Plants looking scraggily? Might be time for their summer haircut earlier than usual.
Normally, mid-July is a good time to cut back pots or hanging baskets of annuals that look leggy. The branches of petunias, calibrachoas, verbena and other summer annuals get long, scraggily and there’s a lot of space between the flowers.
This year, this task may need to be done earlier because the weather has not been kind to plants, especially the lack of rain in many sections of central Indiana.
And the heat. The heat has been so oppressive for spring. Just a couple of days ago, we crossed the seasonal line into summer, and we’re still reeling from the record-setting heat of May. These environmental factors can cause plants to get leggy and stretched. The heat especially can wear out a lot of plants.
Remove struggling pansies and cut back scraggily annuals in pots. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp
Cut these plants back by one-half to one-third, shaping up the container planting a bit. I know that sounds extreme, but the plants (and you) will be grateful for the tough love. Give the trimmed plants a dose of water-soluble or slow-release, all-purpose fertilizer, according to label direction. Within about two weeks, the plants will flush with new growth and flourish the rest of the season.
If the pots look tired because they are still stuffed with spring pansies, violas or other cool-season annuals, pull out them out and plant a fresh batch of summer flowers. It’s not worth it trying to baby these plants along when all they want to do is croak from the heat.
If you insist on trying to save them, move the plants to a different pot and place it in a cool, spot with filtered sun. Cut these plants back, too. It’s possible they will perk up in fall and start to bloom again when the temperatures drop, but they will not likely be vigorous.
Summer annuals in the ground also can be trimmed back and tidied up, if needed. Follow up with a dose of fertilizer, per label instructions.
A little tough love haircuts in mid season will bulk up the annuals for the rest of the summer.
Will the Calibrochia return if I cut them back? These are in hanging baskets and are really becoming space. Thanks for any help!
Yes, they will come back. Garden centers do it all of the time.