Growing roses in hot climates

Water-wise lawn replacement 

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As summer cools down slowly and the Crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica) begin to fade we realize how much with love these brilliant long-blooming trees.

As you begin to consider what to plant this Fall add a couple of Crape myrtles to the list of trees that would make your summer garden glorious.  

For at least one month--and often longer--in the peak heat of summer they give faded gardens a jolt of brilliant color.  The hot pink, shown above, is our favorite.  

In the best of all gardening worlds, Crape myrtles love having lots of water, but they also thrive beautifully in low-water usage gardens.  With plenty of water the trees grow to 30 feet, with less water they remain shorter.  But at 30 feet or 15 feet they are among the best summer trees for color in the garden.

What to do with that old water fountain.  In our summer newsletter we suggested planting flowering plants or grasses in stacked pots to create a fountain effect on your patio.  

But if you have a real water fountain in your garden that you have drained for water conservation purposes, fill each level with good potting soil--making it as deep as you can--and plant lantana (Lantana montevidensis or L. sellowiana).   As the lantana grows it will cascade over the edges and for at least six months of the year will give you brilliant flowers.  And don't settle for just one color.

If you have a three level fountain, pick the hot pink hybrid, 'Christine', for the bottom level of your fountain.  On the next level up, plant a burnt orange, such as 'Tangerine'.  Then on the top level, consider 'New Gold', a warm golden yellow.

If you are really a fan of the color yellow, you can go a little bit wild by planting 'Lemon Swirl' which has variegated yellow and green leaves with yellow flowers.  

One bonus of Lantana, bees love it! 

Do not plant until the temperature drops to below 90 degrees. (37 degrees Celsius).  Yes, yes, we know that there are young garden designers who will tell you that it is okay to plant during hot summer months.  They say that so they can continue to have work during those months.  

Palms love having their roots in warm soil and should be planted in the summer.  Virtually all other plants will do much better if you wait and plant in the Fall, when Mother Nature does her planting.  You will lose far fewer transplants if the soil is cooler.