|
|
Plant flowers!There is nothing that excites the senses quite like walking through the nursery aisles in the early spring. The memory of crispy brown bermudagrass is somehow lost when you touch the young, lush green foliage of spring flowering plants. They beckon to be taken home to your garden, as if they were puppies in the pound. And you must buy the entire flat of plants, because it would be devastating to break up a family... Planting flowers is the easiest thing to do to spruce up any part of the yard. It brings life to the garden and a smile to the face. I am amazed at how many people say "I don't have a green thumb, or I killed everything last year" so they just don't plant anything. There are too many wonderful plant selections that are practically bullet-proof. All that is needed is some simple guidance in the selection process to ensure success. Understanding if a plant requires sun or shade may be the biggest cause for failure. This can be especially true when plants are being selected for a container garden. Sun and shade plants can't be mixed unless, that is, you would prefer that only half of them live. Before going to the nursery, take a good look at the space you plan to buy for. Attempt at grasping a good idea of the sunlight that the area receives and make note of it. If a plant label says full sun to part shade I would be very hesitant about actually giving it full sun all day. I have strong suspicion that the companies who print these handy labels do not exactly understand that Oklahoma sun is similar to sunbathing on the surface of planet Mercury. But if a tag says full sun, it can usually take the abuse. Any plant, regardless of the light requirement will need some water to get itself established. Before planting in the ground make certain that the plant's soil is not bone dry. If the individual containers are moist the root balls will hold together better during the planting process. After planting provide the transplants with a good slow drink, making sure that the water is not running off target but rather soaking into the soil. It is also beneficial to give several of these deep waterings in the first two or three weeks as the plants become established. Colorful flowers can also be planted in hanging baskets. These are a great way to plant in an area with no flower beds and little vertical interest. Plants are available that can cascade over the side like a waterfall of color. Bacopa, petunia, creeping jenny, wire vine and the good ole' sweet potato vine will all make excellent cascaders. Again, consider the light that the basket will receive when it is hanging and then select the plants accordingly. Hanging baskets, while valuable contributions; are candidates for drying out quickly, so the moisture level will need to be checked a bit more often. The range of color in annuals is getting more diverse each year. If you have not been in a nursery for a few years you should go now. It will remind you of a painter's palette of colors. That is the hard part for me--picking the colors. It's a big commitment. I'll have to look at these colors until at least the middle of September. One trick when matching up annual colors is to use more of the darker shade. For instance if I were to make up a bed with purple and orange flowers, about 40 to 30 percent of the flowers would be orange and 60 to 70 percent would be purple. The brighter color has more power in the design, so not as much is needed for it to pop out to the eye. This will also prevent the brighter color from overpowering the darker one. Just as everything else in this plugged-in, time starved society has gotten easier--so too has gardening. The plants are tougher and provide more bang for the buck. When shopping at a local nursery, don't hesitate to ask for help in picking out your plants. The OSU Extension Office can also help you in determining if a particular plant will thrive at your home, or help you select a good plant for a troubled area. Now, get out there and plant some flowers. 4/28/08 Date: 4/18/08
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2011. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
|
