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September
27, 2000
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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...
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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.
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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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