It’s planting time! Finally we can set out flowers and plant vegetable seeds without too much worry about a frost destroying all our hard work. Still, watch the forecast to make sure that the temps won’t be dropping. I play it safe – if Tom Mahoney forecasts upper 30’s, I cover my plants. It always seems to get a little colder at my house than promised by the forecast.
Here are some tips to help you get the most for your money at the greenhouse.
Make a list. Write down which plants you want and how many of each. If you don’t know how many you need, measure the flowerbed. Most plants have a little tag in the pot telling you how big they will become and how far apart to set the plants in the soil. You can easily calculate how many you need.
That little tag usually carries a wealth of other information. Sometimes the Latin name of the plant is shown so you can be sure you are getting exactly what you want. The tag also shows the conditions for optimal growth. It will either say or have a symbol showing that the plant likes full sun, partial shade or full shade. Sometimes it will tell whether the plant does best in moist or dry soil.
Pay attention to the expected height of the plant. You’ll want to put taller plants in the back of a bed and shorter ones in the front. If you have an island bed, taller plants go in the middle with shorter ones around the edges.
Before buying bedding plants, look them over carefully. They should be a healthy green color with no yellow or brown leaves or spots.
Don’t buy plants that are so tall and leggy that they look out of proportion to their pot. They’ve been in that pot too long and should have been transplanted to a bigger one.
Pick up the plant in its pot. It should feel heavy for its size. If it feels too light, it is probably root bound, meaning that all you will find in the pot is circling roots and little or no soil. This plant is on its way to death and won’t do well when you try to plant it. If there are lots of roots growing out of the bottom of the container, skip buying that one as well.
Finally, a safety tip for those doing new landscaping. To avoid injury or death from digging into electric, gas or phone lines, call Diggers Hotline at 1-800-242-8511. There is no charge for them to mark where the wires are with spray paint and flags. But be careful – they only mark lines that are coming into your house. They do not mark private wires such as those going to outbuildings, landscape lighting, ponds or invisible fences.
For future safety, when you lay private electrical wires in your yard, take a photo of the excavation and keep it where you can find it for future reference.
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