TWIG Horticultural Consulting

So many clients ask me about over watering. Here is a tip:

"The only way you can over water your plant is by watering it too often. A plant can never be watered too much at one time"

Other tips:

Remember that plant roots need water, air, and nutrients. Do not let the pots sit in water for this removes the air that is needed....its that simple!

Make sure you have drainage holes in your pots, and allow water to drain right through to ensure all roots are watered.

Make sure you use a good quality potting soil, for this will allow optimum water retention and good drainage.

Remember that plants need food, especially potted plants for the nutrients are available in the soil for a short period and needs to be replenished.

Remember all of the above and your brown thumb might turn green!

Start with good quality seed & don't start too early. Count back from the maturity date on the back and start then. Starting too soon promotes weak growth due to lack of efficient sunlight. Strong, healthy plants produce better.

Broccoli, cabbage, spinach, peas, lettuce and radish are cool crops that can be planted as soon as the ground is workable. Peas, lettuce, spinach and radish can all be direct seeded. Don't have the space for a vegetable garden? Containers and incorporation into a small landscape can be both ornamental and edible!

Use a good seed starting mix, not soil from the outside. Clean all containers with a 10% bleach solution to rid of any pests that may be harboring there.

Be aware of maturity dates...watermelons, for instance, require a long growing season for most varieties. If you pick a variety of any warm weather crop that reaches maturity at 100 days or less, you would be safe.

There are a lot of great perennials that will rebloom with a little maintenance. Here is a list:

Aquilegia spp. - Columbine: Cut off blooms on the side stems but always keep a few seed heads for self seeding.

Dicentra eximia - Fernleaf Bleeding Heart: Cut the stems of the flowers all the way down to the basal growth of foliage.

Platycodon grandiflorus - Balloon Flower: Remove spent flower heads leaving some to reseed.

Gaillardia x grandiflora: Snip off flowers down to node for rebloom.

Delphinium elatum: After first blooms are done, cut back to basal growth to encourage new blossoms.

Polemonium caeruleum - Jacob's Ladder: After blooming, cut back plant entirely. After second bloom, leave some seedheads on for reseeding, which is the answer to keep this short lived perennial going!

Campanula persicifolia - Peachleaf Bellflower: Snip or pinch individual flowers but be aware of the developing buds that can be easily removed if not careful.

Salvia nemerosa - Salvia: Snip flower spikes down to side branches or nodes. If completely done with first set of blossoms, cut down to basal foliage for a possible rebloom.

Coreopsis grandiflora - Threadleaf Coreopsis: Deadheading each individual spent bloom is time consuming, but will keep it blooming almost all summer long. For easier rebloom, shear back after first flush of flowers.