Photo: prestigeflower.uk.com
One of the pleasures of spring is taking stock in your garden: Which perennials are ready to be doubled (or even tripled)? To address your spring bloomers, you must wait until fall. But now is the time to divide fall bloomers so that before summer arrives, they will have ample recovery time.
Dividing plants not only benefits your garden, it also gives older perennials a chance to rejuvenate and thrive once again. Doing this chore isn’t necessary every year; depending on the species, every two to five years is sufficient.
Related: 5 Spring Garden Favorites to Plant Right Now
In picking candidates for division, focus on perennial clumps that have been producing fewer flowers, or flowers with hollow, dead centers. Chrysanthemums, asters, cannas, ornamental grasses, coneflowers and astilbe will all appreciate the extra attention.
A few days before you divide them, give your plants extra water, and make sure to prepare the bed, so you can pop the new divisions into the ground right away. If possible, pick an overcast day for the task. Dig around the plant, giving it a four- to six-inch berth. Remove the root ball of the entire clump and separate out sections as gently as possible.
Dividing Perennials with a Knife. Photo: Lowes.com
To separate very tangled roots, greater force might be needed. Pry the roots apart with two garden forks placed back to back. Try to wriggle rather than tear. Use a kitchen knife judiciously to pull apart the toughest clumps. Finally, make sure you get your new divisions into the ground that day, and provide plenty of mulch and water to help them settle into their new location.
We Heart Azaleas: Top Tips on Care
Photo: gardenblog.winterthur.org
Azaleas are getting ready to set gardens on fire. The fluorescent shades of this plant’s hallmark blooms tend to make a near-instant impact on the landscape. Though a signature of the South, azaleas—classified in the genus Rhododendron—thrive on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line.
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5 Spring Garden Favorites to Plant Right Now
The time to dream about your spring planting has passed. Now is the time to get going in the garden. So here are five flowering choices to consider for your landscape. Just remember that no matter what you’re planting, it’s important to water frequently as the growing season rapidly approaches.
1. HEATHER
Scottish Heather. Photo: oregonstate.edu
Heathers come in a variety of colors and as an added bonus, they are a big draw for pollinators. Choose your variety of this Scotland native according to the needs of your garden design. A lower, spreading-type variety is suitable as a ground cover while an upright heather would work wonderfully as a border.
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To Fertilize or Not to Fertilize?
Photo: Ace Hardware
As the growing season picks up, so does the drive to fertilize. Surely, your lawn could use a little help as it gets going—that’s what you’d assume anyway, based on all of the fertilizer tips and products appearing in stores this time of year.
If you really want to give your lawn a boost, it helps to know a bit more about what fertilizer is really doing.
Grass requires small amounts of many nutrients (calcium, magnesium, and sulfur to name a few). Macronutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are needed in larger quantities.
Nitrogen—which promotes growth and gives grass its green color—is the nutrient your lawn needs the most of. But you shouldn’t indiscriminately lay down a nitrogen supplement.
Instead, follow these tips:
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5 Ways to Jump-Start Your Garden for Spring
Photo: hoosiergardener.com
Ready for spring to arrive? So is your garden.
The ground may still be cold, but longer days have already begun to coax your plants out of their winter dormancy. It’s undoubtedly early—there’s not a lot of true gardening to do yet—but there are several valuable ways that you can prepare for the busy spring and summer seasons ahead.
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Brazilian Rain Tree by Spudi Sulistyo. Photo: bonsaiempire.com
Bonsai—caring for and nourishing miniature shrubs and trees in pots—has long been a way for hobbyists to reduce stress and demonstrate their gardening skill.
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Winter Care for Houseplants
Photo: dothegreenthing.com
Over the winter, when your outdoor garden has little to boast about, the greenery inside your home lifts spirits and keeps the air fresh. But believe it or not, even if a plant lives in a pot indoors, it remains aware of the seasons.
Houseplants deal with winter much the same as outdoor varieties. Although their colors stay bright, indoor plants essentially go to sleep. Here’s how to provide the best care for your ficus, ferns, and philodendrons until the weather warms:
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Amaryllis, Year After Year
Photo: Jackson & Perkins
The amaryllis is usually thought of as a one-off winter bulb that makes for a great holiday accent. But with very little care on your part, you can have the grand flower appear year after year.
The bulb, of the genus Hippeastrum, is native to South America and South Africa and grows either in savannas or high plateau regions. In keeping one alive for more than one bloom cycle, the goal is to mimic its natural habitat as closely as possible.
While your amaryllis is flowering, try to keep it cool, or place it near a cold windowpane that doesn’t get much sun. In its current state, with little foliage, the plant doesn’t need more than diffuse lighting. And it should stay moist, though not soaking wet.
Slideshow: 5 (Nearly) Kill-Proof House Plants
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How To: Make Tabletop Topiaries
Topiaries at The Gardens of Versailles. Photo: concierge.com
The sculpture of plants, or topiary, has been a gardening practice for centuries. The precise designs achieved through shaping and pruning can be found all over the world, from the gardens of Versailles to the Ladew Topiary Gardens in Maryland.
If your outdoor landscape doesn’t require the addition of such a formal element, or the practice seems intimidating, why not try making a tabletop topiary for your interior?
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Hanging Mistletoe at Christmas
Mistletoe Kissing Ball. Photo: webclipart.about.com
After decking the halls and decorating the tree, there’s only one thing left to do—hang mistletoe.
By doing so, you are participating in a ritual that holds more than just romantic significance. In fact, mistletoe was once arranged in homes to welcome the New Year and ward off evil. And it was also hung on a baby’s cradle to protect it from fairies.
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