Clover Lawn

White clover

Once, most lawns had at least some white clover growing in them. Clover has little nodules on its roots that fix the nitrogen pulled from the air into the soil. This nitrogen then helps feed surrounding plants. Until the 1960s, clover was routinely included in grass seed mixtures to help lawns get established faster. When broad-spectrum herbicides came into common use, this changed.  The ideal became an all-grass lawn, and clover was seen as a weed. 

First Peonies of the Year

Tree Peony

Here is the very first peony to bloom in my garden this year.  Tree peonies generally bloom a couple of weeks before the more common herbaceous peonies.  Anything that extends the blooming season of peonies is great! I chose this particular cultivar because of the wonderful lavender color, which I had not seen in peonies before.

Summer Garden Re-Runs

Moss rose seedlings

When I know certain annuals are likely to re-seed themselves, I try to watch when weeding that area the following spring, so that I don't pull up all the seedlings by mistake.

For example, I was working in the flower bed out front by the street last evening.  Moss rose, or portulaca, was growing there last year, and I know it reseeds.  I kept a careful eye out as I pulled out grass and weeds, and sure enough, there were the tiny little seedlings of the moss rose, just starting to grow.

Favorite Flowers: Creeping Phlox

Creeping phlox

Allergy Index Scale:  4
Perennial, zones 3-9
Full sun to light shade, 2-6" tall

One of the flowers that adds so much color to the spring garden is creeping phlox, also known as moss pinks.  In the spring, when it blooms, it is literally covered with small flowers for several weeks.  When grouped together or allowed to spread as a groundcover, this mass of color is stunning. Creeping phlox blooms in pink, rose, lavendar, blue, white or variegated. Even when the flowering is over, the  needle-like foliage, evergreen in milder climates, makes a nice thick ground cover.

Favorite Flowers: Moss Rose

Allergy Index Scale: 2
Annual
Full sun, 4 - 6 inches 

Multi-colored moss rose

Portulaca, generally called moss rose, is a great low-growing plant for hot, sunny areas.  It blooms for much of the summer, with colorful flowers that may be red, orange, pink, yellow, or white, or occasionally variegated.   A single plant may spread up to two feet, so they can make a great ground cover. I like to use them in areas that are hard to reach with the garden hose, as they tolerate hot Kansas sun better than most flowers, and with less watering. They do well along that hot drive, in rock gardens, containers or tumbling over the edges of a hanging basket.

Favorite Flowers: Purple Coneflower

Allergy Index Scale:  5
Perennial, zone 3
Full sun, 2-3 feet tall

One of the perennial flowers that most reliably handles the hot Kansas summers without pampering is the purple coneflower, or echinacea.  This native plant can handle the extremes of both winter and summer and keep going.

Originally their flowers were a rosy pink color, but they are also available now in white, yellow, orange, and red. They bloom in the summer and early fall. If you deadhead them during the summer, they will keep blooming for many weeks.  Leaving the seedheads at the end of season provides seeds that are attractive to native birds such as goldfinches.

Scorched Leaves

Recently I had someone ask about their plants' leaves being scorched by the hot weather.   That's an issue I'm dealing with as well, so I started reading up on it.  I'd noticed that it seems to happen mostly to plants more recently planted rather than mature ones, so I was not surprised to find out that it is generally an issue with plants that have inadequate root systems.  Many times it happens to plants that have not been in the ground long enough to establish a good root system, so in prolonged very hot weather, and with hot winds, the roots are simply unable to supply water to the foliage as fast as it is lost by transpiration from the leaves.  Other times it may happen to more mature plants that have not developed good root systems or have had damage to their roots, such as roots dehydrated by too little winter moisture, or stunted by compacted soil or poor drainage. Often the effects of a dry winter are seen in mid-summer when plants struggle with scorched leaves.

Gardening in a Heat Wave

Moss rose thrives in hot summers

The high temperature here today was 107. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 106.  The forecast for the next week shows highs of 100 or above every day.  Well, that's summer in Kansas -- thank God for air conditioning!

Heat like this, especially over an extended period, is really hard on the garden (as well as people, animals, utilities budgets, etc.)  There are a few things a gardener can do to help their plants make it through this kind of weather.