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It's About Thyme tel: 512-280-1192 June 3, 2011
Nursery Notes: Sweet Basil 4" - BUY ONE GET ONE FREE
20% off all pottery (excluding talavera) Excellent selection of pots for
water features. NEW SHIPMENT of desert roses sizes from 4" to 5 gal. -
prices ranging from $7.99 to $49.99. NEW SHIPMENT of Tula's Hats!
This Sunday: ‘Success with Olive Trees… and how to make your
own Olive Oil’ 2 p.m. with Jim Henry of the Texas Olive Oil Council.
(free) photo: olives from the Spanish arbequina.
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This week on KLRU's Central Texas Gardener, a preview of next
weekend's Austin Pond Society Tour, including a visit to the enchanting
gardens of Barbara and David Hale, with its variety of ponds, paths...
and even a zip line going across their garden. Saturday, noon and 4 p.m.
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The Guardian (U.K.) recently asked readers to send in pictures of
butterflies from the gardens and meadows around their houses. The
the glorious cinderella purslane
Summer color with Purslane, Moss Rose
by Chris Winslow
What you can plant in all this heat and drought that will lift your spirits and
give you great summer color all the way into the fall?
I always like to steer gardeners towards the summer annuals. They are
beautiful and tough and can bloom constantly until fall and even beyond . . .
and do this with little care or water. Top of my annuals list are the succulents
purslane, and moss rose (portulaca).
These low-growing groundcovers flourish during our hot summers. As
with all succulents, they store water in their leaves and can handle long
periods without water. They flower during the day, and come in a multi-
tude of pretty colors and flower forms.
Purslane flower form is usually single petal (unlike the double- petals of
most rose flowers). The largest of purslane flowers are the 2 inch wide
Yubi series.
A new series of purslane is called Cinderella. The flowers are small, and
are an attractive bi-color of pinkish-red with yellow.
The moss roses are almost always double-flowered. The largest are the
Marguerita series that come in pink, red, orange, yellow, white, and the
bi-color peppermint - a red and white combo.
Another pretty one is Spanish moss. It has large, single flowers of deep
purple fuchsia with an occasional flower that’s mixed with white.
Besides being planted as a showy groundcover in the landscape, purslane
and moss rose look good in hanging baskets, and with mixed-succulents
in cactus bowls. They can cascade over the edges and create the perfect
basket.
Finally, as an added benefit, if you forget to water them at the beginning
of a hot and windy day, they’ll still look okay when you get home.
(The nursery has 4" pots of purslane and moss rose for $1.50, and
6-packs for $2.99. Also 4.5" rounds for $3.29 and some hanging
baskets with both succulents.)
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June in the Garden
1. Water Early morning is the best time… otherwise most of the irri-
gation water evaporates. Deep soaking is best because it gives the plant
a greater reservoir to draw from.
2. Native Tree Care It seems more than likely that this month is going
to be hot and dry. Remember your trees are going to be thirsty too. A
small amount of rain does little to carry moisture deep into the soil.
3. Mulch This will cool the roots and slow the water loss from evap-
oration. Mixing your mulch 50:50 (bag-for-bag) with compost, will add
nutrition and relieve stress.
4. Slow release fertilizers When feeding flowerbeds and turf, be sure
to use an organic-based, slow-release fertilizer. You will avoid burning
plant roots in the summer heat and will have little impact on our watershed.
Foliar sprays wih seaweed will also help reduce heat stress.
5. Care for your roses The first flush of your spring roses has finished.
The flowering ends of the rose stems have probably formed hips (seed
pods). Cut them off and there will be a new round of flowering. Also, give
them some rose food. Examine them for any sign of insects, especially
spidermites, and treat with Sunspray, All Seasons or Spinosad.
6. Mow high Cut you grass as high as you can stand. Longer grass
blades will help shade the turf and conserve water. Leave clippings on
the lawn.
Happy Gardening Everyone!
© Chris Winslow 2011
