Drop Your Pen – Pick up a Petal

As Morpheus once stated, “When bright flowers bloom, Parchment crumbles, my words fade The pen has dropped ...” A bit of a spring hiatus is always useful so I dropped my pen for a few days to soak in the beauty of spring. I hope you do the same. And if you haven’t noticed, the Cherry trees are coming into bloom with the recent warm weather. As a matter of fact, the Cherry Blossom festival in DC kept getting moved because the peak bloom came earlier this year.

Keep your eyes open for many of the flowering cherry trees. A particular favorite that creates quite a show of soft pink to white flowers is the Yoshino Flowering Cherry tree - Prunus x yedoensis. It is hardy to Zone 5 temperatures making it a perfect specimen for certain areas of New England. Extreme spring weather conditions i.e., real warm to cold, which can happen often in this area can shorten an already brief bloom time.

A word from the wise gardener – if you drive by a spectacular blooming tree, pull over and take a stroll. The next time you pass by, it may not be in bloom so don’t miss the moment. This is the beginning of the flowering tree season so pay attention to your outside world. Take a walk at lunch or drive to a nearby park. Drop what you are doing inside and wander into spring’s amazing beauty. The inspirational quote of the day is by Elwyn Brooks White. “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” Today's weather forecast is sunny and 85 degrees. You can watch the blossoms open right in front of you on a day like today. Enjoy your Wednesday.

Image of Yoshino Cherry Tree from Internet

What Makes the Grass Grow Greener?

Did you ever wonder about the green grass in Easter baskets? It must be all artificial; certainly not natural. So how can you make your grass grow green without all the artificial chemicals? Think of growing a green lawn as you would growing a healthy vegetable garden. You must prep the soil prior to planting your crop.

The current ideology with turf grass is to feed the lawn, not the soil. Due to very effective marketing from lawn chemical companies, we are programmed to think a green lawn comes in a bag, much like the Easter Basket stuffing. So when prepping for your lawn, don’t just think green grass; think healthy soil. Sand, silt, clay and organic matter make up the main components of soil. Often overlooked are the complex communities of interdependent bacteria and fungi that assist in the simulation and absorption of nutrients necessary for healthy plant growth. Unfortunately, many of the chemicals used in turf grass management can be detrimental to these organisms. A counterintuitive process but enough with the soil science - what should we do in our own backyards?

Think basic, think organic and think slow-release. If you currently use synthetic chemical programs, you must wean the turf from the reliance of these chemical fertilizers and treatments. Is your lawn going to look perfect? No. Are you going to have some weeds? Yes. Crabgrass is probably the most problematic weed for lawns. If you use one chemical application, use your pre-emergence herbicide applied between forsythia and lilac bloom to keep the crabgrass at bay. If you decide to use these herbicides, don’t use the clippings in your vegetable garden for mulch.We don’t use any chemicals. We let our grass duke it out with the weeds.

Start your season off on the right foot. Assess your lawn now. We are within a week or two of the first fertilizer application. Begin with some cultural practices. Thatch and core aerate your lawn. Then apply organic fertilizer. Is it going to respond immediately? No. Unlike the synthetic fertilizers, you won’t see quick results. It takes time for these organics to respond.

It’s important to improve your soil and make conscious efforts to reduce your chemical and water usage. When seeding or reseeding any lawn area, use the newest varieties of drought, disease, insect-resistant fescues and rye grasses. This alone can reduce your water consumption. These varieties require a 1/3 less water and fertilizer.

As pointed out in previous blogs, we should always pay attention to what is happening in other areas of the country. There is a new regulation, the Water-Efficient Landscape Ordinance that became effective in California this past January. This type of control could eventually reach the East Coast and other areas. Read the attached link for details. Be proactive as this legislation starts with the green lawns, which are the largest drains of resources per square foot on our property. http://www.losaltosonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20928&Itemid=131

To end with our usual inspirational thought of the day by Ilya Ehrenburg, “You could cover the whole earth with asphalt, but sooner or later green grass would break through” Grass is tougher than you think. Happy Easter and enjoy the beginnings of your spring garden.

Image of Easter Basket from the Internet

Don’t be a Foolish Gardener

With all the recent rains and warm temperatures headed our way, we may be tempted to start digging and prodding in the mucky soil. Don’t be foolish. Allow your soil to drain and dry out. If you dig too soon, often times you make more of a mess.

Just a reminder: an important task for April gardeners. Spend some time at your local nurseries scouting out that specimen tree or shrub you listed in your winter notebook. April is the ideal month to shop the nurseries for the best selection of woody plant materials, i.e., trees and shrubs. Be a savvy gardener and locate the cream of the crop. The best structure, health and diversity are available now for the season. If you want to discover unique, this is when you find that feature tree.

For planting, if you don’t want to be a slave to watering and expose your plants to hot, dry weather, now is the time to get woody plant materials in the ground. If September is the best month to seed a lawn, April is the best to choose trees. The official spring planting season for woody plant materials is when the ground is thawed i.e., no frost in the ground and the soil is moist but not saturated. It varies depending on your location and weather conditions but typically in New England, April through mid-June is the ideal window for planting woody specimens. There are always variables but this is a general rule of thumb.

And remember, April is designated as Landscape Architecture month. So don’t be a foolish gardener. Think like a pro and pay attention to the seasons. And more than anything, always have fun doing what you love. The inspirational quote of the day is by Mark Twain. “The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.”

The Easter Bunny is early – he’s no fool!
Image from the Internet