MONTHLY PHOTO
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SEASONAL TIPS
 Check your
strings on your trees and shrubs - if you didn’t do it last month. Mark
your calendar on all new plantings to remove strings 6-8 weeks after
planting balled and burlapped trees and shrubs - No later than the
following Spring.
Click here
or see pages 8-9 in
High
Altitude Planting - How to Plant a Tree.
Continue
planting Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Groundcovers, Seed, etc. THIS IS THE
GROWING SEASON!
Fertilize
your fading bulbs with Bone Meal, Bulb Food, triple phosphate, vegetable
food or whatever, as the leaves die, they are sending nutrients back to
the bulb. DO NOT cut them back until the leaves are completely brown.
Plant perennial near them to cover the ugly stage!
Watch
for Frost! It can freeze into July and at least until June 20th
(give or take a week) so. . . Check the weather forecast. IT usually
freezes the night after the cold front passes.
DON’T
get careless. Keep your frost cloth, old sheets shade cloth, burlap or
newspaper handy so you can cover more tender items in your flower beds and
planters.
Spot
spray weeds on hot, dry days.
Adjust your soil pH. Use Soil Sulfur or Soil Acidifier. The closer to
neutral we can get the soil, the better most plants grow. Generally, we
are on the Alkaline side - need to lower the pH. Test your soil first.
(Soil Test Kits available at Park City Nursery.)
Get your
container gardens planted. Have a plant to protect them from frost on cold
nights!
Click
here for pages 15-17 from the book - how to plan
and plant container gardens.
PLANT OF THE MONTH
Canada Red Cherry
-Prunus
virginiana ‘Schuberti’
- Zone 2
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There is a spot in every yard for this unique plant. I can’t say enough
good things about it. . . Hardy, wind and drought tolerant,
interesting, comes in single stem and clump forms.
The new growth on the leaves is green, then, it slowly flushes to
purple, leaving it two-toned for awhile; fragrant, clustered white flower
in Spring. Handsome shape with nice upright head. Grows to 25' tall x
15'-20' wide.
Examples can be seen on Swede Alley and almost every other neighborhood
in Park City as they are ideal for many growing sites.
The leaf color makes this an excellent contrast tree. DO NOT
over-water this beauty.
MONTHLY SPECIALS
click here and
print our coupon
bring it in for our monthly special
*Park
City Nursery has QUANTITY Containerized Pricing every day this
month when you
buy 5 or more shrubs of the same size and variety, you will receive:
$1 off
each plant - 1 gallon size
$1.50
off each plant - 2 gallon size
$2.00
off each plant - 5 gallon or larger
*Park
City Nursery receives new shipments of containerized shrubs and flowers
daily during peak season to ensure we have the fines plant material
available during our planting window.
*Many
of our plants are custom grown for us from suppliers around the Western
U.S. We have spent years cultivating relationships with some of the best
growers to get what we need. Some of the plants we receive have been
"getting ready" for us for 3-5 years - some even longer. (That’s a lot of
planning ahead!)
*We
have one of the largest and most diverse selections of perennials and
ground covers in the state. Our herb selection is pretty good, too! People
have been coming from all over the country for years to our little oasis.
Call (435) 649-1363
with any questions or - check in weekly to see for yourself!
ORGANIC LESSONS
We are focusing harder on organic alternatives this year and are EXTREMELY
open to your input. We will share what we are learning and welcome your
comments.
Preparing Soil for a Prairie/Wildflower Patch naturally. (Adapted from an
article in Organic Gardening NOV/DEC 2001 by James McCommons)
While perusing my OG magazine I found a little piece of information that
applies to our elevation as well as the rest of the country.
Wildflower Seed needs to be broadcast in open, sunny areas that are as
weed free as possible.
Click here for How to plant Wildflower seed pages 13-14 in High Altitude
Planting
McCommons has 3 techniques to choose from:
1) place plastic over the ground for an entire growing season. No water
and No sun pretty much eliminate the weeds and cooks the soil.
2) Kind of complicated to explain but, he basically says,
- Layer newspapers 10 sheets thick over area.
- Top with 2' of grass clippings and leaves (50/50) finding the leaves
might be a bit tricky!
- Let compost for one growing season
-Scrape off the top few inches ‘til you get down to the composted material
-Seed directly into the compost
You have created a new seed bed and entombed any weeds in the soil below.
3) Remove Turf with a sod cutter or spade and sow seed directly into the
ground. This only works if your lawn contains few weeds.
This article had an interesting approach to subsequent seasonal weeding
until the patch is established. Check it out!
© 2002
Park City Nursery All Rights Reserved
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MONTHLY ARTICLE
PARK CITY NURSERY’S
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
for
CONSERVATION and WISE-WATER USE
by Ann Barrett
Living in the "High
Mountain Desert" has created some challenges for water users, in
particular, Landscape Irrigation of our yards.
Most of us enjoy our
yards and gardens and cherish the time spent in them either for family
togetherness or quiet solitude. It is also a joy to watch things grow.
Conserving water is not
like being punished, it is gardening with a conscience and, it is better
for your yard and plants.
CAN THE AVERAGE
HOMEOWNER have a green, all-American yard and still be water-wise?
_
The
easiest area to conserve water that will make the biggest impact on water
conservation is your LAWN.
Do NOT water your lawn
every day. Every other day is the most water your lawn will ever need.
Three days per week is usually sufficient. It is better to water LESS
FREQUENTLY, DEEPER..
The way to do this is to
set your sprinkler system to come on two or three times for a shorter
period of time. (Instead of one 20-30 minute cycle per zone, set it for
two 10-15 minute consecutive cycles or three 7-10 minute consecutive
cycles. . . ) This allows the water to be absorbed deeper and prevents
excess run-off to sidewalks and streets.
If you water daily, you
create very shallow, water dependent roots. Let the water soak into the
soil and allow time for the roots to grow down to it before watering
again. It is much healthier for the plants.
If you notice that your
lawn water is running on the street and sidewalks shortly after you turn
on your sprinkler system, you probably need to apply Gypsum to your turf.
Gypsum is a mineral that breaks down the clay and helps your grass absorb
water deeper in the root zone.
Keep your grass healthy.
Fertilize with well balanced fertilizers that build strong roots. Nitrogen
heavy formulas are less expensive but they are like coffee for your lawn -
not food. They create too much top growth and require too much water to
keep them green.
Organic Fertilizer is an
excellent way to keep the grass from growing too fast but maintain healthy
root systems.
Healthy plants can
withstand stress longer and better than unhealthy specimens.
SHRUB
ZONES: Include flower beds and shrub areas.
One way to conserve water is to take out some of your lawn areas and
convert them to shrub zones.
Perennials and Shrubs,
generally, have lower water requirements than grass. Plus, when you create
shade with trees and shrubs, it helps hold more moisture in the soil, thus
requiring less water!
These areas require less
frequent watering and less water. I understand that many times sprinkler
systems are set up to water lawn areas and shrub areas at the same time
which can create a watering dilemma.
Watering your lawn less
frequently (as describe above) will help. You can also modify sprinkler
heads to help save water in shrub and perennial areas. There are smaller
nozzles that can run at the same time with lower gallon per minute
outputs. Retrofit drip irrigation is readily available today and highly
advisable for wise water use.
There are many plants to
choose from to create more interest in your yard and save water at the
same time!
TREES: Trees are your
biggest shade makers. Shade conserves moisture.
IF you plant your trees
properly, digging large enough holes and using soil amendments like Ranui
Compost® and Soil Pep® you will use water more efficiently. With a proper
well around the tree, all the water you put into it will go directly to
the plant, thus eliminating the need for lengthy, wasteful watering.
As we all are learning
more about efficient watering, it becomes apparent that Drip Irrigation
has many merits for water conservation. The basic principle of drip is a
SLOW, PRESSURIZED emitter that puts out .6 -.8 Gallons per hour - you run
a zone 4-8 hours every 1-3 weeks depending on air temperature and
precipitation.
This is an excellent way
to water trees -(and everything for that matter.) And relatively easy to
set up once you get started.
Again, keep your trees,
shrubs and flowers healthy by putting them on an annual fertilization
schedule.
More. . .COMMON
SENSE
Much of water-wise use
is based on common sense.
Are your water bills unreasonably high?
Do
you sense any leaks in your sprinkler system? Soaked areas in the yard?
Are your heads adjusted properly?
Are
they stuck? Are they leaking?
Are you watering during rain and snowstorms?
Are you watering regularly in early spring after your system has first
been turned on?
PLEASE, wait until your soil is dry down 3-6" before watering regularly.
This is another time to create deeper root systems NATURALLY - as the
water level goes down from winter.
Does the street next to your house run like a river when you water?
DON'T be wasteful. Treat
your water as the valuable resource that it is. Even if you can afford the
‘over-use’ fine, you may not need that much extra, if any. . .
REMEMBER - Using Water wisely is not a punishment - it is a consideration
for our future and our plants.
Get
Advice.
Update your
sprinkler systems and timers. Technology has come a long way in the last
20 years.
TROUBLESHOOTING
SYMPTOM:
Spruce appear to be dying from the top down.
COMMENT:
Click here for pages 23-25 in
High
Altitude Planting
It is
probably White Pine Weevil or "Tip-Weevil". A boring insect that lays eggs
and feeds in the tips of Spruce trees.
You can
prevent it by spraying in late May/early June BEFORE you see the symptoms
or , if you didn’t catch them, the tops can be cut out down to the healthy
wood. It is also a great idea to fertilize your trees annually to keep
them stronger and better able to ward off intruders.
Infected Wood
Healthy Wood
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SYMPTOM:
Aspen suckers are coming up in your grass.
COMMENT:
Just mow them with the lawn mower.
If you
can’t stand the site of them, you may have success spraying them as long
as you leave enough space between the ‘Mother’ plant and the suckers you
spray. This is not a recommended technique so try a test one first before
you go nuts. Leave about 5'.
SYMPTOM:
Your Basil is Black when you leave it outside.
COMMENT:
Basil is VERY difficult to grow. Best bet - Bring it inside until July 5
and keep it protected from the wind. Plant to buy more plants every couple
of weeks - it just doesn’t do that well.
SYMPTOM:
You want to work in the garden and your significant other wants to go for
a bike ride or run. (or visa-versa).
COMMENT:
Do both. . . or just do what you feel like doing.
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