Wow! Monday, May 30th is Memorial Day that is the same day as the traditional Decoration Day.
While it’s traditional to “finish” planting the garden on Memorial Day, June is a great time to continue planting succession crops of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, beans and sweet corn. The heat-loving crops will keep the bounty of the garden coming if succession plantings are installed every two weeks up until about July 4th.
Cool season vegetables such as broccoli and brussel sprouts don’t work well with the heat of summer and long days but I have had good luck planting cabbage for a late crop in fall. Potatoes will do very well when planted in late May and June as they will be very productive. The tubers can be harvested after the killing frost and then stored for winter use.
Be careful of thrip attack on your Roses, Dahlias and Gladiolus as these insects are very difficult to control once established. Thrips have piercing mouth parts and extract plant juices from growing points and flowers which tend to reduce bloom or make it non-existent. I recommend Captain Jack’s Bug Brew which has the active ingredient Spinosad. Two sprays with this product at 5 day intervals should get the bugs under control. If your not sure, bring a plant sample in a plastic bag and we’ll do a diagnosis so that you don’t use the wrong product because of an incorrect diagnosis.
Come on down to check out our “killer” clematis as many are blooming right now. We have the old and the new Evision Clematis that will make your garden glow.
Tom
Friday, May 27, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Dayton "Dirt" - May 20, 2011
Finally, this week it’s safe to plant about anything in the way of flowers and vegetable plants as long as you still are wary in case of a light frost.
For flower beds, whether perennial or annual, I like to mix in the product Sweet Peet into the ground just before planting. An application of about 2" of Sweet Peet is all that is needed to work into the top 6 inches of garden soil. In addition, the plants will thrive when about a ½ inch to 1 inch layer of Sweet Peet is applied as a mulch. Sweet Peet will “feed” new plants and not rob them of nitrogen as would bark or wood mulch.
Peat Moss is not a good garden mulch for most plants because of its extreme acidic nature and the fact that when it dries completely, it is almost impossible to wet which causes water to runoff on the soil instead of the water being absorbed by the soil.
Remember too that when you buy your flower and vegetable plants from Dayton’s, if the plants do not originate from seed but from a cutting to make for more identical plants, they are virus free in that the plants are virus indexed to be sure all viruses are out of the plant. Viruses which can build up in plants overtime can cause lack of vigor, lack of flowers and just plain poor growth. These harmful viruses do not pass from the parent plants to its progeny when the young plants germinate from seed.
We still have product staged for selling through this month and the first half June but after that the annual greenhouse will begin to wind down.
Be sure to come in to see us while the selection is still good.
Soon, those of you in our garden club will be getting your summer newsletter that will have some coupons that just might interest you!
Tom
P.S. Don’t forget we have free liquid fertilizer in the greenhouse. Just bring your own jug!
For flower beds, whether perennial or annual, I like to mix in the product Sweet Peet into the ground just before planting. An application of about 2" of Sweet Peet is all that is needed to work into the top 6 inches of garden soil. In addition, the plants will thrive when about a ½ inch to 1 inch layer of Sweet Peet is applied as a mulch. Sweet Peet will “feed” new plants and not rob them of nitrogen as would bark or wood mulch.
Peat Moss is not a good garden mulch for most plants because of its extreme acidic nature and the fact that when it dries completely, it is almost impossible to wet which causes water to runoff on the soil instead of the water being absorbed by the soil.
Remember too that when you buy your flower and vegetable plants from Dayton’s, if the plants do not originate from seed but from a cutting to make for more identical plants, they are virus free in that the plants are virus indexed to be sure all viruses are out of the plant. Viruses which can build up in plants overtime can cause lack of vigor, lack of flowers and just plain poor growth. These harmful viruses do not pass from the parent plants to its progeny when the young plants germinate from seed.
We still have product staged for selling through this month and the first half June but after that the annual greenhouse will begin to wind down.
Be sure to come in to see us while the selection is still good.
Soon, those of you in our garden club will be getting your summer newsletter that will have some coupons that just might interest you!
Tom
P.S. Don’t forget we have free liquid fertilizer in the greenhouse. Just bring your own jug!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Dayton "Dirt" - May 13, 2011
Is now a good time to plant? My answer is “it depends”. If the weather outlook looks safe from frost for at least the next week and temperatures look somewhat “normal” without an extended cool to cold period the answer to the “time to plant” question is yes.
If your property is out in the open in the country or subject to frequent spring frosts then the answer is no and, it depends on what your planting.
Trees and shrubs, perennials, roses and such are always “plantable” although a covering of a sheet or frost blanket may be necessary on frost susceptible blooms like azaleas. Flowers on dogwoods, flowering crabapples and most other shrubs are frost resistant so generally you never worry about these hardy garden and landscape companions.
I think you’ll notice that our perennial guru, Maggie has selected numerous new perennials for your review that will be easy to spot in the perennial house by signage that of course, states that it is new! It seems these days everyone is looking for new and unusual plants.
When having lunch with my dad several years ago and about one year before he died at the age of 79, he stated that in businesses you have to change things as the customers get used to the same old stuff and that the same old doesn’t fly anymore. I’m sure you can fill in the blank with the four-lettered word he actually used. When he told me this, it hit me that the stereotype of “old people” not wanting change really is not accurate. Whether it’s electronics, automobiles or other new gadgets or plants. Change is all around.
Tom
If your property is out in the open in the country or subject to frequent spring frosts then the answer is no and, it depends on what your planting.
Trees and shrubs, perennials, roses and such are always “plantable” although a covering of a sheet or frost blanket may be necessary on frost susceptible blooms like azaleas. Flowers on dogwoods, flowering crabapples and most other shrubs are frost resistant so generally you never worry about these hardy garden and landscape companions.
I think you’ll notice that our perennial guru, Maggie has selected numerous new perennials for your review that will be easy to spot in the perennial house by signage that of course, states that it is new! It seems these days everyone is looking for new and unusual plants.
When having lunch with my dad several years ago and about one year before he died at the age of 79, he stated that in businesses you have to change things as the customers get used to the same old stuff and that the same old doesn’t fly anymore. I’m sure you can fill in the blank with the four-lettered word he actually used. When he told me this, it hit me that the stereotype of “old people” not wanting change really is not accurate. Whether it’s electronics, automobiles or other new gadgets or plants. Change is all around.
Tom
Friday, May 6, 2011
Dayton "Dirt" - May 6, 2011
With Mother’s Day just two days away, many of you will be hunting for that “special gift” for mom. Most moms love flowers and jewelry but with my being in the “flower” business for so long it’s really not a Mother’s Day gift if I give my mother some type of flower. The other problem I have is that my mother likes jewelry ok but rarely, if ever will wear it as she really doesn’t get that excited about it which every year places me in quite a pickle.
I hope that all of you will notice the decrease in pricing of many of the plants throughout the nursery especially in the greenhouse. Hanging Baskets and the 4 inch “Proven Winner” type plants such as Cascading Petunia, Verbena, Bacopa, etc. have fallen by as much as 25% from last year due to our new production facility that enables us to produce more and eliminate the “middle man”.
Although we always did grow our own greenhouse product, space was limited. Now with all the extra space, we’re able to offer more in the way of new and unusual stuff too that the “big” growers don’t like to grow.
Be sure to take a walk or better yet bring mom to take a walk through our Azalea allee just east of the main entrance to the store as thousands of Azalea’s are coming into bloom.
Wolf Creek Gardens that is north of the nursery property is accessible on foot with Dogwoods, Azaleas, Redbuds and shade perennials starting to pop and show off their “skills”.
It’s a good time to be alive!
Tom
I hope that all of you will notice the decrease in pricing of many of the plants throughout the nursery especially in the greenhouse. Hanging Baskets and the 4 inch “Proven Winner” type plants such as Cascading Petunia, Verbena, Bacopa, etc. have fallen by as much as 25% from last year due to our new production facility that enables us to produce more and eliminate the “middle man”.
Although we always did grow our own greenhouse product, space was limited. Now with all the extra space, we’re able to offer more in the way of new and unusual stuff too that the “big” growers don’t like to grow.
Be sure to take a walk or better yet bring mom to take a walk through our Azalea allee just east of the main entrance to the store as thousands of Azalea’s are coming into bloom.
Wolf Creek Gardens that is north of the nursery property is accessible on foot with Dogwoods, Azaleas, Redbuds and shade perennials starting to pop and show off their “skills”.
It’s a good time to be alive!
Tom
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