Tomatoes may be the most popular fruit/vegetable grown in America.  As with all plants the tomato does best with certain qualities in the soil.  You have probably heard about planting tomatoes deep or even laying them on their sides in a trench to promote additional root growth.  The article “Optimum Soil for Tomatoes” offers excellent advice on treating your soil before planting and during the growing season.  The web site “Go Tomato Gardening.com” has a wide variety of subjects on the growing of tomatoes and better still ways to preserve, prepare and serve these delicious products of your garden.

Many people ask how to save their Amaryllis so it will bloom again next year.  After the flowers fade, remove the stalk but be sure not to remove the foliage.  The bulb will be ‘recharged’ if the foliage is allowed to stay until it yellows and wilts.  I place my Amaryllis out in my garden and on my rear deck in areas that get good morning sun, but not direct full sun during the heat of the day.  The soil

 should be kept a little moist and you will do well by applying a half strength general fertilizer every other watering.  In late summer the leaves should start to turn yellow and wilt.  If this doesn’t happen by Mid September, discontinue watering to force the plant into a dormant state. 

Once the leaves have wilted, cut them off at the neck of the bulb. Then place the plant in a cool dark location for 8 to 10 weeks.  55 degrees F would be ideal, a cool garage or if you live in colder climate the basement will prove ideal for this dormant period. 

Plan ahead for the next blooming you want, and 5 to 7 weeks before that time place the pot in a warm, bright location and start watering lightly.  Every 3-4 years or so, repot the bulb with fresh growing medium, keeping at lease ½ to ¾ inches of soil between the bulb and the pot.

This is a portion of an article written in February ‘05 for the Hull Massachusetts Garden Club by Julie McIntosh Shapiro.  It is printed here with the author’s permission.  It is a long article, so it will be presented in several segments. 

While you’re looking out your windows, now might be a great time to examine the trees on your property and those close by, to see if any have suffered damage from the latest winter storm. Mario Vaden, an Oregon state arborist checks in with us with his list of things to look for in a dangerous or hazardous tree:

Joanna Smith, in her book, “The One-Hour Garden”, which I recommended to you last August, makes certain that these criteria are to be met if you really want to lay back a little and do less tending to your garden.

Even so, when one is looking for plants with the most disease resistance, you might want to make yourself aware, through your Extension Agency, of the diseases and insects that are attracted to your plants. Some of the insects are relatively new to this country, and sometimes only occur in large numbers by way of major weather changes, such as the Spruce Aphid, that several years ago began appearing in coastal areas on the East Coast from drought years followed by a mild winter and  the Viburnum Leaf Beetle, which at this point only harms Viburnum shrubs. But now we have to be on the lookout for the Asian Longhorned Beetle. It, according to Rutgers University Coop Extension Service website at, http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/alb/about.asp, “feeds on a wide range of hardwood trees including several species of maples, popular, alder, birch, horse chestnut and willow. Larvae live under the bark of trees where they feed on the bark, phloem and xylem and will eventually kill the tree.

Adult females can lay up to 160 eggs on the branches of trees from July to October. Ten to fifteen days after being laid the larvae hatch, bore into the tree and feed and develop until they emerge from the tree as adults the following summer.”

So, when we look at that little seed, seedling, or sapling we intend to plant, let’s look, where, why, and most of all, how we’re going to maintain it for the season of growth it requires, and keep it safe and strong so that it may be less attractive to pests when attacked.

Don’t let this depress you about being a gardener though! According to Marc H. Cathey, past President of the American Horticultural Society, there are three million or so new gardeners every year. So they’ll be plenty of friends to commiserate with and learn from so that sooner or later we’ll get a handle on these traveling insect predators.

While I’m thinking about it, you might want to get a jump on your pansies and petunias and start them now. I’ve remembered this after the great quote from the wonderful Henry T. Finck from his 1922 book, Gardening With Brains, “Pansies are violets with a college attitude”.

While you’re fooling around with annuals, why not read, Discovering Annuals by Graham Rice, a terrific and prolific garden writer with much experience.

Website Review

Well Spring is here and since gardening work can be difficult for those who are not in good physical condition, here is a great article on Exercise for Conditioning.  No one should undertake a physically challenging project if they are really out of condition.  The web site Practical Health Guide.com offers many articles on this subject as well as on such subjects as Practical Eating Habits, Healthy Bones, and the Importance of Sleep, even on Homeopathic Remedies. 

Late Winter Notes on Tree Care - Part 8

This is a portion of an article written in February ‘05 for the Hull Massachusetts Garden Club by Julie McIntosh Shapiro.  It is printed here with the author’s permission.  It is a long article, so it will be presented in several segments. 

While you’re looking out your windows, now might be a great time to examine the trees on your property and those close by, to see if any have suffered damage from the latest winter storm. Mario Vaden, an Oregon state arborist checks in with us with his list of things to look for in a dangerous or hazardous tree:

Here’s a fun seed to grow, what about growing artichokes? The plant itself is a terrifically sculptured plant in the garden, and even if you don’t like artichokes, has wonderful color, texture and stature. Try growing artichokes (as annuals): soak seeds for 2-3 days at the end of January through the middle of February, then mix with sphagnum moss, refrigerate for 4 weeks in unsealed plastic bag. When roots emerge pot up into 6" plastic pots. Then plant them into the ground outdoors when danger of frost has past. But if you’re growing plants from the seeds of Brazil nuts, you might want to be aware that, according to Lewis Hill and his great book, “From Secrets of Plant Propagation”, “the Brazil nut reputedly requires 6 yrs. before the shell is softened, and two additional years to sprout.”

While you’re waiting around for your Brazil nut to germinate, you might want to take stock of the plants you will be growing this season in your gardens and think about six things to look for when designing a Low-Maintenance Garden:

·            Hardiness – will it survive the winter?

·           Slow Growth – will it be manageable?

·           Pruning – will it require constant pruning?

·           Disease Resistance – is it prone?

·           Staking – can it support itself (some plants get floppy with great soils)?

·            Longevity – will it thrive for numerous seasons undisturbed?