by Lis Friemoth

Keep the garden growing

Summer heat has its grip firmly about our plants, and stalwart gardeners are looking for ways to rejuvenate. Take a look at the leftover seed from spring — some seeds can be replanted within the next few weeks to provide a bit of extra produce for the table and sharing with the neighbors.

Don’t be discouraged by the heat toll showing on some of those well-planned and lovingly tended annual flower displays. Visiting some of the local garden centers may result in a return with familiar favorites and maybe some unusual plant treasures to bolster that home landscape. And since fall is just around the corner, you can do a bit of planning to increase or intensify the level of visual interest for September.

So who didn’t buy too much seed? Rather than throw it out or forget about it in the garage, look at incorporating some veggies into bare spots in the flower beds. (Won’t you feel like a real cottage gardener?) Or do a second planting in the vegetable garden. No, it’s not too late for many to produce well into the fall season, but they should be planted before the end of July or early in August. Review your seed stash for basil, beets, bush beans, kale, leaf lettuces, parsley, peas, radishes, spinach, swiss chard, and turnips.

Check soil temperatures before planting, and if it is at or above 80 degrees be sure to provide consistent moisture to achieve decent germination. Bed prep is the same as for spring planting — be sure to remove all weeds and plant debris, working the soil up a bit to loosen.

Planting depths can be almost doubled to moderate the effects of higher soil temperatures. As an added measure, apply a thin layer of light mulch, post-planting, to keep the top of the soil from crusting over, providing a more favorable environment for seed emergence. If fertilizer was applied earlier in the season, it may not be necessary to add anything until well after germination or even fruit set. Most of the seeds mentioned above, except basil, will tolerate, and even enjoy, a bit of frost without any noticeable setbacks.

If, after fall planting, there is seed left over, storage techniques are pretty simple to hold them over until the beginning of the following spring. Place the dry seed into sealed and very tight containers — no air or moisture should be able to penetrate. Plastic bags will not be sufficient for this, but sealable glass bottles or jars do work well.

If seed has been in a humid environment, it can be beneficial to dry the seed a bit before storing. But, lowering the seed moisture content with either of the following techniques can be tricky. If you go too far, the seed can over-dry and reduce the germination rate. Use your best judgment on whether this is something you need to do prior to storage. That said, air drying seed for six or seven hours in the sunlight is possible when outside temperatures are high with very low humidity levels. Or, heat for six or so hours in a conventional oven at 100 F, leaving the door slightly ajar. Let the seed cool and put into the airtight containers. Place these containers into an area that has consistent temperatures below 40 F. Don’t fudge on this. Appropriate storage temperatures are as important as dry seed for proper germination. Be sure to label the containers accordingly or when spring comes, all of the work will be wasted.

Want to add some zing to the midseason landscape? Plants to love at this time of the year are plentiful. If you are looking for those that will handle the heat of the next weeks, consider Alocasia, Colocasia, and Xanthosoma (the elephant ears). These have great leaf interest, and will offer up some drama to enhance any landscape when placed correctly. Don’t even think about buying these in tuber form now if instant results are expected. They take a very long time to set roots and shoot those gorgeous leaves out. But, do bring them home in plant form, pop them into the ground, and enjoy the show until frost is imminent. Begonia hybrids —hose developed for outrageous leaf color, form, and texture will thrive in a surprising level of heat and humidity. Some of the newer cultivars will do well in full sun, as well as shade.

With summer interest well in hand, how about thinking fall color? While ’mums are a must for fall color, there are tons of cool weather-tolerant flowers that can be tucked into any spot. Antirrhinum (OK, snapdragon) are lovely plants that will tolerate a multitude of soils and conditions as long as heat is not one of them.

Brassica genus will do very well into winter. Ornamental kale and mustard and chard are essential for texture, color and form in the late-season garden. Pick up a few for spots of fun or get a cart full and create some plant drifts for huge impact. Producing throughout the entire year, Calendula is sometimes overlooked as a fall flower. But when happy, this one will keep on flowering, even after a cold nip. Coreopsis is another that never knows when to say die. Recent breeding work has helped to prolong the display time.

— Lis Friemoth is a horticulture diagnostician. Contact her at (262) 745-2904, P.O. Box 58, Springfield, WI 53176, visit online at www.thegardenhoe.com or e-mail her at gardenhoe@tds.net. Listen to Liz from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. every third Saturday on WISN AM1130 radio.

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