Yup, it's that time of year swapping out winter plants for summer

10 years ago

Hi everyone,

I am LOVING the weather right now, toasty warm days, but still very lovely nights and mornings/evenings. What about you?

Even if I like it, some of my winter fluffy flowering plants don't, LOL, so this week I've started ripping out the petunias and geraniums that have looked terrific since early November. Suddenly this week they decided to look awful, LOL, so out they went! In came some easy, simple, colorful vincas, Angelonia, and celosia. What about you? Anyone else in the Valley swapping out winter annuals for summer ones?

Happy gardening!
Grant (here's a pic of an Iresine and some vincas, replacing some very tired petunias/pansies/geraniums this week)

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Comments (8)

campv 8b AZ
10 years ago
Grant you are too cool for school. Everthing you grow is so wonderful
grant_in_arizona
Original Author
10 years ago
LOL, thanks campv! Honestly, these are easy to find great performers here, so I can't boast TOO much, LOL. Some of my "winter" stuff is still looking pretty good, but I need to get some more summer stuff established before the blast furnace kicks in, hah! Here's a good summer performer, good ol' Angelonia, a nice summer performer that has the same upright growth as winters' upright snapdragons. What else are folks swapping out for summer? Happy gardening all!

Here is a link that might be useful: Pics so far from my garden May 2013
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grant_in_arizona
Original Author
10 years ago
I'm s-l-o-w-l-y sneaking in summer plants (vincas and 'Fireworks' gomphrena) in this raised bed full of still-pretty calendulas (which have been blooming nonstop since November). I just can't rip the calendulas out yet as they still look good. I'm hoping for an easy, gentle transition between winter and summer plants in this bed, but if the calendulas suddenly all look bad, OUT they'll all go, hah!

Happy gardening all!
Grant
CAST1
10 years ago
Grant,
Did you start the gomphrena from seed or did you buy them at a nursery?
Thanks!
CAST1
grant_in_arizona
Original Author
10 years ago
Cast, I bought them from Select Seeds (link below), and they're off to a great start. I fell in love with them last year in some big plantings at Baker Nursery in central Phoenix. They may have them now too. For folks who aren't familiar, here's a pic (they're tall and quite different from the globe type gomphrena), plus there's a pic on the link below.

Happy gardening all!
Grant

Here is a link that might be useful: Fireworks gomphrena from Select Seeds
Haname
10 years ago
Interesting gomphrena, I would like to try those. Thanks for always giving us lots of great ideas. Your calendulas do still look great. You must be keeping on top of those dead flower heads. I have one plant in the veggie garden that still looks good too, but I switched out my potted ones for some vincas just because I wanted to get the vincas started and was tired of deadheading them. :)
grant_in_arizona
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks! Yup, I thoroughly dead head those calendulas every Sunday and that definitely extends their life. Today, May 27th, I finally ripped them out, hah, and replaced with more 'Pacifica Blush' vincas, some self-sown Verbena bonariensis seedlings, and some pinks. The 'Fireworks' gomphrena plants are just starting to bloom. The round bed looks in transition right now, but soon it'll look great. I'm down to just a couple of pots of geraniums now. Most of the rest of the winter stuff has been yanked out, or is coming in for the late-but-still-coming-some-day heat.

Happy gardening all!
Grant
grant_in_arizona
Original Author
10 years ago
Okay, here's the raised round bed fully planted with vincas, plus a 'Parfianka' pomegranate in the center, and the 'Fireworks' gomphrena and some Verbena bonariensis seedlings (a favorite for decades now). Nothing earth-shattering, but it should settle in and fill out, especially with the blast furnace weather just around the corner (I can't wait, I love me some heat!).

Happy gardening all!
Grant

Here is a link that might be useful: Pics from my little garden May 2013

Yup, it's that time of year swapping out winter plants for summer

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campv 8b AZ

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Yup, it's that time of year swapping out winter plants for summer

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