Quotation of the Week: "Never yet was a springtime when the buds forgot to bloom." — Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

Landscaping With Perennials

Blooming perennials color the landscape for years to come. Because of this, it's important to carefully plan where you plant them to make best use of their blooming time. Some prefer to plan their gardens so they are all blazing with complementary color around the same time. This is a great tactic if you have an especially important annual holiday party. Others prefer to have a little color throughout the spring, summer, and fall. By following this pattern, you trade off having a spectacular show of color for a short period, but you enjoy color throughout the season. When planning your own garden, go to a nursery like ours with a great selection of perennials, and wander through their gardens for great ideas for your own creation.

How to Plant a Water Lily

If you'd like to have some water lilies but don't have a pond, try this. You will need a water lily planting container (ceramic or plastic pot). Or you can fashion your own from any container, that is 12 inches in diameter and 6 to 12 inches deep. Plant water lilies in a heavy garden soil like McDonald’s Water Lily Pond Soil. Do not use soils that contain manure (which encourages growth of algae), peat moss, compost, commercial potting soil, perlite, wood shavings, or other lightweight soil amendment that might float to the surface of the pond. Next find a good slow-release fertilizer. I like to use Aquatic Plant Food Tablets. You only need to use one tablet for each pound of soil. It contains all of the necessary trace elements to enhance growth and flower color. In addition it contains a complete fertilizer. There are two types of water lilies: tropical and hardy. I like the tropical varieties because they are fragrant and they bloom above the water. Some tropicals are viviparous, meaning that they develop perfectly formed baby plants on their leaves. You can pull off the babies and press each into a container of lily soil if you care to start you own lily nursery. When you have selected your plant, fill your container to within 2 inches of the top and water it so that the soil settles. Add more soil if necessary. Don't let their roots dry out while you are preparing your container. Place the tuber in the center of the container with its roots buried and its crown, the place from which the foliage emerges, protruding slightly above the soil. If this sounds like too much work we have pre planted lilies, many with blooms, that are plug and play. Immediately after planting carefully submerge the lily in a larger container that will hold water and accommodate your plant. This one should be at least 18” in diameter. There should be 4-6 inches of water above the soil level. When the plant grows to 8 inches in diameter, lower the container so there are 12 inches to 18 inches of water above it. Water lilies need a lot of light, preferably at least 6 hours of sun a day. For the space challenged gardener a lily in a pot is a great way to enjoy a small water feature along with the beauty and fragrance of the lily.

Kathy Dickenson California Certified Nursery Professional

May Is The Time To...

1. Plant irises, canned roses, tropicals and tuberoses. 2. Transplant potted bulbs into the ground. 3. Replace cool-season bedding flowers with summer-season flowers. 4. Plant zinnias and other heat loving flowers. 5. Plant morning glories. 6. Plant warm-season lawns. 7. Continue to plant summer vegetables. 8. Replace parsley if you haven’t already done so. 9. Plant a giant pumpkin for Halloween. 10. Purchase, plant, and transplant succulents, including cacti and euphorbias. 11. Stop pinching fuchsias if you did not do so last month. 12. Thin out fruit on deciduous fruit trees. 13. Pinch dahlias back when the plant has three sets of leaves; tie the plant up as it grows. 14. Continue to pick and deadhead roses. 15. Divide and repot cymbidiums that have outgrown their containers. 16. Cut off bloom spikes from cymbidiums after flowers fade. 17. Prune camellias if you have not already done so. 18. Clean and prune azaleas. 19. Divide and mount staghorn ferns. 20. Prune winter- and spring-flowering vines, shrubs, trees and ground covers after they finish blooming. 21. Continue to tie up and sucker tomatoes. 22. Remove berries (seed pods) from fuchsias after flowers fall. 23. Pinch back petunias when you plant them. 24. Continue to prune and train espaliers. 25. Feed citrus trees, avocado trees. 26. Feed fuchsias, azaleas, tuberous begonias, water lilies. 27. Feed roses, ferns, flower beds, camellias after they bloom. 28. Fertilize lawns. 29. Side-dress vegetable rows with fertilizer. 30. Feed all container-grown succulents with a well-diluted complete liquid fertilizer. 31. Fertilize peppers when flowers first show. 32. As the weather becomes drier water all garden plants regularly. 33. Taper off watering those California native plants that do not accept summer water. 34. Water roses, cymbidiums, and vegetables. 35. Do not water succulents. 36. Control rose pests and diseases. 37. Spray junipers and Italian cypress for juniper moths. 38. Control mildew. 39. Control pests on vegetables. 40. Control weeds among permanent plants by mulching or cultivating. 41. Control weeds among vegetables and flowers by hand-pulling. 42. Keep bamboo from running into your neighbor’s garden. 43. Harvest vegetables regularly. 44. If you finish this work-list over the weekend, drop by the store and we will give you an expanded version.

Our 16 Page May Specials

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What you need: 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 5 cups chopped fresh plum tomatoes 6 cups cooked and drained pasta (campanella, fusilli or small shells) 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil 1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese 1-1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Step by Step: Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic; sauté for 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Add pasta, basil, cheese, salt and pepper, tossing gently to combine. Yield:  6 servings