shades of green garden gazette 2010 3 march

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  • 8/9/2019 Shades of Green Garden Gazette 2010 3 March

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    March, 201

    BOUNCING BACK WITH COLORAfter experiencing the coldest and most prolonged winter we have had in many years, it

    is time to celebrate spring with an explosion of color. Annuals are the fastest way to achieveNatures nirvana. We have hot pink petunias, purple alyssum, red begonias, rose dianthusand bright yellow calendulas all awaiting a brief journey in your vehicle to arrive at their newhome where their sole purpose in life is to brighten your world. With their help the cold, gray

    days of winter will soon be a distant memory.In order for your new annuals to reach their utmost potential, you must provide forthem. Plant them in the appropriate amount of light, enrich the soil with generous amountsofRevitalizer Compost, and add ourmagical mix (equal amounts ofColor EssentialsandLandscape Essentials). Always plant annuals close together and in abundance.

    Then enjoy the fruits of your labor in the riotous show of color your flowers will provideWhat fun! P.S. Take time to pick a few flowers to bring the floral happiness indoors.

    ROSES ARE NOT JUST FOR ROSARIANSIn the recent past, gardeners planted hybrid tea roses and struggled mightily with few

    rewards. New introductions have changed the art of growing roses forever. Own-root roses (so

    called because they are growing from their own roots rather than being grafted) are the rageWith a little maintenance, they bloom freely through most of the year. Their requirementsbright sunshine, good air circulation, mulching, feeding every four to six weeks, annual pruning,and occasional applications of cornmeal to discourage diseases.

    Some of our favorite new own-root roses are the ever-expanding Knock-Out series, the Easyseries which includes Livin Easy and Easy Going, and the fragrant and vibrant yellow JuliaChild. Of course the antique roses are also growing on their own roots, and the number andvariety of these wonderful roses are almost endless. (Belindas Dream is one of our favorites.)The antiques we carry are ever-blooming, many are fragrant, and it is fun to learn about theirhistories.

    The roses we offer need not be relegated to the rose garden. They are so easy they can be used throughout the landscape. Dont fall prey to rose-a-phobia. Come see all of ou

    irresistible selections.

    HERBS ARE IN ABUNDANCEHerb gardening is fun anytime of year, but during the warm spring months it is particularly

    satisfying. When working with them you will be rewarded with their scent, their feel, and theirflavors, all of which seem particularly intense.

    Think about setting aside an area in your landscape to create an herb garden. You can make itformal or casual, large or small. Even a large container can be a source of herb pleasure. Addingsome edible flowering annuals adds color and interest.

    If you dont want to delegate an area specifically for herbs, use them throughout your landscapeFrom shrubs to groundcovers, there are wonderful herbs that will add new dimensions.

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    Whether you are preparing for the upcoming Easter season or are simply using the beauty ofspring as an excuse to decorate your home and garden, we can help. We have bunnies, the bestEaster lilies around as well as a plethora of other flowers, an incredible collection of crosses, basketseggs, and lots more. We can help you create beautiful containers that will bring you pleasure formany months. Come visit us soon and see all the new arrivals that will brighten your day andyour spring.

    BIRDS ARE LOOKING FOR HOMESSpring is nesting season for our resident birds. Many, such as cardinals and doves, build

    nests in the branches of trees and shrubs. Others such as woodpeckers build in the hollowsof snags. Some, however, prefer houses. If you hang up birdhouses or nesting pouches youare likely to attract busy little wrens, shy titmice, and chattering chickadees.

    Putting up birdhouses is definitely a win/win activity. You help the birds by providingthem with dry, cozy housing, and the birds help you significantly by harvesting insects fromyour garden to feed to their young. There is no better insect control than foraging parentslooking for tasty morsels of protein for their young.

    It is a great experience for nature lovers of all ages to have the privilege of watching birdsrear their young. This takes several weeks and involves building the nest, hatching and feeding the babies, and fledging. Much of this you can observe and enjoy.

    Just In Lots of tomatoes and

    other veggiesGarden bellsWhimsical balancers

    to animate the garden

    Colorful geraniums,gerberas, fuchsias...Gifts galoreBeautiful blooming

    hanging basketsOrchids and

    bromeliadsCrosses and saintsUnique yard art from

    Haiti

    Many palms around the area look worse than they have inyears because of Januarys severely cold weather. Are theydead? The answer to that question depends on the type ofpalms and how much protection they had.

    The palms we recommend for outdoor use (windmill,sabal, and Mediterranean) suffered minimal damage and are

    fine. There are two types of Mexican fan palms, and one ismuch hardier than the other. Cut off any brown leaves andwait. If they are alive, new growth should appear in four tosix weeks.

    Queen palms (cocos sp.) and pygmy date palms (Phoenixsp.) are tropical and are probably dead.

    Sago palms are really not palms; they are cycads. Thosethat were not protected have many brown fronds, but mostare not severely damaged. Trim off the dead fronds andfertilize them. They should put on a set of new leaves laterthis spring.

    PALM READING

    CELEBRATE SPRING

    On one of our gift buying trips we found some really fun garden art in the form of giant insectsThese metal creatures are brightly colored and will bring a fanciful touch to your landscape. Thesebig guys must be seen to be appreciated so come by soon. Kids will love them.

    THE GIANTS ARE HERE

    Feeding your landscape plants is always important, but this year it is especially sodue to theresidual drought damage and the severe cold we have experienced. Every plant in the landscapeneeds adequate nutrition to put on a healthy flush of spring growth.

    We recommend feeding the entire landscape as soon as possible with Landscape EssentialsFor blooming plants, apply Landscape Essentialsand Color Essentialsmixed in equal parts. Thiswas a long, cold winter, but proper feeding will help your plants recover and thrive as the weather

    warms.

    FERTILIZE!!

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    MARCHGardening Calendar

    a Color your landscapewith annuals and bloomingshrubs, trees, and vines

    a FEED EVERY PLANT IN YOUR LANDSCAPE!a Apply beneficial nematodes in the vegetable

    garden to control wireworms and other insectlarvaea Plant own-root rosesfor long-season colora Create an herb garden/kitchen gardena Prune spring-flowering shrubs and treesafter

    they finish bloominga Feed houseplantsto enable them to put on strong

    growth as the day length increasesa Clean existing birdhouses and put up new onesto

    attract insect-eating songbirdsa Apply a thin layer of compost to turf areasa

    Scatter Semaspore Baitif young grasshoppers arepresenta Apply whole ground cornmeal, Plant Wash, or Actinovateto control and prevent brown patcha Plant strawberries, blackberries, and grapesa Mow regularlyto control spring weedsa Frolic in the warm and renewing spring sunshine

    MARCH IN THE VEGGIE GARDEN

    Fuchsia buds may be fun-ny-looking balls, but whenthey open, magic occurs. Theblooms are exquisite in form

    and colorcombinations ofdeep purple and rose, pale pinkand red, white and hot pink.The pendulous blooms willamaze you every time you lookat them.

    We sell fuchsias in hangingbaskets, and they would loveto be placed in a shady area ofyour garden. Feed them oftento extend their season and keepthem blooming.

    Early spring is the only timefuchsias are available so dontwait too long to come in and se-lect your beautiful specimens.

    Spring into action, switch your Garden Gazette tothe e-mail format. Tell us next time you are in, calus, or e-mail us at [email protected] (thisaddress is only available for subscription purposes)Please include the address where you are currentlyreceiving your newsletter so we can match the namescorrectly.

    EARLY SPRING

    COLORIn South Texas, spring is

    well on its way. Everywhereshrubs and trees are burstinginto bloom. If you want to

    achieve a high level of colorin your landscape this springand every spring, now is a greattime to plant.

    Flowering shrubs such asspirea, Indian hawthorne, pyr-acantha, flowering quince,primrose jasmine, Lady Bank-sia rose, loropetalum, camel-lias, and Encore azaleas areterrific performers.

    Trees that will turn headsare redbuds (and white red-buds), mountain laurels, anddeciduous magnolias.

    Blooming vines include con-federate jasmine, Carolina jes-samine, wisteria, pink jasmine,tangerine beauty crossvine,and coral honeysuckle.

    Plant these colorful plantsnow and enjoy flowers this yearand for years to come.

    March is a busy month in the vegetable garden. Tomatoes

    squash, beans, cucumbers, and melons can be planted, buthave N-Sulate on hand to protect them if we should have alate frost. Broccoli and cauliflfower transplants along withlettuce and chard plants can also be set out. It is still a littleearly for peppers, eggplant, and okra.

    If you planted radishes and beets you should be able to begin harvesting them later this month. Lettuce seed andonions which were planted earlier should be thinned, and theyoung plants used to create culinary delicacies.

    Snow peas are probably starting to produce, but do re-member to spray them every couple of weeks with liquidseaweed and molasses to prevent spider mites and lengthen

    their season.Keep feeding all of your vegetables to ensure healthy

    growth and a great harvest.

    PLANT OF THEMONTH:Fuchsias

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    Presort Standard

    U. S. Postage

    PaidSan Antonio, Texas 78209

    Permit No. 548

    Address Service Requested

    Business Hours

    334 West Sunset RoadSan Antonio, Texas 78209

    210-824-3772www.shadesofgreensa.com

    Mon. - Sat. 9:00 to 5:00Sun. 10:00 to 4:00

    2010 SATURDAY SPRING SEMINARS

    March 6 USING COMPOST TEA ... Come learn all of the many great benefits youcan achieve using compost tea throughout your landscape and garden.March 13 ALL ABOUT ROSES ... This is the time of year for roses...selecting, planting,pruning, and general care will be covered in depth. Learn about the benefits of own-root roses.March 20 ANNUAL COLOR ... Annuals are the showiest and fastest way to bright yourspring garden. Let us help you optimize this wonderful resource.March 27 CREATING THE ULTIMATE CONTAINERS ... Donna will show you howto design and build fabulous containers to celebrate spring or to decorate for Easter. Dont missthis most popular seminar.April 3 BRINGING COLOR INDOORS ... Make your Easter decorating fun and easywith colorful plants such as orchids, bromeliads, and reiger begonias. We will show you how to

    use them effectively.Seminars begin at 9:45 am (the coffee will be ready by 9:00). Parking can be

    challenging during seminars so please follow our signs for optional parking areas.

    NOTE: Remember to apply Semaspore Baitto control grasshoppers. For optimaresults you should make the first application when you begin to see small, immaturegrasshoppers. Timing is very important so watch your garden and be ready to treat beforethe problem gets out of hand.

    CONTROLLING WEEDSThe absolute best control for weeds in your lawn is healthy turf. To achieve this you

    should feed three times per year with Landscape Essentials, apply a thin layer of compostmow regularly, and if your soil is compacted, apply Medina Plus.If you have weeds in flower or vegetable beds, spray carefully with the vinegar/orange oil

    mix, use the push/pull hoe or dandelion digger, and apply a two to four inch layer of mulch.

    PRUNING REMINDERIf you have not done your yearly pruning of green shrubs, summer-flowering shrubs

    perennials, and ornamental grasses, do not put this important task off any longer. Do itimmediately. Spring-flowering shrubs which are flowering now should be pruned as soonas they finish blooming. Remember that dull shears damage plant tissue so use sharp, highquality shears to prevent damage. We recommend Fiskarsby-pass shears for ease of use.