Summer On My Mind
Greetings!
Yesterday while digging in my compost heap,
I was hot. Yes, not just warm, but actually quite hot. Remember
that feeling? Warm skin? Forehead goes all damp? Vague sense of thirst? It
was lovely. And it gives me faith that perhaps summer is truly on its way. Not
that I need much more proof. There's a fragrant vase of Korean dwarf lilacs on
my kitchen table. On my desk there's a bud vase of the most elusively
silvery white German bearded iris. And I can look out into my backyard and see
the pagoda dogwood in full bloom. Ah.
I can't wait until it's warm enough to sit on my screened back porch after
sundown without a sweater, sipping on a beer and talking into the night with a
good friend or two. Now that's what I call summertime living! Happy Sweaty Gardening!
Veronica Lorson Fowler |
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Confessions Of a Roundup User
Truly, when I can, I avoid using
any chemicals. I want to be green and I don't want to spend the money. But
this year I am heartily sick and tired of battling non-stop creeping charlie
between the stones of a flagstone path, the wild campanula that's invaded
my flower beds, and the patch of garden blanketed with tiny water hemlocks. The tiny hemlock seedlings sprout up as fast as I can yank them (and they can cause a rash to boot). Time to bring in the big guns. Garden centers
are starting to sell extremely convenient, large jugs of Roundup
(called generically a non-selective herbicide or glyphosate) for just $20 to
$25. It's the one thing that will get many of your nastiest weeds. For me, it's
the solution of last resort when pulling, hoeing, and mulching just won't do it. Some
gardeners, understandably, are afraid of it because it kills or damages all
plants it touches. But it actually breaks down in three days, making it one of
the least environmentally dubious herbicides you can use in your garden. Click
here to read about "When Good People Use Roundup" for tips on
usage from a "green" website. My personal tip: Use it on a sunny day
(it works better) and be prepared to spray two or three times to truly
kill the weeds.
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Rosemary for Iowa In northern California and Italy,
I've loved brushing my hand across big rosemary shrubs growing wild to release their distinctive aroma. (To me, it smells like the best roasting chicken.) Here
in chilly Iowa, I grow my rosemary in a pot that I sink into the ground in
summer and dig up in fall to overwinter right in the same pot indoors. I'm thrilled
my rosemary overwintered this year. It's a tricky thing. Click here for tips on how grow it well in Iowa and have success overwintering it this fall. Best tip: Rosemary (and most other overwintering plants) do best in a sunny spot in a cool room. In my case, that's my college daughter's
vacant bedroom with the heat vent closed so that it hovers at 55-60� F.
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Tracking The Emerald Ash Borer
The emerald ash borer is
now--kinda sorta--in Iowa. It's been located in an island in the Mississippi
River that is part of Allamakee County. Click here for the Des Moines Register story. It
was discovered in Michigan in 2002. Since then has killed tens of millions of
ash trees there, with tens of millions more killed in lllinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio,
Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
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Garden Quote:
This quote goes out to my garden editor friend Doug Hall.
Recently laid off (but now newly employed), Doug said when he stressed about
his situation, he went out into the garden and weeded like a fiend. I, like all
of us, have my own set of worries--so in this economy, I might be doing a lot
of weeding this sumer!
"Cares
melt when you kneel in your garden."
--Unknown
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Sponsored Links
Iowa City Landscaping and Garden Center No one offers a more complete line of high-quality, aesthetically pleasing garden d�cor products. Choose from � Home accessories � Interesting pots � Cool fountains � Romantic candles � Plant care products � Seeds � Seasonal decorations. If it's related to gardening, it's a good bet we have it!
Ted's Garden Center, Cummings This
one-of-a-kind spot has topiary, unusual trellises, interesting garden
art, container "recipes," and more. Sign up for a stepping stone workshop this Saturday or a herb wreath workshop Sunday, May 23.
Call on Anne Larson The Garden Coach! Up to your elbows in potting soil and plants? Iowa Gardening Coach Anne Larson makes house calls! Fill in that bloom time gap, add pizazz to your color scheme, or update your foundation planting. 515-865-7483. Rainbow Iris FarmsMore than 1,500 types of iris available from this pretty little nursery in Bedford, Iowa. Tall types, rebloomers, dwarfs, and more. Mail order or buy locally. Be sure to visit them at Bedford in Bloom Saturday, May 29 or visit during the farm's Bloomfest now through June 4 when the irises are at their peak. |
Garden To-Do List
For a printable version of this list for May, click here.
It's offical. All of Iowa
is past the last average frost date. Hurrah! So go nuts, folks. Plant your seedlings
of peppers, basil, marigolds, impatiens, and petunia, and other tender annual
seedlings now.
Wait to plant the seeds of corn, squash, cucumbers, and
beans. They like warm soil. Plant these the last week of May in southern
Iowa,
the first week of June in northern.
Plant gladiolus corms, canna rhizomes, and tuberous begonia
tubers.
Finish up planting of lettuces and spinach from seed.
You can continue to divide perennials that bloom in the summer or
fall now, as needed or desired. Hold off on dividing those that bloom in late
spring until either after they bloom or this fall.
Finish up pruning trees, shrubs, evergreens now as desired.
Continue to plant trees, shrubs, and roses now. However,
avoid planting bare-root roses and other bare-root plants after the middle of May.
Continue to plant perennial edibles that like cool weather,
such as rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, and asparagus.
If you choose to use a preemergent weed killer, such as
Preen, in your beds and borders, now is the time to apply it. Organic versions are also available. Look for products that also fertilize.
Don't remove
the browning foliage of tulips and daffodils until it pulls away easily. The
plants need it to rejuvenate for next year.
Now is a great time to build a raised bed. Click here to find out how.
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Garden Events
Friday, May 21 Native Plant Sale Gray's Lake, Des Moines 2-6 pm. More than 60 species of Iowa native perennials. Experts on site to offer advice. Sponsored by Iowa Native Lands, Des Moines Parks and Recreation, and Polk County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Saturday, May 22 Bulb to Blossom SaleCentral Gardens of North Iowa, Clear Lake 8 am-noon. Perennials, handcrafted objects, children's
activities. Free admission. Saturday, June 5 How Conifers Bloom
The Brenton Arboretum 10 am-2 pm. Learn how conifers
flower and disperse seeds. $10 for members; $25 for non-members. Includes
lunch. Pre-registration required. Click here for further listings of more garden events throughout the summer. |
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