Your Home - Building a better summer garden

Thus, it’s important to get an idea of just what is popular for the months ahead, as well as how best to care for your garden.

“The most popular plants right now I would think would be our hanging baskets and annuals,” said Ned Chapman, co-owner of Sunnyside Gardens on Church St. in Saratoga Springs.

“Things like impatiens, wave petunias, and marigolds [which are the] old standard. There are a lot of new things and colors coming onto the market and people have to see how they perform before they become a predominant plant.”

One of the biggest trends, according to Chapman, is bicolors, flowers with two or three-colored blossoms. Created from specific breeding, these flowers can create unique, beautiful color arrangements, and can also make for some distinctive color combinations between flowers.

Of course, once a summer garden is in bloom, taking care of it is key. While would-be gardeners may be chomping at the bit to get everything planted and ready to roll, they might want to wait a few weeks first.

“At this time of the year it’s hard, as it’s still really cold at night” said Chapman. “You get a couple 60-70 degree days and people get really excited and jump right into it, but the night temperatures get down in the lower 30s, and the plants don’t like that very much.”

Chapman recommends starting late, and the longer you can hold off, the better.

When you do get your garden together, watching how exactly you feed and water your plants is important as well. Chapman recommends starting a feeding program, taking care of your garden at least once a week, with a very mild food/water solution so as to not run the risk of burning the flowers. Using a specialized watering hose so as to not damage the plants is important as well.

These simple tips should allow anyone to create their own masterpiece of a garden for the summer months. “Always green side up when you plant it” says Chapman for some last words of advice.

Located at 345 Church St, Sunnyside Gardens has been in operation since Chapman and his wife Bonnie purchased the facility in 1982, evolving from wholesale to a gardening retail store over time. The store is well known for its seasonal events such as its Halloween Pumpkin Patch as well Christmas and summer events. The store features a full greenhouse for all gardening needs with a wide variety of flowers and potted plants to choose from, as well as seeds to grow one’s own flowers, fruits, and vegetables. The store also sells a variety of fertilizers, plant foods, and tools to best care for your garden. To contact them, call 518-584-1034.