May 3, 2000 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
Visit Our Website Previous Issues Site Search Feature Articles Rose Tips
Books We Love Local Sponsors |
Confessions of a Savvygardener | ||||||||||||||||||||
This
is the moment that you've either been secretly hoping for or unconciously dreading - my
admission of imperfection. I am sad and humbled to share with you that some of our
seedlings started indoors did not survive. I wish I could say the cats ate them but that
is not the case. The sad truth is that I did not give them proper attention. Here's
the story. Kevin travels a bit and I am left to baby-sit our little seedlings all by
myself. Between being a mother of three, keeping up the house, and entering the world of
internet publishing these little seedlings were always on the bottom of my "To
Do" list. It seems like I would always remember them when I got up to bed and was
turning out the light. By then I was thinking "I'll just take care of those little
guys in the morning." Well, morning would roll around, I would go to the
basement to check on them and they looked as if they had been living in the desert. You
could almost hear their parched pleas for water. After a good drink (for them not me) I
would stand there and wait for them to perk up. Some did and the others, well let's just
say that I will be purchasing some plants from the local nursery. I am not seeking
pity through my confession, though I will take what I can get. I just want you to
know that gardening takes patience, passion and luck. Not every endeavor will work
out. Some will exceed your greatest expectations. Learn from your failures and
bask in the glory of your triumphs. |
|||||||||||||||||||||
~ Shelly | |||||||||||||||||||||
Rhizomes and Tubers and Corms, Oh My! |
|||||||||||||||||||||
Often
referred to simply as summer-flowering bulbs Dahlias, Gladioli, Cannas, Caladium, and
Daylilies bring such a profusion of color and variety to the garden. Now that the
danger of frost is past you can safely plant these "bulbs" in your Kansas City
garden. We've put together a feature article to help you through the process. Click here to read it. |
|||||||||||||||||||||
Recipe for Aging Gracefully... |
|||||||||||||||||||||
If
you like the worn-in look of an established garden but find yourself looking at brand new
pots, statuary, and stepping stones try some moss. The gray/green patina of moss
makes almost anything look like it's been there for a long, long time. This is a
wacky little tip that scores of gardeners swear by for accelerating the growth of moss
just about anywhere:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
The Arthur Murray School of Mowing? |
|||||||||||||||||||||
Most
of us are creatures of habit. When it comes to mowing your lawn you probably follow
the same back and forth pattern every time you cut the grass. Unfortunately this
regular practice will eventually wear ruts in the lawn where the mower wheels repeatedly
follow the same path. To avoid this problem try a four-way rotation of cutting
patterns. Picture your lawn as a sheet of paper and try these patterns. Next
week - tango lessons:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Thirsty Trees... |
|||||||||||||||||||||
Don't
forget your trees during this dry weather. They are looking for at least one inch of
precipitation per week and not getting it from Mother Nature. If you haven't been
watering them they are probably very thirsty. We are still using the Tree I.V. that we bought at
the Metropolitan Lawn & Garden Show this year. It is particularly effective on
young trees as they can require 5-20 gallons of water per week. The tree experts at Ryan Lawn & Tree remind us that if you fertilize your trees now make sure you use fertilizer stakes. Liquid fertilizers should not be used this time of year as they will cause additional stress to the tree. |
|||||||||||||||||||||
What's Hot on the Hotline... |
|||||||||||||||||||||
A
growing number of Hotline calls concern dead and dying pine trees. Within the past
few years, most of our pines have been assaulted by diseases that cause them to brown,
lose needles prematurely, and often to die. The problem has become so severe that
homeowners are encouraged to limit their planting of evergreens to members of the native
Juniperus genus like J. virginiana, a.k.a. Red Cedar or related varieties such as J.
chinensis or the spreading Junipers. Click here to read answers to the many questions about this problem. |
|||||||||||||||||||||
How Dry I Am. How Dry Will I Be? |
|||||||||||||||||||||
Unless
you've been vacationing on the moon for the last four weeks you probably know that April,
2000 was the driest April in Kansas City history. While it is far too early to
declare a drought-like growing season we are a little nervous. One approach is to
make sure you plant some drought-tolerant flowers. Our gardens will include the
following:
For a more complete list of drought-tolerant flowers that grow well in the Kansas City area click here. |
|||||||||||||||||||||
A Little Dressing for Those Vegetables |
|||||||||||||||||||||
If you're growing cabbage, broccoli, or cauliflower they are probably thriving now due to our warmer spring weather. Now is an excellent time to side-dress an application of nitrogen fertilizer along the row as the crop is growing. Use dry fertilizer placed along the row and tilled into the soil or liquid fertilizer mixed with water and sprinkled along the row. Repeat every 2-3 weeks until just before harvest. If it doesn't rain within 3-4 days of application you will want to water it in yourself. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Finally... |
|||||||||||||||||||||
"A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust." - Gertrude Jekyll, Garden Designer, Writer, 1843-1932 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
© 1999-2000 Savvygardener.com, Inc. All rights reserved. If you wish to copy, transmit, or otherwise duplicate any of the material from our website please ask us first. Thank you. |