Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Patio Gardening

Belinda writes~ I recently moved into a rental house out in the country with very little shade. I have a container on my patio table, the kind in which the green patio umbrella fits through, and would like your opinion of planting the container with white snowball marigolds and zinnias (if I can find them at the greenhouse/nursery in Missouri). Does this sound feasible, or are there better selections out there which you would recommend? There is no deck, porch, or overhang roof on this house.

A. This location and climate sound very good for your choices. Lucky you to have all that sunlight for gardening. I grew up in pretty near total shade, so I could grow forest plants, except in the rear where I filled the ditches with sun-loving flowers and vegetables!

Marigolds and zinnias love lots of sun. They came from Mexico and are used to dry, hot conditions. So, if you can find the plants you desire, I recommend that you go for it. Plant them in a good sterilized garden soil with just a little perlite and vermiculite added. Consider applying some slow-release fertilizer like Osmocote. The little beads break down in the moisture and gradually release food for the plants.

Make sure that you clip off dead and wilted flower heads to keep these annuals from going to seed. This will prolong your blooming season right up until frost! Once an annual sets seed, it signals that life is over because its task was accomplished, to propagate more baby plants the next season. Yes, even these seeds will sometimes survive harsh winters and sprout the next spring, but I always prefer to plant new seed or buy established 6 packs of plants for faster starts.

With the protection from your umbrella you can shade the plants later when the sun is unbearably bright and hot. This will keep the plants from wilting and needing so much water, especially if you go away for awhile.