Preen Schedule 2007

I'll try to keep on track this year and avoid the heat of the summer weed takeover.

Garden 1: 5/30

Must re-apply every 9-12 weeks.

Grass in the Garden

I have two grasses that have started pestering my plants (and me). These are volunteers no doubt; brought in by birds or compost. I haven't been able to identify them.

One is very reed-y and can be compared to an invasive California pest Arundo donax (Giant Reed) although I don't know what it is:


The other grass can fool you into thinking it is left over greens from flowering spring bulbs. This one spreads quickly too but it sprouts individually with stubborn white roots.

Khalda's Corner

One of my best friends died of cancer this past spring. I wanted to create a section of G4 in her memory. She always wanted to garden flowers, but was restricted to apartment balconies and window sills. About a year before she died, she finally got a house. She went crazy buying seeds (including eight different packs of sunflower seeds). I am not sure if she ever got to plant any or see any bloom. Maybe she can look down now and see her sunflowers amoung many others.

End of May 2007 Checklist

New:
Thin G4 Phlox: DONE
Spray Powdery Mildew on G4 Phlox: DONE
Check Beetle Management Supplies: DONE
Prep Sprayer: DONE
Keep seedbeds moist: DONE
Remove stubborn weed from G4: DONE
Take FT Black Eyed Susans
Plant Perennials in G4

Old:
Preen G1 (DONE), G2, G3, G4
Weed G4 dripline
Replace dripline mulch with large chips

Annuals 2007

My ambitions for 2007 in 2006 didn't really pan out. Not only did I not have the time or the will to start plants indoors this winter, but I did not end up with my Jamestown red, white and blue garden. Honestly, I just couldn't find any blue flowers that could take full sun all summer long. My annual color pallet is orange and red with splashes of yellow.

Seeds in the Ground May 13 (germination within 3 weeks):
Nasturtium Alaska (orange with verigated leaves); G3, G4
Black Eyed-Susan Climbing Vine (multicolored yellow); G$
Sunflower Dwarf Incredible (2' tall yellow); G4
Sunflower Velvet Queen (6' tall red); G4
Sunflower Italian White (5' tall butter yellow); G4
Blanketflower Burgundy (24-36" red); G1, G3

Purchased Annuals:
Sanvitalia 'Subini' (Creeping Zinnia 6-10"); G1
Hypoestes 'Red Splash Select' (8-10"); Hanging Baskets
Hypoestes 'White Splash Select' (8-10"); Hanging Baskets
Marigold 'Durango Bolero' (8-15"); G3
Lantana camara 'Lucky Red Hot Imp.' (12-14") G3

Herbs:
Basil 'Sweet Dani' (Annual)
Basil 'Spicy Globe (Greek)' (Annual)
Parsley, Plain (Biennial)
Mentha spicata 'Kentucky Colonel Mint' (Spearmint, Perennial)
Oregano 'Greek' overwintered from 2005
Chives overwintered from 2005

Money Spent: Gardening 2007

May:
Corner Store Annuals from Seed: $15.00
Millmont Annuals, Perennials and Herbs: $57.00
Meadows Farms Planting Soil: $6.28


Clematis in G4; May 20, 2007

Powdery Mildew Proactiveness

I decided to consult Margaret Roach (host of Home Grown on the Martha Stewart Sirius Radio channel) about the Garden Phlox powdery mildew issue I have in G4. She says the secret to keeping the powdery mildew at bay is NOT to start combatting it when you start to see it, but get in early when the plant is still small.

When the shoots start coming up out of the ground, cut 1/3 back to the ground to thin the plant. This will promote air circulation. Then just before the humid weather starts, start to spray the plant periodically with the organic solution I normally use (baking soda, etc.) Use this throughout the summer, thinning the plant as needed.

May 24, 2007: I didn't get the jump on the PM this spring. It has formed just a bit on some of the phlox. I sprayed it today and will again this Sunday as it has rained.
May 28, 2007: Thinned and sprayed phlox again. I have noticed that about the bottom 10" of each stalk have whitthered and dried (powdery mildew or something else?). It is crowded down there with no breeze.

Cleaning Garden Tools

I will be off to find the following supplies to create my own "Garden Tool Cleaning Center."

Small bristle brush:
Brush off dirt that has stuck to the Garden Tool.

Bucket of sand with motor oil mixed in:
Plunging spades and other like tools in and out of the sand after use will keep the excess dirt off and a thin sheen of oil will preserve the tools.

Rubbing Alcohol & Motor Oil on a rag kept in a plastic Ziploc bag:
Clean pruners with alcohol after use. Wipe off bypass pruners with the oily rag before putting pruners away. This will keep them from rusting.

The End of February

Right about this time of year I start thinking-"nah, you don't need to grow your annuals from seed! Just buy them. This year I'm going to scale back so my workload won't be so much. You know you always tend to get lazy by August."

Then March will happen and the daffodils will peek out (if they didn't burn from frost exposure after sprouting too early this year). I'll get all inspired again and so the madness ensues! But for now, it's still February. Sleep garden...sleep.

Splitting Dahlias

I took advantage of a talk radio show on Sirius Radio. I called in to ask how to split dahlias (I had heard it was doable but pretty precise). The garden pro said to dig them up in the fall in one cluster. Put them in a box with peat moss (I think I will use saw dust or newspaper shreddings). Store them in the basement in a cool, dry place.

In the spring, they will start sprouting on their own. Sometime around Mother's Day; get them out and start to divide. The crucial step is to make sure and get a few sprouts per division. (This is why he doesn't do it in the fall before storing.) They will be ready to plant.

May 2007: I pulled out the dahlias ready to see some sprouting. Not only were there no sprouts on any dahlia, but they were all shriveled dry lumps. I had to throw them all away. Not happy.

First (Mild) Frost 2006

Well, it won't be long before the dahlias in the back that are the size of dessert plates fall flat on their face from a heavy frost. Today, I had a thin layer of frost on my windsheild and it was barely on the grass.