Can't Wait For The Weekend!
Let's see... what season are we in?
Oh yes, now I remember, it's spring. It
is somewhat difficult to keep the seasons separated when one
seems to start running into the next. These summer-like
temperatures we're having are allowing
the gardens to burst into color. The hosta's
are up and open and the Shasta daisy's
are growing ever so quickly. What a great spring! We have gone
from watching spring flowers come and go to planting summer
annuals. I have never planted as early as I have planted this
season so I am hoping, as I am sure many others of you are, that
we don't encounter one last frost. I think we're out of the woods
so for now I will enjoy every minute of every day because I am
getting to do what I love... work in
the garden.
Don't
forget to join me this Saturday, April 23rd at
Audrie Seeley's Garden Center. I will be there from 12-2 PM
answering questions and just helping out. Audrie's carries a
large array of perennials, annuals, shrubs and roses. There will
be a lot to choose from so plan on staying awhile. Once you have
chosen all of the right plants for the garden check out their
unique gift area featuring original pieces of art. Local and
regional artists display funky, elegant, charming and ethnic
pieces. Doesn't that sound like fun?
If you are
looking for some good advice on lots of different topics then
you'll want to head out to
Bannister
Garden Center Saturday, April 23rd. From 10 AM to 3 PM there
will be experts from all fields to answer your gardening
questions. Their will be hourly prizes given, complimentary
donuts, coffee and lunch. Wow! If you didn't have anything
planned for Saturday you certainly do now.
~
Shelly
Lawn Mowing
Safety...
Gas-powered lawn mowers may be the most
dangerous tool regularly used around the home. They create hot
exhaust fumes. Their blades spin 2,000 to 4,000 times per minute
and can turn small toys and garden debris into deadly missiles.
According to
Kansas State University Research and Extension, U.S. safety
experts estimate lawn mower accidents severely injure 75,000
people every year. The minor accidents could easily number in the
millions.
Here are two
very good safety tips to follow:
- Before mowing,
search the yard – every time. Look for small objects that may
be hidden from obvious view. Most lawn mower blades run at 100
to 200 miles per hour. So, if one hits a rock, wire, acorn or
stick, that object can become deadly: both airborne and fast as
the wink of an eye.
- Do not mow when
anyone else is in the vicinity of the mower itself and any
projectiles it may create
More lawn
mower safety tips
can be found here...
Source
Bulb Boosters...
Depending on micro-climates, planting depth, and variety,
your spring bulbs are at various stages of growth right now.
Our daffodils
are long gone, and and our tulips are
nearly done, but we continue to see great displays
in progress all over town. What you do with the plants after the
flowers are spent is crucial to next year's growth. Bulbs use
their foliage to acquire and transport nutrients necessary for
future growth. If you cut or remove the foliage too early you
will starve the bulb and consequently reduce its chances for
strong growth next spring. Cut the stems back as you would if
you were cutting them for a vase. Leave the foliage alone until
it has withered on its own. Only then should you clear it from
the garden.
A Clean Break...
When transplanting flowers and veggies to the garden make
sure you break off the rims of your peat pots just below ground
level. Any portion of the peat pot sticking up above the soil
surface will wick away moisture and deprive your plants of much
needed water. That would be a shame considering how hard you
worked getting them this far!
Clematis Wilt...
The most serious disease of clematis is commonly called
clematis wilt - a stem rot/leaf
spot disease caused by the fungus, Ascochyta clematidina, which
mainly affects large‑flowered clematis hybrids. The symptoms are
very defining and include sudden stem collapse, often just as the
flower buds are about to open. Within just a few days the stems
and its leaves turn black. Leaf veins often develop a purple
coloration. One or more stems of the diseased plant may be
affected or all aboveground parts of the plant can be killed down
to just below the soil level.
Often, an
affected plant will recover after a year or two.
Of course, prevention is the best medicine. Here's how:
- Choose a
favorable planting site with 6 or
more hours of sun daily, rich, well‑drained soil with pH about
7.0, and be relatively open to ensure good air circulation.
- Select the most
resistant plants. Species clematis and/or small‑flowered
hybrids seem to be more resistant than large-flowered forms.
- Keep the clematis
area free of plant debris on a year‑round basis. Take special
care to avoid injury to stem and roots since the wilt fungus
requires a wound to begin its deadly work.
- Avoid damaging
the roots. Do not cultivate the soil around clematis plants and
maintain good mulch.
- Give good
culture. Maintain good growing conditions to keep all clematis
plants as stress‑free as possible.
- In the event that
plants become infected, cut diseased stems just below ground
level and destroy them. Spray any remaining, healthy parts of
the plant and surrounding soil with a protective fungicide such
as myclobutanil.
Source
Growing Groundcovers...
You can trim pachysandra and other low groundcovers by mowing
them with your lawnmower. Set the mowing height at around three
to four inches. This will thicken the groundcover and help
prevent weeds. Be sure to remove the clippings by gently raking.
Boston ivy, English ivy, purple winter creeper, and cranberry
cotoneaster all benefit from springtime trimming.
Source
It's Raining Worms!
If you've been outside and noticed small
worms falling from the sky you're not alone. All over the metro,
worms are falling from oak trees. These worms are actually the
larvae of a gall midge. The larvae came from eggs that adult
midges laid on the flower clusters of pin oak in early spring.
Newly hatched larvae feed on the flower clusters and then move to
the leaves as they unfurl. Eventually, the larvae drop to the
ground in order to pupate. Adults emerge early the next spring to
start the cycle all over again. The midges apparently cause no
damage.
Source
Dealing With Dandelions...
We're getting lots of e-mail asking about
weeds (especially dandelions) in lawns. Keep in mind two things:
- Dense
healthy turf is the most effective weed control. Proper mowing,
fertilization, and irrigation will go a long way in controlling
weeds.
- Fall is the
best time to control weeds.
That being
said, you can spot-apply broad spectrum herbicides to lawn
weeds. These can include traditional chemicals or alternatives
like horticultural vinegar. Either way, be careful where you
spray. Drifting herbicides are going to damage or kill the
plants they touch.
Finally... "This spring as it
comes bursts up in bonfires green,
Wild puffing of emerald trees, and flame-filled bushes,
Thorn-blossom lifting in wreaths of smoke between
Where the wood fumes up and the watery, flickering rushes.
I am amazed
at this spring, this conflagration
Of green fires lit on the soil of the earth, this blaze
Of growing, and sparks that puff in wild gyration,
Faces of people streaming across my gaze." ~
D. H. Lawrence, The Enkindled Spring |