Garden events help us get ready before the heat is on

I hope you made it to the University of South Florida Spring Plant Festival, which attracted more than 65 vendors last weekend.

If not, you can look forward to the Orchid Fantasy on May 11 and 12, the Butterfly and Herb Fair on June 8 and 9, and the Tropical Plant Fair on July 13 and 14. Continue to check its Web site at www.cas.usf.edu/envir-sci-policy/ botanical.

We're lucky in this area, as there seem to be garden events almost daily this time of the year. Another activity you may want to participate in is the 2002 Eco-Garden Tour, coordinated by the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods program through the Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension Service.

This event on May 4 is a self-guided tour of five Florida-friendly landscapes in Central Hillsborough County. The five yards showcase techniques such as native plant choices, butterfly gardening, organic pest control, rain barrels, micro-irrigation and xeriscaping. There is a $5 registration fee and an April 20, deadline. Call (813) 744-5519, extension 144 for details. Also check its Web site at http://hillsborough.extension.ufl.edu/.

Self-guided garden tours give you the opportunity to see what's successful in yards in your area and a chance to talk to Florida gardeners who have found solutions to some of the problems you may be experiencing. I always learn something new or, at the very least, I'm reminded of something I had forgotten.

If you're working in your yard now, you may have noticed that some of your flowers are looking pretty worn with the hot weather. Last week's rains helped out my petunias, but one by one they are wilting in the heat. I'll soon replace them with something more heat tolerant.

The poppies and sunflowers that were started from seeds look to be on their last flush of blooms also. I always leave them until most of the flowers have bloomed and gone to seed. That way I know I will have seeds germinate next fall when the weather is once again conducive to their growth.

The mini roses I bought in the grocery store at two for $1 are doing great. I planted most of them in pots and they're covered with flowers and buds. I'll have that color in the garden for quite awhile. Planting them in pots worked well also for prom pictures. I moved many of the pots over by the garden swing, which made a colorful location for the pictures. There are many advantages to gardening in pots, including the ability to move the pots for pictures, by a front door to welcome company, or on the lanai for a gathering. Potted flowers can also be moved inside to brighten a centerplace or a coffee table for a few days.

If you're looking for flowers to take over for the spring flowers you're removing, try verbena, periwinkle, portulaca, marigolds, pentas, Florida pansy, or zinnias. Society garlic, spider lily, crinum , canna, and butterfly lily are also good additions. Shady spots welcome impatiens, coleus and caladiums. The hot summer afternoon is hard on most perennials and annuals, so if you can protect them from the afternoon sun, you'll probably have better luck. You'll also have to water them if the summer rains don't meet their needs.

As much as I love gardening, I try not to do too much during the hottest parts of the year. I try to finish major project by the end of May and, after that, I do minimal yard maintenance early in the morning. If you hate the heat as much as I do, you should certainly take care of the big projects now.

My peaches are doing great. I'm protecting one tree with netting and the other with inflatable beach balls I purchased at a dollar store. These seem to keep the squirrels away. I move the balls every three or four days so the little rodents don't get used to them. The peaches so far have been juicy and sweet. Although both trees are the same variety, one tree ripens about two weeks before the other. This spreads out the harvest and keeps us in peaches for a month or so.

Blueberries are blooming and we should have fruit in a couple of weeks. The plants have really gone downhill this season. Half are about 11 years old and the other half about 5 years old. I plan to replace them all after I harvest what's on these bushes. It's so nice to have a few for muffins or to throw on cereal.

Once again, take care of your chores now so this summer you can sit back and enjoy the landscape. The basic mowing and edging is enough during those hot summer months that will be upon us shortly.

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