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April 27, 2005

Mea Culpa...
I might as well start this week off with a big "I'M SORRY". Last week I was more than confident that we were safely past the chance of another frost. Mother Nature proved me wrong yet again. Like my good friend Jan Olson says, "No one can predict the weather". Hopefully our frost alert got to you in time and your garden didn't suffer from Jack Frost's touch. The current ten-day weather outlook looks wet and cool. If there is another chance of frost we will be sure to inform you by sending out another frost alert. A service I hope you find beneficial.

Last Saturday was a chilly, windy day but it was nice and warm inside the boutique at Audrie Seeley's Garden Center. So many adorable items to be purchased. The boutique has a wide assortment of items from local artists and craftsmen. A place to leisurely browse around. Audrie's also has anything you might need for the landscape. Keep this place in mind. Great people and good stock. In our industry that's a great combination! Thanks to all of you Savvygardener's who came out to enjoy the festivities. A special thanks to a couple of devoted readers who came all the way from Emporia and Iola. How fun it was to meet you!

Even though the weather has not been the best this week, we have made the best of it with regard to getting things accomplished outside. Our good friends from Ryan Lawn & Tree were here Tuesday cleaning up some old limbs left over from the winter storms (photos). These guys are great. Not only are they certified arborists (a big plus), but they are very professional and just great people. I can't think of a nicer group of people to work with. So if you ever need someone to care for your trees or lawn (like we do) give these guys a call.

Don't forget - this weekend is your last chance to to qualify for the $500 gift certificate from Family Tree Nursery with a donation of $50 or more to The Breast Cancer Three-Day.  Don't wait - donate now!

~ Shelly  

Prairie Star Website...
Great news! The Prairie Star Flower K-State Research and Extension program has its own website.  The Prairie Star collection consists of annual flowers of great vigor and spectacular bloom throughout the entire summer growing season. Most importantly they are tested and rated right here in the Kansas City metro.  That means that these annuals are well suited for us.  We've toured the K-State test gardens and met many of the researchers.  This is a great service that no Savvygardener can pass up.  Visit their new website at www.prairiestarflowers.com

Oh Say Can You Sow...
Savvygardeners all across the metro will be out this weekend buying bedding plants, vegetable seedlings, and all manner of transplants for the garden.  Keep in mind that some plants actually prefer to have their seeds sown directly in the garden.

  • Among vegetables these include: beans, beets, carrots, celery, peas, squash, and turnips.
  • Among flowers: alyssum, aster, bachelor's button, cosmos, marigold, morning glory, sunflower, sweet pea, and zinnia.

Buy the seeds, read the directions, watch them grow!

The Division Decision...
Division is a necessary chore in maintaining most perennials.  A few plants never like to be disturbed, and should not be moved or divided; Aconitum, Baptisia, Dictamnus, Eryngium, Helleborus, Limonium, and Papaver are good examples.  Most others will need division every three to four years or so.  You'll know it's time to divide when a dead center forms in the crown area with a ring of plants around it; blooms are fewer and smaller; or growth simply appears crowded. 

A general rule is to divide the plant in the non-bloom season.  Midsummer bloomers should be divided in spring when plant growth is two to three inches in height.  Fall bloomers are divided in late August or early September when plants are semi-dormant and temperatures are showing a cooling trend. 

Use a spade to dig the clump and cut off divisions.  If you don't want to divide an entire clump, divisions can be cut from the edge of a clump using a spade and trowel.  Some plants have tough, thick root systems that are a challenge to divide.  Hosta, Hemerocallis, and Astilbe fall in this category so don't be discouraged if you find the going a little tough.

Source

Hydrangea Helper...
Hydrangeas are wonderful.  Especially when they bloom.  You're not alone if you are sometimes (or often) frustrated by otherwise beautiful and healthy-looking hydrangeas that just won't bloom.  There are reasons for this of course.  Here are the likely ones:

  • Improper Pruning
    Some bloom on old wood, some on new season's growth.  For example, the popular 'Annabelle' varieties bloom on new growth and are consequently best cut back hard in the early spring.  By contrast, the Bigleaf hydrangea will grow in Kansas City but will not usually flower because the flowers develop on old (last season's growth) wood.  Since flower buds lack the cold hardiness of the foliage buds, they are often killed by our cold winters.
  • Too Much Shade
    While they will do all right in partial shade or full sunlight, too much shade could keep them from flowering
  • Too Much Nitrogen
    Fertilizing with high nitrogen fertilizers will limit blooms.  Try using a fertilizer with less nitrogen "N" and more Phosphorous "P".    

Source
 


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Aphids On Roses...
Our roses are growing like crazy.  This hasn't gone unnoticed by the aphids either.  A quick inspection this morning turned up more than a few of these pesky pests
(photos) living on our rose leaves.  Luckily a good squirt of insecticidal soap will take care of them.  Just make sure the solution makes direct contact with the aphids.

Showers For Flowers...
April took a long time to live up to it's traditional billing and has finally graced us with much needed showers.  Hopefully we will continue to get the inch of rain per week that our gardens need.  Unfortunately most years bring us long periods of dry, hot weather requiring diligent watering to keep our flowers looking their best.

If staying on top of watering isn't your idea of a good time you can always choose your flowers accordingly.  A drought-tolerant flower garden should include the following:

Annuals

Burning Bush, Kochia Gazania, Gazania
Creeping Zinnia, Sanvitalia Mexican Sunflower, Tithonia
Dusty Miller, Senecio Rose Moss, Portulaca
Four O'Clock, Mirabilis Salvia, Salvia farinacea

Perennials

Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia Iris, Iris
Blanket Flower, Gaillardia Sage, Salvia
Butterfly Flower, Asclepias Sedum
Gayfeather, Liatris Tickseed, Coreopsis

For a more complete list of drought-tolerant flowers that grow well in the Kansas City area click here.

More Growin', More Mowin'...
Most of us have fallen into the habit of mowing the lawn every week.  This time of year however the grass is growing so fast that you probably need to mow it a bit more often.  Remember that you don't want to cut off more than 1/3 of the height of the grass in any single mowing.  In our yard that means mowing twice per week.  It won't last long and the extra investment in time will yield a healthier more durable lawn when the summer heat sets in.

Finally...
"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March."

~ Robert Frost

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