Here comes summer, and with it, your garden’s biggest growth spurt. Get ahead of those extra inches by pinching back new growth on annuals and perennials to encourage more branching and blooms. Use your garden shears or thumb and forefinger to remove the plant’s tips just above the uppermost pair of leaves.

Tall, bushy, and vining plants (e.g., delphinium, peony, or clematis) benefit from support, so get plant cages, bamboo stakes, and trellises into the soil now. Old fence posts, shovel handles, or sections of snow fence make economical plant reinforcements.

Amend garden soil while there’s space to work around your plants. Add in 2 to 4 inches of compost, aged manure, or peat moss to the top 8 inches of soil and follow up with a fresh layer of mulch. Fallen pine needles, grass clippings, or even shredded leaves will do the trick in a pinch.

Primp the Patio

Spruce up outdoor furniture for spring with a quick clean up. Whisk away dirt and cobwebs with a broom or soft-bristle brush, then sponge down chairs, tables, and cushions with a solution of 1/4 cup mild dishwashing detergent and 1 gallon of warm water and wipe dry with a clean rag. Use fine grit sandpaper to remove peeling paint, mold, rust, or even bird droppings and follow up with touch-up paint as needed. Treat wood furniture with a coat of water repelling wood sealer, metal furniture with liquid or paste auto wax, and aluminum furniture with a one-to-one mixture of vinegar and water. (Check the manufacturer’s care instructions.)

Close Companions

By planting your veggies with the right partner, you’ll keep pests at bay and encourage growth. Cheerful nasturtiums deter squash bugs and whiteflies (their edible flowers also make a tasty addition to fresh salads) while marigolds repel nematodes, tomato hornworms, and bean, cucumber, and asparagus beetles. Peppers thrive alongside carrots, onions, parsnips, and peas, and tomatoes flourish near basil, bush bean, chive, lettuce, and cucumber.

Notes from the Field: Summer Growth Spurt The Saturday Evening Post

Today homeowners are rediscovering the advantages of a backyard pool. While a pool can cost anywhere from $100 to $3,500 or more depending on materials and plants, a small water garden can still come in under $100. Follow these 10 simple steps and create your own sensory experience that only water can bestow.

1 – Decide on the type of water garden you want

With flexible liners, you choose the dimensions that suit your needs, then cut the liner to fit. Liners made of PVC or EPDM rubber are more durable than polyethylene. You can find them at home-improvement stores and garden centers.

2 – Determine the location and size:

The best spot is one that is fairly level, somewhat open, and receives at least five hours of direct sun. Choose an area away from trees and any runoff from rain that might affect the pool’s ecosystem. Select a site near the house for easy access to an electrical outlet equipped with a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). Most backyard pools range in depth from 8 inches to 3 feet. Plan on 3 to 4 feet deep in colder regions of the country. Deeper pools also stand up to summer heat and winter freezes.

3 – Dig in:

Using a garden hose or rope, mark the outline of your pond on the ground, then excavate the site to the desired shape. Slightly slope the sides inward to the desired depth, or dig a shelf (about 12 inches wide by 8 to 12 inches deep) around the inside perimeter to accommodate potted water plants. Check to confirm that the outer edges are level.

4 – Prep the space:

Remove any rocks or tree roots from the sides and bottom of the hole so they won’t puncture the liner, then rake the area smooth and tamp the soil firmly in place. Cover the bottom and sides of the excavated area with an underlayment such as a commercial underliner or 2 to 3 inches of damp sand. This will help cushion and further protect the pond liner.

5 – Install the pond liner:

To determine the size liner 
you’ll need, measure the pool’s length and width, then add twice the maximum depth plus 2 feet. For example, a pool that is 10 feet long by 7 feet wide and 2 feet deep will need a 16 x 13-foot liner (length is 10 + 4 + 2 = 16; width is 
7 + 4 + 2 = 13). This will allow for a 12-inch overlap around the pool’s perimeter. Center your liner loosely over the hole and unfold it, leaving an even overlap around the pool’s perimeter. Stretch out and smooth the liner into place so 
that it fits snugly on the bottom and up the sides. Minimize the wrinkles, but leave a few folds where the sides curve to allow for slack.

6 – Cover up:

Cover the pond liner with a 2- to 3-inch layer of pea gravel, or use smooth rocks with pea gravel poured in-between. This will lengthen the life of the liner and give your water garden a more natural appearance.

7 – Finish edges:

Place stones or boulders around the outer edge to hold the liner in place. For a more natural appearance, strategically graduate the stones up to and over the rim of the pool. Trim any excess liner around the edge so that a 12-inch overlap remains.

8 – Fill with water:

Place a garden hose in the center of the pool and fill with water to within a few inches from the top. As water flows in, smooth out the liner by folding and pleating portions of the material.

9 – Add plants:

Tuck in moisture-loving plants (see sidebar for suggestions) around the outer edges to soften the rocks, then add any aquatic plants to help filter the water and keep algae under control. Water lilies and other floating aquatic blooms should ideally cover 50 percent to 65 percent of the pool surface. Want to add a little life to your project? Goldfish are most suited to a small pool. A koi pool, however, needs to be larger in size—at least 10 feet by 10 feet and ideally 3 to 4 feet deep.

10 – Create a balance:

Maintenance is minimal if you establish a balance of plants, fish, and other aquatic life. In addition to floating plants, each square foot of water surface should support one bunch of submerged (oxygenating) plants, small fish (about two inches in length), and one pond scavenger, such as snails and tadpoles. Add water during summer as needed to maintain the proper level.

Don’t have the time or space to build an outdoor water feature? Bring it indoors with a tabletop fountain. These self-contained fountains come in a variety of soothing designs, and many 
include space for plants. Prices start at under $100. Available at home-improvement and garden-supply centers or online at sites such as amazon.com or simplyfountains.com.

Just Add Water The Saturday Evening Post

Some flowering plants require early planting, and depending on where in the country you live, February may be the time to get going and gain a jump-start on the growing season. Some flowers, such as larkspur, definitely require planting as early as possible if you plan to enjoy their spectacular blossoms at all.

The following is a partial list of flower seeds that can be planted directly in the soil if your ground is thawed and workable:

• Abronia
• Ageratum
• Alonsoa
• Alyssum
• Amaranthus
• Anagallis
• Anemone
• Antirrhinum
• Aquilegia
• Arctotis
• Baileya
• Bloomeria
• Brachycome
• Browallia
• Calendula
• Callistephus
• Carnation
• Celosia
• Centaurea
• Charieis
• Chrysanthemum
• Clarkia
• Cleome
• Collinsia
• Convolvulus
• Coreopsis
• Cosmos
• Cynoglossum
• Convolvulus
• Coreopsis
• Cosmos
• Cynoglossum
• Dahlberg Daisy
• Dahlia
• Diascia
• Dimorphotheca
• Emilia
• Eschscholzia
• Exacum
• Flax
• Forget-me-not
• Gaillardia
• Gilia
• Godetia
• Gomphrena
• Gypsophila
• Helichrysum
• Hunnemannia
• Immortelle
• Impatiens
• Kochia
• Larkspur
• Linaria
• Lobelia
• Lonas
• Lupine
• Malcomia
• Mallow
• Marigold
• Maurandya
• Mentzelia
• Mimulus
• Nasturtium
• Nemesia
• Nemophila
• Nicotiana
• Periwinkle
• Petunia
• Phacelia
• Phlox
• Poppy
• Primula Quamoclit
• Salpiglossis
• Salvia
• Scabiosa
• Schizanthus
• Stevia
• Stocks
• Strawflower
• Sweetpea
• Thymophylla
• Verbena
• Zinnia

New Flower Varieties for 2009 from the National Garden Bureau (ngb.org)

Poppy ‘Jelly Beans’
Eschscholzia californica
Double flowered California poppies.
2 to 2½-inch flowers in orange, salmon, rose, and gold. 10 inches tall Full sun.

A. maritimum
Seven unique colors that flower simultaneously.
Compact, 3 to 4 inches tall. Full to part sun.

Z. hybrida
2- to 3-inch hot pink flowers that bloom summer through fall.
Full sun.

Tagetes erecta
Dwarf African marigold with large, 3-inch flowers.
6 to 8 inches tall. Bloom in 45 days. Full sun.

Early Bird Planting The Saturday Evening Post

Gather an odd number of old or new glass bottles of varying size and shape. Purchase a pretty bouquet. Then, separate the blossoms and trim stems to desired height. Clean and fill the bottles with water and insert a flower into each one. Display the bottles in an eye-pleasing cluster on your dining or coffee table—or wherever you and others will enjoy it most.

Flower Power The Saturday Evening Post