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February 4, 2004 |
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A Shadowy
Forecast...
Punxsutawney Phil gave us the bad news on Monday...
six more dreadful weeks of winter! Noah and Jake came home
from school so excited about Groundhog Day.
They had stories and drawings of Phil and were quite delighted by
the whole idea of him seeing his shadow. I wish I could share
their enthusiasm. I was caught up in the excitement of Groundhog
Day for another reason. I was hoping
that Phil would come out of his hole and then return with shadow
unseen. No such luck. It sounds like that the sooner I learn to
cope with this unfriendly gardening weather the better off I will
be. Wishing this weather away doesn't seem to be working. It
appears that we are stuck with a true Midwest winter. Ice, snow
and bitter cold. The positive spin on this whole situation is
that it is only six weeks and not longer.
Snow is in
the forecast once again. I think that I will wait to see exactly
how much we receive before I dash out to the grocery store. Last
Saturday it was every man or woman for himself. Quite a sight to
see let alone be in the middle of. I am not giving in to hysteria
this time. Instead I will wait patiently and plan accordingly
once the snow starts to fall.
Don't
forget that the
Metropolitan Lawn & Garden Show
starts Friday and runs through Sunday. Hopefully the weather will
cooperate and everyone will have an opportunity to get out and
dream a bit about spring. Kevin and I will be there Saturday wandering
around talking with sponsors and other gardening friends. Now
that sounds like fun!
~
Shelly
Heave,
Ho, Snow...
We keep talking about now
being a good time to revisit the mulch
in your garden. Remember, the reason
for winter mulching is to keep the ground at a near
constant temperature. It's OK for it to be frozen, we just want
to avoid the cycles of freezing and thawing. One way to
get the job done is to use snow mulch. Just pile the snow
(as gently as possible) on the areas of the garden that need
extra protection. The snow will serve as an effective insulator
helping to keep soil temperatures constant.
Nature's Drip
Irrigation?
Speaking of snow, another great benefit of that white stuff
is its slow release of moisture into the soil. It may not
be a lot of water but because it melts slowly into the soil it
can be a more effective irrigator than a hard rain. You can
even increase the benefit by shoveling sidewalk and driveway snow
to areas of the garden that will eventually benefit from the
added moisture. Just make sure the shoveled snow doesn't
contain any salty de-icers.
Valentine's Day Looks Rosy...
Valentine's Day is fast approaching. If
you are giving or getting potted miniature roses
we have some tips to keep them looking great.
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Start by providing the plant with as
much sun as you possibly can.
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Keep it cool. Avoid
temperatures above 75°F and never place your rose near a heat
source.
- Keep the humidity
high by placing it on a tray of pebbles filled with water.
- Remove faded
blossoms and turn the plant frequently to counteract its
tendency to reach for sunlight.
- Monitor it
carefully for spider mites and discourage mite infestation by
giving your rose a shower in the bathtub every two weeks.
- When warmer
weather arrives in April, you can plant your
valentine gift in a sunny position in your garden or
move it to a larger container to add color to a corner of your
deck or patio.
Source
Appropriate Use Of Force...
One of the great winter pleasures is forcing the stems of
certain woody plants into bloom for indoor display. Three of the
easiest are forsythia, pussy willow and flowering quince. These
plants have now gone through enough cold weather to satisfy their
chilling requirement and should bloom if given the right
conditions.
Choose a
day that is above freezing for collecting branches for blooming.
Cut the stems, keeping the stem length to 3 feet or less and
place them in a bucket of water. Once you have all the branches
you want, bring them into the house and soak them in warm water
for several hours to ensure that the stems and buds are fully
hydrated (a bathtub works well for this). Next, place them in a
container that has a warm preservative solution and place them in
an environment with high humidity and plenty of light. Floral
preservatives accomplish two functions; they prevent bacterial
growth in your water and provide nutrients and energy for the
life processes of the plants.
Normally,
forsythia will take about 9 days to flower, quince will require
between 12 to 20, and pussy willow needs from 5 to 15 days. The
time required will vary depending on your indoor conditions and
how late in the winter the branches were collected with less time
being required for later collections. Most woody plants will
remain in flower for about a week before the blooms start to
fade.
Source
Thank Heaven For
Houseplants...
This time of year many Savvygardeners turn their attention to
houseplants. It's not the same as gardening outside during the
other three seasons but it's gardening nonetheless. Repeated
requests for information on houseplant care (cleaning,
fertilizing, containers, and light requirements) have prompted us
to post an informative article on
Houseplant Care. Find it in our
Features
section...
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Winter Wisdom...
Many of us are gun-shy when our weather prognosticators
mention the dreaded words “ice storm”! They summon up visions of
shattered trees and shrubbery ravaged in past storms by the
incredible weight of ice accumulation. The most recent threat of
ice damage seems to have missed most of us, but new warnings
remind us that the threat still exists. We are reminded of the
trees’ ability to recover in many cases, and that Nature
inevitably has the last word! Our Winter
Wisdom experts weigh in on the subject in this
week's
Winter
Wisdom...
Plants For
Soggy Soils...
From the "Let's Make the Best Of It" department:
When all this ice
and snow melts you may notice lingering puddles where the
soil doesn't drain very well. Think of these spots as good
locations to place plants that like "wet feet". Some good
choices include bee balm, cardinal flower, globe flower, Japanese
iris and purple loosestrife.
Finally...
"Winter, a lingering
season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a
sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour." ~
John Boswell, Author |
