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A plant for all seasons

The colorful and beautiful Columbine

During the cold winter days, the perennial Columbine certainly looks like it is dead, but when March arrives it produces small green foliage and continues to thrive until mid-April. At this time, it fills the container with greenery. As May arrives, the buds fill the foliage and as May reaches its second week, the Columbine reaches full bloom. You can purchase Columbine in containers at hardwares and nurseries. If you buy a large container and a bag of finely textured potting medium, you can re-pot it as soon as you bring it home. It may look rough at times in the winter, but it will bounce back in early spring. Their deep lavender blooms make the Columbine well worthwhile for the deck or porch. A great investment for years to come.

A bed of colorful zinnias will highlight a summer of beauty.

As we approach the middle of May, the time arrives to start a row or bed of zinnias in almost every color of the rainbow except blue. Zinnias will attract plenty of butterflies as well as birds that loves their seeds. Most zinnias seeds cost less than $2 per packet. The packets are available in individual or assorted colors. Zinnias will bloom from late spring all the way until just before frost.

How to avoid mildew of zinnias

To avoid the powdery mildew on the foliage of zinnias, water only the base of the plants preferably with a water wand that will place water only where it is needed. Do not apply water to any of the foliage but only water the base where the roots are.

Starting the warm weather garden plot with organic plant and flower foods

As the season of planting warm weather vegetables, flowers, and plants begins, do not fertilize but feed your vegetation with the following plant foods and soil nutrients. Build up the soil with peat moss which can be purchased in 3.5 cubic foot bales for #11 or $12 and also Black Kow mature cow manure (composted cow manure) which is available in 25- or 50-pound bags. Organic plant foods include Plant-Tone organic vegetable food. Sold in four-pound zipper plastic bags that make the food easy to apply. You can also purchase Holly-Tone evergreen organic food for azaleas, and evergreens. Rose-Tone organic rose food, Flower-Tone organic flower food for annuals and perennials, Garden-Tone for vegetables and herbs, and Tomato-Tone organic tomato food. All of these are made by a company that has been in business since 1929. Vigaro tomato food, with added calcium is another tomato food with calcium added for good tomato production. Dr. Earth tomato food is another quick responding tomato food. It is available in three pound bags. A product with proven results is Alaska Fish Emulsion in one court bottles to be mixed with proper amounts of water and applied to the base of plants, vegetables, and flowers. Always use products that promote soil and feed plants.

Blackberry winter still in progress

With wild blackberries still blooming during the days of May, we still have a few more cool nights and days but nothing to be alarmed about and there should be no danger to seeds of warm weather vegetables that have already been sown. The blackberries still have ten or twelve more days of blooming and after that the days and nights should be turning warmer. Don’t let blackberry winter hinder the sowing of the warm weather vegetable seeds.

Strawberry season almost here

The strawberry season usually begins the week of Mothers Day in our area of the Piedmont. There are plenty of fields in our area where you can pick your own berries or purchase them already picked by the gallon. There is nothing like a trip to Surry County to pick your own strawberry field on a pleasant spring morning with birds singing, the smell of strawberries and the aroma of honeysuckles in the morning air. Call before you go to make sure berries are available if you go later in the day, or if you desire to order strawberries ahead of time .

Kicking off the strawberry season with a very strawberry pie

This pie is named “very strawberry” because it contains fresh strawberries as well as strawberry pie filling for rich strawberry goodness. You will need one 21-ounce can of Comstock strawberry pie filling, one quart fresh strawberries, one nine inch graham cracker pie crust, one eight ounce cool whip or pint of dairy whipping cream. Slice fresh strawberries in halves and place evenly (sliced side down) in bottom of graham cracker pie crust. Pour the can of strawberry pie filling over the fresh strawberries. Spread the cool whip or the whipping cream over the pie and refrigerate for at least one hour.

The season for planting seed of the warm weather vegetables arrives

The days and nights of the merry month of May have turned warm enough to sow the seed of all warm weather vegetables as well as pepper, tomato, and egg plants. They will grow quickly as the nights get warmer. The seeds of green beans, squash, cucumbers, lima beans, corn, and okra. You can sow squash and cucumbers from plants, but with the soil now warming up, the seed of cucumbers and squash sown now will rapidly catch up with the plants.

The corn crop needs to be planted soon

Most varieties of corn requires a 90-day growing season and should be sown soon to ensure an abundant harvest. The later in the season corn is sown, the more insect enemies you will have to deal with. The corn that is planted now can reach harvest stage before the heat of August arrives. You can chose from Silver Queen, Golden Queen, Candy corn, How Sweet It Is, Early Sunglow, Illini Chief, and Butter Fruit. Plant at least three or four rows for wind pollination and storm protection. Sow seed in a three- to four-inch furrow with four or five seeds per hill and allow eight to ten inches between hills. Add a layer of peat moss on top of the seed and then apply a layer of Plant-Tone organic vegetable food and hill up soil on both sides of the furrow and tamp down with the hoe blade for good soil contact. When corn sprouts and is two inches tall, thin corn to two corn sprouts per hill and hill soil on both sides of the rows. Feed corn every 20 days with Plant-Tone organic vegetable food and hill up soil on each side of row after feeding with Plant-Tone. Hill up corn every week for wind protection and added support. Check for Japanese beetles and other pests.

A colorful basket or container of Portulaca

Portulaca has different names in different areas of the country. In the Great Plains it is known as Desert Rose, in the Southeast, it is known as Rose Moss, in the Southwest, it is known as Cactus Rose, on the seed packet it is named Portulaca. This unique flower and foliage certainly must be near kin to the cactus family. You can purchase Portulaca in six and nine packs at hardwares, nurseries, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and Walmart. Most of them are in full bloom when you buy them and this makes it easy to select the colors you would like in your large pot or container. Portulaca is different than most annuals because you can plant it close together and they will not become root bound. They love full sun and on cloudy days, they don’t produce many flowers. They bloom everyday the sun shines and new flowers appear each day which paves the way for many color combinations. As they continue to grow, they will cascade over the pots and containers for even more colorful displays.

Hoe-Hoe-Hoedown

”A word to the wise!” – It doesn’t take much to make a mountain out of a molehill, just add a little bit of dirt!

“The wisdom of God” – A human baby does not learn to walk until they can reach their parents hand.

“Asleep at the pew” – A woman was embarrassed because her husband walked out on the pastor’s sermon. She replied to her pastor, “When my husband walked out, I hope you were not offended.” The pastor replied “No, but he did get my attention.” She said “It’s no reflection on you, he’s been walking in his sleep since he was 8 years old!”

Wishing all mothers a Happy Mothers Day

There are more than 81 million mothers in America and on Mothers Day, they receive an average of three gifts and more than 250 million cards with gifts in them. Children across America call their moms on Mothers Day and next to Christmas, it marks the most calls on a single day. On Mothers Day more families dine out at restaurants than any other day other than Thanksgiving. More than 20 million kids from 6 to 12-year-olds shop with the help of their parents to find the perfect gifts for their mothers and grandmothers.

How many cares does a mother’s heart know? Nobody knows but mother. How many joys from her mother’s love flow? Nobody knows but mother. How many prayers for each little bed? Nobody knows but mother. How many tears for babies she has shed? Nobody knows but mother. How many kisses for each curly head? Nobody knows but mother.” -Mary Morrison.

“All that I am and hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”- Abraham Lincoln

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