Quotation of the Week: "Don't wear perfume in the garden - unless you want to be pollinated by bees." — Anne Raver

Gardenias

Gardenias are among our most grown and least understood plants. They're often put in the wrong spots, such as small, shady patios, where they invariably get whiteflies. Wrong locations can also cause bud drop, especially in warm zones. Gardenias need acid soil, good drainage, adequate moisture, full sun in cooler areas or part shade in warmer areas, protection from thrips. They also need regular fertilizing for growth and flowers, with an acid-type product that contains trace elements to prevent chlorosis. We recommend Schultz Azalea Camellia Food.

The Gardenia First Love is a wonderfully fragrant double white. Its 4 to 5 inch blooms are larger than those of any other gardenia. A superb evergreen accent shrub or container item, it’s the first gardenia to bloom in spring and continues well into the growing season. Full to partial sun. Compact grower to 5 to 8 feet tall, 3 to 6 feet wide. Cutting grown.

August Beauty is a prolific spring bloomer with large, sweetly fragrant, velvety white flowers. Lustrous foliage on a rounded evergreen shrub, useful as a low hedge, screen or accent for entryways. Full to partial sun. Moderate grower to 5 feet tall, 3 feet wide. Cutting grown.

White Gem is a versatile, dwarf size gardenia. Great in containers, raised beds and in the foreground of borders. Single flowers are star-like with six petals atop foliage spring and fall. Evergreen. Full to partial sun. Slow-growing to only 1 to 2 feet tall and wide. Cutting grown.

Nancy Westler Green Thumb Garden Pro

Fuchsias

Fuchsias should be covered with a blanket of bloom right now. Feed them often with Green Light Super Bloom. When the individual flowers of most fuchsia varieties fade they fall off the plant, but they leave their seed pods still attached to the branch. Pinch off these seed pods, or berries as they're often called, daily if possible after the flowers fall. This keeps the plants blooming. If you don't have time for removing seed pods, grow single varieties rather than double varieties. Note: The top four, often upward curving, petallike parts of fuchsias are called the sepals. The true petals hang down in the center and are called the corolla. Varieties with five or six petals in the corolla are considered single. Flowers with big, fluffy, many-petalled corollas are double.) Water fuchsias regularly to prevent them from drying out, but don't overwater. Soggy soil can lead to root rot, fuchsias' worst enemy. Be on the lookout for pests, and spray if necessary with Bayer Rose and Flower Insect Spray. Continue to introduce beneficial insects and encourage garden spiders. If these seem to be controlling most problems, don't spray. Green Thumb carries the best fuchsia varieties. Get them planted now and you'll have the summer and fall to enjoy them. Choose them according to the environment you'll provide. White and pastel colors usually need more shade. Reds, purples, and small single varieties can usually take more sun. No fuchsia can bloom in solid shade; all need partial sun, such as under a lath, shade cloth, or an open tree. In hot-weather areas concentrate on growing heat-resistant varieties. Upright varieties are best in the ground or tubs. Trailers are best in hanging baskets.

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Lawn Watering Tip

Golf course superintendents often use a soil probe to determine if water is getting to the correct depth. Proper watering depth not only makes the grass healthier- it also saves water. Since few homeowners have soil probes, the next best thing is to take a shovel and carefully cut a square plug out of your lawn. A square-bladed shovel works well for this, and makes it easier to replace the plug accurately. The soil should be moist at the ends of the roots and slightly below them. If it is moist too deep or not deep enough, adjust your watering accordingly. Take more samples a week or so later to see if you need to make further watering adjustments.

What you need: 8 small new potatoes 1 small cauliflower, broken into florets 8 baby carrots 4 stalks asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces 3 tbsp. butter 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour 2 cups milk Salt Pepper 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese Chopped fresh parsley Step by Step: Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat. Add potatoes; cover and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes; drain and set aside. Repeat cooking process with the cauliflower, carrots and asparagus, cooking separately just until crisp tender. Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole with butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange vegetables in buttered casserole. For sauce, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add cheese, stirring until cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over vegetables and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Bake until heated through, about 15-20 minutes. Yield: 4-6 servings