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September 15, 2004

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: 

  1. Remove the plant from its package, and carefully remove all loose packing material (peat moss and sawdust are commonly used). 
  2. Soak the roots in a bucket of water for 5 to 10 minutes. 
  3. Examine the root system, and trim away any rotted, moldy, broken or elongated roots with a sharp knife of your pruning shears. 
  4. 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. 
  5. Cover the roots with soil and press down firmly.  Make sure all the roots — especially those under the crown are in contact with soil. 
  6. 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.

 


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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:

  1. Stop fertilizing in the fall (now). In order to form buds, only water enough to keep the stems from shriveling.
  2. 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.
  3. 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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