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Making It Grow! News Articles

July 11, 2005

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This time of year all conversation turns towards the weather as South Carolinians are united in the common topic of heat. But we have solace in the delicious juicy watermelons and cantaloupe that are filling the backs of pickup trucks headed for local markets. And if it is too hot to turn on the stove, remember that nothing beats a good old tomato sandwich and a glass of iced tea. Put in a sprig of mint and consider your cooking duties done.

Question: I have planted plumbago under my crape myrtle trees along with impatiens. The impatiens are blooming up a storm but the plumbago just gets greener. I added a slow release fertilizer when I planted so I don't know what's wrong. I see other people's plumbago covered with blue flowers and I am ready to rip my plants up! Plumbago is a semi-tropical perennial that can overwinter in the warmest coastal areas of our state. Like many plants that are the backbone of Florida landscapes, it thrives in blistering sun. It requires a very high light intensity to set flower buds and bloom. Sumter County Extension Agent Amanda McNulty told me that she had plumbago in pots on either side of her steps and one got slight- ly more sun than the other. She had to switch the pots every other week or so to keep them both in full bloom. If you can preserve the root ball, why don't you move these plants to pots and over the next week or ten days gradually put them in sunnier locations until they are acclimated to a full sun exposure. A good companion plant for plumbago is that other great sun lover, lantana, and the softer yellow colors of the new lantanas are a great foil for plumago's cooler blue.

Question: I have planted rosemary in my vegetable garden twice now but both times the plants have died. I really want to have a nice section for herbs right there with the tomatoes and peppers. My garden gets full sun and we incorporated a truck load of well- composted manure in last fall. I thought it was tomatoes that were supposed to be hard to grow! Rosemary is another of those full sun lovers so you are giving it the right exposure. But many herbs with a Mediterranean origin like rosemary and thyme are happiest growing in what to us seems like an unhealthy situation - poor soil and only occasional watering. That rich garden soil and the supplemental irrigation necessary for those luscious vegetables can make rosemary turn up its toes. Rosemary would grow beautifully among dwarf ornamental grasses and make an attractive new bed that requires little care once established. You should soon have plenty of sprigs for adding a fresh tang to chicken or lamb.