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October
2, 2002 |
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The
Pitter Patter Of Little Drops...
It is Wednesday morning and I am anxiously awaiting the rain
we are supposed to be receiving today. It has just begun to
sprinkle so maybe that is a good sign of things to come.
After watering for three hours yesterday I will consider any
extra moisture as icing on the cake. Funny, having watered
that long in one particular area (the front yard) the ground is
only a bit damp. We are getting ready to verticut and do
some fall seeding so the soil needs to be extra wet to help hold
the seed. After all of that summer stress our cool season
lawn seems to have lost its will to bounce back. Time to
bring in serious grass people. Whenever I am having
lawn problems I look to my friends at Ryan
Lawn & Tree to come over and tell me what needs to be
done. Their knowledge and expertise is by far the best in
the city. Grass is not my forte so why not consult a
professional!
Have you had a chance to visit Family
Tree Nursery in Overland Park lately? What a beautiful
display of mums! I have never seen so many sizes and
colors. They also have plenty of pumpkins, gourds, corn
stalks and other items to use while decorating for the festive
months of October and November. Also their coupon
of the month can't be beat! While you're there don't
forget to check out greatly discounted perennials that are
perfect for planting now!
Oh, sweet music to my ears! It is now raining cats and
dogs. What a wonderful day even though I am not in the
garden!
~
Shelly
Totally
Tulips (Part 4)...
It's a sad and sometimes frustrating fact that hybridized tulips
"burn-out" every few years or so. You might be
surprised to know that species tulips are not prone to
burn-out and will return to the garden every spring for many
years. Now don't be mistaken, species tulips are different
than hybrids. They perform best in rock garden-like
locations, require full sun, and well-drained, almost gravelly
soils that drain quickly between rains.
Species
tulips are smaller in size than their hybrid relatives.
Most grow just 4 to 12 inches in height and do not like the
competition of other plants around them. Species tulips
spread by self sown seeds or stolons. Many have foliage
which is mottled or gray to blue green in color. They also
offer more in the way of bloom. Many have multiple blooms
per stem, some have up to seven!
Interested?
Some species to try include:
- Tulipa
batalinii has soft yellow, fragrant flowers appearing in
early spring. It grows just 5 inches tall.
- Tulipa
clusiana grows 10 to 12 inches tall and blooms in early
spring. The flowers have a white interior with a crimson
central star and a pink exterior. It naturalizes very
well.
- Tulipa
greigii comes in pink, yellow, orange, red, buff, cream,
and apricot. It grows 8 to 12 inches tall and blooms in
mid-spring. The blossoms are large - 4 to 5 inches when
fully open.
- Tulipa
kaufmanniana grows 6 to 8 inches tall and is available in
a wide variety of colors. It blooms in early spring.
- Tulipa
linifolia grows 4 to 6 inches tall with brilliant red
flowers.
- Tulipa
pulchella is a tiny plant growing 3 to 5 inches tall.
It has violet purple fragrant flowers in early spring.
- Tulipa
saxatillis naturalizes readily. The flowers,
lavender-pink with a yellow base, appear mid-spring.
Plants grow 6 to 8 inches tall.
- Tulipa
sylvestris grows 10 to 12 inches tall with fragrant yellow
flowers. Flowers occur 3 to 7 per stem.
- Tulipa
tarda flowers are yellow with white tips. Plants
grow 4 to 6 inches tall. This tulip is easy to grow!
- Tulipa
turkestanica has cream colored flowers occurring 3 to 5
per stem. Flowers appear in early spring. Plants
grow 5 to 8 inches tall.
All the
species tulips listed above are hardy in zones 4 through 7 with
the exception of Tulipa pulchella and Tulipa turkestanica which
are hardy in zones 5 to 8. All should do fine in the
greater Kansas City area.
When
preparing the site, amend the area several inches wider and
deeper than the bulbs will occupy with sand or gravel.
Planting on a gentle slope or in a raised bed assures good
drainage. Plant the bulbs 5 to 8 inches deep. Species
tulips are also suitable for planting in containers.
Source
Want To See
Red?
When it gets as cool as it has been lately the green tomatoes
still on your vines just aren't going to ripen there. And
what's worse, if a rogue frost descends on them it's game over.
Here are two approaches to getting them to ripen out of harms
way:
- Remove
the whole plant, roots and all, an hang it upside-down in a
cool. dark area indoors or in a garage. At temperatures
in the 60's those tomatoes should ripen nicely. Just
pull them off the vine as they are individually ready.
- If the
above method is a bit messy for you try picking the green
tomatoes and individually wrapping them in newspaper.
Place them in a paper bag or cardboard box and store in a
cool, dark place. Keep an eye on them periodically.
When they start to redden up unwrap them and let them finish
ripening at room temperature. Hint - If you're in a
hurry place an apple in the bag with the wrapped tomatoes.
Tasty red
tomatoes won't be far away.
Nuisance
Of The Week- Hackberry Psyllids In Homes
Sometimes called jumping plant lice, these small dark-colored
insects resemble cicadas in miniature form. They are about
1/8- to 1/5-inch long and small enough to enter homes through
ordinary screens. These insects overwinter in
buildings or in bark crevices on trees. After mating in the
spring, the females deposit eggs on newly emerging hackberry
leaves. Nymphs hatch from the eggs and start feeding on the
underside of the leaves.
Since these
insects are specific to hackberry trees, only homes near a
hackberry tree are affected. If hackberry psyllids become a
nuisance inside, use a vacuum cleaner to suck them up. Be
sure to discard the bag immediately after vacuuming so they don't
escape and reinfest the home.
A Bone
To Pick With Bone Meal...
For many gardeners bone meal and bulbs go hand-in-hand. For
generations bone meal was considered the standard fertilizer for
spring flowering bulbs. Like so many things bone meal has
changed however. Most bone meal sold today has been so
thoroughly processed that the essential nutrients have been
reduced to almost nothing. For bulbs in their second or
later season try using a commercial "bulb food"
instead.
Remember -
A healthy Dutch bulb already contains all the food it needs to
support the first season of growth. Just plant them
according to directions and they will bloom without fertilizer
next spring.
What's
Hot On The Hotline...
One product of the drought conditions we have been undergoing
has been an increase of Hotline inquiries concerning turf
grasses, watering, and the usual fall programs of over seeding
and fertilizing. According to current weather reports, the
area is running about nine inches short of normal precipitation
levels so far this year. What affect should this have on
our fall plans? Find out in this
week's What's
Hot on the Hotline...
Time For
Lime?
If the results of a soil test suggest that your lawn or
garden needs an application of lime now is the time to do it.
Never had a soil test before? Shame on you! Resolve
to get one done this month. We've posted easy to follow instructions
on the Savvygardener.com website.
Finally... "If
gardeners will forget a little the phrase, "watering the
plants" and think of watering as a matter of "watering
the earth" under the plants, keeping up its moisture content
and gauging its need, the garden will get on very well." ~
Henry Beston, Herbs and the Earth, 1935 |