Butterflies who flutter through Lincoln should head toward 27th and A streets, because Dan the Butterfly Man (aka Dan Staehr) at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo has a green floral buffet set up for just for them. And it’s right next to the Strolling Rose and Perennial Gardens, which might make a great dessert spot for the winged wonders.

Getting our own backyards to be equally enticing is a bit of a challenge, but one that can be achieved with the right plant choices, said Staehr, who has observing the butterflies’ favorite landing spots for the past 11 years at the zoo.

If you are hoping to attract butterflies to your own yard, a quick biology review can help. The insects have a four-cycle development process: egg, larva or caterpillar, chrysalis and adult. Your garden may be a place to lay the eggs, a host for a hungry caterpillar, a resting spot for the chrysalis or a spot for butterflies to seek nectar. In some cases, it is all four.

In Nebraska, according to a University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension NebGuide publication, butterflies may produce one, two or more generations a year. That can make for a continuous stream of them in your garden throughout the season.

Staehr grew up tending to plants in his parents’ garden near York. Even then, he noticed which plants attracted butterflies and which they turned up their proboscis at and flew away.

This year, butterflies have arrived earlier than usual, he said, because of the warm and early spring. There already have been many sightings of Red Admiral and Painted Lady butterflies, he said. Monarchs, one of the most widely recognized butterflies, usually come up from their southern migration a little later, but a few have been spotted. Two hundred species of butterflies make their way to Nebraska each season, Staehr said.

In your yard, start with the basics, Staehr said. A sunny spot is better than a shady one because butterflies love sunning themselves — opening their wings wide while resting on a flat stone or wide leaf. With Nebraska’s wind, having this in a slightly sheltered area helps, too.

Water is another key component. The insects use it for drinking and also “puddling” in the soil.

Also, pesticides are not compatible with butterflies in your garden. If you want one, you can’t have the other.

Essentially, a good butterfly garden has nectar options and host plants for caterpillars. Native plants work best, Staehr said. “These plants have been attracting butterflies for decades,” he said. Some hybrid plants — which over the years may have been bred for color or bloom size or something else — may have lost what attracted butterflies to them in the first place, he said.

Clumps of plants are attractive to the butterflies, as are splashes of color, large blooms and single flowers. Flower shape does make a difference; something with a broad bloom gives the butterflies a place to land, Staehr said.

Plant the plants in an easily viewed area so you can see the butterfly show, Staehr said. And don’t worry if there is a small “weed patch,” because butterflies love the protection it offers.

Be sure to deadhead plants because having blooms all summer long helps keep butterflies in the garden, Staehr said. Optimum time for viewing begins around 10 a.m. or mid-morning, when the nectar warms up and goes up the plant, so butterflies can begin sipping.

Reach Kathryn Cates Moore at 402-473-7214 or at  kmoore@journalstar.com.

Hanging baskets may be small, but they can really make a garden pop, or add just the right burst of color to an otherwise drab area. They’re easy-to-plant, portable mini-gardens that let you add color and texture anywhere you need it. And when they’re dangled near eye-level, they can become the center of attention in any landscape scene.

With all the star power that baskets command, you’ll want to be extra careful when planting, displaying and maintaining them. Here’s how to get the most from your eye-level gardens:

• Choose the right plants. Start with trailing plants to give the basket a languid, relaxed feel. Variegated trailing foliage plants like creeping Charlie, glacier ivy or vinca vine will add sparkling white highlights. Verbena, trailing fuchsia or lantana provides dangling color. And for color and fullness in a hanging basket, try Cool Wave pansies. You can also add other bushy plants for bulk and body. Choose anything that catches your fancy, making sure the colors go together and the plants’ mature sizes stay in scale with the basket.

• Consider where the baskets will hang. If you’ll be looking up at them, you can make do with only trailing plants in a moss-lined basket with annuals planted along the sides and through the bottom. If you can see the sides and tops, create a mini-landscape just as you would in a garden bed, with a variety of plant heights, textures and colors. If the basket will be next to a wall, put the taller plants in back; if it can be seen from all sides, put taller plants in the center.

How many plants? Plan on at least three trailing plants, spaced equally around the edge. Then, fill in with as many other plants as will fit. I space plants twice to three times as close to each other in a basket as I would in a bed.

Think microclimates. Choose plants that grow not only in your climate zone but also in the various microclimates where they’ll be hanging — full-sun plants won’t bloom well in a basket hanging under the patio. Also, group together plants that have the same kinds of water preferences.

Choose the right basket and liner. Although very lightweight, plastic baskets don’t last long, come in a limited number of sizes and their colors don’t always complement the plants in them. Longer-lasting wire baskets come in several options including brass, wrought iron, galvanized and plastic-coated. They also come in larger sizes with lots of planting surfaces. Once filled, they can be very heavy, and because water drains readily out of the bottom, hang them where dripping water won’t be a problem.

Wire baskets need liners to keep the soil from falling out. Packing them with sphagnum moss is the most common method. It makes an attractive natural liner that holds water and acts as a reservoir for the basket. Yet these days, coco-fiber or coir liners are becoming popular. The liners are pre-formed and sized to fit wire baskets and are quicker to install.

Tend your garden. Hanging baskets are completely at your mercy for water and nutrients, and may need attention daily or even twice a day in the heat of summer. Test moisture by poking a finger into the soil. If it’s dry, irrigate until the water flows from the bottom. Feeding is trickier — too little fertilizer and the plants won’t bloom well; too much and the salts will build up in the soil and could burn the plants. I mix a slow-release organic fertilizer into the soil and supplement with a liquid organic fertilizer periodically.

Clip the dead. To keep your baskets looking their best, deadhead old flowers if necessary, clip back rangy stems and pick off dead foliage. Around August, some plants slow down on flower production and stop blooming with the heat. If you find that to be the case, snip back the stems to the edge of the basket and, within a couple of weeks, they’ll start branching out and blooming again.

Joe Lamp’l, host of “Growing a Greener World” on PBS, is a master gardener and author. For more information visit www.joegardener.com.

Mike McGrath, wtop.com

A Live Rose Plant for Mother’s Day? Growing Conditions Are More Important Than Names

Bobby in Fairfax writes, “Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and my wife saw a beautiful rose bush growing outside a home in Annapolis. We’d like to be able to present as a Mother’s Day gift. The flowers were multiple colors: red, pink and white. Please help me with the name and where I can find this particular rose.”

After a few back and forth emails, in which we established that the blooms of several different (and overcrowded) plants were mingling together to create most of that multicolor effect, I told Bobby that the rose in the mix that most intrigued him might be the famous “Peace Rose,” a multicolored beauty with a great World War II history. It would be an excellent choice. I have a Peace rose in my own landscape, and the blooms look sensational.

I added that there are thousands of named roses, and without a tag you’ll never know which exact variety any particular rose is for sure.

And, when you’re giving a disease-prone plant like roses as a gift, it’s much more important to make the gift as easy and trouble-free to grow as possible than to try and find a particular variety. Ideally, you’d select a disease-resistant plant, and make sure there’s a place for it in the landscape of its new owner where it’ll get the first rays of the morning sun and lots of airflow.

Now Batting for The Nats: The BEST Garden Gloves!

Stephen in Alexandria writes, “A number of years ago I heard you recommend a brand or type of garden glove that protected the hands but didn’t feel so clumsy that you’d have to take them off to do things requiring any dexterity. I’d love to know who makes such gloves and where I can get them.”

I’ll begin this answer by first pointing out that a pair of comfortable, tight-fitting, hand-protecting gloves would make a superb Mother’s Day gift for a gardening mama, Steve!

Now, the specific brand I mentioned back then was “Bionic gloves.” They were the first I ever used, and I was infatuated with them and their extra padding in places gloves usually wear out. They came in a variety of garden styles and still make an excellent gift choice.

But I realized that, at least in basic style, they were a lot like baseball batting gloves. And so I use both Bionics and baseball batting gloves in my garden. Both types fit so snugly you can dial a cell phone while wearing them, offer great hand protection and come in every imaginable size.

One nudge to batting gloves is that you can find them at any store that sells sports equipment. Like, just for instance, you happen to need a gift for a mom who gardens…

Gardener: Spare that Baby Lady!

Sandy in Waldorf writes, “A tree in my yard has become infested with a bug I can’t seem to identify. Would you happen to know what it is and if it’s a ‘bad’ bug or a ‘good’ bug? These things are everywhere, quite annoying and have never been seen before by several avid gardeners.”

I took one look at the photo Sandy attached and wrote back, “Congratulations — you are the proud parents of baby ladybugs, the larval form of one of the best known beneficial insects.”

These somewhat fierce looking alligator/dragon-like larvae look nothing like the familiar adult ladybug, but it’s in this juvenile form that the ladybug provides the most benefit, with each baby bug eating 40 to 50 plant-suffocating aphids a day. I wish I had these kinds of “problems!”

Patching Bare Spots with Sod

Chase in Bethesda writes, “I have some large areas in my lawn that need patching and am planning on sodding rather than using seed at this point in the spring. Can you advise if Kentucky Bluegrass or Tall Fescue would be a better choice for areas that get lots of sun? I’m getting lots of conflicting advice on this.”

First, congratulations on knowing that grass seed won’t establish well at this time of year, Chase – the only really sensible time to re-seed and over-seed is late August through mid-September. Good man!

Now, the most important thing with patching (whether with seed or sod) is to match the color and shape of your existing grass blades. So dig up a square of the old stuff and take it around to several garden centers to try and find a good match with their current batch of sod.

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The growing season generates many questions from homeowners about their lawns and gardens.

Here are some common questions and their answers:

Q: What is a good mowing height for Bermuda and Zoysia lawns?

A: The correct mowing height for Bermuda and Zoysia lawns is 11/2 to 3 inches tall. During July and August, these warm-season grasses should be kept about 2 to 3 inches tall to help protect the roots from the hot weather. When mowing, try to remove no more than a third of the grass at each cutting.

Q: What can I put around my crape myrtles to help make them bloom longer?

A: You can help your crape myrtle to flower longer by working some super phosphate into the soil around the plant, but keep it off the stem. Use about half a cup per inch of trunk space. Be sure to keep your crape myrtles watered during the summer.

Q: How can I control blossom-end rot on my tomatoes?

A: Blossom-end rot is caused by lack of calcium in the soil. A soil test is the most reliable method available for determining the amount of lime to apply to tomatoes. The proper pH range for tomatoes should be between 6.0 and 6.5.

Q: How can I control powdery mildew on my crape myrtles?

A: This fungus appears as a white or gray growth on the leaves of crape myrtles The fungus damages flower buds and causes poor-quality flowers. A fungicide should be be applied as soon as the mildew appears. Check with your local nursery or garden center to see what fungicide is recommended for the control of powdery mildew. Also, removing some of the inside branches of the plant can promote better air circulation, which can help reduce powdery mildew.

Having healthy plants

These practices can help maintain healthy plants during the growing season:

— Avoid working in the garden when foliage is wet.

— Provide adequate space between plants. This will allow for good air movement around plants and will help control diseases.

— Water plants early in the morning so the foliage can dry during the day.

— Maintain adequate mulch to conserve moisture and reduce weed growth.

— When possible, train vegetables to grow upright using trellises. This will keep the fruit off the ground and reduce fruit rot.

— Remove old plants immediately after harvest. This will help control insects.

— Harvest vegetables at maturity. Overripe vegetables will attract insects.

E-mail your questions to bleigh1@utk.edu. Include your name and where you live. For more gardening information, call the Tipton County Extension office at 476- 0231 or the Shelby County Extension office at 752-1207. Booker T. Leigh is the extension director for Tipton County.

During the week I had a delightful visit to a garden centre and nursery.

I was filming a makeover in Bolton and, as usual, we were on the hunt for plants. In particular we desired colour to brighten our client’s day.

The researchers duly pointed me in the direction of Giants Seat Garden Centre.

I visit a lot of places that grow and sell plants and I love this part of the job because gardening is an industry that is consumed by passion.

People who like plants often work in the sector and they can’t wait to share the nuggets of information they have garnered over the years.

The moment I stepped into Giants Seat Garden Centre, I knew I was in for a treat.

I gazed around. Sited on the banks of a river, it’s long and narrow and it has obviously evolved over the decades.

There’s a shop, polytunnels, greenhouses and raised beds outside, packed with shrubs and herbaceous perennials.

It’s full of old-school charm, packed with knowledge and is a jewel in these times when garden centres are meccas for shoppers who often don’t care about plants.

You won’t find any Christmas decorations or gifts here. What you will find is a family that has been growing colour for generations.

Imagine that’s what they do – they grow colour.

It comes in the guise of geraniums, begonias, marigolds, lobelias, alyssum, salvias and tagetes. Every bit of bedding that you could dream of.

The cold weather this spring has put a dampener on sales.

But Jim Kidd, the patriarch, has seen it all before: “There’s nobody around at the moment but once we get a bit of heat there’ll be no stopping carloads of customers who open their boots to accept trays of bedding plants.

“And the non-stop watering once the greenhouses heat up will keep everything going”.

This family knows its bedding like no one I have ever met. In this part of the country, this is the place to go.

Jim and his children – Steven, Alan, John and Diane – all work in harmony with each other, two generations with, most likely, another on the way.

I was charmed and took the opportunity to ask them to share with you their advice for a colourful spring and summer.

Jim’s top tips

● In view of April’s weather, don’t worry about planting your bedding until a little later. There is plenty of time and they very often do better planted at the end of May or early June.

● Busy Lizzies are having lots of problems with downy mildew but, if you feel you do not wish to risk using them, don’t despair. Simply use begonia semperflorens – you may need to plant a few extra in numbers but they will reward you with colour all summer.

Alan’s top tips

● Make the best use of all your available spaces by planting tubs, pots and containers on the floor and then use your house, sheds and fences to put up wall baskets and hanging baskets. Bring colour into your life and your garden.

● Remember that when planting in baskets and pots the plants are totally dependent on you, so don’t ignore them – especially in warmer weather. Water every day and feed regularly once a week, or apply a slow-release feed (lasts up to six months).

● Any rhododendron, azaleas and camellias in your garden that have now finished flowering should have the dead flower heads removed. The best time to feed these plants is late summer or early autumn, using ericaceous plant food.

● Dead heading is just as important for all your summer bedding and herbaceous perennials. Leaving on the dead flowers wastes plant energy but removing them frees food resources that the plants can use to grow or produce more flowers.

● If you want bees and insects in the garden to bring more birds, choose nectar-rich plants. Most daisy-type flowers are rich in nectar and plants such as osteospermum and senetti are good examples.

John’s top tips

● While the weather is still so cold, it’s a good time to plant some longer term perennial plants. At this time of year, there is a huge selection available at garden centres from oriental poppies, penstemons, phygelius and lavenders.

● When planting herbaceous plants, remember they die back and it is a good idea to plant them with some colourful shrubs and evergreens to create a framework around which the perennials can flower.

Diane’s top tips

● With the current problems with hosepipe bans around the UK, it makes a lot of sense to apply a mulch or mini bark around your plants to ensure they conserve any available moisture.

● Even though the weather is cold, there are still some varieties of bedding you can plant out even in light frosts, for example antirrhinums, pansies, stocks, mimulus and violas.

Steven’s top tips

● Consider fitting a battery-operated drip irrigation system for your baskets and containers, which will conserve water and also keep your plants in perfect condition.

● When planting pots and baskets, add controlled-release fertiliser – preferably one that has loose pellets, as this format is cheaper to buy than feed tablets and it improves the distribution throughout the compost.

● Dad says: “The best summers start late.” So, in that case, plant late and use long-flowering varieties. Look for dahlia hypnotica, which will flower until the first frosts in the autumn and will not disappoint.

● Be adventurous and try combining the dark foliage and vibrant flowers of the Savannah series of geraniums – or any of the new award-winning trailing petunias such as sweetunia black satin or petunia queen bee – with white and yellow flowers.

● VISIT GIANTS SEAT GARDEN CENTRE, IN ­STONECLOUGH, MANCHESTER OR FOR MORE DETAILS CALL 0161 723 3462.

• By Laurie Garretson
• Originally published May 10, 2012 at midnight, updated May 10, 2012 at midnight

I think all gardeners will agree that the “dog days of summer” have arrived. Those beautiful, cool mornings of spring are only a very faint memory. Like it or not, summer heat and humidity are here with us again for another season.

Another thing that’s here are the pest insects. I have had a lot more questions than usual about pests and vegetable problems. Because of the mild winter, the insect and snail populations seem to have flourished.

I’ve had several questions about squash and cucumber plants. Most related to the lack of pollination. Without the much needed help from bees, these crops, along with watermelons and cantaloupes, will not set fruit well. With a little help from you, all these types of crops can produce well. Maybe even double or triple their yields.

These types of vegetable crops produce both male and female blooms. The blooms are totally dependent upon bees for pollination. No pollination means less production or no production at all.

To help these blooms to mature and produce without the aid of a few bees, you will need to do some pollinating for them.

When these vegetables first start to bloom, there are many times fewer male blooms than female blooms. Female blooms will appear to have a small fruit attached to the base of the flower. Male flowers will not.

Your job will be to carefully take a male flower and gently strip off a few of the petals. This will expose the stamen, which is the slender little stalk inside the bloom. The stamen is the pollen producing part of the flower.

Your have to rub the male stamen over the inside of the female blooms. This job should be done in the morning hours while the blooms are open. Some gardeners prefer to use a cotton swab to transfer the pollen to each female bloom.

Either way should get the job done. If all goes well and your pollination job is successful, you will begin to see the fruits begin to swell within a day or two.

Planting different types of herbs in your garden that attract bees will help with the pollination. Chives, basil, rosemary and cilantro are a few herbs you might want to plant in your next vegetable garden to help bring in the bees.

Until next time, let’s try to garden with nature, not against it, and maybe all our weeds will become wildflowers.

Laurie Garretson is a Victoria gardener and nursery owner. Send your gardening questions to laurie@vicad.com or in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77902.

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You hear the horror stories of tomatoes – black spots, wilting leaves, bugs and fruitless plants. Tomatoes can be one of the most infuriating plants, but with some helpful tips you can harvest some tasty fruit throughout the growing season.

10 Perfect Plants for Mother’s Day

Traditionally, Mother’s Day is the “official” tomato-planting day. If you’ve grown from seed, then you have most likely seen the fruits of your labor by now with some ready-to-plant seedlings about 5-6 inches tall.

If you are getting starters – my chosen method – then make sure to check them out well before buying. You wouldn’t want to purchase ones already with some deficiency, like weak roots or yellowing leaves.

But getting down to the nitty gritty, don’t psych yourself out. You can grow some awesome tomatoes, and following these tips will definitely help you out.

1. Make sure your plants are going to be in the spotlight. Plant in a warm, sunny area where they can get at least 8-10 hours of sunlight and lots of room to breathe.

2. If you are planting in the same bed or pot you used last growing season, plant in a different spot, or remix the potting soil to ensure less likelihood of soil-borne diseases – such as blight, or bacterial spot.

3. Make sure to bury your plant deep, roots and stem in the dirt, up to the first true leaves. You aren’t suffocating your plants. New roots will quickly sprout where you’ve buried the stem. The more roots you have, the more fruit you’ll harvest.

4. Get rid of the freeloaders. Pinch off the leaves and non-fruiting branches that are taking away from getting food and water to your tomatoes.

5. Water, water, water. BUT water deeply, not often. You’ll want to water long and deep every five days or so.

6. Water the soil, not the leaves. Watering the leaves can encourage bacterial blight.

7. Stake and cage plants high enough for them to grow. Vine tomatoes need the room to grow tall, so make sure to give them the support they need, like tall stakes or fencing. For bush tomatoes – like Roma tomatoes – cages work well, giving them support and allowing stability to withstand a heavy harvest.

8. Keep planting. That’s right, plant more tomatoes about 3-4 weeks after you’ve started the first batch. This will keep you harvesting longer and produce better tomatoes.

9. Use
compost and straw around the stem when tomatoes begin to ripen for healthier growth.

10. Make sure to harvest before the tomatoes are too ripe. Over-ripe tomatoes can be mealy – especially Heirlooms – and can suck nutrients out of fruit that is not ready to harvest.

A few questions:

What are these black spots on my tomatoes?

Small, dimpled spots on tomatoes, which can grow to be the size of a dime, are known as Bacterial Speck. This happens when water splashes onto the fruit and leaves. To avoid this, make sure to water the roots, not the actual plants. Try to shake water from your plants after a rain, as well.

Click here for more info.

My tomatoes are cracking up! What’s going on?

Cracking in tomatoes happens when your plants receive irregular watering. The insides begin to grow faster than the outsides, causing the skins to burst. Although these tomatoes are still edible, cracking lowers the life of the fruit.

10 Perfect Plants for Mother’s Day

A great gift idea, too:

Pre-planted, potted tomato plants make a great Mother’s Day gift. Give your mom a head start on her own little garden.

 

—————————————-

For more on gardening, tech geekery, food and music, check out twinklevanwinkle.com. Find Twinkle on Foodspotting, Tumblr and Twitter.

Twinkle VanWinkle ponders, creates and discovers cool stuff about music, movies, food, fashion and so forth. Her thoughtful writings and interactives give great advice about healthy food, cooking tips, DIY projects, fashion and more. She’ll teach you a thing or two about music as well. Along with producing dynamic entertainment content for LIN Media, she is a mother, musician and social media fanatic.

Spring is here and I’m going to write about something cheery for a change, namely gardening. I don’t claim to be any sort of expert, but I know a few things since I’ve been at it for years.

A garden is a real solace in hard times. Not because it doesn’t present problems and challenges as well as rewards, but because it is simply very therapeutic when you immerse yourself in the basic elements of nature. The feel of good soil, the healthy exercise, the hours outside, all of it takes your mind off the world’s troubles.

And then there is nothing money can buy that comes near to the taste of a freshly picked salad of vibrant mixed greens that were grown in rich soil. A variety of lettuces, some spinach, both Bloomsdale and Bordeaux types, some Tuscan kale, some sorrel, beet greens and raddiccio, maybe a few piquant mustard green leaves — a feast for the eyes and tastebuds as well as a nutritional boost for the body.

But notice I said “grown in rich soil.” If your soil is not rich in the organic matter that feeds the microorganisms that make nutrients available to your plants, then your salad will taste no better than something bought at the store several days ago.

And there’s the work and the main challenge here in the Rockies. Our soils are not naturally rich in organic matter and take a lot of amendment. As a practical matter, it’s almost impossible to add too much compost or aged manure.

One trick I have used is to buy 50-pound bags of alfalfa pellets, the type used for rabbit feed. After it’s wetted down, this makes a good mulch as well as soil enricher. Another good method is to call around until you find a rancher or horse person with a pile of spoiled hay you can buy cheap. Mix a thick layer of that into your soil in the fall and you’re set for next spring.

I should also emphasize that mulch is essential in this climate. I use straw as well as the pellets. Mulch helps the top few inches of the soil retain moisture and mitigates wind and temperature extremes.

What can you grow here in addition to salad greens? The area is famous for strawberries and potatoes. But I have also found the following to be problem- and pest-free: green beans, peas, chard, onions, carrots, early maturing tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and raspberries.

You will only have fresh tomatoes a few weeks in late summer and early fall, but just before the first forecast frost, you can pull all the tomatoes and bring them inside. Layered with newspaper in cardboard boxes, most will gradually ripen. I crush these in a processor and freeze them. Then all fall and winter they make delicious spaghetti sauce, spiced and thickened with some tomato paste.

The chard also freezes up beautifully and, lightly steamed and dressed with olive oil and salt, it is a delicious winter green. In fact, I don’t even eat it fresh in summer when so much else is available. The same is pretty much true of the green beans, which I mostly freeze for winter.

Unfortunately, I have never been able to cope with the pest problems presented by anything in the cabbage family nor have I managed to extend my growing season enough to mature winter squash. So I warn you away from these.

Except for potatoes, green beans and spinach, I start all my vegetables indoors in trays. It is much easier to germinate, thin, and generally care for starts indoors than it is outside in the harsh spring winds and cold nights.

My husband made me a 48-inch-wide, three-shelf affair with growlights so I have plenty of room for trays of starts. Here again, soil is key to success. You need a good, sterile, well-balanced seed starting mix. And you can save a lot of money by buying this in really large bags. Planted Earth is one local source. I also add a bit of diluted liquid fish fertilizer every eight or nine days until time for transplanting.

If you haven’t gardened at all before or have a new house and yard, sheet composting is an easy way to create good garden soil for next year. And you can make raised beds edged in stone or wood at the same time.

Simply lay down brown cardboard right on top of the grass or whatever is there, and add manure (fresh or aged), straw, spoiled or low quality hay, grass clippings, leaves, whatever, in layers. At least every third layer should be manure. Keep this moist all summer and fall.

As soon as possible next spring, dig or pitchfork this into the top few inches of underlying soil, and continue to keep moist. By late spring, you will have decent ground for growing, which you can continue to improve each year.

— “What Do We Really Want?” appears on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month. Mary Boland is a retired teacher and journalist, a proud grandmother, and a longtime resident of Carbondale. Follow her on twitter@grannyboland.

Having a beautiful lawn and garden doesn’t mean the work has to be difficult or complicated. With a little planning and the right tools, you’ll spend less time working and more time hosting cookouts, lounging in the sun and watching the kids play in the backyard.

“Selecting the best tools for your outdoor space can make all the difference if you’re looking for simple, year-round maintenance,” says Duane Utterback, marketing manager for Remington, a leading manufacturer of electric and power tools. “That’s why when you’re shopping for new equipment it’s important to consider the size of your lawn and garden, how much power you’ll need and who will be using it. It’s also just as important for the tool itself to be comfortable and easy to use.”

For example, a string trimmer is a useful handheld tool that can get into places that a lawn mower can’t reach – but if you don’t get the right one for your needs, it could make the job more difficult than it has to be. If you have a larger yard or tough brush to cut down, you should consider a higher-powered gas trimmer like the Remington RM2510. But if your lawn is smaller or you prefer something lightweight, an electric trimmer like the Remington RM115ST may be exactly what you need.

Beyond choosing the right tools, here are five more tips for easy lawn and garden care this spring:

1. Grow low-maintenance plants and flowers. When deciding what to grow in your garden, you’ll want to consider the layout of your space, as well as the climate. To keep it easy, try undemanding perennials such as coneflowers, hostas, peonies and black-eyed Susans.

2. Cut your planting and weeding time in half. Using a garden cultivator like the Remington RM151C Electric Cultivator speeds up the process of preparing soil for new plantings, quickly works in compost, manure and fertilizers, and can be used to eliminate weeds between garden rows.

3. Give your body a break. Many lawn and gardening activities like trimming edges, planting or weeding require repetitive movements that can be stressful on muscles and joints. Take some of the work out of your work by selecting tools that feel comfortable and easy for you to use.

4. Try a container garden. If you want to change the look of your garden throughout the season in a matter of minutes without the hassle of digging up your plants, try a container garden. Glazed ceramic pots with holes in the bottom work best. Put newspaper at the bottom to keep the soil from escaping.

5. Go ahead, recycle your clippings. Not only does this save time and energy (versus bagging), but leaving the clippings on the lawn after you mow adds vital nutrients back into the soil as the clippings decompose. And, if you have the proper mowing height set, the clippings will quickly break down.

“By following simple tips and guidelines like these, you can create an outdoor space that you love, without spending the entire season working,” says Utterback. “Start with a good plan, have some fun working outside and take the time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.”

Q: Are there any free classes I can take to help me learn to grow my own food, and improve my garden skills in general?

A: Look into the Washington State University Master Gardener workshops held 10:30 a.m. until noon some Saturdays at the Bellevue Demonstration Garden, 15500 S.E. 16th St. in the Lake Hills area in Bellevue. Check the schedule at kingcountymg.org.

The free classes are taught by highly knowledgeable master gardeners and cover just about everything you need to know to grow outstanding vegetables, fruit, ornamentals and houseplants with an emphasis on using environmentally friendly methods.

While you’re there, take some time to tour the demonstration garden to see what vegetable varieties and other plants grow well in our area. Don’t hesitate to talk to the master-gardener volunteers you’ll see out working in the garden. They love to talk gardening, showing off their favorite varieties and answering any questions you may have.

Visit www.mgfkc.org (choose “demonstration gardens” under “resources” and scroll down to Bellevue) for a schedule of workshops and directions to the garden. While you are on the website, check out all the offerings at other demonstration gardens as well.

Q: We live in a condo and have a sunny deck. The kids and I want to pot up a container to surprise my wife on Mother’s Day. Any suggestions?

A: Why not choose plants that attract hummingbirds? The shelves at most local nurseries are filled with hummingbird favorites that will do great in a container garden. Pick a good-sized container; then choose an attractive centerpiece that produces nectar-filled flowers and is in proportion to the size of the pot.

Two hummingbird favorites that bloom all summer long are Fuchsia ‘Garden Meister,’ featuring long tubular, dark-red flowers, and Abutilon (flowering maple) sporting bell or lantern-shaped blossoms that come in a wide variety of colors. Next, fill in around the centerpiece with midsized plants.

A few of my favorites, which the hummingbirds enjoy as well, include Pelargoniums (geraniums), Agastache (hummingbird mint), woody Salvias, Mimulus (monkey flower), evergreen Penstemon, Nicotiana, Zinnia and Heuchera.

Finally, incorporate a few flowering vines such as nasturtium or petunias that will further entice the hummers with attractive nectar-filled blossoms as they spill over the side of the pot. Mom will have a great time watching the hummers doing acrobatics over her spectacular Mother’s Day container.

Q: How does one go about having their garden designated as a wildlife sanctuary?

A: The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife instituted the Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary program to help offset the loss of more than 35,000 acres of wildlife habitat lost to housing and other development every year in Washington state. The goal is to encourage homeowners to make a few simple changes in their gardens to provide critically needed food, water and safe shelter for songbirds and other wildlife.

The requirements are simple: Plant trees and shrubs to provide shelter. Make sure there is plenty of water to drink and bathe, and a way to keep the station clean and fresh. Protect birds from cats, cover sites where undesirable birds (sparrows and starlings) tend to nest, and perhaps most important of all, avoid the use of pesticides that could harm wildlife.

If this sounds like something you would like to do, visit wdfw.wa.gov/living/backyard/. Download the application for certification and send it with $5 to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. In return, they’ll send you a certificate and a yard sign designating your garden as a wildlife sanctuary, and you’ll also receive a subscription to their wildlife newsletter.

Then get yourself a bird ID book to help you identify your visitors. You’ll enjoy watching all of the interesting creatures you’ll attract to your garden, while knowing that you’re helping provide badly needed sanctuary for songbirds and other wildlife.

Ciscoe Morris: ciscoe@ciscoe.com; “Gardening with Ciscoe” airs at 10 a.m. Saturdays on KING5.