It appears that the worst weather is over for us; and what a winter it was. It will be very interesting to see what our landscape looks like in another month or so. The wintery conditions sure did not seem to play havoc with our flower bulbs as I see them coming up beautifully in my yard and all over town. The flowering apricot trees are also in full regalia.

My winter vegetable garden was a disaster this year. Last week I re-planted seeds for radishes, kale and carrots; and planted sugar snap peas. Hopefully, the heavy rains will not rot them before they have a chance to germinate.

Here are some tips you may find helpful for tending to your landscape in the month of March.

Trees and shrubs: Finish pruning crape myrtles, but avoid the temptation to cut them back severely. Only remove crossing or broken branches and cut off old seed pods. Apply slow release fertilizer around the drip line of trees and shrubs. Don’t trim hydrangeas even though their stems may look dead, as this spring’s flower buds are contained there.

Flowers: Prune roses. Begin a fungicide spray program for disease-prone varieties when new leaves appear or replace them with a hardier variety like Knockouts. Broadcast slow release fertilizer on perennial beds. You can divide perennials such as hostas, day lilies and phlox as soon as new growth appears.

Lawns: Don’t water dormant lawns except during extended spells of warm windy weather or if the soil becomes powder dry.  March is the last window to kill cool season weeds before green up. You might want to visit Williams Farm and Garden or Trent Hardware for advice regarding cool season weed control. Wait until late May to fertilize established lawns.

Vegetables:  Set out small cabbage, swiss chard, kale, broccoli an bok choy plants. Continue sowing lettuce and radish seeds every few weeks for a steady salad supply.

Fruits: Fertilize fruit trees, grapes and berries with a slow release product.

If you keep on top of these tasks, taking care of your yard will not become overwhelming.

This month’s topic for the third Saturday workshop at the Craven County Cooperative Extension Office is “Plants That Succeed.” It will be on March 15 from 10 a.m. to noon. It sounds like a very informative topic, so don’t miss it. March 17, also, begins the third Monday garden tours in the demonstration gardens there. The one hour tours, beginning at 5:30 p.m. are open to the public.  Each month Tom Glasgow discusses different plants that thrive in the local landscape. These events are free. I hope to see you there.

 

Judi Lloyd lives in River Bend and can be contacted at judilloyd@yahoo.com.

 

 

By David Scott
More Content Now


Posted Feb. 28, 2014 @ 4:55 pm

Potting Bench, £29.99, Aldi

GETTING the garden ship shape ahead of the summer needn’t cause financial strain or back pain.

Aldi is stocking a huge range of gardening tools, equipment and accessories this spring, making beautiful gardens a breeze.

Eco warriors can pick up everything from compost and flower pots to belle cloche at just a snip of the usual cost, ensuring environmentally friendly gardening doesn’t cost the earth.

These ranges will go into store on February 27 and once they’re gone, they’re gone.

The 220L Composter, priced £17.99, is fully assembled so there’s no need to add DIY to your ever-growing ‘to do’ list. It’s made from 100% recycled materials so you can keep the garden spick, span and debris free.

If you’re keen to grow your own pick up a Propagator Set 3s, priced £3.99, and watch your seedlings sprout. Suitable for use in the home or greenhouse, each pack comprises three trays with clear, shatterproof lids and twenty four cell inserts.

Gearing up to grow your own fruit and vegetables can be costly before you’re able to enjoy the fruits of your labour, but not with Aldi Specialbuys’ grow your own range.

Stocking potting benches, gardening gloves, trays, sieves and canes, aspiring horticulturists can pick up an array of excellent quality gardening gear and start sowing seeds.

Get started with the Three Tier Greenhouse, priced £14.99. With steel push-fitting joints, it’s both sturdy and easy to assemble and comes with a removable transparent PVC cover.

Photo of Garden Designer Diarmuid Gavin (PA Photo/Handout)

Garden designer Diarmuid Gavin offers tips on how to prep your patio ready for spring

If the rain ever lets up long enough for us to venture out on to our patios, we’ll need some quick fixes to brighten them up in time for the warmer, and hopefully drier, months of spring.

But, aside from jetwashing them, what should the average gardener actually be doing to these patios…?

Garden designer Diarmuid Gavin, who last year added a wraparound balcony and cast iron columns decorated with swathes of wisteria to his own patio in Co Wicklow, Ireland, has some ideas.

Bulbs planted in patio pots back in September may have rotted if they haven’t been given good drainage and were standing on pot feet, he says, but even if there’s no sign of them, all is not lost.

“Even now, if you just lift the pot to allow them to drain, the bulbs and plantings may be all right.”

In addition to the practical, Gavin, an ambassador for the Karcher watering range, has some easy patio design tips too.

“You can brighten up the patio with instant colour, but be innovative about what you plant and how you do it.”

He suggests going to your local restaurant or take-away to see if they have any large metal containers which once held olives or other food. Drill a few holes in the bottom, put a layer of gravel at the bottom and fill the rest with well-drained compost and either put in a selection of wonderful herbs like basil or marjoram or even some salads like Lollo Rosso or Swiss chard, or even nasturtiums and marigolds, and you will have results fast.

“Another thing I love is to get big oil drums from reclamation yards for next to nothing, clean them up and paint them in Caribbean colours. If you have a collection of them you can cut some of them down to size and they make the most fantastic containers.

“Large containers like these will take a good quantity of manure and topsoil. If they’re big enough, you can plant birch trees or clumps of bamboos to create borders and long-term planting once you`ve top-dressed and had them irrigated.

“Be innovative about your choice of container and then make sure you have a good solid medium for them to grow in.”

If you want to invest in new garden furniture there’s a wealth of choice too, adds Gavin.

“Fifteen years ago if you wanted garden furniture you got a picnic bench or a plastic chair that cost £2.99. There’s been a radical change in furniture, with durable woven plastics, colourful seating and the new thing we’re going to see are cabanas.”

If you want to hide unsightly eyesores like water butts, you can just put a big pot in front of them, he says.

“People often make the mistake of corralling eyesores behind bits of trellis or fencing. If you do that, you make the garden look smaller and draw more attention to what you’re trying to hide. Maybe have a light framework of planting such as the Russian vine (mile-a-minute plant) which, if kept under control, will be fantastic.

“If you’re trying to hide something in the shade, go for a light framework of honeysuckle, which emits a fantastic scent, or some rambling roses. Simplicity is key in this to avert the eye away from the offensive article.”

Spring planting could incorporate double daisies (Bellis perennis), Bachelor buttons (cornflower) or cheiranthus (wallflower).

“Use traditional bedding in a more radical way. And if you didn’t plant bulbs, buy some which are about to come into flower, whether dwarf daffodils, hyacinths or tulips and surround them with bedding or with ivies in pots.”

“Don’t try to be too tasteful. When I grew up in a very suburban street I grew up with blue and white and blue and white. Mass-plant different shades of blue together, while clashing colours of bedding can be incredibly exuberant.”

Permanent plantings on patios of milder gardens could include some pittosporum and hebes.

“If you’re in a sheltered courtyard garden, I love a hint of the exotic with Dicksonia antarctica,” he adds.

“If you have a border, a good one takes planning. Build up a collection of plants with structure in the back, climbing plants and something exciting like the wall shrub Fremontodendron ‘California Glory’, a Japanese maple or an interesting birch and build at the front of that with medium-sized shrubs and colour.”

Put a simple pot of herbs as your centrepiece which are tactile, or plants with aromatic leaves like a lemon-scented geranium, he advises. As you progress to summer, go for dwarf sunflowers – by then, we’ll hopefully have forgotten about the rain.

:: Diarmuid Gavin is Karcher’s Watering ambassador. Find out more at www.karcher.co.uk

Get Daily discounts and offers on sporting events, plays, concerts, museums and other events around town

Potting Bench, £29.99, Aldi

GETTING the garden ship shape ahead of the summer needn’t cause financial strain or back pain.

Aldi is stocking a huge range of gardening tools, equipment and accessories this spring, making beautiful gardens a breeze.

Eco warriors can pick up everything from compost and flower pots to belle cloche at just a snip of the usual cost, ensuring environmentally friendly gardening doesn’t cost the earth.

These ranges will go into store on February 27 and once they’re gone, they’re gone.

The 220L Composter, priced £17.99, is fully assembled so there’s no need to add DIY to your ever-growing ‘to do’ list. It’s made from 100% recycled materials so you can keep the garden spick, span and debris free.

If you’re keen to grow your own pick up a Propagator Set 3s, priced £3.99, and watch your seedlings sprout. Suitable for use in the home or greenhouse, each pack comprises three trays with clear, shatterproof lids and twenty four cell inserts.

Gearing up to grow your own fruit and vegetables can be costly before you’re able to enjoy the fruits of your labour, but not with Aldi Specialbuys’ grow your own range.

Stocking potting benches, gardening gloves, trays, sieves and canes, aspiring horticulturists can pick up an array of excellent quality gardening gear and start sowing seeds.

Get started with the Three Tier Greenhouse, priced £14.99. With steel push-fitting joints, it’s both sturdy and easy to assemble and comes with a removable transparent PVC cover.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – Many people may be wondering about their plants after getting out and doing some gardening while the sun was out this past weekend.

CBS42 has some tips on how you can keep your greenery alive during this cold snap. And the good news is for people who planted trees, shrubs or bushes – they’re most likely going to be ok. It’s those of us who got a little over zealous with the flowering plants that need to worry tonight.

Pam Clark is the owner of Garden Shop of Homewood. On Wednesday afternoon, she and her staff were busy. They’re taking no chances with the cold weather. They’re putting up the Posey’s, dragging in the daisies and laying batting over the little budding plants.

“They may get a little cosmetic damage but once it warms up they’re going to perk right up and be all happy again,” says Clark.

Yet it’s hard to imagine any frilly flower could be happy when we’ve had several weeks of snow and ice. However Pam says living in the Southeast we shouldn’t be surprised by the cold.

“The six degree temps are not typical,” says Pam, “But just historically since I’ve been in the business, there have been ups and downs. Like last March, when it was cold for the entire month, unseasonably cold.”

So what can we do when stuck between mother nature and old man winter?

“I just encourage people to buy and plant, plants that do well in our area. That way you don’t have to worry about going out and covering anything up.”

And if you just can’t resist the pretty flowers, Pam says just know it’s a gamble but the 13- year shop owner feels its so worth it.

Although the temperatures are going to warm up a bit after tonight’s cold snap. Our area could get freezes as late in the year as mid April. So Pam says you should wait until after then to plant very sensitive plants like herbs, fruits and vegetables.

2014 WIAT-TV CBS42

 

March is the start of spring – March 20^th begin the official first day.  Already we are seeing new life appear as trees and shrubs start to show green buds and blossoms.  It’s an enjoyable time of year to be working in the garden.  Here are some important tips to keep your garden looking its very best.

 

Weeds in your lawn.  If you haven’t spread a pre-emergent on your grass, do so early in the month.  Pre-emergents stop the germination of weeds that invade during the spring.  A simple treatment of your lawn will save you the time and headache of weeding later.  If you use organics, spreadable corn gluten is recommended.  It’s also a natural fertilizer.      

 

Fertilize your lawn.  Fertilizing your lawn in March with a fertilizer will boost the growth of new shoots and green up the grass quickly.  A balanced slow release fertilizer blend is recommended for East Texas.   

 

Grow Your Own Veggies.  There is nothing better than tasting a fresh tomato picked directly from the vine.  Growing vegetables is easy, low cost and healthy.   Tomatoes can be planted outside when the threat of frost has past.  The last average freeze date for our area is March 15.   However, if temperatures drop close to 32 degrees it’s best to cover them.

 

Composting.  March is an excellent time to add compost to vegetable and flower gardens.  Decomposed organic matter improves the soil structure, helps retain moisture and provides important nutrients to support healthy plant growth.

 

Stephen Gent

 

Posted: Monday, February 24, 2014 10:51 am
|


Updated: 10:51 am, Mon Feb 24, 2014.

The Eastern Coyote

By Bob Beyfuss
For Columbia-Greene Media

thedailymail.net

|
0 comments

First of all I want to wish a very Happy Birthday to George Story on Feb. 22. I think he is either 93 or 94 years young and he has inspired at least three generations of gardeners, including me! Story’s nursery in Freehold remains one of the premier garden centers in the region. A visit to their greenhouses on these cold, February days is a sure cure for cabin fever! It is too cold and snowy to think about plants this week, so I will share some information about one of our local wildlife species. Most of this column is taken from a publication prepared by SUNY Syracuse.

There are some people who live in the Catskill/Hudson Valley region who have not seen this somewhat shy, local resident, but once they hear them, they will never forget the sounds. The Eastern Coyote is considerably larger than its southwestern cousin that most of us have seen on TV. The largest individuals are as big as smaller timber wolves. Adults may range from 35-45 pounds and some large males may exceed 50 or 60 pounds in body weight. Eastern coyotes have a German shepherd-like appearance, which sometimes leads to confusion about their identity. A small percent are black or reddish-blond, the latter being the more common deviation. Coyotes can be distinguished from most dogs based on their habit of carrying their tail at or below a horizontal level when traveling. At a distance it is more difficult to tell coyotes from wolves.

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Posted in
Weekly gardening tips

on

Monday, February 24, 2014 10:51 am.

Updated: 10:51 am.

John Fleck has written about science for the Journal since 1990. His specialties include nuclear weapons work at Sandia and Los Alamos labs and the federal budgets that drive them, along with New Mexico’s tenuous water situation and the climate issues that underly it. He’s worked as a newsman since before he could drink legally, covering NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory before moving to New Mexico to work at the Journal.

He’s been a fellow and contributing editor at Stanford University’s Bill Lane Center for the American West, where he worked on water issues with the center’s Rural West Initiative. He’s the author of A Tree Rings’ Tale, a University of New Mexico Press book for young people about the science of climate, water and weather.

Email John | Twitter: @jfleck