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Schizophrenic Spring
Greetings!
 Today turned out to be warm and sunny. Thank goodness.
I've
been playing peek-a-boo with the weather, dashing outside to do some quick
raking and pruning when the sun is briefly. shining. I've been yearning to get out there more. My daffodils are blooming, surrounded
by dead perennials and brown leaves. Ugh. Hate that.
So
much to do. I need to prune back my monster bittersweet, prune various fruit
trees, spray with organic dormant oil and spray with an organic fungal spray
(see below). I was smart to cut back most of my perennials in the fall--less to
do now--but there's lots of raking.
Even
though I have six compost heaps, they don't begin to hold all my dead leaves
and prunings. I'm making a big pile on the driveway for the landscaper to haul
away, unless I can sweet talk a friend with a truck.
And
I still haven't planted my lettuces, sweet peas, beets, radishes. and there's a flat of pansies by my back door,
begging to get planted into my windowboxes now.
Deep
breath. I'm doing this because it's fun, right?
Yours in more relaxed gardening,
 Veronica Lorson Fowler |
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| Cutting Back Creeping Phlox
I adore these--they are so pretty in the spring, growing low
and blooming in white, pink, blue, and purple about the same time as the
tulips.  But mine have been in the same place for several years now and they are
getting dead-looking in the center.
What
to do? Afterthey're done blooming (don't want to trim off developing flowers!)
cut them back by about half, no more.
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Prevent the Fungus Among Us
I'm not much into those home remedies--you know, the ones
that suggest you pour beer on your lawn and such. But here's one home remedy
that university research indicates actually does work.
It's
a spray to prevent powdery mildew, that grayish stuff that gets on the leaves
of lilacs, roses, cucumbers, tomatoes, garden phlox,  and others in late summer.
But you need to do it now. Fungal sprays of any sort don't do much good after
the problem shows up.
Here's
the recipe: Mix together 2 quarts water, 2 tablespoons baking soda, and 1
tablespoon liquid hand soap. Spray three times before daytime highs regularly
get up in the 80s, and spray on a dry day (rain washes it off). Be sure to coat
the plant, getting stems and the underside of leaves.
Repeat
applications every 5 to 7 days after.
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 Hydrangeas in Iowa
I've been getting lots of questions on why folks' blue
hydrangeas don't bloom, if you need to acidify the soil somehow, and how to
prune hydrangeas.
Click herefor all the
answers, plus recommendations on the best hydrangeas for our state.
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Word of the Week: Cool-Season Annual
There are two types of annuals: Cool-season and warm-season.
Cool-season
annuals are those you plant now, a good six weeks before our last frost date in
mid-May. They like cold and wet and often can even take snow and ice. They
include pansies, broccoli, spinach, lettuces, cauliflower, cabbage, godietia, lobelia, snapdragons, and
more.
When
temperatures start getting up regularly in the high 80s and 90s in late
May and June, cool-season flowers turn yellow and die, or close to it.  Tear them out and replace with
warm-season annuals,those annuals who like heat and
can't take frost, such as marigolds,
petunias, impatiens, tomatoes, peppers, and more.
In the heat, cool-season vegetables bolt
or go to seed, turning bitter, and are no longer edible. Time
to rip them out, toss them on the compost heap.
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Have tough garden questions?
The
Iowa State University
Horticulture Extension Answer Line gives great, free advice! 515-294-3108
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Sponsored Links
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If it's related to gardening, it's a good bet we have it!
 Pruning 101 WorkshopJoin Iowa Gardening Coach Anne Larson Saturday, April 17 at 9:00 a.m.
in Ankeny for a workshop on how to prune roses, shrubs, trees, and evergreens.
$30. Click hereto register or
call 515-865-7483. |
Garden To-Do List
For a printable version of this list for April, click here.
For a month-by-month listing of what to plant when in Iowa, click here.
 Finish up raking out any
beds with leaves, winter mulch, etc.
Cut back any perennials that you didn't last fall.
Divide perennialsthat bloom in the late spring,
summer, or fall now, as needed or desired.
Prune large trees,small trees,shrubs,evergreens, and roses now as desired.
Spray fruit trees and roses
with dormant oilto prevent pests and diseases.
If you choose to use a
preemergent weed killer, such as Preen, in your beds and borders, now it the
time to apply it. Organic versions are also available. Look for products that
also fertilize.
Plant nearly any type of
tree or shrub now.
Plant cool-weather loving seeds,
such as radishes, lettuces, spinach, peas, turnips, beets, and various greens.
Plant cool-season annual flowers,such as pansies, snapdragons,
godietas, Iceland poppies, violas, primulas, and English daisies, if you can
find them in various garden centers.
Plant seedlings of cool-season vegetables,such as broccoli,
cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbages now.
Good Friday is the
traditional day for planting potatoes in Iowa, so plant them now if you haven't
already.
Wait to plant warm-season
annuals, such as marigolds, tomatoes, and petunias, until after the last
average frost date in mid-May.
If you choose to use lawn
chemicals, apply a fertilizer and a preemergent herbicide when the bright
yellow forsythia blooms. Or use a combination product. Organic gardeners should
apply a corn meal gluten herbicide now.
Plant herbs now that like
cool weather, including parsley, chives, and cilantro. Also plant any perennial
herbs, such as tarragon, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
Wait to mulch until the
ground warms up more, usually in late May or so.
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Garden Events
Saturday, April 10 Knoxville Garden Gala8:30 through late afternoon. Visit the Bessie Paur Butterfly
Garden, shop garden booths, and listen four speakers (including Veronica!) from
around the state. $30-$35 registration fee includes lunch. Sunday, April 11 Project GREEN Sunday Garden Forums Public Library, Iowa City 2-4 pm. Robert Henderson, assistant director of Horticulture Programs
for the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, will speak on "Great Plants for the
Great Plains." Click herefor a listing of more Iowa garden events.
Include your upcoming garden event (we love garden clubs!) in our Events
listing. Click here to send us the info!
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Garden Quote
"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you
want--oh, you don't quite know what it is you dowant, but it just fairly makes your heart ache,
you want it so!"
-- Mark Twain
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