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April 2, 2003 |
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Perfect
Weather For...Patience
The past couple of days have been blustery and warm.
Feels a bit like June. June,
April... it is a good thing that we
have calendars! I
have been busy doing the remainder of my fall clean-up.
I am still cautious about
uncovering everything knowing that Mother Nature will surprise us
again with one of her late spring cold snaps. I
am however uncovering bulbs that are pushing through the mulch
and the blanket of leaves that have
kept them warm all winter. I am
also allowing my perennials to have some breathing room as well.
I am trying to keep myself busy
with clean up and organizational-type
things so as to take my mind off planting. Boy,
that's a chore in itself. I must
admit that it makes me borderline crazy. I
will try to remain patient and wait for the first weekend in May,
then the planting frenzy will begin!
It's that
time of year when Kevin and I will start making the rounds to
our sponsors helping to promote business. Mark
your calendar for Saturday, April 26th from 10 AM - 2 PM at
The Kelly Gallery. Those of you who have joined us the past two years know that this
is an event you won't want to miss. Kelly
& Mark Daniels have created a piece of paradise on their property
in Stillwell, Kansas. Some of you
might have had the opportunity to read about Kelly, her business
and her gardens in last year's June
issue of Midwest Living. Seeing
is believing! Check out Kelly's
website and note some of the new services she is offering!
Tell all of your friends and join
us for a delightful time. Garden
tours and browsing through The Barn for that perfect garden or
home decoration. It doesn't get
much better than this!
~
Shelly
Welcome to Zone 6?
You heard it
here first! It looks like the Kansas City metropolitan area
is going to be designated as a Zone 6 USDA Hardiness Zone.
We have been considered a Zone 5 in years past (albeit a warm
Zone 5 based on our experience). While none of this is
official yet we know that the
USDA and
the American
Horticultural Society have been in the process of updating
the current map which was originally published in 1965 and
updated to it's current version in 1990. In a telephone
interview with us, Kim Kaplan, spokesperson for the USDA,
indicated that the changes "...reflect real weather (not
climate) changes that have been recorded over the past 10
years."
A new
interactive national zone map will accompany the official
announcement and should be available in the next six weeks or so.
We'll keep you posted. In the mean time we suggest not
doing much different than in years past, though those of you that
feared purchasing plants labeled for Zone 6 can probably now do
so with more confidence.
Just remember
that hardiness zones are guidelines, not rules. What grows
successfully in your garden has as much to do with good
gardening practices, micro-climates, and plant quality as
anything else.
Are You
A Good Host?
Sometimes gardening is a lot like hosting a party. Plants, like
party guests, need to be steered toward others that will enjoy
their company. The practice of companion planting, growing
vegetables in proximity to helpful plants, has become quite
popular over the years. Here are some of our favorite matchmaker
tips:
Vegetable |
Group With |
Keep Distance From |
Tomatoes |
Carrots, peppers, basil,
marigold |
Mature dill, kohlrabi,
potatoes |
Beans |
Carrots, cucumber, pea,
potatoes, radish, marigold, nasturtium, rosemary |
Garlic, onion, shallots,
fennel, gladiolus |
Peas |
Radish, carrots,
cucumbers, celery, turnip |
Garlic, onion, gladiolus |
Carrots |
Beans, radish, tomatoes,
peppers, onion, sage |
Dill, celery |
Cucumbers |
Corn, tomatoes, cabbage,
radishes, dill, nasturtium |
Aromatic herbs, potatoes |
Keep 'Em
Covered...
Gardeners anxious to get their yard and garden chores done in
spring may be tempted to remove the mulch from their strawberry
beds in March or early April. A portion of the strawberry crop
may be lost, however, if the mulch is removed too early in the
spring. Removal of the mulch plus several days of warm weather
may encourage the plants to bloom before the danger of frost or
freezing temperatures is past. Temperatures of 32°F or lower may
severely damage or destroy open flowers. Since the first flowers
produce the largest berries, a late spring frost can drastically
reduce yields.
To reduce
the chances of frost or freeze damage leave the mulch on until
the plants show signs of growth. Periodically examine the plants
under the mulch during periods of warm weather in the spring.
Remove the mulch from the strawberry plants when about 25% of the
plants are showing new growth (it will be white or yellow in
color). Rake the mulch to the center aisles between rows. If
there is a threat of a frost later in the season during bloom,
the mulch can be lightly raked back over the plants.
Source
The
Great Divide...
Dividing perennials is important for the garden and the
soul. The garden benefits because many perennials become
overcrowded and need to be thinned out once in a while. The
gardener's soul benefits because it provides an opportunity to
share our garden treasures with other gardeners who will go on to
expand their beauty.
Don't
divide the wrong plants! Before you start take a look at our
handy guide
When to Divide Perennials in our Features section.
What's Hot On The Hotline...
The question of
hardiness zones seems to be of continuing interest to Hotline callers.
In addition to the hardiness zone changes being
proposed by the USDA there are also heat zones to consider.
Appropriately, you can learn more about gardening heat zones in this
week's
What's Hot On the Hotline...
Zoysia
Zzz's...
If you have a zoysia lawn it is still dormant and you should
not be applying any fertilizer to it. Any fertilizer
added now will just feed the weeds and they're overfed as it is.
Be patient. You should be able to fertilize your zoysia lawn in
about six weeks.
Finally... "When
bright flowers bloom
Parchment crumbles, my words fade
The pen has dropped ..."
~
Morpheus |
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