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May 26, 2004 |
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Stormy Weather...
I hope all of you safely weathered
the storms that passed through our area Monday night. The tornado
sirens sent us scrambling to the basement. Kevin was out of town
so it was the kids, Sam Parker, the two cats and me.
We actually tried to make the best of a somewhat scary situation.
We took sleeping bags, pillows, candles and a battery operated
radio just in case we lost power. Our two sons were somewhat
unsure of the situation. Morgan, the oldest,
kept reassuring her younger brothers that everything was going to
be OK. She and I were in that "scared
but excited" mode. The idea of
lightning, thunder and strong winds was,
oddly enough, somewhat exciting. I am
sure it sounds kind of crazy but the Marsh household has learned
to enjoy some of Mother Nature's temper tantrums. Storm chasers
we're not, however given a chance I know a couple members of the
family that might just be curious enough to become one.
I hope the
coming weekend brings us dry, mild weather. I still have several
plants to get in the ground so I am hoping the weather
cooperates. If you are still in need of plants (like me) or other
landscaping supplies look for the
Randy's Lakeview Nursery & Bulk Supercenter
insert in today's
Kansas City Star. You'll find great information about who they
are and what they have to offer. A great place to spend some time
this holiday weekend!
Have you
checked out the disappearing screen yet? The
Remodeling Center located in Lee's Summit, Missouri is the
premier distributor of
Phantom
Screens in the Kansas City area. Take some time to visit
their website and view their offerings.
This week's photo's come all the way from Maryland.
Kevin snapped some wonderful shots of his mother's garden this
week. Roses galore!
Check it out!
~
Shelly
Tastier Herbs...
There are lots of good reasons to grow herbs. First on
my
list is for cooking. Nothing compares to the taste of fresh
herbs added to your favorite dish. I used to buy pesto in a
jar. I thought it was good until I started making my own from
garden-fresh basil. There's no going back folks.
If cooking
is your goal make sure you do not fertilize your herbs too
much. The essential oils that provide flavor are more
concentrated when herbs are grown in moderately rich soil with
just enough fertilizer to keep them green. Too much fertilizer
encourages the plant to grow large but at the sacrifice of less
flavor. To get greater quantities without sacrificing quality
simply grow many more, albeit smaller, plants.
Mulch Matters...
Well, the unofficial start of summer is this weekend
(Memorial Day).
As the real thing sneaks up on Kansas
City gardeners we must prepare our gardens for the heat and
drought-like conditions that seem inevitable. Mulching your
garden is one of the best things you can do to help retain soil
moisture and keep weeds at bay.
Missouri Organic Recycling supplied us with lots of great
mulch for our gardens. Here are some common mulching
materials and a few thoughts on each:
- Bark
Mulches are very common and effective. They are available
as chips, chunks, nuggets or shredded. In addition to being
generally attractive bark mulches resist compaction quite well.
(We use cedar bark)
- Wood
Chips are also common, effective and economical. They can
deplete the soil of nitrogen however so additional fertilizing
may be required.
- Pine
Needles are especially good around acid loving plants like
azaleas and blueberries.
- Straw
is inexpensive and is often used in large vegetable gardens.
Make sure it is free of crop and weed seeds or you're just
making more work for yourself.
- Grass
Clippings should only be used after they have dried out
thoroughly. If the source lawn has weeds your mulched garden
will likely get them too. Not too
attractive.
- Rocks
can be attractive and effective but they don't provide any of
the decomposition benefits of organic mulches. Rock mulch in
direct sun can get quite hot causing problems for some tender
plants.
- Black
Plastic and Fabric aren't much to look at but they do keep
the weeds down.
As a
general rule mulching with anything is better than not
mulching at all. It's that effective.
For an
in-depth look at this important topic don't miss
All
About Mulch in our Features section.
Perfect Peonies...
As we wander around Kansas City we see
peonies in full bloom right now. What a sight! But it just doesn't
last long enough. If you were hoping to have some cut for
Memorial Day or a June wedding read on...
According
to Karen Gast at the
Kansas State
University Research & Extension gardeners should pick peonies
when the buds are showing color and are soft like a marshmallow.
Red cultivars should exhibit a soft center when pressed down
too. Bunch the flowers in no more than ten stems to a bunch
making sure the flowers are dry before you place them in a large
bag. Seal the bag and place it in the refrigerator or cold
storage at a temperature below 40°F. If you want to store them
longer than Memorial Day, say for a wedding in June or July, you
can give the flowers a drink of 10% sugar water before cold
storage. Let the flowers sit for about 30 minutes after harvest
and re-cut the stems just before you put them in the 10% sugar
water solution. Keep the flowers in the sugar water for two
hours at room temperature. When done, dry the stems and place in
plastic bags and then into the refrigerator.
When you
are ready to use the flowers, take them out of cold storage or
the refrigerator the day before, re-cut the stems underwater and
place in water. If harvested at the right stage the flowers
should be open the next day (if not before). Not all peony
cultivars store well. For long term storage, store at least 25%
to 50% more than you think you need.
Source
Tell Me Why...
One of the most common questions we get asked is simply, "Why
won't my plant bloom?" Why indeed. There are often several
factors involved but most can be explained by one of the
following circumstances:
- Age
of Plant - Being too young or immature is a very common
reason that many trees do not flower. Plants need to reach a
certain level of maturity before they begin to flower each year
- Shade
- Lack of adequate light is another very common reason that
many types of plants do not flower. Plants may grow but not
flower in the shade.
- Cold
or Frost Injury - Cold weather may kill flower buds
or partially opened flowers. Plants that are not fully hardy
in our area are the most susceptible to this type of cold
injury.
-
Drought - Flowers or flower buds dry and drop off when
there is temporary lack of moisture in the plants.
-
Improper Pruning - Some plants bloom only on last year’s
wood. Pruning plants at the wrong time of the year can remove
the flower buds for next year’s blossoms. Many spring
flowering plants, such as azaleas begin setting next year’s
flower buds in the late spring. Pruning these plants in the
summer or fall may prevent flowering next year. Cutting back a
plant severely, such as with climbing roses, can remove all the
flowering wood.
-
Nutrient Imbalance - Too much nitrogen can cause plants to
produce primarily leaves and stems. The plant will be large
and usually very green and healthy but will have few or no
flowers.
Source
On Your Mark, Get Set,
Pinch...
No this isn't
a race but if you start pinching back aster, garden phlox and
mums now you're sure to win later! Pinching back the blooms will
encourage bushier plants with more flowers. After some of your
summer perennials have tired out and are no longer blooming these
plants will start to peak and will add that much needed color to
your garden. Soooo, no need to dust off the running shoes for
this race just limber up those thumbs and start pinching!
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What's Hot On The Hotline...
Many gardeners have found groundcover plants a useful and
attractive addition to their landscapes, and a solution to some
persistent problems of plant protection and maintenance. With the
increased commercial availability of plants suitable for use as
groundcover, gardeners’ imaginations have found new and varied
uses for them. Interested? Read
more in this
week's
What's Hot On the Hotline...
Take A Powder...
A white powdery film on your lawn is likely an outbreak of
powdery mildew. This fungal disease is favored by cool spring or
fall weather, and is common in shaded areas. Kentucky bluegrass
in shady areas is especially susceptible. High nitrogen levels
also favor disease development. Fortunately, while it is not
very attractive, powdery mildew rarely causes significant damage
to turf.
Finally...
"My green thumb came
only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see
things from the plant's point of view." ~
H. Fred Ale, Author |
