Garden Q&A: What is succession planting?
Whether you grow plants for cut flowers or just enjoyment in the garden, staggering them lets you enjoy fresh flowers for a longer period of time.
Q: What is succession planting? It was mentioned in a gardening magazine’s seasonal tips column, but it wasn’t explained.
A: Succession planting usually refers to the staggering of planting times to produce a longer season of bloom. For example, with summer-blooming bulbs like gladiolus, or the seeds of annuals like zinnias, you can plant a few each week for several weeks so that each group of plants comes into bloom at a slightly different time (also called relay planting). Whether you grow plants for cut flower use or just aesthetic enjoyment in the garden, this staggering lets you enjoy fresh flowers for a longer period of time.
It might also refer to planting different cultivars or species with different bloom times so something is always in flower to extend the flowering season overall. This staggering helps to maintain pollinator attraction as well as maintaining seasonal aesthetic interest in a mixed ornamental garden. With vegetables, succession planting applies to the harvest season, so something is always ready or almost ready for picking throughout the growing season. (Such as cool-season crops giving way to warm-season crops, and then another batch of cool-season crops.)
Q: My azalea leaves have some scattered deformities that I can’t identify. They are knobby-looking and somewhat pale green or grayish. The plants otherwise look fine and seem to be growing normally, but is this a problem I need to address now?
A: It sounds like your plants have a fungal infection called Exobasidium gall. While that may sound alarming, it’s not much to be worried about. This fungus is not very damaging, and the galls (tumor-like malformed leaf tissue) can just be plucked off and thrown out. No fungicide is needed (nor would one be effective).
As with other plant diseases, prevention revolves around sanitation (removing infected plant parts, at least when practical) and maintaining good air circulation around plant canopies so the leaves dry quickly after rain, dew, or irrigation. Wet leaf surfaces can be easier for many fungal and bacterial spores to infect, and good airflow reduces this vulnerable period.
University of Maryland Extension’s Home and Garden Information Center offers free gardening and pest information at extension.umd.edu/hgic. Click “Ask Extension” to send questions and photos.