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The Winter That Wasn't
Greetings!
I'm throwing caution to the wind and calling it, dagnabbit: It's spring! It's spring! It's SPRING!
Sure, we may have some chilly days ahead but this winter has been one for the record books. This is the first Iowa winter in the 134 years of weather record-keeping that we haven't hit zero. (Click here for the KCCI-TV story with details).
And so a little impetuously, I'm moving my spring gardening schedule up by a couple of weeks. My pussy willows are budding, the daffodils are three to four inches high, the grass is even greening up. All this usually--according to my notes in my garden journal--doesn't usually happen for another two or three weeks.
That means I can plant pansies outside now instead of at the end of the month, the way I usually do.
Pansies are among the most frost-resistant and cold-hardy of all the cool-season annuals and can even take a light snow with minimal problems. And I found a great selection of them at Holub's outside of Ames, but also check out any other place you like to buy plants.
Happy Spring-Like Gardening! 
Veronica Lorson Fowler |
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| Speaking of Pansies...
I love to put pots of pansies on my kitchen table, shown here. I use a nifty, easy technique that's good for any flowering plant you're using indoors. Instead of leaving them in their not-particularly-attractive plastic pot (or even the also-not-particularly-attractive foil florists put over the plastic pot), repot them in seconds.
Just pull the entire plant out of the plastic and repot into something more attractive. Shown here are some cute little tin containers I got at Wal-Mart ages ago for about a dollar each. Add a little extra potting  soil if you need to, but in this case, I just pulled out the plant, roots and soil and all, and jammed it into the container, pressing the soil down with my fingers. I gave it a good watering and--done!
The pansies will tolerate the low-light conditions and warmth of the indoors for a few weeks. If they're still looking good, I then put them outside. They will continue to bloom in cool weather, but like all cool-season annuals they stop blooming and get ragged looking about the time temperatures regularly start hitting 75 to 80 degrees. That's when it's time to pitch them on the compost heap.
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We're in Independence, Iowa. Click here for directions. |
Speaking of Potting Soil...
I can spend a pretty penny on potting soil each year to fill up all my pots and containers. Click here for some of my favorite ways to keep potting soil expenditures to a minimum.
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And Speaking of Containers...
Long ago, back in college, I resolved always to have fresh flowers on my dining table. What seemed an unspeakable luxury then has become a wonderful, life-enhancing standard-issue item now. The flowers on my table never fail to make me happy just to look at.
To that end, it's smart to keep a small collection of vases, containers, jars, pretty bowls, and other water-tight containers. They're invaluable for holding everything from spring-blooming branches, to summer cut flowers, to ornamental grasses in fall, to repotted blooming plants in winter.
 I stepped into my pantry and snapped this shot of my vase collection to share with you. It's a motley collection of containers that I found at antique stores, discount stores, received flowers in, and more. Nothing is expensive. But having a varied vase and container collection is the first step to creating flower arrangements week in and week out that you and yours can enjoy.
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| My New Favorite Book
 My friend and fellow garden writer Karen Weir-Jimerson has a book out, and reading it is pure pleasure. "So Much Sky" is a collection of essays she originally wrote for Country Home magazine about her hobby farm outside of Woodward, Iowa.
Karen's a lovely, funny, lyrical writer. I curled up in bed with this book the other night and it made me laugh out loud. I have long fantasized about having a sprawling place in the country with big gardens, but "So Much Sky" gave me all of the pleasure of a country acreage without a lick of the work. (Click here for an Iowa Public Radio interview with Karen on the book and scroll down at bit to find it.)
 I have two extra copies, signed. And I'll give them free to the first two readers who "friend" us on Facebook!
Just click on the Facebook icon to the left and then do a search for "The Iowa Gardener." You'll see a photo of me holding some daffodils.
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Garden Quote:
"Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day.
-- W. Earl Hall
Former Mason-CIty Globe Gazette editor, columnist, and international radio correspondent.
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Garden To-Do List
For a printer-friendly version, click here.
Click here for a month-by-month listing of "What to Plant When in Iowa."
Click here for a "Lawn Care Schedule for Iowa."
 Take advantage of nice days to get out in your yard and pick up trash and sticks, inspect for winter damage, and just generally check out the state of your garden.
If perennials are sending up a little fresh growth, rake leaves out of flower beds and cut back any perennials left standing. Toss the old stuff in the compost heap. (Please tell me you have one, right?)
Edge beds, walks, and drives as desired.
Time to prune most large trees, small trees, evergreens, and shrubs. Hold off on pruning roses until they send out more growth.
Usually, you'd start seeds the last week of March or first week of April. But this year, anticipating an early spring, I'd start seeds indoors now of annuals that you should start 6-8 weeks before the last average frost date. These include marigolds, globe amaranth, sweet alyssum, and flowering tobacco.
Once you can easily work the soil outside, plant directly in the ground seeds of fast-germinating cool-season vegetables, such as radishes, spinaches, and lettuces.
Plant bareroot trees, shrubs, and roses, as long as you can work the soil easily.
Prevent diseases and insects on fruit trees by spraying with horticultural oil, also called dormant oil. Do so when there is little wind and temperatures are in the 40s.
The bright yellow forsythia will be blooming soon. When it does, that means its time to sprinkle any preemergent herbicide (kills weed seeds, such as Preen) on flower beds, if you choose to use it. It's also the time to apply a preemergent to your lawns. Or save time with a weed and feed combo!
Stock up! Work off your spring fever to buy now pots, potting soil, seeds and seed-starting supplies, tools, soil amendments, fertilizers, etc. You'll save trips to the garden center during the spring rush. And get out there and clean up and organize your garage or shed, wash up pots, etc. so you're ready at the starting gate.
How's your mower? If you didn't get it tuned up last fall and the blade sharpened, do it yourself now or take it in before the spring rus
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Upcoming Garden Events
Click here to see all the many garden events coming up. Our top pick for the month:
Friday, Mar.16-Friday, Mar. 18
Iowa State Fairgrounds
Des Moines' largest flower show and sale with 10 large gardens. Meet host of HGTV's "Yard Crashers," Ahmed Hassan, Saturday 1-3. Admission free for kids under 12; $6.95 for adults.
Click here to let us know about your garden event!
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