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~ Dividing Spring Blooming Perennials
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October 2, 2002

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.

 


Bargain Bulbs! 

A bag of 25 Purple Sensation Allium Bulbs regularly $19.99 only $5.99 with the coupon of the month!

Click here now for unbelievable savings! 

 

 

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.

 


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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

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