Gardeners Warming Up to Spring Planting Enid News A number of roses this year received the prestigious Earthkind designation from horticultural experts at Texas A&M University. Included in this year’s list are Belinda’s Dream, Caldwell Pink, CL. Pinkle, Else Poulsen, Katy Road Pink, Knock Out, Marie Daly, Mutabilis, Perle d’ Or, Sea Foam and The Fairy.
Time to Get Spring Gardens Ready Hattiesburg American Daylight-saving time came a few weeks early this year and provides the perfect opportunity to prepare your yard for warm weather. Early yard preparation will make planting and maintenance a whole lot easier this year.
Horticultural Society Plans for Spring Daily Observer Plans are in place for a busy spring for the members of the Pembroke Horticultural Society. Julia Hunton and Cathy Hugli, coordinators of the Junior Gardener program, report that the seeds for the projects have been ordered and their first meeting with the young gardeners is set for early May.
March 16, 2008
As gardeners everywhere gear up for the big spring push, we ask the experts for their essentials - the tool and plant they just could not live without, and the crucial job they'll turn to first.
Carol Klein
Guardian columnist, Gardeners' World presenter and owner of Glebe Cottage Plants, Devon
Favourite tool "I've had a Tina knife for years. I carry it with me all the time - whenever I go into the garden, I pat my pocket to check it's there. It's simple yet beautiful, and I use it for everything, from pruning to taking cuttings."
Want one? Tina 605 grafting/general-purpose knife, £42.49 (0800 783 2202, qualitygardentools.com).
Favourite plant "I love the woodland plant Ranunculus aconitifolius 'Flore Pleno'. It's the cinderella of the plant world - its sudden appearance, when it shoots through in spring, is always a lovely surprise, but by midsummer it's gone again."
Essential spring job "I'll be making sure the soil is right - if you don't do it in spring, it's too late. I mulch with leaf mould, which we make ourselves by collecting all our fallen leaves in autumn and stacking them in wire frames. The leaves from autumn 2006 are perfect now. I spread the mulch to a depth of about 7cm. I also use manure if I can get hold of some. It has to be really well rotted, though. The best I've ever had was 10 years old. I love mulching - it's one of those tasks that's easy to do but that's absorbing because you have to concentrate."
Planting Annuals in Spring extension.umn.edu Turn the soil over with a rototiller or dig down at least 8 inches with a garden spade or fork. Unless your soil is nearly perfect, add peatmoss, compost, or other organic matter such as well-rotted manure.
Spring Planting Tips GardenGuides.com Installing new plants and having them grow successfully is not difficult, nor is it as complicated as some would have you think. Is it as easy as just digging a hole and setting the plant in? Yes, it certainly can be.
Spring's Planting Implications agweb.com You must prepare for a later-than-normal planting schedule for corn and potentially for a late freeze on wheat. We need to prepare ourselves for yields below 155 and closer to 152 rather than 160.
