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Spring: Better Late Than Never
Greetings!
 This morning, I had a small mountain of mulch delivered to my driveway. No need to go to the gym for a couple of weeks. My upper arms and quads are going to be run through their paces!
Being the mulch snob that I am, I found a place--Dan's Custom Landscapes here in Ames--that will do very fine, triple-shredded mulch. So much more attractive than the stuff with big strips and chunks in it.
I'll spread about 2 inches over wood chip paths and flower beds and borders. Mulch is absolutely the best way to suppress weeds, conserve moisture, and prevent disease pathogens in the soil from splashing onto plants.
Normally, I like to spread mulch in spring well after the soil warms, usually about the time the daffodils start dying back. And normally, that would be now--but it's been so chilly everything is about 3 weeks behind schedule. But I am being brave and having a garden party in a couple of weeks so I want the garden to look its best
For more tips on how to mulch better and cheaper, click here. Meanwhile, light a candle for me in a cathedral somewhere asking that I get all my weeding done in time for garden guests!
Yours in always-rushed gardening,
Veronica Lorson Fowler
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Weed-O-Rama
My college-age daughter Kate is home for the summer and earning her bed and board with a heckuva lot of weeding. It's been an interesting lesson for me in how not everyone on the planet knows weeding basics.
So, just to recap, here are the four key elements of faster, easier, more effective weeding:
* Don't just pull off the tops of weeds. If you don't get the roots, too, all you're doing is pruning the weeds so they come back bigger and better.
 * To that end, use a weeding tool that allows you to get the roots effectively. I simply cannot weed without either my Asian plow or Cape Cod weeder. (I detest those cultivator forks--I feel like they just cultivate the soil to help the weeds grow better!)
* Don't weed when the soil is very dry. Try to time weeding for after a rain so the soil will easily release the weeds, roots and all. If that's not possible, give the area a soaking with a hose or sprinkler a few hours beforehand.
* Mulch immediately after. In planting beds and borders and vegetable gardens, if there is no mulch, within a day or two after weeding, spread 1-3 inches of mulch. It will suffocate most of the remaining weeds.
For more weeding tips, click here. And for tips on how to get rid of creeping charlie--which is having a banner year so far--click here.
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Smart Plant Shopping
 Is it possible to wear out a debit card? The dollars have been flying lately as I've been stocking up on a couple new trees, several shrubs, many perennials and tons of annuals. Not all plants are created equal, though. And all garden centers aren't either. Check out our best tips for buying plants, whether you're looking for big plants or small, or shopping at the cute little plant shop or the big box store.
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Join Me at Reiman's Rose Fest
 I'll be giving a presentation on roses for Iowa Saturday, June 15 at Reiman Gardens Annual Rose Fest in Ames from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Come enjoy the gardens' beautiful roses in (we hope!) full bloom, as well as the Iowa Rose Society rose show and a variety of speakers and presentations.
I'll be talking at 10:00 a.m. about the best roses to choose for our region and tips for growing them in this sometimes-tough climate. I'll also be selling and signing my Gardening in Iowa book.
And here's something fun: Go to The Iowa Gardener page on Facebook and ask to be my guest that day! The first 8 people to do so will get complimentary admission to the gardens and the Rose Fest.
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May Garden
To-Do List
 Plant gladiolus corms, canna rhizomes, and tuberous begonia tubers now that the soil is adequately warm.
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.
Plant perennial edibles that like cool weather, such as rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, and asparagus.
Plant now herbs that like cool weather, including parsley, chives, and cilantro. Also plant any perennial herbs, such as tarragon, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
Weed and mulch, weed and mulch! Weeding gets rid of the weeds. Mulching suppresses them.
Continue to plant trees, shrubs, and roses now. However, avoid planting bare-root roses and other bare-root plants.
Click here for a complete list of what to plant when this month and the rest of the year.
Wait to plant the seeds of corn, squash, cucumbers, and beans. They like warm soil. You can plant them now in southern Iowa, but wait until the first week of June in northern Iowa.
Finish up pruning large trees, small trees, evergreens, and shrubs. except those that are flowering now or will flower in the summer (you'll cut off potential flowers!)
Now, while you can still see where bulbs were planted and remember what they look like, take some notes on what and where to plant this fall. Stick notations where you'll remember them. Like a garden journal, perhaps?
Don't remove the browning foliage of tulips and daffodils until it pulls away easily. The plants need it to rejuvenate for next year.
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Editor's Choice
Garden Events
Thursday, May 30
Cedar Rapids
6:00-7:30 p.m. Tour this historic mansion and enjoy the 26-acre estate and gardens at their peak. They were developed from an from a plan by prominent landscape architect O.C. Simonds and fit to former resident Irene Douglas's vision for the country estate. View current plants and landscape techniques that continue to help preserve this historically accurate, prairie-style landscape design.$15 for non-members.
Click here to let us know about your gardening event!
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Garden Quote
"So fair, so cold; like a morning of pale spring still clinging to winter's chill."
~J.R.R. Tolkien
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