Ornamental plant care reminders
The rule-of-thumb is that most established ornamental plants will require general care to stay healthy and looking great.
I know some readers will say they have woody ornamentals or other plants in the home landscape that have experienced zero maintenance help, but still look good. That may be true, but most plants will need fertilizing, pruning, watering, mulching and pest control to be in top shape.
Just keep in mind that some plants can be more demanding than others. Roses for example can be a lot of extra work while an established holly may be more low-level maintenance. Today, I will be covering just a few basic ornamental care tips by way of a UGA publication by Bodie Pennisi, UGA Extension Horticulturist.
I think in a recent article, I stated that I have only a few raised vegetable beds at home. I am sure some readers think that the county agent would have a huge garden and would be working in that garden every day in the growing season. I will also admit that I do have a good bit of ornamental plants, but I try to stay more to only doing the basics.
When my daughters were growing up, they were either in a basketball gym or on a softball field most of the time. I also spend many hours working on the farm. Maybe in retirement, I can spend more hours landscaping. The first tip I would like to cover today is irrigation of your ornamental plants. The good thing about supplemental watering is that most ornamental plants can go days or weeks without water if they are established. In fact, a leading cause of plant problems are when you water too much. You can research basic watering needs of your different plant items in the landscape. Some ornamentals will be very drought tolerant while others will need watering events in dry times more frequently.
You need to observe your plants and many times they will tell you if they need water by their appearance. Wilting plants or pale grayish-green color are the most common signs in plants needing irrigation. Our information states that by watering only plants that need water, you not only will save water, time and money, you also avoid watering plants that do not need a lot of moisture. I have said many times that mulch can be your best friend in a home landscape. Mulch can positively aid ornamental plants in multiple ways. I have coached a lot of basketball over the years. My best players are ones that are multi-talented. They can play defense, rebound, pass the ball, dribble with both hands while seeing the floor and can make shots. Mulch is multifunctional also.
Mulch can help conserve soil moisture, help control weed issues, reduce some soil-borne foliar diseases and can protect plant roots from extreme temperatures in summer and winter. In addition, a layer of mulch can act as a buffer between the grass and the plants which can cut down on plant damage from weed eaters and mowers. If you have not routinely used mulch options, I can provide that information in more detail to you upon request. When you do apply mulch, a 3 to 5-inch deep layer that goes beyond the canopy of the ornamental is better than a small area of mulch just around the plant trunk. Proper pruning and correct pruning time are important in the overall care of ornamental plants.
I was an Animal Science major at UGA and more emphasized in animal production. When you become an ANR agent with UGA, you cover a vast topic scope. As a young agent in agriculture, I would keep a chart at my computer with the suggested pruning times of year for common flowering trees, shrubs and vines in our state. That chart is still available today in our UGA publication. I can provide the chart on request.
You need to prune flowering ornamentals at the correct time of year or you may be removing your flower buds. The general recommendation is to prune spring flowering trees and shrubs soon after they bloom. Summer flowering trees and shrubs bloom on new wood and are best pruned 4 to 6 weeks before spring growth begins. For example, if you do choose to prune your crepe myrtles, they should be pruned before spring growth begins. An azalea on the flipside should be pruned after flowering.
Finally, today I would like to quickly discuss the important practice of fertilization. Many well-intentioned gardeners may make fertilizing more confusing because there are many options on the market and they come in forms such as general products to specialty products. You may find water-soluble products or even slow release products. Products may be in granular or liquid forms. Plants want fertilizer in a form they can use and applied at the right time, correct rate and properly to perform.
I may go in more detail on plant fertilization in a future article.
For more information, contact UGA Extension-Gordon County at 706-629-8685 or email Extension Agent Greg Bowman at gbowman@uga.edu. Follow him on Facebook at Gordon County Extension/ 4-H.