Care of ornamental plants
The majority of established ornamental plants will need care in order to stay healthy and looking great. Maintenance activities will generally include proper and regular fertilization, pruning, watering, mulching and pest control. According to our UGA data, some plants such as annual flowers and roses for example will be more demanding than other plants. On the flipside, ornamental grasses, hollies and junipers if properly planted in a good location will require little additional help once established.
With all ornamental plants, care is more difficult when they are planted in the wrong site and are planted improperly. One key is always planting a specific item in the correct location based on the requirements for that plant.
Today, I will be sharing ornamental plant care tips by use of a reviewed UGA publication by Bodie Pennisi, UGA Extension Horticulturist.
Due to article space, I will center more on the areas of fertilization and mulching.
For starters, I would like to go back to the concept of planting in the right spot in the beginning. In past articles, I have mentioned one poor little dogwood tree that was planted in the wrong location.
Dogwoods are understory trees that will perform better if grown under the protection of larger trees. The perfect spot will provide some shade, but you don’t want the shade to be too dense because the excess shade will limit flowering. Years ago, I was called to look at a tree for a client and even for a young agent the problem was easily diagnosed. The dogwood was planted in full sun and the planting hole was surrounded by cement. The owner even used pebble rocks as mulch. The poor dogwood was burning up.
I highly doubt that tree is alive today. Our information uses azaleas for example. Azaleas prefer a moist, well-drained soil and shade from mid-afternoon sun. If planted in poorly drained soil or in full sun without irrigation, azalea plants will become stressed, susceptible to insect and disease issues and will require more care. With all ornamental plants, the right location is a great place to start.
Next, fertilization is an important part of ornamental maintenance. Pennisi states this is particularly true in urban areas where much of the native topsoil is removed during development of the area and subsoil that is deficient in essential nutrients becomes the new topsoil. Pennisi adds that fertilization is a simple concept that is made more complex by the wide range of fertilizer products on the market.
There are the general-purpose fertilizers, specialty products such as pre-mixed liquid concentrates, water-soluble crystals and slow-release fertilizers to name a few. It is stated that plants generally do not care whether a fertilizer is granulated, liquified, encapsulated, briquetted, pelletized or solubilized. The plants will want the nutrients in any form they can use. Our UGA publication on this topic will go into pages of details on fertilization. If you let me know, I can email or mail you a copy for you to go over more in depth.
When should you fertilize? Research has shown that woody plants for example will actively absorb nutrients from the soil during the growing season and in turn will require few nutrients during winter dormancy. So, for woody ornamentals, you would apply fertilizer as soon as the plants break dormancy in the spring and avoid fertilization after the first fall frost which signals to the plants to begin the rest period for winter. I will add that you need to research and follow a correct fertilization plan for your specific plants. Plans can be based on age of the ornamental and size for example. I will add that there are guidelines and precautions for ornamentals when fertilizing. I will try to share those in future articles or in my “Tip-ofthe-Week” articles on our Gordon County Extension/Agriculture and Natural Resources Facebook page. I challenge you to like and follow our Facebook page for the latest on upcoming UGA Extension events and tips.
Mulch is a very important component of ornamental plant care. Mulch can play various roles in a landscape. Mulch material can help hold soil moisture, help prevent weed growth, reduce certain soil-borne foliar disease issues and can help insulate plant roots from the temperature extremes of summer and winter. In addition, our information states that mulch can provide a buffer between turf and woody ornamentals and can also help prevent trunk damage from mowers and weed trimmers by causing a barrier.
Pine needles, pine bark nuggets, hardwood chips and even cypress shavings can make a nice mulch material. Even fallen leaves can be a mulch option. Apply mulches 3 to 5 inches in depth in an area extending beyond the canopy of the plant if you can. Keep in mind that a small ring of mulch around the trunk will give little benefit to the plant.