Tiny Bits of Spring

...because all the best garden advice is local

April 24, 2014

Tiny Bits Of Spring

Greetings!

I looked at my garden journal today and was surprised to find that my garden is probably only a week or so behind "normal," however that may be defined in the Midwest.
Usually by now, here in Ames we have scores of crocuses, some daffodils, creeping phlox, azaleas and rhododendrons, and maybe even a few early tulips. But this year, I spotted my first crocus only yesterday and I've spotted daffodils around town in discouragingly few numbers.
Even one of my favorite rites of spring--the first day that I can have coffee with the morning paper on my back porch--has been delayed, too. I finally was able to get out there Monday, a good two weeks later than usual. (I marked the event with this photo. Like how even my coffee cup coordinates? I'm usually not that pulled together--promise.)

Ah, well. The snow is gone. The birds are back. Most days it's warm enough to comfortably walk my dog. And there are lots of green things all around me, just waiting to burst into bloom. I suppose I can wait a bit longer also.

Yours in patient gardening,

Veronica Lorson Fowler

The Heroes of Spring

Siberian squill (Scilla siberica) is a wonderful early spring flower, partly because it's one of the few flowers that come in such a wonderful azure blue. But it's also appreciated because it spreads so readily, creating a pretty blue haze over flower beds and in lawns. Each plant produces little hanging flower clusters from narrow green foliage 4-6 inches high.

I planted two or three dozen a few years ago on my front slope (shown in the photo) among a stand of a dozen or so hostas. I may regret it. The Siberian squill keep spreading and are escaping the boundary of the flower bed and into the lawn, creating a slightly messy look. If I were to do it over, I'd have planted the squill in my lawn, where their mist-like effect is even more pronounced.

Still, in a flower bed or in a lawn, they're absolutely lovely and I'm glad I have them. No (or few) regrets!

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The Care and Feeding of Forsythia

My sad forsythia
this year.

I adore forsythia, but it seems to bloom well only on alternate years. Other years, frankly, it looks like hell.
This year, as you can see from the photo, is the latter. When it's not in bloom, forsythia nothing more than a space-hogging rangy shrub that flays all over the place.
So in another couple of weeks, once it's done with its few measly blooms, I'll do a hard pruning. (A good pruning rule of thumb: The time to prune just about any flowering shrub is immediately after it is done blooming. That way, you don't interfere with it developing blooms for next year.)

A forsythia in full glory.

I'll simply "stump" my forsythia, that is cut it down so it's only a foot or two high. That way, I'll have a fairly tidy shrub the rest of the growing season.

You can stump most other tall, rangy flowering shrubs that tend to get out of hand, including weigela, witch hazel, summersweet, 'Annabelle' hydrangea, and kerria. You can even stump the old-fashioned lilacs (Syringa vulgaris, the ones that get very tall and lanky) though with these it's better to do selective pruning over a period of two or three years.

My Substitute For A Pickup

Each spring, I wish I had a pickup to haul yard waste to the free recycling site in town and to buy and haul bulk materials like compost and mulch.

Now I've found the next best thing to a truck: For $10 each, Lowe's has these super-sturdy soft-sided giant bags, made for hauling demolition waste so they're super sturdy and should last for years. They handle my sticks and leaves very well and are small enough that I can lug them around as needed, even when full. Three of them juuuuust fit into the back of my SUV, which is about the size of a small pickup bed.

Best of all, when I'm done with them, they fold up neatly for storage. No pickup can do that!

Issue: 95

April Garden To-Do

The last average frost date is almost here! It's May 10 for southern Iowa and May 15 for northern Iowa. That means you can plant anything outdoors now and not worry about it getting damaged by cold. So tuck in those tomato plants, peppers, basil, and other annual edibles and flowers after that date.

Plant gladiolus corms, canna rhizomes, and tuberous begonia tubers after danger of frost is well past and 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.

Wait to plant warm-season annuals, such as marigolds, tomatoes, and petunias, until after the last average frost date in mid-May.

Wait to mulch until the ground warms up more, usually in late May or so.

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. Plant these the last week of May in southern Iowa, the first week of June in northern.

Time to prune most large trees (not oaks), small trees, evergreens, and shrubs. You can also prune roses now.

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.