Utterly Unpredictable...
March weather. Unpredictable. Sunday was the first day of
spring and it was delightful. Mother Nature however reminded us
yesterday to be patient. The snow flakes were beautiful but I was
glad they didn't stick around. This
evening there is a chance of thunderstorms. Talk about keeping
you on your toes. A good reason to keep from planting plants that
are too tender. Always keep in mind that the last official frost
free date is in mid-April
so don't get overanxious. There
will be plenty of time for planting.
We packed
up the entire family and traveled east for spring break. Kevin
and I had the opportunity to spend Saturday casually walking
around the Georgetown
area of D.C. The time spent in Georgetown was great! No
kids dragging along and the day was beautiful. The row houses
(photo)
are unbelievable and the gardens... how
do they create such splendor in such a small space? It is always
so much fun to see the creative minds of other gardeners at work.
I often think I could go from town to town just to see what
people are planting. A favorite past time when I am not in the
garden.
Happy Easter
to all of you!
~
Shelly
Clipping Clematis...
Clematis can be a confusing group of plants to prune, since
they are not all pruned the same way. In fact there are three
methods that can be applied to major groups depending on the time
of year the plant flowers. The earliest flowering clematis bloom
on old wood, while later flowering types must produce new growth
in order for flower buds to form. Prune carefully, since vines
are usually well entangled. The complete directions are a bit
long to fit in this space so we published them in our
Features
section. Check out
Pruning Clematis...
Relief For
The Root-Bound...
Judging when a houseplant needs a new, larger pot is mostly a
matter of roots, according to
Kansas State
University Research and Extension horticulturist Chip Miller.
Many container-grown plants need a new home every year. But some
grow so slowly that relocating every two or three years can be
enough. "To check whether plants are becoming root-bound, you
need to knock them out of their pot. If you water several hours
before trying this, you'll be able to remove the plant more
easily," Miller said.
He recommends two approaches to this dislocation:
-
For plants in pots
that are 8 inches wide or smaller, place one hand over the top
of the pot with the plant's stem passing between two fingers.
Turn pot and plant upside down, and rap the edge of the pot
against a table. The root ball should come away from the pot
and into your hand.
-
For larger
combinations, place the pot on its side and rap its edge with a
rubber mallet. Roll the pot a few degrees and repeat the
rapping. Continue the procedure until the root ball "releases"
and you can slide the pot down.
"If you then see a clear network of roots, the plant needs to be
moved into a larger pot," Miller said. "The new pot should be
just 1 inch wider if the plant was small enough to remove into
your hand. It can be 2 inches wider if the plant's old container
was at least 10 inches wide."
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.
Well Oiled...
Savvygardeners with fruit trees will soon be applying
horticultural oils to fruit trees to reduce certain pests. These
oils are not poisons. Instead, the thin film of oil covers the
target insect or mite and plugs the spiracles or pores through
which it breathes. Pine needle scale, oystershell scale,
euonymus scale, aphids, spider mites and small pine sawfly larvae
are all effectively controlled by this method.
Proper
timing is critical for success when using oils. Dormant oils
should be applied in late March or April before leaves or flowers
show signs of breaking dormancy. A common mistake is to apply
'dormant' oil sprays too early (on the first warm day in February
or March) before insects are actively respiring and susceptible
to the oil's suffocating effects. Wait until as close to bud
break as possible before applying oil sprays. Also make sure
temperatures will be above 40° for at least 24 hours.
Do Not Disturb...
Our bulbs are popping up all over. I'll bet yours are too!
Look closely at your bulb beds. Are there weeds popping up as
well? If so remove the weeds by gentle hand pulling. Removal
with a cultivator or other weeding tool may disturb the bulbs
unnecessarily.
Rosy Days...
Now that we
are well past mid-March it's time to start thinking about roses.
Actually we can start doing something too! Now is a good
time to plant bare-root roses and give existing roses some TLC.
Got roses? Read
Getting Started on the Growing Season in our special
Rose section.
Better Spreaders...
Whether it's lawn seed, fertilizer, or weed killer chances
are you're going to use a spreader for the job eventually. But
what kind? Drop or broadcast? Well, there's several things to
keep in mind before you pick one. Generally if both spreaders
are of equal quality, a drop spreader usually will provide better
accuracy. However, a high-quality rotary will be more accurate
than a lower-quality drop spreader. There are these differences
to consider as well:
Drop spreaders
meter out the fertilizer and drop it directly on the lawn. A
drop spreader is best if:
- You have a small
lawn.
- Doing the job as
precisely as possible is most important to you.
- You don’t mind
taking a bit longer to apply products to your lawn.
Rotary spreaders
meter out the fertilizer and throw the granules in a swath up to
several feet wide. A rotary spreader is best if:
- You have a very
large lawn.
- You like to get
the job done as quickly as possible.
- You do not have
flower beds or gardens in the middle of your lawn.
Finally... "The air is like a
butterfly
With frail blue wings.
The happy earth looks at the sky
And sings." ~
Joyce Kilmer, Spring |