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March 17, 2004 |
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Show Of Shows...
Kevin, his mom and I attended the Philadelphia Flower Show
this past Friday. It is one thing to write about it and quite
another to actually see it. Kevin was busy taking pictures and it
was a challenge to
choose the photos we wanted to share with you. The theme this
year "Destination Paradise". You should have seen the orchids.
There were millions of them. The landscape areas were created
with unbelievable design, color, textures and plantings. Floral
arrangements that made you stare in disbelief. It truly was
amazing and I am so glad that we had the opportunity to attend.
Now I understand why people from all over the United States
attend this amazing show. A definite must see!
We sure are
in the throws of March weather. Warm one day, cold and rainy the
next. Very unpredictable. It sounds as if however that the
pendulum is going to be swinging in our favor. The temperature is
on the rise and by Saturday it could be as warm as 70°.
Now we're talking! A great weekend for
Family Tree's Spring Open House! For those of you who have
never been, here is your chance. Bring the whole family - there
is something for everyone. Animals, food , flowers, plants, plant
experts and more. A great opportunity to get a jump on spring
planting. I will be there both Saturday and Sunday so come on out
and enjoy the fun!
Don't
forget to
visit WaterOne's website for their free seminars. Lots of
great topics. I can't think of a better time to make yourself
more knowledgeable.
Happy St.
Patrick's Day!
~
Shelly
Spring Lawns: To Seed or Not to
Seed...
As spring approaches you will no doubt start inspecting your
lawn only to re-discover that it is less than perfect.
Most of us have bare spots or entire areas that are
begging for new seed. Reliable sources will tell you that spring
is the second best time of year to plant grass seed (the best
time being fall). What they don't tell
you is that in this case second best may not be good enough
at all. We'll try to explain...
Fall
is the best time to plant because seeds get the double benefit of
warm soil and cooler air temperatures. Fall
planted grass also establishes a strong root system even after
the grass blades have stopped growing for the season.
By contrast spring sown grass seed
gets cool air temperatures but not warm soil - making it
tougher to germinate. In many cases
the grass is not established well enough to take the heat imposed
on it by the typical Kansas City summer. More
often than not, your new grass is toast by mid-July.
This
doesn't mean you shouldn't plant new grass in the spring.
You just need to be aware of the
risks. At our house we try to limit
spring grass seeding to small bare patches and hope for the best.
For bigger jobs consider contacting a
professional lawn care company
(we use Ryan Lawn & Tree)
to improve your chances.
Special Delivery...
Most catalogs don't deliver your plant orders until it's time
to plant them. Unfortunately sometimes local conditions are
different than "usual" and your plants arrive a bit early for
planting. Don't panic, but don't ignore them either! Your
mail-order plants do need some care in the time between their
arrival and your ability to plant them. Unwrap them immediately
and check for specific directions on early care. Lacking this
just keep them cool and moist in a protected area until you can
safely get them in the ground.
Vegetable
Gardening Without A Garden...
If your outdoor space is limited, consider gardening without
a garden. Tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and many other vegetables do
well when grown in containers. Barrels, window boxes, cut-off
milk jugs, almost any container that provides good drainage will
do as long as it is deep enough to support the plant. Minimum
depths for some container-grown vegetables:
- 4 inches
- lettuce, radishes, beets, low-growing herbs
- 6 inches
- chard, turnips, short-rooted carrots
- 8 inches
- eggplant, peppers, bush cucumbers
- 10
inches - cauliflower, broccoli
- 12
inches - tomatoes, long-rooted carrots
Source
Don't Miss Family Tree's
9th Annual Open House
and Spring Flower Show:
"Gardening
Through the Ages"
March 19 through
21, 2004
Overland Park Family Tree Nursery
913-642-6503
Special
Keynote Speaker
Jim Wilson from The Victory Garden
Details...
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Plant By The Rules...
Planning on planting a tree (or two or
three) this spring? Make sure you do it right. That
tree is supposed to be around for a long time. Our friends
at K-State Research & Extension recently published 10 Rules for
Planting Trees.
Check it out here...
The Old Heave Ho...
Temperatures have been on the rise and a well deserved thaw
in the soil may be a permanent thing soon. Scout around your
garden for signs of recent heaving - the forcing of
shallow-rooted plants out of the soil due to the freezing and
thawing of the ground. Don't tamp the plants or the surrounding
soil as this may overly compact the soil. Simply give them a
gentle push back into place.
Tell Your Friends About
Savvygardener.com!
You
Could Win A $50 Gift Certificate
Details...
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What's Hot On The Hotline...
Repotting houseplants topped the list of
hotline questions this week. From picking the right soil
and the right size container, you'll learn how in this
week's
What's Hot On the Hotline...
Healthy Diet...
Though advertising for lawn fertilizers is at its yearly
high, most lawns don’t
really need fertilizer now. Do not
apply high rates of nitrogen (more than 0.75 lbs N/1000 sq. ft.)
to your lawn from March through early May. Too much nitrogen at
this time of the year will lead to problems later this summer
such as poor root growth and disease. Additionally, since spring
rains play havoc with mowing schedules, nitrogen fertilization
can further complicate your mowing schedule by causing grass
plants to grow too fast. Instead of applying fertilizer now, it
is better to wait until mid-to late-May and apply up to ¾
lbs N/1000 sq. ft. with a fertilizer that contains mostly
slow-release nitrogen.
Source
Finally... "We cannot fathom
the mystery of a single flower. Nor is it intended that we
should." ~
John Ruskin, 1819-1900 |