Warren's Garden Club Newsletter Online
MARCH 2003
Enjoy Today, You Don't Know What Tomorrow Will Bring
I Hope to See All of you This Spring...Help Wanted...Would you Like to Work With Us?
....If You Need to Move A Plant....
We Have Some Beautiful Rose Plants This Year
It's Not Too Early To Put Out Some Early Bird Plants
Early Spring Is A Good Time To Plant A Tree or Other Hardy Plants
ONE day when I was going about my usual morning tasks before going to work, I fell and instead of going to work I made a side trip to the hospital By the time you read this I should be back at work and almost back to normal activities
All the activities I had planned for that day were forgotten and I could not tell you what I planned for that day.
I don't know what each day will bring but I know what ever each day brings can be used to make our lives complete. I learned that some things that I thought were important are not.
Enjoy each day that God gives you and as the saying goes, don't try to push the envelope. Each day brings its own joys and problems.
I HOPE TO SEE ALL OF YOU THIS SPRING
Would you like to work with us? Each spring we need some extra help and are looking for a few good people that like plants and people. It is a very demanding job. You get dirty and wet and the pay is not a lot. You need to be able to relate to people and their plant problems. We will need help in potting plants, working in the display greenhouse, and at the cash register. If you have had any retail work experience that would be an asset but if not come on in and fill out a job application if you think you would like to work through the spring busy season. Also we may need someone to work part time to care for our landscape beds.
We will put four names of our customers scattered through the newsletter. If you find your name bring it in for a $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE.
With all the up and down weather we had in February there wasn't much good planting time. If you can get the larger trees and shrubs planted this month they should be rooted in by the time our summer heat hits.
Most Flowering shrubs, needle evergreens (such as pine, spruce etc..) fruit, nut and shade trees are especially good to plant this month.
If you are getting to do any pruning do it as soon as possible. You may get a little sap oozing out but that will not hurt the plants. Bradford Pear, Maples, Oaks, and most other hardy trees can be pruned. Flowering shrubs, (except the ones that bloom in early spring such as Forsythia and Lilac) can be pruned. You can still prune trees but I would prune a little lighter than if you were pruning in midwinter
Azaleas should be trimmed immediately after they finish blooming. If you trim them now you will be cutting off some of your blooms.
Roses also are better pruned in late March or even early April. Pruning tends to force new growth to start and this is very susceptible to our late freezes.
Put a dormant oil spray on fruit and shade trees. This is the Fertilome Dormant Oil Spray. This will control any over wintering insects. The best spray for roses, crepe myrtle, lilacs, and peach trees is the Hi-Yield Lim Sulphur spray. This controls diseases like mildew and leaf curl that have over wintered. We have the Bodine Lime Sulfur plus Oil Spray that combines these two products.
Plant seed of veggies and flowers you are going to start. Most seed will be ready to put in the garden by mid-April if started now.
Seed of spinach, lettuce, beets and radishes need to be sown in the garden while the soil is cool.
Some flower seed to start early would be pansies, alyssum, English daisies, snapdragons, and Johnny jump up.
We will have most of these in plants if you don't have time to do the seed.
Wild flower seed should be sown this month. We have a sheet on sowing wild flower seed. Some other flowers like bachelor buttons, poppies, larkspur, and annual phlox can be successfully sown where they are to grow.
Sow your Fescue or Rye Grass lawns as soon as possible this month, if you have thin spots or need to start a new shady grass area this is the month to do it. Feed Fescue or Rye Grass lawns this month with Fertilome Lawn Food with iron.
...IF YOU NEED TO MOVE A PLANT...
March is the last good time to dig up and move trees, shrubs, and evergreens. If it is 6 foot or smaller dig the hole in the new location large enough for the plant to be moved, then dig all the way around the plant to be moved at least three inches out from the base for each foot of height. For example if the plant is 4 foot tall dig a root system at least 12 inches out from the base all the way around and a foot deep. Lift the plant out with as much soil as will stay on the roots and plant it at the same depth as it was originally. On larger plants dig as much root system as you can and follow the above instructions. Keep soil most. Most plants should be pruned some if you move them. A 2-inch mulch of bark or cypress is very helpful to the plant to conserve moisture and protect the new roots from heat and cold. On larger plants it is best to stake the tree so the spring winds will not blow it over. (Bernadette Stagl)
OUR NINTH ANNUAL GIVEAWAY (OF POTTING SOIL)
we are again giving away a bag of our four-quart Warren's Potting Mix. We use this to grow nearly everything we pot and many of our customers have reported that has been very good on their plants also. This month you can get one four-quart bag free with coupon. Maybe you only need a little soil to pot one or two plants or if you need a larger size you can also get a dollar off the larger sizes of Warren's Potting Soil.
As I write this in late February there is some snow on the ground and it doesn't look much like spring, but I saw some robins in my yard and when I look out the window I can see lots of little shoots peeking through the snow. When you read this, no matter what it looks like outside spring is only a few days away.
WE HAVE SOME BEAUTIFUL ROSE PLANTS THIS YEAR
We have all of our roses potted and tucked into their own spot ready to start leafing out and produce some gorgeous blooms with the first days of spring. We believe we have the best selection of rose varieties in Oklahoma. We will have over 240 different varieties in April. When we get them they come in big boxes that hold about 200 bushes. We trim them and put them in individual pots with our good soil. Then they are put in a greenhouse that stays cool until new growth starts. Then we open up the houses and let them grow under natural conditions. Come by and pick up one of our rose lists.
Another indication of spring are the hundreds of flats of planting mix with small seedlings popping up.
Almost each day a truck unloads boxes with seed, plants, or something else needed to make another spring. We are busy sorting, labeling, potting, trimming, and all the other jobs needed to produce good plants that will be ready to grow for you.
We have all our fruit trees ready to be planted in your yard. They are potting in a paper pot with good potting soil. This way the roots don't dry out and all you do to plant one is to dig the hole as deep as the pot and six inches wider so you can work in some good soil or compost around the pot As you water the soil plus the rains we get the paper pot will decompose and let the new roots grow out through into the native soil.
Certain areas have the soil and climate to produce the best of a certain type plant. We buy from the best growers we know of so that we can offer a plant that will do the best in your garden. We find that thrifty, healthy, well cared for plant has the best chance to make a beautiful plant for our customers.
We believe we keep the largest variety of plants of any nursery in Oklahoma. We will have at least 60 varieties of FRUIT TREES and NUT TREES ready to plant this spring.
We will have lots of the new varieties like Gale, Fuji, and Granny Smith Apples. We have the new self fertile Lapins and Stella sweet cherries. You only need one tree to get lots of fruit. Also we will have over a dozen varieties of berries plus Asparagus, Rhubarb, Horseradish, Garlic, Onions, and seed potatoes.
If you have a Bermuda or Tifgreen lawn that has some spots of green it means you have some weeds and they will not disappear by themselves.
The good thing about these green spots of weeds is that it reminds us to take care of them now. If you kill these that are showing now and put on a weed control before April 1st you can have a weed free lawn this summer. Use spray with Roundup or Kilzall on the green weeds that are there now to get rid of this first bunch. Use it on a sunny day with temperature above 50 degrees and this should kill all the visible weeds.
Be sure to spray the Roundup or Kilzall on a clam day as it can kill any other plants that it may get on. It may take up to 2 weeks to kill the weeds in cool weather, as it goes down and kills the roots first.
Do not spray Roundup or Kilzall after Mid-March as it may kill your good grasses. Don't use on Fescue, Rye, or Bluegrass.
After spraying all green growing weeds put on a Pre-emergent weed control and fertilizer like Fertilome All Seasons with Barricade. This is the best weed control available. I like this Fertilome product as it has a longer period of control than any other product.
If you do these two operations then you shouldn't have any weeds until early summer. Use this again about June 1st and you shouldn't have any weeds.
The Fertilome All Seasons with Barricade can be used on all grasses.
If you lawn had spots in it that didn't grow well after fertilizing, your soil may be compacted. This happens with walking on it or mowing over the years will cause soil compaction. This would be a good time to put on Gypsum to help correct this problem. Gypsum is inexpensive and you can't get too much as it doesn't bur. Gypsum takes a while to do its job so if you have a very bad condition you may want to put on an application now and again in April. We have care cards giving a 12-month schedule for different types of lawns. Be sure to ask for yours when you are in the shop
IT'S NOT TOO EARLY TO PUT OUT SOME EARLY BIRD PLANTS
Cool weather plants like Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, and Brussel Sprouts need to mature before hot weather in order to be of good quality, so they need to be planted early.
In Oklahoma the weather starts getting hot in the late spring and so these cool weather kinds need to be planted from late February to late March. Plantings later than this will not usually do as well. I would suggest making an early March planting of half your total plants you intend to grow, and the second half in late March. This should make sure of getting some planted at the right time.
Cabbages are a little more sure, but I would still suggest planting some early and some later. Some other crops that need to be planted early between now and April 1st are Beets, Carrots, Onions, Irish Potatoes, English Peas, Parsnips, Garlic, Turnips, Lettuce, and Spinach.
If the weather is nice you can plant out pansies, violas, and ornamental cabbage. Plant these out in well prepared soil, water well, mulch and they should thrive even if we get some more cold weather. (Cecil & Delores Harrison)
EARLY SPRING IS A GOOD TIME TO PLANT A TREE OR OTHER HARDY PLANTS
We have been working very hard to get our shade trees ready to sell. We grow almost all our own shade trees. We buy a few of the mulberry and weeping cherry but we have thousands of the better shade and flowering trees in all sizes in our fields. We think that we have one of the best selections of good shade trees in this area.
If the weather stays nice this would be a good time to get that tree planted. Occasionally someone will mention that they are afraid to plant a tree because it might freeze if it turns cold. It is just as cold at the nursery as it will be in your yard. We don't put our hardy trees and shrubs in a heated building of any sort. Some kids like holly we put inside an unheated building so that they don't get their leaves damaged from all the winter wind.
Before you plant a tree you should consider several things. One is the mature size of the variety you are considering. Sometimes we don't realize how large certain trees can grow. I have a Bradford Pear in my backyard that is about 40 years old and 40 feet across. Most Bradford Pear that you see around this area are not nearly this big. So most people think of it as only a small to medium size tree. Be sure to not plant a large tree under power lines as it will have to be pruned and this ruins the shape. Some trees that grow tall can be planted fairly close the house. I have a pecan tree planted about 12 feet from my house to shade it from the west sun.
I have kept it trimmed up and it hasn't bothered the foundation or roof.
Sycamore, Chinese Pistache, Red or Sawtooth Oak, and Pecan, are some varieties that can be planted close to a building or a side walk safely.
The Chinese Pistache is a nearly perfect medium size tree for a front yard or in the back. In our really hot summers it doesn't show any brown leaves even in the hottest of summer.
These make an almost perfect medium size tree with beautiful red and orange fall color.
They are very tap rooted and so can be used close to patio or side walk without any fear of damage from surface roots.
The Chinese Pistache has small leaves that don't really need to be rake din the fall, no insect or disease problems, and loves our hot dry summers. The small fruit are very showy in late summer with both red and blue berries until the birds eat them all.
Gold Rain tree is a very showy tree when it blooms in early summer with big clusters of bright yellow flowers. These are followed by seed pods that look like Chinese lanterns. This is also a good medium tree that is tap rooted and can be used close to sidewalks or patios. It is also disease and insect resistant.
We are very happy the way our customers are accepting the new Golden Rey Elm that we introduced a few years ago. During our field trips this fall many people selected this tree as their favorite. It grows very fast and has no insect or disease problem. The bright chartreuse color becomes evident in late spring and continues until the leaves drop in the fall.
If you want a green leafed tree then the regular Lace Bark elm would be a good choice. It gets its name from the fact the bark sheds off to make a pattern on the trunk that looks like lace.
By the time you read this we should have lots of our trees brought in from the growing field and ready to be planted. Trees planted this month will have time to start new roots before they leaf out. This will give them time to make a good root system before the hot summer starts. We recommend using a good soil conditioner like Back to Earth. Use it liberally and it will get your new plants off to a good start. After planting put on a couple of inches of Cypress mulch over the root area.
We think we have the best selection of shade trees in the Oklahoma City area. These include Sycamore, London Plane Tree, Redbud, Bald Cypress, Caddo and Sugar Maple, Bradford Pear, Gold Rain Tree, Sweet Gum, and Several Oaks. These include Sawtooth which is a very fast growing tree. We also have Pin Oak, Shumardi Red Oak, and Water Oak.
WE HAVE A LOT OF HARDY PERENNIALS READY TO PLANT
This time of the year you have to buy perennials on faith because there is not much to see. Some of them are just a brown stem or leaves sticking out of the soil. Lots of varieties are completely hidden with no indication left of there location. Some may have some nice foliage but no blooms. Because they are dormant this is a good time to move most perennials or plant new ones. If you need to rearrange your hardy plants this is a good time to do this and to plant new ones. Hollyhocks are great at the back of the hardy plant bed. We have the regular old fashion hollyhocks but also some of the regular old fashion hollyhocks but also some of the different ones. Russian Hollyhock is a rugged variety with large single yellow blooms on a 4-foot tall plant. We also have Hollyhock Watchman that has blooms almost black.
The Zebra Hollyhock is very different only growing about 3-4 feet tall and blooming all summer with spikes of two tone lavender blooms. We have the old fashion single variety that has become very popular hardy group of perennials. Planted now a small plant can get 2-3 feet across and produce hundreds of flowers all summer.
Coreopsis Moonbeam looks like an Asparagus Fern when it first starts to grow but then the hundreds of small creamy yellow blooms start to cover the busy 18-inch plant. A little smaller than Moonbeam with deep yellow blooms all summer above the fern like foliage. These two varieties would be worth growing if they never bloomed.
Coreopsis Early Sunrise produces hundreds of double yellow blooms all summer on an 18-inch tall trouble free easy to grow plant. This one will reseed and make lots of new plants. (Lori Lee)
Hostas are great for planting now. The ones we sell early are extra heavy and will fill out with the first warm days of spring. All Hostas are excellent plants for the shady garden. We have some that are really small like 8 inches high, then some can get 3 feet tall when in bloom. Try putting some into that shady bed.
Astibes are very beautiful and exotic looking plants that will really respond to a March planting. These produce feathery bloom heads in the prettiest of reds, pinks, and white. If you haven't tried these plant some this month and see how pretty they are in May and June.
Almost any hardy perennial planted this month will grow larger and produce more blooms. Try some daisies, columbine, phlox, hardy ferns, or almost any of the 500 hundred varieties we stock.
Achillea or Yarrow is one of the easiest group of plants to grow. We have them in pink, yellow, white and rosy red. All varieties love full sun and will stand our hot summers with little care. They bloom almost all summer if old blooms are removed. The ferny foliage is very pretty when the plants are out of bloom.
Artemesia or Wormwood is a group of plants grown for their silvery foliage. Silver mound is the best known of this group and makes a neat mound of intense lacy silver leaves about 8 inches tall and maybe 2 feet wide.
If you have a good size flower bed you should try Powis Castle for it has beautiful silver lacy foliage but grows 2 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Very striking for an accent at a corner or back of the bed. About the only care the Artemesias needs to cut them back to the ground early spring.
Monarda or Bee Balm comes in red, pink, purple, and white. The hummingbirds and butterflies really like these plants. Mildew can be a problem but the new varieties we have are very mildew resistant and will give you little trouble if planted where there is at least 6 hours of direct sun. Jacob Kline is a red variety guaranteed mildew proof. We have had no problems with any of the other colors.
Platycodon or Ballon Flower is a perennial we have grown for over forty years and is still a very pretty and reliable plant. We have it in blue, white, and very pale pink. The tall type will get about 2 feet tall and the dwarf ones 8 inches or so. These will bloom in early summer and if not disturbed will live for 15 or more years. Plant in a sunny area with well-drained soil.
Sedum are as old as gardening I would bet. They are such easy plants to grow that I could not imagine a garden without them. Probably fifteen years ago I planted a little figurine planter in my yard with one of the low sedums and it has never had any care but it seems to thrive with neglect. Each fall when the the large sedums like October Glory start to bloom we sell out. If you don't have this one, plant it now and you will have a magnificent clump by this fall. Another one I like is Sedum Sieboldi. It has very interesting glaucous blue leaves and will trail only 3-4 inches tall and 2 feet wise. It produces nice clusters of pink flowers in the fall. (John Eager)Bergenia are one of the more unusual hardy perennials. The large tropical looking leaves stay evergreen and turn a burnished red through the winter months. Bloom spikes are about 12 inches tall in either red, pink or white. These do best in shade but will grow either in moist or dry soil. Planted in a border or as a specimen clump of 3 to 5 these will add year around interest, as many gardener's have not seen them.
Now is the time to plant your Cannas and most summer flowering bulbs. We have the Cannas now in dark velvet reds, bright reds, pinks, oranges, yellows, two-tones; some with green foliage and some with bronze foliage in 30" heights and 48" heights. These can be planted now in a sunny area as a background or in a bed and will bloom all summer (July to frost). They will last for many years, and unless it gets far below normal lows, the bulbs will not have to be taken up if you mulch well before winter. We have a care card telling how to plant and take care of them.
Be sure to use Dutch Bulb Food when planting (about 2 tablespoons per bulb). We have a great selection of Gladiolas, Dahlias, Caladiums, Elephant Ears, Hardy Lillies, Tuberous Begonias, (upright and hanging). Anemones, Freesias, Lilly of the Valley, and many others that can be selected now while our assortment is complete and kept until April to be planted.
Hardy Hibiscus are just some stumps sticking out of a pot of soil, but by early summer they will be 3-4 ft. tall and with several 6" blooms of either red, pink, or white. Planted now they will get a good start and be really a standout in your garden by summer.
Dianthus are a very showy flower in shades of white, pink, red, and purple. Most varieties are evergreen and provide color for several months in the summer. Look at our wide assortment.