Southern Gardening

Gardeners in Mississippi know we need plants that can thrive in the summer heat. However, working outdoors for any length of time can take a toll on even the hardiest gardener. The dangers of overheating in shouldn’t be ignored. According to the CDC, since 1979 heat-related deaths in the United States outnumber those from hurricanes, lightening, tornadoes and earthquakes combined. Here are some of my simple tips to avoid heat-related problems. A good tip I follow is to plan gardening activities in the mornings and evenings, which are going to be the cooler times of the day.

In my role with MSU Extension as the Southern Gardener I’m frequently asked to evaluate problems in the landscape. There are times when I consider myself part of the CSI: Horticulture unit. Some crimes against horticulture are very obvious, such as the highly publicized crape murder spree that occurs unabated each spring. But another more insidious crime against horticulture occurs without much media attention: burying our trees alive with mulch. This is a crime of passion, because we love our trees so much.

I get many questions about combining plants for the landscape. It’s not that complicated, so let me share some ideas for a sunny landscape bed of summer color. Today we’re at the Mississippi State Trial Gardens and let’s start with a tough plant that loves the heat of the summer, Melampodium. It’s no wonder it was named a Mississippi Medallion winner in 1997with the non-stop blooming with no deadheading from summer until frost. It literally bursts forth with golden yellow daisy, star-like flowers. There are several varieties to choose from like Jackpot Gold and Million Gold.

Sometimes gardeners struggle to produce bright summer color in the shade. Let’s take a look at a couple of different options that provide great color and interesting texture in the shady part of your landscape. Today Southern Gardening is at the Mississippi State Trial Gardens in Starkville looking for shady summer color, and I believe we’ve found it. I have to admit one summer annual I miss are impatiens, even in the shade our hot and humid summers are not ideal conditions. But I’m excited about a new group for the deep landscape shade called Big Bounce impatiens hitting the market.

The area around mailboxes are often planted as part of the landscape. Let’s take a look at a mailbox garden that packs a lot of color into a small package. This planting features multiple layers of interest. As ground covers I love the colorful selections. Purslane Fairy Tale Cinderella forms a dense mat and is covered with 1-inch yellow petalled flowers with pinkish orange puffball centers. Purslane is a tough summer plant for our Mississippi heat. The middle layer features a variety of plants that make color a priority.