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September 15, 2004 |
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Fall, Festivals, Fun...
The sky looked somewhat threatening today but only a few
drops of rain here is Westwood. We could really use about an inch
or so. Many things are starting to show signs of stress due to
the warmer temperatures and little rain. Feast or famine...torrential
rains or nothing. I guess I have no reason to complain. I think
about all of the people who are preparing to leave or have
already left their homes due to the threat of
Hurricane Ivan. Now that is scary weather!
I have
purchased a few mums but have yet to plant them. I am still
trying to decide on the best location. They are going to look
great once I have them either potted or planted. What a
refreshing pick-me-up for the landscape. My favorite mum is
Helen. Red is my favorite color and that deep shade is just so
yummy.
Fall will
soon be here and after that the cold
days of winter. Fall is a special time for many things. I am sure
you have been reading about all of the fall festivals that will
soon be taking place. One that we are taking special interest in
is the
Roeland Park RoeFest. It is October 2nd and is held at the
Roeland Park Community Center. There is a 5K Charity Run/Walk, 1
Mile Walk and the RoeFest Kid's Dash. RoeFest is special to us
because our dear friends Tim and Natalie Gibbs have two
daughters,
Lauren (age 7)
and Claire (age 6)
who have a disease called
Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). The money that is raised
during the race will go directly to helping find a cure for
Lauren, Claire and other children affected by SMA. So join us,
October 2nd at 8:00 AM in the spirit of helping Tim, Natalie,
Lauren, Claire and the other families fighting this terrible
disease.
~
Shelly
Totally Tulips (Part 2)
One of the best ways to keep your spring garden flowering is
by planting tulip bulbs that bloom at different times.
Last week we recommended some tulip varieties that would
bloom toward the early part of spring. This week we focus on
those that will bloom after the early bloomers but just before
the late bloomers. Careful planning will pay off next spring
with a continuously blooming tulip garden.
-
Darwin Hybrid Tulips are highly prized for their large,
brilliant flowers. Flowers are available in shades of red,
pink, orange, and yellow. Blooms are borne on strong stems
which are up to 30 inches tall. Darwin hybrid tulips often
bloom well for several years, making them one of the better
perennial tulips.
-
Triumph Tulips produce cup-shaped flowers on strong,
medium-length stems. Average plant height is 10 to 16 inches.
This is the largest class of tulips and offers the widest range
of flower colors. Triumph tulips are excellent for forcing.
-
Parrot Tulips have deeply feathered, curled, or twisted
petals. Flowers may be single or multi-colored. Many
varieties have a green spot at the base of their petals.
Parrot tulips are sensitive to poor weather and should be
planted in a protected spot.
Next week,
the late bloomers...
Source
Planting Perennials
Properly...
Fall is here and that means we're planting perennials at our
house. By planting perennials now Savvygardeners will benefit
from the plant establishing a strong root structure during the
autumn months. This in turn leads to a bigger, healthier plant
next spring.
Perennials
are generally sold in pots or bare-root. Here are the steps to
follow when planting a bare root perennial:
- Remove
the plant from its package, and carefully remove all loose
packing material (peat moss and sawdust are commonly used).
- Soak the
roots in a bucket of water for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Examine
the root system, and trim away any rotted, moldy, broken or
elongated roots with a sharp knife of your pruning shears.
- Dig a
hole deep and wide enough to allow the roots to fan out from
the crown at about 45° angle. It sometimes helps to make a
cone-shaped mound of soil in the bottom of the hole and spread
the roots around it. Remember, the crown of most perennials
should be roughly level with the surrounding ground.
- Cover
the roots with soil and press down firmly. Make sure all the
roots — especially those under the crown are in contact with
soil.
- Water
the plant well and add a layer of mulch.
Source
Mulch Ado About Trees...
Fall is a great time to plant a tree. Keeping it alive is an
all-season affair. Mulching is so important for new trees but
it's not as simple as dumping a bag of wood chips at the base of
a tree. Here are some tips to help you avoid the most common
mistakes:
- Don't
pile mulch around the trunk. This keeps the trunk wet, which
can allow diseases and insects to invade. Keep the mulch at
least 6 inches from the trunk.
- Don't
put on too little or too much. A 1-inch-deep layer doesn't do
the job. A settled depth of 3 to 5 inches gives you the full
benefits of mulch, including good weed control. Mulch depths
of a foot or two are excessive and may smother roots.
- Don't
apply sour-smelling mulch. If it smells like a litter box it's
probably been stored on a waterlogged site. The ammonia that
builds in this situation can harm your tree. Sour mulch is a
rare occurrence, but your nose will give you a clear warning of
it.
- Don't
use freshly chipped chips. While the chance of disease
transmission is small it's easy to go zero-risk by aging
chips for six weeks or more before using them around your
trees.
Plants Talk Back?...
This was too
good to pass up! Apparently a Japanese company has
developed a gadget that, when attached to a CD player or other
device, actually projects sound through a connected plant's
foliage and flowers - effectively turning your potted plants into
high quality stereo speakers. According to the company's
founder and president, "Gerbera's and sunflowers work
particularly well."
Source
A Rash of Rashes...
This makes me itch just thinking about it.
According to local media and the Kansas Department of Health and
Environment (KDHE), the center for Disease Control (CDC) has been
called in to help investigate what is described as a "large
number of rashes" that appear to be the result of the bite from
an (as yet) unidentified insect. KDHE reports that rashes
have been seen on limbs, face/neck and trunk, and fever has been
reported in some cases. Symptoms typically appear after
individuals spend time outdoors. The rashes usually resolve after
a few days. Recommended treatment includes topical application to
relieve itching.
Tired of
the Same
Old Landscape?
Randy's
Lakeview Nursery &
Bulk Supercenter Can Help!
With a
helpful, knowledgeable staff and over
60 varieties of rock, stone, and gravel, it's a selection that
is hard to find anywhere else.
See for
Yourself!
|
Coaxing
Christmas Cactus...
This week a reader asked what steps should
be taken to ensure a blooming Christmas Cactus this December.
Our buddy Ward Upham, at K-State extension offers
these tips:
-
Stop fertilizing
in the fall (now). In order to
form buds, only water enough to keep
the stems from shriveling.
-
Do not re-pot the plant at this time.
It is best to keep the plant a bit potbound. Move to a bigger pot in spring
only when you haven’t repotted in several years and/or the
current year’s blooms were fewer in number than the previous
year’s.
- If possible, let
the potted cactus spend each summer in a shady spot outdoors.
Leave it there until frost threatens – which in
our area will often mean enough
exposure to 50°
to 55° F nighttime
temperatures for the plant to start producing flower buds.
For
indoor-only plants (or those that must come in before forming
buds), put the potted cactus in an unused room, in a cardboard
box or under a dark cloth, to ensure that it has 12 hours of
complete dark for 25 consecutive nights. Day and night, keep it
at temperatures between 59 and 69 degrees. "
After bud
formation, the cactus will need another nine to 10 weeks to
complete their flower development and bloom,
after which you can resume its normal feeding and
watering.
Source
A Dandy Time to Stop
Dandelions...
So, all summer long you've been battling a few (or a few
dozen) dandelions for control of your lawn. Well, they say the
best way to control dandelions and other broad-leaf weeds is by
maintaining a lush, healthy turf. But you've still got to knock
out those pesky weeds that just won't go away and fall is a great
time to do it. Options are many but generally the most effective
controls result with a liquid broadleaf weed herbicide sprayed
under these conditions:
- The
weeds are actively growing.
- Soil
moisture is plentiful (never in drought).
- Air
temperatures are between 60
°
and 75°
F (never above 80°
degrees).
Wind
speeds are below 5 mph.
The lawn
will not receive moisture through rain or irrigation for at
least 24 hours.
The lawn
will not be mowed for several days before or after the
application.
The
person doing the applying reads and follows herbicide label
instructions carefully.
Finally... "The service we
render to others is really the rent we pay for our room on this
earth. It is obvious that man is himself a traveler; that the
purpose of this world is not 'to have and to hold' but 'to give
and serve." ~
Sir Wilfred T. Grinfell |
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