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September 8, 2004 |
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Road Trip!
Over this past holiday weekend, Kevin, the kids and I took a
road trip to Omaha. We thought it would be a fun weekend to get
away. We spent some time at the
Henry Doorley
Zoo (along with a few thousand
other people)
and also took in Omaha's botanical center,
Lauritzen Gardens. What a great zoo. The kids love it there.
This was their second trip so now they've become experts on where
everything is. It was fun for them to show Kevin around. He did
not have the opportunity to go with us the first time so it was
up to the kids to show him the sights.
Very cute! I enjoyed the zoo as well
but I bet you can guess what my favorite place was. If you
guessed the botanical gardens you guessed right. What a
magnificent place
(photos).
Everything looked amazing. The Victorian Rose garden was so
fragrant and so full of blooms. I could have wandered around for
hours. Much to my dismay we spent only a couple of hours there. I
would love to go back and explore the 100 acres at a nice slow
pace. Not having any children along would be nice also. I highly
recommend a visit to Lauritzen Gardens. Perfect for a little
weekend escape.
I spent all
day outside today, yesterday and Monday. We are preparing for a
garage sale - a lot of work sorting through all of our treasured
junk. The garden has been put on hold for now but will certainly
be on the top of the list for next week. I will start by cutting
back all of my summer blooming perennials. Most of them are
finished blooming and even the ones that are blooming are doing
so occasionally. I have already pulled several tired looking
annuals. Once I have everything cut back and cleaned up I will
start planting pansies and mums. Two of my fall favorites. Can't
wait to get started.
The Kelly
Gallery is having a huge
End of the Season Inventory Sale. Decor for the home and
garden at a discounted price. Sounds like my kind of place. Who
doesn't love a great sale?
~
Shelly
Totally Tulips (Part I)...
While there are quite a few weeks before you
have to plant them, tulips should be purchased soon. Wait
too long and the interesting ones will be gone from the store
shelves! To help you out we publish this four-part series each
year at this time.
One of the
best ways to keep your spring garden blooming is by planting
bulbs that bloom at different times. The possibilities are
endless. In fact you can plant only tulips if you like and still
have staged blooms. This week we focus on some of the earlier
blooming tulips. Look for these in your favorite catalogs
and at local retailers:
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Single Early Tulips are among the earliest tulips to
bloom. The flowers, available in a wide range of colors, are
produced on strong, 10 to 18-inch-long stems. The flowers of
several varieties have a sweet fragrance. Single early tulips
are excellent for rock gardens, beds, and forcing.
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Double Early Tulips produce semi-double to double,
peony-like flowers. The flowers, measuring up to 4 inches in
diameter, are borne on strong, short stems. The color range of
double early tulips is smaller than for most other tulip
classes.
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Greigii Tulips are noted for their brightly-colored flowers
and purple striped or mottled foliage. Plant height varies
from 8 to 12 inches. Because of their short stature, Greigii
tulips are excellent choices for borders or rock gardens.
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Kaufmanniana Tulips are long-lived perennial tulips. In
sunlight, the flowers open fully. The open flowers resemble a
star or water lily. Flower colors include white, yellow, pink,
and intermediary colors. The foliage is bluish green or
chocolate brown striped. Kaufmanniana tulips are small plants
with an average height of 4 to 8 inches. Their compact size
makes them good choices for border edges and rock gardens.
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Fosteriana Tulips produce some of the largest flowers of
the genus. They also perennialize well. 'Red Emperor'
is a widely grown variety in this class. Fosteriana tulips are
sometimes referred to as emperor tulips.
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Species Tulips include wild species, horticultural
varieties, and hybrids. Most are early blooming, short-statured
plants. Species tulips are available in a wide array of
colors. They perennialize well and are excellent plants for
rock and heirloom gardens.
Next week,
the "middle" bloomers...
Source
Household
Hazardous Waste...
Fall clean-up of your garage or other work areas may turn up
containers of old pesticides, herbicides, and other lawn and
garden chemicals. These items are considered household
hazardous wastes and should not be thrown in the trash.
Instead, Savvygardeners should dispose of them safely through
their local government. For more information simply click
on the appropriate local government link below:
Fall is the Perfect
Time to Hardscape!
Choose the right product for
your project at
Randy's Lakeview Nursery & Bulk Supercenter
With over 50 different types of decorative rock,
limestone, flagstone and pavers,
Randy's is the Supercenter with
super prices!
Visit Them Now!
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Squash Harvest Hints...
Don't be too hasty in harvesting all your winter squash! For
longer keeping let winter squash stay on the vines as long as
possible. Wait until the vines die back or there is danger of
frost. Check by pressing with your thumbnail, if the skin is
easily broken they are not fully matured and may not keep well.
When you
harvest leave two to three inches of stem on the squash. Allow
them to cure in a warm, dry, well-ventilated place for a couple
of weeks before placing them in storage. Also, never wash your
squash until just before using and never carry squash or pumpkins
by the stem.
Source
The Sunflower Shake...
You don't have to be a Kansas Savvygardener to appreciate the
beauty of sunflowers. For those of you who want to harvest your
sunflower seeds and don't know when they're ready just look for
these tell-tale signs:
- The flower's head
is droopy and faces the ground.
- Most of the
petals have fallen off.
- The birds are
starting to enjoy the seeds.
Gently
shake the head of the flower and the seeds will fall off. Store
them in a nice dry place for planting next spring!
What's Hot On The Hotline...
Savvygardeners love peonies! There are so
many varieties and they're not too hard to grow either. For the
peony aficionado however there is certainly a lot to know about
these beauties. You'll learn more than a thing or two about
peonies in this
week's
What's Hot On the Hotline...
Fertilizer Figures...
Savvygardeners with cool-season grasses (bluegrass, fescue,
and/or ryegrass) should plan on three applications of fertilizer
each year - one in spring and two in fall. Fall is the most
important time to fertilize as it really encourages strong root
growth resulting in healthier growth next spring. September is a
great month for the first fall application followed by another in
November.
You're
going to need about 1 to 1.5 pounds of Nitrogen per 1,000 square
feet of lawn. That's the amount of actual Nitrogen, not
fertilizer product. The amount of actual nitrogen in a
fertilizer product is indicated by the first digit of the N-P-K
number on the label of a fertilizer bag. The N-P-K number
indicates percentages by weight of the nutrients nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). For example, a bag with a
N-P-K of 20-4-4 has 20 percent nitrogen. Therefore it will take
5 pounds of this fertilizer to provide 1 pound of actual
nitrogen.
Finally... "It is the greatest
of all mistakes to do nothing because you can do only a little.
Do what you can." ~
Sydney Smith, (1771 - 1845),
English Essayist |