Awakening To Spring...
Although the date doesn’t reflect it - it must be spring. I
saw some forsythia in bloom the other day while walking Sam
Parker
(photos).
There were clumps of crocus, daffodils and a flowering quince
just dying to burst open. The past warmer days have really given
the gardens an opportunity to come to life. It seems as if every
day there are more and more plantings
awakening from their long winter's nap.
I think this is one of the most exciting times of the year. If it
wasn’t for the runny nose and the itchy eyes life would be
perfect.
I hope that
all of you will be able to attend Family Tree Nursery’s Spring
Open House in Overland Park this weekend (see
ad below). They always put on quite a display. Flowers and
plants every where. If you have never had the opportunity to go
you should treat yourself. Take the whole family. There is
something for everyone. A petting zoo, crafts, cotton candy, hot
dogs and drinks. They have thought of it all. The garden displays
are terrific. A great way to see new plants with an opportunity
to view them in different landscapes. An event you won’t want to
miss.
A huge
thanks to everyone who is supporting me in the Breast Cancer
3-Day June 17-19. Your support and generosity have
been overwhelming! It is still not too late to contribute.
If you are interested in helping me in the fight against Breast
Cancer
click here.
~
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.
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 jumping around a
bit lately but 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.
Tired of flower
shows where
there aren't any flowers?
Family Tree
Nursery presents, "Technicolor Gardens", our tenth annual
flower show and spring open house at the greenhouses of
our Overland Park store, March 18th, 19th and 20th.
-
Learn how to create artistic container gardens.
-
Discover how to transform your
shady areas.
-
Stroll through
our colorful "idea gardens".
-
Meet "the
Gard'n Wise Guys" broadcasting live from the open house
Sunday morning from seven til nine.
-
Get
answers to your gardening questions from experts from local
garden clubs and suppliers.
-
Enjoy great
sale prices on pansies, tropical plants, flowering bulbs,
perennials, roses and much much more.
-
Bring the kids
to the Young Gardener's Club 9th
Birthday Party.
There will be
refreshments, door prizes, our petting zoo and lot's of
fun for the whole family.
Call
913-642-6503 for more details.
This year we've really
put the
flower back in flower show!
|
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
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... "In the garden the
door is always open into the "holy" - growth, birth, death. Every
flower holds the whole mystery in its short cycle, and in the
garden we are never far away from death, the fertilizing, good,
creative death." ~
May Sarton, Poet |