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September
13, 2000
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| Growing
Gardens, Growing Dreams... |
| Well
it's only Wednesday and it has already been a busy week in the
yard. Ryan Lawn & Tree pruned two trees for us on Monday
(what a huge difference that made) and today they were out to
aerate, verticut and plant new seed. Ah, fall is here!
This weather is ideal for planting grass so don't
procrastinate. If you wait much longer you will have to
fight the falling leaves.
I would like
to welcome our newest sponsor The
Sweet Onion! Proprietors Andrea & Steve Neumann are
slowly building their dream - a community garden center &
nursery where people gather to talk about their passion for
gardening. They have a great story. As a girl Andrea
used to shop with her mother at the nursery's predecessor Grey
Garden Nursery in Waldo. That was over 40 years ago.
Andrea has had her eye on the place for 15 years and jumped at the
chance last October when it was offered for sale.
This place
is filled with nostalgia! An old pot-belly stove remains in
the office and the original cranks that were used to operate the
glass openings at the top of the greenhouse still remain.
The Neumann's admit that they have a long way to go before The
Sweet Onion looks the way they want it. Like any good garden
it takes hard work and patience. Plant the seeds, nurture
them and watch them grow. The Neumann's are also excited
about meeting more Savvygardeners. If you drop by their
dream in progress tell them who you are!
Remember,
Autumn can be both fickle and fleeting. Get out and enjoy it
while it's here! |
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~ Shelly |
| Totally
Tulips (Part II) |
One
of the best ways to keep your spring garden flowering is by
planting tulip bulbs that bloom at different times. Last
week we recommended some tulip varieties that would bloom toward
the early part of spring. This week we focus on those that
will bloom after the early bloomers but just before the late
bloomers. Careful planning will pay off next spring with a continuously
blooming tulip garden.
- Darwin Hybrid Tulips are highly prized for
their large, brilliant flowers. Flowers are available in shades of
red, pink, orange, and yellow. Blooms are borne on strong stems
which are up to 30 inches tall. Darwin hybrid tulips often bloom
well for several years, making them one of the better perennial
tulips.
- Triumph Tulips produce cup-shaped flowers on strong,
medium-length stems. Average plant height is 10 to 16 inches.
This
is the largest class of tulips and offers the widest range of
flower colors. Triumph tulips are excellent for forcing.
- Parrot Tulips have deeply feathered, curled, or twisted
petals. Flowers may be single or multi-colored. Many varieties
have a green spot at the base of their petals. Parrot tulips are
sensitive to poor weather and should be planted in a protected
spot.
Next week,
the late bloomers...
Source
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| It's
Fall Feeding Time... |
| Savvygardeners with cool-season grasses (bluegrass,
fescue, and/or ryegrass) should plan on three applications of
fertilizer each year - one in spring and two in fall.
Fall is the most important time to fertilize as it really
encourages strong root growth resulting in healthier growth next
spring. September is a great month for the first fall
application followed by another in November. You're going to need about 1 to 1.5 pounds of Nitrogen per
1,000 square feet of lawn. That's the amount of actual
Nitrogen, not fertilizer product. The amount of actual
nitrogen in a fertilizer product is indicated by the first digit
of the N-P-K number on the label of a fertilizer bag. The
N-P-K number indicates percentages by weight of the nutrients
nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). For
example, a bag with a N-P-K of 20-4-4 has 20 percent
nitrogen. Therefore it will take 5 pounds of this fertilizer
to provide 1 pound of actual nitrogen. |
| Invite
Your Herbs Inside... |
| Herbs
such as basil, parsley, rosemary, chives, thyme and marjoram should be
dug from the garden and placed in pots for growing indoors before
the first frosts arrive. There's no reason not to get a jump
on this now however. Place them indoors in a sunny location
- preferably a south or west-facing window.
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| Don't
Pine for Shedding Pines... |
| Don't
be alarmed if your evergreen is dropping some of its
needles. All evergreens drop needles from time to time,
usually around this time of year. The needles on
narrow-leaved evergreens usually last about three years, although
some juniper needles may last for 10 years or more.
Arborvitae and white pine needles turn brown or yellow and drop in
the autumn of the second year. If you notice that this
season's growth is falling off the evergreen may be experiencing
more serious problems like drought or disease.
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| Peonies
On the Move... |
Peonies
aren't particularly fond of being uprooted and transplanted but
from time to time it may become necessary. Maybe their home
has become too shady or another project is displacing them.
Our friends at Bannister
Garden Center offer a few simple steps to get it done right:
- Cut the
stems to near ground level this month.
- Carefully
dig up as much of the root system as possible.
- Replant
the peony in a hole large enough for the roots.
- Make sure
the buds are one to two inches below the soil surface.
- Toss in
some bone meal and firm the soil around the plant.
- Water
thoroughly.
Keep in mind
- transplanted peonies often refuse to bloom the first spring
after transplant. Your patience will be rewarded in
subsequent years.
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| What's
Hot On the Hotline... |
| From
time to time, the Hotline receives inquiries about the Johnson County
Extension Master Gardener (EMG) organization that provides the
Hotline service to our community. Since
the primary mission of the EMG Hotline is to disseminate
research-based gardening and horticultural information we have
provided some information on the program in this
week's Hotline...
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| Saving
Heirloom
Seeds... |
| If
you are growing "heirloom" flowers or vegetables make
sure you collect their seeds for planting next year and for sharing
with others. They need to be dry and should be stored in an
envelope or jar with some silica gel until next spring. Don't bother saving
the seeds of hybrids as they won't be true to the parent plant.
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| Finally... |
| "Show
me your garden and I shall tell you what you are."
~
Alfred Austin, Poet Laureate, 1835-1913
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