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March
20, 2002
Spring
For A Day...
The first day of Spring. A day I live for all winter.
The weather today is definitely hinting that Spring is here.
Notice how I say the weather today. Tomorrow sounds
like we will be getting another blast from Canada that will chill
things down for a couple of days. I don't know about all of
you but I am somewhat dizzy from all this weather turn-around.
One day it's nice, the next day it's cold. I would just
like a happy medium. Somewhere in the 60's with the sun
shining brightly. What about some rain? I would like
to order some of that also. I am watering feverishly today
due to the warmer weather. The ground really needs a good
soaking and the local meteorologists are not calling for rain
anytime soon. With the lack of moisture we have received
this winter watering regularly is very important.
More about this blast from Canada. If you have bulbs that
have already flowered either cover them or, better yet, cut them
and bring a bit of spring indoors. The coming hard freeze
will certainly play havoc with their appearance so save them from
ole Jack Frost.
Kevin and I will be making our next gardening appearance at Earl
May's Shawnee store on April 11th. Earl May is going to be
throwing a special Gardening Open House just for Savvygardeners
at all of their locations April 11th from 6-9 PM. Mark your
calendars now because it is an event that you won't want to miss.
There is a special coupon just for Savvygardeners. Print it
off and bring with you for a savings of 20%. Wow! Isn't
that great? Refreshments will be served and experts will be
on hand to answer all of your gardening questions. Tell all
of your friends and let's show Earl May that we appreciate their
sponsoring Savvygardener.com!
A big thanks to you Savvygardeners who stopped by to visit us at
Family Tree Nursery last weekend. It was a terrific event
and the weather was perfect. If you couldn't make it click here
for some savvy pics!
~
Shelly
Important
Iris Info...
We had an advantageous run-in with Jerry Hoke from the
Greater Kansas City Iris Society. As you can imagine he
gave us some great iris tips. Here they are:
- Remove
mulch and any garden debris from around your irises. The
relatively mild winter means iris bores and aphids may be a
problem this year. Debris removal will also remove
insect eggs.
- Fertilize
now with a high phosphate fertilizer to improve blooms.
Sprinkle it around the iris clump and lightly scratch
it into the soil.
Special
Delivery...
Most catalogs don't deliver your plant orders until it's time
to plant them. Unfortunately sometimes local conditions are
different than "usual" and your plants arrive a bit
early for planting. Don't panic, but don't ignore them
either! Your mail-order plants do need some care in the
time between their arrival and your ability to plant them.
Unwrap them immediately and check for specific directions on
early care. Lacking this just keep them cool and moist in a
protected area until you can safely get them in the ground.
Vegetable
Gardening Without A Garden...
If your outdoor space is limited, consider gardening without
a garden. Tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and many other vegetables do
well when grown in containers. Barrels, window boxes, cut-off
milk jugs, almost any container that provides good drainage will
do as long as it is deep enough to support the plant. Minimum
depths for some container-grown vegetables:
- 4 inches - lettuce,
radishes, beets, low-growing herbs
- 6 inches - chard, turnips,
short-rooted carrots
- 8 inches - eggplant, peppers, bush cucumbers
-
10 inches - cauliflower, broccoli
- 12 inches - tomatoes,
long-rooted carrots
Source
Gardeners
Helping Gardeners
That's
The New SavvyChat!
Kansas
City's Best On-line Gardening Forum
See
For Yourself!
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Clipping
Clematis...
Clematis can be a confusing group of plants to prune, since
they are not all pruned the same way. In fact there are
three methods that can be applied to major groups depending on
the time of year the plant flowers. The earliest flowering
clematis bloom on old wood, while later flowering types must
produce new growth in order for flower buds to form. Prune
carefully, since vines are usually well entangled. The
complete directions are a bit long to fit in this space so we
published them in our Features
section. Check out Pruning
Clematis...
Thyme
For Renewal?
If you grow thyme in your garden you may want to rejuvenate
your plot this spring. Thyme, a low-growing, woody
perennial herb, should be started from seed every two to three
years. This is because older plants produce coarser, lower
grade stems and leaves. Thyme seeds often germinate poorly
when planted directly in the soil, so it's best to start plants
indoors now for transplant later.
What's
Hot On The Hotline...
As gardeners contemplate the growing season each year, the
Hotline receives a number of calls asking for recommendations for
gardening and nursery catalogs that they have received in the
mail. Their advice is in this
week's What's
Hot on the Hotline...
Healthy
Diet...
Though advertising for lawn fertilizers is at its yearly
high, lawns don’t need fertilizer now. Do not apply high rates
of nitrogen (more than 0.75 lbs N/1000 sq. ft.) to your lawn from
March through early May. Too much nitrogen at this time of the year
will lead to problems later this summer such as poor root growth
and disease. Additionally, since spring rains play havoc with
mowing schedules, nitrogen fertilization can further complicate
your mowing schedule by causing grass plants to grow too fast.
Instead of applying fertilizer now, it is better to wait until mid-to late-May and apply up to
¾ lbs N/1000 sq.
ft. with a fertilizer that contains mostly slow-release nitrogen.
Source
Finally... "The
first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is
another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a
month." ~
Henry Van Dyke, Fisherman's Luck, 1899 |
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