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January 9, 2002

It's January 9, Do You Know Where Your Sprinkler Is?
Mother Nature surprised us with a couple of warm days Tuesday and Wednesday so I took advantage of the weather and piddled around outside.  I pulled the sprinkler out and really gave the lawn a good soaking along with the other flower beds.  Since we have not received much precipitation this winter make sure that you are watering also.  Our bulbs, perennials, and evergreens will need some water if they are going to survive this cold, drought-like winter we're having.  Boy does the warmer weather make me want to get out there and plant!  It takes one nice day to catch the gardening bug, and to receive two days in a row, well need I say anymore?

I am headed out of town this weekend to see my new nephew Nicholas.  My sister and her family live in Phoenix so perhaps I will get to enjoy a few more warm days.  While in Phoenix I will be attending their Home and Garden Show so it will be fun to see all of the different and unique plants they will be showing.  I attended last year and it was fun.  Always up for a good gardening expo and ideas on how to landscape plants.  I will share my notes with you next week.

I know it's hard this time of year to keep that gardening spirit but hang in there, Spring hopefully is right around the corner.  A garden symposium is always a good way to get in the spirit so register for "The Art of Gardening", a symposium co-sponsored by Friends of Powell Gardens and The Garden Center Association.  Call Powell Gardens at 816-697-2600 ext. 225.  Kevin and I will be there along with several other Savvygardeners.  Hope to see you there!

~ Shelly  

Catalog Confusion...
Many Savvygardeners have been wondering where their favorite catalogs are.  To make a long story short during last year's "dot com shake-out" a certain company called Foster & Gallagher went under.  Unfortunately for many of us Foster & Gallagher owned a number of mail-order gardening companies.  Here's a list of those companies and their status (as near as we can tell) as of publication of this newsletter:

  • Breck's Bulbs - Website inactive.  Website claims, "We're Returning Soon."
  • Gurney's - Online.  Bought at bankruptcy by "A group of lifelong mail order gardeners."
  • Henry Field's - Online.  Bought at bankruptcy by "A group of lifelong mail order gardeners."
  • Michigan Bulb Company - No longer online.
  • New Holland Bulb Company - No longer online.
  • Springhill Nursery - Website inactive.  Website claims, "We're Returning Soon."
  • Stark Brothers - No longer online.

Caution is in order when dealing with any of these companies as they are brought back to life.  They will no doubt have very different management.  Service and quality may be suspect.  Our recommendation is to limit your purchases until your faith is fully restored.

Need a list of on-line gardening catalogs?  Click here...

Out Of Africa, Into Your Home...
You can encourage African violets to bloom by giving them plenty of light.  A south window during dark, winter months is always a plus.  No indoor access to sun?  They also bloom beautifully under fluorescent lights.  In fact, sometimes they seem to grow better under them.  Fertilize them at every watering, using a one-fourth strength solution.  Water from the top, to prevent salt build-up in the soil, but avoid wetting the leaves.

Careful What You Cut...
Do you have any pruning to do?  January is a great month to prune most deciduous trees and shrubs.  While most trees can be pruned at this time, don't prune spring flowering plants, like quince, forsythia, spirea, etc... as you would be removing their spring flowers.

 


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Low Light Lovers...
If you're like us finding sufficient light for houseplants is a real challenge.  When you run out of sunny windows it's time to think about some houseplants that do well in low-light conditions.  Here's a few: 

  • Variegated Peperomia (Peperomia obtusifolia) (photo)
  • Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema spp.) (photo)
  • Cast-iron plant (Aspidistra elatior) (photo)
  • Parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) 
  • Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) (photo)
  • Grape ivy (Cissus rhombifolia) (photo)
  • Dumbcane (Dieffenbachia spp.) (photo)
  • False aralia (Dizygotheca elegantissima) (photo)

Source

Winter Wisdom...
"If you don’t like today’s weather, just stick around."  It’s an old saw, but it certainly rings true this year.  A rather long dry period has been complicated by unusual warmth and temperature fluctuations, from 6° F. to 60° in the span of two days or less!  Find out the problems and benefits to our wacky weather in this week's Winter Wisdom... 

 


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Savvygardeners, Sappy Trees...
If you have ever pruned trees in late winter to early spring, you may have noticed that some weep sap from fresh pruning wounds.  Different species of trees vary in how easily and how much they "bleed."  Those that are most susceptible to bleeding include maples (silver, sugar, amur, Norway and hedge), black walnut, pecan, birch, mulberry, Osage orange (hedge tree) and grape.  Though bleeding may look as if it would cause considerable damage to the tree, that's not the case.  Even if large amounts of sap are lost, there is no apparent long-term damage.  However, many people find the appearance of this bleeding objectionable.  Pruning during the winter when temperatures remain below freezing will help minimize sap flow.  So if you have any of the "bleeders" that need pruned, you might want to do it while the weather is really cold.

Source

Turf Tips by Chris Karcher...
I'll bet you thought the lawn wasn't a concern until spring!  Guess again.  Like all gardening activities there's plenty to think about all year round.  Thank goodness for our lawn expert Chris Karcher.  This month he wrote "Winter Woes! What is Wrong With My Lawn?"  Read it...

Finally...
"One leaf left on a branch 
and not a sound of sadness 
or despair. One leaf left 
on a branch and no unhappiness. 
One leaf left all by itself 
in the air and it does not speak 
of loneliness or death. 
One leaf and it spends itself 
in swaying mildly in the breeze."

~ David Ignatow, Poet

 

 

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