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September 17,
2003 |
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Falling For The Weather...
Fall is a great time for change, and
change is what is going
on in our neighborhood. There are new driveways being poured,
ours being one of them. New walkways added to the front of homes
adding new dimension and design. As I type this editorial there
are several big paving machines on our road giving us a new
smooth surface to drive on. Wow! West 51st Street is taking on a
whole new look. Neighbors are verticutting and re-seeding in
hopes of greener, healthier lawns. I feel an energy on our block
that I have never felt before. An energy filled with pride, not
only for our neighborhood but for our entire community! We have
certainly caught the bug in our neck of the woods and it is
invigorating!
If you are
wondering whether now is a good time to put down fertilizer,
wonder no more. We suggest using Bradfield 3-1-5 Natural
Fertilizer. This alfalfa-based
fertilizer is organic so you can use it with
peace of mind. It is an all purpose fertilizer good for
lawns, vegetables, flower gardens, herbs, trees and shrubs. Most
importantly you don't have to worry about the kids or pets being
outside once you have made an application! To learn more about
Bradfield's incredible line of products visit
their website!
Everyone here at the Marsh house is enjoying
the cooler temperatures. It has been
great opening up all of the windows, allowing the scent of Mother
Nature in. I am still sneezing like a mad gardener and will
continue to do so until the first frost. A small price to pay for
being outside and enjoying this fabulous fall like weather.
Speaking of fall, we have only six more days until it arrives.
Still lots to get done in the garden!
~
Shelly
Totally
Tulips (Part 2)
One of the best ways to keep your spring garden flowering is
by planting tulip bulbs that bloom at different times.
Last week we recommended some tulip varieties that would
bloom toward the early part of spring. This week we focus on
those that will bloom after the early bloomers but just before
the late bloomers. Careful planning will pay off next spring
with a continuously blooming tulip garden.
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Darwin Hybrid Tulips are highly prized for their large,
brilliant flowers. Flowers are available in shades of red,
pink, orange, and yellow. Blooms are borne on strong stems
which are up to 30 inches tall. Darwin hybrid tulips often
bloom well for several years, making them one of the better
perennial tulips.
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Triumph Tulips produce cup-shaped flowers on strong,
medium-length stems. Average plant height is 10 to 16 inches.
This is the largest class of tulips and offers the widest range
of flower colors. Triumph tulips are excellent for forcing.
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Parrot Tulips have deeply feathered, curled, or twisted
petals. Flowers may be single or multi-colored. Many
varieties have a green spot at the base of their petals.
Parrot tulips are sensitive to poor weather and should be
planted in a protected spot.
Next week,
the late bloomers...
Source
Mulch
Ado About Trees...
Fall is a great time to plant a tree. Keeping it alive is an
all-season affair. Mulching is so important for new trees but
it's not as simple as dumping a bag of wood chips at the base of
tree. Here are some tips to help you avoid the most common
mistakes:
- Don't
pile mulch around the trunk. This keeps the trunk wet, which
can allow diseases and insects to invade. Keep the mulch at
least 6 inches from the trunk.
- Don't
put on too little or too much. A 1-inch-deep layer doesn't do
the job. A settled depth of 3 to 5 inches gives you the full
benefits of mulch, including good weed control. Mulch depths
of a foot or two are excessive and may smother roots.
- Don't
apply sour-smelling mulch. If it smells like a litter box it's
probably been stored on a waterlogged site. The ammonia that
builds in this situation can harm your tree. Sour mulch is a
rare occurrence, but your nose will give you a clear warning of
it.
- Don't
use freshly chipped chips. While the chance of disease
transmission is small it's easy to go zero-risk by aging
chips for six weeks or more before using them around your
trees.
Source
It's Not Nice To
Fool Mother Nature...
But
it sure is fun! Perusing the bulb catalogs one can't help but
wish spring would come sooner. Well, you can't rush the Vernal
Equinox but you can enjoy blooms from your spring
flowering bulbs while the snow is still flying. Just start the
process of bulb forcing now to get colorful and fragrant
wintertime indoor blooms. Everything you need to know is in
"Forcing Bulbs Indoors" in our Features section.
Planting
Perennials Properly...
Fall is here and that means we're planting perennials at our
house. By planting perennials now Savvygardeners will benefit
from the plant establishing a strong root structure during the
autumn months. This in turn leads to a bigger, healthier plant
next spring.
Perennials
are generally sold in pots or bare-root. Here are the steps to
follow when planting a bare root perennial:
- Remove
the plant from its package, and carefully remove all loose
packing material (peat moss and sawdust are commonly used).
- Soak the
roots in a bucket of water for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Examine
the root system, and trim away any rotted, moldy, broken or
elongated roots with a sharp knife of your pruning shears.
- Dig a
hole deep and wide enough to allow the roots to fan out from
the crown at about 45° angle. It sometimes helps to make a
cone-shaped mound of soil in the bottom of the hole and spread
the roots around it. Remember, the crown of most perennials
should be roughly level with the surrounding ground.
- Cover
the roots with soil and press down firmly. Make sure all the
roots — especially those under the crown are in contact with
soil.
- Water
the plant well and add a layer of mulch.
Source
Organically Speaking...
At the end of the growing season, garden cleanup, lawn
renovation, and leaf gathering provide excellent opportunities to
add organic materials to garden soil without the time and space
of composting. You can add organic materials, till them in, and
compost the organic materials right there in the soil. In a few
weeks, repeat the process. Continue this into late November or
early December when soils usually start to freeze.
For best
results, finely chop or shred organic materials by running them
through a lawnmower and catching them in the bag. No shredding
is necessary for finely textured materials such as lawn
renovation residue, but coarse leaves or garden refuse needs to
be shredded.
Add organic
materials to a depth of about 3 inches and till the area well
with a rototiller. Make sure soil is not excessively wet when
you till. With the warm soils we have now, decomposition will
begin to occur in just a few days. In about 2 weeks you can
repeat the process by adding more organic materials.
Source
Invite Your Herbs Inside...
Herbs such as basil, parsley, rosemary, chives, thyme and
marjoram should be dug from the garden and placed in pots for
growing indoors before the first frosts arrive. There's no
reason not to get a jump on this now however. Place them indoors
in a sunny location - preferably a south or west-facing window.
A Dandy Time to Stop
Dandelions...
So,
all summer long you've been battling a few (or a few dozen)
dandelions for control of your lawn. Well, they say the best way
to control dandelions and other broad-leaf weeds is by
maintaining a lush, healthy turf. But you've still got to knock
out those pesky weeds that just won't go away and fall is a great
time to do it. Options are many but generally the most effective
controls result with a liquid broadleaf weed herbicide sprayed
under these conditions:
- The
weeds are actively growing.
- Soil
moisture is plentiful (never in drought).
- Air
temperatures are between 60 and 75 degrees F (never above 80
degrees).
- Wind
speeds are below 5 mph.
- The lawn
will not receive moisture through rain or irrigation for at
least 24 hours.
- The lawn
will not be mowed for several days before or after the
application.
- The
person doing the applying reads and follows herbicide label
instructions carefully.
Finally... "Bulb: potential
flower buried in Autumn, never to be seen again." ~
Henry Beard, Writer |