Dayton "Dirt" - May 3, 2013

With the arrival of May, it’s amazing how everything has “popped” so quickly. Many of our perennials and annuals that were somewhat behind have literally exploded into growth so that the selection for this weekend will be better then I had originally expected. The Garden Treasure roses seem to be a hit as we did force some bloom on the plants by placing them in the heated greenhouse. I especially like the Pieces of Eight variety that opens yellow and then quickly acquires a burning orange edge. The azaleas are starting to show some color but it’s strange that they seem ahead of the Redbud trees that are only just now coming into bloom. No doubt everyone will want to get started planting annual flowers but, again, it’s very early for many flowers. Even hanging baskets should be brought inside when temperatures fall below 55 degrees or more at night. Tropicals should be kept indoors too on cool nights as most will “shut down” when temperatures fall too low. Besides the cool weather, vegetable plants such as potatoes, beans, sweet corn, peas and a few others can be planted as long as the garden is well-drained. Got to go. Happy gardening. Tom