Newsletter #1

Volume35, Issue 3 July/August Julie Muhilly, Editor

Gardening Tips

SUMMER FLOWERS. When the weather warms up, sow seeds of cosmos, marigold, morning glory, portulaca, sunflower, and zinnia. For instant impact, set out nursery seedlings of ageratum, amaranth, celosia, China aster, coleus, gazania, geranium, heliotrope, impatiens, Madagascar periwinkle, nierembergia, petunia, and scarlet sage.

Divide iris that are crowded or did not bloom well. Cut them apart and discard old, large or diseased rhizomes.

Keep deadheading to keep the garden neat and flowers blooming.

PINCH ASTERS AND MUMS. To encourage branching, compact growth, and additional flowers, pinch or shear fall-blooming asters and chrysanthemums until mid-July. Remove the top few inches of each stem whenever the plant reaches 1 foot tall.

BUTTERFLY GARDEN. To attract many types of butterflies, plant asters, butterfly bush, gaillardia, milkweed (Asclepias), parsley, sedums, and violets and leave a few dandelions in the lawn. Don't use insecticides.

HANGING BASKETS. Hang flower baskets on porches, lampposts, and tree limbs. Good plant choices for baskets include bacopa, ivy geranium, lantana, trailing lobelia, trailing petunia, and verbena. Baskets with plastic liners require less frequent watering.

VEGETABLES. Keep the soil moisture even around tomato plants to prevent the fruit from cracking. Fluctuations in soil moisture can result in blossom end rot.

Vegetables should be harvested as soon as they are ready. Do not allow them to over ripen. Younger vegetables are usually tastier, and if the fruits are removed in time, many plants will continue to produce. Summer squash and zucchini should be harvested before they reach seven inches in length.

Plant beets, bush beans, escarole, kale, collards, lettuce, radish, turnip, chard, and spinach for a fall harvest.

Fertilize strawberry plants with 21-0-0 fertilizer when the harvest is finished.

Side-dress long season crops with 5-10-5 or other balanced fertilizer.

LAWNS. Mow your lawn a little higher as summer temperatures increase. Close mowing will weaken your lawn and make it more susceptible to disease and insects.

WATER GARDENS. Put tropical water lilies and other frost-tender aquatic plants into outdoor ponds when the water temperature reaches 70°. Fertilize at planting time and monthly through September to encourage blooming.

GIVE YOUR HOUSEPLANTS A VACATION. Move houseplants outside for the summer after all risk of frost is past. Cut back leggy growth and put the plants in a location sheltered from wind and direct sunlight (a covered porch or patio is ideal). During their outdoor stay, houseplants need more water than they do indoors; check the pots daily and feed every other week with a liquid fertilizer.

WATER TRANSPLANTS. Recycle a 1-gallon milk jug to be a constant water source for small transplants until they get established. With a pin, poke a hole in one bottom corner of the jug, fill with water, and place the jug where it will drip over the plant's rootball. This also works as a water source while on vacation.

AS THE WEATHER HEATS UP. . .

Just as you require more hydration in the summer, so do your plants and trees. Newly planted trees and shrubs should be watered daily.

When the weather gets very hot, it’s best to leave your plants alone. Don’t fertilize, don’t prune. The plants are stressed, and the objective is to let them go into their own version of dormancy until the weather cools down.

When temperatures get to 95° plus, trees such as Sycamore, Maple, Birch and Popular will develop yellow leaves with some dropping.

Hosing plants off in the early morning hours will help keep them cool and clean. Use of high-pressure water spray to dislodge spider mites, aphids, small caterpillars and other insects from plants has long been suggested as a non-chemical method of pest control. But remember, do this only in the early morning hours before the sun shines on the leaves.

Moana Nursery & Scotts Lawn Products

Moana Nursery is Reno’s only authorized dealer for Scott’s Lawn Pro products. To improve your lawn, start a 4 or 5 step Value-Priced Annual Program. Start anytime, just check the month and apply the appropriate product at two month intervals. For summer, June-August, apply Insect-Control® plus Lawn Fertilizer. Kills lawn damaging insects, fleas and ticks while feeding your lawn. For grub control, apply Scott’s GrubEx® anytime from April to mid-August. The next step is for Early Fall (August-November), the best time to feed for a thicker greener lawn using Lawn Fertilizer with 2% Iron. Then for Late Fall, September-November, approximately 4 to 6 weeks after the Early Fall application, apply Super Winterizer as the last feeding in fall to help prepare your lawn for winter. Stop by and talk with our knowledge staff about a new annual care program for your lawn soon!

HAWAIIAN WEEK – July 22-28, 2002

As one of our 35 year anniversary "Occasions", we are celebrating "Hawaiian" week, July 22-28, 2002. This is in honor of our Hawaiian name. Our staff will be wearing Hawaiian shirts and shorts to celebrate. We will have lots of in-store specials including a tropical floral arrangement in our Floral Department. And, the first 10 people to purchase over $50. each day, will get a free Hawaiian-grown orchid plant. This will be at both of our store locations, all week long. Come and help us celebrate Moana’s Hawaiian Week

PLANT OF THE MONTH

Rose of Sharon

Hibiscus syriacus

Rose of Sharon is valued for large flowers produced in mid to late summer until frost when few other shrubs bloom. The plant grows in sun or partial shade and in any soil to heights of 10-12 feet. Easily trained to single trunk with treelike top or as an espalier. Sometimes trimmed as a hedge. The growth rate ranges from slow to moderate, and transplanting is easy. The single or double flowers are in shades or red, pink, white and purple, depending on the cultivar. Peak bloom takes place in August. Prune in late winter or early spring. Frequent severe pruning gives fewer but larger flowers; little or no pruning gives many small flowers.

Some recommended cultivars include:

‘Blue Bird’ – Single blue with deep red eye,

‘Collie Mullens’ – Double purplish lavender,

‘Diana’ – Single, pure white flowers,

‘Lucy’ – Double, dark red flowers,

‘Red Heart’ – Single white with red eye.

Moana’s Saturday Seminars for 2002

All seminars are FREE and conducted by our friendly and knowledgeable staff. Seminars will be held at the Moana Lane location at 10:00 am. Come on down and learn something new about gardening in our area. See you there!

Aug. 24^th Ornamental Grasses

Sept. 14^th Fall Bulb Planting

Sept. 28^th Houseplants 101

Oct. 19^th Annual Pumpkin Contest