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Here are some useful tips for successful planting and transplanting in Cheyenne

By Barb Gorges
Special to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle

Cheyenne’s average growing season weather is very pleasant. It is just those pesky extremes, those bursts of hail, hard rain, wind, cold and heat, that make successful gardening tough.

Even though this spring has been unusually dry and warm, I’ve been expecting the other shoe to drop – snow. Did you gamble on more warm weather and put your plants out before Cheyenne’s recommended planting date of May 24?

Remember, there is still a 10 percent chance of frost until June 8, so make sure you have your old sheets at the ready to cover your plants on a cold night. Or, try a product called floating row cover, which is spun polyester fabric available at many garden supply centers.

TIMING

There are plenty of flowers and vegetables that weather a little frost – tulips, daffodils, crocuses and other early bulbs and early perennials. Keep in mind for next year that pansies can be planted as early as April 15 – and they bloom all summer.

Among the vegetables, the cole crops, such as cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, do fine with a bit of frost, too, either seeded directly or as transplants that were started even earlier indoors.

For a list of recommended planting times for vegetables in Cheyenne, visit the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens or go to its website, www.botanic.org, and look for the Garden Tips sheet titled “Planting Schedule.”

By the last week in May, it should be safe to transplant everything else and sow seeds for plants that don’t need a head start, such as marigolds, squash and pumpkins, or those that dislike being transplanted, such as sunflowers and nasturtiums.

Some Cheyennites wait as late as the end of the first week in June to put in the heat lovers: tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.

CHOOSING PLANTS

To find out how to choose plants at the nursery, I talked to Jessica Friis, the assistant education director at the Paul Smith Children’s Village at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens. She is a graduate of the landscape management program at Brigham Young University and manages the Village’s gardens.

“Ideally, you’d want smaller plants that aren’t root-bound. It’s hard to find that. Find some that haven’t bloomed yet. Make sure they have been well-watered and the soil feels moist,” she said.

Non-nurseries sometimes do a good job of plant care, she said, but be careful.

As you may know from previous columns, I’m challenging myself to grow tomatoes from seed – “Gold Nugget” yellow cherry tomatoes – and an annual flower, cosmos. I don’t feel so bad now, knowing they won’t be flowering when I’m ready to transplant them outdoors. When picking out perennial plants that will grow well here, look for those marked “Plant Select.”

This comes from breeding program partnership between Colorado State University, Denver Botanic Gardens and growers. This label is an indication that the plant will perform well in Colorado, which generally means it also will thrive in Cheyenne. You can find them in Cheyenne nurseries.

HARDENING OFF

Chances are you are buying plants that were on display outdoors. If you didn’t, give them an opportunity to gradually adapt to sun and wind, a process known as hardening off. Put them out for a couple hours one day, and a couple hours longer the next, increasing exposure over several days, making sure plants don’t wilt.

TRANSPLANTING TECHNIQUES

Friis has a few tips for successful transplanting.

For annual flowers and vegetables, turn the garden bed first (break up the soil crust), 6-8 inches deep. Then water it a day or two before you plant.

Also: “Water plants really well before planting, getting them soaking wet,” she said.

When you dig a hole for a plant, Friis recommends making it twice the width of the root ball so the roots have an easy time

growing.

Make sure your hole is deep enough so the roots don’t fold back on themselves.

“We bury plants a little deep, up to the bottom set of leaves,” said Friis. “It gives a little extra protection.”

On tomato plants, you can even bury up to the second leaf.

Hold the plant over the hole at the proper height and fill in around it with dirt.

For plants that are root-bound, Friis said there is a debate about whether to “tear” the roots.

“Try to loosen them up without breaking them,” she said.

When pulling up annuals in the fall, check the roots. Did they grow or are they still in a clump, shaped like the pot they came in? (If it’s the latter, chances are, the plant didn’t grow much, either.)

If not root-bound, keep the root mass intact as much as possible to lessen transplant shock. Otherwise, a plant has to re-establish all those little root hairs before the green part can start growing again.

For seedlings in peat pots, the pots don’t decay much in the soil here and can actually inhibit growth. Instead, break off the bottoms if the roots haven’t penetrated them yet. And don’t leave the rim of the pot sticking above ground – tear it off.

SPACING

In Cheyenne, we should space flowers more closely than recommended, Friis said. Since we have such a short growing season, flowers won’t otherwise fill in the garden completely until nearly the week before first frost (Sept. 20). This is why the planters at the Children’s Village are packed thick.

FERTILIZING

“We use a slow-release fertilizer, like Osmacote, applying it once a month,” Friis said. “Or you can use a liquid fertilizer every week to two weeks.”

She fertilizes closely packed planters every week. However, many perennials, especially natives, require very little fertilizing other than decomposing mulch.

MULCH

Don’t forget a layer of mulch for your plants. Bits of semi-decomposed plant material, including leaves and grass clippings (not fresh clippings though), will keep the soil from drying out too quickly. It also will shade out the weeds. Don’t allow mulch to touch the plant stems.

WATER AGAIN

And finally, water well each day for several days, until plants are established, but water carefully so plants don’t become bedraggled.

SOWING SEEDS

Read the seed packet directions to find out how deep seeds should go into the ground. Try making a wide bed vegetable garden to avoid compacting the soil. See the Garden Tips sheet at www.botanic.org or pick it up at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens.

Don’t hesitate to thin seedlings as recommended, since crowding will decrease your yield, as a friend of mine discovered last year when she harvested the skinniest carrots she’d ever seen.

I collected seeds from last year’s flowers: marigold, feverfew, penstemon and gaillardia. Since the seeds didn’t cost me anything, I can sprinkle them generously where I’ve pulled the winter leaf mulch away around the fading tulips.

I will water the seeds well and crumble a thin layer of old leaves over them for shade. My soil does not have a tidy, smooth surface, so enough seeds always find the right spot to take root.

RABBITS

Do you have trouble with rabbits snacking on your new plants? Friis has found that a short, rabbit-proof wire fence works better than deterrents that must be reapplied frequently.

Next month, we’ll take a look at other ways to mulch, water, fertilize and maintain a garden.

After gardening by neglect in Cheyenne by 23 years, Barb Gorges hopes to cultivate two plants by seed this summer – a tomato plant and an annual. Watch for her tips and progress in her monthly column in the ToDo section. Readers who have gardening questions may email her at bgorges4@msn.com. They may also call the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens at 637-6458 or the Cooperative Extension Service at

633-4383.

Need to mark a boundary or create a bit of privacy? Try fast-growing annuals for a quick fence. Or plant an annual hedge in front of a row of young shrubs to hold the line until the shrubs fill in. I also use annual hedges to direct traffic in new patterns around my garden when I’m changing the layout. If I’ve miscalculated, it’s a lot easier to make changes with annuals than it is to transplant shrubs.

Castor bean plant (Ricinis communis) and Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia) are annuals of statuesque proportions. Their sturdy, branched forms are strong enough to stand tall without support, so they’re ideal for tall hedges between houses or along a roadside. Castor bean, which can reach 8 feet or more, has huge, exotic leaves, usually flushed with red. It can be invasive in some areas, such as southern California, where it has spread to the wild, but in cold-winter areas, that’s not a problem. A single plant of Mexican sunflower grows 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide and is covered with orange-red flowers that hummingbirds and butterflies adore.

Instant Hedges

For a smaller hedge, try the unusual annual called burning bush (Bassia scoparia, formerly Kochia scoparia), which looks like a fine-textured green cypress. You’ll hardly notice the tiny flowers of this 2- to 3-foot-tall annual, but its dense foliage makes it stand out in the landscape as a small shrub. Pretty when green, burning bush is even better in late summer and fall, when it flames purple-red.

You can also create instant privacy with a quick trellis of plastic netting stapled to 2×2 uprights. Along the bottom of the netting, plant seeds of annual climbers for quick coverage. Beans are the sprinters of the annual vines: try purple-stemmed, lilac-flowered hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus, or Dolichos lablab), or orange-red scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus), which hummingbirds love. Or pair ethereal ‘Heavenly Blue’ morning glories (Ipomoea tricolor ‘Heavenly Blue’) with night-blooming, saucer-sized white moonflowers (Ipomoea alba) for a privacy fence that’s a beauty at any hour.

ST. CHARLES, Ill. – Aquascape, a manufacturer of pond products and supplies, debuts its new smartphone app designed for pond and garden enthusiasts. The Aquascape app offers water gardening tips and information, divided into five sections. Notable features include:

• Hundreds of water photos including landscape transformations, fish, aquatic plants, and beautiful outdoor living spaces.
• Latest news on Aquascape pond products and events.
• How-to videos on pond installation, maintenance, fish and plant care.
• Water gardening articles that cover fish and plant care, water quality, design tips, seasonal maintenance, and more.
• Online store that showcases a variety of pond supplies.

“The Aquascape app is like a miniature version of our website right at your fingertips,” states Greg Wittstock, founder and CEO of Aquascape. “Our goal is to provide useful information on all things related to water gardening on a convenient, easy-to-use mobile device.”

The Aquascape App is available for Apple’s iPhone and Google Android-based smartphones. To preview and download the app, visit the iTunes Store or Android Market, then search for Aquascape Pond app.
 

Occasionally, it absolutely makes sense to splurge. For me, that splurge usually comes in the form of flowers or plants and this time of year, my gardening gloves are itching to hit the dirt. As long as our budget warrants it, the budget will include garden spending in the spring.

However, garden necessities don’t come cheap, so if you choose to make the investment, you want to be sure that your plants are built to last. Read on for some inexpensive ways to make the most of your gardening dollars.

Buy perennials

While annuals boast big bursts of garden color, they don’t show up for you year after year. Stretch your gardening dollars by purchasing plants that keep on giving. Most perennials are easy to care for and can take a good beating when it comes to climate. Shop for clearance plants that might need a bit of TLC; they’ll respond to your care and bounce back in no time. 

Buy plants that feed you

Invest in a vegetable garden to add cost-free, healthful additions to your plate and save at the grocery store all season long. A couple of dollars for a tomato or pepper plant can equal upwards of $40 in savings by summer’s end, so don’t miss this opportunity to save. It’s also a chance to get the whole family involved in growing their own food.

Fertilizer from leftovers

If you’re not quite ready for a compost bin, that’s OK. You can make plants happy with leftover kitchen items like eggshells and coffee grounds. Eggshells contain calcium, which plants use up during the growing season. Dry your eggshells and give them a zap in the blender to make a calcium-fortified dust that you can work into the soil.

Stale or used coffee grounds are an effective fertilizer as well. Instead of pitching them in the trash, scatter them in the garden. Containing plant-healthy trace minerals like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, coffee is a perfect recycled, natural plant food. Acid-loving plants, like rhododendrons, are especially responsive to it.

Water

Don’t feel the need to water every day. Most plants prefer a good soaking every several days with the opportunity to dry out, instead of being damp all the time. After five years of vegetable gardening, I’ve found the best time to water is in the early morning. Avoid fungus by directing water at the roots, not toward the leaves. In addition, if you’re growing any kind of spicy pepper, let it experience drought between watering; it will be spicier at harvest time.

Molly Logan Anderson is a freelance writer who lives in the western suburbs of Chicago with her husband, Mike, three kids and two labs. Join Molly on her family’s journey of living a frugal life and making financial freedom their reality in her columns or visit her website at www.mollylogananderson.com, on her blog at www.butterfliesandmudpies.blogspot.com or on Twitter at @MollyLoganAnder.

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Tower Perennial Gardens offers blooming “Phoenix White” peonies in their greenhouse southeast of Spokane.
(Full-size photo)

If you go

Tower Perennial Gardens

Where: 4010 E. Jamieson Road, located southeast of Spokane on the Palouse highway.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Call: (509) 448-6778

On the Web: www.towerflower.com, www.alantowerphoto.com.

Don’t you just love the parade of flowers that we are treated to in the spring? First there were crocuses, daffodils and tulips. Then flowering crabapples, cherries, plums and pears lit up gardens around town with their delicate blossoms. And any day now, peonies will be adding their amazing beauty to the local scene.

It’s not uncommon for folks on garden tours to stop dead in their tracks upon seeing a blooming peony and know immediately that is what they want in their own garden.

But where do peonies come from and how do you grow them?

Alan Tower, owner of Tower Perennial Gardens, knows. After all, he’s had a lifelong fascination with peonies and has been supplying gardeners with them for years.

“China is the home of the peony,” Tower said. “They’ve been cultivating the peony for about 1,500 years. It’s been the national flower there, where they call the tree peony the king of flowers and the herbaceous peony the queen. It’s also revered in Japan and India.” 

There are three main types of peonies: herbaceous, tree and intersectional.

Herbaceous peonies become fully dormant in the winter. They grow up from the ground each spring and their stems are not woody.

“They give you plant material that’s ideal for cutting,” Tower said. “They have good long stems for making bouquets, which is one of the greatest things about the peonies. They’re amazing in a vase.”

The tree peony is a woody plant that loses its leaves in the winter while the stems remain aboveground. Tower explained that they emerge from dormancy extremely early, when nighttime temperatures are still down in the 20s. Their foliage is very resistant to damage from freezing.

Intersectional peonies, also called Itoh peonies, are hybrids between herbaceous and tree peonies.

 “I love what a tree peony is able to give you – a big shrub with enormous blooms that you cut individually and float in a bowl – and you are pretty much stuck with doing that with the intersectionals because they don’t have the long stems,” Tower said. “But they are very hardy, they grow well here and are deer-resistant.

 “The intersectionals were best known for bringing the color yellow into the small peony world. That’s how they got my attention. An example of this is Bartzella.”

Peony culture

Peonies grow best with at least six hours of full sun per day, but will also do well in filtered light. They should be watered well, on a regular basis. Tower recommends amending the soil with a high-quality compost at the time of planting. Other than that, they don’t require annual fertilizing.

When it comes to planting peonies, timing and planting depth are everything.

Potted plants can be planted throughout the season because their roots won’t be disturbed in the process. Bare-root peonies should only be planted in the fall.

“The most fundamental difference between a tree and a herbaceous peony is the planting depth,” Tower said. “Herbaceous peonies must be planted very shallowly, where the growing points of the roots are no more than 1 to 1  1/2 inches below the soil surface. If you plant them too deeply, they’ll never bloom.”

Conversely, tree peonies like to be planted deeply. Tower suggests planting them 6 to 8 inches deeper than the container they were growing in. This causes them to form a stronger root system.

“(Tree) peonies and tomatoes are about the only things that appreciate being planted more deeply. You want those plants to start growing their own roots,” he said.

Peonies don’t necessarily need to be divided but if you have to relocate or divide any type of peony, the only time to do it is in the fall. Tower believes it’s important to let the plants get large and old so they can make a big splash in the garden.

Most gardeners probably think all peonies require some type of support but Tower said the majority don’t.

“You certainly don’t need a cage from day one,” he advised. “Let the plant grow over a couple of years to develop the strength and support they need and see what happens. If, after a few years, the plant still flops over, then that’s the time to get a support for it.

“The best type of support is a peony ring. A tomato cage looks awful; if you’re going to display your peony in the garden, make it attractive. There are a number of iron-working places in town that can custom-make peony rings for you.”

Tower had no difficulty summing up his fascination with peonies. “They’re all beautiful,” he said. “My favorite one is always the one I’m looking at. They certainly earn their keep with their blooms.” 

Susan Mulvihill can be reached via email at inthegarden@live.com.Visit her blog at susansinthegarden.blogspot.com for more gardening information, tips and events.

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It was one of my grandmother’s favorite summer past times. She’d mix up a glass of Country Time lemonade for each of us, and then we’d walk the garden of her Oak Lawn bungalow. She’d tell me a little about each of the plants as if they were old friends – which ones were temperamental, which were hearty, which were easygoing. We’d admire the fragrant peonies, check on the delicate blooms of her bleeding heart bush, and comment at how quickly sedum and moss roses were taking over on the side of her house. Even into her late 80s, you’d catch her pruning plants and picking weeds in her backyard.

Unfortunately, her gardening genetics passed me by. While I certainly enjoy beautiful flowers and luscious foliage with the best of them, I seem to have a veritable black thumb. I’ve been fighting with my garden for years, growing a vegetable garden or creating potted plant masterpieces, only to have them shrivel up and die a week or two later. But, I’m determined to turn over a new leaf (no pun intended). As I’ve been out and about Chicagoland this spring admiring everyone else’s gardens, I’ve picked up a few helpful hints to keep me from killing my foliage. These may seem as no-brainers to you veteran gardeners out there, but I’ve got to start somewhere, right?

1. Hydration in Moderation: I have been guilty of either flooding my plants with water, or leaving them starving for water in a bed of dry soil. Keeping a steady level of hydration is key, so the soil stays slightly moist and plants can thrive.

2. Know Your Sun Worshippers and Shady Characters: Certain plants thrive in the sun, while others prefer the shade. Plant tags come with most all plants, making it very easy to identify what likes full sun, part sun, or part shade. You can take it a step further by purchasing Sun Sticks, which can tell you how much sun different areas of your garden are getting. No more ferns baking in the hot sun.

3. Highs and Lows: The most attractive gardens are those that have plants and blooms at varying heights. Taller flowers along the back with lower plants and shrubs towards the front create visual interest. Also take into consideration when a particular plant blooms, so you have nice, steady blooms throughout the summer.

4. 50 Shades of Green: I refuse to jump on the “50 Shades of Grey” bandwagon, but when it comes to my garden, I’m all over shades of green. Caladium, dusty miller, and speckled or striped hostas can add a lot of dimension while all staying within the green color family.

5. Patience is a gardening virtue. My kids love Arnold Lobel’s “Frog and Toad”.  So much so that we attended Du Page County Christian Youth Theater’s Performance of the musical last weekend. One of the acts, “The Garden”, struck a chord with me. Toad is admiring Frog’s garden and decides he’d like to grow his own. He plants some seeds in the ground, but is impatient when his seeds do not immediately start growing, eventually shouting at them. Frog points out that growing takes time and nurturing, and the waiting is the hardest part.  But, think of the pesto you’ll make with fresh basil from your garden or the endless bouquets of fresh roses at your dinner table.

With thoughts of pesto with fresh basil and endless bouquets of garden roses dancing in my head, I’m motivated to put these tips into action. It’s time to get dirty.

Have any gardening tips you want to share with us black thumbs out here? Leave a comment. Want to really be inspired? Attend one of Chicago Botanic Garden’s many garden walks, exhibitions, or chef series.

 

 

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Herbs can add so much depth to a dish, but those bunches from the grocery store never seem to last long and though not expensive individually, those figures do add up. Wouldn’t it be great this summer to read a recipe, note the ingredients, and head out to the garden to freshly snip those flavorful elements? Herb gardening can be a resourceful tool for the kitchen as well as a lovely enhancement to any vegetable or flowering garden.

A surprising fact about herbs is that they can be planted as perennials or annuals. With that in mind, don’t plant perennial herbs in the middle of a vegetable garden. Place them in a protected space or bed near the house. For annual herbs, they benefit from the rich soils and sun provided with vegetable gardens and will thrive amid tomatoes and zucchini.

The Basics of Herb Planting

Herbs thrive in well-drained soil, prefer mostly sun, and moderate to low fertilizer. Fertilizers can speed growth but can dilute the flavor of many aromatic herbs. The general rule of thumb with herb usage is that dried herbs are far stronger than fresh, so when using plants from the garden you may need to use more than you would from the spice cabinet to achieve the same effect. Because many herbs are slow growing, they are perfect for containers and by doing so, extend the life of the more tender ones by bringing them indoors out of season.

Perennial Classics

Rosemary is favored by most gardeners. It is nearly winter hardy in this area and by a foundation or near the ocean, it will often survive the winter.  The plant sprouts dainty blue flowers along spiky green branches, and can be used for giving vegetables and meats a unique flavor.

Lavender is a great landscape herb with a unique, familiar fragrance. The leaves and blossoms of lavender are edible and its aroma is used in everything from soaps and perfumes to insect repellents.

Thyme is another spicy kitchen enhancer with tiny leaves growing in carpets along tiny woody stems. It can sometimes have a lemony fragrance or tend toward the sultrier scents. Thyme is most often found creeping amid patio stones and along rock gardens.

Sage comes into its own in the fall and adds a fresh touch to many winter soups.

Mint is a wonderful culinary herb popular in many beverages and is a common choice with certain springtime and early summer foods like English peas or Middle Eastern yogurt dressings. Mint is an especially good performer in containers due to its propensity to spread vigorously

Annual Favorites

Parsley is indispensible in the kitchen. For years relegated to salad bar garnish status, true cooks find a way to incorporate parsley into many dishes. Parsley can be grown over the length of the season and can be cut and re-cut several times.

Basil is the herb that gets most gardeners excited as it is the true taste of summer. Easy to grow and easy to use, basil loves hot, sunny soil and to be picked regularly to promote more branching growth. Simply pick the leaves and layer with garden fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, and to really impress the family, blend with olive oil, pine nuts and/or Parmesan cheese for a perfectly decadent pesto sauce.

Dill is another seasonably long performer. Its leaves are the perfect garnish to fish dishes and of course pickle flavoring. Its flowers are distinctive chartreuse in a flower bouquet and its seeds are even edible when fresh.

This is just a short rundown of some of the more popular herbs that are hard to go wrong with in the garden, and the best part is, when in doubt, try any of the above on potatoes. Any of these choices will impart their unique taste to a basic starch and educate taste pallets. Herbs can become the most popular item in the garden and kitchen this year!

Information for this column was contributed by Volante Farms, 292 Forest St., Needham.

Container gardening is an easy and convenient way to have flowers and vegetables in small spaces. KUNC gardener Tom Throgmorton has tips and advice on starting your own container garden.

Flowers in containers liven up a deck or porch.  Containers are mobile.  Move them as they grow and the season changes.  Containers conserve water.

The first step is to pick the container.  The choices are abundant.  Pick glazed pottery to match the deck furniture.  Use terra cotta for a natural look.  Plastic pots molded to look like southwest style pottery.  Wooden troughs or barrels stained to match the deck.  Over the years we’ve built up an eclectic collection.  A little bit of all of the styles.

Second is the soil.  Any potting soil will do.  Some dry out quicker than others, some are heavier than others.  Match the soil to the plants you are using.  Try a couple types until you find the one that fits your watering technique.

Use polymers to stretch the water you use.  Polymers are crystals that turn into a water holding gel.  They keep the soil moisture more consistent and conserve water.  Some potting soils already have polymers mixed in.

Next is the fun part, the plants.  Color, texture, shape and size are the palette of the container garden.  Contrasting colors create a dramatic planting.  Complementary colors blend and flow.

Traditional spikes offer an upright sharp texture.  Grasses can do the same.  Large leafed plants add tropical texture.  A mix of tiny leaves or flowers are contrasts to large leaved plants.   A rule of thumbs is don’t use anything taller than twice the height of the container.

The bigger the container the bigger plants you can use.  In pots eighteen inches or more in diameter small shrubs or trees can be planted.  They’ll need protection to get them through the winter.

We use window-box planters on the deck railing.  They add color and privacy to our outdoor eating area.  Large container gardens are scattered around the patio.  Smaller containers fit on the front porch.  A couple of shade loving containers fit into the shady corner bed.  

Some veggies love containers.  Basil and peppers love the warm roots containers provide.  Bush tomatoes thrive in sunny spots.  Mix veggies and flowers for eye catching, tasty containers.  Try a few easily maintained container gardens. 

tom@throgmortonplantmanagement.com

 

In our gardens, both indoors and outdoors, every season has its tasks. Do you want to find out what to do all year? Join Ron Wolford, University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator, as he offers a month-to-month guide of key garden chores and tips.
A Gardening Calendar will be offered at two locations on Tuesday, May 22 at 1:00 p.m. and again at one location on Thursday, May 24 at 7:00 p.m.: Tuesday sessions will be held at 1 p.m. at U of I Extension-Fulton County, 15411 N IL 100 Hwy, Lewistown and at U of I Extension-Peoria County, 4810 N Sheridan, Peoria. The Thursday evening session will be offered at 7 p.m. at U of I Extension-Tazewell County, 1505 Valle Vista, Pekin.
Cost for the session is $5. There is no fee for U of I Extension Master Gardeners to attend. Please register in advance. The registration link for all sites is: https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/?RegistrationID=6581
For further information, contact Julia Pryor, U of I Extension program coordinator at jpryor@illinois.edu or call 309-543-3308.  If you have disability needs, please indicate when registering.
This statewide telenet program will feature a local PowerPoint slide presentation accompanied by the live voice of the instructor. Program includes question and answer interaction with the instructor.
University of Illinois provides equal opportunities in programs.

For gardeners and other plant-lovers, here’s a sampling of regional events:

Bucks County Designer House Gardens Premier designers landscapers revitalize an 1850s Dutch Colonial house, barn pool into a timeless Bucks County estate. Bucks County Designer House Gardens, 3864 Spring Valley Rd., Doylestown; Reservations recommended: 215-345-2191. www.buckscountydesignerhouse.org/. $20-$25. 5/18.

” Burlington County Gardeners Association Plant Faire Plant sale featuring vegetables, herbs ornamentals. New Albany Road Recreation Center, 109 New Albany Rd., Moorestown. www.burlcogardeners.com. 5/19. 9 am-1 pm.

” Call for Gardeners Help deadhead, weed trim the rose gardens. Glen Foerd on the Delaware, 5001 Grant Ave. 5/19.

” Community Garden Days 10% of your purchase will be donated to a registered community garden of your choice (see the website to register a garden). Greensgrow Farms, 2501 E. Cumberland St. 5/18.

Composting Workshop Class on making using compost to improve garden soil. Awbury Arboretum, One Awbury Rd. 5/19. 10 am-12 pm.

” Container Gardening Class on the basics of creating tending an attractive container garden. Linvilla Orchards, 137 W. Knowlton Rd., Media; 610-874-4678. 5/18.

” Container Gardening: Herbs Veggies Presentation by Tina Sottolano of Bucks Country Gardens. Bucks County Designer House Gardens, 3864 Spring Valley Rd., Doylestown; 215-345-2191. 5/23. 1-2 pm.

Floral Arranging Workshop: Living Wreaths Use annual flowers moss to create an attractive wreath. Delaware Center for Horticulture, 1810 N. Dupont St., Wilmington; 302-658-6262. $45. 5/19. 1:30-3 pm.

From Earth to Hearth Help plant an authentic colonial herb garden and then enjoy fire pit cooking with food historian Mercy Ingraham. There will be hands-on activities, crafts, and snacks for history-lovers of all ages. Burlington County Historical Society, 451 High St., Burlington. $5. 5/19. 2-4 pm.

” From Seed to Harvest: Garden Resource Fair Informational tables on food, gardening community resources as well as several workshops on related subjects. Las Parcelas Garden, Main Gay Sts.; 215-278-2498. www.myneighborhoodproject.org. 5/18. 2-6 pm.

” Garden Stroll Visit Floral Hardy’s gardens learn about the resident plants. Floral Hardy, 4007 Skippack Pike, Skippack. 5/23. 6:30 pm.

Grow Your Own Pizza Container gardening class themed around pizza seasonings. Bring a 12- to 18-inch container that drains. Delaware Center for Horticulture, 1810 N. Dupont St., Wilmington; 302-658-6262. $30 per family. 5/19. 10-11:30 am.

Growing Tasty Tomatoes With Mike McGrath Tips tricks for growing better-tasting tomatoes. Greensgrow Farms, 2501 E. Cumberland St.; Registration required. $20 (refunded as a gift card after the workshop). 5/19. 1-3 pm.

Hidden Gardens Tour Self-guided tour of 9 private Northwest Philadelphia properties. Garden hosts on hand to answer questions. Rain date 5/20/12. Mt. Airy Learning Tree, 6601 Greene St.; Registration required: http://mtairylearningtree.org/. $20. 5/19. 10 am-3 pm.

How Our Gardens Change Lecture/garden walk series exploring how Mt. Cuba’s gardens change over several months. Mt. Cuba Center, 3120 Barley Mill Rd., Hockessin; Registration required: 302-239-4244. $20. 5/18.

In the Wet: Plants Ideas for Waterscape Gardens Covers topics like various types of waterscaping, design principles, plant combinations so forth. Mt. Cuba Center, 3120 Barley Mill Rd., Hockessin; Registration required: 302-239-4244. $30. 5/19. 1-4 pm.

Making Your Yard Bird Butterfly Friendly Program on how to attract more wildlife to your yard. Lower Bucks Masonic Hall, Heacock Rd., Morrisville. www.marthawashingtongardenclub.org. $5. 5/23. 12:30 pm.

” Master Gardeners of Camden County Plant Clinic Opportunity to get gardening questions answered or sick plants diagnosed. Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Camden County, 1301 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill. 5/19.

Plant Cutting Propagation Learn how to propagate various types of plant cuttings. Fairmount Park Horticultural Center, N. Horticultural Dr.; Registration required: wiener1@verizon.net. begoniasociety.tripod.com/phillyhobbygreenhouse. 5/19. 10 am-12 pm.

Private Gardens of Chestertown, Maryland Member excursion to visit several private gardens. Catered picnic lunch provided. Swarthmore College – Scott Arboretum, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore; Arboretum membership required: 610-328-8025. $125. 5/22. 7:30-6:30 pm.

Society Hill Open House and Garden Tour Self-guided tour of 10 private homes gardens. Complimentary refreshments rest rooms provided. Old Pine Community Center, 401 Lombard St.; Reservations required: 215-629-1288. $30 advance; $35 day of event. 5/20. 1-5 pm.

Spring Wildflower Tour Wildflower walk. Mt. Cuba Center, 3120 Barley Mill Rd., Hockessin; Registration required: 302-239-4244. $5. 5/18.

Trevose Horticultural Society: Intensive Vegetable Gardening Experienced vegetable gardener Mike Gordon shares helpful information. Wood River Village, 3200 Bensalem Blvd., Bensalem; 856-866-9163. Donation suggested: $3. 5/21. 7 pm.

” Unusual Tropicals Annuals Sale Plant sale featuring over 200 varieties. Swarthmore College – Scott Arboretum, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore; 610-328-8025. 5/19.

Wild Edible Ornamental Plants Class on identifying, harvesting preparing various types of edible plants. Delaware Center for Horticulture, 1810 N. Dupont St., Wilmington; 302-658-6262. $15. 5/23. 6-7 pm.

Wyck Old Rose Symposium Rose gardening symposium featuring guest speakers, workshops a fragrant ose competition. Wyck Historic House and Garden, 6026 Germantown Ave.; Registration required: 215-848-1690. $105. 5/19. 8:30-4:30 pm.

Send information about gardening and horticultural events to gardenscoop@phillynews.com. Include a contact phone number and send at least two weeks before the event.