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This Week's Timely Tips from the Savvygardener


April 18, 2012

In This Issue
Are Your Roses OK?
Hydrangea Helper
Showers For Flowers
Healthy Houseplants
Do Not Disturb
Precipitation Estimation
More Growin', More Mowin'
Inspiration

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~All About Composting
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~WormComposting
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~When to Start
Seeds Indoors
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Shrub Pruning Calendar
~Pruning Clematis 
~Gardening in the Shade
~Summer-Flowering Bulb Care
~Drought-Tolerant Flowers for KC
~Preparing for a Soil Test
~ Changing the pH of Your Soil
~Growing Herbs
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~ Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
~Organic Pesticides & Biopesticides
~Cold Frames & Hot Beds
~When to Divide Perennials
~Dividing Spring Blooming Perennials
~Forcing Bulbs Indoors
~Overseeding A Lawn
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~Pruning Shrubs
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This Week's Phots
savvygardener.com

Greetings!

 

It is hard to believe that it is mid-April and many of my May/June blooming perennials are exploding with color. I planted my first set of annuals this week along with some tomato plants. I can't believe I'm planting tomatoes. I tend to be overly cautious and wait until the first weekend in May to plant annuals and vegetables but, like so many of us, I have been lured into planting now. Why not? I have been keeping an eye on those morning lows and it looks as if temps might drop into the low 40's. I am feeling pretty confident that we are not going to get a freeze. The extended forecast shows 80� a couple of days next week. Sounds like tomato growing weather to me. I'm taking the leap and getting a jump on the growing season. How about you? 
 
I hope that when the time comes and you need soil or mulch you will call on our sponsor Missouri Organic. Missouri Organic has been a loyal sponsor of Savvygardener since its inception. Every year we have 10-12 yards of mulch delivered and dropped in our driveway. I love the ease of it being delivered. No heavy bags to unload from the car and then to the garden. Kevin, the boys and I will take a whole weekend to clear the pile. It's not an easy job but we seem to get it done and the end result is gratifying. Need soil or mulch? I hope you'll call Missouri Organic! 
 
Since we are 4-6 weeks ahead of blooming schedule and if you are anticipating peonies for Memorial Day you should do some planning. I have seen many plants in full bloom already so it might be too late for some. If your plants still have buds like mine, visit our peonies feature to learn how to preserve those blooms for later uses.
~ Shelly
Are Your Roses OK?
flower

This is a good time to check your hybrid tea roses for any damage they might have suffered over our long winter. The extent of damage, if any at all, will vary based on where your roses are growing and what protection they were provided during the freeze periods. Take a look at the canes to inspect for damage:

  • If the ends of canes are mushy cut them back to more normal growth.
  • Brown canes should be scraped to determine whether the cambium is alive. If not, simply cut back the canes to live growth.
  • Green canes are probably healthy and can be left alone.

Most hybrid teas are propagated by budding. If all the growth above the bud union is dead, the plant should be dug up and discarded. Plants grown on their own roots can be allowed to sprout from the base.

Source

 

Hydrangea Helper...
pruners

Hydrangeas are wonderful. Especially when they bloom. You're not alone if you are sometimes (or often) frustrated by otherwise beautiful and healthy-looking hydrangeas that just won't bloom. There are reasons for this of course. Here are the likely ones:

  • Improper Pruning
    Some bloom on old wood, some on new season's growth. For example, the popular 'Annabelle'
    varieties bloom on new growth and are consequently best cut back hard in the early spring. By contrast, the Bigleaf hydrangea will grow in Kansas City but will not usually flower because the flowers develop on old (last season's growth) wood. Since flower buds lack the cold hardiness of the foliage buds, they are often killed by our cold winters.
  • Too Much Shade  While they will do all right in partial shade or full sunlight, too much shade could keep them from flowering.
  • Too Much Nitrogen
    Fertilizing with high nitrogen fertilizers will limit blooms. Try using a fertilizer with less nitrogen "N" and more Phosphorous "P".

Source

Showers For Flowers...

rain

So far April is a mixed bag for precipitation. It really depends on where you live in the Kansas City metro. Whether you're getting your April showers or not you can probably count on long periods of dry, hot weather in the near future. These conditions require diligent watering to keep our flowers looking their best.  

 

If staying on top of watering isn't your idea of a good time you can always choose your flowers accordingly. A drought-tolerant flower garden should include the following:   

 

Annuals

Burning Bush, KochiaGazania, Gazania
Creeping Zinnia, SanvitaliaMexican Sunflower, Tithonia
Dusty Miller, SenecioRose Moss, Portulaca
Four O'Clock, MirabilisSalvia, Salvia farinacea

Perennials

Black-eyed Susan, RudbeckiaIris, Iris
Blanket Flower, GaillardiaSage, Salvia
Butterfly Flower, AsclepiasSedum
Gayfeather, LiatrisTickseed, Coreopsis


For a more complete list of drought-tolerant flowers that grow well in the Kansas City area follow this link.

Healthy Houseplants, Healthy Home...

good idea

Did you know that houseplants are making your home a healthier place? Over a decade ago NASA scientists discovered that plants are capable of removing volatile organic compounds (VOC's) from the air. The gases most often studied include formaldehyde, benzene, xylene,toluene, ammonia, acetone, methyl alcohol, ethyl acetate, and trichlorethylene. The plants listed below (in no particular order) are proven effective in this arena:

  • Palms (Chrysalidocarpus, Rhapis, Chamaedorea, and Phoenix)
  • Fern (Nephrolepis)
  • Corn Plant and Dragon Tree (Dracaena)
  • Rubber Plant and Weeping Fig (Ficus)
  • English Ivy (Hedera)
  • Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
  • Florist Mum (Dendranthemum)
  • Gerber Daisy (Gerbera)
  • Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia)
  • Schefflera (Brassaia)
  • Orchids (Dendrobium and Phalaenopsis)
  • Spider Plant (Chlorophytum)
  • Philodendron (Philodendron)
  • Arrowhead Plant (Syngonium)
  • Pothos (Epipremnum)
  • Dwarf Banana (Musa)
  • Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)

Source

 

Do Not Disturb...

seedlings

If you plan on growing vining fruits and vegetables like cucumber, cantaloupe, summer squash, and watermelon make sure you start the seeds indoors in peat pots. These vining plants don't appreciate having their roots disturbed and the peat pots make it possible to effectively transplant them. 

 

Precipitation Estimation...

 

rain

Here's a fact that's easy to remember: Most plants need 1 inch of water per week. But how can you be sure? The precipitation figures you hear on the local weather broadcasts may have little in common with what actually falls in your garden. A simple rain gauge is the answer. They are available for a couple of dollars at most hardware and garden stores and are perfectly adequate for the job. Placement is critical - make sure the rain gauge has an unobstructed "view" to the sky. For example, you don't want it under awnings or tree limbs. 

 

More Growin', More Mowin'...

 

mowerMost of us think of mowing the lawn as a weekly task. This time of year however the grass is growing so fast that you probably need to mow it a bit more often. Remember that you don't want to cut off more than 1/3 of the height of the grass in any single mowing. In our yard that means mowing twice per week. It won't last long and the extra investment in time will yield a healthier more durable lawn when the summer heat sets in. 

 

Finally...

"Let no one think that real gardening is a bucolic and meditative occupation. It is an insatiable passion, like everything else to which a man gives his heart. "  

 

~ Karel Čapek, The Gardener's Year

 
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