Onions in the Garden

Tom's vegetable garden is doing well. We are really hoping to get some good-sized onions this year. So far, the plants look great:

We're crossing our fingers for tennis ball-sized onions this summer. (If all else fails, I suppose we can pop by the Farmer's Market.) There is nothing better than home-grown vegetables, don't you think?

My June Landscape

I have a lot better luck planting in containers than I do planting directly into the soil. While I haven't given up on beautiful flower beds some time in the future, I have thoroughly enjoyed the pots around my house this year.

Here's a peak at what's growing at our house:

The clematis and the knock-out roses are my old standbys. The impatiens and begonias are new additions. The petunias are an annual staple: this year I opted for Super Petunias in place of my usual Wave. The pretty orange flowers grace the pot I planted at the flower swap.

Since I took these pictures, the cannas and caladiums have decided to show themselves.

What's going on in your landscape this week?

Garden Party

My good friend Anne recently hostessed a planting party at her house. She provided the dirt, and everyone attending brought full-sun flowers and a container to plant.

Everyone had a great time and left the party with several pretty pots to take home. Most gardeners brought medium-sized pots, so we had a surplus of flowers necessitating a quick run out for more containers.

Our growing season has barely started, so there's more than enough time for some of you to plan a flower swap of your own. (I recommend having each guest bring half a flat of flowers.)

Coming Home

The last blooms on my lilac.

I haven't enjoyed my landscape more than I have this year. My flowers are all doing well, the lawn looks great and my husband planted some Oakleaf Hydrangeas in the backyard.

I still have room in a few pots, and I am dying to get one of those Drift roses I wrote about in April, so I am heading to Suburban Lawn & Garden at 105th & Roe in Overland Park on Friday to get the last few things on my list AND support a worthy cause.

Friday, from 5-8 p.m., Suburban is donating 10% of every purchase to the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired.

Here are the official details if you would like to join me:

Get your yard ready for summer with CCVI!

Another Bloomin' Fundraiser

5 to 8 p.m.
Friday, May 28
Suburban Lawn & Garden
105 and Roe in Overland Park, Kansas

View and purchase new spring bedding plants, trees and shrubs for your yard and garden while enjoying live music, light hor d’oeuvres and beverages. Suburban Lawn & Garden will donate 10% of every purchase to CCVI.

For more information, contact Jennifer Anderson (816) 841-2284 x2016 or janderson@ccvi.org.

Hope to see you there!

Vegetable Garden

Victoria recently sent in photos of her first vegetable garden. She built raised beds and filled it with rich soil. Many plants were started indoors from seed.

Photo courtesy of Victoria.

I can't wait to see how the garden progresses! If you would like me to feature your lawn and garden projects, send the details to tarapatty at ryanlawn dot com.

Tulips

Tulips won't be around for too much longer, but right now they are beautiful. One of my neighbors has a breathtaking bed of tulips every year (pictured). I love the mixture of colors.

A tip for those of you who are new to tulips: they are technically perennials, but the best blooms come the first year. For a spectacular showing, treat tulips as an annual and plant every year.

About Those Vegetables...

A friend of mine asked if Tom always starts his garden vegetables indoors - no. He usually sows them directly into the garden. I am not sure if he was overly-anxious to get started or just wanted to try something new. Either way, the plants are coming along nicely.

FINALLY, this week my hyacinths and daffodils bloomed. Yesterday was warm and sunny - euphoria set in.


Hyacinths smell heavenly, in case you didn't know.

Berry Goodness

I am planning on planting some more strawberries under the Sycamore tree this year. I planted a few strawberries several years ago and they have lived through frost, snow and drought. I have never eaten a strawberry from my plants. I plant them mostly because my Mom always plants them in a big barrel planter, and when I look at them in bloom or with fruit hanging heavy, I think of my Mom.

What plants have you added to your landscape for sentimental reasons? Did you plant a tree to celebrate your first born, or have you transplanted some bulbs from a neighbor? I would love to hear your story. E-mail me at tarapatty at ryanlawn dot com or leave a comment below.

Veggie Tales

My husband started his vegetable garden indoors this year. It has been fun to watch tiny seeds planted a few weeks ago sprout and grow.

I can't wait to enjoy the fruits of his labor this summer. Fresh vegetables are something I can easily get behind.

Right Plant, Right Place

Flowers (annuals and perennials) can add the "wow" factor to your landscape. In the front yard, they can help your home feel friendly and warm, in the back yard, they provide a pretty and fragrant background for outdoor parties.

Follow these simple rules to make the biggest impression with your flowers:

1. Put a group of flowers by the front door.
2. Use large pots by the front steps or patio.
3. Cluster flowers instead of sprinkling them thinly across an area.
4. Choose flower colors that will compliment and enhance the color of your house.
5. Place flowers in the backyard where they can easily be seen from inside your house.

Growing as a Gardener

At the Garden Show, many displays featured different varieties of plants acting as a border for another variety. I am just not there in my gardening repertoire. I tend to plant single varieties in mass and throw in some odd experimentation throughout the landscape.

However, after seeing some of the great borders, I realize I have stunted my ability to create stunning displays around my home.

This arrangement clearly is more dramatic and interesting than just planting pansies in a monoculture.

My gardening goal for the next growing season: pair plants together to add more depth to my planting.

Puzzling

Why have I never planted crocus? They are SO pretty, and they are early bloomers. Who wouldn't want an early, purple reminder that spring is coming?

Crocus should be planted in the fall for blooming the following spring. These babies will start to grow during the first warm spell in late winter or spring. Their early blooms in white, yellow, blue(purple), and light orange flowers can even be forced indoors. These small plants grow just 3-4 inches tall.

Perfect for Hot Summers

I first encountered strawflowers in my Grandma's garden. You can tell right away that their texture is different than most flowers. She planted a pink variety, at the Garden Show, there were some dainty yellow strawflowers that just "popped" against the green foliage.

Even in this picture, you want to reach out and touch the petals to see how they feel. (They are dry and rigid - very inline with their name.) The best part about strawflowers? They thrive in long, hot summers and will bloom from late spring until fall. I don't always like yellow flowers, luckily you have several options with strawflowers including light and dark pink, bronze, purple and white in addition to a few yellow shades.

Treat strawflowers as an annual in our area. Once temperatures start to drop, they will start to struggle.

L.O.V.E.

I have thought about writing about Fuchsia before - it is soooo pretty and delicate. It reminds me of fairies and butterflies and the ethereal. I spied some at the Garden Show looking glorious:

Fuchsia are native to South America with fewer species indigenous to Central America and Mexico. They are also prolific in New Zealand to Tahiti (Tahiti - warm, sunny, home of Fuchsia!).

Technically, you can TRY to grow them in the Kansas City area. The transition zone is going to be difficult to reckon with, however. Plant them in containers on your patio and then be prepared to work. Fuchsias should be fertilized every two weeks and need adequate water (but not too much - be careful of root rot!). They are going to struggle when temperatures are above 80 degrees. And you need to take them inside for the winter.

There is no way at this point in my gardening life that I can keep up with this rigorous schedule. Maybe you all are a little more advanced? After all, someone out there wrote an article calling the care of this persnickety plant "Easy."

Any ideas for a similarly ethereal, fairy-plant that doesn't take quite so much maintenance? I am all ears.

A Taste of What's To Come

Last weekend, I ventured down to the Johnson County Home & Garden Show. While I was there, I passed by Family Tree Nursery's display. (It was breathtaking.) Luckily, Ryan Lawn & Tree had a booth across from the nursery, so we got to smell spring all weekend long.

Family Tree's display.

There is so much going on here - but it works. I mean, I think an actual landscape like this would be a nightmare for me - too much maintenance. I thoroughly enjoyed looking through all the nooks and crannies to see what delights were awaiting.

I'll leave you with a shot of our guys in action (and the promise of more spring shots the rest of the week):

Tom DePaepe, Mike McGillicuddy and Jason Trent.
(Mike and Jason are talking to a client, I just didn't get him in the shot.)

Spot of Spring

We are still dealing with snow on a semi-regular basis, however, I did have a bright spot of spring on Sunday when I ordered a flat of these:

Photo from Fowler's Nursery

Green leaf begonias with white flowers. If you read Friday's post, you will have some idea of my plants for these little jewels. I can't wait to dig in and experiment again this spring.

Caladiums, Part Two?

These gems are planted beneath my Sycamore tree. I love how the shade from the tree plays up the white in the leaves.

I swear I have blogged about caladiums before, but my handy search tool didn't return any results...so, below is my tribute to caladiums, one of my favorites (perhaps for the second time):

If you are looking for plants to spice up your shady areas, consider caladiums.

Caladiums are often called elephant ears and have large, variegated leaves. They come in several varieties offering a wide variety of colors and sizes. Plan to buy the corms in March to take advantage of a greater selection early in the season. (There's nothing worse than being stuck with the varieties no one else wanted, unless you happen to love those varieties - then maybe you can get them on sale.)

Caladiums should be planted some time in April, once temperatures are consistently warm and the danger of frost has passed.

Try pairing them in mass with white Begonias. The shade will help the white blooms "pop" and create a great compliment to the foliage.

Poinsettia Tutorial

Photo from Iowa State Extension

I love poinsettias. (Probably because if it's red, I think I have to have it.) I think I have sent more than one to a premature death, unfortunately. However, with a few tips and tricks you and I can both keep our plants alive and thriving. (If we are really lucky, we may even coax it into re-blooming.)

• To start, choose a plant with thoroughly colored bracts ("leaves" in laymen terms).
• Once you get your plant home, place it in an area that will get indirect sunlight at least 6 hours a day.
• Make sure the plant is not near excessive heat or a draft. Poinsettias will suffer at temperatures of 50 degrees or below.
• Be careful not to over water your Poinsettia. Standing water that doesn't drain is a no-no.
• Fertilize your plant after the blooming cycle is over.

How to Re-Bloom your Poinsettia
Once the leaves start to loose their appeal, don't throw the plant out, give re-blooming a try.

• Cut the plant back to 8 inches in height in late March or early April.
• Continue watering as normal.
• Fertilize once.

By May, you will notice some serious growth.

• Once the days are warm and nighttime temperatures are above 55 degrees, move the plant outside. Continue to fertilize every 2-3 weeks.
• Additional pruning may be necessary to keep the plant from getting leggy. Prune as necessary, but DON'T prune after September 1.
• Starting October 1, keep the plant in total darkness for 14 hours each night. (The plant will still need 6-8 hours of bright sunlight a day.)

With patience, and a little luck, the plant should be back in bloom by next Christmas.

Flower Variety Spotlight

Photo from Magnolia Gardens Nursery

Anything with the word "profusion" in its name is a plant for me. Take the new Profusion Zinnia from Sakata Seed America. Flowers can grow up to 12 inches and spread up to 24 inches.

Plants in the series have won the All-America Selections' God Medal three times for white, orange and cherry varieties.

Mulch Roses

If you have any type of rose bush (including knock outs), mulch them after Christmas to help them get through the winter.

Mound 6-12 inches of mulch around the crown of the plant, to protect the roots and the graft union where the rose species you are growing is attached to a hardy root stock. (Don't try to use the soil around the rose bush as mulch. Moving it could expose or disturb the roots.)

The mulch will help keep the soil temperature constant, protecting the plant from heaving out of the ground due to freeze and thaw cycles.