Plant a Spring Garden Right Now

I wrote the following article for the Uinta County Herald in October several years ago.  Now is a great time to be planting bulbs and looking ahead to next year, so I'm republishing it here.

Plant a Spring Garden Right Now

Sara's park strip

The leaves are falling, the grass is turning brown, and of course there’s the snow.  If you are one of those who dread the next few months of dreary fall and winter, consider planting a spring-blooming garden right now.  In early spring, when you think the winter drab will never end, brightly-colored crocuses will give you hope.  And when your yard is abloom with tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils, you will be glad you made the effort.

Grape Hyacinths

When gardeners speak in general of planting “bulbs,” they are usually referring to both “bulbs” and “corms.”  While the botanical structure of bulbs and corms differs, planting techniques are the same. 

Purchase your hardy bulbs in the fall, choosing those that are solid and not moldy, soft, or dried.  Larger bulbs will give you a larger blossom for some bulbs, such as tulips.  It’s important to store the bulbs properly until you plant them.  Keep them dry and cool, below 65 degrees.

Daffodils

Site preparation is important before planting bulbs.  Well-drained soil is vital for most, since they rot in wet soil.  Drainage can be improved by adding organic matter, or consider planting in a raised bed.  First, remove all weeds from the garden site.  Then loosen the soil to a depth of 12 inches, digging in 3-4 inches of organic material, such as compost.  A slow-release or general formulation fertilizer should be incorporated into the soil below the root level.  Bulbs should never be placed directly on fertilizer.

Double Daffodils

Generally speaking, bulbs should be planted at a depth of about 3 times their height.  If they aren’t planted deep enough, they can frost heave or be easily dug up by rodents.  Mulch with 2 to 4 inches of composted leaves, shredded bark, or composted sawdust.  After planting, bulbs need to be watered thoroughly to encourage root growth.  Supplemental watering may be needed throughout the fall and winter.  In spring, fertilize when shoots are about an inch tall.  After bloom, let the leaves wither and turn brown naturally so the bulbs can build up another store of food for next year’s bloom.

Crocus

Although you might be thinking you are through with yard work this season, decide now to plant a spring-blooming garden.  You will be rewarded with a beautiful yard for many springs to come.

by Sara

'Autumn Joy' - My Fall Favorite

'Autumn Joy' in my rock garden

'Autumn Joy' Sedum couldn't be better named.  I get a thrill inside every time I spy one while driving around town.  They are my very favorite fall-blooming herbaceous perennial.  The succulent foliage is quite attractive in the garden all summer long, but by the end of August and into September when the blooms come on it is absolutely stunning.  Linda has it planted next to purple Russian Sage in her City View Dr. yard, and I really like that combination.  I've got plants all over my yard, but my largest and most brilliant ones are in my rock garden and my drought tolerant park strip garden.  It does best in full sun but can be planted in part sun also.

'Autumn Joy' in my park strip

Autumn Joy is the perfect plant for Uinta County gardeners who want to keep garden interest in the fall when many summer perennials are starting to fade.  It is hardy to Zone 3, drought tolerant and it doesn't take over.  I've read that it is deer resistant, but I've heard a few rumors that deer do like it.  However, I've never had any of mine eaten and I often get the night visitors in my yard.  Maybe I just have too many other things they like for them to bother with the Autumn Joy. 

All of my plants are from divisions and root cuttings.  The root cuttings were quite informal and really just a chance discovery.  I found a bunch of root pieces in the pot that my mom brought me with a couple of divisions in it.  I went ahead and buried the pieces of root around my yard that fall.  The next summer I had little Autumn Joy starts all over my yard.  Most of these root cutting plants are very small because the root pieces were tiny.  If you use a larger chunk of root, you'll get a bigger plant.

Linda's 'Autumn Joy' with Russian Sage

I've read that Autumn Joy comes with different flower and foliage colors.  My favorite is the one in my pictures.  I do have one plant with a lighter pink flower, but it just doesn't give me the same thrill.  So if you are picky, you might want to get a division from a plant that you like or buy one from a nursery when it is in bloom so you know what you're getting.

Here in Uinta County we try to extend the gardening season as long as possible so we don't get bogged down too early in the long-winter blues.  I recommend 'Autumn Joy' Sedum be your first choice for a late season garden.

by Sara

My Pineapple Houseplant

Homegrown Pineapple

In July I cut open my first homegrown pineapple and shared it with my family.  It yielded eight baby carrot-sized slices.  The fleshy fruit part was about 4 inches tall.  That's not very big for a pineapple, but it was exciting nonetheless.  Considering the stress I put my plant through, I was lucky to get any fruit at all.

Four years ago I attempted to root three pineapple crowns, and two of them worked.  Not a bad start for my venture into the world of exotic house plants.  They grew really well in my kitchen window, and I really began to believe that this was a nice addition to my emergency food storage.  Then we started remodeling the kitchen, and I moved the plants to a downstairs window behind a curtain.  I pretty much forgot about them.  They were watered about every couple of months.

So when a year ago I decided all of a sudden to revive the plants, they were very yellow, with half of the leaves dried and dead.  However, I am a sucker for reviving not-quite-dead plants.  I repotted them, added a little slow release fertilizer and let them sit under my tree all summer in the shade. They slowly started turning green and grew a few new leaves.  I was thrilled.  Autumn came and I brought them indoors.  The nicer looking plant I brought to the school where I work to see how it would do in a windowless room with fluorescent lighting.  It actually didn't do that bad.  I mean, it didn't die and it didn't turn yellow again.  However, it didn't thrive, and when I brought it home for summer vacation it was very similar in appearance to what it looked like when I brought it there nine months earlier.  No surprise, really.

The other plant just sat on the floor in my living room all winter, near a window with indirect lighting.  I was about to forget about it again, until late last fall I noticed an inflorescence beginning to emerge from the center of the plant.  At first I thought it was just some new leaves.  Soon it really began to look like a baby pineapple crown.  Over the next few weeks a small pineapple developed, and around the new year it flowered with tiny bright pink flowers.  But the pineapple never got bigger.  It never really did anything.  It just sat there looking cute for six months.

In June I brought the plant outside to sit under my tree again for the summer.  This time I decided it would probably like some sun, so I slowly exposed it to greater amounts of sun over a couple of weeks and then let it sit in full sun.  And guess what.  The pineapple began to turn yellow and ripened. 

As you can tell from my narrative, I really had no clue what I was doing.  I have recently read more about growing pineapples and discovered that the whole process of developing a ripened fruit actually does take many months from when the inflorescence first appears.

It took my neglected plant four years to produce, but if a plant is cared for, it will usually begin to produce a fruit in the early part of the second year of its life.  Now that I've actually harvested a pineapple, I'm ready to try again.  This time the goal is to have a fruit in two years.  My homegrown pineapple crown is currently in the process of rooting.

Rooting Pineapple Crown

Recently I read about other methods of rooting, but I stuck with the first way I learned.  After cutting off the crown, I removed the fleshy part so only a little stub remained.  I let it sit on my counter for a week to dry out a bit, then planted it in a mixture of sand and potting soil.  I'm watering it once a week, and if it works, in a couple of months it will be rooted and start to put out new leaves.  Two years from now I'll be sharing pictures of my second homegrown pineapple.

by Sara

Excited About My Clematis!

My Jackmanii Clematis

There aren't very many perennial vines that can be grown easily in our Uinta County climate, but luckily one of our choices is clematis.  I've really been enjoying my clematis the last several weeks.  It took a couple of years for it to make it to the top of my lamp post in one growing season, and I really like the effect. 

Rock Soapwort

Clematis roots need to be kept cool and moist.  I've got rock soapwort planted at the base of my clematis, and it seems to be doing the trick.  The late spring blossoms are gone by the time the clematis blooms in mid to late summer, but the foliage remains to provide the shade needed.

 
Jackmanii clematis is hardy to zone 3, but not all clematis are this hardy.  When shopping for clematis, look for one hardy to zone 3 or 4 for success in Uinta County.  Here is a link to get you started in learning how to plant and care for clematis - Growing Clematis.

If you've got a clematis in your yard and you know which type it is, make a comment on this post and let us know.

by Sara

A Peek at Crystal's Yard

Crystal's Favorite Garden

Yesterday I visited with Crystal, who lives in the Aspen Grove area in Evanston.  In the last six years since moving there, she has worked hard to develop her perennial flower beds.  Though her beautiful spring and early summer-blooming perennials get a lot of attention from winter-weary motorists passing by, there are some mid-summer bloomers at their peak right now, and they are nothing to scoff at.  I'm going to highlight just a few of them:

Shasta Daisies

Shasta Daisy (perennial) - You might think this is a pretty plain, everyday sort of flower, but it can be stunning in a perennial garden.  I think they look great next to purple flowers, such as salvia or delphinium.  They can be a great staple for your cut flower arrangements, and kids love to pick bouquets to decorate the table.  Crystal says they have been very reliable and survived the winters just fine.  She recommends keeping them thinned out every few years since they spread.  They are a great plant to share with friends.

Delphinium with Yellow Lilies

Delphinium (perennial) - Crystal has quite a few delphiniums growing in different parts of her yard.  She loves them because they give beautiful color later in the season and because they are tall and add a new dimension to the garden.

Bachelor Buttons

Bachelor Buttons (annual) - These are actually an annual flower, but since they re-seed so readily, they do well in perennial beds.  They come in shades of pink, white blue and purple.  Crystal likes them because they fill in the garden, especially in places other things won't grow.

Daylily - 'Daring Deception'

Daylily (perennial) - Daylilies are really fun because they come in so many colors.  Crystal is trying out a new variety this year called 'Daring Deception.'  She likes these flowers because of their later blooming time and because they are really hardy.  They are also quite drought tolerant, but she recommends watering them a little more often than some of your other drought tolerant plants.  Otherwise they are very low maintenance.  You just have to cut down a few dead flower stalks.

Yarrow

Yarrow (perennial) - If you have a weed problem with the wild white yarrow you might be cringing right now.  But don't tune this out.  Yarrows are not all created equal.  Yes, the wild white type is a weed, and the pastel varieties re-seed easily and can become weedy.  But many are very content to stick where you plant them.  As the clumps enlarge, you can share with friends, but they never become a nuisance.  Paprika Yarrow (red) and the yellow types are like this.  Crystal has a yellow variety which she really likes because of the color changes in the flowers as they age.  They go from yellow to an almost red color.  She also likes them because they are very drought tolerant.

If you'd like us to highlight some of your gardening successes in word and picture, contact us with this secure online contact form.

by Sara

Recycle Your Grass Clippings

Most of the time there is no need to put your grass clippings in the garbage can.  I can think of several ways to recycle them, which will keep them out of the landfill and help replenish nutrients in your soil.

The best and easiest thing to do is use a mulching lawn mower.  The clippings are cut up small enough that you don't need to bag them.  You just leave them on the lawn and they add nutrients back to the soil as they break down.  I use a mulching mower, and the only time I ever even notice the clippings is if I am mowing extremely tall grass. 

If you don't have a mulching mower, consider several options besides the garbage can.  Grass clippings are great in a compost pile.  When they are green they count as part of your "greens" in the mix, and if they've dried up and turned brown they count as "browns."  Makes sense, doesn't it.  It is a good idea to mix them up with the other compost materials or add them in thin layers since they tend to become matted and mess up the air circulation needed for good composting.

It's this matting tendency of cut grass that gives you another option.  You can use them for mulch.  They don't make a particularly attractive mulch, but you can use them in your backyard or vegetable garden.  Consider lining your garden paths with them to keep down the weeds.  Or mulch around vegetables such as peppers or tomatoes.  Remember that as the grass dries, it takes up less space.  So make your mulch layer rather thick, or it might just blow away when it dries instead of becoming a nice dense mulch.

I killed all the grass in my back yard several years ago so I could develop it with a patio, gardens, shrub beds, paths, etc.  But I haven't accomplished these goals as quickly as I wanted to, so the weeds are starting to take over.  In desperation the other day I decided that even though I'm not ready to develop certain areas of my yard yet, I can at least carry out a plan to minimize the weeds.  I'm putting down a thick layer of newspapers first and topping it with 6-8 inches of grass clippings.  Both newspapers and grass will decompose in time, adding nutrients and organic matter to the soil.  But in the meantime they will greatly minimize the weeds.  This will save me (and my kids) lots of time in the long run, and help assure that my neighbors still like me!

If you don't have a mulching mower, you don't want to compost, and you can't find anything in your yard that needs mulching, what do you do with your grass clippings?  Give them to a friend, of course.  And I am happy to be your friend.  I have huge areas to cover, so I'll need lots of grass donations.  I am happy to come pick up your bagged clippings.  Use this secure online form to let me know you have grass to donate.  Clippings with a few weed seeds are fine, but if there are lots of seeds, or you've recently sprayed with chemicals, then I won't be able to use them.  Thanks.

by Sara

Chives - A Super Easy Herb to Grow

Kirsten harvests chives

Tonight we had fresh chives on our boiled potatoes.  Super yummy!  My eight-year-old daughter Kirsten harvested and snipped the chives for me.  I'm always ready to let the kids help out in the garden and in the kitchen.  You can't go wrong when you let them help with chives.

Kirsten snips the chives

Common chives are hardy to zone 3, so they are a great herb to grow in Uinta County.  I started my chives by seed in a cup one spring, then transplanted them outside later in the summer when they had a pretty good root system.  They do well in sunny to partly shady areas.  One caution - don't plant them next to your grass, because when the grass moves in it's a pain harvesting them.  Unless you don't mind a little grass with your chives.

My chives in bloom

Chive flowers are pretty in the garden and the kids love to pick them to make little nosegays for mom.  They are edible too!  I'm not sure exactly what my chives are called, but they are a common type with purple flowers.  Recently Kirsten and I started some garlic chive seeds.  They will have white flowers.  I can't wait to try them.

by Sara

Helping Spring Come Early!

Snow Drop - April 2011

It's really tempting to complain about the weather this spring, with frost and snow almost every day for the last few weeks.  We can't do anything to change the weather, but there are some little things we can do to invite spring into our yard as early as possible.  Spring blooming bulbs are just the thing.

Crocuses - April 2011

When I was a kid I was always excited in the fall to spot the first snowflake.  I admit, I still am excited about it.  But come March, I am on the lookout for the first blossom in my yard.  The first few earliest bulbs don't make a big show, but at this time of year they are a big deal.  Take snow drops and crocuses, for example.  Both are fairly small flowers.  Compared to many of the summer blooming plants, they aren't that exciting.  But it's all in the timing, and right now in my yard they are everything.

Crocuses - April 2011

The weather and snow cover determine when the bulbs will come out, of course.  Some years I've spotted the first blooms in the middle of March.  This year I found the first snow drops blooming during the last week in March.  My earliest crocuses opened on April 1st.  For the last 3 weeks I have enjoyed them in my front yard several times a day in my comings and goings.  Sometimes in the morning they are buried under snow, but I know they are still there.  In the afternoon when I get home the snow is melted, and I am tickled all over again to see the bright colors.

Sara's Park Strip - April 2011

If you want an easy way to make spring come early, I suggest planting spring bulbs this coming fall.  Make sure to plant some early types, like snow drops and crocuses.  They are a great reminder that winter really is not going to last all year.

by Sara