Published: March 13, 2008 10:45 am            

Ace of Spades: Spring is just around the corner; start garden planning

Originally published in the March 7, 2008, print edition.

Some are thinking winter has gone fast, and I tend to agree. Personally I wish May 1 was already here, when more of the flowers are already blooming, and the tulips and daffodil flowers nearly done blooming. Oh well, I guess we can all dream. Spring begins March 20.

My strawberry bed did not produce well last season. What are some good strawberry plants to plant?

A good June-bearing strawberry is the Earlyglow variety. Remember there will not be many strawberries harvested this spring and summer from these plants. They will do better the second season.

If you presently have a strawberry bed and it has not been producing well, you may want to start a new bed in a different location. Get that bed started before digging up the old bed.

We planted some perennial hibiscus seeds last spring and summer. Please tell me how to handle them this spring.

Hopefully last fall you covered the pruned-off stalks with a mulch for protection this winter. The last two years I have used cedar wood chips. However there are other mulches like ditch hay that you may put around the base of the plants. With plenty of snow this season you would not have needed any extra mulch for covering. Once warmer temperatures return this spring, pull the mulch back from the base of the plant itself. It takes awhile in the spring for emergence of these plants.

Several years I have had to wait until the second week in June before seeing any new growth. There are new varieties of hibiscus available every season. Most nurseries in the area have them available.

Every fall I plant some daffodil and tulip bulbs, but I never get any flowers the next spring. What has happened?

Hopefully you have planted the bulbs deep enough — at least 6 to 8 inches deep — with good sized bulbs.

Or, maybe the squirrels have dug out the bulbs before the ground froze hard. If you think this is the case, try putting a piece of chicken wire over the bulbs. Be sure to put some rocks or boards over the wire to hold the wire down. A good layer of snow will also hold down the chicken wire.

Last season once my tomato plants got some growth they died even before blooming. What was the problem?

Did you have cutworms in your garden? Cutworms usually work at night, so you may have missed them.

Are walnut trees growing in the area where you are growing tomatoes, peppers and/or potatoes? The junglone juice given off from the walnut trees will kill your tomato pants as well as other plants.

I cut some of my lower branches off of the evergreen trees. Can I plant any flowers under these trees?

Donna and I did this under our evergreen tree about four years ago. Any shade-loving plants, such as hosta, will grow just fine under these trees. Last fall I experimented with planting some tulips and daffodils under these trees. This spring I will give you the results of my experiment.

You need to remember to water these plants well. Also remember that the ground is probably very dry, since we have had little rain these last several years. Any new plantings will need to be watered on a regular basis.

My flowers keep falling off of the Christmas cactus plant. What could be the problem?

Hopefully you haven’t over-watered these plants. These plants do not want to be in a warmer room.

Once these flowers begin to bloom, do not move them. Do not over fertilize them while flowering.

        

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