Spring is in the air … or is it? It may be a little late this year but flowers are already blooming at area greenhouses and the temperatures will be warm enough soon to get outside and start spring planting and post winter clean up.
Master Gardener Mary O’Connor of Aztalan Fields Garden Center, located just east of Lake Mills on County Highway B, said the most important thing to consider whether you are an experienced gardener or just starting out, is to know your lighting. It is also important to use slow release fertilizer when planting and throughout the season, according to O’Connor. She said if you follow those two rules you will have a successful garden with a little work.
When asked what the most resilient flower for someone who may not have as much dedication or time to spend in their garden O’Connor said petunias are the best. If you keep them trimmed they will grow all season long. Petunias are a great plant for full sunshine.
For the shade New Guinea impatiens are a great option but O’Connor warned not to over water them.
One of the hardest things for gardeners this time of year is waiting until the last frost is past to start planting. O’Connor said mid-May is usually a good time to start planting, but some who are too impatient can try to start seeds indoors or in a greenhouse just for fun.
According to O’Connor, seeds that are started inside usually do not grow as well as plants that grow outside or in a greenhouse. The only reason to start earlier is to get products earlier. If one waits a little bit longer O’Connor said they may get a better product.
She commented gardeners never know what is going to grow well from one year to the next. In her raised gardens last year O’Connor had success with many vegetables that she grew, but she had an herb garden last year in an old pallet that did not work out. She said some years the weather is too hot or too cold and some things just do not grow as they should.
“You learn something new every year and every time you try to grow something,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor also gave some tips for container gardening. She said there are three things to remember, “the thriller, the filler and the spiller.” It is important to have a plant that really draws the eye in, the thriller, a plant that fills in the empty spaces, the filler and a plant that will spill over the sides of the container, the spiller.
Popular this year in gardening are succulents, plants that do not need much water. Succulents look like desert plants. Some other trends are the focus of workshops being offered at the garden center including making a living wreath on Monday, building a terrarium on April 28, fairy garden workshop for children and adults on May 5 and planting in outdoor containers on May 13.
Aztalan Fields opened for the season Thursday.
It is also time to be thinking about lawn care. Greg Ninmann, owner of Mr. Green Jeans Lawn Care LLC of Neosho, said the most important thing people can do to keep their lawn healthy is to not cut it too often. Ninmann said the ideal length for grass is three to 3 1/2 inches.
“Grass is made to grow. The shorter you mow it the faster it grows. The more you mow it the more weeds grow,” he said.
Ninmann said if homeowners have a weedy lawn the first thing that needs to be done is to get rid of the weeds by spraying a herbicide.
“Weeds take away moisture from the lawn. You want to spray whatever herbicide for weed control you would like and then you need to fertilize, which will help the root system of the grass expand and shoot up new grass,” he said.
Ninmann said people with bare lawns should do some reseeding and aerate. “Aeration creates pockets in the soil so the root system of the grass can breath and grow,” he said.
Ninmann said slow release fertilizer is a key to your lawn growing well all year long.
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