Dayton "Dirt" - February 19, 2016

Enough of the Alberta Clipper especially after the below zero temperatures of last week. The cold was not quite enough to kill the flower buds on evergreen azaleas so that unless -10º F or an unusual warm up, then a severe cold snap ensues, the bloom on the plants should be spectacular this year.

Tomorrow’s seminar will be a program of renovating an existing landscape in the cookie-cutter category of shall we say, “boring”. Sometimes because of physical restrictions such as sidewalk locations or overhangs, it is nearly impossible to renovate an existing foundation planting so that only a “tear out” and replanting must be done. Last Saturday’s seminar by Greg Snowden on the subject of Wetlands was very well presented although it was not particularly well attended with  Saturday’s coldest day of winter. Educating not only the gardening public but the public at large about the importance of various ecosystems as they have to do with a healthy, clean environment is our goal.

In a week we’ll be hanging up hanging baskets that are now sitting on the greenhouse benches waiting for their final trim before they are hung up. Without a final trim the plants tend to be leggy and overgrown by Mother’s Day when many will be sold. Five years ago, I accidentally sprayed the baskets with a miticide and fungicide in order to keep the blooms vibrant but the combination of the two substances burned the open flowers so that the full bloom of the hanging baskets was compromised. Then, the next week the same hanging baskets literally exploded into bloom and so much so that some of the plant’s leaves were hidden by masses of colorful blooms!

So much work is ahead to get ready for spring and the “fun” is almost here.

Tom