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October 15, 2003 |
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Speaking,
Surprises, Scares...
I had the privilege of speaking at the Westwood Women's Club
monthly meeting today. What a great group of women!
There were close to twenty women who
attended and the hospitality was delightful. It was great
chatting with them individually as well as listening to them tell
me and their friends of many years
about things that have gone on in our wonderful community.
Needless to say they were all a breath of fresh air! Gardening
was the main topic. Imagine? I talked about how Savvygardener.com
came to be and how it has evolved over the past 4 years.
We also discussed how
one's own style of gardening is
important and how it OK to share your successes as well as
failures. Thank you ladies for sharing part of your day with me!
I surprised
Kevin on Sunday and met up with him in Los Angeles. He was there
for an Industry trade show and I saw an opportunity to get away
for 24 hours. Boy, it sure would be easy to warm-up to the
weather there. (No pun intended). It
was beautiful! Right at about 75°
-
perfect 'make you feel good'
weather. If it weren't for the smog and millions of people
living there I might consider moving. I guess at this juncture in
my life I will settle now for an occasional visit.
Hopefully
we can hang on to this mild weather for a couple of weeks longer.
I would like to see my little goblins have a chance to get around
the neighborhood without winter parkas on. Did anyone else hear
the horrible rumor about the chance of a snow shower late next
week? Ooooo, speaking of goblins,
that scares me!
~
Shelly
Bedtime For
Gardens?
We are often asked how and when to
"put the garden to bed." The term
"putting the garden to bed" means preparing the garden for winter
and the weather will dictate
when that date is. Our first frost is normally in mid-October
(any time now). How "hard" that first frost is will help
you decide whether or not it is time to cut back all perennials
and rid the garden of all annuals. We
always like to squeeze as much time as possible out of my fall
garden knowing that once that hard frost hits winter is well on
its way. We'll keep you posted on the weather
and when that first hard frost is coming.
Moving
The Mums...
Your potted mums can be transplanted into the garden for many
years of enjoyment. For best results, transplant them into
well-drained soil as winter injury is most common when mums are
planted in poorly-drained soils. Potted mums are often grown in
a mix that is very high in organic matter. If these are planted
in very heavy clay soil without first amending it, the difference
between the two soil situations often prevents good root
establishment and increases the chance of winter kill.
After the
leaves have turned brown, cut back the tops and apply a loose
airy mulch several inches thick allowing light to get to the
small basal shoots during the winter. The purpose of this mulch
is to provide wind protection and keep the soil shaded and frozen
so that frost heaving is minimized. This protective mulch may be
removed or pulled away from the crown by early to mid-April after
danger of severe cold is past.
Source
Oak Galls?
What are those round bumpy lesions that
are appearing on some local oak trees? Very possibly Oak
Galls. A number of tiny non-stinging wasps, mites and flies
are the culprits behind
abnormal growths that develop on the leaves of
twigs of oak trees. These galls can include growths that
are round, spiny, flattened, elongated or star-shaped.
Generally,
these gall insects do not cause significant damage to their hosts
though some of the leaf galls can cause deformity to make a tree
unsightly. Also, severe infestations of twig galls can cause
twig dieback or, in rare cases, death. However, just because a
twig is covered with galls does not mean that it is dead. Twigs
that otherwise look like a solid mass of galls may still leaf out
in the spring. More details and a photo are
available
here...
Why
Isn't My Red Maple Red?
Why do some red maple trees have yellow fall foliage instead
of brilliant red? Although fall color will vary with different
environmental conditions, in many cases the yellow foliage of
these red maples is simply due to the genetics of the individual
tree. Unnamed red maple trees grown from seed are not always
brilliant red. They have highly variable fall color. If you want
a red maple with red foliage in the fall, choose named,
vegetatively propagated red maple cultivars such as Red Sunset,
Magnificent Magenta or Autumn Flame. October Glory has
outstanding foliage color but is late in acclimating for winter
and can be damaged by early cold snaps. However, even these
"good" cultivars will vary in the level of "redness" from year to
year. A number of things can reduce the intensity of color
including extreme heat or drought during the summer and cloudy
days and warm nights in the fall.
Chemical
Container Care...
Temperatures have been mild lately but they will be dropping
again before too long. When they do be sure to check for any
lawn and garden chemicals that might freeze in their containers.
Frozen liquids can break jars and split plastic containers,
spreading concentrated chemicals within reach of children or
pets. Move them to a safe storage place where temperatures will
not reach freezing.
What's Hot On The Hotline...
Mid-October already?! Yikes!
Time to start thinking about winter. It's hard to get in
that mode - especially when the weather has been so nice.
But we need to plan ahead. You'll find help in this
week's
What's Hot On the Hotline...
Squash
Storage...
Pumpkins, butternut, and Hubbard squash need curing after
harvest. Cure them at temperatures between 70° to 80°F for two
to three weeks immediately after harvest. After curing, store
them in a dry place at 55° to 60°F. If stored at 50°F or below,
pumpkins and squashes are subject to damage by chilling. At
temperatures above 60F, they gradually lose moisture and become
stringy.
Source
If It's
Growing We're Mowing...
When do Savvygardeners stop mowing their lawns? When the
grass stops growing of course. As long as it continues to grow
keep bluegrass cut to 2 inches and tall fescue to 2½ inches.
Don't
forget to keep the leaves from piling up and smothering the grass
below!
Finally... "The philosopher who
said that work well done never needs doing over,
never weeded a garden."
~
Ray D. Everson, Author |