Summer Color

Even though the selection for summer color remains a bit short there are some interesting color plants. The heat selects out most of the choices available in the fall.

Success for the summer color bedding plants comes with good soil preparation and cooling the soil. Preparation includes digging into the soil the following. Get at least three inches of organic matter, a good balanced fertilizer high in phosphorous (the middle number on the bag) and three to five pounds of sulfur per 100 aquare feet.

Thoroughly incorporate all this into the soil. Water it lightly to settle the soil and start the mixture a'brewing. After a couple days rake the bed to its final grade. Plant the plants and then, and this is critical, add a one inch layer of mulch on the soil around the plants.

My favorite choices for tough and interesting summer color plants may not include some regular selections.

First on the list is Gomphrena or Globe Amaranth. I liked this plant years ago but most people found it drab. Then a few years ago the breeders came out with a nice red variety called Strawberry Fields. It became more popular then.

What is special about Gomphrena lies in its flower that can be air dried to perfection without any effort. Simply cut the flowers and place them in a dry vase and they dry and hold their color nicely.

Written by Terry Mikel, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 602-470-8086.
Material originally appeared in Arizona Republic
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