It’s finally time for no-holds-barred gardening in South Sound
Near the end of May gardens will need planting, weeding, pruning and enjoying, so this is the week to dig in and get growing.
Sow seeds of beans, corn, squash and cucumbers directly into the warm soil. One of the most important parts of growing from seed is reading the back of the seed pack for details about how deep and how close to space the seeds.
Flowers such as nasturtium, alyssum, cosmos and candytuft can be planted from seed into well-worked then finely raked soil. If you soil is rather poor, chose to grow nasturtiums and alyssum as both adapt to lean soils.
Weeding means digging out deep rooted dandelions and blackberries before they take over, and hoeing the smaller weeds that pop up after planting. Weed now or forever hoe your row is the adage that reminds us how important early weeding is for the health of your plants.
Pruning should be done only if plants need it, not as an annual event. Pruning after blooming is the usual rule of green thumb especially for large shrubs such as rhododendrons, pieris, forsythia, and other spring bloomers.
Enjoy the brilliant color of our Western Washington landscapes now, but look to your own outdoor space with a critical eye before heading to the nursery and filling in the blank spots. You can still add trees, shrubs and perennials sold in containers as long as you make the transplant on a cool day and remember to water.
Celebrate summer with fresh annuals and hanging baskets — and again, remember to read the care tags on new plants that you purchase.
Q. I have a hosta plant that has been growing in a container for a number of years. When do I need to transplant it? Also, I want to know the name of the hosta you showed on a Zoom talk with yellow stripes on the leaves. You said it was growing in your garden. — C.M., Email
A. Hosta can survive in containers for a decade or more and you’ll know when the pot splits apart if you waited a bit too long to transplant it to a larger pot.
You can also remove the plant from the pot, cut the hosta in half or quarters (you may need to use an ax or electric saw — hostas have thick roots), re-pot the hosta back into the same pot and add the extra sections to your garden or other pots. You can move, divide, or transplant hosta any time the ground is not frozen as long as you water well after the transplant.
The yellow and green hosta growing in a pot on a pedestal in my garden is Hosta “June.” It is quite a showoff and thinks it belongs on a pedestal.
Q. What can I grow in a pot or windowbox on my very hot south-facing deck? I do not like cacti or succulents, I like bright flowers. Thank you. — G, Tacoma
A. Ivy geraniums love full sun and scorching heat and some of the petunias, such as the new SuperCal petunias, and calibrachoa also like hot sun. Many tropical plants such as cannas, abutilons and silver foliage plants like Dusty Miller as well as the euphorbia family do well in hot spots.
Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of several books. Reach her at binettigarden.com.
This story was originally published May 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "It’s finally time for no-holds-barred gardening in South Sound."