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May 9, 2001

The Mother of All Careers...
Three years ago I started one of life's greatest journeys.  I left the "corporate" world and began a career as a full time Mom.  When you give birth to a child you take on a new persona.  One of great love and devotion.  I never really new that becoming a full time Mom would teach me so many things about life.  Although the children depend on me for love, care and nurturing, I too depend on them for the same things.  It is true what they say about the love you share with and for your children.  It is irreplaceable.  It is also true that we as parents shape and mold our children.  I like to think that I take that part of my job very seriously.  I want my children to go out into this world armed with kindness and compassion, confident in knowing that they have my support in everything they do.  I will always be there for Morgan, Noah & Jake, in good times and bad - naturally because that is what a good mother does.  From my house to yours, Happy Mother's Day! 

If you are still thinking about what to give your mother or wife for Mother's Day think about buying peonies from Bannister Garden Center.  Peonies are their specialty and no one grows peonies like proprietors Tony and Neva Mistretta.  They will have over 40 varieties cut and displayed so that you can see which cultivar will be best for you.  Take a plant home for spring planting or order one for fall.  If you love peonies like I do you won't want to miss this festival.  For more general information on peonies read our feature article Peonies - A New Old Favorite.  The Peony Festival starts Monday May 14th, 2001.

~ Shelly  

A Clip In Time...
The proper time to prune continues to vex many gardeners.  This time of year can get confusing because some shrubs are flowering, some are done, and others are still getting ready.  Here's the deal:

Shrubs that flower in the spring are normally pruned immediately after flowering.  Examples of these types of plants include forsythia, Vanhoutte spirea, flowering quince, lilac and mockorange.  Though pruning during the dormant season does not harm the health of the plant, the flowering display will be reduced.  Shrubs that bloom on current season's growth or that do not produce ornamental flowers are best pruned in late winter to early spring.  Examples include Rose-of-Sharon, Bumald Spirea and Japanese Spirea.

There are three basic methods used in pruning shrubs:

  • Thinning is used to thin out branches from a shrub that is too dense.  It is accomplished by removing most of the inward growing twigs by either cutting them back to a larger branch or cutting them back to just above an outward facing bud.  On multi- stemmed shrubs, the oldest canes may be completely removed. 
  • Heading back is removing the end of a branch by cutting it back to a bud and is used for either reducing height or keeping a shrub compact.  Branches are not cut back to a uniform height as this will result in a "witches-broom" effect.
  • Rejuvenation is the most severe type of pruning and is normally done during the dormant season.  It may be used on multi-stem shrubs that have become too large with too many old branches to justify saving the younger canes.  All stems are cut back to 3- to 5-inch stubs.  This works well for spirea, forsythia, pyracantha, ninebark, Russian almond, little leaf mock orange, shrub roses and flowering quince.

Source

Cutworms Collared...
Cutworms can be a real problem for gardeners setting out transplants.  Protect newly transplanted plants with collars.  Simply cut strips of cardboard 2 inches wide by 8 inches long and staple them into a band.  Place this collar around the plant stem and press it about 1 inch into the soil.

We're Cookin' Now...
If you are a cook as well as a Savvygardener one of the great joys of summer is stepping outside to pick or cut fresh herbs for preparing a fine meal.  In addition to their obvious use in foods herbs are great additions to most gardens because they are generally pest resistant, smell great, and many are a joy to behold.

Conveniently, most herbs have similar growing habits and requirements.  Because their essential oils are much more concentrated under cool growing conditions you will want to locate them in a cool but sunny area which receives at least 4 to 6 hours of full sun each day. Areas exposed to the morning sun are better than those areas with mid-day and afternoon sun.

If you didn't start any herbs from seed buy some healthy looking plants from your favorite plant source.  However anise, coriander, dill and fennel aren't too fond of being transplanted.  Sow their seeds directly in the garden.

For a list of over 30 herbs and specific details about growing them check out "Growing Herbs" in our Feature Article section.

 

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Butterflies Will Flutter By...
Last week we talked about our love of hummingbirds.  It's hard to think about the hummers without also being reminded of the hundreds of types of butterflies found in the greater Kansas City area.  Attracting them to your garden is easy if you follow some simple rules.

  • Grow plants that caterpillars enjoy eating and let them eat.  Remember, it takes a healthy caterpillar to make a pretty butterfly!  Try dill, clover, and fennel.
  • Grow flowers that butterflies enjoy visiting for their nectar.  Aster, butterfly bush, coneflower, cosmos, and milkweed are excellent choices.
  • Be careful with insecticides.  In addition to getting rid of other pests these poisons kill caterpillars and butterflies.  This is a good reason to establish a separate butterfly garden.

Back to the hummingbirds for a moment.  Last week we recommended using red food coloring in hummingbird feeders.  Many of you wrote us with warnings about the effect of red coloring on the hummingbirds' health.  We did some research and found that the data is inconclusive.  So, better safe than sorry, this year we've left the food dye out.

Got Irrigation?
We stumbled on this tip and couldn't resist passing it along: 

Here's a use for those used gallon milk containers - seep irrigation.  Simply use a large nail to punch holes in the sides of a jug, spacing them about 2 inches apart.  Bury the jug, leaving the neck protruding from the soil.  Fill the jug with water (solutions of liquid fertilizer may be used to water and fertilize at the same time) and screw the cap on firmly.  The water will gradually seep out, providing a slow, deep irrigation for surrounding plants.

Source

 

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What's Hot On The Hotline...
Last weekend marked the Mexican Cinco de Mayo celebration.  Our Hotline experts took the opportunity to list and describe some of the many horticultural items for which we can thank our neighbors to the south.  Check it out in this week's What's Hot on the Hotline... 

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:

  1. Horizontal - left-to-right, turn, right-to-left across the lawn.
  2. Vertical - top-to-bottom, turn, bottom-to-top across the lawn.
  3. Diagonal 1 - bottom-left to top-right, turn, top-right to bottom-left.  Work toward corners.
  4. Diagonal 2 - bottom-right to top-left, turn, top-left to bottom-right.  Work toward corners.

Finally...
"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."

~ Washington Irving, 1783-1859

 

 

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