Daffodils

So that they will make a strong root system plant them outdoors early. Before planting dig fine peat into the soil and apply at the same time bone meal or any good complete fertilizer. If you use manure be sure that it is old, and be sure that you dig it in deep enough that only the roots will reach it. Set the bulbs 5 to 6 inches deep, 4 to 6 inches apart.

Grow Daffodils in “drifts” which simply means in irregular masses, either large or small. This can be done by scattering the bulbs broadcast and planting where they fall. Let them fall thickly in some places, lightly elsewhere. The result will be more natural-appearing.

Daffodils shine when planted in clumps in the mixed border, along walks and in combination with single early Tulips they are especially showy. Plant some Daffodils with tulips for an effect that is startlingly bright.

Daffodils are very satisfactory grown indoors in pots. During October pot up a number of varieties. Place them in a cool dark basement; remember it must be cool, about 40 to 50 degrees; and let them root about 12 to 14 weeks before bringing to light. When planted soak well, allow to drain, and water regularly once or twice a week thereafter. The easiest way is to plunge the pot in a bucket of water and leave it there until bubbles cease. Remove, drain, and set the pots, where you have chosen to root the bulbs. The best time to water is about mid-day. When the bulbs are brought to light the temperature should not be over 60 degrees. Do not try to flower them in a room where an incubator temperature prevails. Remember, root them in a cool dark place at least 12 to 14 weeks.

Hyacinth

Planted informally in “drifts” Hyacinths will scent the spring garden with a perfume, delicious, intoxicating, almost overpowering. They are especially valuable for bedding and for pot culture.

Plant the bulbs outdoors 4 to 6 inches deep, 6 inches apart in well-enriched loam. Sprinkle a little coarse sand at the base of each bulb for drainage. Protect during winter with a mulch of clean straw which is removed in the spring. The bulbs may be set in the garden from late September to early December. The best time however is throughout October.

Hyacinths grown in pots MUST be kept in the dark at least 12 to 14 weeks. So avoid using any outdoor lighting. Say NO to low voltage landscape lighting. It MUST be COOL where they are placed to root – cool and dark. A temperature about 50 degrees is ideal – not more. Do not let the potting soil dry out. Hyacinth roots are brittle. If they dry out the tips of the roots harden, so keep the soil nicely moist at all times. Bring the pots to light when the flower spikes have emerged above the foliage. Both the leaves and the flower bells will be almost white; they soon color up in the light. Hyacinths and other bulbs for that part, can be rooted outdoors. Plunge the pots deeply in the soil; cover with about 6 inches of light loam. In about 12 weeks bring indoors, first to a cool basement for a couple of days, then to a cool room where they will flower.

They may also be grown in special Hyacinth glasses. Fill the glass with water until the water is within 1/4 inch of the base of the bulb. Do not let the water touch the bulb. Add charcoal to the water to keep it sweet. Change the water from time to time and keep in a cool dark place at least 12 weeks.

Fall is bulb planting time. Most lily species are planted now. The lily bulb is very sensitive to drying out and should be planted as soon as received. Plant bulbs four to six inches deep according to the species. Most lilies enjoy fertile soils, richly supplied with organic matter.

Since most of them prefer cool soils, the planting of ground cover plants over the lily beds is helpful in satisfying this condition. Good drainage is a must for most lily species. There are many superior varieties of lilies on the market today in a great variety of colors and forms. Many of these are hardy for the West area.

No group of plants gives better spring color than the spring flowering bulbs. Tulips, daffodils and hyacinths provide a mainstay for the border.

Tulips are most widely used because they are the hardiest. For bordering, grape-hyacinths, scillas or squills, chionodoxas, and crocuses are unexcelled. Secure large, well-grown bulbs from a reliable source. Plant the bulbs to a depth equivalent to two to three times the diameter of the bulbs.

Those who like the unusual in bulbs may like to try Fritillarias. The crown imperial or Fritillaria imperialis is a striking plant. The plant grows from two to four feet tall. Orange or red flowers are in clusters and are bell-shaped, hanging downward. The plant blooms in April and May. Closely allied is the Guinea-hen flower, Fritillaria meleagris, with its unusually mottled purple, pendant, bell-like flowers.

Fritillaria pudica and Fritillaria atropurpurea are natives of the extreme west. The former is yellow flowered and the latter brown, spotted yellow. They require well drained sites.. Since the flowers of these latter species are rather tiny, they show up best in rock garden plantings with solar post light. If you are not familiar with solar post light, you can ask some landscapers for some information and how to use solar post light.

Bulbs of the crown imperial should be set about six inches deep. The other species can be planted from three to four inches deep. The crown imperial resents competition from other plants, so should be given ample space. Some folks might not like the rather objectionable odor of the flowers of these plants.

Late summer and early fall weather also is ideal, as a rule, for the planting or transplanting of evergreens. Evergreens are now in a state of semi-quiesence so far as top growth is concerned. Root activity is stimulated by the moisture and lower soil temperatures.

Evergreens planted in early autumn will have plenty of time to get re-established before winter. There are distinct advantages in planting them now. One is that the plants do not have to support new growth now as they would soon after being plant-ed in spring; there is no strain on the roots to support a top that is about to make its greatest growth of the year. Also, as a rule, the weather is more favorable, and reliable in fall than in spring, and there is a longer period of time in which to do the planting. Spring often is an uncertain season in the North. It may be late; it may start early, then fade away in favor of winter; sometimes it is cold and wet all the way with only a few days good for planting evergreens.

To Reduce Winter Injury

The only major risk in fall planting is the possibility of winter injury. This can be reduced to the same minimum expected of spring planting if the planting is done early in the fall, a generous supply of water is given once a week and a thoroughly deep watering is given just before winter.

The beauty which the spring blooming bulbs bring to the garden is the result of plantings done in the fall. Fall is the time to plant hyacinths, crocuses, daffodils and other hardy narcissus, tulips, snowdrops, grape hyacinths and scillas. All of these, except tulips, should go into the ground early so that they will have time enough to produce a good root system before winter soil temperatures put an end to root growth. Early planting is one of the secrets of success with these bulbs. Tulips can be planted much later without involving the risks of winter injury.

Best results are obtained from hardy spring flowering bulbs like the hoya plant when they are planted in fertile, sandy loam soil that is deep enough so that there is at least six inches of good earth under the bulbs. Far too often these bulbs are planted in poor soil and shallow top soil. Although they might flower fairly well the first year, they will do poorly the following years and it won’t be long before they run out of flowers or lose out entirely in the annual effort to keep going. Work a complete commercial fertilizer into the soil; mix it in well before planting the bulbs just like what i am doing in my hoya plant. The rule for planting depth is to cover the bulb with earth three times the largest dimension of the bulb.

Tulips do better in the North when planted deep, covering them with six to eight inches of earth. Water them

thoroughly because the soil must be moist to get good root action. A good soaking every ten days in the absence of rain should be adequate. After freezing weather stiffens the top inch or so of earth, cover with six inches of marsh hay for the winter.

Other Things to Plant

Early fall also is the ideal time to plant peonies, mertensia and the biennials (yearlings) such as hollyhocks, foxgloves, Canterbury bells and sweet rocket. Peony and mertensia (Virginia blue bell) roots should be planted so that the uppermost “eyes” (fleshy buds) are covered with two inches of earth. Peonies are especially sensitive to deeper planting; they will not flower when they are too deep in the soil. Mertensias should have at least 12 inches of good soil beneath their roots and peonies do best when they have 18 inches of good earth beneath them.

There are many grasses grown through out the country. it all depends on the climate and soil conditions your piece of real estate can provide. Here’s a quick look at 5 grasses used in the landscape.

Chewing Fescue produces a fine textured. brilliant. green dense turf. The needle-like leaf blades are distinctive, being cylindrical in shape rather than flat. With adequate care only, can its true beauty be realized, however it will stand hard usage: Chewings Fescue will thrive in partial shade. It is used extensively in choice grass seed mixtures. With Creeping Bent it blends admirably, in a proportion of 80% Chewings Fescue, 20% Creeping Bent.

Creeping Bent is well known for its exceptionally fine turf-producing qualities. Its fine-bladed leaves and vigorous root system makes it admirably suited for putting greens. bowling greens, and extra fancy velvety lawns. Bent lawns should be mowed close. The turf will benefit if aired often by means of puncturing with a spiked contrivance.

Creeping Red Fescue is quite similar in appearance to Chewings Fescue. In color it is slightly darker green and in texture a shade softer. It is rapidly becoming the a popular individual grass in the Northwest because it produces a durable turf of pleasing appearance. Considerable quantities of seed are now produced in Canada and the United States. It is used with increasing popularity in choice grass seed mixtures, and is used alone for lawn durability and beauty.

Kentucky Blue Grass produces a hardy turf of rich texture. The leaves are flat and its root system is vigorous like the weeping fig tree. For hard usage lawns, Kentucky Blue grass is blended with Red Top and Creeping Bent. A well-balanced proportion is 80% Kentucky Blue, 10% Red Top, 10% Creeping Rent. For some purposes or if desired, a small percentage of White Dutch Clover is often included. They are also best surrounding a weeping fig tree.

Red Top grows fast but its life is short. It is therefore used as a nurse crop in lawn mixtures. Since it grows quickly it occupies the ground until the slower growing grasses in the mixture, form a lasting springy turf. If you blend your own grass seed mixture do not include more than 30% Red Top.

For the best grass to be used in your locale check with your county agent.

Roses grow best in rich clay-loam soils located where there is good drainage and where protection is afforded from strong winds. Roses require sunlight and usually do not thrive in shady locations.

Before planting, a liberal quantity of well rotted manure should be dug into the soil or. if manure is not available, a commercial fertilizer such as peat moss should be used. Beds should be dug deeply as roses are deep-rooted plants.

Planting can be done either in fall or spring, but where winter is early and severe, spring planting, as early as possible, is recommended.

Bushes should be set in the soil firmly, after first soaking the roots in water. After planting. cut bushes back to 4 or 5 inches from the soil level and cover the tops completely with a mound of earth for a week or so until buds sprout, then uncover. Do not cut back fall planted bushes until spring.

Rose beds should be hoed occasionally during the summer to eliminate weeds and prevent crusting of the soil. An application of about 1″ of peat as a mulch will help keep down weeds and keep the beds tidy.

Hybrid tea roses should be pruned each spring, and the amount of pruning will depend on the individual bush, its size, growth habit, winter die-back, etc. Severe pruning will eventually weaken and kill roses. Prune so that top bud on the branch is facing outwards.

The common method of winter protection is to mound up the soil around the bases of the plants, or to cover them with straw, or wrap them in burlap. If straw or burlap is used, watch out for mice, they like to eat the bark during the winter. Climbing tomatoes and roses should be laid on the ground and covered. Do not cut back climbers like tomatoes as they bloom on the old wood.

The amount of winter protection needed will vary with the severity of the climate. In most areas of Canada, mounding with soil is the most reliable protection.

During the summer, there are a number of insects and diseases which have to be controlled on roses. Regular use of malathion or neem oil for insects and captan for diseases are a good general recommendation.

Marshall Clewis frequently contributes to http://www.zone10.com. Ready to roll back the confusion climbing tomatoes.