May 2006

Well - May started on a wet note, but that is a good thing, because we didn't get many April showers. You may have been noticing that your perennials are shooting up because of the mild weather that we had last month. If you haven't done so already you should remove all of the last year's dead leaves and sticks and transplant and/or divide them. Perennials should be divided now, or you can wait to divide them until September(after they have flowered).

Several advantages of fall division is that you will have a clear idea of where there might be holes in your garden and you will get more vigorous bloom from plants left to be divided in the fall. But if you prefer to divide them in the spring, when you plant them put a nice fresh mix of compost, peat moss and soil to give them a good start. Some perennials like hostas have a really tough root mass - a good tip for dividing them is to use a serrated bread knife - it will make you job a lot easier.( If you don't have one of these --they are readily available at local discount stores in the kitchen section.) Remember, when your divide your perennials you should treat then like new plantings for a few weeks...plenty of water.

Your should be continuing to weed you garden beds to get them ready for mulching. Cleaning out all of the old debris will also get rid of insects that may be hiding in it! Mulching will help to retain moisture when the weather gets hot and will help keep the weeds down. This is also a good time to edge your beds.

If you have been starting seeds indoors you can be starting to harden them outside on nice days. Take them in at night if it is going to be particularly chilly..remember - they are hot house plants at this point. We could still have a light frost until about May 15th.

If you mounded your roses for the winter, you should have removed that by now and should begin fertilizing as well as using systemic insecticide and disease control. Use 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt plus 1 cup of 10-10-10 granular fertilizer each month beginning in April for each rose bush, ending in September. Dig a hole near the roots and put in the Epsom salt and fertilizer and cover with soil. Prune your roses now, if you already have not done so.

In anticipation of some of the pests of summer here is a tip on a common household item to take care of aphids. Put 1/4 cup of Lemon JOY (no other flavor will do) in one quart of water, put this in a spray bottle and use as an insecticidal soap for aphid control.

This is also the season that we gardeners start to frequent our local garden centers searching for inspiration and new plants for our evolving gardens. You should keep several things to keep in mind. Always read the plant information on the tags. You don't want to put a sun loving plant in a shady spot in you garden -- it will not do well. Or visa versa. When a plant tag says full sun that means 6 hours of sun. Also there are some plants that are labeled as perennials that may be annuals here in Killingworth - remember we live on the edge between zones 5 and 6 and depending where you live your yard could be either.

We of the Evergreen Garden Club look forward to seeing each and every one of you at our annual plant sale - Saturda, May 13 - 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Recycle Way Club members will be there to assist you with your plant selection and answer any questions that you may have. See you there !

Happy Gardening