Container gardening, Flowers (annual and perennial)

Flowerpots

With flowerpots, bigger is better. They do not dry out as fast and they hold more types of plants for larger root growth making for a dazzling display.

The pot must have a drainage hole, so the roots do not sit in water causing problems. Large plastic and glazed pots do not dry out as fast as clay ones because the water does not evaporate thru the sides. Plastic is lighter and can be moved easier, but they also allow the wind to tip them if not in a protected site.

Some fill the bottom of the pot with those Styrofoam peanuts and empty pop cans (good recycle idea) so less soil is used to save cost on potting soil. I like to fill the pot totally with soil for high root growth and leave in place.

Fill with a good potting soil like Miracle Gro to a couple of inches below the rim. Then moisten the potting soil before placing in plants so the plants do not float up. You can also use a mulch like a colored sphagnum moss or cocoa shells to help the soil from drying out too quickly.

Now decide if you want the pot to be in the sun or shade and select the plants accordingly. Use around 8 plants in a 20-inch planter and more for bigger pots. Do not plant too thickly because you want good airflow. Fertilize with a water-soluble fertilizer every other week.

DIY Projects

Designs using Cinder Blocks

Are you like me, that thinks cinder blocks are just used in foundations? Now I have seen they can be used in landscape designs without costing a fortune.

You can create a planting bed design by staggering 3 or more layers of blocks. You may want to paint the blocks a particular color using stone spray paint. A cheap way for creating raised beds.

Create sitting benches by stacking the blocks and placing landscape timbers in the open ends. Place cushions making more of a comfortable place to sit. Cement the blocks together for support. Add an outdoor table to the design.

Cinder blocks make for a great fire pit or outdoor fireplace. If you are handy, create that master bar-b-que.

Garden almanac, Garden Pests, This week's garden questions

Spring is Tough for Gardeners

Spring is tough for gardeners in South Dakota. We get the twitch when temperatures get to the upper 70’s and think it could not possibly freeze now. But how wrong we are forgetting the last frost date is usually May 15th.

I planted only three tomato plants and been covering them for 6 nights in a row. I finally gave up when they started to die back. The frost finally took them. The onions and cole crops are still doing fine. The calendulas and bachelor buttons are good but the four o’clocks and cosmos are history.

The good news I have learned, most perennials and shrubs growing are not harmed especially if you live in a town that is a little warmer at night. Leaf buds are tougher than the flower buds are why my lilac blooms just coming out are looking a little wilted.

The bad news is with the flower buds on fruit trees. If they have broken dormancy your fruit may be history this year. Shrubs that bloom on new year’s wood may have been hit.

If your new growth on roses have been damaged and are blacken and curled, prune down to a nondamaged section of the cane.

If your garden plants are blackened, do not try to bring back to life, replant, it is still early.