Tag Archives: southerngardens

Ye Olde Garden

Staking Corn

Question: Why does my corn keep flopping over?

Google’s answer:

Corn plants with floppy corn syndrome often have visible seminal roots but poorly developed or no nodal roots. When exposed to strong winds, these plants can fall over because they lack the support of nodal roots. The wind can also break off nodal roots, making it difficult for the plant to establish a permanent root system.
To diagnose floppy corn, you can dig up a plant that isn’t standing upright and gently remove the soil to examine the roots. If your corn is leaning, you can try staking it up temporarily. You can also try tamping down around the roots or watering at the base of the plant to fill in air pockets and push loose soil around the roots. Corn stalks often straighten themselves out within a week, especially if they aren’t too heavy and haven’t tasseled yet.

Another possible solution here.

I thought I had planted my corn deep enough but I will have to try planting deeper next time, water deeply, as well as pack the soil.

Ye Olde Garden

Take 3: Blackfoot Daisy

Included in my recent plant haul from shades of green Frisco were two Blackfoot daisies, melampodium leucanthemum.

I’ve grown Blackfoot daisies in my backyard garden for at least 2 years that I’ve counted. I know they have been in my front yard garden in its early days.

Talk about prolific bloomer. The blackfoot daisies put out a massive display of blooms during the summer heat, when other plants are faltering.

It makes an excellent border plant simply because of this display as it waterfalls over the garden edging.

My biggest challenge is getting it to return in the spring. I have bought and planted as many as four specimens in my big flower bed and it never seems to come back.

This year I am amending the soil to add perlite, sand and gravel in hopes of coaxing it back to life the following spring. Wishing me luck for these new specimens.

Ye Olde Garden

Shade Improvements on the Growbag Garden

With June around the corner and triple digit temperatures looming, I decided to reconfigure the trellis next to the grow bag garden into a roof for shade cloth.

I had been looking to repurpose an old bedsheet abused by a half dozen cats into sun protection for my veggies. I hastily installed it before the next storm rolled in.

It surprisingly withstood high winds that knocked down a portion of the side yard fence.

I promptly trashed the bedsheet as it got weighed down and ripped to shreds by the excessive rain we experienced throughout the week. After shopping for a substitute on Amazon, I erected a 3×6 foot section of 40% shade cloth over the cattle panel, and attached it with carabiners.

Looking forward to seeing if it endures bad storms and offers the right amount of shade for my veggies

Ye Olde Garden

Another Salvia

I’m a very devoted fan of all types of salvia. But when I spotted this “new-to-my-garden” salvia at Painted Flower Farm, I knew it was going into my garden. Now I just find a spot for them.

The brilliant red blooms of salvia blepharophylla are eye-catching.

Ye Olde Garden

Plant Haul Rundown

From Painted Flower Farm:

  • Echinacea purpurea
  • Echinacea paradoxa var neglecta
  • Monarda Jacob Cline
  • Salvia blepharophylla

From Etsy Gingersgreenhouse:

  • African Blue Basil
  • Variegated African Blue Basil
  • Variegated Peppermint
  • Pepper Marusha Variegated
  • Pepper Candy Cane Red
  • Lemon Verbena
  • Foxley thyme
  • Nepeta Chartreuse on the Loose
  • Buddleia Butterfly Gold
  • Golden Pineapple Sage

From Etsy Upperplacegardens:

  • Variegated Turks Cap

From Shades of Green Celina:

  • Creeping Germander
  • Oregano Kent Beauty