The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

Home features

Related Photos

  • Louise Milacek kneels next to a carnations gold yarrow as she tends Dillingham Gardens, which she and her husband, George, help maintain. (Staff Photo by BONNIE VCULEK)

    Home_Garden_4_BV.jpg

  • Louise Milacek points out the blooms of the short yellow coreopsis Thursday during a tour of Dillingham Gardens. Milacek said native yucca and the coreopsis do well in the summer heat. (Staff Photo by BONNIE VCULEK)

    Home_Garden_2_BV.jpg

  • George Milacek trims a few dead blooms from an Anthony waterer spirea Thursday at Dillingham Gardens at Meadowlake Park. (Staff Photo by BONNIE VCULEK)

    Home_Garden_5_BV.jpg

  • Fountain grass and sedum, a ground cover, do very well in the summer heat. (Staff Photo by BONNIE VCULEK)

    Home_Garden_7_BV.jpg

Discussion

June 6, 2010

Location, mulch good for plants

By Joe Malan, Staff Writer Enid News and Eagle

ENID — The summer heat can cause damage to many plants in the garden.

But Louise Milacek, a member of Garfield County Master Gardeners, said knowing where to plant is half the battle.

“The key thing is to select the right plant for the right site,” Milacek said. “(With) the shade-loving plants, you have to have them in the shade. Some plants, they like the sun and will do really good in the Oklahoma heat.”

Almost as important as selecting the right plants for the right location is making sure those plants are mulched properly.

A good mulch keeps moisture in near the root area and keeps plants and flowers strong and healthy.

Jeff Bedwell, Garfield County Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service ag educator, said there are many mulches that work, including plastic coverings that blanket the ground and help prevent weeds from poking through the soil.

Weeds can steal moisture away from the plants you want to grow.

Mulches made of loose bark or chipped wood can work well, Bedwell said.

But the best mulch might be wheat straw.

“Good, clean wheat straw is hard to beat,” Bedwell said. “It helps reduce temperatures around plants.”

One thing Bedwell cautions against using is grass clippings for mulch.

“Oftentimes there is some seed in those,” he said. “It can pack in and restrict air flow.”

Milacek also said hay or straw is good to put down around flowers and plants, including vegetables.

While it is important for plants to get enough water in the summer, Bedwell warned not to saturate the plants’ roots with water; just provide them with uniform, moist soil and shade if they require it.

If you have tomatoes, Bedwell said, one good thing to do is use a light cloth to cover the plants during the heat of the day.

“A temporary shade during the heat of the day can help continue good fruit set,” he said.ꆱ

Text Only
Home features
Featured Ads
AP Video
Ex-Hit Man's Past Is a Shock to Some Neighbors Fans: Gandofini 'Put New Jersey on the Map' Does Future of Human Race Depend on Kansas Mine? Reining in 'Bad News' Sports Parents James Gandolfini Dies at Age 51 Fmr. TWA Flight 800 Investigators Want New Probe Raw: Heat, Spurs Back on Court Ahead of Game 7 Dolce and Gabbana Convicted of Tax Evasion Paris, Prince Depositions Used in Jackson Trial Coiffed Cattle Get Their Close-up In Berlin, Obama Channels Cold War Activism Police at Patriots Tight End's Home for 2nd Day Fed Suggests Bond Purchases Could Slow AP: DOJ Broke Own Rules Seizing Phone Records Raw: Baby White Rhino Debuts at Australian Zoo Time Lapse: Rebuilding Bridge Post-collapse Ohio Woman Accuses 3 of Holding Her Captive Hunt for Ex-Teamster Boss Hoffa's Remains Ends
NDN Video
James Gandolfini Dies at Age 51 Paula Deen Admits to Using N Word Rihanna Hits Fan With Microphone Men's Wearhouse Founder Fired Obama Renews Call for Nuclear Reductions Miss Utah Explains Rambling Response Exclusive: Locklear & Seymour Lock Lips Miami Heat Wins in Overtime Raw: Arizona Wildfire Scorches 8 Square Miles Fists, chairs fly in restaurant brawl Journalist Michael Hastings Dies in Fiery Hollywood Crash Hairy Leg Stockings Aim to Deflect Male Attention Inside Kim Kardashian's Premature Labor Three Charged for Enslaving Mother and Daughter Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park Spurs' Popovich has no problem with Spurs' intensity RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled Paige Butcher Scorches on Hawaii Beach Video: worst way to load cargo onto a plane Never-before-seen footage of '08 Times Square bomber
House Ads
Facebook