yellow foliage. The one thing you need to know is that it is late to leaf out in the spring, in Boston for example in late May, so don't panic! When the foliage finally emergence it is dark green and looks like a small Maple leaf. The plant grows many upright branches but with a bit of pruning in the spring before the foliage begins it will produce some spreading branches. This wonderful plant will grow 8 to 10 feet tall or can be pruned every spring to control the size to keep it 4 to 6 feet tall for hedges.

This plant is hardy in zones 5 to 8 and will do well where temperatures reach down to minus - 20 degrees. It will grow well from Central Maine to South Carolina and west. The flowers form up and down the stems of the plant and each of the flowers will last a few weeks each, with new flowers opening every few days. The flowers are made up of 5 petals in the shape of a funnel or trumpet, 2 to 4 inches wide on short stems. There are many colors to choose from and many bi-color also. With a bit of luck, you may also find some double flower varieties that look like Carnations. The Rose of Sharon it the Northern part of the country answer to the tropical Hibiscus that is not hardy up north.

Rose of Sharon will grow best in full sun but will tolerate a bit of shade. Your soil should be moist and well drained, with no standing water or lack of organic matter. When you plant add peat, compost or animal manure when planting and mulch plants to help retain soil moister during the summer. If you prune every spring you will slow down the new growth and your flowers will become larger. Fertilize in the spring with an organic shrub fertilizer such as  Plant Tone from Espoma.

Insect and disease problems are few but Japanese Beetles can be a problem, so use Bonide Garden Eight or Organic Captain Jack when they arrive. When the plants begin to flower, water weekly and they will last longer, have better color and more flower buds for longer flowering. If your soil is sandy fertilize Spring and Fall to keep plants productive. When I planted Mr. Smith Rose of Sharon in 1963 we had only 3 to 4 colors to choose from but today through hybridization the color selection is endless. This is truly a wonderful summer flowering plant that all of us should have in our yard, near a patio or swimming pool for color all summer long. Enjoy!

  Tropical flowering Hibiscus

The tropical hibiscus is the number one selling flowering plant grown in southern Florida and California for gardeners across the country. Hibiscus will grow only in a climate where temperatures seldom dip down below 40 degrees, as it is not frost-hardy. The plant will not flower if temperatures routinely drop below 50 degrees, so if you want hibiscus for your home or as a potted plant on your deck, it will require special care to grow. This magical plant is well worth all the work and effort you put into it for its unique flowers. Here are a few things to know about growing hibiscus plants where you live.

In the southern or western part of the country, the hibiscus plant is a woody shrub that is evergreen and flowers all year long. So all you have to do to grow this plant where you live is copy their climate and light conditions. First of all, let me tell you about this plant because it originated in tropical Asia and it was brought to this country by gardeners, who like you, loved its flowers.

The foliage is dark green, and the leaf is shiny as long as it has enough water, but when the plants begins to dry out the shine will fade, making the foliage dull green. The leaf is oval, with large indentations or teeth on the edge of the leaf margin. The leaf will grow up to 6 inches in length, depending on sunshine, watering, and fertilization of the plant by you.

The flower resembles a flared trumpet that will grow from 3 to 8 inches in diameter, depending on the variety you choose and how it is cared for, again: sunlight, water, and fertilizer. The flower colors will range from red, orange, yellow, and pink; you may also find many new hybrids with two or more colors on the same flower and many new, semi-double, double-flowering and ruffled hybrid varieties.

The number one requirement is temperature, as the plant requires a warm location; after all it is a tropical plant. If you want lots of flowers, you will have to provide a location with temperatures that stay between 60 and 90 degrees all year. When you put the plant outside in early June and when you bring it back indoors in mid-September, expect the plant to lose leaves with the move. Even the slightest change will cause leaf drop, but the plant will quickly replace the fallen foliage.

As I said earlier, if the temperature drops below 50 degrees, the plant will stop flowering until it warms up again, so don't panic if that happens. Also expect that the flower size will decrease with cooler temperatures. In the middle of the winter, just keeping it alive is a challenge but I will help you. If you have the plant outside in a container on your deck for the summer and the forecast is for temperatures above the mid 90's, move the plant into the shade until the heat spell passes or the flower buds will drop due to the high heat.

Number two requirement is watering, as this plant requires a steady source of moisture, especially during the hot days of summer. Water the plant every day from June to September unless it rains, because the plant has a lot of foliage and flowers and they require lots of water. Never place the plant with a saucer under the pot as the soil needs to drain freely after watering. If you're away and it rains, the saucer will fill up with water quickly, forcing all the air out of the soil and root rot will quickly develop--killing the hibiscus. Always water according to the weather, less if it's cool and wet, and more if it's hot and dry.

When the temperatures cool, cut back on the watering, as the plant will require less water and-again--wet roots will cause root rot!

Number three requirement is fertilizing the plant to keep it healthy and flowering. Because most of us are busy, we will forget to fertilize this plant so I encourage you to use a time-release fertilizer like Espoma bloom fertilizer. During the summer months especially, the plant is growing fast and flowering heavily with the hot weather, so give the plant extra fertilizer every week. If the plant stays well fed, the foliage will stay deep green and the plant will flower all year long.

Number four requirement is insect control, and on hibiscus you will have two insects--aphids and red spider mites--on the new foliage and on the flower buds. Both can be easily controlled with a systemic insecticide. Always turn the plant upside down and spray under the foliage as well as on top of the leaf, as insects tend to hide under the leaf.

During the winter months, it's important to keep the plant as warm as possible at all time and ALWAYS avoid drafts. Hibiscus is a tropical plant that will do very well in a northern climate if you keep it warm--always above 60 degrees in your home. If the weather gets cold, especially at night, pull the plants away from the windows and move them to the center of the room to keep them warm. If your windows are a bit drafty, keep them back 3 feet from the glass on those cold and windy days. Keep plants away from doors that open and close often, so temperatures stay uniform and warm.

During the winter months, water as needed and keep plant moist but not wet. Poke your finger into the pot as deep as you can and feel for moisture. If it's moist, leave it alone as plants will do better indoors during the winter a bit on the dry side--but never let plants wilt. Always use warm water when watering the plant, never cold or you will chill the root system and hurt the roots, causing leaf drop.

Fertilize with time-release fertilizer when you bring the plant inside for the winter and repeat every 2 months. When the plant comes into bloom, also use a liquid food like Espoma grow fertilizer every 2 weeks; food equals flowers! The more direct sunlight the plant receives, the more it will flower.

Every week spin the plant around so the front of the plant now faces inside the room and the back faces the window. This sequel sunshine will keep all the foliage on the plant , not just the foliage on the front of the plant. Once the plant is in place do not move it from its location or you will have additional leaf drop. It should stay there until spring arrives and you're ready to put it outside again.

One more thing, repot in the spring when you put the plant outside for the summer, as the plant will grow faster and need repotting. Increase the pot size by 2 inches when you change the pot size. Always use a good potting soil--never cheap stuff--or the roots will suffer and so will the plant, giving you fewer and smaller flowers.

Oh, yes, one more thing...pruning. Prune to control the size of the plant especially when you bring it indoors for the winter. Prune 1/3 of the branches every two weeks until all the branches have been all pruned , that way you do not lose your flowers and the buds. Pruning will stimulate growth; I also prune the plant when I put it outside in the summer the same way. Enjoy!

John Travolta & Olivia Newton John

You're The One That I want

 "Flowers are heavens master pieces"

Dorothy Parker

 The Ranch at Ucross Fresh Asparagus Soup

Once on our way to Custer State Park we stopped in at this wonderful Ranch for lunch, horseback riding and a bit of fishing. One of their specialties, at this time of the year is fresh Asparagus soup and most of us went back for seconds, it was that good. The owner gave me her recipe to share with all of you. So, when you see Asparagus in the supermarket on sale pick up a couple of bunches and make this soup, It's so good!

Ingredients:

2 bunches or 2 pounds of fresh Asparagus

2 tablespoon of olive oil or butter

4 leeks or 2 medium yellow onions

4 cups of vegetable broth or 4 cups of chicken broth

2 cups of light cream

2 cloves of minced garlic

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Package of seasoned salad croutons

Directions:

1} Snap off the bottom ends of the Asparagus to remove the tough ends. Cut off the tips of the asparagus about 2 inches long and place to one side. Cut the Asparagus into 1-inch pieces. In a small sauce pan add a bit of butter or olive oil and sauté your Asparagus tips until tender, put aside.

2} Cut your leeks into 1/2 inch or thinner slices and then cut the slices in half or quarters if the leeks are large. Heat your oil or butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and cook the Garlic, onions or leeks until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add 3 cups of vegetable or chicken broth, light cream and your sliced Asparagus pieces and stir well. Cook for 10 minutes until it begins to bubble but NOT boiling. Add your garlic and cook another 3 to 4 minutes until the Asparagus is tender.

3} Remove from the heat and add the rest of your broth and mix well. If you have a submersible hand blender process until you have a nice puree. If you do not have hand blender pour mixture in a blender and puree a couple of cups at a time. Return to your pot and heat until hot again.

4} Cover the bottom of your soup bowl with your croutons if you like croutons. Ladle your soup over the croutons and top with the Asparagus tips you sauté. IF you have any left refrigerate for your midnight snack! Enjoy!

5} This recipe makes 2 quarts of soup. Do not boil soup or you will lose the nice green color and it will darken and lose flavor.