Sirhornsalot
**The Official Horn Sports Landscaper and Landscap
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2013
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Time for the April Show!
Time to plant those annual flowers!
April has arrived and all the wonderful things that come with it are present and ready for us to contemplate the season, and the month itself.
As of April 1, it is now safe to plant your annual flowers and pretty much any plant you can find in the nursery. But the biggest event is the flowers themselves.
There are basically three types of annuals that will last the whole season here in North Texas. Those would be Begonias, Pentas, and Perriwinkles (Vinca).
Some folks like to plant their beds with the same flower. Others like to create small sections where they can separate the multiple flower types. Some want a one-color approach while others want mixed colors or a two-color combination. There are all sorts of possibilities.
From year to year, you can do different things, and sometimes must do different things for various reasons. Maybe it’s that front yard tree that is now casting shade over the spot where you plant your annuals. Remember, the sun literally causes flowers to bloom. So you might need to create a new place for them.
Choose a nice sunny location, remove what grass or other substance might be in place, and introduce compost and topsoil to your new spaces. You will want to border them somehow, whether that be with metal edging or chopped stone, to keep grass from running into the bed.
Here are the three types and some others worth mentioning:
Begonias – There are numerous types of Begonias, but the ones you find in flats in the nurseries are the ones we plant in our annuals spaces. There are two types, one that grows in full sun or partial sun, and another that grows well in shade. Make sure that you distinguish which one you are buying at the nursery.
Begonias come in pink, red, and white and look their best when they are planted very close together. In a group planting, they will be impressive. You can accent the space with something larger that is also seasonal, such as a Tropical Hibiscus or Purple Fountain Grass.
Pentas – Once they get going, these are as impressive as any flower out there. Pentas come in red, white, lavender, and pink blooms. These blooms are actually clusters of smaller blooms. Like Begonias, Pentas will last the whole growing season.
Periwinkles (Vinca) – These flowers are awesome. Prolific bloomers that thrive in the Texas summer sun and will last through Fall. They come in many colors, most of them pastels but they do come in red blooms too. By end of season, many of these will grow to 1 ft tall with many parts of the plant blooming at the same time. Give them water. Give them sun. They provide a very nice reward.
Other flowers that will often make it through our summers and deserve mention here are Dianthus, Wave Petunias, and perennials such as Black Foot Daisies, Gerber and Shasta Daisies, Stella De Oro Daylilies, Lantana, Salvia and Fire Bush are some nice selections.
The Rain Effect
April is the month when we typically put down our first round of lawn fertilizer and the primary time to fertilize your beds.
Here’s a tip for you. Keep an eye on your forecast. If it says rain on Thursday, make plans to apply your fertilizer at the end of the day on Wednesday, whether that is your lawn or beds. Do both.
Why is this a big deal?
Rainwater has extra molecules of oxygen. There is also small content of beneficial nitrogen. When plants have extra oxygen to work with, they are able to intake more nutrients. This is why your lawn and plants look so happy after a rain event as opposed to after your sprinkler cycles. Our sprinklers maintain plants. Rain, however, makes them happy and eager to grow.
Tap water does not have those extra molecules of oxygen. And, it has chlorine so it will kill good bacteria as well as the bad.
Collecting rain water via home downspouts and 55 gallon barrels is a great way to make sure your plants and potted plants get more of that rainwater.
Left photo – just no. Right photo is fine. The root flare is visible.
Mulching
Once the Live Oaks stop shedding, it would be a great time to mulch your beds. Prior to applying the mulch, you will want to clean the bed of leaves, debris and weeds. Apply the mulch at 2-3 inches.
DO NOT let the mulch be applied against the trunks of plants, shrubs and trees. The mulch will end up choking off the bottom of the trunks, limiting the moisture and nutrients getting to the top of the plant.
When you mulch trees, keep the mulch at least 4-5 inches away from the root flare of the tree. The root flare is where the trunk meets the roots. Having mulch against the trunk will keep that critical location wet, eventually causing rot and fungus issues, weakening the tree in general. The root flare needs to be able to dry out in between waterings.
When selecting your mulch, remember to select a mulch that is shredded and doesn’t have large chunks of firewood type content inside. I highly recommend Texas Native Hardwood Mulch which comes to us from Austin and is sold throughout the DFW area.
