Credit: Canva/Stock photo.
Hello, fellow gardeners. We are well into May, and by now your flowering plants should be budding out. I don’t plant tulips because they are “deer candy” in my neck of the woods. And my daffodils are finished. Don’t be tempted to cut back the foliage on your daffodils. Those plants are sending down nutrients into the soil for next year’s blooms. However, if you planted your bulbs in pots and kept them in a protected area over the winter, you’ll need to cut back those straggly stems.
The weather is already delivering on its promise to warm up. That tease at the beginning of the season made my plants peek up their little heads, only to decide to go back to sleep after the cold and wet. So much rain I was beginning to worry about rot. It’s definitely survival of the fittest in my garden.
I’m sure you’ve heard how important flower-bed preparation is to a successful gardening experience. Here in Milan, we’re known for our healthy crop of “rocks.” Yup, you heard it right here, folks. You think you’ve picked them all out of that bed, and bingo — next season you’ve got more. Oh well, no wonder Milan has an abundance of rock walls. I digress. Let’s get back to bed preparation.
On a recent morning I went out to the gardens, teacup in hand, and used my new PH tester for the first time. Surprise, surprise. My soil registered 7.5-8, which means it’s very alkaline and may prevent the plants from absorbing nutrients they need. Most gardens should be between 5 and 7. I usually use a compost every season which has a PH between 6 and 8. Composting is an excellent way to make your soil more acidic. Time to order more compost.
I prefer raised beds since I have such rocky soil, but using the lasagna method to prepare beds works, too. Let’s try it on a separate bed this season and compare notes. Don’t dig up or rototill. Just layer newspaper, cardboard, leaves, compost and garden soil. Make it at least 12 to 16 inches. Water thoroughly. The cardboard and newspaper should break down, and that bed will be ready to plant next year.
Credit: Canva/Stock photo.
For the remainder of your beds, wait until Memorial Day weekend to plant out your tender plants. Your more hardy plants can probably go out around Mother’s Day. You may want to separate some of your perennials at this time while they are still small. Make sure you give them a big drink of water with diluted liquid seaweed.
I hope you did a few stretching and warming-up exercises before you started your gardening this morning. It’s important to warm up those muscles first to prevent injury. Where was I? OK, you’ve applied your compost, created a new experimental bed, and set out the hardy perennials in your other beds. What perennials did you choose? I suggest you aim for deer-resistant plants. Keep in mind, what’s resistant this year may be on the menu for next year.
Let’s try flowers for a cutting garden. You might try canna, dahlia (I find these are not deer-resistant unless planted in pots on a deck), gladioli, Asiatic lily, coneflowers, zinnia, cleome, ammi (false Queen Anne’s lace), northern sea oats, iris, peony, blue globe thistle, bleeding heart, lily of the valley, allium, daffodils, tulips, black-eyed Susan, shasta daisy, perennial sweet pea, sunflower, amaranth, cosmos and larkspur.
Start with a few plants, experiment, keep a journal so you know what works and what doesn’t.
Good luck. I’ll check in with you soon.
Vicky LoBrutto is a member of the Pine Plains Garden Club and the town historian in Milan.