|
|
|
Greetings!
Well, hello February! Last year at this time we had a foot of snow on the ground and everyone was literally stuck inside. Today, the temperature is a sunny 60° and everyone is out soaking up the warmth. Isn't it delightful? I know there are some of you out there who are missing the colder weather but I have to tell you, I feel as if I have been relocated to a different region of the United States and I couldn't be happier. Typically, come February I have had my fill of cold, snow and the gloom that comes with being stuck inside for too long. Not this year. With the unseasonably warm weather I have had several opportunities to be outside so I don't feel as if I have been deprived. 60's and sunny again for tomorrow. I bet that Groundhog is going to see his shadow. Six more weeks of winter could be headed our way. If it's like the last six weeks I say bring it on!
So, I have been pulling the garden hose all over the yard for the last three days. I watered shrubs, trees and gave the lawn a good soaking. I am excited to hear that we have some much needed moisture on the way. It looks as if there is a major storm on track to arrive this weekend. Local meteorologists say we have an 80% chance of getting some type of precipitation. Heavy rain on Friday with a chance of light snow on Saturday into Sunday. At last some much needed moisture.
While visiting Las Vegas this past weekend, Kevin and I took in some of the Chinese New Year displays around town. Our favorites were at the Bellagio and Wynn hotels. Kevin took some great photos. The decorations are lavish. Take a look. I think you'll agree.
|
|
|
Seed Starting With Structure...
 Starting more than three or four different varieties of seed indoors can get confusing if you're not organized. To keep from missing the start date for any of your seeds you might try our simple procedure: Organize your seed packets in piles based on the number of weeks before "last frost" to start them indoors. This should be indicated on the seed packet and can be found in our feature When To Start Seeds Indoors. Pick the date which you feel safe calling "last frost". We use the first full weekend in May. In our example we are now 11 weeks from the weekend we will transplant our seedlings. That means that by this weekend we will have already started any seeds that indicate starting dates nine weeks and higher. For the remainder of your seeds secure them together in their respective groups with a rubber band. For each group attach a sticky note with the date of the weekend they need to be started. Place the packets front-to-back, in order by starting date, in a small box. Each weekend remove the packets at the front of the box for starting. Next weekend's seeds are now at the front and awaiting your return in seven days. |
|
Reading Roses...
Whether you're giving roses to your sweetheart or just planting some new ones in the garden this year it's always helpful to know what message you might be sending.
- Red - Love, Respect
- Deep Pink - Gratitude, Appreciation
- Light Pink - Admiration, Sympathy
- White - Reverence, Humility
- Yellow - Joy, Gladness
- Orange - Enthusiasm, Desire
- Red & Yellow Blend - Gaiety, Joviality Pale
- Blended Tones - Sociability, Friendship
Of course you should feel free to break the rules to accommodate a favorite color. If your valentine prefers yellow over red we suggest you stick with yellow.
Source
|
|
Proper Rose Pruning...
Lots of gardeners are wondering if they missed their chance to prune their roses. Fear not. Modern roses should be pruned just before the buds break dormancy after the last frost. Still plenty of time to think about it.
Rose pruning is the key to successful summer blooms. Prune roses back 25 percent if you want lots of medium-sized blooms. Prune back 50 percent if you want fewer, larger flowers.
|
|
Plant A Row For The Hungry...
As you plan this year's vegetable garden make sure you remember to plant a little extra to help those in need. Kansas City's only food bank, Harvesters, operates Plant A Row for the Hungry encouraging local gardeners to plant an extra row of vegetables or fruits and donate the produce to Harvesters. The nutritious, fresh-from-the-garden foods will be distributed to the nearly 60,000 people who turn to Harvesters for emergency food assistance every week. Kansas City gardeners can drop off their produce at Harvesters or at participating garden centers throughout the metro area. Harvesters will pick up the donated produce at the garden centers and distribute it to local food pantries, shelters and other feeding programs throughout Greater Kansas City.
|
|
Tipping The Scales...
We've had lots of e-mails asking about effective control of scale on houseplants. Because scale in indoor environments enjoys overlapping generations successful treatment will require two to three insecticide applications at 10-day intervals. When feasible, large numbers of these scales can be physically dislodged by gently wiping the leaves with a dilute mixture of water and dishwashing detergent. You should combine manual and chemical control for best results.
Source
|
|
Winter Tree Clean-Up...
Late winter is a great time to prune many deciduous trees. Look over your plants now and remove dead, dying, unsightly parts of the tree, sprouts growing at or near the base of the tree trunk, crossed branches, and V-shaped crotches.
|
|
Trim Now, Butterflies Later...
Butterfly bushes reward us all with great gatherings of butterflies every summer. To make sure yours are in top shape for summer you need to trim them back to about 12 inches this time of year. This helps promote a well shaped bush with larger flowers.
|
|
Finally...
"In all the recipes for happiness I have ever seen, "something to look forward to" has been given as an important ingredient. Something to look forward to! How rich the gardener, any gardener, is in this particular integrant! For always he looks forward to something if it is only the appearance of the red noses of the Peonies in the spring or the sharp aromas that fills the air in autumn after the frost has touched the herbage."
~ Louise Beebe Wilder
|
© 1999-2012 Savvygardener.com Inc. All rights reserved. If you wish to copy, transmit, or otherwise duplicate any of the material from our website
please ask us first. Thank you.
|
|
|
|
|
