Tips for Spring
Staking Up Grasses - When growing tall ornamental grasses tie fishing line around the outside of the clump once the grasses reach their expected height to keep the foliage from flopping over later in the season. You won't even see the fishing line!
Staking Up Siberian Iris - Keep Siberian iris foliage and flower stalks from flopping over by placing a piece of metal mesh fence horizontally over the plants when they are less than 12" tall. Use green-coated fence to blend in with the foliage. A 3" x 6" mesh or fence with similar openings works well. Fasten the fence to rerod stakes with wire. The iris will grow straight up through and hide the fence and will not flop over onto nearby plants.
Making Lilac Bouquets - Without special care, lilacs will wilt before you can get them safely into a vase. Here are some tips to help with water uptake & longer lasting blooms. Cut lilacs in the early morning or at dusk when only three-quarters of each plume is open. Scrape the bark from the lower two inches of the stem and place in a bucket of water immediately. When ready to arrange in a vase, recut each stem at an angle; slice up the middle and strip the bark that will be submerged in water. To revive wilting lilacs, wrap a dishtowel around the flowers to protect their fragile petals. Then plunge the stems in hot water for one minute.
Vegetable Gardening - Don't have room for a large veggie garden? Try vegetables in containers! Use bush varieties of cucumbers, beans or peas or grow a vining vegetable up on a trellis and plant under it with things like mini peppers, carrots, lettuce or herbs. You can always theme your container... try a Pesto Garden with basil, green onions and garlic or a root crop container with turnips, kohlrabi, beets and radishes. Bigger is better when choosing a container. Make sure it has good drainage and be sure to water it daily and fertilize regularly. A vegetable container can be attractive as well as delicious. Consider colorful peppers, leaf lettuce and root crop foliage to make your container garden look as good as it tastes!
Growing Tomatoes - To get your tomato plants off to a good start try these tips. First, work up the spot for the roots by turning the area over with a shovel to loosen the soil. Then add a shovel full of Canadian sphagnum peat moss (you could substitute compost), 1/4 cup of 12-12-12 fertilizer (triple 16 or a fertilizer for vegetables will work) and a tablespoon of Tomatoes Alive! fertilizer. Don't overdo the fertilizers! If you add too much of either one your tomato plants will be all leaves & no fruit!! Mix all of those items together with the soil. Next, knock the tomato plant out of its container. Choose plants that are fairly tall so you can bury the stem and only leave the top 3 to 4 leaves above the soil. Gently break off the leaves that will be below the soil. Then create a trench in the soil about 6" deep and long enough for the stem & root ball. To guard against pesky cut worms rip a strip of newspaper about 1 1/2" wide and 5" long and loosely wrap the stem at the soil surface so part of the paper collar is above ground and part is anchored in the soil. Be very careful that you don't break the stem of the tomato trying to get it to curve upright above ground. It will orient itself after a day. Then give the plant a good drink of water - remember where you planted the root ball - that's where you want to water! Next place a tomato cage over the plant taking care not to crush or break the underground stem. Finally, mulch the plant with grass clippings to keep weeds from germinating. Be sure not to use clipping that have been treated with a weed killer like 2,4-D or you will stunt or kill your tomatoes!!
Deadheading - Most plants will reward you with more flowers or stronger plants if you take the time to remove spent flower heads on a regular basis. This practice, called deadheading, allows the plant to put its energy into making more flower buds or leaves rather than seeds. While many people deadhead their annuals and perennials they don't think about deadheading spring bulbs. Tulips and daffodils will benefit from deadheading, too. Simply pop off the spent flower after it has faded. Leave the stem and leaves. They will make food that will be stored in the bulb for next year. Since bulb foliage only remains alive for a brief time it is important for it to make as much food as possible. The longer the foliage feeds the bulb the larger the flowers next spring! Never mow down or pull off the foliage until it has turned yellow. If you want to plant annuals where you have tulips planted in the spring and you don't want to wait for the tulip foliage to die back you can do what we do. Using a spading fork dig up the tulips, being careful to keep the stems and leaves attached to the bulbs. Lay the tulips in a flat and place them in a shady spot to finish dying back. When the foliage has turned brown gather the largest bulbs and store them in a dry place until fall when it's time to plant them again.
Plant Markers - Want some weatherproof plant markers for free? If you have an old vinyl or aluminum window shade you can recycle the slats into nifty plant markers. Cut the cording to separate the slats from the blind. Using regular scissors or tin snips, cut the slats to the desired length, cutting one end into a V shape. Use a permanent marker to label the stakes.
