Newsletter - February 2010

Hi,

I just had foot surgery, so my garden time is limited this month. I am able though to look out the windows and see the many garden chores. I'll pass the list along, so that, between rains, you at least, can get ready for spring.

I had a neighbor ask me on Friday if it was too late to plant bulbs. And it is if you're after the flowers from spring varieties such as Dutch iris, daffodils, hyacinths, tulips and crocus. You may however find them blooming in pots at the nurseries and garden centers. They're more expensive to purchase, but after the leaves die back, remove the bulb from its container, dust it off and store in a peat moss filled bag in a cool, dry drawer and it will be ready to plant in September.

It is though, time to plant summer-flowering bulbs such as lilies, dahlias, cannas, and gladiolas. These species are lovely tucked around garden shrubs and are terrific to fill out summer rose bouquets. The cannas are almost a requirement for tropical color and will stand alone, but keep in mind that lilies, dahlias and glads will probably require staking. They grow tall and the stems will lay down with our winds. These bulbs (corms and rhizomes) prefer full sun and average garden irrigation. The rule of thumb when planting is this: depth and spacing equals two times the width of the bulb. Pick up some beautiful varieties now and enjoy those flowers later this year.

I mentioned staking and this is a chore required by many old-fashioned perennials and some annuals too. One of the garden techniques used by older cultures both Asian and European is to make your garden stakes from tree branches pruned off right now. The stake isn't perfectly straight, but the natural product looks wonderful with slender flower foliage. Choose fairly straight, three to four foot long branches from deciduous trees such as mulberry, poplar, alder and pussy willow. Cut now while they're bare of leaves and let them dry. They'll be ready for all your staking projects this spring. Just as an aside, my mom stakes everything from peonies to butterfly bush to citrus trees. I think that when a shrub is over four feet tall, it's time to thicken the stem by pruning, so that it will be able to support its canopy by itself. My mom would rather stake than prune. Every gardener has a different philosophy and approach.

The worst and most unsightly problem in my garden right now is the weeds. Every spring the Bermuda oxalis dominates every free space and pushes its way into every other space too. I have yet to fine a ground cover that will prevent its growth. So the lawn, the sedums and the perennial beds are full of clover-shaped leaves and bright yellow flowers that open for the sun. I have so tried to tell myself that it's pretty and that if I'm patient the hot weather will eventually kill it back, but really! I look like such a negligent gardener. Where is the weed killer? You can't pull this stuff because that spreads it. Of course, the bulbs spread anyway on their own. I need a predator that eats the stuff.

I did manage to prune my roses before surgery and the pyracantha shouldn't need attention until the weather warms, but I have two free-standing screens full of perennial morning glory vine, or Blue Dawn flower (Ipomoea indica). It is gorgeous all summer, but right now the frost has turned the leaves black and I really want it chopped to the ground. Fortunately the Purple Lilac Vine (Hardenbergia violacea) and the Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) I recommended for my neighbors' gardens are resilient to frost damage and look just fine. Another undamaged evergreen vine that has surprised me this year is the Mandevillea laxa. You're probably familiar with the popular pink mandevillea that dies back as soon as it gets cold. This one though has white flowers and seems to be much heartier.

So those are my pet garden peeves right now and hopefully the rain will start up again soon and discourage all thoughts of working outside. The orchids are beginning to bloom - always something to look forward to, so all is well. I hope you're out enjoying your gardens.