Gardening reminders

Think about the fish

As goldfish and koi become active again, make sure to feed them. If visiting herons decimate your fish, place clay drainage tiles in your pond. Fish can escape attack by swimming into the pipes. It also gives them a place to escape from the heat during the summer.

Cool it with white

For an elegant, reserved garden consider a white garden. White flowers and green foliage give a cooling feel to a garden room and create a simple but refined atmosphere. Make sure to have chairs or benches in the area since people will tend to linger there. Some excellent plants for this are gardenias, white camellias, calla lilies and peegee hydrangeas.

Mosquito alert

Mosquito time is upon us. Make sure you don't have any old pots or containers lying around from your spring planting that can hold rainwater. If you have a pond, put some fish in to help control mosquito larvae. Unless you want them, expensive koi are not necessary. The cheap goldfish from your local pet store will work just fine. Around living areas, plant citronella scented geraniums to keep the pests at bay. These lovely foliage plants can grow to almost 3 feet in a season and work well planted in the ground or in pots. For the most effective use, plant them in decorative containers so they can be moved to wherever they are needed. Look for repellents with Deet, or for a natural alternative, lemon eucalyptus oil.

Prune after they bloom

Prune your azaleas, forsythia and viburnums once they have finished flowering. Prune out dead branches on other plants now if you haven't already. Some late plants will only now have buds beginning to swell so take a good look before pruning.

Train weepers

Weeping trees should be staked up now while the wood is still soft and flexible. Once it hardens, it won't be possible to continue to train it. Nonweepers can be trained now much like bonsai to create living works of art.