Growing plants need more than water | The Compleat Home Gardener
Published 11:15 am Thursday, May 28, 2026
The last week of May is a good time to fertilize.
Feed the lawn, your vegetables, flowers and perhaps even some shrubs. It is rarely necessary to fertilize established trees and shrubs, but an organic mulch such as bark chips or composted dairy manure will help block out summer weeds, conserve moisture and improve the soil so your trees and shrubs can continue to seek their own nutrients.
Q. Why do I have so much moss in my lawn? I use a moss killer every spring, but the moss comes back! Thinking of just having moss as my lawn. T.L., Sumner
A. A moss lawn is always a good idea if you note that moss grows much better than grass in your garden. Moss will take over your lawn if the area has too much shade, the soil is too moist, very acidic or just such infertile soil that the lawn grasses cannot compete.
To control massive amounts of moss in the lawn you need to change the conditions that favor moss. Limb up tree branches to let in more sunlight, aerate to improve drainage, fertilize to improve soil fertility and add dolomite lime or ‘Super Sweet’ lime to make your soil less acidic. All these improvements will still not offer a quick fix. Sometimes a soft and spongy mossy lawn is the best option.
Q. I have a lovely rose plant with pink blooms that has no name. I am pretty sure it is a David Austin rose. It is growing large, but I gave it in a spot with plenty of room. Do I need to prune it every year? It is doing well and blooms great! J.P. Enumclaw
A. Nope – if you like the size and your shrubby rose is flowering well there is no need for an annual big prune. All plants can benefit from removing any dead or diseased wood and roses will be stimulated to flower more often if you snip off the faded blooms and the stem that holds it. David Austin roses do well in our PNW climate as they were bred in England and have a natural disease resistance and repeat blooms. The other advantage of the David Austin roses is their fragrance. They have a more enthusiastic and bushy growth habit and you were wise to give yours plenty of room.
Q. Can you recommend some colorful plants for a very hot and dry area in the front of my house? I have killed so many plants over the years and want a fresh start. Maybe a few shrubs and flowers for spring and summer color. Thanks. H.B., Puyallup
A. Let’s start with your soil. Your dry soil can be improved by adding organic matter such as compost or bagged garden soil sold at garden centers.
Once you work the soil amendments into the existing soil consider adding heat tolerant shrubs such as barberries that come in many forms and colors, junipers and euonymus.
Blooming plants that take the heat include lavender, sedums and succulents and spring flowering bulbs that go dormant in the summer such as tulips.
Groundcovers such as creeping phlox and candytuft will fill in with color between the spring blooms of the tulips and the later lavender flowers.
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ will add late summer and fall flowers.
Now don’t forget to water the first summer as your new plants become established. Great soil and proper watering will produce beautiful plants no matter how hot it gets this summer.
Just remember the green thumb rule of gardening: Right Plant for Right Place.
Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of “Easy Answers for Great Gardens” and several other books. For answers to gardening questions, visit plantersplace.com and click “As The Expert”. Copyright for this column owned by Marianne Binetti. For more gardening information, she can be reached at her website, www.binettigarden.com.
