Clinton News-Record, 1978-04-13, Page 406
Bedding plants offer variety, quick start
Flower gardening hints for new
gardeners or for accomplished
gardeners are offered by Bedding
Plants, Incorporated, the in-
ternational organization of plant
growers. The sturdy, well -
branched plants produced by
bedding plant growers are found
at your local garden supply store,
all ready for planting in your
garden. Often the plants are
showing flower colors to aid in
your variety choice.
For sunny gardens the most
reliable and popular kinds of
annuals are ageratum,
marigolds, petunias, salvia,
snap -dragons and sweet alyssum.
For the shady garden where
there is some good light, the most
useful annuals are wax (or
fibrous -rooted) begonias, coleus
and impatiens.
Marigolds are produced in
several varieties and sizes of
flowers and on plants of different
heights. Choices include the low
bedding varieties, the
remarkable "hedge -type"
marigolds and the taller -growing
specimens which flower later in
the season.
Petunias are the mainstay of
the sunny flower garden and'the
new hybrids are better than ever.
Choose the colors and forms you
like; remember, in this bicen-
tennial year red, white and blue
varieties of petunias are
available. Snapdragons are
produced in clear vibrant colors
on tall, medium or short -
stemmed plants. They are good
for display and for cutting. There
are open-faced kinds, as well as
the familiar hooded varieties.
Wax begonias can be used in
sunny gardens but they also do
well in partial shade. Begonias
are available in heights from 10
to 18 inches, characterized by
green or bronze colored foliage.
Other valuable plants for the
shady garden include impatiens,
now appearing in wider color
ranges and increased flower size,
Shorten the long; wait
for your strawberries
You can shorten the wait until them 'with soil.
the first strawberries ripen this Once the strawberry plants
year; by covering the plants with begin to flower, ventilate the
a plastic tent in early April, the plastic tent during warm days to
fruit will be ready 10 to 14 days aid pollination. "Ventilating is
earlier than usual. easy," says Mr. Sangster.
"The plastic provides a "Simply lift the plastic between
greenhouse effecf so the plants three and four inches along the
bloom sooner," explains Ontario sides, turn it up, and secure it to
ministry of agriculture and food the outside of the frame."
horticulturist, D. M. Sangster. If frost threatens during the
Construct a wooden or wire bloom period, cover the plastic
frame over the strawberry row tent with blankets for the night.
and attach polyethylene to it. Remove them the next day.
Although two mil polyethylene To get ripestrawberries even
works well, four mil polyethylene earlier in future years, plant out
is easier to work with and lasts an early fruiting variety, such as
longer. Anchor the plastic along Veestar, this year. This variety,
the sides of the framework at grown under plastic, will assure
ground level by laying both its you the first strawberries in the
edges in furrows and covering neighborhood.
How to read seed packs
BEET
PRIMROSE
SW EE kPEAS
DIANTHUS'
c-
BEET
Seed packets can't tell you
everything you need to know
about planting flower and
vegetable seeds. Only experi-
ence can accomplish that. How-
ever, the brief instructions on
the back of the packet can give
you a good start by providing
much essential imformation:
Plant size
Days to maturity (for
vegetables)
When to plant
Depth to cover seeds
Optimum distance between
plants
Most seed packets are written
in plain English that even
nongardeners can understand.
Still, you may occasionally en-
, counter old-fashioned phrases,
relics of the. days when farm-
ing terms were common. Most
people can puzzle through these
archaic expressions to under-
stand the gist of the instruc-
tions.
You should save seed pack-
ets, regardless of how pictur-
esque they look when stuck on a
stick as a row marker. A better
marker can be made from a
piece of thin wood with the
name of the variety and plant-
ing date written with a laundry
marker pen. By saving packets
you can refer to them later in
the season for information on
thinning and harvesting.
Most perennials need
dividing for renewal
After several years in one spot,
perennials may be crowded,
producing fewer and smaller
flowers and straggly growth.
Dividing and replanting these
perennials is an excellent way to
rejuvenate them, says D. B.
McNeill, horticultural specialist,
Ontario ministry of agriculture
and food.
In August, the majority of
garden perennials are past
blooming, and can be divided
successfully. Some common
examples are: daylilies, phlox,
iris, peonies, hosta, poppies,
Veronica, bte'elding heart, some
flowering bulbs and most rockery
perennials.
Dig up the plants carefully to
avoid cutting or splitting the
roots. Using a sharp knife, cut the
roots in several pieces, making
sure each piece has several eyes
or shoots. Save only the young
healthy roots. Older roots may
produce weak or disease -prone
plants. Cut back the foliage to
about 3 to 4 inches.
After the plants are divided,
replant, keeping in mind that
each plant has its personal
preferences as to soil type, depth
of planting, location, etc. Water
and fertilize them carefully.
Root, growth is rapid in late
August and early September.
This allows the newly planted
perennials to establish them-
selves before winter.
and colorfully -leaved coleus.
If you're gardening on level
ground, try building a mound
slightly higher in one area for
another dimension in your
garden. Ageratum, alyssum,
asters, begonias, calendula,
gazania, geraniums, marigolds,
petunias, vinca and zinnias are
some good kinds of bedding
plants for a mound garden. A
mulch spread between plants will
prevent possible erosion before
plants grow together.
For cutting flowers buy plants
of asters, bells of Ireland,
calendulas, carnations, larkspur,
marigolds, stock and zinnias.
Strawflower plants produce
flowers for colorful dried
arrangements. Heliotrope and
flowering tobacco plants produce
fragrant flowers. Ivy -leaved
geraniums, lantana, dracaena,
petunias and variegated vinca
vines are excellent for container
gardens.
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