Magnolia Landscape Supply BlogTips, tricks and answers to your frequently asked lawn and garden questions.https://www.magnolialandscapesupply.com/FAQs-TipsApril Tipshttps://www.magnolialandscapesupply.com/FAQs-Tips/PostId/1047/april-tipsGeneral,Hydrangeas,Lawn & Garden TipsFri, 25 Mar 2016 17:32:30 GMT<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>APRIL AND MAY TIDBITS</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>PLANT- Plant red or orange flowers to help attract the hummingbirds if you want them to come. There are many annuals, perennials and woody plants they like. Just to name a couple, begonia, zinnia, impatiens, lantana, bottlebrush, hibiscus, and honeysuckle</span><b><span>.</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>&nbsp;Plant herbs such as thyme, safe, parsley, chives and basil. Some shrubs are azalea, honeysuckle, lilac, red weigela, beautybush, coralberry, New Jersey tea and Siberian pea shrub. Start planting out warm season annuals such as impatiens, marigolds, petunias, sunflowers, zinnia, lobelia, and allysum. Finish planting summer flowering bulbs like tuberose, gladiolus, dahlias, and callas. Plant chervil, coriander, dill, rosemary, and summer savory outside after the last spring frost.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">*If you make a layout of your flowerbeds as your current plants are coming up, you will know where you can plant your spring flowering bulbs in the fall or where you have room for annuals etc. This will make for a continuous blooming show. This will also help you to divide your overcrowded beds (if they are) and give everything room to grow and mature.</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>Hydrangea is a plant that is not only a great gift by its self, but also transplants well into your yard for added interest. Hydrangeas are a plant that it&rsquo;s bloom color is dictated by the soil PH level.&nbsp; If you have an alkaline soil you will most likely have Pink flowers or you can work lime into the soil to encourage Pink blooms, and vice versa if you have an acidic soil you will most likely have Blue flowers or work aluminum sulphate into the soil to encourage Blue blooms.&nbsp; If you have a white hydrangea, it won&rsquo;t be affected by the soil PH. They prefer a well-drained soil with full sun to partial shade. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>March was the last threat of frost for us here so your frost tender plants would be fine outside now. These would include any citrus, geraniums, hibiscus, Mandevilla and bougainvillea you have kept inside for the winter.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>FERTILIZE &ndash; Start feeding your potted plants every two to three weeks with liquid fertilizer at half the strength. You can fertilize most everything right now except the spring flowering shrubs like azaleas, camellias, and rhododendrons until they have finished blooming. You can use an acid based fertilizer.&nbsp; Apply a high nitrogen fertilizer (a good mix would be 16-4-8) to your summer lawn (St Augustine, Zoysia, Bermuda and Centipede) to encourage a healthy looking yard.&nbsp; Roses have a need for feed; they want to be fertilized regularly. Use a high nitrogen fertilizer ever 4 to 6 weeks as the new growth starts after they flower. If you are finding moss in your lawn, try adding Lime as your soil&rsquo;s PH level is low. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>*Quick tip: on your fertilizer bag there will be 3 numbers printed such as 10-10-10 or 15-0-15. These numbers represent the Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium proportion of each in the fertilizer. I read somewhere (loosely translated) this cute way to remember what they are for: N (nitrogen) for the green; P (Phosphorus) is for the bloom; K (potassium) is for the roots or all over body of the plant. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>PRUNE &ndash; Don&rsquo;t forget, prime time to prune your azaleas, camellias, and all other blooming shrubs, are when flowering is finished before new buds are set on. Prune spring-flowering shrubs and trees when they are finished blooming too. Once new growth begins on your trees/shrubs, cut back any twigs damaged by the frost, to the green wood.&nbsp; Cut back ornamental grasses right before new growth and your evergreen grasses can be trimmed to remove the brown leaves and leaf tips. Remove any sucker growth from your fruit trees as they appear. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>WATER &ndash; Everything loves water, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">especially your potted plants if they are sitting in the sun on the patio/deck/porch</span>. The pot retains the heat of the sun, and the soil will dry out faster than the ground would. Regularly feel the soil for dampness to make sure you don&rsquo;t over water.&nbsp; Consider purchasing a hose end shut-off valve. This way you can shut it off when you move around the yard and also you won&rsquo;t have to leave the water running as you walk to the hose bibb to shut it off<b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">. With the excess rain we&rsquo;ve had, it is important to let your existing yard dry out, only water newly planted sod or plants.</span></b></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>PEST CONTROL &ndash; You can use a strong stream of water (or a safe soap product) to wash away the aphids from your plants to keep them from taking over your plants. Begin watching roses for black spot fungus disease (black spots on the leaves that get worse. You will need to use a fungicide, as recommended for the your product, about every 7 to 10 days a good spraying should control it.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>LAWN &ndash; Replace any dead or damaged spots in the lawn with plugs or pieces of your existing grass type. Keep your lawn watered well if the weather is dry, you can safely apply &frac34; to 1&rdquo; of water at each watering as needed. Watch your grass. If the blades fold in the evening you should water the next morning, usually between 4am and 9am are ideal times when the season temps have gotten hot (over 80 degrees). You shouldn&rsquo;t need to water more than twice a week. If the season temps are milder (less than 80) water about once a week. If you have a new lawn installed, water frequently but lightly for the first two weeks. You can gradually decrease to a normal cycle once it has begun to take root. If you have uneven areas, try using sand to fill in right over the grass, being careful not to completely cover the grass blades (no more than an inch at a time). Resist the urge to cut your grass low, this only exposes more of the soil/roots to the sun and that opens up the possibility of weeds popping up and increases the water evaporation causing more dryness to your grass.&nbsp; Consider moving your St Augustine at about 2&rdquo; to 3&rdquo;, or Centipede at about 1 &frac12;&rdquo;. Recycle your grass clippings by allowing them to stay where they lay. If you remove the clippings and don&rsquo;t allow them to decompose back into the soil, you are removing some of your fertilizer as it is in/on the blades you cut. Regular grass cutting doesn&rsquo;t cause a thatch to build up, as you aren&rsquo;t cutting off 3 and 4 week old long blades. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>MISC &ndash; Keep your weeds under control. Most weeds are an annual and will go away if not allowed to go to seed. Mulch or pine straw help to discourage weed growth, so consider them for your flowerbeds.&nbsp; Remove any spent blooms if you don&rsquo;t want to save them for seeds, to aid in your plants health as it consumes the plant&rsquo;s energy. In some plants it aids to promote more blooms for the season.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>With all the pruning, plucking, picking, and weeding you will have an abundance of resources for your compost pile. If you haven&rsquo;t begun one, now is a great time.&nbsp; Turn it frequently and keep it damp to promote the breakdown.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span>&nbsp;</span></p>1047July Tipshttps://www.magnolialandscapesupply.com/FAQs-Tips/PostId/1026/july-tipsHydrangeas,Lawn & Garden TipsFri, 03 Jul 2015 19:16:24 GMT<div class="itemIntroText" style="color: #444444; padding-top: 4px; padding-bottom: 12px;"><img alt="" src="http://www.magnolialandscapesupply.com/Portals/magnolialandscape/Crapemyrtle/Tonto_thumb.jpg" />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 24px;">&nbsp;Planting </span> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Get your flower beds noticed with all the color of the Coleus, hibiscus, penta, plumbago, marigold, zinnia, periwinkle, petunia, ageratum, just to name a few.&nbsp; These plants are not only showy, they are heat and drought resistant and a good addition to any flowerbed.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Your houseplants can spend the summer outdoors. Assure they are sheltered from the sun&rsquo;s direct rays and any hard winds/rain. Feed and water them regularly.</p> <h2 style="margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Fertilizing</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Now is the time for the second and last fertilize application for the centipede yards and you can fertilize Zoysia lawns now with the lawn fertilizer 16-4-8.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Palms are in active growth cycle during the summer and need the extra magnesium sulfate. You can use an 8-2-12. We carry a complete line of Palm Fertilizers from 5 to 50 lbs as well as Magnesium Sulfate.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Most trees &amp; shrubs are poised for a second flush of growth and should be fertilized with a ratio of&nbsp;12-6-6.&nbsp;</p> <h2 style="margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Watering/Irrigation</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Assuring your plants/trees and or garden get plenty of water should be your biggest concern during the heat of the summer. Add a rain gauge in your garden/yard to keep up with the amount of rain you&rsquo;ve had to help you keep up with how much you need to supplement. Remember to deep water, not just spray over the plants. Don&rsquo;t forget your plants on the porches and decks, those beautiful container gardens and hanging baskets you have around. They need to be checked more often and possibly watered more frequently as they have such a small space to store water.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Your irrigation may be supplying the lawn with all the water it needs but make sure the plants and trees are also being watered well by it.&nbsp; They have deeper roots than sod and should be checked for additional watering.&nbsp; Consider drip irrigation for the plants/trees. &nbsp;You may want to consider drip irrigation for the container plants and/or hanging baskets as well.</p> </div> <div class="itemFullText" style="color: #7b8181;"> <h2 style="margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Pruning and Maintenance</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Do not prune your azaleas and rhododendrons after the second week of July. They are beginning to set new buds for next year&rsquo;s blooms.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Deadheading is the chore for this month.&nbsp; Cleaning out the faded and spent flowers. There are some that you maybe holding out for those seeds but once you have collected those, it&rsquo;s time to make way for the new. Regular deadheading of some of our plants of today, just make the plants produce more and more for long showy seasons.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">This is also a good time to clean out any dead or diseased plants or limbs/stems.</p> <h2 style="margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Miscellaneous</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">This is the beginning of the hottest parts of summer and the thought of garden chores can really cause us to groan, but stick with it. Every small amount you do adds up. So if you have a large chore, break it down into smaller jobs, pick the morning or evening time to do it when the heat isn&rsquo;t so bad and before you know it, you&rsquo;re done.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">While working in the yard, pay attention to yourself as well. Make sure you drink plenty of liquids for hydration, wear a sun block to help prevent sunburn and take breaks often, preferably in the shade. If you have a health condition that may be aggravated by extreme heat or exertion, consider a medic alert bracelet or necklace for your additional protection.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">These hot days are good days to start planning your fall gardens because you can do that inside.&nbsp; These is also a good time to check in with your local nursery to see what new flowers they may have gotten in and what may have gone on sale to make way for the next season.</p> <h2 style="margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Pests</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">To help keep the mosquitoes down in your yard, eliminate any standing water. It is the prime incubator for mosquitoes.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Keep weeds from your gardens/flowerbeds. The weeds use up the nutrients and water you have provided for your planting. Top-dress your mulch if it has settled too much or washed away.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">You can aide your Roses in the prevention of a rose disease by having a fungicide spray program.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">You should scout for insects and disease to stay on top of it. To look for the hard to see insects, hold a sheet of white paper below a branch and tap the branch. Look at what falls off, if the black spot moves, you have an insect problem. It would need to be identified and dealt with before it causes any or more problems.</p> <h2 style="margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Lawn</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Did that last rainfall remind you of that low spot in your yard? Add a good topsoil but if your low spot is more of a hole, add gradually so your grass will grow up through it and establish it as the new height of that area.&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 15px; background: transparent;">Keep your lawn at about three inches so the grass actually shades its roots and the soil. This helps to retain water and keep roots from the heat of the direct sun. As we said last month, don&rsquo;t bag your clippings, this is a good way to return the nitrogen back to the soil and it doesn&rsquo;t cost a thing.</p> <div><br /> </div> </div>1026Hydrangeas: How/When Should I Prune Them?https://www.magnolialandscapesupply.com/FAQs-Tips/PostId/10/hydrangeas-how-when-should-i-prune-themHydrangeas,Lawn & Garden TipsTue, 30 Dec 2014 17:39:32 GMT<p style="color: #004000; margin-bottom: 15px;">Established bigleaf, panicle, oakleaf and smooth hydrangea plants can often benefit from regular pruning. Removing about one-third of the oldest stems each year will result in a fuller, healthier plant. This type of pruning is easiest to do in winter, since the absence of leaves makes it easier to see and reach inside plants.</p> <p style="color: #004000; margin-bottom: 15px;"><img src="http://magnolialandscapesupply.com/images/plants_flowering/Hydrangeas2.jpg" alt="Hydrangeas2" style="margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; width: 250px; height: 188px; float: left; background: transparent;" />Gardeners may also want to prune to control height or to remove old flower heads. The best time for this type of pruning differs between species. Bigleaf and oakleaf hydrangea, which flower on previous year's growth, should be pruned shortly after flowering is complete. Panicle and smooth hydrangea flower on current year's growth and can be pruned anytime from late summer until early spring. If pruning these two species in the spring, try to prune before leaves appear. Plants of&nbsp;<em style="background: transparent;">H. arborescens</em>&nbsp;'Annabelle' have been known to produce a second flush of flowers if pruned lightly after the first flowering.</p> <p style="color: #004000; margin-bottom: 15px;">Stems of bigleaf hydrangea that have been damaged by cold should be pruned as soon as it is determined that they are dead. Watch for new growth at the base of the plant. If your plant has basal shoots that are 6 to 8 inches in length, but the upper parts of the stems are still bare, then the bare stems need to be removed. For bigleaf hydrangea plants that are subject to frequent weather-related dieback, other than removing the dead stems, you probably won&rsquo;t ever need to do any other pruning &ndash; Mother Nature has been doing the work for you.</p>10Hydrangeas: Where Should I Plant Them?https://www.magnolialandscapesupply.com/FAQs-Tips/PostId/9/hydrangeas-where-should-i-plant-themHydrangeas,Lawn & Garden TipsTue, 30 Dec 2014 17:33:06 GMT<p style="color: #7b8181; margin-bottom: 15px;"><img alt="" src="/Portals/magnolialandscape/Hydrangeas.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 188px; float: left; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px;" />The hydrangeas bloom in May and June.&nbsp;<a title="Magnolia Landscape Supply" href="http://magnolialandscapesupply.com/index.php" style="color: #796c3d; background: transparent;">Magnolia Landscape Supply</a>&nbsp;has the traditional hydrangeas for the shade and we also have the Limelight and Phantom hydrangea that are good for full sun.</p> <p style="color: #7b8181; margin-bottom: 15px;">Hydrangeas grow best in moist, well-drained soil. Most hydrangeas benefit from some shade, especially in hot climates. Bigleaf, oakleaf and smooth hydrangeas will usually perform well on the north side of a house or planted at the edge of a woodland (see image at right). As discussed earlier, growing hydrangeas in deep shade is not necessary and can greatly reduce flowering.</p> <p style="color: #7b8181; margin-bottom: 15px;">The amount of sun that hydrangeas can tolerate depends on species, climate and availability of water. Panicle hydrangea tolerates more sun than do other species. Plants grown in hot climates require more shade than do those grown in the colder limits of adaptation. In southern climates, providing frequent and adequate watering will allow hydrangeas to tolerant more sun than if they were subjected to moisture stress.</p> <p style="color: #7b8181; margin-bottom: 15px;">Source:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/hydrangeafaq2.html#Where-should-I-plant" style="color: #796c3d; background: transparent;">http://www.usna.usda.gov</a></p>9