We'd like to wish everyone a very happy Father's Day!

About Father's Day

The driving force behind the establishment of the celebration of Father's Day was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd. Her father, William Smart, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. He was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself.

Mrs. Dodd was inspired by Anna Jarvis's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, the anniversary of her father's death, she did not give the organizers enough time to make arrangements, and the first celebration was deferred to the third Sunday in June (coincidentally, that was June 19th, the same date we celebrate Father's Day this year). Unofficial support for the holiday was immediate and widespread.

Calvin Coolidge recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. The observance of Father's Day was recognized by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1956. Lyndon Johnson declared Father's Day an official holiday in 1966. In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed into law a permanent U.S. Father's Day to be observed on the third Sunday of June.

Like carnations to be worn on Mother's Day, there is also a flower for Father's Day. Roses are the Father's Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.

Start with a hydrangea that was blue when you bought it. Some kinds never turn blue; white varieties always stay white. Some pinks turn purple instead of blue.

Plant and grow blue hydrangeas in acid soil mix. When planting in containers use a commercial soil mix designed for camellias and azaleas. We recommend Master Nursery Camellia Azalea Gardenia Planting Mix. When planting in the ground, amend the native soil in the planting hole with the same acid planting mix, according to package directions, or use two-thirds premoistened peat moss. Mulch with leaf or redwood.

If planting in the ground, check the root run of established plants to make sure the soil is not too alkaline. Use a soil test kit to test the pH of the soil. A pH of 4.5 to 5.0 yields blue flowers, a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 yields mauve, and a pH of 7.0 to 7.5 yields pink.

Maintain the desired pH with aluminum sulfate. Use 1 tablespoon aluminum sulfate per foot of plant height, or 1/4 teaspoon per potted plant. Mix this in water and apply it as a drench several times in spring and fall, beginning in September.

Never use fertilizer that contains phosphorus. Phosphorus is alkaline, so the use of it will raise the pH of the soil and turn blue hydrangeas pink.

1. Plant bougainvilleas, fuchsias, and epiphyllums
2. Use bedding plants for quick color
3. Plant perennials in bloom now
4. Plant zoysia grass
5. Continue to plant summer vegetables
6. Plant and transplant succulents, including cacti and euphorbias
7. Purchase alstroemerias throughout the summer while they are in bloom
8. Plant and transplant palms
9. Continue to pick and deadhead roses
10. Deadhead and pick summer flowers to keep them going
11. Remove berries (seed pods) from fuchsias after flowers fall
12. Clip runners off strawberries
13. Feed citrus trees and look for chlorosis in citrus, gardenias, azaleas and others; treat with chelated iron
14. Feed avocado trees
15. Fertilize roses
16. Water all plants well except some well-established drought resistant plants and some native plants
17. Put bloomed-out cyclamen and English primroses in a shady spot for the summer