Tulips

Tulips are often the first sign of Spring since they bloom in early March through April. While Tulips are often associated with Holland, the Tulip originally hails from Persia, where Tulip means "turban". (right) My Red Tulip Valentines bouquet in 2008.

Growing Tips: Tulips prefer full sun and sandy, well drained soil.

Planting Tips: Plant bulbs in late October and early November for Spring flowers. Tulip bulbs should be planted in a depth three times the length of the bulb (typically 6 inches deep). Set the bulbs pointed-end up.

Perennial Tips: Tulips are classified as perennials but often need to be treated as annuals to promote better blooming the following season. At the end of the blooming season, dig up your tulips once all the foliage has died. Store the bulbs in a cool, dry place and replant in the fall. This does not mean Tulips will not come back if you don't dig them up and replant. You can also wait for the blooms and foliage to die back (foliage should be completely yellow) and then deadhead the plants. Fertilize in fall and you can expect blooms the following season, although they may not be as large or long lasting as the first year.

How to cut Fresh Flowers

Everyone enjoys fresh cut flowers from the garden, but how do you properly care for the flowers so the blooms last longer and plants stay healthier? There are a few simple things you can do to properly cut and keep your fresh flowers and have beautiful bouquets for much longer.

How to properly cut fresh flowers:

1. Fill your clean vase with cool water, adding 1 tablespoon of flower food or 1 teaspoon of bleach to every gallon of water to prevent bacterial growth (bacterial growth will shorten the flower's vase life).
2. Remove all foliage that might fall below the water line as well as damaged foliage and all thorns.
3. While holding the flower stem under cool, running water, cut at least two inches off the bottom of each stem at a sharp angle to maximize water uptake. Place cut flowers in vase immediately.
4. Split or mash woody plants stems with a hammer at least two inches above the cut to further encourage them to absorb water. Most woody stems will benefit from a warm water soak for the first hour following a fresh cut.
5. Maintain proper water levels at all times and avoid extreme conditions when placing your final bouquet.

Special Techniques and Quick Fixes:

• To straighten curled stems, most notably Tulips, carefully wrap the entire bunch of flowers in a damp newspaper forming a straight tube. Secure with a rubber band and submerge in water for an hour or two. Unwrap and the stems should have straightened.

'Lucifer' Crocosmia

I have noticed these lovely flowers all over my neighborhood recently. They are a blog display of stiff, sword-like foliage with tall, slightly arched clusters of intense, bright colored blooms. Blooms appear from mid to late summer. These plants are called Crocosmia 'Lucifer'. They make excellent cut flowers, for best results, cut when half the flowers are open.

Growing Tips: Crocosmia prefer full sun and well-drained soil. Plant in groups of 5 or more for intense color impact. Grows well in containers.

Perennial Tips: Apply a heavy winter mulch, taking care not to cover the root base, in Northern climates.

Common Purple Lilacs

Lilacs are low-maintenance, aromatic shrubs and will grow several feet tall offering good summer shade and privacy from neighbors. One thing to know about Lilacs is they do not like to have their roots wet for prolonged periods of time. Lilacs grow best on hillsides, elevated areas or level ground with very good drainage. (right) My mother's Lilac bush, the Common Purple Lilac (Syringa Vulgaris).

Growing Tips: Lilacs prefer full sun to partial shade and infrequent but thorough waterings as they have deep roots. Fertilize in early spring to promote blooming, too much nitrogen in the soil will result in poor blooming. Repeat fertilizer after blooms have disappeared.

Perennial Tips: Mulch around the plant 2" - 4" deep but not directly on the base of the plant for winter. Be aware that mice and moles are the biggest pests of Lilacs and during winters will chew on the bark of the stems near ground level and can kill your Lilac plant, you can help prevent this by keeping the mulch away from the root base.

Peas do grow in Summer

This year, I was told and read that it was too late to plant Snow Peas and Sugar Snap Peas from seed. I decided to try anyways so I planted the seeds directly into the garden on May 18th (it is said peas should be planted right after the 1st frost as soon as soil is workable or in late summer for a fall crop, peas are a cool weather plant). Turns out, peas do grow in Summer! My plants are about 6 feet tall and flowering like crazy and just the other day, a pea pod emerged and more are quickly following. (right) My first pea pod in July 2009.

Go ahead, plant your peas in late Spring, what's the worst that could happen? If you don't get peas, the plants themselves are quite lovely to look at.

Summertime Orange African Daisy

I started with two different colors of African Daisy starter plants, Summertime Orange from the Symphony Series and Summertime Pink from the Passion Mix. I planted them into medium sized terra-cotta pots in full sun. African Daisies bloom best during cool weather and will brighten up your garden in Spring and Fall when garden color is minimal. African Daisies are recognized by their bright flowers and darker colored centers and can bloom white, peach, orange, yellow, pink, lavender or purple flowers. (right) My African 'orange' Daisies in September 2008.

Growing Tips: African Daisies prefer full sun and the potting mix should be light, moist and well drained. Fertilize every two weeks with half strength fertilizer. Deadhead to encourage new growth, pinch young blooms to encourage bushiness. Grows to 12" - 20" and spreads 10" - 20".

Triple Curled Parsley

I started with seeds of Triple Curled Parsley (Petroselinum hortensis) from Seed Savers Heirloom Seeds. This particular seed pack was packed in 2008 and is a biennial. I started my seeds indoors in pods, while sprouting they were kept covered in a dark room and once leaves started to develop, I moved the plants into a sunny window, uncovered. The plants at about 3" tall were transplanted into a terra-cotta pot and kept in the sunny window until they were strong enough to be moved outdoors to full sun. (right) My Curled Parsley on July 2, 2009 after moving outside.

Growing Tips: Curled Parsley prefers full sun to partial shade and well drained, rich soil.

Seeding: Sow seeds outdoors 1/4" deep when there is still a chance of a light frost (or sow indoors year-round). Seeds germinate in 14-21 days.

Harvesting: Harvest Parsley anytime after 30 days when leaves are curly and green. Trim off and use as needed.

Titan Lilac Vinca

I started with a 4" starter plant, Titan Lilac Vinca from Al's Garden Center. I planted it directly into a medium sized terra-cotta pot in partial shade. Vinca are compact, bushy, glossy-leaved plants with showy bright colored flowers. This particular variety has blooms that are a bright lilac color. Vinca grows best in naturally shaded areas with filtered sunlight. It can also be used as a groundcover, it prevents weeds and soil erosion. In really hot weather, it should be moved to full shade during the hottest parts of the day. (right) My Titan Lilac Vinca after its first bloom in June 2009.

Growing Tips: Vinca prefers full sun (where weather is cooler) or partial shade. Water 2-3 times per week until established. Will grow to 14" - 16" tall.

Perennial Tips: If Vinca outgrows its space, it can be sheared back hard in early spring. The sheared off ends may root along the stems.

Astro Arugula II

I started with seeds of Astro Arugula II (Greens, Arugula/Roquette) from Johnny's Selected Seeds. This particular seed packet was tested for germ in March 2009 at 90%. Arugula is a vitamin-rich green with a tangy and peppery (or mustard-like) flavor that is wonderful in winter salads and cooked dishes. (right) My Arugula on Day 15, July 2, 2009. Sprouts are about 1" tall with small leaves on top. (bottom right) My Arugula on August 21, 2009.

Growing Tips: Arugula can be grown in full sun or partial shade in early spring and mid-summer and is well adapted to growing in cool greenhouses. Plant in well-drained garden soil. To slow bolting by keeping the soil evenly moist and providing some shade for warm-season plantings (this is traditional a cool-weather plant).

Seeding: Sow from early spring through mid-summer. Sow thinly, covering seeds 1/4" in rows about 18" apart. Thin to about 8" - 12" apart.

Harvesting: Arugula matures in 60 days, begin harvest at about 30 - 40 days after sowing. Arugula should be harvested before flowering however, they flowers are edible.

Sunflowers

I started with a 12" Sunflower from Al's Garden Center. Some consider Sunflower's a flower, others consider it a vegetable. Technically, it can be considered both because it is a flower that holds a great seed, full of protein and great for snacking. Sunflowers are basically seperated into three sizes, Giants which grow to over 10 feet, Regulars which grow from 6 - 10 feet and Miniatures which grow from 2 - 4 feet. (right) My miniature Sunflower on June 30, 2008. Minis are great for container gardening but not for seed harvest. (below) My miniature Sunflower on July 4th, 2009, this was its first bloom.

Growing Tips: Sunflowers prefer full sun and if grown in containers, the container should be deep and wide. Sunflowers need to grow their roots deep and wide to enable them to withstand winds and hold up their weight, especially the giant varieties. See 'Seeding' for spacing.

Placement: Sunflower blooms will always point their bloom faces to the rising sun in the East, keep this in mind when choosing a location for your Sunflowers.

Pests: Birds and Squirrels will start eating the Sunflower seeds before the seeds are completely ripe. To protect your plant, cover with a nylon stalking or netting.

Harvesting: Sunflowers mature in 70 - 90 days depending on the variety. Harvest seeds when the flower begins to die back and most the petals have fallen off. Cut off the flower head, leaving a few inches of the stalk, hang the stalks to dry in a well ventilated area. Do not stack to dry, this encourages mold. Once the flowers have dried, rub two flower heads together to extract the seeds which should release quite easily.

Seeding: Sunflower seeds are best grown outdoors directly into the garden however, after planting, cover the seeds with a screen because birds and animals often will dig these delicious seeds up. Based on the variety of Sunflower you are growing, spacing requirements change, see below.

• Giants: Space 3' feet apart in rows 3' - 4' apart.
• Regular: Space 2' feet apart in rows 3' apart

• Miniatures: Space 1' foot apart in rows 3' apart.

Cayenne Hot Pepper

I started with a 12" plant, Cayenne Hot Pepper grown locally from Iwasaki Bros. Cayenne Peppers are long, slender, very hot peppers that start out dark green and ripen to bright red. They are very strong, upright plants that love hot weather. Cayenne Peppers can be used for canning, drying, chili, salsa, pickling or eaten fresh. I planted my Cayenne Pepper in a large plastic container in full sun. (right) Some of my garden harvest from September 2008 including Jalapenos, Cayenne Peppers and Tomatoes.

Growing Tips: Cayenne Peppers prefer full sun and water regularly, especially in hot, dry summer months. Plant 18" - 24" apart in rows 24" - 36" apart.

Harvesting: Cayenne Peppers mature in 70 -75 days, harvest when fruit is bright red by clipping them off the plant, do not pull off.

Golden Bell Pepper : Organic

I started with a 6" starter plant, USDA Organic Golden Bell Pepper (Chile Campana Dorada) locally grown from Smith Gardens. Golden Bell Peppers are more sweet than spicy and have a beautiful golden yellow skin and flesh. I planted my Golden Bell Pepper directly into a large, deep plastic container in full sun. (right) My Bell Pepper is just starting to produce fruit about 1/2" - 1" in size.

Growing Tips: Bell Peppers prefer full sun and water regularly, especially in the hot, dry summer months (lack of water will give peppers a bitter taste). Bell Peppers grow 18" - 24" tall. Space plants 18" apart in rows 24" - 36" apart. Bell Peppers have very deep roots and require large, deep pots if grown in containers. Fertilize monthly.

Harvesting: Golden Bell Peppers mature in 75 days, harvest when fruit is golden yellow and firm.