Avoid spreading disease, start veggies indoors, tend fruit trees

1 Don’t spread huanglongbing: Citrus greening, or huanglongbing, is a debilitating bacterial disease carried by the Asian citrus psyllid, a winged insect resembling aphids and whiteflies. There is currently no cure for this disease, which eventually kills the infected tree. To avoid its spread, be aware that you may be in a quarantined area where movement of citrus plants or fruits outside of your location is prohibited. To find out if you live in a quarantined area, call 800-491-1899. When pruning a citrus tree, even if you are not in a quarantined area, it is advisable to bag the clippings and dispose of them in the trash. Don’t use them for compost or mulch as long as the disease is a concern.

2 Indoor outcomes: As mentioned here in previous tips, it is much easier to start vegetables and flowers from seed indoors than to sow their seeds directly in the garden bed. If you do direct sow, this is best accomplished in a raised bed which, nowadays, means a box filled with the soil mix of your choosing; a 50-50mix of fast-draining topsoil (available by the bag) and compost is one option. The sides of the box should be at least 10inches tall and may go as high as you wish. Taller boxes, up to 3feet or more, will make it easier on your back when you garden. The only seeds that do not transplant well and should therefore be germinated exclusively in the garden bed are root crops such as radishes, beets and turnips. Cucurbits (cucumber, squash, melon), as well as beans and corn, are also recommended for direct seeding. Plants that are germinated indoors will need to be acclimated to outdoor conditions because they could be stressed by heat or cold if instantly transplanted into the garden. The first day of acclimation, place them in the sun (still in their containers) for a few hours and then bring them back inside. Increase the time of sun exposure over the course of several days, eventually leaving them outside at night. After a week of acclimation, transplant them.

3 Pretty in white: Consider planting drought-tolerant, woody perennials whose cool white flowers belie their indifference to the heat. Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus) will be blooming soon, a 4- to 6-foot-tall shrub that will be covered with brilliant white flower clusters complemented by sea-green foliage. Once established, butterfly bushes (Buddleia davidii) require a minimum of water, and this includes white varieties, which are seen less frequently than the pinks and purples. Plant white rugosa roses and you will be in for a pleasant surprise. Rugosas have crinkled, rough-textured foliage and will be less water-needy than more familiar rose types, although most roses, once established with a constant layer of mulch, will seldom, if ever, need more than two irrigations per week. Azaleas have a reputation for water neediness and yet, once established, are also fine with a good soaking twice a week as long as they are surrounded with a moisture-holding mulch such as leaf mold. Fragrant Star is a deciduous azalea with a sweet, powerful scent. It grows to a height of 4feet and may be used as a hedge for a shade garden. It is cold-hardy to -20degrees but is toxic to dogs, cats and horses.

4 Leaves to love: To complement your white flowers, select plants with dark burgundy to deep purple foliage. Small trees in this category, none growing over 12 feet tall, include smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria variety Royal Purple), which is bedecked with intriguing, roundish leaves and flower puffs that are purple too; peppermint tree (Agonis flexuosa variety After Glow), with willowy foliage that emits a peppermint fragrance when crushed and also contrasts well with the many gray-leafed species, especially of the dusty miller type, that grace our gardens; mimosa (Albizia julibrissin variety Summer Chocolate), with attractive pinnate foliage and fragrant pink and white flowers; and dark burgundy-leafed crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), sporting pink, lavender or red flowers, depending on the variety.

5 Fruit tree care: When shopping for fruit trees, avoid those with fruit. Yes, it’s nice to see a tree planted in the backyard that immediately displays a crop, but fruit formation in the container could have been the result of stress from which it will take the tree several years to recover. Of course, there are those who wish to keep their fruit trees in the same container for years. In order to succeed in this endeavor, remove the tree from its container once a year and dig the old soil into your garden, gifting the tree with new soil in its place. You can also prune any circling roots at this time and trim back the top growth, unless it is a dwarf, to keep the tree at a manageable height.