GREENSCAPE GARDENS EVENTS CALENDAR

This year we are offering more gardening events every month to help you get the most out of your gardening season year round.
March 15th, 2008 Meet “Grady O’Greenscape”, our resident Irish leprechaun at our St. Patrick’s Day Party (12 pm-2 pm)
March 22nd-23rd, 2008 “Ring In Spring!”- First Weekend of Spring Color Event
March 29th, 2008-10 a.m. Horticulture Co-Op of GreaterSt. Louis Gardeners’ Village Presents “Be A Greenscaper”Featuring June Hutson (10 a.m.) & Mary Ann Fink (11 a.m.)- Learn about the importance of water conservation and “Build A Better Butterfly Garden”
April 12th Barbara Lawton- Garden Writer & Plant ExpertContainer Gardening with Herbs & More11 a.m.
April 12th-13th, 2008 Featuring…”The Best of Container Gardening”
April 26th, 2008-10 a.m. Earth Day Party- featuring Cindy Gilberg 10 a.m. “Native Plants For Our Gardens”
May 10th-11th, 2008 Mother’s Day Celebration-Get Mom the “Official Plant of Mother’s Day”- the Endless Summer Hydrangea
May 24th-26th, 2008 15th Annual Memorial Day Weekend BBQ- free hotdogs and soda. A St. Louis tradition which can't be missed.
June 7th, 2008 Future Gardeners of America Event-Bring the kids for a “Let’s Go Green” rally! 10 a.m.
June 21st, 2008 “The Healing Garden”- Featuring Cindy Gilberg, take part in a discussion on the healing power of plants. Join us after the Race for the Cure, free pink lemonade for all and free pink flower for all race participants (wear your race t-shirt!) 2 p.m.
June 28th, 2008 “June is Perennial Plant Month” Event
July 5th-6th, 2008 Featuring… Ornamental Grasses
August 2nd-3rd, 2008 Featuring… Drought Tolerant Plants
September, 2008 Art In Our Garden Event
October, 2008 Fall Festival
October 4th, 2008 Habitat For Humanity- Join Greenscape and KMOV Channel 4 in landscaping this year’s Home4Hope!
November 2008 Festival of Trees Event
December 6th-7th, 2008 “I’m Dreaming of a Greenscape Christmas…” Holiday Open House


Other potential events will be listed later. Enjoy the garden.-

HOW TO HANDLE LATE BREAKING PERENNIALS

Four simple guidelines to follow when dealing with perennials that tend to break dormancy late.
To get your late-breaking plants started off right, remember these four simple but important guidelines:
1) DO monitor your watering.While plants are dormant, be careful to avoid both over and under-watering them during this vulnerable time, as both extremes will cause stress and could result in many losses. Over-watering can lead to root and crown rot, while under-watering can dehydrate and kill the plants. The key is to make sure there is just enough moisture in the pot to keep the roots hydrated and to give the plants the little amount of water they need as they begin to break dormancy.
2) DO "starve" the plants.Fertilizing your plants before they are actively growing often results in the build up of salts in the soil which leads to stress and may causes losses due to dehydration or disease. Instead, begin fertilizing within a couple weeks after the plants begin to break dormancy.
3) DO check on your plants even when they are dormant. Continue to check on your plants weekly even when they appear to be dormant. Watch for the first signs of any root and crown rot. Also, keep the soil surface clear of moss and other weeds that will rob your plants of the proper water and nutrition once they break dormancy. At the first signs of new growth, watch for insects such as aphids which are attracted to tender new growth.
4) DO expect something wonderful!Even though some perennials may wait to make their grand entrance in the spring, with a little patience and care, you will reap the rewards with vigorously growing, beautiful plants!
The following perennials are typically slow to break dormancy in the spring. However, most compensate for their tardiness with vigorous growth once they begin.
Asclepias
Buddleia
Echinacea
Hibiscus (very late)
Hosta tokudama and fortunei types
Houttuynia
Lathyrus latifolius
Perovskia
Platycodon
Tricyrtis
Warm season grasses such as Miscanthus, Erianthus, and Panicum

PERENNIAL PICK OF THE WEEK

DIANTHUS 'FIREWITCH

This week, we are highlighting 'Firewitch', the 2006 Perennial Plant Association Plant of the Year. 'Firewitch' has been problem-free. It has required few inputs to produce a great crop. Very little fertilizer and water is required, which resulted in strong, hardened-off plants that are compact, healthy, and more readily resistant to pathogens. 'Firewitch' thrived in our greenhouses during a very warm and dry summer under light shade (about 30%).
Quick Growing Tips: Dianthus thrives when grown consistently somewhat dry or watered sufficiently and then allowed to dry down thoroughly. We provide the plants with just enough water to sustain good growth, but do not keep the soil too wet at any point. Soil that stays wet for too long will significantly slow down the root growth of 'Firewitch'.
FertilizingTo keep the foliage from stretching, which requires more trimming than desired, we fertilize our Dianthus very little. While we grow them lean, occasional applications of liquid feed may be applied to encourage the foliage to bulk up a little quicker.

Pests and Diseases'Firewitch' is a strong grower that is generally not as prone to disease as some Dianthus cultivars. This characteristic, combined with judicious water and fertilizer management, will keep the crop healthy. You can be confident in purchasing 'Firewitch' from Greenscape Gardens.

NEW DAYLILY

Hot New Daylily‘Mean Mister Mustard,’ a new daylily, features a 6-inch mustard yellow flower with a wine-red eye and picotee edge. It also offers an amazing bud count and 70-plus days of color. Hardy to Zone 4, ‘Mean Mister Mustard’ has its own point-of-purchase system, a coordinating color pot and proprietary die-cut labels the shape of a mustard jar. The name – ‘Mean Mister Mustard’ – is the name of a popular Beatles song from the Abbey Road album about a grouchy, colorful man.

AAS ANNOUNCES WINNING VARIETIES

All-America Selections has announced four winning varieties for 2009, including three vegetables and a viola.

Eggplant ‘Gretel’ is the earliest white eggplant. The glossy pure white fruits are produced in clusters and can be harvested in 55 days when 3 to 4 inches long. Bred by Seminis Vegetable Seeds, the mature plant reaches three feet tall and wide, perfectly adapted to the trend of growing vegetables in containers.

‘Honey Bear’ squash is a compact, bushy plant that is powdery mildew-tolerant, allowing the delicious winter acorn squash to be grown in smaller space gardens. Bred by the University Of New Hampshire, plants produce 3 to 5 dark green acorn squash weighing about a pound. ‘Honey Bear’ mature plants are 2 to 3 feet tall and spread 4 to 5 feet.

‘Lambkin’ melon was bred by Known-You Seed Company Ltd. as a gourmet breakfast or dessert for people who love melon. Its distinctive visual feature is its smooth, yellow skin with green mottling. The oval-shaped melon matures early, about 67 to 75 days from transplanting. The thin rind surrounds sweet, aromatic white juicy melon. ‘Lambkin’ melons store better than other melons, enabling gardeners to enjoy the unique flavor longer. Available to growers from their favorite seed company.

‘Rain Blue And Purple’ viola changes from purple and white to purple and blue as it matures. This results in a spreading pool of cool blue shades. ‘Rain Blue And Purple’ plants will spread 10 to 14 inches, making them perfect for container plantings or spaces between stepping stones. Bred by Tokita Seed Co. Ltd., it exhibits heat and cold tolerance. Find out more at www.all-americaselections.org

THE OLD SIGN PHILOSOPHER, THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

WHEN FACTS ARE FEW....EXPERTS ARE MANY

CANOE FOR SALE......KEEPS SINKING.....ASK FOR CHUBBY

THE OLD SIGN PHILOSOPHER....THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

SNOW MAKES EVERYONE'S LAWN GREAT

EXCERCISE BIKE FOR SALE.....USED ONCE, TOO MUCH WORK.....ASK FOR CHUBBY