Batten down for the dog days

Steve Kawaratani

“These are flowers of middle summer ... “

-- William Shakespeare

“The other man’s grass is always greener.”

-- Petula Clark

It’s a little too warm for my taste, although Catharine’s tomatoes

have taken a liking to the sun and heat, producing dozens of fruit

weekly. These days belong to the “dog days of summer.”

There is plenty to do for avid gardeners as well as those of us

not quite so committed. Our gardening list includes watering our

trees and shrubs as deeply and infrequently as possible and fastening

all plants that require staking in anticipation of windy conditions.

Spent flowers and unsightly leaves should be removed and tall

fescue lawns cut taller than in spring. Vegetables, lawns and flowers

should be fertilized with regular, mild feedings. And pests, such as

weeds, insects and diseases should be dealt with responsibly.

After spring’s magical blooms, it is difficult to maintain color

from shrubs, which often become quite ordinary by July. Enter the

bedding plant, the savior for those of us who enjoy the “idea” of

flowers, for a splash of color in the garden. From a practical point

of view, bedding plants are easy to grow and are the easiest way to a

colorful garden.

Filling the garden with your favorite flowers will lift your

spirits and help you forget about the traffic and heat. Keep your

flowerbeds and containers filled and trimmed, and your entire garden

will appear well-designed and tended.

Garden Sage, Salvia officinalis, has lovely blue or white, spiky

flowers and grows in full sun. Fairly drought resistant, it requires

well-draining soil. With a maximum growth to 1 1/2 feet, this sage

should be cut back after blooming and fertilized regularly. The

flowers are fragrant in cut arrangements, and the leaves can be used

for seasoning.

An all-purpose summer annual, Sweet alyssum, Lobularia maritima,

displays white, pink or purple flowers in borders, rock gardens,

hanging baskets and anywhere else with a little sunlight. Reaching 1

foot in height, the flowers will bloom all year from self-sown seeds

in Laguna.

Cosmos, Cosmos bipinnatus, is one my favorite plants for the

summer. Planted in full sunlight, it blooms in white, pink, rose,

lavender and crimson. Varieties vary in height from 2 feet up to 8

feet.

Mounding into your garden, Dwarf Cup Flower, Nierembergia

hippomanica violacea, has saucerlike blue flowers. It requires sun

and good soil with average water. Less than a foot tall, Nierembergia

is a great border or container flower.

Lisianthus, Eustoma grandiflorum, is a terrific cut flower.

Originally introduced from Japan, the tulip-shaped flowers are

available in purplish blue, pink or white. They will bloom all summer

if old blooms are cut off when spent.

Our view toward the high school is becoming greener by the day.

Plastic grass graces the football field and, grudgingly, I must admit

it looks good from where I sit. I just wonder what the earthworms

think.... Now, if my neighbors would trim their trees, I’d be able to

see the baseball diamond as well. See you next time.

* STEVE KAWARATANI is the owner of Landscapes by Laguna Nursery,

1278 Glenneyre, in Laguna Beach. He is married to local artist

Catharine Cooper and has two cats. He can be reached at (949)

497-2438, or e-mail to landscapes@

ln.coxatwork.com.