slideshow

KAYSVILLE — Warmer weather means time for getting those hands dirty in the  earth, doing gardening-related projects.

To help with that, the Utah State University Botanical Center in Kaysville is holding its annual “Members Only Plant Sale.” It will be May 16, 5-8 p.m. at the greenhouse.

This 10th annual plant sale for the “Friends of the Garden” gives a chance to see the newest in perennials and annuals and heirloom vegetable starts.

USU horticulturists will be on hand to provide information. The sale will be at the Rasmussen Teaching Garden next to the greenhouse, information from USU said.

The Botanical Center is also sharing gardening tip information.

Here are items to consider when doing that spring planting:

• Finish planting the garden and put down a good mulch layer for weed control.

• Thin the apples and peaches to one fruit every five to six inches.

• Plant annuals once the danger of frost is past.

• Fertilize annuals about two weeks after planting to stimulate growth.

• Fertilize the lawn with   high-nitrogen fertilizer and broadleaf weed killer to turf grass.

• Water lawn one to 1/2 inches per week.

• Control broadleaf weeds in the lawn with a 2,4-D product before temperatures are above 85 degrees.

• Spray birch trees to control the bronze birch borer, and ash trees for ash borer.

• Call Davis County Extension at 801-451-3412 for the date to begin spraying apple and pear trees to control codling moths and prevent worms in the fruit.

• Use mulch or a pre-emergent herbicide to prevent weeds in the garden.

• Clean sprinkler heads an check for good water coverage.

• Start planting tender plants such as celery, cucumber, dry bean, snap bean, spinach, summer squash, sweet corn.

• Check USU Pest advisory to get a head start on controlling garden pests.

• Plant your new perennial and annual flowers

• Treat perennial plants with compost or slow-release fertilizer.

• Prune spring blooming shrubs after they finish blooming.

• Apply chelated iron to plants suffering from iron chlorosis.

• Enjoy time sitting in your flowerbed to deadhead spring perennials and dig annual weeds.

• Become a member of the USU Botanical Center.

• At the end of the month, begin planting tender plants such as cantaloupe, eggplant, lima bean, pepper, pumpkin, tomato, watermelon and winter squash. 

By Wayne L. Westcott
For The Patriot Ledger


Posted Apr. 27, 2014 @ 7:00 am

Bill Blackledge will be on hand to give gardening advice

A Preston hospice’s plant sale is to have a special guest.

Gardening guru Bill Blackledge joins shoppers on Sunday at the annual St Catherine’s Hospice plant and pre-loved goods sale.

BBC Radio Lancashire are also going to be down at the sale broadcasting live from the event for their weekly show Lancashire Outdoors.

Bill said: “With the summer months quickly approaching I am really looking forward to this year’s St Catherine’s Hospice plant sale.

“It gives me the opportunity to advise the general public which plants will grow well in the north west climate and which plants will be the best to grow in their gardens.

“I will also be asking the public to think about growing a few pollinating plants which would be ideal for bees, butterflies and insects. There will be a wide range of plants for sale and we will all be supporting the needs of St Catherine’s Hospice.”

The event runs from 10am to 3pm on Sunday 11 May at the hospice on Lostock Lane.

Emma Jacovelli, fundraiser at St Catherine’s Hospice, said: “We always look forward to our annual plant sale as a sign that spring has well and truly arrived.

“We hope lots of people will come along and get some advice for their gardens – whether it’s a sprawling green space or a yarden with a few plant pots, you can be sure you’ll pick up plenty of tips on how to get the best out of the area you’ve got.

“Not only that, but in buying your plants from the hospice you’ll be helping to raise vital funds for St Catherine’s – helping us to provide care and support to patients, their families and loved ones.”

Have you been to the plant sale before? Are you going this year? Let us know in the comments below

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

slideshow

KAYSVILLE — Warmer weather means time for getting those hands dirty in the  earth, doing gardening-related projects.

To help with that, the Utah State University Botanical Center in Kaysville is holding its annual “Members Only Plant Sale.” It will be May 16, 5-8 p.m. at the greenhouse.

This 10th annual plant sale for the “Friends of the Garden” gives a chance to see the newest in perennials and annuals and heirloom vegetable starts.

USU horticulturists will be on hand to provide information. The sale will be at the Rasmussen Teaching Garden next to the greenhouse, information from USU said.

The Botanical Center is also sharing gardening tip information.

Here are items to consider when doing that spring planting:

• Finish planting the garden and put down a good mulch layer for weed control.

• Thin the apples and peaches to one fruit every five to six inches.

• Plant annuals once the danger of frost is past.

• Fertilize annuals about two weeks after planting to stimulate growth.

• Fertilize the lawn with   high-nitrogen fertilizer and broadleaf weed killer to turf grass.

• Water lawn one to 1/2 inches per week.

• Control broadleaf weeds in the lawn with a 2,4-D product before temperatures are above 85 degrees.

• Spray birch trees to control the bronze birch borer, and ash trees for ash borer.

• Call Davis County Extension at 801-451-3412 for the date to begin spraying apple and pear trees to control codling moths and prevent worms in the fruit.

• Use mulch or a pre-emergent herbicide to prevent weeds in the garden.

• Clean sprinkler heads an check for good water coverage.

• Start planting tender plants such as celery, cucumber, dry bean, snap bean, spinach, summer squash, sweet corn.

• Check USU Pest advisory to get a head start on controlling garden pests.

• Plant your new perennial and annual flowers

• Treat perennial plants with compost or slow-release fertilizer.

• Prune spring blooming shrubs after they finish blooming.

• Apply chelated iron to plants suffering from iron chlorosis.

• Enjoy time sitting in your flowerbed to deadhead spring perennials and dig annual weeds.

• Become a member of the USU Botanical Center.

• At the end of the month, begin planting tender plants such as cantaloupe, eggplant, lima bean, pepper, pumpkin, tomato, watermelon and winter squash. 

View full sizeWe hope that all of these old political signs are recycled by the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste Management District.Eustacio Humphrey, The Plain Dealer

RECYCLE CAMPAIGN SIGNS: Ever wonder what happens to all those campaign yard signs after the votes are cast? Let’s hope most of them are recycled. The Cuyahoga County Solid Waste Management District is recycling plastic and cardboard campaign signs and metal stands. Drop them off between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and Monday, May 12 to Friday, May 16 at at 4750 East 131 St., Garfield Heights.

BECOME A MASTER GARDENER: Ohio State University Extension and Master Gardeners of Cuyahoga County, Inc. have opened registration for the 2014 Master Gardener Basic Training Class. The upcoming classes will meet during the evenings so that people who couldn’t make the usual daytime sessions can participate.

Master Gardeners are dedicated gardeners who are trained by the Ohio State University Extension program and who to educate others on a volunteer basis with timely, research-based gardening information.

Training classes begin Monday, Aug. 25 and continue through Wednesday, Oct. 29 from 6 to 9 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Two full-day field trips are also planned as part of the course curriculum. Classroom training, lectures and hands-on learning activities are presented by Ohio State University Extension faculty and staff.

Learn more by attending one of three informational sessions. All start at 7 p.m. They are scheduled for:

Tuesday, May 13, Fairview Park Library, 21250 Lorain Avenue, Fairview Park.

Wednesday, May 14, OSU Extension Office, 5320 Stanard Ave., Cleveland.

Thursday, May 15, Shaker Heights Main Public Library, 16500 Van Aken Blvd, Shaker Heights.

In addition to the informational sessions, information on the course can be found on the Cuyahoga County Master Gardener website at cuyahogamg.org.

CONTAINER GARDENING CLASS: Add beauty and creativity to your garden with containers and pots. A class sponsored by the Geauga County Extension Service will show you which plants to choose, suggest color combinations, show how to use found materials and teach you tips for keeping your pots blooming. The class is 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 17. Cost is $15 and registration is required; call 440-834-4656.

The class will be held at the Geauga County OSU Extension Office, 14269 Claridon-Troy Road, Burton.

DECORATING HOW-TOS: Decorating can be an overwhelming task, whether you’re tackling one room or an entire house. How do you figure out what style is right for you? Should you tackle the job yourself or hire a pro? An article on Houzz, a home design and remodeling website, walks you through the decorating process from inspiration to arranging furniture. Among the pieces of wisdom:

Create a wish list. Write down everything you would like to do if money were no object.

Start collecting pictures of rooms you like.

If you want everything done at once but can’t afford to do that, save your money and do it all at once later.

Read the entire article here.

The pictures you see of beautiful gardens reflect just a moment in time. The perfect light, peak color and faultless relationships don’t last. Gardens are a work in progress. They change and evolve.

You don’t need to beat yourself up trying to make your garden picture-perfect. You can create an enviable landscape with the help of a few garden design principles and a lot of looking at other gardens.

Balance

Develop your garden based on a real or imaginary axis (central reference point). Strive to make both sides equal in visual weight.

Symmetrical gardens are formal with each side a mirror image of the other.

Asymmetrical plans are designed with equal weight on both sides of the axis, but different plants. For example, an asymmetrical scheme might include a large plant on one side and three small plants on the other to give a sense of balance.

Numbers

Buy and plant in odd numbers up to nine plants. With 10 or more the eye no longer comprehends how many plants are in the group. A single plant is usually lost in the garden unless it is large plant that is used as a focal point.

If you are partial to a certain plant, try using multiple varieties of it – one of a kind can sometimes work in this instance. For example, combine different varieties of shade-loving hosta. The large leaves add coarse texture to the garden, and the plants deliver an attractive mix of sizes and foliage color.

Sun-loving salvias provide a block of fine, textured, airy color as they bloom. The plants offer the opportunity to stagger height as well as select bloom time and color. The viewer won’t be able to determine how many plants make up the many stalks.

Texture

Include different plant textures in your garden. A garden full of small-leafed plants with tiny blooms is boring. You don’t need to use every leaf shape and size, but contrast makes a garden more interesting – big and small, shiny and fuzzy leaves, spiky, round, elongated and toothed shapes. The same is true for blooms: big and small, drooping and upright, airy and dense.

Colors

Too many different colors look chaotic. Choose a color scheme. Limit your palette to colors that relate well to one another. Know that bright colors hold up in the bright sun; they don’t wash out.

Silvery foliage and white blooms show up in the evening.

Remember that color in the garden does not come from just blooms; it comes from foliage, too. In addition to green, add orange yellow, lime, silver-gray, pink, red, purple burgundy, almost-black and variegated foliage to the garden.

Height

In a border, install taller plants in the rear and decreasingly shorter plants in front. In an island garden all plants become visible when taller plants are sited in the middle and decreasingly shorter plants surround the center spot.

Always consider the mature size of a plant when you include it in your design.

Pay attention to shapes. Plants form triangles, lollipops, balls, columns, mounds; they trail and weep. Various shapes are not just for the back row; work appropriately sized plants with these shapes into your garden at different levels.

Repetition

Repeat colors, shapes, textures and patterns to unify your landscape. Remember, less can be more. Avoid too many disparate elements.

If a plant doesn’t work, dig it up and move it, recycle it in a container or give it away. You don’t have to leave it in the garden for the entire season, or even a week.

Look at other gardens, the good and the bad; you will see what works and what doesn’t. Take the insight home and apply it to your own garden.

Each year brings another opportunity to create a picture-perfect garden. Try not to miss the magic moment when it all comes together.

Reach DEBBIE MENCHEK, a Clemson Master Gardener, at dmgha3@aol.com.

Submitted Photo

Container gardening

Beautiful flowers, herbs and vegetables can all be grown in container gardens. They take up less space and are easier to manage.

Posted: Wednesday, May 7, 2014 12:00 am

Tips on container gardening focus of Master Gardeners’ Hands in Dirt session

From Staff Reports

TheDailyTimes.com

|
0 comments

Need some guidance and tips on container gardening?

If so, attend the next Hands in the Dirt class entitled Garden in a Pot, offered by the Blount County Master Gardeners. It will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Broadway United Methodist Church, located in downtown Maryville. Master Gardener Lisa Phipps will offer ideas, tips and techniques for raising gardens in containers. You can plant herbs, flowers, tomatoes, kale and foliage plants, all in containers, plus a whole lot more.

Subscription Required

An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety.

You need an online service to view this article in its entirety.

Have an online subscription?

Login Now

Need an online subscription?

Subscribe

Login

Need an account? Create one now.

You must login to view the full content on this page.

Thank you for reading 30 free articles on our site. You can come back at the end of your 30-day period for another 30 free articles, or you can purchase a subscription at this time and continue to enjoy valuable local news and information. If you need help, please contact our office at (865) 981-1100.

You need an online service to view this article in its entirety.

Have an online subscription?

Login Now

Need an online subscription?

Subscribe

Login

Need an account? Create one now.

• 
  Discuss

• Print
  
  

Posted in
Community

on

Wednesday, May 7, 2014 12:00 am.

| Tags:


Lisa Phipps,

Master Gardeners

When Lou Horton retired from a career in education, he promised himself he’d learn about gardening and share that knowledge with others.

The West Chicago man has kept that promise. Now in his 13th year as a University of Illinois Extension master gardener, he works at the DuPage County office’s help desk and at events fielding questions about everything from the emerald ash borer and garden pests, to when to plant vegetables in the spring and whether the harsh winter did permanent damage to lawns and trees.

Master Gardener Help Desks

The DuPage County Master Garden Help Desk is at 1100 E. Warrenville Road, Naperville, and is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, May through October. Gardeners may come with their questions, call (630) 955-1123 or email uiemg-dupage@illinois.edu.

During May, mobile Help Desks will also be at the following locations:

• Naperville Community Gardeners Plant Sale in Naperville, 7 a.m. to noon May 10

• SCARCE Get Your Garden Growing event in Glen Ellyn, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 10

• West Chicago’s Blooming Fest in downtown West Chicago, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 17

• Lake View Nature Center worm display in Oakbrook Terrace, noon to 4 p.m. May 17

• Roselle Park District Garden Club Plant Sale in Roselle, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 17

• Itasca Public Library in Itasca, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 24

“I love to talk and think about gardening,” Horton said. “I thoroughly enjoy sharing information and exchanging ideas with other gardeners.”

It’s a sentiment shared by DuPage County’s 123 master gardeners, who go through rigorous training and then volunteer their time helping others.

“My master gardeners amaze me, the amount of time they give and their enthusiasm,” said Sarah Navrotski, program coordinator for the The DuPage County Master Gardener program. “It’s a really popular program.”

Still, many people don’t understand what master gardeners do, Navrotski said. Sure, they know a lot about plants, but they’re not people just acquiring knowledge for themselves, she said. Volunteering their expertise to the community is a required part of the master gardener title.

“I have a love of gardening and I like to volunteer. It seemed like a really good fit to serve the community in a different way,” said Deb Hornell of Glen Ellyn, now in her sixth year as a master gardener.

Training to volunteer

Those who apply to be master gardeners go through an interview process before being accepted into training.

“Some gardening background is nice, but it’s not absolutely required,” Navrotski said.

Those accepted in the program go through 12 weeks of training — learning about everything from soil to botany — in classes taught by University of Illinois educators from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. once a week. The training costs $250.

The next unit training for DuPage, Kane and Kendall counties will be in the fall in the DuPage office, 1100 E. Warrenville Road, Naperville.

During the first year, the master gardener interns must do 60 hours of volunteer work. After the first year, master gardeners are required to put in 30 hours of volunteer work and take 10 hours of continuing education annually.

Spring and summer are the busy season for master gardeners, but the volunteer opportunities are far-ranging and some continue year-round.

In addition to the help desk open at the extension office from spring through fall, master gardeners may staff mobile help desks at libraries and community events, give presentations, serve on a speakers bureau and teach a program on worms in third-grade classrooms.

They work in community gardens in Naperville and Downers Grove to grow vegetables for food pantries and work with special-needs children and students through NEDSRA, Downers Grove North High School and Easter Seals.

Master gardeners also help maintain gardens and grow crops in public areas, such as Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago, Graue Mill Museum in Oak Brook and the Clock Garden in Wood Dale.

Another place to volunteer is the DuPage Convalescent Center, where master gardeners help elderly and disabled residents grow produce in raised beds and help beautify the grounds. Gail Sanders, a second-year master gardener from Carol Stream, said that’s her favorite spot to volunteer.

“Volunteering at the DuPage Convalescent Center is very rewarding because you are working directly with residents a lot of the time,” Sanders said. “They’re very appreciative.”

All sorts of questions

Like all master garden interns, Sanders worked at the help desk at the extension office her first year, but said she found it challenging.

“There’s so much to know about gardening, and you have no idea what people are going to come and ask,” she said.

Hornell said she gets stumped at the help desk “all the time,” but that’s when she turns to the extension’s reference library.

“We’ve been trained to ask a lot of questions and not to feel we have the answer immediately,” she said. “I love those conversations we have with people about what they’re trying to do in their garden.”

Hornell said she gets a lot of questions about lawns, pest management, vegetables, perennials, trees and shrubs.

This year, because of the harsh winter, she and other master gardeners are hearing concerns about snow mold on grass (a fungus that makes the grass look dead), and the survival of other plants and trees.

But the plants may just need more time because spring is about three weeks later than usual, Navrotski said. In many cases, the snow actually acted as a protective cover for the garden.

“I think people worried about losing a lot over the winter are going to be pleasantly surprised,” he said.

Over the years, Horton said he has seen increased interest in growing vegetables and in gardening itself.

“I suspect it’s the fastest growing hobby in the country,” he said.

Concerns about safe food and use of pesticides have added to the interest. People want to know what plants to grow in the right places, Navrotski said.

“There’s a push for sustainability,” she said. “People are thinking more environmentally.”

Master gardeners get some unusual questions as well. Horton recalled a man who brought in a piece of treated lumber that had what appeared to be a drill hole in it. The hole was made by carpenter bees.

“He couldn’t understand why the bees could do that,” he said.

Gardeners are welcome to bring plant samples or insects to the help desk at the extension office, but they’re also welcome to email photos to uiemg-dupage@illinois.edu or call the help desk at (630) 955-1123.

Help desk hours for the rest of the growing season, May through October, are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Messages may be left at other times and a master gardener will get back to the caller.

Information about gardening and how to become a master gardener also is on the website at web.extension.illinois.edu/dkk.

(Lander, Wyo.) – Who doesn’t like fresh strawberries? Or strawberry-rhubarb pie? Or strawberries in your smoothie? Or strawberry preserves on toast? Strawberries start to show up in large quantities at the grocery store this time of year, but it’s not hard to create your own strawberry patch.

If you’ve read previous articles, you’ve already heard the rallying cry of adding organic material to your garden. But really, for strawberries, go crazy. They do best in rich, loamy soil and hefty additions of compost are key. In preparing your site, be sure to add plenty prior to planting. Also add a 1-2” layer in the each year in the fall over the plants.

First though, you’ll have to make a choice on where to plant. All varieties need at least 8 hours of full sun daily to produce at their best. Then decide on what form you’ll plant, such as a clump or in rows, or perhaps using a fancy form available commercially. A word to the wise: the best way to keep your patch productive for many years is being able to control the runners and thin them out periodically. This may influence how you decide to plant.

As far as what kind to plant, it’s decision time again. There are two main groupings for perennial strawberries: June-bearing and everbearing. As you’ve likely guessed, June-bearing has a short production season, lasting 2-3 weeks early in the summer. This is helpful if you plan on making batches of preserves and want a hefty amount in a short time period. Everbearing will produce steadily from early summer until the first fall frost. That works well if you want a few to add to your morning bowl of cereal throughout the summer.

If you don’t have access to a yard, you can still have fresh strawberries all summer long. The ‘berri basket’ variety was cultivated to excel in pots. They are compact plants with vigorous production. Planting them in hanging pots makes for very easy harvesting- no bending over!

General tips for keeping your patch healthy and productive:

• Birds love strawberries too, so put netting over your plants to keep them away. If you don’t, rest assured that you won’t get any of the fruits of your labor. Boo!
• Help the plants be stronger by pinching off the blossoms for the first season. That way the plant turns its energy into producing roots instead of fruit.
• Pick rotted fruit- otherwise makes it possible for nematodes and other insects as well as diseases to take root.
• It’s not that plants get too old, it’s that the plants are heavy feeders and also heavy producers of runners that create more plants. If runners aren’t controlled, what started as well-spaced area transitions into a mat of plants competing for nutrients.
• Planting in rows makes for easier control in the long run. Here is a great video on revitalizing an older, overgrown strawberry patch planted in rows.

There you have it! This time of year is perfect for establishing a strawberry patch, as most varieties are very tolerant of frost. Get them in the ground soon, and you could be making pies this summer.

We at Sprouts love growing plants, and want to share our love of gardening with you. We hope that these tips help you learn, solve problems, and grow. Our intention is to address basic issues, and provide references for additional information.

You can expect a new tip from us each week on Buckrail.com! We don’t intend for the tips to be the end-all, be-all of the gardening world.

8591 Wyoming 789, Lander, WY 82520

(307) 332-3572.

CACTUS GARDENING TIPS

Size of the container – Before starting with gardening radishes in containers indoors, you must decide on the size of the container. The size of the container will help you to understand how many seeds need to be planted in the container. The container should be big enough for the seeds to grow properly and get all the nutrients equally. The container should also be able to give proper space to all the plants. This is a good gardening tip for radishes.

Select the radish type – You must select what species of radish you want to grow in your container. For gardening radishes in containers indoor, you should be sure of what radish plant you want to grow. Cheery Belle, Icicle and Scarlet Globe are some of the options you have. You can choose the radish type according to your liking.

Soil – Before planting any seeds you must make sure to get the pre mix soil which contains enough nutrients and natural fertilisers that would help in the growth of the radish. Soil is an important characteristic which is needed for the growth of any vegetable. It holds the same importance for radish as well. The soil should be good enough to carry water as the plant roots have just one source of water and minerals. A good gardening tips for radish is to use a good soil mixture that would help in accelerating the plant growth.

Water – After seeding, germination will take place in a week or so. Once the seed is germinated, you need to start watering the plant on a regular basis. Do not use a lot of water as radish grow underground. The plant will rot if there is excess water.

Harvest – Once the plant above the ground in the container starts drying off and it becomes long enough, you must harvest your radishes. The white and red vegetable will be ready for harvest in a month or so of planting the seed. You will get good results of gardening radishes in containers indoor.

Supervise – An important gardening tip for radishes is that it needs a lot of supervision initially. Radish is a delicate plant which grows generally in the winter. But when you grow it in a container, it needs more care.