GARDEN 4-24
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“No treasure made by human hands can match the splendor of a flowering tree.”
We are at the end of Easter Sunday. We have had a very nice, much needed. rain. Yes, if you dig down in the soil you will find moisture, but the surface is very powdery dry. The folklore is that if it rains on Easter, it will rain on 7 Sundays there after. So, we shall see. We had a wonderful Easter. We attended the baptism service of my great granddaughter and had a wonderful meal with family and friends following the service. Thank you to the Downing Baptist Church for the use of their beautiful dinning hall for our get together.
The daffodils and red buds along with other flowering trees and shrubs have just been beautiful this year. Everything is loaded with heavy bloom. My dog wood survived the cold snap and is about to full bloom, or will be in a few days. My magnolia did have freeze damage to the first buds that had opened up, but the later buds are starting to make a show. I also noticed that my compost peach trees do not have any blooms so guess they got nipped as well. My little old fashion white peach has out done itself. It was super loaded with beautiful pink blooms. No matter if I get any peaches off of it, it was a beauty in my yard. A few peaches would by nice though. I think the deer got the last crop that we had as one day peaches on the tree, the next day nothing in sight.
I need to get my humming bird feeder out this week as have heard reports of sighting in our area. Remember the recipe for making your own nectar is 4-1. Four cups water to one cup of white sugar and bring to just a boil to break down the sugar. DO NOT add and red food coloring. My bleeding heart has it’s first bloom and a sign that it is time for the hummers. Bleeding heart and columbine are both good attractions for the humming birds. If you are in the market for native plants to attract humming birds and butterflies. Bee Balm is a good choice for hummingbirds, since the humming bird does not land on the bloom, it can be cluster shape. However if you want to attract butterflies, you need a flat bloom such as zinnias, calendulas and butterfly weed, in a sunny location.
I did not get my clematis cut back in early spring. Last week as I was looking at the one at the corner of the garage, it was already about 3 ft. tall with leaves. So I just cut off the dried part at the tips. I have two other clematis out in the back yard. They also were showing new growth so I did just a light pruning. The lilacs are in bloom already. If we were still selling Christmas trees, it would be time to spray for scale. Rule of thumb is to spray for scale when the lilacs are in bloom. I do believe the lilacs are a bit early this year. I have three surviving lilacs after trying to grow them for several years. They should be large by this time, but have struggled for years. Deer ate them off once, I have mowed a couple off and the ground is not compatible for lilacs as they just don’t grow. I am pleased that they have put out some new growth this year and have a few blooms. A childhood memory was that my mother had a row of them in the back yard that lead to the chicken house and the outhouse. I would use the outhouse just to go by and smell the lilac blooms. There is nothing like it. When we lived in town, a neighbor the the North of us had a few old, big lilac bushes out by the road. When the wind was in the right direction, I could sit on the front porch and smell them.
If you are thinking about growing container tomatoes, look for the bush type tomato. Then be sure to select a big enough pot. If you want big yields above ground then you need to have a generous root system to support it beneath the soil. This is not possible when you use a little one or two gallon pot. It is best to not use any pot that is smaller that 18x18x18. If your are worried about space, then go with a deeper pot. Think of the tall planters that have a smaller footprint that you see on either side of a door. They are about 12x12x24. These are great for tomatoes, as the roots can really stretch out. By having a deeper pot, this helps to keep the plant from drying out too quickly, which is often the case with container gardening. You need to keep your tomato damp, like a rung out sponge, at all times. During the heat of the summer, you may need to water your container twice a day. Both morning and evening. Whether you are growing tomatoes in a container or in the garden, bury at least half of your seedling below the ground. This helps the plant to grow more roots, with more roots to search for water. If your pot is too small and not enough moisture, you will get a very small crop. So with a little more work and a bigger pot you should have plenty tomatoes for the entire season. Give it a try. For you that have grown a garden most of your life and due to lack of space or just not up to a bigger garden anymore, the container tomato just might take care of that itch to get your hands in the dirt.
I hope you have been able to enjoy all the beautiful blessing that God has given us this spring. There is beauty every where. As I have said many times that spring is my favorite season and only God can give us so much to enjoy. We can plant a garden, a tree or a flower, but it is only God that can make it grow. Enjoy the spring as all too soon, it will be the heat of summer along with the bugs.
