Welcome to Garden Spikes
Timely Garden Tips
Timely Garden Tips
Enjoy the spring blooming flowers in your flower garden, such as daffodils, tulips, muscari and hyacinths. Do not remove the foliage until it starts to die back. The foliage needs to remain as long as possible to put the energy back into the bulb so that it can make new flowers next year.
Spring blooming shrubs such as andromeda, azalea, elderberry, flowering quince, forsythia, hydrangea, lilac, spirea, viburnum and weigela should be allowed to finish flowering before pruning. If you prune too early you will remove the flowers.
Do not forget to service your lawn mower, change the oil and spark plug. Replace or sharpen the blade. If you have not mowed your lawn yet, you will be mowing it soon.
In the Garden
Fruits and vegetables: If you plan to start plants from seed for your vegetable garden, now is the time to get going. The garden centers have all the seed starting supplies and seeds of every description. Tomatoes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and peppers can be started now.
If you do not know when the last average frost is in your area check with your local Cooperative Extension.
In many of the southern growing zones most of the vegetables are now in the garden centers. The cool season vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, cilantro, collards, kale, lettuce, parsley and spinach plants can be placed in the garden shortly before the last frost.
Tender plants like eggplant, peppers and tomatoes should be planted a week or two after the last frost to ensure that the soil has warmed up.
The northern growing zones will need to wait a month or two.
Shrubs and Trees
Look over your roses, hydrangea, viburnum and other shrubs and trees. Examine them for winter damage. Prune all dead and weakened wood. On flowering shrubs do not do any pruning until they have finished flowering.
Easter lilies that are past blooming can be planted outdoors after the last frost. Place the bulbs 2 to 3 inches deeper than they grew in the pot. Place some shredded leaves or pine straw mulch around the bulbs.
Timely Quote:
“April is a promise that May is bound to keep.” - Hal Borland
Successful gardeners use the principle of working with nature to practice the easy, economical and environmental methods that can make gardening relaxing and rewarding.
Flowers that grow on spikes are a favorite among many gardeners. Coleus, foxglove, gladiolus, hyacinth, lavender, obedient plant, orchid and salvia are some common flowers that grow on spikes.
Are You a Gardener?
Many people do not think of themselves as gardeners. If you have a lawn, a few houseplants or grow some flowers and vegetables, you are a gardener.
It can range from beautifying your home to providing wholesome organic food for your family.
Gardening Can Be Easy and Relaxing
You might have just a few houseplants in containers on a window, patio or deck.
If you have more space it might be a small flower bed or a larger area to attract butterflies, hummingbirds and honey bees.
Some will concentrate on roses of every color and type. Others search for as many different varieties of flowers that they can find.
If you have a sunny location it could also be a few tomato plants in containers or a large area for vegetables and herbs that will feed the entire family with enough to preserve for the winter.
Keep It Simple
If you are new to gardening the secret is to keep it easy and start small. Each year you can expand your garden a little more. Your native soil may be very sandy or it may be heavy clay with a lot of rocks. For plants to grow properly you will need good garden soil by adding organic material to the native soil.
One year you may plant some flowers or shrubs along the front of your home. The next year add a flower bed along the driveway. And the year after that a flower bed around your mailbox or the tree in the front yard.
A vegetable garden works the same way. Plant what your family likes to eat. You may start with 100-square feet and plant half of it with tomatoes and the rest with lettuce, Swiss chard, parsley, dill and basil. These will supply you with fresh vegetables and herbs continuously during the summer.
Next year as you improve the soil you can expand your vegetable garden to include peas, beans, carrots, beets, zucchini, cucumbers, etc. By growing your own food you can be assured that your food is truly organic and free of pesticides.
It does not have to be a big project if you break it down into smaller easy to do steps. If you spend 10 or 15-minutes each day or every other day it never gets ahead of you.
Environment
Composting your yard and kitchen waste is also one small step. Composting is environmentally friendly and you will keep from adding to the landfills. Adding finished compost will also improve your soil and fertilize it at the same time. It is nature’s way of recycling.
Mulching around your plants with leaves collected in the fall will improve the soil and at the same time make your flower garden and vegetable garden almost entirely weed free.
Gardening Thought
“Earth is here so kind
That just tickle her
With a hoe and she
Laughs with a harvest”
- Douglas William Jerrold (1803-1857)
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