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October 23, 2002

Dressed Up for the Seasons
What a nice rain we're getting today.  The air is a bit raw but I find the rain to be so tranquil.  As I was walking Sam Parker today I paused to look at our house from across the street.  New grass is coming up and we have decorated the new garden with pumpkins, mums, milo stalks and more
(photo).  Isn't it fun to use your house and garden as a canvas - constantly changing it with the seasons and holidays?  I love trying to make use of my garden year round.  I am not just one of those spring and fall only gardeners.  After all, there is so much that you can do to change the garden's appearance during the change of seasons.  Be adventurous!  Try new plants and shrubs.  Things that will add winter interest to the garden.  There are so many great evergreens available that it has become easier to have a green garden year round!  If you haven't tried decorating for fall, the winter holidays are right around the corner.  I am already thinking about how to decorate my window boxes as well as where to put the garland and lights.  I can hardly wait!

Don't let this cold, wet, gloomy weather get you down. Bring the garden inside.  Just the other day I cut a bunch of "Autumn Joy" sedum and made a beautiful arrangement with it.  I am also getting ready to cut some daisy's that still look great.  After I cut them I will put them into flower vials and place them in a room that could use a little pick-me-up.  I don't know about you but when the sun is not shining bringing in a bouquet of something from the garden makes the day a bit brighter.

~ Shelly  

Breakfast In Bed...
If your spring-flowering bulb beds have been fertilized in the past there is often plenty of phosphorus and potassium present in the soil already.  However, it is best to take a soil test to be sure.  If the soil needs phosphorus and potassium, use a complete fertilizer (such as 10- 10-10, 9-9-6, etc.) at the rate of 2½ pounds per 100 square feet.  This would equal 1 rounded teaspoon per square foot.  If phosphorus and potassium are not needed, blood meal makes an excellent fertilizer.  It should be applied at the rate of 2 pounds per 100 square feet or 1 teaspoon per square foot.  Turf fertilizers such as a 27-3-3 or 30-3-3 can also be used but the rate would have to be cut to 1 pound per 100 square feet.

Source

Food For Thought, Not For Fish...
Here's a correction/clarification to last week's tip on water gardens.  It was submitted by Mark Lehman of the Sunflower Water Garden Society:

"Feeding fish in late fall is dangerous business.  Stop feeding now especially in small ponds the temperature can drop suddenly and the fish are not able to digest the food, this food will sour in their stomachs and kill them.  Fish do not depend on stored fat for the winter, their metabolism slows down with the water temperature to almost 0 in the winter months.  As the water warms in the spring their metabolism speeds up just about as fast as the food sources start up.  More fish are killed by overfeeding than any other problem.  The smaller the pond (or tank) the more acute the problem.  Many pond owners never feed their fish and they do fine with the natural foods available in the pond."

Thanks Mark!

Keep It Interesting...
As you clean up the garden and prepare it for bed try to leave some plants in place to maintain some winter interest.  Ornamental grasses in particular look great in wintertime.  Seedpods on spent flower stems, especially in bunches, give the wintertime garden a very special dimension also.

 


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What's Up Doc?
During the winter months, rabbits often gnaw on the bark of many woody plants.  Heavy browsing can result in the complete girdling of small trees and small branches clipped off at snow level.  Apple, pear, crabapple, and serviceberry are frequent targets of these furry critters.  Smaller trees with smooth, thin bark tend to be the most vulnerable.  Other frequently damaged plants include the winged euonymus or burning bush, Japanese barberry, dogwood, roses, and raspberries.

The best way to prevent rabbit damage to young trees is to place a cylinder of hardware cloth (1/4 inch mesh wire fencing) around the tree trunk.  The hardware cloth cylinder should stand about 1 to 2 inches from the tree trunk and 20 inches above the ground.  The bottom 2 to 3 inches should be buried beneath the soil.

Source

Don't Leave Those Leaves...
Those leaves that are falling all over the region are pretty but leaving lots of them on your lawn can mean trouble.  When they are dry they shade your grass from much needed fall sun.  When wet they can smother grass turning it yellow and possibly killing it.  Just keep the leaves raked up a few times per week and you should be fine.  Better yet, mow and bag them in your lawnmower and use the shredded leaves in your garden or compost pile.

 


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What's Hot On The Hotline...
Trees are a long-term investment and justify careful, site-sensitive selection, and special care to get them off to a good start.  The slow growth of some of the nicest trees can be frustrating to many homeowners.  Interestingly, it has been found that slow growth in newly planted trees is not due as much to the species as to the new tree’s proper planting and maintenance.  In short, there is no need to select inferior, short-lived species prone to damage, whose main claim is rapid growth.  The Kansas Urban Forestry Council states in its publications that, “It is easy to increase growth rate 50% to 100% or more by making a few changes in your planting or maintenance program.”  You will find seven steps to "rapid growing" trees in this week's What's Hot on the Hotline...

Don't Go With A Low Mow...
Contrary to some old-time recommendations and habits you should not reduce lawn mowing height in the weeks before winter sets in.  This is because photosynthesis will continue until the plant is dormant, even in spite of cool temperatures.  Photosynthesis at this time of the year allows the plant to store energy for winter and next spring, which is crucial for its survival.  Scalping off grass leaves now reduces the photosynthetic capacity of the plant, reducing energy storage, and decreasing turf survival this winter and performance next summer.

Source

Finally...
"Truths are first clouds; then rain, then harvest and food."

~ Henry Ward Beecher, Author, 1813-1887

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