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September 10, 2003 |
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Going To Extremes...
I have gone from one gardening extreme to another.
When the temperatures were so miserable,
I did nothing in the gardens and
now I am making up for lost time. Strangely,
I have not been spending time in my own gardens but
instead helping out in the gardens at my children's school,
Westwood View Elementary. Kimla
Yost, a Westwood View parent and Savvygardener.com reader has
partnered with me in rejuvenating the school's lawn and gardens.
This is a process that was long overdue so needless to say we
have been putting in long hours toiling in the dirt.
So much to do! I
think that everyone is very appreciative of everything we're
doing. Even the kids have
commented on how great everything looks. Funny,
it doesn't seem to matter how old you are, trees, flowers and
plants of all kind make you see the world differently!
It sounds
as if we are in for some more rain in the next couple of days.
Even with all the rain we received a couple of weeks ago we are
still way behind on precipitation for
the year. No
time like the present to get caught up!
I hope all of you Savvygardener's have been inspired by the
cooler temperatures. I feel like a new person. Now if I could
just get my nose to stop running (allergies!)
everything would be great!
~
Shelly
Totally Tulips (Part I)...
While there's quite a few weeks before you
have to plant them, tulips should be purchased soon. Wait
too long and the interesting ones will be gone from the store
shelves! To help you out we publish this four-part series
each year at this time.
One of the
best ways to keep your spring garden blooming is by planting
bulbs that bloom at different times. The possibilities are
endless. In fact you can plant only tulips if you like and still
have staged blooms. This week we focus on some of the earlier
blooming tulips. Look for these in your favorite catalogs
and at local retailers:
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Single Early Tulips are among the earliest tulips to
bloom. The flowers, available in a wide range of colors, are
produced on strong, 10 to 18-inch-long stems. The flowers of
several varieties have a sweet fragrance. Single early tulips
are excellent for rock gardens, beds, and forcing.
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Double Early Tulips produce semi-double to double,
peony-like flowers. The flowers, measuring up to 4 inches in
diameter, are borne on strong, short stems. The color range of
double early tulips is smaller than for most other tulip
classes.
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Greigii Tulips are noted for their brightly-colored flowers
and purple striped or mottled foliage. Plant height varies
from 8 to 12 inches. Because of their short stature, Greigii
tulips are excellent choices for borders or rock gardens.
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Kaufmanniana Tulips are long-lived perennial tulips. In
sunlight, the flowers open fully. The open flowers resemble a
star or water lily. Flower colors include white, yellow, pink,
and intermediary colors. The foliage is bluish green or
chocolate brown striped. Kaufmanniana tulips are small plants
with an average height of 4 to 8 inches. Their compact size
makes them good choices for border edges and rock gardens.
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Fosteriana Tulips produce some of the largest flowers of
the genus. They also perennialize well. 'Red Emperor'
is a widely grown variety in this class. Fosteriana tulips are
sometimes referred to as emperor tulips.
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Species Tulips include wild species, horticultural
varieties, and hybrids. Most are early blooming, short-statured
plants. Species tulips are available in a wide array of
colors. They perennialize well and are excellent plants for
rock and heirloom gardens.
Next week,
the "middle" bloomers...
Source
Squash Harvest Hints...
Don't be too hasty in harvesting all your winter squash! For
longer keeping let winter squash stay on the vines as long as
possible. Wait until the vines die back or there is danger of
frost. Check by pressing with your thumbnail, if the skin is
easily broken they are not fully matured and may not keep well.
When you
harvest leave two to three inches of stem on the squash. Allow
them to cure in a warm, dry, well-ventilated place for a couple
of weeks before placing them in storage. Also, never wash your
squash until just before using and never carry squash or pumpkins
by the stem.
Source
Better Blends...
Choosing the right grass seed for a new or
renovated lawn is no easy task. At the Marsh household we
use a mix of fescue and bluegrass to maximize disease control and
ensure an attractive turf year-round. So, which varieties
do you use? Luckily for us the turf experts at K-State
University have been doing their homework. The following
fescue and bluegrass cultivars tested highest in their most
recent trials.
Fescue |
Bluegrass |
Justice |
Everglade |
Dynasty |
Sonoma |
Olympic Gold |
Champagne |
Watchdog |
Monte Carlo |
Davinci |
Eagleton |
Wolfpack |
Impact |
Avenger |
Langara* |
Millennium |
Misty |
Coyote |
Bedazzled |
Picasso |
Award |
Look
for seed blends that contain several of the above cultivars.
For a fescue/bluegrass blend you may have to do it yourself. Try
a 4:1 ratio of fescue to bluegrass.
The complete
results of the K-State 2003 Turfgrass Research are available
here...
Shady Characters In the Lawn...
There's nothing quite as relaxing as sitting under a big
shade tree with a lush carpet of soft grass beneath. I wish!
Growing grass under shade trees isn't exactly child's play. All
too often the tree provides so much shade that the grass
suffers. What's a Savvygardener to do? Here are some tips:
- Thin the tree
canopy by pruning lower branches to a height of 8 feet.
- Selective pruning
in the upper limbs will also help sunlight filter through
without sacrificing too much shade.
- Avoid excess
nitrogen fertilization. Grasses in shade should receive no
more than 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per year,
preferably in the fall.
- Mow at 2½ to 3
inches to allow maximum interception of available light. Mow
frequently enough to avoid scalping turf. Decline of turf in
the shade often begins after a single scalping episode. Ouch!
- Moisture demand
in the shade is half to a third as much as in full sun. Water
only if wilt symptoms appear and then only in the early morning
so that the grass has a chance to dry and therefore avoid some
diseases.
- Shaded turf will
not recover well from wear so try to limit foot traffic.
- When establishing
new areas, or renovating old ones, use 4 to 6 pounds of shade
tolerant tall fescue seed per 1,000 square feet. Avoid shade
mixes containing more than 25% perennial ryegrass.
Source
Counting On Crickets...
The temperatures are dropping but how much? I guess you
could be a traditionalist and look at a thermometer. Or you
could show your savvy by listening to the crickets. Seriously.
Count the number of chirps a common cricket makes during a
15-second period. Add 40 to the number of chirps. The total
will be pretty close to the actual temperature in Fahrenheit.
What's Hot On The Hotline...
Hotline volunteers often
receive calls asking for assistance in identifying everything from
groundcovers, weeds, flowers, shrubs and evergreens to large trees.
Unfortunately we are not staffed to make house calls, so we rely largely on
branches, leaves and flowers brought in to the Johnson County K-State
Research and Extension office in Olathe. The alternative is working with the
description given by the caller, which may or may not be sufficient to
promote accurate identification. Find out how
"Gardener's Latin" can be used to help better identify different
plants in this
week's
What's Hot On the Hotline...
Fertilizer Figures...
Savvygardeners with cool-season grasses (bluegrass, fescue,
and/or ryegrass) should plan on three applications of fertilizer
each year - one in spring and two in fall. Fall is the most
important time to fertilize as it really encourages strong root
growth resulting in healthier growth next spring. September is a
great month for the first fall application followed by another in
November.
You're
going to need about 1 to 1.5 pounds of Nitrogen per 1,000 square
feet of lawn. That's the amount of actual Nitrogen, not
fertilizer product. The amount of actual nitrogen in a
fertilizer product is indicated by the first digit of the N-P-K
number on the label of a fertilizer bag. The N-P-K number
indicates percentages by weight of the nutrients nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). For example, a bag with a
N-P-K of 20-4-4 has 20 percent nitrogen. Therefore it will take
5 pounds of this fertilizer to provide 1 pound of actual
nitrogen.
Finally... "Every garden is
unique with a multitude of choices in soils, plants and themes.
Finding your garden theme is as easy as seeing what brings a
smile to your face." ~
Teresa Watkins,
Gardening
With Soul |