Tips on Planting Annuals in Dallas

Because we live in Texas and have hot, dry summers, care should be taken in choosing your plants as well as their location. Here are a few tips and considerations to help you figure out what you need to have beautiful annuals this season.

• Budget: Don’t over or under do it. When considering your budget make sure you consider both your time as well as your money. Annuals have shallow root systems and may need daily watering in hot, dry weather.
• Location: Before you run off to the nursery make sure that the plants you chose are suited for the area you chose for them, and that they will be easily accessible if hand watering is required.
• Soil: Nutrients in soil deplete over time. Before you plant your annuals till in amendments such as compost, expanded shale or landscape mix. You can till in a fertilizer and or a fungicide at this time as well for more vigor and control.
• Plant Size: The smaller you buy your plants the longer it will take for them to fill in. If you want a full display faster do not use small plants too late in the season. Plants like Coleus and Copper plant are sold in larger container sizes and although they cost more per plant they can fill in faster, especially in shady gardens. Also, don’t be timid in ripping out last seasons gorgeous blooms. The longer you wait the less time your current seasons annuals will have to grow.
• Water: If your planting area is on a separate watering zone, then you only have to set your timer for the appropriate times. However if the zone is shared do not over water established plants for the sake of your annuals. Hand water your annuals when the first 1-2 inches of soil show signs of drying.

How many plants do you need to fill a planting bed?

Figuring out how many plants to fill an area can be found by using the following mathematical formula. Don’t worry about the shape being a perfect square or circle. You only need approximate measurements and adjust for additional odd shaped areas. I can assure you that the plant police doesn’t make a stop in Texas—yet, so don’t worry.

For those of you who hate math as much as I do –here are a few links to plant calculators that will help you find the calculations that you are looking for.

• Calculator 1
• Calculator 2
• Calculator 3

Best sod for shade in Dallas

The first thing to tackle is the definition of shade as it pertains to growing sod. If you don’t have at least 4 hours of dappled sun on your lawn your not going to grow grass of any type. I don’t care what your neighbor has growing in his yard or how much your going to try to butcher your tree to get a wee bit more sun light. It’s 4 hours–dappled sun, minimum–period. If you don’t have that–this article isn’t for you. I will posts an article on what to do when grass is not an option at a later date. Until then, give me a call and let’s discuss your options if you need immediate assistance.

Growing grass in the shade–there is a glimmer of hope, all is not lost. There has been some progress with Texas Tech’s Shadow turf , which is a selected variety of Zoysia grass. Unfortunately, it is currently only available in plugs which makes it not only more time consuming to install but very expensive. We  had two small test sites set up and between the squirrels plucking them out of the ground and drying issues (planted in summer) I was very discouraged about the reliability of this material in our conditions.

The best sod for shade is St. Augustine Palmetto and Zoysia: Emerald. If you go to 50 websites you’ll get 50 different opinions. We install sod all over the greater Dallas and Collin county area and this is what we use. We’re not sitting in an office looking at sod on paper and we’re not checking it under primo conditions at the lab. We install in real houses with real Texas conditions. Here’s a little more about my top pics.

Zoysia Emerald Sod

>Great Color
>Most shade tolerant Zoysia
>Fine Texture
>Requires low water/fertilizer
>Good for homes and golf courses

St. Augustine Palmetto
> Best Shade Tolerance
>Grows Well In Full Sun
>Super Color
>Maintains Color in Milder Winters

In terms of cost Zoysia is more expensive than St. Augustine but it’s my favorite of the two. I prefer the fine texture and color of this grass. It is close in appearance to winter Rye.