DDBYRD'S GARDEN TIPS....

Tulips and narcissus should not be put together in an arrangement unless the narcissus has been given a bit of special treatment, The stem of the narcissus discharges a slime whick cuts short the life of the tulips. To get around this, trim the narcissus stems as you normally would and then put them in a bucket of water, on their own, for a day. Then, without recutting the stems, arrange them with the tulips or other flowers.



~Pinch off faded flowers from early blooming annuals like snap dragons and petunias to encourage more blossoms later in the summer.
~Cut spent delphinum blooms to promote more blooms towards autumn.
~Old dried foilage from tulips and daffodils can safely be removed.
~Weed and mulch perennial flower beds.
~Annual flowers like alyssum, asters and lobelia also need dead-heading, weeding, mulching and fertlizing.
~Roses need attention too, as the first blooms of spring finish, cut the stems back to the five leaflet area. Cut back canes of rambling roses to ground level after they finish blooming. All types then need fertilizer and mulch for summers heat.
~Sweet Peas will also benefit from mulch in early summer to keep their roots moist.
~Pinch back shoots on late summer bloomers like tall chrysanthemums, cosmos and asters to encourage bushier growth. Fertilizer will also help. ~Get stakes in place for tall sumer blooming perennials like dahlias, Shasta daisies and lilies.
~When fertilizing sumer blooming perennials or annuals throughout the summer, use a fertilier higher in phosphorus (10-20-10) or us a "bloom booster" formulation. The higher phosphorus, or (P) helps stimulate flowering.



ANNUALS AND BIENNIALS

The term "annual" describes a plant whose entire life cycle from germination to seed production through to death takes place within one year. While "biennials" require two growing seasons, during thier first season after growing, they produce leaf growth: they then overwinter and flower in the following year.

COLOR: The most attractive annual borders are often those that rely on a limited range of colors. Or try to plan the planting with a broad sweep of color, selecting tones that blend together. Grays, greens and whites are particularly useful for providing a respite from some of the more vibrant reds and blues.
FORM AND TEXTURE: Border compositions are often enhanced by the leaf texture of the overall plant shape as much as by color alone. Place plants with contrasting leaf or flower textures in adjacent groupings. This will add greatly to the character of a planting. Including a variety of shapes and sizes also adds interest to the planting.

GROUPING THE PLANTS: Many annuals look their best when planted in large groups of one type, This gives a large block of color. Sew in irregular patches so that the impact as the plants mature is similar to the narutal drigts of flowers. The shapes and sizes of the planted groups should be varied to create a more natural look.

Try to plan the planting so that the flowering periods of the annuals coincide as much as possible to avoid gaps appearing in the design. To provide interest over a long peroid, use annuals that bloom in succession.

Since they grow rapidly, and a realitively cheap to buy, use annuals and beinnails to fill gaps. Place them where a plant has failed, between immature plants, or recently planted shrubs in a new border. Some annuals and biennials may be used for temporary ground cover, creating pools of color in a bare space.


CLIMBERS AND TRAILERS: Annueal and biennials that climb and trail may be used to quickly transform a wall or fence with a colorful curtian of flowers.


This page last updated on 29 Dec 99...



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Email: ddbyrd@waveinter.com