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Monty Don’s gardening tips: Love your lawn! Simple tricks to bring it back to …

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Monty Don


PUBLISHED:

17:30 EST, 22 March 2013


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UPDATED:

17:30 EST, 22 March 2013


Monty Don's tips for lawn-loving

Monty Don’s tips for lawn-loving

After the soggy, miserable winter we’ve had, your lawn might be looking a little sad, but it’s starting to grow again and will soon be flourishing.

However, there are a few things that are easy to do to get it looking its best, whether it is a long-established lawn or a brand new area you are planning to make – because the next few weeks is the best time to sow or turf any new grass.

If you are growing grass from seed you must decide first between a perfect lawn or one that will withstand hard wear and tear. The two are pretty much incompatible.

A hardwearing lawn, suitable for family rough and tumble and more casual care will be based upon ryegrass, while the perfect, sacrosanct swathe of green will be mainly chewings fescue.

Shady soil needs a special mix of seed. If in doubt, ryegrass mixes are much cheaper than grass for fine lawns and price is likely to be as accurate an indicator of what you are buying as anything else.

When you buy turf it should be moist, green, reasonably thin and weed-free. Long rolls are better than short slabs of turf because they dry out more slowly.

Try to get your turf delivered on the same day as you’re planning to lay it, but if you have it delivered more than 48 hours before you can use it, unroll the turf on any surface and then water it well.

The secret of a good lawn is lots of sun, moisture and good drainage.

Provide those three things and the grass is guaranteed to thrive, and where grass thrives almost all else will play second fiddle, including moss, daisies, thistles, bents, buttercups and dandelions.

Sunlight can be increased by cutting back shading branches, moisture is rarely a problem in this country but drainage is the hardest to provide and maintain because the very act of walking on a lawn – let alone riding bikes or playing football or whatever else you may use it for – will compact the soil.

This is why it’s a good idea to aerate the turf each autumn and spring by prodding it all over with a fork and brushing in sand if the soil is heavy.

When it comes to mowing the lawn, the most harm that you can do is to cut it too short. The healthiest height for grass is about 2½cm (1in) – much longer than most people regularly mow down to.

Also, do not take too much off in one go, especially at this time of year. A light trim will make a dramatic difference – and be much quicker than a less frequent scalping.

ASK MONTY: Our gardening expert answers your toughest questions

Wisteria

Q I recently moved and took two cuttings from my beautiful wisteria. Miraculously, they took and are now growing in 3in plastic pots. I water them once a week. What should I do next?
Mrs SE Hughes,  Broughton in Furness, Cumbria

A I suggest repotting into a (23cm) 9in pot and letting them develop this year in a sunny, sheltered spot. They can then be planted in their final position next spring.  

Q I cut back my winter-flowering jasmine to a few inches after flowering last year and it has regrown to only a third of its normal size with few flowers. Did I cut it back too much?
Mrs GA Knight,  Southend, Essex

A Normally a hard prune would mean cutting it back to within a couple of feet of the ground – rather than a few inches – but it will recover its normal size and floriferousness in a year or two.

Aspidistra

Q I have had an aspidistra for 25 years and had flowers on it on occasion. But 15 years ago I divided and repotted it and have not had any flowers since. How can I encourage it to flower again?
Mrs JM Hartland, Sutton Coldfield,  West Midlands

 
A Aspidistras produce their flowers only very rarely, so you were lucky to get what you did. It would be most likely to flower in good conditions of warmth and light. Feed it diluted seaweed in summer and let it rest in winter. The flowers will normally appear in early spring.

MONTY’S PLANT OF THE WEEK: SWEET VIOLETS

SWEET VIOLET (Viola odorata)

Violets

Violets have one of the richest colours of  any flower and their scent is powerful and intoxicating – a little bunch of violets will infuse a room with their gentle, persuasive fragrance.

They spread by runners just like strawberries and along their length new plants root into the soil.

The combination  of seed and runners means that given the right conditions – which is essentially deciduous woodland – they will spread quickly.

They are happiest in slightly damp, shady places and in my own garden they run happily along the bottom of hedges.

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Spring gardening and lawn tips

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Though it may not feel like spring, it is that time of year for lawn maintenance.

“Right now is the best time to do it,” said Andreas Dambakakis with “Yards by Us” who recommends putting fertilizer and pre-emergent on lawns now.

“It’s going to basically prevent crabgrass and weeds from germinating in your lawn and also green up the grass.”

Dambakakis says those key ingredients in early spring help prevent crab grass from suffocating your lawn and help build a strong root system for those hot summer days.

Homeowners biggest mistake is mixing up seasons. Fall is the best time for aerating and over seeding your lawn.

“A lot of people will try and do spring seeding and pre-emergent at the same time. Obviously you can’t mix the two as it’s not going to let your seed germinate.”

Experts also suggest waiting until your lawn is fully green before making your first cut. Cutting the lawn too early could kill new shoots before they have a chance to mature.

 

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A winter garden project, and tips to get ready for spring

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As spring approaches thoughts turn to getting the garden ready, unless you are Kittery Master Gardener Maury Hepner.

Hepner loves gardens all of the time but this year he didn’t wait for spring. In the fall, he began a program at Traip Academy to grow winter greens and to teach students the fine art of caring for plants.

“We are growing things like lettuces, kale and Asian greens like mizuna and kamatsuna,” said Hepner. “What we produce is used on the school’s salad bar. Plus the kids are learning biology, botany, care of the plants, taking soil samples and how to deal with problems, like bugs.”

Traip Academy has a really nice greenhouse that no one was using, and a grant was available to utilize the asset. Hepner was approached by a member of the School Committee to volunteer, and bring his expertise to the students at Traip and he saw it as an opportunity to teach the kids about growing their own food.

“I have one intern who is with me all the time and I also work with special education students to raise plants from seedlings to harvest,” he said. “My program is part of a five-year plan at Traip to sort of reinvent themselves.”

Hepner said it is not hard to grow plants all year long if you choose the right plants.

“We are using the Traip greenhouse and doing what’s called cool gardening, meaning we keep the temperature at about 38 degrees. Some people do cold growing, which means using no heat and letting the plants freeze. They will still grow and you save energy but it takes twice as long, so for the school and in the interest of time we are using propane heaters to keep the temperature above freezing.”

While he is enjoying the winter project with the students, Hepner is also looking forward to spring planting and said there are steps that backyard gardeners can take now to start readying their own gardens.

“We are definitely getting to the time when people can start their seedlings indoors, using grow lights,” said Hepner. “Start onions now because they take the longest to grow.”

Once the snow clears, Hepner said to get out and start cleaning up your garden areas. Remove fallen, dead brush and any other winter debris.

“It’s a good time to do any necessary pruning, before buds start coming out,” said Hepner. “It’s a fine time now to prune small fruit plants and bushes, things such as strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Fruit trees such as apples can be pruned now, too. Cut off dead branches.”

It’s also a good time to get your soil tested. Hepner said for a nominal fee, a soil sample can be sent to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

“They will send back great information on getting your PH levels correct,” he said. “They will advise you on what type of fertilizer you may need to use. It’s a good time to thin out perennials and to add organic composts. Go to the ocean and get some seaweed. Gardens love it.”

In New Hampshire, the Rockingham County Cooperative Extension offers several workshops to teach new gardeners about plants and their care, and to offer helpful tips and information to avid gardeners. A list of the current workshops is available online at http://extension.unh.edu/Agric/Agric.htm.

The Cooperative Extension at the University of Maine also offers useful gardening information and programs. Learn more at http://extension.umaine.edu/.

A winter garden project, and tips to get ready for spring

By Karen Dandurant

As spring approaches thoughts turn to getting the garden ready, unless you are Kittery Master Gardener Maury Hepner.

Hepner loves gardens all of the time but this year he didn’t wait for spring. In the fall, he began a program at Traip Academy to grow winter greens and to teach students the fine art of caring for plants.

“We are growing things like lettuces, kale and Asian greens like mizuna and kamatsuna,” said Hepner. “What we produce is used on the school’s salad bar. Plus the kids are learning biology, botany, care of the plants, taking soil samples and how to deal with problems, like bugs.”

Traip Academy has a really nice greenhouse that no one was using, and a grant was available to utilize the asset. Hepner was approached by a member of the School Committee to volunteer, and bring his expertise to the students at Traip and he saw it as an opportunity to teach the kids about growing their own food.

“I have one intern who is with me all the time and I also work with special education students to raise plants from seedlings to harvest,” he said. “My program is part of a five-year plan at Traip to sort of reinvent themselves.”

Hepner said it is not hard to grow plants all year long if you choose the right plants.

“We are using the Traip greenhouse and doing what’s called cool gardening, meaning we keep the temperature at about 38 degrees. Some people do cold growing, which means using no heat and letting the plants freeze. They will still grow and you save energy but it takes twice as long, so for the school and in the interest of time we are using propane heaters to keep the temperature above freezing.”

While he is enjoying the winter project with the students, Hepner is also looking forward to spring planting and said there are steps that backyard gardeners can take now to start readying their own gardens.

“We are definitely getting to the time when people can start their seedlings indoors, using grow lights,” said Hepner. “Start onions now because they take the longest to grow.”

Once the snow clears, Hepner said to get out and start cleaning up your garden areas. Remove fallen, dead brush and any other winter debris.

“It’s a good time to do any necessary pruning, before buds start coming out,” said Hepner. “It’s a fine time now to prune small fruit plants and bushes, things such as strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Fruit trees such as apples can be pruned now, too. Cut off dead branches.”

It’s also a good time to get your soil tested. Hepner said for a nominal fee, a soil sample can be sent to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

“They will send back great information on getting your PH levels correct,” he said. “They will advise you on what type of fertilizer you may need to use. It’s a good time to thin out perennials and to add organic composts. Go to the ocean and get some seaweed. Gardens love it.”

In New Hampshire, the Rockingham County Cooperative Extension offers several workshops to teach new gardeners about plants and their care, and to offer helpful tips and information to avid gardeners. A list of the current workshops is available online at http://extension.unh.edu/Agric/Agric.htm.

The Cooperative Extension at the University of Maine also offers useful gardening information and programs. Learn more at http://extension.umaine.edu/.

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Helpful tips to prepare for upcoming gardening season

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MOSCOW, ID – The first day of Spring was a rainy one on the Palouse, and experts say that gardeners should wait for the soil to dry out a little before you start digging.

In the meantime, you can prepare by checking the air filter and oil in your mower, and sharpening your gardening tools. You can do that by simply combining a quart of oil with a bucket of sand.

“It can be your used oil, your recycled oil, and just put your tools in there after you use them and it helps get rid of some of the clay, and keeps them from rusting and keeps them sharp,” said Whitman County Recycling Waste Reduction Coordinator Judi Dunn-Gray.

Spring is also a good time to remove the guards from your trees and let them get some air because rodents aren’t a concern this time of year. Experts also recommend composting as way to perk up the garden because it works well as a mulch, and you can start a pile using any grass clippings and leaves that you pick up in the yard.

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Gardening Tips: Great staff, care at Halifax Regional

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Posted: Friday, March 22, 2013 11:41 am


Gardening Tips: Great staff, care at Halifax Regional

Matthew Stevens

RR Daily Herald

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If you are like me, the warm weather we enjoyed last week has got you itching to get out in the garden. Garden centers and the big box stores have started getting in shipments of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and vegetables, and it’s hard to resist the urge to start planting. Many of these items are safe to plant now, but we are not past the threat of frost, making some things, particularly annuals and vegetables a bit trickier.

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Top Ten Planting Tips for Springtime

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Another Spring flower

With springtime right around the corner, it’s time to dust off those gardening tools and get ready to hit the nursery.  The soil temperature is just about at the perfect spot for planting new bulbs for a gorgeous spring bloom, so starting your planting preparation now will put you in the best position to kick back and enjoy the beauty later.

Top Ten Spring Planting Tips to Beautify Your Garden

To help you get the most out of your garden this year, we’ve compiled the best planting tips from the top home and garden experts in the industry.  Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to having the best garden in the neighborhood in no time at all.  So order up your bulbs, perennials, trees and shrubs for spring planting and let’s get ready to garden!

#Tip 1. Assess the Land— The first thing you want to do is take a survey of how kind or harsh winter was to your yard, making note of tree limbs that need to be removed and other maintenance issues.  Check the fence, stairs and other paths for damage caused by the constant freeze and thaw of winter.  Get rid of last year’s perennial foliage and feed it to the compost pile.  Rake your mulch from the flower beds and churn that soil up for proper refreshing aeration.

#Tip 2. Ready Your Engines— Next, be sure you tune up your mower, tools and other equipment.  Make notes of what’s broken, what needs fixing, what that pesky neighbor never returned and then tend to that list!  Sharpen your mower’s blades, change the oil, replace the spark plugs, lube up moving parts, sending out for service if necessary.  Get the leaf blower serviced as well and sharpen up your sheering tools.  Start to clear areas that need reseeding, then mow that lawn!

#Tip 3. Prune Trees and Shrubs— Get rid of the dead branches from trees and plants as well as any that seem damaged or diseased.  Spring is a time for rebirth so start fresh and sever all ties.  Trim down your summer bloomer like hydrangea and roses and prune anything that looks like the cold hit it hard during the winter.  Any trees and shrubs that bloom (especially early in spring), prune them down after they flower.

#Tip 4. Test your Soil— Go out and buy a home kit for soil testing and take samples from all over your yard.  Remember, it’s not always about where you planted last year, but also where the best place to plant is right now.  Sometimes pH changes and what was barren last year could be great soil for planting this year (especially if you left eggshells there to enrich the soil).  Enrich any parts of the yard you must plant in for aesthetic looks—use dolomitic lime to raise pH and elemental sulfur to lower it.  Get your new beds ready with four inches of compost or rotted manure and cultivate it with your spading fork ten to twelve inches down.

#Tip 5. Get to Planting— Perennials, bare rooted trees and shrubs need to get in the ground early in the season.  Plant your garden on cloudy days that are cooler rather than hotter, sowing cool season flowers into the Earth such as poppies, calendula and sweet peas as well as lettuce, spinach and parsley.

#Tip 6. Position is Key— Position the bulbs at their exact recommended depth for longevity.  As a general rule, the bottom of the bulb should rest at 2.5 times depth compared to the bulb’s diameter.  If the soil is dry or sandy, go one or two inches deeper to keep the rodents from snacking on your garden.

#Tip 7. Garden in Spades— Your flowers will look better in groups so use a spade, not a bulb planter.  Spades make it easy to plant in groups digging wide, curving trenches and placing the bulbs at the bottom.

#Tip 8. Work in Pairs— You can put different bulb types in the same hole for companion bloomings or even to create successions of bloomings.  A great combination that uses this strategy is putting Dutch hyacinths in a six inch hole, covering them lightly with soil and then placing grape hyacinths at the five inch depth.  Come springtime, the two flowers will bloom together for a gorgeous “skirting” effect as the grape hyacinths soften the huge Dutches.  Then, as autumn rolls around, the leaves of the grape bulbs appear and stick with you all winter, giving you a perfect marker for dormant Dutch bulbs so you don’t accidentally dig them up next season.

#Tip 9. Fertile grounds— Use fish emulsion, balanced fertilizer (6-6-6 to 8-8-8) and other soil amendments that complement your soil kit results anytime new growth appears.  As soon as you see perennials growing, start fertilizing.  Use fertilizers that are high in acid in conjunction with pine needle mulch around your azaleas and camellias to give them the acid rich environment they love so much.

#Tip 10. Compose a Compost— If you don’t already have one, now is the best time to start a compost pile to help you clean up your garden and fertilize it later.  Plant debris and leaves go in first followed by grass clippings, weeds and water in layers.  Be sure to use compost bioactivators and make your brown, carbon rich compost material equal to the amount of green, nitrogen rich compound material for a balanced compost for next spring.  This also eliminates dragging heavy bags to the curb and provides you with low-cost sustainability.

This article is written by Ant Langston from GardenToolBox Shop, UK offering a wide range of gardening products such as gardening tools, lawn mowers, garden plant pots etc. If you’re on the lookout for petrol mowers for your lawn, do get in touch with him today to get the best deal. Photo by Alejandro Mallea

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Spring Gardening Tips

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Updated: Wednesday, March 20 2013, 07:24 AM EDT

The start of Spring brings the start of gardening excitement.  

People are looking for ways to spruce up their lawns and turn gardens into their own private produce markets. 

The team at B.B. Barnes showed us some secrets for success with gardening . 

The tips include the fact that now is the time to get some cool weather vegetables in the ground, but you need to wait for more tender plants like tomatoes.  

Click here for links to Spring Gardening tips and a list of special gardening workshops.

By Victoria Dunkle
Follow Victoria on Twitter @victoriadunkle

Spring Gardening Tips


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Beacon Hill GC Tour and Book

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

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5 Garden Tips For Small Spaces

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With spring’s arrival on March 20, you might be feeling the urge to start http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-tips-for-starting-a-vegetable-garden.html a garden. But, if you live in a space with no yard, or in the middle of the city, you might be thinking you can’t satisfy this urge.

Even if you live in the heart of the city and all you have is a balcony, rooftop, or a patio, you can still grow http://www.care2.com/greenliving/seven-reasons-why-you-should-grow-your-own-food.html some fresh fruits and veggies. You just have to learn what you can grow, instead of focusing on what you can’t grow.

 

Here are some tips for small space gardening.

Use container planting. Almost any vegetable can be grown in a container, if the container is big enough. Anything can be used, use your imagination, old tubs, old window frames put together to make a box, a wheelbarrow, all make great containers. Think about the size of the plant, how wide will it get. How tall? What about the size and depth of the root system? Research your favorite veggies, read seed http://www.care2.com/greenliving/sharing-seeds-to-sow.html packets, a good seed company puts this important info. on the package for you. Once you have the right container, then you just need to fill it with good potting soil, have a spot that provides full sun at least six hours a day, and water it consistently.

 

Grow up, vertically. Many crops can be easily trained up poles, trellises, or even lattices attached to walls. Any kind of support that is study enough to use string across it will work. You can use plant boxes in different sizes and stack them to make a vertical garden. When choosing what to plant, think about things that can be trained to grow up. Pole beans or peas are also easily trained to climb up.

 

Use succession planting to create more space. Succession planting (sowing seeds of the same crop every few weeks), will allow you to have more of your favorites for a longer time. Leaf lettuces are especially good for this because they grow quickly. If you start seeds in a different planter every 2-3 weeks, you will have enough lettuce to last you all summer.

Use companion planting. Companion planting basically means planting things next to each other that benefit one another, by providing needed shade, acting as a natural pest control, or adding nutrients to the soil. For example, not only is lettuce a good crop for succession planting, it is also a great companion plant. Since lettuce is a bit more shade tolerant and actually prefers less direct sun, planting or putting those containers of lettuce beneath your taller plants or vertical planters will help them thrive during the hot summer afternoons. Aside from lettuce, think about other crops that can tolerate some shade, and plant them next to taller ones, especially leafy vegetables like cabbage, chard, endive, mustard greens, parsley and spinach, all cool season crops. Or, think about things that grow faster or earlier like radishes and peas, and plant them with your warm season crops that are slow growing like peppers or tomatoes.

.

 

With spring’s arrival on March 20, you might be feeling the urge to start http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-tips-for-starting-a-vegetable-garden.html a garden. But, if you live in a space with no yard, or in the middle of the city, you might be thinking you can’t satisfy this urge.

Even if you live in the heart of the city and all you have is a balcony, rooftop, or a patio, you can still grow http://www.care2.com/greenliving/seven-reasons-why-you-should-grow-your-own-food.html some fresh fruits and veggies. You just have to learn what you can grow, instead of focusing on what you can’t grow.

 

Here are some tips for small space gardening.

Use container planting. Almost any vegetable can be grown in a container, if the container is big enough. Anything can be used, use your imagination, old tubs, old window frames put together to make a box, a wheelbarrow, all make great containers. Think about the size of the plant, how wide will it get. How tall? What about the size and depth of the root system? Research your favorite veggies, read seed http://www.care2.com/greenliving/sharing-seeds-to-sow.html packets, a good seed company puts this important info. on the package for you. Once you have the right container, then you just need to fill it with good potting soil, have a spot that provides full sun at least six hours a day, and water it consistently.

 

Grow up, vertically. Many crops can be easily trained up poles, trellises, or even lattices attached to walls. Any kind of support that is study enough to use string across it will work. You can use plant boxes in different sizes and stack them to make a vertical garden. When choosing what to plant, think about things that can be trained to grow up. Pole beans or peas are also easily trained to climb up.

 

Use succession planting to create more space. Succession planting (sowing seeds of the same crop every few weeks), will allow you to have more of your favorites for a longer time. Leaf lettuces are especially good for this because they grow quickly. If you start seeds in a different planter every 2-3 weeks, you will have enough lettuce to last you all summer.

Use companion planting. Companion planting basically means planting things next to each other that benefit one another, by providing needed shade, acting as a natural pest control, or adding nutrients to the soil. For example, not only is lettuce a good crop for succession planting, it is also a great companion plant. Since lettuce is a bit more shade tolerant and actually prefers less direct sun, planting or putting those containers of lettuce beneath your taller plants or vertical planters will help them thrive during the hot summer afternoons. Aside from lettuce, think about other crops that can tolerate some shade, and plant them next to taller ones, especially leafy vegetables like cabbage, chard, endive, mustard greens, parsley and spinach, all cool season crops. Or, think about things that grow faster or earlier like radishes and peas, and plant them with your warm season crops that are slow growing like peppers or tomatoes.

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Spring greening: Ventura County gardeners share tips, plant suggestions

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If Daylight Saving Time just happened, can the first day of spring — and the semiofficial start of gardening season — be far behind? Read on for tips and plant suggestions from local experts that will inspire you to get digging. (Psst! You might also want to draw a big ol’ red circle around April 13.)

Shakra

Shakra


The person: Quin Shakra and fellow Ojai Valley farmer Justin Huhn started All Good Things Organic Seeds in 2011, using open-pollinated seeds saved from herbs, flowers and vegetables grown at Mano Farm. The 1.3-acre property near Meiners Oaks also is the site of their Mano Farm CSA, or community supported agriculture program.

The plant: Grown from seed, Riverside onion (allium cepa) is a yellow Spanish onion with a sweet flavor and thick skin that makes it a good candidate for storage, said Shakra.

“An open-pollinated, short-day onion seed can be hard to find,” he added. The reference is to plants that have been pollinated by bees, wind or other natural processes, and to onions that start to bulb when day length reaches 10-12 hours.

Riverside Onion (Allium cepa) is available from All Good Things Organic Seeds.Lisa McKinnon/ The Star

Riverside Onion (Allium cepa) is available from All Good Things Organic Seeds.
Lisa McKinnon/ The Star


For best results, sow the seeds in flats six to eight weeks before the last frost in spring, or direct sow after the last frost. Harvest the mature bulbs when the tops begin to dry down.

Mark your calendar: Huhn will present a free lecture on “Planning and Planting a Seed Garden” at 11 a.m. April 13 at Flora Gardens Nursery, 245 Old Baldwin Road, Ojai (call 640-0055). For information about or to place orders for All Good Things Organic Seeds, visit the website at http://www.agtoseeds.com.

Here’s a tip: Learn by doing by volunteering at the farm. Shakra might reward you by knitting you a colorful hat like the one he’s shown wearing here.

————

O’Connell

O’Connell


The person: Jo O’Connell earned degrees in horticulture in her native Sydney, Australia, before opening the Australian Native Plants Nursery in the Casitas Springs area of Ventura in the early 1990s. She has worked on revegetation projects in the Australian outback and in South Africa, and helped create what is now known as the Conservation Endowment Fund of Ojai’s Taft Garden.

The plant: Grevillea ‘Superb’ and any of the more than 350 versions of the evergreen flowering plant in the protea family are good choices for Ventura County gardeners, said O’Connell.

“They come in all sorts of colors, are available as everything from a ground cover to a hedge, and hummingbirds love them,” she said. The nursery’s selection of grevilleas includes ‘Casitas Pink,’ an O’Connell creation that produces pale pink, cone-shaped blooms.

Grevilleas are drought-tolerant and prefer little to no fertilization. If you must use plant food on or near a grevillea, chose one that is very low in phosphorus, said O’Connell.

Mark your calendar: Normally open to the public by appointment or when the gates happen to be unlocked, the Australian Native Plants Nursery will have an open house and spring plant sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 13 and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 14. The nursery’s address is 9040 N. Ventura Ave., but the entrance is off Nye Road (call 649-3362 or click on http://www.australianplants.com).

Here’s a tip: “Never put a dry plant in a dry hole,” said O’Connell. “We haven’t had a lot of rain this winter, so it’s important to fill your planting hole with water and allow it to drain into the surrounding soil before adding your plant,” she said. After planting, follow with an organic mulch like broken-down oak or eucalyptus leaves.

————

Bob Sussman

Bob Sussman


Lisa McKinnon/The StarAlso known as southern island mallow, the California native plant lavatera assurgentiflora ssp. ‘glabra’ is available at Matilija Nursery in Moorpark.

Lisa McKinnon/The Star
Also known as southern island mallow, the California native plant lavatera assurgentiflora ssp. ‘glabra’ is available at Matilija Nursery in Moorpark.


The person: Bill Sussman is a former banker turned California native plant specialist and iris propagator who opened Matilija Nursery in 1992. Its current Moorpark location has been in operation for 18 years.

The plant: Show some California pride by growing a variation of lavatera assurgentiflora, also known as island mallow because it is native to the Channel Islands.

The shrub with maple-leaf shaped foliage and hollyhock-like blooms needs little water, can handle semi-shade to full sun and attracts bees and butterflies by flowering nearly year-round, said Sussman. Lavatera grows fast, making it a good choice for wind breaks and privacy hedges.

Lavatera blooms in a range of hues, from the deep pink of assurgentiflora to the cream-with-purple-stripes seen on the lavatera assurgentiflora ssp. glabra growing at the nursery. Planted four years ago, the bush is now about 10 feet tall by 8 feet wide.

Mark your calendar: Workshops will be available during the nursery’s fifth annual Carnival de Iris focusing on Louisiana, Pacific Coast and tall bearded reblooming varieties from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 13. The nursery is open from 8:30 a.m. to noon Mondays through Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and by appointment at 8225 Waters Road (call 523-8604 or click on http://www.matilijanursery.com.

Here’s a tip: Like many plants, California natives look best when arranged according to a “big stuff in back, little stuff in the front” plan, said Sussman. It’s also a good idea to group fewer types of plants together instead of attempting to grow one of everything, he added. For an example, visit the Meadow Display at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

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Daigre

Daigre


The person: Scott Daigre is owner of Powerplant Garden Design based in Ojai and co-founder of Tomatomania!, a seedling sale that started at a Pasadena nursery in the 1990s. The event now features more than 100 varieties of hybrid and heirloom tomato plants as it tours California, Maryland and Virginia.

The plant: What’s not to like about a tomato named for an alien species from the TV series “Babylon 5”? Vorlon is “a phenomenal tomato, a gorgeous black beefsteak on a big, tough and productive plant,” said Daigre. “The taste? Can’t even describe it. Too good.”

Mark your calendar: Tomatomania! will visit Otto Sons Nursery in Fillmore from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 12-13. The address is 1835 E. Guiberson Road (524-2123). If the supply of Vorlon seedlings runs short, Tomatomania! staff will be on hand to suggest alternate varieties. Daigre will present a free tomato-gardening class at 10 a.m. both days. For information about other stops on the tour, visit the website at http://tomatomania.com.

Vorlon, a beefsteak variety, will be featured at Tomatomania! in Fillmore.Photo courtesy of Scott Daigre

Vorlon, a beefsteak variety, will be featured at Tomatomania! in Fillmore.
Photo courtesy of Scott Daigre


Here’s a tip: If you’re growing tomatoes in the ground, soak the rootball every three or four days for the first few weeks. Once tomatoes start growing, water deeply and even more infrequently. The plant will inevitably yellow in places, but more water won’t fix that and may even dilute taste, said Daigre. Feed around the roots at planting, and again once the plants begin to flower.

If you’re growing tomatoes in containers, water the plants as often as every day when the weather is hot. You’ll need to feed more often, too — every 10 to 14 days.

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