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Pulaski County Home and Garden
Gardening by Beth Phelps
Active Years Garden Checklist - April 2005
Green and Growing - By mid-April most of our lawns have come to life
and the grass is green. Now it is time to fertilize. Most of us want to maintain
a low maintenance lawn, so fertilizing once or twice during the growing season
is adequate. Remember the more you fertilize the more mowing and watering you
will have to do. The general recommendation for fertilizing a lawn is to use a
turf-type fertilizer such as a lawn food or turf builder. These fertilizers
contain nutrients - nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, in the ratio used by
turfgrass. It is also best to choose a fertilizer that contains slow release
nitrogen. Not only is this better for your lawn, supplying a little slowly over
a long period of time, the nitrogen is less water soluble and is less likely to
be dissolved away with heavy spring rains making it more environmentally
friendly.
Voted Most Popular - Azaleas, it is hard to find a landscape that does
not contain at least one, and when they are in bloom it is easy to understand
why. These plants are almost carefree - after bloom is the best time to prune,
if pruning is needed, followed by a little fertilizer. This is true even for the
‘Encore’ azaleas, which will bloom periodically all summer with another
significant display of color in the fall.
Winter to Summer - That is what happens by mid-April in Arkansas. Our
average last frost date is between late-March in the south to mid-April for the
northern reaches of the state and signals the shift to increasingly warmer day
and night temperatures. Once the danger of freezing temperatures has passed,
warm season vegetables and herbs such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, melons,
squash and basil can be planted in the garden without worry. These warm season
crops thrive as the soil and air temperatures rise. And, as night temperatures
warm, houseplants, most of which are tropicals, can be moved outside for the
summer.
Arkansas Select - When adding plants to your landscape this spring,
choose a 2005 Arkansas Select plant. New and underutilized plants, trees,
shrubs, annuals and perennials that have been tried and proven tough, problem
free plants under Arkansas’s hot, humidity summers are featured as Arkansas
Select. Featured for 2005 are the ‘Knock Out’ rose, ‘Caitlin’s Giant’ ajuga,
‘Aztec’ verbena, ‘Gnome Purple’ gomphrena and ‘Penny’ violas. The ‘Knock Out’
roses are amazing disease free, no spraying!, repeat blooming roses that reach
30 inches tall and come in a variety of colors - great for a sunny spot.
‘Caitlin’s Giant’ ajuga makes a nice ground cover for the partially shaded
garden. For a hot, sunny garden spot ‘Aztec’ verbena will bloom from spring to
fall, and this short lived perennial is available in a wide range of colors.
‘Gnome Purple’ gompherna with its bright purple flowers makes a nice mixer in
the sunny border, and the dry, everlasting flowers are great for crafters.
‘Penny’ violas are a winter annual to be planted in the fall for winter and
early spring color, when the landscape is in desperate need of these colorful
cherry blooms. For more information on the 2005 Arkansas Select plants or those
selected in previous years, visit the University Of Arkansas Division Of
Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service website at
www.uaex.edu, select Home and
Garden.
Buzz, Buzz - Mosquitoes are out and biting. Saucers under pots, bird
baths and still water features are all places where mosquitoes will breed. So
what is a gardener to do? Clean and refill bird baths every few days; empty the
saucers under your pots and containers on the deck after each watering. In still
water features or other areas in the landscape that hold water, use a Bacillus
thuringiensis or B.t. product such as mosquito dunks. This naturally occurring
bacterium can be used in water and safely kills mosquito larva. With the B.t.
products, there is no threat to birds, pets, fish or other animals. As with any
insect control product, read and follow all label directions.
Climbing and Blooming - Moonflower, hyacinth bean, scarlet runner
bean, morning glory, cypress vine, and black-eyed Susan vine are all annual
vines that will grow on and soften a fence, trellis or any vertical structure in
the garden without a long-term commitment. Hyacinth bean vine is a vigorous vine
for the patient gardener. It must be planted in the spring but does not bloom
until late summer when clusters of delicate purple blooms make a spectacular
display followed by the enchanting violet purple pods.
Plant of the Month - Selecting a favorite April bloomer is like having
to choose your favorite child. There are so many plants that are really gorgeous
in April. So, you fill in the blank with your favorite. If you are like me, it
will be the plant that is currently in it glory in your garden.
A History Lesson - May is Arkansas Heritage Month, and this year’s
theme is “Arkansas Gardens: The Roots of Our Heritage.” Mark your calendars for
Saturday, May 7th. There will be Heirloom Gardening events across the state.
Learn about plants that have been used in Arkansas gardens and landscapes for
years. You might be amazed at how long some of your favorites have been
delighting Arkansans. In Little Rock, events will be held at Curran Hall, The
Old State House, Mt. Holly Cemetery and the Historic Arkansas Museum. For more
information about these events and others around the state, visit the Department
of Arkansas Heritage website,
www.arkansasheritage.com.
This article was Originally Published in
Active Years
Magazine
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