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September
18, 2002 |
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Fall
Discoveries...
As I was trying to decide what to write
about this week it suddenly struck me that I should write about
how lucky the gardeners of Kansas City are. Lucky you might
ask? Yes, lucky. Lucky because the gardening
community of Kansas City is a strong group of passionate people.
Lucky because there are so many great nurseries and garden
centers staffed with knowledgeable people - people who are truly
dedicated to customer service. Lucky because there are
resources like the County Extension offices, Powell Gardens, the
Overland Park Arboretum, and not to mention a weekly email
publication - Savvygardener.com! I think that you would have
to agree with me. Kansas City offers some specialty
gardening services that no other cities offer. Wouldn't you
say we're lucky?
Speaking of lucky, Monday afternoon I had the pleasure of meeting
Wayne and Jan Vinyard, proprietors of Longview Gardens. Jan
and I have exchanged emails several times but had never had the
opportunity to actually meet. Jan invited me out for a
personal tour, an offer I couldn't resist. Talk about a
full service Nursery. Wow! Their inventory was
amazing! Rows and rows, green house after greenhouse of
perennials, annuals, shrubs, and trees. On top of
that is a store filled with everything imaginable for the garden
or home decor. A place I could roam around in for hours.
I will certainly be calling upon Jan in the future for her
expertise. For you Savvygardeners who have not had a chance
to venture out to Longview Gardens I encourage you to do so.
Go when you have plenty of time. as you too will lose yourself in
the aisles of plants.
What a pleasant surprise to be awaked by a thunderstorm
this morning. Another light rain that will add another
small amount to the rain gauge. Slowly but surely we are
getting the moisture we need. I believe there is another
chance of rain tonight. Hopefully we will get lucky and
receive another nice drenching rain.
For all of
you early risers, tune in to KCTV5 Saturday morning at 8:00 am to
see and hear me talk about fall planting.
~
Shelly
Totally
Tulips (Part 2)
One
of the best ways to keep your spring garden flowering is by
planting tulip bulbs that bloom at different times. Last
week we recommended some tulip varieties that would bloom toward
the early part of spring. This week we focus on those that
will bloom after the early bloomers but just before the late
bloomers. Careful planning will pay off next spring with a continuously
blooming tulip garden.
- Darwin Hybrid Tulips are highly prized for
their large, brilliant flowers. Flowers are available in shades of
red, pink, orange, and yellow. Blooms are borne on strong stems
which are up to 30 inches tall. Darwin hybrid tulips often bloom
well for several years, making them one of the better perennial
tulips.
- Triumph Tulips produce cup-shaped flowers on strong,
medium-length stems. Average plant height is 10 to 16 inches.
This
is the largest class of tulips and offers the widest range of
flower colors. Triumph tulips are excellent for forcing.
- Parrot Tulips have deeply feathered, curled, or twisted
petals. Flowers may be single or multi-colored. Many varieties
have a green spot at the base of their petals. Parrot tulips are
sensitive to poor weather and should be planted in a protected
spot.
Next week,
the late bloomers...
Source
Fabulous
Fall Crops...
Savvygardener Lela W. of Leawood writes to remind us that
mid-September is not too late to plant spinach seeds. She
writes "Last year I tried it and the seeds came up and I had
several salads before a hard frost." Lela's
right. In fact, if you act quickly you too can still plant
the seeds of spinach, lettuce and radishes for a late autumn
harvest. Be prepared to protect your crop at the first sign
of frost. Covering with a blanket or layer of fallen leaves
will do the trick when frost threatens.
Mulch
Ado About Trees...
Fall is a great time to plant a tree. Keeping it alive
is an all-season affair. Mulching is so important for new
trees but it's not as simple as dumping a bag of wood chips at
the base of tree. Here are some tips to help you avoid the
most common mistakes:
- Don't
pile mulch around the trunk. This keeps the trunk wet,
which can allow diseases and insects to invade. Keep the
mulch at least 6 inches from the trunk.
- Don't put
on too little or too much. A 1-inch-deep layer doesn't
do the job. A settled depth of 3 to 5 inches gives you
the full benefits of mulch, including good weed control.
Mulch depths of a foot or two are excessive and may smother
roots.
- Don't
apply sour-smelling mulch. If it smells like a litter
box it's probably been stored on a waterlogged site. The
ammonia that builds in this situation can harm your tree.
Sour mulch is a rare occurrence, but your nose will give you a
clear warning of it.
- Don't use
freshly chipped chips. While the chance of disease
transmission is small it's easy to go zero-risk by aging
chips for six weeks or more before using them around your
trees.
Source
Save 10% on fabulous
gardening items at
The Kelly Gallery!
Find
Out How!
|
Nuisance
Of The Week - Summer Stresses On Conifers
Our heat and drought this year has been very tough on trees;
especially some of the evergreens. Spruce, fir and pine are
not well adapted to Kansas conditions and high stress years like
this one can lead to decline and death. However, there are
natural conditions that can look like the tree is dying that
actually are not harmful. How do we tell the difference?
Find out in this week's Nuisance
of the Week...
Planting
Perennials...
Fall is here and that means we're planting perennials at our
house. By planting perennials now Savvygardeners will
benefit from the plant establishing a strong root structure
during the autumn months. This in turn leads to a bigger,
healthier plant next spring.
Perennials
are generally sold in pots or bare-root. Here are the steps to
follow when planting a bare root perennial:
- Remove
the plant from its package, and carefully remove all loose
packing material (peat moss and sawdust are commonly
used).
- Soak the
roots in a bucket of water for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Examine
the root system, and trim away any rotted, moldy, broken or
elongated roots with a sharp knife of your pruning
shears.
- Dig a
hole deep and wide enough to allow the roots to fan out from
the crown at about 45° angle. It sometimes helps to
make a cone-shaped mound of soil in the bottom of the hole and
spread the roots around it. Remember, the crown of most
perennials should be roughly level with the surrounding
ground.
- Cover the
roots with soil and press down firmly. Make sure all the
roots — especially those under the crown are in contact with
soil.
- Water the
plant well and add a layer of mulch.
Source
What's
Hot On The Hotline...
Continuing the coverage of bulbs and bulbous plants the
hotline staff weighs in with detailed descriptions of some
favorites including narcissus, hyacinth, allium and a variety of
lilies. Check it out in this
week's What's
Hot on the Hotline...
A Dandy
Time to Stop Dandelions...
So, all summer long you've been battling a few (or a few
dozen) dandelions for control of your lawn. Well, they say
the best way to control dandelions and other broad-leaf weeds is
by maintaining a lush, healthy turf. But you've still got
to knock out those pesky weeds that just won't go away and fall
is a great time to do it. Options are many but generally
the most effective controls result with a liquid broadleaf weed
herbicide sprayed under these conditions:
- The weeds
are actively growing.
- Soil
moisture is plentiful (never in drought).
- Air
temperatures are between 60 and 75 degrees F (never above 80
degrees).
- Wind
speeds are below 5 mph.
- The lawn
will not receive moisture through rain or irrigation for at
least 24 hours.
- The lawn
will not be mowed for several days before or after the
application.
- The
person doing the applying reads and follows herbicide label
instructions carefully.
Source
Finally... "make
us sing and dance, make faces and give flower bouquets, trying to
be loved. You ever notice that trees do everything to git
attention we do, except walk?" ~
Alice Walker, Author |
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