verbena plant

We are starting to have fires in our fireplace, which means we are accumulating wood ashes. Can we use these ashes to help our yard?

Answer: Wood ashes contain about 2 percent phosphorus, up to 10 percent potassium plus some minor nutrients your plants could use, but they also create alkaline soil conditions. The best recommendation is to use light scatterings among all but the acid-loving plantings in your landscape. Plants to avoid include azaleas, camellias, blueberries and philodendrons. You also can add small quantities to the compost pile.


Container plants



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Q: Because of physical limitations, I must grow plants in containers. What types of plants would grow over the sides of the containers to hide them from view yet make a lush-looking garden?
A: Some gardeners think every container garden should have an overflowing plant cascading down the sides. One group of plants often selected is herbs. Some including thyme, oregano and mints are vigorous growers and can make any container look attractive.

If you would rather see flowers, then petunias, verbena, lobelia and alyssum would look good at this time of the year. In shady locations, select foliage plants such as pothos, philodendrons and waffle plant, plus flowering impatiens.


Bougainvillea blooms

Q: I planted three bougainvilleas in a sunny location. They bloomed through spring and then began producing lots of long growths. I cut back these shoots, and now there are more. Should I keep cutting them back or allow the plant to grow?

A: One thing bougainvilleas do well is grow. To be fair, we often are part of the problem by providing lots of water and fertilizer. Often the plants grow so well they forget to flower.

Now here is the plan to keep your bougainvilleas to a reasonable size and obtain the attractive blooms too. Put the plant on a lean diet of water only during the dry times and light feedings with an 8-2-12 or similar fertilizer once monthly in March and June.

Allow the plant to make some growth; most are not small bushes and want to become large sprawling shrubs. Selectively remove extra-long and out-of-bounds shoots. Complete all needed pruning by mid-August to allow the new shoots to mature and flower by winter.


Mix and match?

Q: I need to replace sod in a few areas of my St. Augustine lawn and am thinking of adding zoysia to these spots. Is now a good time, and how will the lawn look with when the two types are mixed?

A: In this case, it's probably best to make a clean break and install a new lawn. Most gardeners likely would describe your mixed turf as a bit weedy.

Because of the major differences in the leaves' shapes and sizes, new zoysia turf would appear to be invading what is left of the St. Augustine lawn. If you can divide the yard into individual lawns separated by shrubs or pathways, then you could establish some areas of each grass.

Now is a good time to make the switch, as most grasses like to grow during the fall-through-spring days of warmish weather.
Fertilize winter lawns every three weeks with ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate or calcium nitrate. Use 1/4 pound per 1,000 square feet as needed to maintain good color.

Vegetables advertisement





• Watch for insect and pest problems, to identify and manage early to prevent damage.


• Plant seeds of beets, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collard greens, endive, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce (head and leaf), mustard, green onions, peas, radishes, spinach and turnips.


• Plant transplants of asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi and lettuce (head and leaf).

For a schedule of vegetable planting dates for Maricopa County, go to ag.arizona.edu/ maricopa/garden/html/pubs/ pubs.htm#Vegetable.

Herbs


• Be prepared for frost through Easter.


• When frost is in the forecast, use old bedsheets or frost cloth to cover frost-tender herbs such as basil, bay trees, scented geranium, lavender, lemon balm, lemongrass, lemon verbena, marjoram, nasturtium, Cuban oregano, peppers and chiles.


• Less water is needed with cooler weather arriving. Water on an as-needed basis, depending on plant maturity.


• Plant seeds of arugula, caraway, cilantro, dill and lemon balm.

Roses


• New rose catalogs are out and bare-root roses are available at nurseries by the end of the month.

For a rose trouble-shooting guide for Maricopa County, cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/ az1306.pdf.

Annuals

For a schedule of flower planting dates for Maricopa County, go to cals.arizona .edu/pubs/garden/az1100.pdf.

Landscape plants


• When frost is in the forecast, use old bedsheets or frost cloth to cover frost-tender plants such as bougainvillea, celosia, ficus, hibiscus, Mexican fan palm, red bird of paradise and sweet acacia.


• Cut back watering frequencies as plant needs decrease with shortening, cooling days.


• Cut off spent blooms to stimulate rebloom.


• Plant winter-hardy trees, shrubs and vines.


• Water deeply once a month.


• Pre-emergent herbicides can be applied through early December for winter annual weed control. Follow the directions on the label.

Fruit and nut trees


• If frost is in the forecast, cover the canopy of trees with a sheet or blanket that extends to the ground. Remove the covers in the morning. Most citrus fruit will not freeze unless temperatures drop into the 20s or lower for at least two hours.


• Loosely wrap the trunks of young citrus and other cold-tender trees to protect them from the frost. These wrappings - an old towel, blanket, cardboard or frost cloth - may be left on during the frost season.


• Peel color is not an indicator of maturity or taste in citrus. Give a piece a taste test. If the fruit is not sweet enough for your liking, leave the rest on the tree longer.


• Deciduous fruit trees must receive sufficient chilling for their flower buds to develop properly. When selecting a tree to plant, choose a variety that requires fewer than 400 hours of chilling.


Don'ts



• Do not prune frost-damaged plants until they begin growing in the spring. Pruning may stimulate new growth, which could be vulnerable to frost.


• Do not increase opportunities for fungal disease on turf by overwatering, watering at night, overfertilizing or mowing when the grass is wet.

Overwatering also causes root rot. Allow the soil to dry between waterings.

Source: University of Arizona's Maricopa County Extension, cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden.