Published: May 20, 2008 04:36 pm            

Ace of Spades: Some new feathered friends are out at the feeders

Originally published in the May 16, 2008, print edition.

We now have many new birds at the feeder. Is this normal?

Yes, many of the birds have returned, or are returning daily, from the South. Be sure to have fresh feed available for these little ones. Ground feeders and hanging boxes work well for the larger birds, while the smaller birds prefer the tube feeders with niger thistle seeds.

I’m planting some flowers in containers this spring and summer. What is a good mix?

First of all, don’t buy the cheapest potting soil; you kind of get what you pay for.

If you want your flowers to grow and look nice, you need to fertilize these container plants on a regular basis and water nearly every day. Once warmer temperatures come these container flowers will need to be watered every day, both in the morning and afternoon. Try to water early enough in the afternoon so the leaves can dry off before nightfall.

If you do not buy a commercial mix, here is a home mix for the container flowers. One part peat moss, one part compost and one part sand or vermiculite. The mix for the hanging basket plant is one part peat moss, one part perlite and one part vermiculite.

You may want to add some slow release fertilizer, at least with the hanging baskets, as some of the fertilizer will run out of the hole at the bottom of the basket.

My rhubarb plants are not doing well near a walnut tree. What is the problem?

The rhubarb, as well as the tomato, potatoes, peppers and others will not grow well because of the juglone juice coming from the roots of the walnut tree. Move the rhubarb plants now. Replant in a sunny area where no walnut trees grow.

Some of my shrub roses are not greening out this spring. Will they green up later?

There have been many reports this spring of these roses not greening up. It may just be because of the later season, or there may have been a lack of snow during a cold wave. The experts tell gardeners that shrub roses do not need to be covered. If last season was their first year of growth, the root system may not have been low enough to stand the freezing temperatures under the soil. From now on my advice at least for the first year, would be to put mulch around the base of these plants for protection.

I planted some perennial hibiscus plants last year. Should I have covered them last fall?

These types of flowers do not emerge until sometimes the first or second week in June. If you didn’t cover them, time will tell if they survived the winter, though in most cases there should have been enough snow for protection. This is why each fall I suggest to apply a mulch of old ditch hay, at least a two-thirds inch covering of cedar woods chips, or a good covering of leaves, held in place with some chicken wire. Don’t uncover these plants too early in the spring, just before Mother’s Day pull the mulch back from around the plants so the soil around the plants will begin to warm up.

        

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