 |
| Photo: Sue Zirbes |
We asked our Master Gardeners to share what successes and failures they’ve experienced in their gardens this year....
From Sue...
I’m a native New Yorker growing up in Queens and on Long Island, spending massive amounts of time on the beach, especially Jones Beach. Jones Beach is famous for their border gardens, especially petunias which came in three colors. The adult gardener in me finds them a little boring. But in recent years so many beautiful hybrids have become popular that are easy to grow and care for. In the extreme heat of our new reality, I succumbed to a group of beautiful petunias this year. The dark purples, deep reds, and dark black flowers are so velvety and dead heading them, a real necessity, is vey soothing and satisfying. I especially like the Starry Night varieties as the flowers develop white spots as the flowers mature. I’ve been reading some good Internet articles and am going to be doing some experiments with them as they are easy to cross pollinate and over winter. I also ordered seeds for some really spectacular varieties. Petunias are great for the environment, attracting hummingbirds, moths, and butterflies!
 |
| Photos: Sue Zirbes |
Another winner this year was:
Calibrachoa, aka Million Bells or mini petunias. A petunia relative, they kind of do resemble mini petunias.
 |
| Photos: Sue Zirbes |
My cranesbill geraniums did poorly early this summer, but this one has really started blooming!
 |
| Photo: Sue Zirbes |
Unfortunately, my tomatoes and peppers did not fare well this year in the heat.
