Summer Bulbs Adds Color To Your Landscape

For those of you who prefer gardens that thrive on neglect” or do not have time for intensive gardening, try summer bulbs. May is the time to plant these. The results one achieves from planting these are marvelous. The common garden canna is truly a hardy member of this group. The dormant rhizomes are usually available in nearly every garden store. Look for vigorous varieties and fast growers. Clusters of bright red flowers are produced in quantity. Do not forget a good pink while or small-flowered oranges with bronze foliage. The foliage is as valuable as the flowers, in fact with many gardeners it is more valuable. In our area the rhizomes should be dug and stored for the winter.

A favorite summer bulb for many gardeners is the gladiolus. These old favorites have come a long way and with the new varieties that will grow to six feet… perhaps more than staking will be necessary.

To me one of the most gorgeous of summer bulbs is trigridia, sometimes called Mexican shell flower. Plant these bulbs about four inches deep during May in rich soil and full sun.

Even though they normally last only one day they are so unusual and dramatic that a few will cause excited sensation in any garden. Because they have very little foliage and are rather erect-growing, plant them among other plants for bright spots of color. By combining them with caladiums, especially white caladium, beautiful contrasts will be effected. The bulbs will not survive the winter in our section.

Best results are obtained with caladiums by pre-sprouting in trays of wet moss with the growing point pointing down in the moss. Many commercial growers now have these available as seasonal plant material and they can be purchased like other bedding plants. There are many varieties of the fancy leaf variety but the white is proving to be most popular. It is very effective in mass plantings among green ground cover or as facing down” plants in front of broadleaf evergreens or even in combination with ground cover grasses. They are especially effective in planter boxes or raised beds in partial shade. The plants tend to grow better if root bound and respond readily to feeding of liquid food.

Two other flowering bulbs of importance are the dahlia and tuberose. The dahlia will produce untold numbers of blooms with very little attention and will be in production until killing frost occurs. Tuberoses supply a source of very fragrant white blossoms during August. Some people object to the heavy perfume of these flowers but in the cool evening of the garden the perfume is delightful!

Tips On How To Sow Your Grass Seed

Do not sow seeds on bare areas that are packed down hard and smooth in the Midwest during March. These areas should be loosened four or five inches deep, pulverized (and raked even before seeding. Grass seeds sown on snow are usually wasted unless the ground was prepared for accommodating the seeds before the snow arrived.

The quantity of seeds to be sown should be divided and half sown in one direction and half in the opposite direction to obtain an even distribution. The entire seeded area should be raked lightly to cover as many seeds as possible. A light top dressing of screened mushroom soil will cover the seeds and produce a condition favorable for germination and growth. Mushroom soil can be obtained from local soil service companies.

A light rolling is then beneficial to give the seed close contact with soil particles in order to hasten germination. It frequently happens that the first two or three weeks in March are so snowy and rainy that the soil is never in the proper condition for raking. When this condition exists, rather than wait too long for spring seeding, seeds may be sown and later given a light top dressing with prepared compost or mushroom soil just as soon as it is dry enough to use.

Filling Low Spots

The leveling or smoothing of rough, uneven lawns should not be attempted by means of a heavy roller. If the soil were moist enough to level by this method, it would be so compacted that grass could not thrive. A better method for smoothing would be by an application of top soil to low, uneven places. In areas of considerable size where a fill of more than half an inch is needed, it will probably be necessary to cut and lift the sod, make the fill and re-lay the god, since too deep a covering on the grass may smother it out. Old, established lawns will of course tolerate a heavier top dressing than will young grass. Lawns which were seeded last fall should be rolled lightly to firm down young plants which may have been heaved by alternate freezing and thawing. Continue this as needed.

Grasses are comparatively shallow rooted plants and therefore tend to exhaust this upper layer of soil of certain plant foods, especially nitrates. Therefore, the proper addition of suitable fertilizer is essential to the success of the lawn. Instead of supplying fertilizer, the general tendency is to sow more seeds where other seeds already have starved.

When fertilizer is used only once a year, better results usually are obtained by fall rather than spring application. Bluegrass thrives in cool, moist weather, and if seeding and fertilizing are done in the fall, the plants will become established and be in much better condition to meet summer weed competition, than when the work is done in spring. If fertilizer is used in the spring, it should be put on early to stimulate any bluegrass seed for optimum growth as much as possible before the annual lawn weeds germinate.

Fertilizers put on in May tend to encourage crabgrass. Best results under most conditions have been obtained from the use of commercial fertilizers which have the greater percentage of their nitrogen content in the organic form. The efficiency of commercial organic fertilizers which may be relatively low in nitrogen are frequently improved by the addition of ammonium sulfate, a soluble fertilizer high in nitrogen which acts as a quick stimulant for grass.

The organic form is more slowly available and tends to continue the supply of food after the soluble fertilizer has done its part. The higher the plant food content of a fertilizer the less required per area. Commercial organic fertilizers are usually applied by means of a mechanical spreader at the rate of 1000 pounds per acre or approximately 100 pounds per 4000 square feet.

How to Grow a Healthy Lawn

It can be hard to grow a thick, dark green lawn, but there are a few tips to follow. When seeding a lawn, fall is undoubtedly the best time. September is the perfect time to begin your lawn, because the hottest weather will be over. You could also start in early spring, but there needs to be good root growth before the hot summer weather arrives. However, they will be competing with crab grass, which grows quickly in the summer months, as well as high heat and inadequate water.

When planting your grass seeds, keep in mind that the seeds are relatively small, so they should not be planted deeply into the ground. As long as the ground is relatively moist, the seeds only need partial covering with soil. You should use about 4 pounds of seeds for 1,000 square feet of lawn. Don’t try to make up for low-quality seeds by using more of them; this will just increase competition between them.

When planting your seeds, use a mechanical spreader if you can. To ensure even coverage, you should spread half the seeds in one direction, the rest in the other direction. That way, you will not miss any spots. When you’re done, rake the seeds lightly. You may also want to cover the seeds with 1/8 inch of soil or compost, but this is not absolutely necessary.

If you’re trying to plant a lawn on a slope, this will need special treatment. If it rains, the seeds are likely to be washed away. You can cover them with straw to keep them in place, but remove the straw as soon as they sprout. Or you can cover the new seedlings with an open mesh burlap, cheesecloth, or garden mesh. These will keep the soil intact and protect the new grass. It should be removed by the time the grass is half an inch long.

Rainfall is best for new grass, but if you have decided on sowing grass seeds during dry weather, you’ll need to water for the seeds to germinate. Be sure to use a fine mist so that you won’t create puddles. Water in the morning, before the hottest part of the day. Especially once the grass seeds sprout, be sure to adequately water them. You can use a sprinkler, but don’t leave it on the lawn until the soil becomes too wet. After you water, the water should reach down about 5 inches into the soil.

As your grass begins to grow, you may wonder when it’s time to begin the chore of mowing. You can start moving when the tallest blades of grass are 2 inches long, but don’t cut the grass shorter than an inch and a half.

If you’re considering tearing out an old lawn to replace it with a new and healthy lawn, this may be a wise decision. However, there are also some things you should do before planting the lawn. If your lawn is growing poorly because the soil is too hard, plow it and add compost. You can also try aerating the top layer of soil, or adding 4 pounds of plant food for every 100 square feet of lawn. If your lawn is mossy, you should improve the drainage before planting your new lawn.