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Weed, Water, Deadhead, Repeat
 Greetings!
Most of the planting is done, the garden has a nice layer of mulch, and basic garden maintenance has set in.
I could put seemingly limitless hours into my yard--weeding, watering new plantings, deadheading spent flowers, and checking the veggies for first harvests.
It's a pleasant time of year, puttering in the garden as time and weather permits. Maybe I can now, finally, make time to sit on the back porch for a bit, frosty drink in hand, and enjoy it all?
Yours in perhaps-wishful thinking,
Veronica Lorson Fowler |
| Baby It's Dry Outside
Recent rains may have put some of our Iowa gardens in better shape, but overall, it's been awfully dry lately. As of May 29, most of Iowa was considered "abnormally dry" by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a portion of northwest/northern Iowa is considered in moderate drought.
 Click on the map image at left to see it in full. Yellow indicates abnormally dry areas and orange is moderate drought.
Click here for a Des Moines Register story about the drought.
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Kandi's Flower Market
Where Flowers Come Alive
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"Hilda"
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Need plants but don't want the same old thing? We carry newly released annuals, heirloom vegetables and a broad variety of perennials perfect for north Iowa, including Echinacea 'PowWow Wild Berry', Hosta 'Rainbow's End', Lily 'Fata Morgana', Hosta 'T-Rex', Veronica 'Blue Bomb', Gaultheria (winterberry), and 'Boomerang' lilac!  Come browse our selection. We're at 3930 300th Street, Graettinger, Iowa. We like visitors but you can also call us at 712-859-3597 or visit our website by clicking here.
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| There's an App for That
For those of you with smart phones: I've become totally addicted to Weatherbug. And no--this isn't an ad. I just really like it!
It's a great, reliable source of weather information throughout the day. Weatherbug, as well as any similar weather app you might be able to find, is perfect for figuring out if there's going to be a frost that night, or if it's going to be too hot to weed, or whether you should water tomorrow or not. I especially like the hour-by-hour daily breakdown. Love it! 
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| Hoses: Can't Live With 'Em, Can't Live Without Them
There's been a good conversation going on at The Iowa Gardener Facebook page on hoses. How do you find one that doesn't kink?
The consensus seems to be:
 Buy the absolutely best quality, all-rubber--if you can find it--hose and look for one that specifies "no kink." It will still kink (sigh), but less so than others.
Take care in how you coil your hose. It will flop and kink less if you coil it in a certain way. (Click on the image to the left to view a helpful YouTube video showing you how.)
A hose reel will solve many of these problems, including my own personal pet peeve--a muddy hose slapping against me as I maneuver it.
Click here to go to our Facebook page and read more. (if you're already logged in). Otherwise, go to Facebook, search for "Iowa gardener," and ask to friend us!
Meanwhile, check out our best tips for watering more efficiently by clicking here.
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Cool Hostas 
When the weather gets hot, I love cool-looking, understated, monochromatic arrangements in the house. Put a few fern fronds in a vase, or do what I did here. Put a block of floral foam, soaked
thoroughly in water, in a low, wide vase. Then insert leaves of your favorite hostas. They'll last for a couple of weeks.
Not sure how to use floral foam? It's a fab trick to learn. Click here for a helpful YouTube video. |
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Garden To-Do List
Plant now seeds of squash, cucumbers, corn, beans, and other seeds that need warmer soil (usually 2 weeks past the last average frost date).
Go ahead and buy plants on clearance, but buy only those plants that look healthy. Avoid runty, dried out, or otherwise tired-looking plants. They're unlikely to rally.
Weed, weed, weed! Get them now while they're small and prevent big problems later. Click here for tips on how to wipe out max weeds in minimum time.
Deadhead flowers on annuals, perennials, and some shrubs. It keeps your garden more attractive and in many cases, it will encourage more flowers longer.
Continue to plant container-grown or balled-and-burlapped trees, shrubs, and roses now. However, avoid planting bare-root roses and other bare-root plants. This late in the year, they'll struggle to get established and may well die.
Time to practice tough love. If a tree or shrub is still struggling with winter damage or overall sickness, with significant amounts of dead wood, it's almost certainly time to dig it up or cut it down.
Remove the browning foliage of tulips and daffodils once it pulls away easily. Until then, the plant is using it to rejuvenate for next year.
Pinch mum buds and until the 4th of July. This helps them produce larger, bigger flowers on stronger stems.
Harvest early and often for the most tender, sweetest produce and to keep plants producing well. Pick zucchini, for example, with the yellow flower still attached.
Check out the bulb catalogs and on-line sources. Ordering now assures the type and quantity you want this fall, when supplies run low.
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Editor's Choice Garden Events
Through October 18
Reiman Gardens,Ames Check out 27 sculptures made from a half-million Legos by a professional "Lego artist." I went with visiting family in tow and from youngest to oldest, we all found them amazing and amusing!
Click here to see more upcoming Iowa garden events.
Click here to let us know about your garden event! |
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Garden Quote
"Weather means more when you have a garden. There's nothing like listening to a shower and thinking how it is soaking in and around your lettuce and green beans."
-- Henry Van Dyke, 1928 -2011
American author, educator, and clergyman
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Advertise With The Iowa
Gardener! With nearly 5,000 avid gardeners, The Iowa Gardener is the largest local source of gardener "eyeballs" around. Great rates and easy--we'll design your ad at no extra charge! Click here to contact us! |
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