Peonies,
Memories...
This is the time of the year that so many people look forward
to. It is the time of the peony. It is less than two weeks from
Memorial Day and peonies are in bloom everywhere. It was and
still is a tradition in my family for my parents to cut peonies
to place on their parents' graves.
This is a tradition that has been in our family for some time.
For as many years as I can remember once they began to bloom I
knew it would be just a few days before visiting the cemetery. My
dad's mom was not only a terrific gardener but loved peonies. It
seems only appropriate to leave at her grave side a bouquet of
this magnificent flower. Does this tradition exist in other
places or just small Midwestern towns? Kevin, having grown up on
the East coast, had never heard of anyone doing this before.
Tradition or not this is a flower like no other.
This is
also an exciting time of the year for our sponsor
Bannister
Garden Center, located in Kansas City, Missouri. They have
their annual Peony Festival where you can see some of the finest
peonies in the Midwest. If you are wanting to purchase peonies,
this is the place to go. Owners Neva and Tony Mistretta have been
growing peonies for over 36 years and offer 100 varieties of
potted peonies. They also have a full service nursery that
carries many other plants for the
landscape. When you stop in don't forget to ask them about the
peonies points card. With every $100 purchase they will stamp
your card which will allow you a free peony root to plant in the
fall. How great is that?
Congratulations to Deborah Reiman! She is the lucky winner of the
Family Tree Nursery $500 gift certificate! Way to go and thanks
for helping me raise money for the Breast Cancer 3-Day!
~
Shelly
Winning By
Thinning...
A bountiful vegetable patch requires thinning when crops are
grown from seed. Be aware that vegetables behave like weeds when
they are overabundant.
Overcrowding among root crops causes
poorly formed roots. A good thinning program will:
- Reduce the
competition among seedlings for soil nutrients and water.
- Promote better
air circulation around the plants thereby reducing the chances
of disease development.
- Ultimately make
higher yields possible.
For a list
of common garden vegetables and recommendations for their spacing
click
here.
Rain Drain...
We welcomed that rain late last week but
it's possible it was too much of a good thing.
Heavy rains can leech fertilizers from
the root zone of your cool-season
vegetable plants. These crops are growing rapidly now and
require adequate fertilizer to complete their growth cycle
early. If you notice that foliage color is slightly pale and
plants are not growing as fast as you'd expect, a side-dressing
of fertilizer may be in order.
Use a
general-use fertilizer or one high in nitrogen. Organic
fertilizers such as blood meal contain good levels of nitrogen
and work well as a side-dressing. Apply fertilizers along the
crop row and lightly cultivate or hoe to make sure the fertilizer
is incorporated lightly to quickly dissolve. With rainfall, the
nitrogen dissolves and is carried into the plant root
zone.
Source
Getting Antsy
About Aphids...
When you see ants crawling on your
garden plants, look closely for aphids
as well. Some ant species protect
aphids, moving them from plant to plant and even taking them
underground into the anthill for overnight safety
(seriously!). The ants do this
to ensure a supply of honeydew, a sugary water substance secreted
by aphids, on which ants feed.
Source
Vine Crop Villains...
Savvygardeners need to be vigilant for the two most
destructive insect foes of vine crops - the cucumber beetle and
the squash bug. Cucumber beetles, like most vegetable insects
must be controlled early to prevent damage to the seedling and
transmission of diseases like bacterial wilt. Planting a trap
crop, applying neem oil soap and using row covers are effective
non-chemical methods to manage this insect pest. Squash bugs can
be repelled with insecticidal soap in addition to garlic and
pepper sprays.
Source
Miners Not
Allowed...
Many species of boxwood are attacked by the boxwood leaf
miner, whose activity becomes very noticeable in mid spring.
American boxwood is particularly susceptible. Blister like orange
spots are a sign of the larvae of this insect, which hides
between the leaf surfaces and feeds there until it emerges. The
adults, orange in color and gnat-like, are easily controlled with
a pyrethroid insecticide. Heavier infestations should be treated
with a systemic insecticide containing imidacloprid.
Source
Zoysia Tips...
Zoysia lawns are finally looking good all around the metro. Now
that they are greening up and growing you will want to make sure
you do the following:
- Reduce thatch
layers from zoysia by verticutting or core aerating.
- Sod or sprig
zoysia lawns to fill in bare areas.
- Fertilize zoysia
lawns with high nitrogen to promote green up and summer
growth.
- Mow zoysia to 2
to 2½ inches tall.
Dull
Blade Equals Brown Blades...
Have you ever noticed your grass turning
brown at the tips several days after mowing
(photo)?
A quick look under the mowing deck might explain it all. Chances
are, your mower blade is not sufficiently sharp. A quick visit
to the local hardware store will fix the problem for about $5.
Remember to
sharpen your mower blade several times each season. It's even a
good idea to keep a spare blade on hand.
That way you always have a sharp one.
Finally... "... every tree near
our house had a name of its own and a special identity. This was
the beginning of my love for natural things, for earth and sky,
for roads and fields and woods, for trees and grass and flowers;
a love which has been second only to my sense of enduring kinship
with birds and animals, and all inarticulate creatures." ~
Ellen Glasgow (1874-1945) |