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April 12, 2000

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Road Trips for Flowers, No April Showers...
What a terrific weekend! It was a little cool on Saturday but Sunday was ideal! Kevin, the kids, and I have started our weekend adventures to all of the great nurseries here in Kansas City as well as the outer lying areas. We started our trek out west towards Baldwin, Kansas. Last year Kevin and I stumbled onto a great place called Vinland Valley Nursery. This nursery is owned by Doug Davison and Amy Albright and is quite a place. They have a wide selection of trees and shrubs as well as annuals, perennials, and other beautiful things for your garden. I highly recommend this nursery.  Not far from there is Clearfield Farms Nursery.  No website yet but you will find their ad and coupons in Friday's special gardening insert in the The Star.  Great selection here too but best of all - it's kid friendly!  They have swings, a jungle gym, and rabbits to keep the kids amused while Savvygardeners do some serious shopping.

I was anxious to get out to the new Earl May Garden Center in Shawnee. Just one word, WOW!!! What a huge place!  And immaculate too!   They stock a great variety of very healthy plants including Etera perrennials - a really well designed, ready to plant package.

April showers have been few and far between so far and Friday is supposed to be warm and windy - you might as well put your plants in a clothes dryer!  Make sure you water lawns, trees, and any garden beds.  Don't just stand there with a hose in your hand.  Give everything a good soak!

~ Shelly              

Spring Bulbs - Don't Starve Next Year's Flowers!
Depending on micro-climates, planting depth, and variety your spring bulbs are at various stages of growth right now.  Most of our daffodils are gone (but some are still blooming) and our tulips have just entered their most beautiful stage.

What you do with the plants after the flowers are spent is crucial to next year's growth.  Bulbs use their foliage to acquire and transport nutrients necessary for future growth.  If you cut or remove the foliage too early you will starve the bulb and consequently reduce its chances for strong growth next spring.

Cut the stems back as you would if you were cutting them for a vase.  Leave the foliage alone until it has withered on its own.  Only then should you clear it from the garden.


KC Gardening Events Now On-Line
We have added a gardening event calendar to our website.  Here you will find garden-related events that we think might interest you.  Most are sponsored by non-profit and/or charitable organizations but we will include others as appropriate.  We currently have most of the upcoming events at Powell Gardens listed with links to details about the events.

Great Things from Small Spaces
Most of us grow at least a few flowers or herbs in pots - they look great and expand the garden onto decks and porches.  Well, have you ever thought of growing some vegetables this way?  It may sound unconventional at first but container vegetable gardening is perfect for people who have small plots, don't have sunny gardens, or just want to try something different.  Here are some varieties of popular vegetables that are well suited for containers:
  • Tomatoes - Patio, Pixie, Small Fry, Tiny Tim, and Tom Boy
  • Carrots - Little Finger, Lady Finger, Short 'n Sweet, and Tiny Sweet
  • Beets - Burpee Golden, Detroit Dark Red, Gladiator, Little Ball, and Ruby Queen
  • Peas - Little Marvel, Mighty Midget, and Tiny Tim
  • Cucumbers - Bush Champion, Cherokee, Challenger, Patio Pick, and Pot Luck

As always, follow the planting and care instructions provided with your seeds or plants.  Keep in mind that container vegetables will need to be watered more often than those in a traditional garden.   Containers just dry out faster.  Check the soil at least once a day.


What's Hot on the Hotline?
This week's hot questions on the Johnson County Extension Horticultural Hotline involve the weather and vegetable gardening without chemicals. 

You will find these helpful Q and A's here.


Zoned Out in Zone 5
We really had a mild winter this year.  So mild that Savvygardeners may find some surprises in the garden this spring.  We were so pleased to see our Snapdragons making an appearance last week.  Snapdragons are considered annuals in Zone 5 but act like tender perennials in warmer zones.  Look around your garden, especially the sunny side of the house.  You might be surprised what you find.

Remember that USDA hardiness zones are guidelines, not rules, and your plants are going to do as they please regardless.


Last Frost Revisited
Back in February we wrote about last frost and what that mysterious date really means.   We're creeping up on the area's "last frost" date and thought we should address the issue one last time.

Most of the Kansas City metro area can expect a "frost free" date around April 15.  A couple of days earlier or later as you go south or north respectively.  Careful here!  That means that there is still a 50% chance of frost on this date - not the best odds when your plants are on the line.  We are a bit conservative here at Savvygardener.com and as a rule don't plant any tender plants outdoors until the first full weekend in May.  Besides there are plenty of hardy annuals that can be planted now.  More on that below.


Hardy, Har, Har...
As we approach our "last frost" date we need to recognize that frost may still surprise us.  No worries.  Plant some hardy annuals to get a jump on your flower garden!  These guys can handle some light frost and will look great when they flower later this season.  Our favorites include Asters, Calendulas, Delphinium, Dianthus, Larkspur, and Snapdragon.

Finally...
"To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves."   Mahatma Gandhi, 1869-1948

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