Issue #164
June 2006
Out back, in the garden...
Compost Alert!
Article: What Your Perennials Need
Growing Community
Closing Comments
Garden Notes Archives
WELCOME Garden Notes Subscribers!!
PRIORITY LIST for June...
- Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs
Plant new strawberries on top of old ones for a more productive crop. Allow the
runners to cover the beds as thick as they can get. Later in fall cover them with
about two or three inches of soil. The following spring you will be surprized at
the strong production of foliage. The first year may be less productive than
years to come, but then we all know that good strawberries are an investment.
- Tools and Equipment Monthly Reminders...
Make a support rod for your hanging baskets using an old mop or broom handle.
Place two sturdy hooks into your porch or patio roof about as far apart as the
handle is long. Suspend the rod with two equal lengths of chain. The rod can hold
several hanging baskets, depending on size.
- Trees, Shrubs, and Groundcovers Monthly Reminders...
If cotton burlap was used to wrap B&B tree roots, it does not need to be removed.
Just untie and roll it down from the trunk until it does not stick above the soil
line. If a synthetic material wrapped the roots, remove it completely if possible,
or at least turn it back to expose the sides of the ball and cut it off or push
it to the bottom of the hole. If the species of tree you are planting is one
that grows a taproot, remove all the synthetic material or the root will not be
able to grow properly.
- Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs Monthly Reminders...
Potted plants, when placed outdoors, may need to be watered more frequently than
if they were inside. So now is a good time to get in the swing of it. Days are getting
warmer, and the sun hotter. If you place plants in clay pots inside larger plastic
pots or cover clay pots with aluminum foil, you will reduce the frequency at
which you must water. Remember to punch a drainage hole if foil or plastic is used.
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Check out what goes on in the sustainable garden
in the month of June!
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All yards produce waste from mowing lawns, weeding, pruning and other
routine gardening and landscaping activities. Composting is a way to reduce the volume
of his organic waste and put it back into the soil benefiting growing plants.
Organic matter improves the drainage and aeration of clay soil. Compost could be
seen as a part of the soil that splits up the tightly packed clay particles and allows
water and air to get through, preventing sour, rancid or caked soil. Composting
helps sandy soil hold water and nutrients. Compost holds moisture rather like
a sponge and unleashes fertilizer nutrients slowly. It also increases the activity of
earthworms and other natural soil organisms that are beneficial to plant growth.
Note: Compost is a soil modification, not plant food.
It contains limited nutrients for your plants. This is a common misconception.
Compost Tip:
- Composting yard waste recycles nutrients back into the yard and saves landfill space.
- Composting reduces yard waste volume by 50 to 75 percent.
- Compost made with manure is questionable for use in food gardens due to newer strains of bacteria that cause food-borne illnesses.
- The microorganisms that break down plant wastes require favorable temperatures, moisture and oxygen.
- Compost can be used as a soil amendment and a mulch.
Not sure where to start? Learn to Compost.
Need an entire compost primer?
Check out our
Master Series Gardening Courses!
What are you reading when you're not reading Garden Notes?
Wonderful Gardening Magazines, are RIGHT HERE!
What Your Perennials Need
by J. Brian Keith
The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.
Perennials are one of the most popular types of flowering plants, both for the beginning and experienced gardeners. Gardeners of all types and abilities enjoy the beauty, hardiness and ease of planting of these find plants.
In addition, perennials come in every color of the rainbow, and in all shapes and sizes, making them a great choice for any garden. What makes perennials special, however, is their ability to come back year after year. While the actual life span of a perennial will vary from species to species and planting to planting, some types of perennials have been known to last for decades.
Perennials can be used anywhere in the garden, and anywhere around the home as well. Many varieties of perennials are great as landscape plantings, and their ability to regenerate makes them perfect for areas of the garden that are hard to reach. Using perennials to line a driveway, surround a flagpole or accent a front porch is a great idea for any gardener.
In fact, the hardest part of perennials for many gardeners is choosing the right ones. There are so many different perennials at your local garden center that it can be difficult to choose the right ones. This article attempts to help with that problem, by providing a brief overview of some of the most popular perennials for the home garden, as well as some brief care tips.
If you find yourself confused by what you've read to this point, don't despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.
Achillea
Known as: Yarrow
Full sun, moderate water (less watering once fully established)
Anemone
Known as: Japanese Anemone
Partial shade, regular watering
Aster
Known as: New England Aster
Full sun, partial shade in hot climates, regular watering
Astilbe
Partial to full shade (some sun OK in cool climates, regular watering
Chrysanthemum
Known as: Shasta Daisy
Full sun, partial shade in hot climates, regular watering
Coreopsis
Known as: Threadleaf Coreopsis
Full sun, moderate to little watering
Delphinium
Full sun, regular watering
Echinacea
Known as: Purple Coneflower
Full sun, moderate watering
Geranium
Known as: Geranium
Full sun or partial shade. Must have afternoon shade in hot climates. Regular watering
Helleborus
Known as: Lenten Rose
Full sun in winter; partial to full shade in spring, summer and fall. Regular watering
Nepeta
Known as: Catmint
Full sun, moderate watering
Paeonia
Known as: Peony
Full sun, partial shade in hot climates, regular watering
Papaver
Known as: Oriental Poppy
Full sun, regular to moderate watering
Penstemon
Known as: Beard Tongue
Full sun; light shade in hot climates. Regular watering.
Phlox
Known as: Summer Phlox
Full sun. Flowers may fade in hot climates. Needs regular watering.
Redbeckia
Known as: Black-Eyed Susan
Full sun. Regular to moderate watering.
Salvia
Full sun. Regular watering.
Sedum
Known as: Autumn Joy
Full sun or partial shade. Moderate to little watering.
Veronica
Full sun. Regular watering.
Now might be a good time to write down the main points covered above. The act of putting it down on paper will help you remember what's important about perennials for your garden.
Article Source: Sustainable Living Articles
Gardening Forum
by Dream Team Media
If you’re a certified gardening aficionado then a gardening forum is just the thing for you. Your family’s already probably tired of hearing minute details of the earth worm and its resourcefulness, not to mention hearing about the detailed structure of the foxglove and its place in the whole gardening circle of life.
What a gardening forum will offer you will be the chance to talk to like minded people who don’t mind talking for hours on end about the vagaries of gardening, and who, in fact actively seek out kindred souls such as yourself, for the same reasons you did.
But now you ask, how do I find a gardening forum, and how do I find one that’s right for me? It’s a perfectly valid question and you have nothing to feel ashamed about asking it. After all, you’re a gardener at heart, not a computer wizard.
We’ll start with the basics, and move on from there. You could ask a friend, or a colleague, or even a family member, but the way I see it reading this article will be less time consuming, and potentially less hassle free as I won’t be ragging you on your computer non-know-how. We can’t all be computer savvy.
Since right about now you’re probably feeling the urge to ’branch out’ on your own and find your very own set of gardening fanatics, all you need to do is type in the words “Gardening Forum” into your favorite search engine and press the search button. And, hey presto, you have access to your very first gardening forum.
To participate in a forum of any kind you will generally be required to join and sign up as a member. Usually this shouldn’t entail anything more than providing a valid email address, a password, and a member name. A few personal details might also be asked to be supplied. There really should be no need to charge you for the membership, and if they are asking for a fee, I would suggest that you look around for a different gardening forum to join. Most are free, and won’t require you to shell out any cash.
If you’re satisfied with the gardening forum that you’ve found, and you’ve filled in all the pertinent details, take a moment to read the Terms of Service Agreement, and Privacy Policy that will invariably be there. This is to protect both you, and the people holding the gardening forum. In this day and age you can’t be too careful.
So, now that you’ve finally found the kindred souls you’ve been looking for most of your life, I say go ahead and make contact, after all, it’s not everyday that you get a chance to talk about gardening all day long. Or, at least it wasn’t everyday, but now that you’ve found that perfect gardening forum, who can tell? You might be found more on the computer now, than in your garden!
Article Source: Sustainable Living Articles
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