Southern Gardening - gardening techniques and plant varieties

Flower & Garden Magazine, July, 2001 by Robert Bowden

To many, gardening in a climate where one can till the soil and plant flowers, shrubs or pretty much whatever your heart desires every month of the year is a lifelong dream. Imagine being able to go outside in February and March and actually use a rototiller, or better yet, use a hand trowel.

Living in the lower reaches of the United States means gardening outdoors everyday of the year is commonplace. It might sound good, but, as with many other things, there are trade offs.

First and foremost, you may never get any rest! This probably will not evoke sympathy from those gardeners who become winter hermits in the colder temperatures. While the northerners are taking time to plan for next year's garden, their counterparts further south never get a chance to stop gardening. Studying seed catalogs by the fire and snuggling into a comforter are usual occurrences in the northern climates--not so down south.

Gardening in the south is truly a wonderful experience. Where else can you grow bromeliads and orchids outside by simply hanging them in trees? Many of the more exotic and tropical fruits, berries and vegetables can be grown year round, though the schedule for planting annuals in the fall for winter bloom is something many northern-transplanted gardeners never get used to. Many southern gardens don't have tulips, forsythia or daffodils, but instead have guava, pineapple and amaryllis. Exotic shrubs, such as the powderpuff tree, fire spike or ylang-ylang (the source for many expensive perfumes), are ordinary garden plants.

* SUN AND HEAT

Remember the trade offs, however. Some nighttime temperatures won't dip below 70 in parts of the southeast, whereas daytime temperatures can reach 95 beginning as early as May and don't stop until October--which can make for a very, very long summer. That's why delphinium won't survive, and the same is true for foxglove and similar perennials. The problem isn't the daytime temperatures; it's the lack of cool nights during the summer months. To compensate for these conditions, southerners grow pentas, lions ear and many different types of ornamental grasses. Nowhere else is a small trial garden more important. Most garden books are written for northern gardens, and much of the information is lost on southerners. The plant label may state full sun, but that doesn't necessarily mean full sun down south. Many plants, which ordinarily tolerate full sun up north, can only stand a few hours in the south before they shrivel. Some perennials can withstand the summer heat, though, if they are given some shade for part of the day.

* IRRIGATION

Plants grow very quickly in southern climes, and water is quickly becoming one of the most important soil amendments in the garden. When nearly thirty percent of the water applied during day-time hours evaporates before it even hits the ground, irrigation schedules and types of irrigation equipment are becoming increasingly more important. Watering in the evening just before the sun sets or early in the morning not only helps reduce disease problems but also gives the plants their much-needed ration of water. Southerners are reminded of the art of watering deep. Infrequent and shallow watering techniques can wipe out an entire garden in a few short days by encouraging roots to grow near the surface. Should the water source be disrupted even for a day, the southern sun's rays literally bake the shallow roots. Using the tuna fish or cat food can method of measuring water is especially important down south. When watering by overhead means, place the can within the spray pattern until enough water has accumulated. In the future let the sprinkler run the same amount of time for best results. Shrubs can be watered once a week with this method. Tuff, annuals and perennials may need watering two or three times a week.

* RIGHT PLANT, RIGHT PLACE

Nowhere is the "right plant, right place" edict more important than in southern gardens. More often than not, plants that are under stress are more susceptible to pests and diseases. Many gardeners attempt to stretch the plant's limits by planting in locations not suited for optimum growth. Often times gardeners will run out of space and stretch the limits by placing sun plants in partial shade and shade plants in sunny locations. The bugs can hear the dinner bell. On the other hand, a plant well fed (good nutrition supplied in small amounts frequently), well watered (deep and only when needed) and grown in the right location, will be able to fend off nearly all bugs and diseases. Southern gardeners know that over watering has killed more plants than under watering.

* LEARN FROM OTHERS

Southern gardeners spend a great deal of time looking at seed packets and studying labels. They also spend a lot of time listening to their friends and neighbors. Many southerners are new to the south, having moved from northern climates, and by talking to other gardeners, they learn from firsthand experience what works best and what doesn't. Southern gardeners also spend a lot of time in nurseries. Down south most of the time the person working in the nursery won't mind if a gardener turns the pot upside down and taps the plant out of the pot to look for healthy roots. Get a little dirt on the floor? It's okay. While they're looking at the roots, they look at the stems and leaves for diseases and bugs. If a few bugs are present in the nursery, they can and will multiply very quickly once placed in the southern garden. The important thing is that you get the right plant for your particular circumstance.