By Bart Ziegler
With spring finally here, people are spending more time outdoors. And that raises issues about how to get lawns, shrubs and flower beds ready for summer after what was a long, harsh winter in much of the U.S.
We put out a call on Twitter for gardening questions. Below is a sample of the responses we received along with my advice:
Q: "By the end of the fall, my 'grass' was nothing more than a succession of browning, unidentifiable low growth. Now what," asked Louise Schiavione @LouiseSchiavone.
WSJ: Give it some time. While the grass may be brown, its roots—the key part—likely survived fall and winter. With springtime rain and warmer weather, the roots should push out green blades again. But as a precaution, you could spread some grass seed, rake it in lightly and keep it moist for a week or so until the seeds sprout.
Q: Melissa Davis @macmamava wrote: "weeds, weeds, & more weeds are my issue! They have taken over my flower bed...help!"
WSJ: Ah, the scourge of gardeners everywhere. First, you've got to rip them out by their roots. There's no way around that. Then, cover the entire surface with a few inches of mulch, and please, don't use the screaming-red-dyed version, unless you're trying to imitate a gas station flower bed. Mulch not only helps prevent new weeds from sprouting but holds in moisture. And any weeds that do appear should be easier to remove from mulch than from dirt.
Q: "Preventing the neighbor's ivy from invading my yard," tweeted Daren Heidgerken @DarenHeidgerken.
WSJ: That's a tough one. Ivy can spread rampantly and seems to have nine lives—one reason I pulled out mine. Still, I find some of it comes back each spring. One potential solution is to install metal or plastic landscape edging strips along your property line (ask for advice at a garden center), but even with those in place you'll need to cut off any vines that make their way over the strips' top.
Q: "trying to downsize garden to make life easier, but still want color thru summer. Strategies and plants, please," asked BJ Roche @BJ_Roche.
WSJ: Sounds like you need no-fuss, clump-forming bulbs and perennials—as opposed to plants that spread out of bounds or need lots of care.
For spring blooms, plant daffodils and crocuses. Surround them with salvia such as Salvia 'May Night' and yarrow such as Achillea 'Coronation Gold,' which will bloom after the bulbs and disguise their dying foliage.
For later-season color, try some of the many newer varieties of coneflowers, such as Echinacea 'Coconut Lime,' along with old faithfuls Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' and Sedum 'Autumn Joy.'
Read the entire article at: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304734304579515913037922076?mod=residential_real_estate&mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304734304579515913037922076.html%3Fmod%3Dresidential_real_estate
No comments:
Post a Comment