Gardening for social distancing

Gardening is a wonderful activity that provides fresh air, sunshine, Vitamin D, exercise and fun.

Just be sure to use sunscreen and mosquito repellent and drink plenty of water when it's hot.

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your time at home:

First, add some color and interest to the front porch or the patio with a beautiful combination pot.

Use the 'thriller, filler and spiller' technique to really create a showy container planting.

The thriller plant would be something really eye-catching, like a tall spikey purple fountain grass. Then fill in around it with some mounding colorful annuals like petunias or begonias. Finally, add trailing plants as the 'spillers' like wooly stemodia or Cuban oregano.

Potted plants will need to be watered more often than plants in the ground, so consider utilizing drip irrigation and mulch (yes it can work in potted plants too!).

Spruce up the curb appeal in the flower beds as well with some fresh annual color and beautiful perennials. Choose heat-tolerant plants and be sure to provide the right amount of light.

Just remember that 'full sun' on the label doesn't always mean direct, all-day west Texas sun - a little afternoon shade is beneficial to many traditional bedding plants. But there are certainly plenty of options that can take the heat of all-day sun, like pride of Barbados, yellow bells, and lantana.

Keep an eye out for fire ants, as they will start coming out soon.

Wait until you know they are out foraging before treating; there are many options ranging from organic products like spinosad to traditional pesticides.

Source: GoSanAngelo

Photo by Raychan on Unsplash

Source: Goedemorgen