Sowing Leeks and Other February Gardening Tips

Checking potted bulbs for forcing, sowing leeks and onions, and choosing fragrant flowers for Valentine’s are some of the gardening tips for this
month.

Check the calendar to see if your forced bulbs have received their recommended amount of cold treatment (12 to 16 weeks). If so, move them into a 50-degree spot out of direct sun until the flower shoots are about two inches tall, then move the pots to a sunny 68 degree F location. The warmer the temperature, the shorter the flowering stems will be and the faster the bulbs will flower and fade.

Geraniums that you brought indoors this winter are probably getting tall and leggy by now if they're not growing under artificial grow lights. Prune back errant branches and take 4- to 6-inch cuttings to root. Strip off the bottom set of leaves, dip the cut ends in rooting hormone powder, and stick the cuttings in a pot filled with moistened potting soil. Keep the soil moist, and they should root in a few weeks.

Long-season alliums, such as leeks and onions, should be started from seed now. Sprinkle the seed on top of seed-starting mix, keep it moist, and as soon as the seedlings emerge, place the flats under grow lights. Snip the ends periodically to keep them about three to four inches tall and help them grow strong.

Give the gift of fragrance this Valentine's Day with freesias, tuberoses, Oriental lilies, hyacinths, or any other flowers that will perfume the air. Or make a fragrant spring gift basket with small pots of hyacinths and other bulbs set in a larger basket, topped with Spanish moss. Or splurge on a gift certificate for fresh flower bouquets every month (or less) from a local florist.

As soon as the buds start to swell, it's time to begin pruning apple, plum, and cherry trees. Plum trees should be pruned to an open center, while apple and cherry trees grow best pruned to a modified leader (center is more closed and tree is more upright). Remove any dead, diseased, or broken branches, as well as crossing branches and twiggy, nonproductive growth.

While you're pruning flowering trees, such as crab apple and plum, cut some two-foot sections of pruned limbs with flower buds on them (flower buds are larger than leaf buds). The best way to hydrate the stems is to lay them down in a bathtub of water overnight. If anyone in your house objects, just recut the stems, place them in a bucket of warm water, and keep them in a cool place for a week or so. When flowers begin to open, bring them into your living room and your house will smell of spring even though the snow may still be flying outdoors.

Article Source: http://www.article-exposure.com

Leonard P. Perry, Extension Professor, Univ. of Vermont Checked out Perry's Perennial Pages lately? www.uvm.edu/~pass/perry/

Red Oaks For The North

If you have a medium to large landscape, well-drained soil, and full sun, then you might consider planting one of these stately trees for shade or as a specimen. If you are building a home, try and save them if they exist on your property.

One of the two main groups of oaks (along with the white group) is the red or black group. Trees in this group have leaves with pointed tips on divisions. Red oaks generally have fibrous roots near the surface, so are easier to transplant. They produce acorns generally every two years, termed “biennial maturation.” Hardy common examples in this group are the scarlet oak (/coccinea/), shingle oak (/imbricaria/), pin oak (/palustris/), northern red oak (/rubra/), shumard oak (/shumardii/), and the black oak (/velutina/).

The scarlet oak starts off with a pyramid shape, becoming more rounded with age. It can reach 75 feet high and 50 feet wide. The leaves can turn a vivid redin fall, as its name indicates, turning color later than many oaks.

The shingle oak also is called laurel oak, as its leaves resemble those of laurel. They turn a bronze to russet fall color. The bark is used to make shingles, so its other common name. This oak will tolerate some urban pollution. It produces less acorns than many oaks, only every two to four years, so is less messy in landscapes. With age, this oak reaches 50 to 60 feet high, and a little over half as wide.

The pin oak is one of the most popular seen in landscapes, as it tolerates a range of conditions. It can even tolerate wet soils and clay soils if not compacted. Pin oak is easily spotted in landscapes with its upward reaching top branches, horizontal middle branches, and drooping down lower branches. Over time the pyramid shape may reach 60 feet high and half as wide. The leaves turn a golden brown in fall and are held all winter. If soils are too alkaline, summer leaves may turn yellow with green veins.

The northern red oak may show similar leaf yellowing on alkaline soils as the pin oak, yet remains a top choice with red fall color. It is fast growing, with a rounded shape reaching 50 to 70 feet tall with age, and 40 to 60 feet wide. This red oak tolerates city conditions better than many oaks.

The shumard oak is another adaptable oak for a range of conditions, from wet to dry soils, salt, and air pollution. It, as the northern red oak, is fast growing. With age it can reach 40 to 80 feet high, and 40 to 60 feet wide. Fall leaves are an attractive bronze to deep red. The shumard oak tends to produce many acorns, which is good for wildlife but not as desirable in more formal landscapes. Being hardy to zone 5 (-10 to –20 degrees F) makes it not as hardy as many other oak species.

The black oak is an attractive with its shiny leaves similar to those of the northern red oak, but is less commonly found in nurseries, is slower growing, and is difficult to transplant. This long-lived oak, none-the-less, is desirable and existing trees should be saved during construction. The rounded shape to 50 feet high can vary widely among individuals.

Many red oaks are native to this country, so even if you don’t plant them, you may find them in woodland walks. You often see them in parks and large landscapes. If you have oak furniture or wood in your home, it well may be from a red oak.

Article Source: http://www.article-exposure.com

Leonard P. Perry, Extension Professor, Univ. of Vermont Checked out Perry's Perennial Pages lately? www.uvm.edu/~pass/perry/