Favorite Links

I have posted some of my favs at the bottom right of blog page...feel free to share yours in Comments (click on the pencil).

Hope you are staying dry out there!

Lyn

Can you believe this was just one week ago?

 

Hard to believe we had three inches of snow less than a week ago! Use these warm days to clean out your weeds, see what's coming up, and plan your new plants for the year. Top Trends this year include:

1. Grow-it-yourself (or GIY for short!). Start something from seed this year. Easiest seeds for first timers include zinnias and radishes.

2. Blended gardens - kinda like blended families, this includes adding fruits and veggies to your garden, right in there with the perennials and shrubs. Strawberries, blueberries, peppers and beans all mix up well with your 'regular' garden varieties.

3. Be a Locavore. No, that's not a new kind of dinosaur... it means to buy locally made supplies, use native plants, forego the cypress and peat (they come from far away and their harvest is hurting our environment). Make your own compost -- try a worm farm!

Later this week, more on seed starting, worm farming, and preventing insects in order to eliminate use of harmful chemicals. Meanwhile, I hear the rains are returning...at least it is staying above freezing!

Will the real Spring, please return to Atlanta, soon?!

Lyn

Free Plants!

My last quote found the client a bit surprised by the price of plants. March and April are the highest priced plants of the year, mainly because they are new inventory for the busiest planting season of the calendar. You will also find the healthiest stock now, in plentiful supply.

But what about free plants, you ask??? If you are willing to do the work, and like using native species in your landscape, the Georgia Native Plant Society may be for you. Each year they schedule several "Digs" where you get to go on property to find and remove plant material that you can take home.

If this sounds like something for you, here's the link:

http://gnps.org/geninfo/Plant_Rescue_Schedule.php

Good luck and good digging!
Lyn

Hydrangea Pruning

This has been a popular question from friends and clients this week.

Hydrangea pruning falls into two main groups:

Group One: Mopheads (such as Endless Summer), Lacecaps, and Oakleaf
This group blooms on OLD WOOD. Pruning should take place in June or July, soon after spring bloom, so as not to lose next seasons' blooms. Remove dead blooms at any time, long stems before August, short stems after.

Group Two: H. arborescens (Annabelle-Large Leaf) and H. paniculata (Limelight, PeeGee types). Prune these any time EXCEPT spring for arborescens, summer for paniculata.

For a great reference sources and more details, see:

http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/pruning.html

As with all plants, prune any dead stems when you discover them to keep your plant healthy!

Next week, I'll focus on new plants to consider this year. Happy pruning!

Lyn