Fall 1997
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GreenhouseIPMCompostingReviewsHorticulture LinksUSDA ZonesWeather ReportsFAQsRegisterMeConsulting ServiceAdvertisingEmploymentVisitorsJohn's JournalContact UsDeadheading and Fertilizing Perennials
It's very important that Perennials be deadheaded when they start to go-to- seed, unless you want them spreading everywhere (like our Shasta Daisies did in the past several years) and over-running everything in the Garden. Or the unbiquitous Columbine; once you have'em, you've got'em forever. Gallardia also.
Simply cut back the seed heads to the foliage, re-fertilize and wait for them to ripen-off (foliage die-back) before cutting to the ground. Always pile a handful of mulch on top of the crown (where roots emanate from the stem you've just cut back), so the plant's crown doesn't dry-out or freeze-out, depending upon the season.
We recommend Peter's 20-20-20 or the series of Osmocote Timed-Release Fertilizers; stay away from Miracle-Grow and Mir-Acid, they're very high Nitrogen fertilizers that suggest "miracle growth". Ask us and we'll tell you that we've never seen an 800lb tomato or 16ft cucumber as they've claimed they grow . Plants become exhausted very quickly with great infusions of Nitrogen.
Professional Growers use Peters; that alone should speak volumes.
Wildflowers - Do It Now
Installing a wildflower field or patch is best done in either Early Spring or Late Summer, when temperatures aren't so hot that seed dries out, water is plentiful from natural rains and the plants have a chance for a foothold for next year's growth and display.
Instead of using hay or straw, try Peat Moss as a mulch to hold-in moisture, feed the seed with nutrients and fools the birds (who see straw and a meal of seed just below the chaff). Simply crumble the Peat by hand and broadcast, or lightly shovel it over the newly-sown seed. Straw must be raked-off or it'll rot the new shoots; Peat is absorbed, feeds and disappears quickly into the new plants' system.
Our Wildflower Mixes come in several formulations: Roadside, Meadow, Hummingbird & Butterfly and Cutting. We'll help you select the right one(s) for your specific application. Just ask.
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Corporate Web Site.
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Hardy Cactus Price List.
Page3:Hardy Cactus Price List...continued
Page4:The Weather Channel - Smart Viewing
Special Heirloom, High-Quality Gardening Tools
Mulch: Myth vs Reality. Part 1: "Mulch Ain't Just Mulch".
Page5:Mulch: Myth vs Reality. Part 1: "Mulch Ain't Just Mulch"...continued
Page6:Don't Buy Cut, Dead Christmas Trees
Water Gardens - New Products Update
Page7:Keeping Your Pond Clear
Page8:Late Season Bloomers
Color For Your Winter Garden
Page9:Deadheading and Fertilizing Perennials
Wildflowers - Do It Now
Page10:Garden Center Is Available For Meetings & Tours
Year 'Round Container Herb Gardens
Best Time To Plant Large Trees
Tip
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1997 Workshops Remaining Classes