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September 27, 2000

 

Time For Bed?
There have been several e-mails this past week with inquiries about how and when to "put the garden to bed."  For the beginning gardener, the term "putting the garden to bed" means preparing the garden for winter.  The weather somewhat dictates when that date is.  Our first frost is normally in mid-October.  How "hard" that first frost is will help you decide whether or not it is time to cut back all perennials and rid the garden of all annuals.  I always like to squeeze as much time as possible out of my fall garden knowing that once that hard frost hits winter is well on its way.  Savvygardeners know that it is easier to follow the "cut back as you go" method meaning that if you constantly cut back perennials that have finished blooming you will be way ahead of the game come fall.   My best advice for "putting the garden to bed" is to keep reading Savvygardener.com.

The weather has been perfect - slow soaking rains this past weekend, cool mornings and warm afternoons.  Ah, what a difference a good rain makes!  Everything is so green, just the way we Savvygardeners like it.

~ Shelly          

Totally Tulips (IV)...
It's a sad and sometimes frustrating fact that hybridized tulips "burn-out" every few years or so.  You might be surprised to know that species tulips are not prone to burn-out and will return to the garden every spring for many years.  Now don't be mistaken, species tulips are different than hybrids.  They perform best in rock garden-like locations, require full sun, and well-drained, almost gravelly soils that drain quickly between rains.  

Species tulips are smaller in size than their hybrid relatives.  Most grow just 4 to 12 inches in height and do not like the competition of other plants around them.  Species tulips spread by self sown seeds or stolons.  Many have foliage which is mottled or gray to blue green in color.  They also offer more in the way of bloom.  Many have multiple blooms per stem, some have up to seven!

Interested?  Some species to try include:

  • Tulipa batalinii has soft yellow, fragrant flowers appearing in early spring.  It grows just 5 inches tall.
  • Tulipa clusiana grows 10 to 12 inches tall and blooms in early spring.  The flowers have a white interior with a crimson central star and a pink exterior.  It naturalizes very well.
  • Tulipa greigii comes in pink, yellow, orange, red, buff, cream, and apricot.  It grows 8 to 12 inches tall and blooms in mid-spring.  The blossoms are large - 4 to 5 inches when fully open.
  • Tulipa kaufmanniana grows 6 to 8 inches tall and is available in a wide variety of colors.  It blooms in early spring.
  • Tulipa linifolia grows 4 to 6 inches tall with brilliant red flowers.
  • Tulipa pulchella is a tiny plant growing 3 to 5 inches tall.  It has violet purple fragrant flowers in early spring.
  • Tulipa saxatillis naturalizes readily.  The flowers, lavender-pink with a yellow base, appear mid-spring.  Plants grow 6 to 8 inches tall.
  • Tulipa sylvestris grows 10 to 12 inches tall with fragrant yellow flowers.  Flowers occur 3 to 7 per stem.
  • Tulipa tarda flowers are yellow with white tips.  Plants grow 4 to 6 inches tall.  This tulip is easy to grow!
  • Tulipa turkestanica has cream colored flowers occurring 3 to 5 per stem.  Flowers appear in early spring.  Plants grow 5 to 8 inches tall.

All the species tulips listed above are hardy in zones 4 through 7 with the exception of Tulipa pulchella and Tulipa turkestanica which are hardy in zones 5 to 8.  All should do fine in the greater Kansas City area.

When preparing the site, amend the area several inches wider and deeper than the bulbs will occupy with sand or gravel.  Planting on a gentle slope or in a raised bed assures good drainage.  Plant the bulbs 5 to 8 inches deep.  Species tulips are also suitable for planting in containers.

Source

Unwanted Winter Guests...
Ever wonder where those garden pests that attack your vegetables come from?  It may be from your garden itself! Cucumber beetles, squash bugs, Colorado potato beetles, and European corn borers can pass the winter in debris left in the garden.  Come spring and summer they are ready to resume their devilish deeds.  You can help prevent them from over-wintering by removing dead plant material, and composting it or plowing it under.  This should limit your pest population next year to those insects that migrate into the garden.

 

A Shady Character Called Fern...
Looking for a plant for that shady side of the house?  Don't overlook ferns.  They look great and are fairly easy to grow.  Most prefer a slightly acidic soil with 50 to 75 percent humus, good water retention and excellent drainage.  All ferns require ample moisture for growth, as well as a certain amount of humidity to prevent dehydration of their foliage. 

Woodland ferns do best in high or dappled shade.  The open shade of mature trees or the north side of the house or a wall, open to the sky, provide nearly ideal light conditions.  While many woodland ferns will adapt to low light levels none will thrive in deep shade.  For the greatest tolerance of low light conditions try an evergreen species.

 
A Bone To Pick With Bone Meal...
For many gardeners bone meal and bulbs go hand-in-hand.  For generations bone meal was considered the standard fertilizer for spring flowering bulbs.  Like so many things bone meal has changed however.  Most bone meal sold today has been so thoroughly processed that the essential nutrients have been reduced to almost nothing.  For bulbs in their second or later season try using a commercial "bulb food" instead.

Remember - A healthy Dutch bulb already contains all the food it needs to support the first season of growth.  Just plant them according to directions and they will bloom without fertilizer next spring.

 

It's A Great Pumpkin, Savvygardener...
Our hot, dry weather that closed out summer meant that many pumpkins and winter squash had already been harvested.  You may still have vines that are growing vigorously with pumpkins up under them and wondering what to do and when to do it.  A pumpkin (or squash) harvested too early will have tender skin and water will evaporate through it - drying out the pumpkin and causing it to shrivel.  A mature pumpkin's outer skin forms a hard, protective barrier preventing water from leaving the fruit.  Check the hardness of the rind with your thumbnail.  If you can easily penetrate the rind it is still immature.  If the rind is tough and hard it's time to harvest.  It is not uncommon for a little water to drip out of the dry stem right after harvest. 

If you want to hold them for a long time (Halloween or Thanksgiving) you should store pumpkins or squash in a cool basement (50-60 degrees) after they are thoroughly dry.  Or you can put them in displays now.  But be careful, if the weather warms again pumpkins put on display may shrivel or rot before the fall holidays.

Source

What's Hot On the Hotline...
This past week the hotline had several questions about evergreens declining, despite having been carefully watered through our recent hot, dry weather.  Is it disease, climate, a little of both?  Find out in this week's Hotline...

 

Turn Green Tomatoes Red...
When it gets as cool as it has been lately the green tomatoes still on your vines just aren't going to ripen there.  And what's worse, if a rogue frost descends on them it's game over.  Here are two approaches to getting them to ripen out of harms way:
  • Remove the whole plant, roots and all, an hang it upside-down in a cool. dark area indoors or in a garage.  At temperatures in the 60's those tomatoes should ripen nicely.  Just pull them off the vine as they are individually ready.

  • If the above method is a bit messy for you try picking the green tomatoes and individually wrapping them in newspaper.  Place them in a paper bag or cardboard box and store in a cool, dark place.  Keep an eye on them periodically.  When they start to redden up unwrap them and let them finish ripening at room temperature.  Hint - If you're in a hurry place an apple in the bag with the wrapped tomatoes.

Tasty red tomatoes won't be far away.

 

Finally...
"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order."

~ John Burroughs, American Essayist, (1837 - 1921)

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