Bookstore  
Magazines 
Gardening Catalogs

Site Search
Contact Us
Submit A Tip

Feature Articles

Rose Tips
What's Hot... 
Turf Tips...
Winter Wisdom

Books We Love
Great Products
Web Resources
Event Calendar

Local Sponsors

National Sponsors

Subscribe
Unsubscribe 
Address Change
Tell A Friend

Privacy Pledge

June 13, 2001

Shop 'Til You Drop...
I went on a shopping spree a couple of weeks ago at The Kelly Gallery.  On their property Kelly Daniels and her husband Mark operate The Barn a barn-like structure that's just filled with terrific accents for the home and garden.  My friend Tracy and I went together and she was delighted with the selection and even more so by the prices.  Kelly has an eye for "architectural looking" pieces that are simply beautiful!  I could wander around inside the barn for hours looking and dreaming about all of the pieces that would look terrific in my home and garden.  If you haven't had a chance to get out there don't despair!  Kelly and Mark are hosting "The Garden's Are Peaking", a gathering for Savvygardeners, Friday June 22nd from 6-8 PM.  Once again Kevin and I will be present to enjoy the Daniel's gardens in the light of the early evening.  It's free but they do ask that you RSVP...  

Andrea Neumann, proprietor of The Sweet Onion just received a shipment of southern cast iron pieces.  The selection includes large trellises made from old wire beds, southern style cast iron balcony pieces, tables and chairs.  What a find!  Make sure you visit the Specials page of The Sweet Onion's website this week.  Andrea is literally giving plants away!  

I wish it would rain.  Did I say that?  After last week I could have gone forty days and forty nights without seeing another drop.  The heat and wind however are taking a toll on my plants and my spirit.  Make sure you are giving everything a good soaking until those rain drops reappear.

~ Shelly  

Tomato Temptations...
Anxious tomato lovers (like me) need to resist the temptation of over-fertilizing our tomatoes too early. You just want them to grow, grow, grow don't you? Well, it's best to wait until the first signs of fruit appear before really applying that fertilizer. This will help ensure a stronger more productive tomato plant.

Dividing Daylilies...
One of the reasons we love daylilies is their fuss-free nature.  Generally they don't need to be divided as often as many other perennials.  However if you want to increase the number of your favorite cultivars you may want to divide them once in a while.  Savvygardeners should be able to get four new plants from a healthy, 4-year old daylily.  Divide them immediately after flowering, and replant them right away.

Boil, Boil, Weeds In Trouble...
If you can't stand the idea of using chemical herbicides to rid your driveway and sidewalk of weeds and grass try some boiling water.  Pour it directly on any plants you wish to eradicate.  Please note that this alternative to chemicals is not exactly without its own risks.  Hot water is dangerous in its own right and must be handled carefully.  Make sure you don't spill any on the plants you want keep either!

Turf Tips by Chris Karcher...
This week Chris introduces Savvygardeners to Grasscycling - the practice of leaving clippings on the lawn after it's mowed.  This is an easy and effective way to maintain a healthy lawn.  It recycles any fertilizer that was taken up by the lawn, as well as saves you the time and effort required to bag and dispose of the clippings, thus removing the undue burden placed on the landfills.  Chris debunks the myths and gives you the facts about grasscycling in this month's Turf Tips.

Is That A Volcano In Your Garden?
When mulching try to avoid creating "mulch volcanoes" at the base of your trees.  It is quite common to see trees mulched in this manner - a ring of mulch that gets progressively deeper as it approaches the trunk.  While this is better than no mulch at all, Chris Starbuck at University of Missouri Extension advises us that there are some real problems to consider:

• When mulch is placed more than about 4 inches deep, roots tend to "migrate" up into the mulch during rainy periods or when the area is irrigated.  Then, when drought conditions occur, the plant may come under severe stress because many of its roots are growing in a material with much less water holding capacity than real soil.
• The surfaces of the mulch volcanoes can become hydrophobic due to fungal activity and will act as very effective umbrellas, shedding water to the surrounding turf.  This could easily kill a young tree by depriving it of much needed water.
• Other possible problems with mulch volcanoes are promotion of fungal canker diseases by constant moisture around the lower trunk, stress from poor gas exchange by the cells in the bark and damage from rodents that may make take up residence in the volcano.

Source

What's Hot On The Hotline...
Rain and its effects on lawns and gardens made the top of the topics this week.  We certainly have had more than our share over the last month or so.  Find out what the implications are for your yard and garden in this week's What's Hot on the Hotline... 

Dialed In...
Are you using a sundial as a garden ornament?  Well, don't just use it as a pretty decoration.  Set it up to tell time also!  This Friday, June 15 is the magical date on which sundials should be set.  Simply place it so the shadow falls on the twelve o'clock position at exactly noon.  If Friday is out of the question you can wait until Noon Saturday and accept a little error.

Finally...
"On this June day the buds in my garden are almost as enchanting as the open flowers.  Things in bud bring, in the heat of a June noontide, the recollection of the loveliest days of the year - those days of May when all is suggested, nothing yet fulfilled."

~ Francis King

© 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.