Gardening Tips, Common Problems, Vegetable Gardens, Plants

You can plant your spring flowering bulbs in the fall anytime before the ground freezes. The earlier you plant the better. This will give your plant more time to establish a root system before the ground freezes.

Good soil drainage is important to growing bulbs. If your soil has a lot of clay you can improve it by adding compost and peat moss.

Here are some more useful tips about planting your spring bulbs in the fall:

• Purchase high quality bulbs.
• If you are looking to group you flowers you can plant your bulbs in a trench instead of digging individual holes.
• Check the package label for the correct depth.
• If you have no directions, go ahead and dig the holes a depth of about 3 times the height of the bulb.
• Make sure the soil is loose and add organic matter.
• Add bulb fertilizer to the bottom of the hole mixing it in the soil.
• Place the bulb in the bottom of the hole, right side up. (point up, roots down)
• Refill the hole, tapping down the soil lightly.
• Water thoroughly. A little more than usual for about 1 week.
• Place mulch, pine needles or straw on top of the ground where you planted your bulbs. This will give your bulbs protection from the freezing ground.

Don’t forget to remove the mulch in the spring!

Need some gardening advice or just a useful tip or two? Leave us a comment with your gardening question or click here to contact us. Either way, we’ll give you personalized gardening advice.

You may think that just because it is cold, and the first frost has already laid a white blanket across your garden that your role as a gardener is on hiatus for the winter. Sure, if you WANT to go on a winter sabbatical, you most likely more than deserve it after working in your garden all spring, summer and fall.

But if you’re like us, you may want to keep your hands dirty and your thumbs green, so here are some activities for gardeners during the winter (reprinted courtesy of: Emmitsberg.net)

Activities for Gardeners in the Winter Months:

• It is a good time to clean and repair your garden tools. Check the rototiller, lawn mower and sharpen tools.
• Transplant and maintain your houseplants.

Divide some of your plants to start as gifts for upcoming holidays such as Easter and Mother’s Day.

Starting African violets from leaf cuttings is an easy skill to learn. Select a leaf of medium size, slide your finger down the leaf stem and push down at the base. The stem should break away from the parent plant. Leave the stem on the leaf, and dip the stem in rooting powder. Insert the stem at an angle into the soil mix. Place the leaf and pot in a plastic bag, blow in some air and tie it shut. Keep the bag in bright light but not direct sun. If you see mold or moisture in the bag, open it for a few hours to let the excess water evaporate. The stem will root in about a month. When the leaves are an inch long open the bag. In 6 to 8 weeks small leaves will form at the base of the leaf. When they get to be half the size of the mother leaf, carefully separate them from the mother leaf and repot the plants individually. The plants should blossom in six months, if given bright light, warm temperatures and fertilizer.

• Build a bird feeder or purchase one. Watching birds in the winter is a great activity for the whole family. Buy an inexpensive bird identification book, which will make this activity even more fun. Try putting out different birdseed mixes to see whether different birds come to feed.
• Sprout seeds for eating. They do not require light for germination and are very nutritious. You can buy alfalfa seeds at a health food store and they will sprout in a short period of time.
• Now is the time to get a bargain on Amaryllis and Paper Whites. Buy a couple and start them at different times to have a continual bloom during the winter.
• Consider purchasing or even building an “Indoor Grow Lab” that will allow you to start plants from seeds, propagate root cuttings, raise flowering foliage and vegetable plants, force plants to flower and experiment with how plants respond to light. Instructions for building a lab are available at the Extension Office or library, if you are handy with woodworking tools. The cost will probably be $100 – $150.
• Visit a local nursery and drink in the beauty of what is growing and blooming.
• Attend a flower show in your local area – they usually begin to be scheduled in February and March.

Another important winter gardening activity is to start planning your spring planting. How about re-designing the layout of your garden and plotting which plants will go where. And check out local and online nurseries for end of season sales on bulbs, seeds, equipment and more.

As a gardener, what do you do during the winter? Leave a comment on this article or click here to use our handy contact form to let us know! We would love to hear from you.

A First and Important Question to Ask: Do you have a Tropical Hibiscus or a Hardy Hibiscus?

Tropical Hibiscus will typically have shiny dark green leaves that are 3-6″, double or single flowers that are red, pink, orange, yellow, salmon, peach, lavender, or white. Tropical hibiscus may also have more than one color in a bloom. Your tropical hibiscus will only tolerate a night or two of light freezes. One hard freeze could kill them. They are native to sunny, warm humid tropical places. You may want to bring them indoors before temperatures drop below 40 degrees. Tropical hibiscus will typically live up to 5 years in a pot.

Hardy perennial Hibiscus will typically have a dull lighter green heart shaped leaves with white, pink or red flowers that can range from a petite 3 or 4 inches to dinner plate size, 8 to 12 inches in diameter with huge 2-4″ in length buds. Hardy hibiscus will need very little care in winter. Their roots are hardy to about zone 5 (click here to learn about hardiness zones) and they will die to the ground each year.

Before you bring your tropical hibiscus inside you will need to cut it back to about 4-5 inches from the main stems. You will need to make clean cuts with a sharp pruning shears. This will help to eliminate the insects and bugs that are on the tips of the branches. Remove all the dead leaves, old flowers that are on you plant or in the pot.

Wash the plant carefully with water making sure to wash the stems and under leaves for any insects and bugs. Let the plant dry thoroughly before bringing inside. You may see some of the leaves turn yellow and fall off once you bring your plant inside, this is normal. Let the soil become dry before watering and don’t let any water sit and collect under the plant in the tray. You may want to mist the leaves daily to help with the low humidity.

Once you bring your tropical hibiscus indoors you will need a bright sunny area or fluorescent lights. Tropical hibiscus will do well with indoor temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees. If your tropical hibiscus is planted in the ground you will need to dig them up and plant them in a pot. But be aware that this may put your hibiscus in shock because they will not generate new roots easily at this time of year and may develop root rot.