Gardening

Summer colour

As we get into the depths of the summer heat, how do we keep our gardens bright and colourful through the hot and humid summer months, with minimal to no maintenance?

Winter annuals will have either faded or be well into their decline (unless your Impatiens are growing in the shade), so, how about using perennials that tolerate the heat and humidity?

Note: some info on the internet will classify many plants as annuals that are used locally as perennials, this is because they are annuals in cooler climates, but they are perennials in warmer climates, and most of what is written is from above a certain latitude that does not apply to our environs.

The first one that I go to is Vinca (periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus). The original types of Vinca are strong, tolerant of heat and drought (these are the ones growing in the cracks of walls and sidewalks, mostly lavender in colour) and perform with little to no care or attention paid. Many different colours and cultivars have been created over the last couple of decades through hybridization and they can range from white to red, orange, and dark purple, some with coloured eyes some with bicoloured flowers. There are upright varieties (‘Cora XDR’, ‘Pacifica XP’) and there are varieties with a more trailing habit (‘Cora Cascade’). For years, we used to have issues with them not being strong, they would die back easily from rot caused by fungus, they would not do well in our rainy season. Thankfully, lots of breeding has taken place in the last decade plus, and many improvements have been made in the genetics of the Vinca to make them much more tolerant of both rain and drought, also we improved our growing of them mostly through experimentation with different potting media mixes.

Vinca do best for me when left to do their thing, too much attention from a hose or watering can, or if planted in a low spot that may gather sitting water in a good rain and they will not be too happy. They love the full sun. Fast draining soil or planting media is a must, and a media that dries relatively quickly is beneficial as they do well in sandy soils, and they are quite tolerant of salty air.

Another that I find very cheerful is Angelonia, it is a favourite of pollinators, veggie and fruit gardeners can put it to use. Angelonia, like Vinca, can seed themselves in the planted area if they are in favorable conditions. Angelonia have a higher tolerance for water when in the ground than in pots, I find that they like to dry more when in containers than when in the ground or in a raised bed. Angelonia have been one of the few performers in the summer heat and they show good strength and resilience to heat, drought, and over -saturation. This plant can act more like a plant somewhere between an annual and a biennial as the original plant tends to last around 18 months, sometimes a bit more. By that time, it would have proven to be in favorable conditions and would have most likely seeded several times over by that point, at that stage it is hard to even notice that the original plant had declined. Angelonia was another one that was a bit finicky for the first several years of my growing experience, but after finally figuring out a suitable potting media, and with a trimming of seeds once or twice, these plants can stand out in the full sun, part shade, or even a light full shade. They are tolerant of poor, compacted soils, and sandy soils, but salt tolerance is untested, and I would be interested to know if anyone has grown them near the salt water with any success.

There are other options that are reliable: Gaillardia, Gazania, Pentas and others. These are all some colourful flowering plants that not only look great through the year, as they handle the persistent heat and humidity of our summer months, but they also bring the pollinators and provide snacks for the birds, the bees, and many other beneficial insects! Balance and harmony are what a complete garden is about, and I wish you luck and I also hope that you have a tree or three around to help shade and cool your property or dwelling! Trees are proven to cool the ground, concrete and tarmac. Plant more trees, and get some hardy flowering perennials in the yard to brighten things up even if ya stuck in the A/C! As always, I wish you happy gardening.

• Adam Boorman is the nursery manager at the Fox Hill Nursery. You can contact him with any questions you may have, or topics you would like to see discussed, at gardening242@gmail. com.