Savvygardener.com

Click Here For The Sweet Onion Nursery & Garden Center!

 
Visit Our Website
Previous Issues
Buyer's Guide  
Tell A Friend  

Bookstore  
Magazines 
Gardening Catalogs

Site Search
Contact Us
Submit A Tip

Feature Articles

~ When to Start
Seeds Indoors
~ Seed Starting Indoors
~ Vegetable Garden Calendar
~ Seed Starting Tomatoes

~

Shrub Pruning Calendar
~ Pruning Clematis 
~ Gardening in the Shade
~ Summer-Flowering Bulb Care
~ Drought-Tolerant Flowers for KC
~ Preparing for a Soil Test
~ Changing the pH of Your Soil
~ Growing Herbs
~ All About Composting
~ All About Mulch
~ Worm Composting
~ When to Harvest Vegetables
~ Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
~ Cold Frames & Hot Beds
~ When to Divide Perennials
~ Dividing Spring Blooming Perennials
~ Forcing Bulbs Indoors
~ Overseeding A Lawn
~ More...

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

SavvyChat
~ On-Line Gardening Forum

Books We Love
Great Products
Web Resources
Event Calendar

Local Sponsors

~ Earl May
~ The Kelly Gallery
~ Missouri Organic Recycling
~ The Sweet Onion

National Sponsors

Subscribe
Unsubscribe 
Address Change
Tell A Friend

Privacy Pledge

 

 

 

Click Here for Great Soil and Compost!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 7, 2001

Short On Time, Long On Desire...
If only there were a few more hours in the day!  Since the time change I feel as if I have been cheated with spending more time outside piddling in my gardens.  I can not believe this weather!  I think this is the nicest fall we have had in some time and it sounds as if it may continue a while longer.  I have been busily working in the yard mainly taking care of all of the leaves and planting the rest of my bulbs.  I have had to replant a few bulbs because my new best friend (Sam Parker the beagle) thinks that it is so much fun watching me dig in the ground that he took it upon himself to help out in a couple of areas.  What a guy!

I am already so excited about spring.  In the seven years we have lived in this house this will be the first that we will have "spring interest" in every garden.  By adding some new garden space and continuing to fill the old, I finally feel like I have enough bulbs in the ground to give the showing I have always wanted.  Slowly but surely I am putting together an all-season garden.  It has been a lot of hard work and planning but I thing it is coming together quite nicely.  Kevin has been busy doing some exterior work to the house - scraping old paint and applying new.  It is amazing how a clean coat of paint brings something back to life.  I always joke with my friends about how our house in a continual project yet I enjoy working to improve our home and the way it looks.  It is home after all and a house that Kevin, our children and I love.  Kind of sappy huh?  

Speaking of new gardening space, Kevin installed the cutest picket fence this past weekend to help keep Sam Parker in the yard.  All I can think about is what I am going to plant around and on it.  Of course I have all of these great ideas running through my head - climbing roses (this part of the yard gets full sun), Clematis and maybe even some shrubs to keep the dog from digging out.  Big plans but not enough sunlight during the day.  A bridge I will cross next spring.  

I hope you are enjoying this weather.  I am at my best when I am able to be outside working in the soil or just looking at the beautiful blue sky and all of the vibrant fall foliage.  When I step out of the house first thing in the morning and get a great big whiff of that fall smell (you know the one I am talking about) it fills my body with well being.  Oh how it is great for my soul and mind to be a gardener!

~ Shelly  

Seed Saving Savvy...
After you have collected seeds from your favorite flowers and vegetables be careful how you store them.  The general rule for seed storage is cool and dry.  A seed is actually a living infant plant with a limited amount of food to sustain it until it germinates.  Warm storage temperatures may let it consume too much food and damp temperatures may encourage mold or bacteria to use some of the food and kill the plant.  Dry seeds in a paper envelope will not trap moisture, and kept in a cool and dry place, will survive well so you may plant them next year.

Source

Christmas Tree B & B...
It may seem a little early to be thinking about Christmas trees but if you are considering a live, balled & burlapped tree that will be planted after the holiday you should start planning now.  It's time now to choose the planting spot and, more importantly, dig the hole for it.  If you wait too long the ground may be frozen by the time you think about it again.  

After you dig the hole fill it with leaves or straw to protect against any early freezing (you might also cover it with plywood if the hole presents an injury or accident risk).  Keep the dirt from the hole in a garage or shed so you have some loose soil to use during planting.

Pip, Pip, Hooray...
An interesting but seldom used flower for forcing is lily-of-the-valley.  You can buy commercially prepared lily-of-the-valley "pips" from your florist or garden center.  Plant as many as possible in pots for an abundance of fragrant blooms this winter.  In addition to their beauty and fragrance lily-of-the-valley pips tolerate more heat than many other commonly forced bulbs.

 


Don't Keep Secrets!

Tell Your Friends About Savvygardener.com!

You Could Win A $50 Gift Certificate

Click Here For Details...

 

 

Close Quarters...
It may seem strange but your amaryllis bulbs may not bloom if they are in too large a pot.  Ideally there should be no more than one inch of space on each side of the bulb.  While you're at it make sure that at least one third of the bulb is above the soil line.

Clean Cutters...
Your shears and loppers are probably getting a good workout as you tidy up the garden and landscape.  Keep them in good working order by wiping them with a rag dipped in paint thinner to remove sticky resins. Regular sharpening and a periodic thorough oiling will help the better tools last forever.

 


Gardening Magazines Get You Through Winter!

Great Subscription Rates For Savvygardeners!

Click Here Now!

 

 

Winter Wisdom...
What's Hot on the Hotline is officially closed for the season and will resume next spring.  Beginning this week we will bring you Winter Wisdom - interesting garden related subjects to keep you interested and informed through the winter months.  A description of the K-State Research & Extension resources (including their reference library and InfoLine) can be found in this week's Winter Wisdom...

Fertilizer Finale...
A November application of fertilizer is extremely important to keep your lawn healthy and looking good this fall and next year.  Late fall Nitrogen promotes good root development, enhances storage of energy reserves, and extends color retention this fall.  Most of the benefits from late fall Nitrogen will be seen next spring and summer with earlier green-up, improved density, and improved tolerance to diseases and other stresses.  Apply near or after your last mowing of the year, but while grass is still green.  Timing is not overly critical as there may be a month or more between your last mowing and the time the grass turns brown or goes under snow cover.  Generally the first few weeks of November present the best time to apply.  Recent Purdue University research suggests that to be most effective the Nitrogen must be taken-up by the plant before winter.  Therefore, use a soluble Nitrogen source such as urea, ammonium nitrate, or ammonium sulfate and apply 1 to 1½ lbs. N/1000 sq. ft. 

Source

Finally...
"The great challenge for the garden designer is not to make the garden look natural, but to make the garden so that the people in it will feel natural."

~ Lawrence Halprin - Landscape Architect

 

 

Click Here For Earl May!

© 1999-2001 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.o