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www.yougrowgirl.com
Archives: Garden Tips
Gardening tips and suggestions.
Garden Tip #57
Before you send your Christmas tree away to be chipped for mulch, consider how the tree can be used in your own garden. Cut the branches off the main trunk to place around plants or emerging bulbs that could use extra frost protection. The main trunk could then be used as a stout stake for annual vines planted in the spring. Another idea is to use it as a temporary bird feeding station. Tie on orange slices, suet balls, peanut butter and birdseed smeared pine cones and then stand back and watch the feeding frenzy.
Garden Tip #159
Stone structures in the garden add a sense of history and permanence. A Guide to Dry Stone Walling by Andy Radford (Crowood Press, 2001) gives practical advice on basic and advanced wall building techniques. The fabulous photographs for the book In the Company of Stone; the Art of the Stone Wall by Dan Snow (Artisan, 2001) show the many artistic ways stone can be used in the garden beyond a simple wall
Garden Tip #161
Saint Patrick’s Day is the traditional time to plant potatoes in the Pacific Northwest. While it may seem easy to simply plant the shriveled potatoes sprouting in your pantry, purchasing disease-free seed potatoes will lessen the chance of disease problems later. One mail-order nursery specializing in potatoes is Irish Eyes – Garden City Seeds. Call 509-964-7000 to order a catalog, or view it online at their website.
Garden Tip #167
Plant your peas on George Washington’s birthday! Snow, snap, shelling and sweet peas for flowers can all be sowed outside now. Don’t forget to get a packet of Rhizobia bacteria inoculant to help your pea plants make their own nitrogen fertilizer from the soil. Inoculant can be purchased at nurseries where seeds are sold. You can also use the inoculant when you sow bean seeds in June. Read all about growing perfect peas online: Growing Green Peas in Home Gardens, and Ensure Your Bounty of Peas.
Garden Tip #170
For a free introduction to starting seeds look to Thompson and Morgan’s Guide to Germination. You will find the secrets to growing plants from seed including details on pre-treatments, coping with tiny seeds and hardening off your seedlings for life outdoors.
Garden Tip #171
Starting plants from seed is a fine way to save money, but it requires a bit of patience and commitment to see the seeds through germination to planting out weeks or months later. The book Gardener’s A-Z Guide To Growing Flowers From Seed To Bloom by Eileen Powell (Storey, 2004) will arm you with the knowledge you need to successfully transform tiny seeds into healthy flowering plants. Entries for individual plants detail planting depth, recommended temperature and the best time to transplant outside.
Garden Tip #153
Do you want that “mature garden” look, but don’t want to wait a decade to achieve it? Check out Fast Plants by Sue Fisher (Fireside, $16.00) to learn about trees, shrubs, vines and perennials that will grow up in a hurry. A few suggested plants for a near instant effect include:
- California Lilac (Ceanothus)
- Cape Fuchsia (Phygelius)
- Bluecrown Passionflower vine (Passiflora)
- Willow (Salix).
The author insightfully includes information on controlling growth because there is a fine line between fast and overly vigorous!
Garden Tip #150
Summer is the worst time of year to transplant a tree, shrub or perennial, but sometimes circumstances force us to take action during the hottest, driest time of year. An out of print booklet titled Tree and Shrub Transplanting Manual by E. B. Himelick (available at the Miller Library) gives these tips for increasing the chance for success:
- water deeply and regularly
- apply a thick organic mulch
- mist the foliage in the morning and evening
- erect a temporary shade cloth
- do not apply any fertilizer
Research has shown B vitamin “fertilizers” do not make any difference so don’t waste your money!
Garden Tip #147
In late spring watch out for seedlings of invasive plants bindweed (perennial morning glory), English holly and English ivy. Birds love to eat ivy berries, which are only produced by mature plants that have stopped climbing. The berries ripen in late winter, just in time for birds to “sow” the seeds in your garden. These three weeds are easy to pull up when their root systems are still undeveloped.