Skillin's! Daily "Dirt" May 2012

Where we bring you some quick and topical gardening tips for Skillin's Country....

Thursday, May 31, Succession Planting for Your Vegetables

More and more of us are growing our own vegetables in Skillin's Country. And as we experiment and trade information many of us are getting better at it and consequently more excited about trying to extend the vegetable garden season. Well, vegetable gardening just is not a Memorial Day to Labor Day activity any more. Or at least it does not have to be anyway! More and more info is out there that shows many vegetables that we all like can be staggered or "successively planted" by several weeks to really extend the growing season. A few years ago the folks at Johnnys Selected Seeds (our fellow Maine gardening friends) published a Succession Planting Guide that I think could be very helpful to those of you who want to extend their gardening season.

Tuesday, May 29 Plant Chives, A Mike's Must Have Plant

Chives are in bloom right now. Their cute purple blossoms on top of green chive stems show up well in many garden situations. The blossoms last quite a while and I find their color to be pretty pleasant. There are at least 3 other reasons to plant chives in your garden. First, they serve as a wonderful natural deer deterrent. Great gardener (and author) KCB of Finishing Touches tries to utilize the plant in as many landscape plantings as she can for just this purpose. Deer do not like the scent of chives (I never smell the plant. It is not a factor to us). Second, you can harvest chives almost anytime to use as a food crop. Third, they are very hardy. They are almost a sure bet to come back. I find they spread a little but I would hardly call them invasive.

This plant is a Mike's Must Have!

Saturday,  May 26 Container Gardening 101

Gardening friend Margaret of A Way to Garden recently sent out a great post called Container Gardening 101 that has "tons" of interesting pointers about growing outdoor plants in Containers. I highly recommend you taking a few minutes to read this post if you do outdoor container gardening or if you are interested in that pursuit! Margaret talks about a Fafard soil which I am sure is outstanding. We recommend the Bar Harbor Soil Blend by Coast of Maine as a superior mix!

Thursday, May 24 Companion Vegetable Planting

More and more people are vegetable gardening in Skillin's Country and that is a good thing. Daily I speak to new vegetable gardeners who are growing in small and sometimes untraditional spaces. I think is great! As a customer told me today, "I grow vegetables for the food, sure but maybe even more because I am growing something that makes something. That interests me!" Gardening in tight spaces often requires growing plants close together--or "companion vegetable gardening". Click HERE at "The Vegetable Garden" for an easy to follow chart about what vegetable plants co exist well and what plants do not.

Tuesday, May 22: Amsonia, A Mike's Must Have Perennial

We sell a few types of the Blue Star or Amsonia perennial. The plant pictured below is a Texas Blue Star and this picture is from my garden. I planted this old friend over a decade ago and he has come up nice and strong year after year.

The Amsonia is very hardy. I love the blue flowers that last for several weeks. The plant then holds its rich green foliage through the summer and serves as an excellent back drop for summer flowering perennials that are lie in front of this plant. When these plants die back the Blue Star becomes prominent again in the fall with a shimmering green/gold foliage that shows for weeks and weeks in the fall.

This plant is a Mike's Must Have!

Friday, May 18: Poppies and Plant Placement

This Daily Dirt topic is probably worthy of an entire post of many paragraphs but fear not I will keep what I have to say within a medium sized mention! Pictured below is a lovely Oriental Poppy plant that is just breathtaking right now in my yard. The many blossoms will bear jawdropping color (that you can notice from yards away) for many days with our calm weather forecast. But take a look at that picture. All is hardly well in poppy world. In fact much is wrong.  I planted this beauty in a terrible spot. Sun? Oh yes. BUT this is an example of plunking a plant in a poor spot and not asking how it will grow in a few years. I have it in a narrow bed that contains a few other plants. Wrong move in this case! Poppies are "field" plants; they spread by seed they cast and they will crowd out other plants. This plant is crowding out echinacea, clematis and even an older contoneaster. This lovely classic plant works in wide open situations as one of the best options. In "tight" situations it becomes an annoying bully. Ask us about where best to locate plants you fall in love with! We can counsel you so that you and your plant can have a long term loving relationship! Now this summer that poppy will get moved....

Thursday, May 17: Spirea--Very Worthy Plant for Your Landscape

I just came across an excellent article by Karen Chapman who publishes a great newsletter called "Le Jardinet--small garden. Big Impact." The name of her post is "Spirea--the Poor Man's Shrub No More." Karen points out a number of great points about the spirea--it is very hardy, it's growth can be managed well, the spirea of the 2010's comes in a variety of colors and textures (the 70's and 80's Bridal Wreath only is no longer!), beloved by butterflies and hummingbirds and they are deer resistant! Check HERE for our nursery catalog for Spirea choices at Skillin's.

Tuesday, May 15: Companion Planting for Corn

Most people's vegetable gardens will be taking shape over the next few weeks. Many of us do not have a lot of space to work with. In fact, I use containers for most of my vegetable gardening. But we will get to that later! For those gardeners with some space corn is often a popular choice to plant. It is such a traditional plant. I mean who does not like corn--it goes back to the Pilgrims! Corn takes up space; here are some very popular vegetables that can be planted closely with the corn as a companion: Potatoes (although I am a little hesitant with this one!), peas, beans, cukes, melons, pumpkins and squash. Do not plant tomatoes with corn. They are tall, just like corn and will compete!

Sunday, May 13: Stop and Smell  the Lilacs!

I was out getting some very early morning exercise before heading to work. And I ambled by a great hedge of lilacs in bloom. What a wonderful scent of lilacs I had in those early morning moments. So, today, tomorrow or sometime this week whether in your yard, or a friend's space or a park, or on a dare--take time to stop and smell the lilacs. Their fragrance is second to none--so pleasing, such depth. Take the time!

Thursday, May 10: NOW to Prune Forsythia!

Back on May 4 I mentioned Forsythia as a great shrub choice. (See below). Well, in Skillin's Country the bright yellow flowers are fading but being replaced by the green leaves we will have for many months. When to prune a forsythia? NOW is a great time to prune your forsythia aggressively. The goal should be to reshape your forsythia so that the shrub stays "full" and even more compact if you want. The plant will grow back well so prune about 12" below where you would like the bush to be next Spring. NOW is a great time so you can get a better handle on shaping the bush. And if you prune too late in the year it will be too late for growth to "grow back" and that would mean less flowers next Spring. Nobody wants that!

Wednesday, May 9: Planting Leeks

I was speaking to a vegetable gardening customer the other day and he mentioned how much he and his family love leeks--cooked in all kinds of ways too. And he emphasized how easy leeks are to grow. I needed to research this--I will be honest I have not grown leeks. I can tell you they are quietly one of our better sellers. Leeks have a mild onion type flavor but they are not grown as bulbs. You harvest their stems. The longer the white portion of the leek stem, the greater yield you have! The best way to grow those long stems is to transplant seedlings (yes we have seedlings at Skillin's) into a 12" trench so that their initial growth occurs under ground. Fill the first 6" in with a compost (and a generous portion of all natural Garden Tone fertilizer by Espoma). Plant the leek transplants in the compost mix about 6" apart. As they grow, pull extra soil from the sides to fill in the trench, keeping the tip of the growing stem always above the soil level. Always include a little Garden Tone in with the soil that you pull back in. Leeks are very productive: you are sure to get great yields!

Leeks Growing in Trenches

Tuesday, May 8: Rain is Here to Stay for a Day (or 2 or 3)

Well, the weekend and Monday WAS gorgeous in Skillin's Country. Today, Tuesday has been a "soaker". This plentiful rain will save us from having to be concerned with watering any new plantings for a few days especially when Wednesday and Thursday rains are factored in. I don't like this weather but many gardeners I spoke to today were glad to see the rain for their gardens. I can see their point (to a point!). This soaking rain takes the sun away and costs Skillin's some business in the short run but in the long run, more patient people than I know that healthy rains like this benefit us, our gardens and the water supply hugely. Still, I won't be disappointed if "Mr. Sun" intrudes on this grubby gray and cold weather in the next day or two!

 Monday, May 7: Rhododendrons are Hungry!

Looking around at my yard and my 5 or 6 rhododendrons reminds me that they are hungry. I have fed my perennials and much of my foundation plantings. With my work schedule my rhododendrons have had to wait and that is not fair to those guys. I am a big believer in feeding them twice per year with Hollytone by Espoma. Hollytone gives them a great balance of natural nutrients. My rhodys are covered with buds (and that is a good sign) but their color is not a real rich green. Early one of these upcoming mornings, I need to give my rhodys that spring feeding of several cupfuls around the base of the plant. That will help their color in the short term and give them more health to fight off pests and diseases in the future. Oh and one more thing: Most rhodys are covered with flower buds right now. DO NOT PRUNE THEM for shape right now! Wait until just after they flower!

Friday, May 4: Bang for the Buck: Forsythia!

Here in Skillin's Country, the bright yellows of the forsythia are finally on the wane after many weeks. Every April and early May I am annually astounded at how long the colors last on forsythia. The yellow is so warm, so radiant, such a bright beacon for the beginning of the season. Forsythia are easily planted, they are very hardy and reliable and they provide warm, green foliage for the balance of the growing season. The grow quickly and if you give them a haircut pruning right after they flower, then they will stay nice and full and be a great screen or border plant for privacy as well.  This plant definitely gives us great "Bang for the Buck" with its long blossom period and reliability.

Forsythia--The Color Can't Be Beat! Many Other Great Attributes as Well!

Thursday, May 3: Pansies and Violas are GREAT for This Time of Year!

Pansies and Violas make excellent colorful plantings for right now. I plant a nice bed of pansies in front of my rock wall at the front of my house. They provide nice color for the months of April, May and June. By late June or early July a nice canopy of shade trees changes this to a much more shaded area which makes it a great spot to plant impatiens that show awesome color for the balance of the season. For just a few dollars I give this high profile area a couple of different looks for the season!

Pansies I Planted in Front of Rock Wall. (I didn't judge the light exposure well BUT these pansies show up very well from the nearby road. Impatiens will be planted here within 2 months--also bright and cheery)

Your choice of a "later annual" does not have to be impatiens. There are so many choices. Pansies can be kept going through the season but it is tough for them to look good during the heat of summer.

Wednesday, May 2: The Finches and other Birds are Feeding!!

I have several Squirrel Buster feeders set up around my yard. These feeders are terrific. But I am noticing that much more food is being eaten. I am not home too much these days but when I am I do notice that my feeders are constantly covered in the bright yellow of the gold finch. This is great! The Finches and other birds are feeding steadily! So keep those feeders full and your birds will stay loyal. Like us, they have habits too! And, yes, I do feed in the summer. I love to watch my birds whenever I can! We have some great quality foods here at Skillin's that will soon win over many a feathered friend! I use mostly sunflower and add some nyjer (thistle) every time I fill the feeder.

The Gold Finches are Feeding--Keep Them at Your Feeder with Quality Food

Tuesday, May 1: Keep Those Lawns Tall!!

Traveling around Skillin's Country I am noticing that mowing season has begun. And what nice neat short cut lawns I am seeing! This is not the best care for one's lawn! One of the keys to keeping your lawn naturally green AND to naturally fight weeds (most weeds are sun lovers) is to keep your lawn tall. This keeps your lawn roots cooler (lawn roots like that!) and "canopies" or covers prospective lawn weeds and keeps them from prospering. As a general rule of thumb, lawns should be cut to no lower than 2.75" or 3" tall. Now I don't bring my tape measure out to the lawn. (I would lose the tape measure and Mrs. Skillin would not approve!). So in Spring and fall I keep my mower set at the second highest stage and in the warmer summers I put the mower at the highest it can mow. Visually the tall cut takes a little getting used to--but the sight of a greener, more consistent and fuller lawn soon will win you over!

Click HERE for Skillin's Lawn Program for a good year round guide on how YOU can grow a good lawn!

Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
May 2012

April (Mid April) Garden Talks

Hello again,

Since my last Garden Talk post at the Garden Log, the weather has stayed mostly dry in Skillin's Country--which has afforded many gardeners great conditions to get out there and "do their thing". But the temperatures have moderated and we have had nice weather but relatively cool. That is okay as a relative sense of normal seems to be settling in amongst us. That is good I do believe!

Skillin Grown Pansies and Violas are Available and Can be Planted Now!

*Now is an excellent time to give your lawn a thorough raking. Most of my lawn has dried to the point where I can rake (my mostly shaded areas JUST lost their snow cover so I am going to wait a few days). I believe a thorough, intense raking is so valuable to a lawn. It is hard work so do small piece over a few days. But the debris and dead grass that you can pull out really helps to open up air pockets for valuable light and air circulation in your lawn. I will say it right now: if you rake well and consistently ORGANICALLY feed your lawn, you will not have thatch or even aeration issues. So that takes away the need for expensive rentals and time consuming lawn repair activities. (There! I said it and I feel much better!)

I will soon be overseeding some thin areas of my lawn with Heat and Drought grass seed by Bonide.
Heat and Drought contains 3 very hardy blends of Tall Fescue and has a rich green look. Tall Fescue roots grow very deep which means your lawn will look great with less water, show more insect and disease resistance, and endure the cold winter temperatures better.

I often overseed parts of my lawn that are getting a little thin. This is easily accomplished by scratching the soil, laying the seed down, scratching the seed in and covering the seed with compressed paper pellets such as Grass Seed Acclerator or Penn Mulch. These pellets expand and provide a nice thin cover to the seed. Water daily and you will have thick grass soon!

For a good year round lawn program click HERE for Skillin's Lawn Program!

*Go ahead and plant some pansies and violas--especially if they are Skillin Grown. We have gorgeous varieties, they have been "hardened off" and should be all set to withstand any wild Skillin Country weather. I have planted some pansies in what will be a shady area this summer once the trees leaf out. In a couple of months, I will probably replace the pansies with some impatiens to take me through the summer and well into the fall but in the meantime I am going to enjoy those pansies! Pansies also make great window box and container plants! And the flowers are edible!

Pansies are a Skillin trademark. My father Dave Skillin often tells of choosing pansies for people back in the days of World War II and just afterward. These pansies were all grown by Pa Skillin--his grandfather!

*Go ahead and plant peas, carrots, spinach, swiss chard and other cool weather crop seeds in the ground now! If you have a spot that is not sopping wet still and will get lots of sun those crops will love it now!

Click HERE for a post by Paul Parent about Direct Seeding Vegetables in the Ground. Also click HERE for another Paul Parent piece about Home Grown Lettuce!

Good gardening friend Paul Tukey brings us the following two pieces of gardening advice:

"Dig and transplant many perennials before new growth advances too far. These re-bloomers need to be divided and transplanted every few years to help keep the plantsvital. It is, however, best to wait to divide early flowering varieties such as bleeding heart, oriental poppy, columbine, heuchera, iris or pyrethrum until after bloom." So much material is "popping" through the ground; it is or will soon be a great time to identify transplanting candidates. Perennials can be divided and transplanted when growth is 3 to 4 inches high. If growth has gotten any larger, plants may benefit from cutting back by one-third to one-half.

"Fertilize your trees, shrubs and perennials. As these plants emerge from the dormant state, their need for nutrients is great. Transplant all deciduous trees except magnolias now before the new leaf buds expand." Any new transplants should be watered frequently throughout this gardening season. As far as the fertilizing goes, we offer many great choices here at Skillin's BUT here are two great suggestions: for your evergreens, now is a great time to apply Holly-Tone by Espoma (an old favorite here with a new and improved organic formulation). For deciduous material (that is plant material that sprouts out new leaves each year) we often recommend Holly-Tone's first cousin: Plant Tone, another old favorite with a new and improved organic formulation! Check out the exciting Espoma "family" of products at http://www.espoma.com/ and of course Skillin's Greenhouses!

A great technique to use for feeding established trees and shrubs is to punch holes a few inches deep in the ground around the drip line of your trees and shrubs. (These holes can be 2 to 3 feet apart). Fill each hole with Plant Tone or Holly Tone. This method gets the natural fertilizer a little closer to the roots. Apply the fertilizer at the drip line because that is where the roots of the plant are pulling most of the moisture and nutrients!

Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
April 10, 2012

Spring Pruning is More Important Now Than Ever!

Good gardening friend Paul Parent of the Paul Parent Garden Club sends out a great newsletter every week with pertinent gardening topics. I encourage you to go to his website to sign up for his newsletter. Paul can also be heard every Sunday morning from 6 AM to 10 AM at his website or at WBACH (104.7 FM) every Sunday morning from 6 AM to 9 AM.

Very recently Paul sent out as part of his weekly newsletter a great post called "Spring Pruning is More Important Now Than Ever!" Paul went over many great pruning points for this time of year. Here is what he has to say:

"Why do you have to prune your plants? You prune because pruning will make your plants healthy, they will look more beautiful and you can control the size and the shape of your plant. You also prune to increase the production of flowers and fruit and you prune to for the pleasure it gives you when the job is finished and you see what you accomplished. I want you to look at pruning as a wonderful way to improve the appearance of your property--NOT WORK. Think of pruning as a relaxing part of gardening that will allow you to become more creative. When you prune your plants, you are shaping the future appearance of that plant so it will better complement your home and garden.

The first thing I always tell gardeners is to say to your plants before you begin to prune: "I am doing this for your own good, I can do this and I am not intimidated with the job to be done!" Take your time when pruning, stop and look at what you're doing several times as you prune a plant ,because once you cut that branch, you cannot put it back—it's final. Walk around the plant or look at it from all sides before making a cut. Prune to make your plant look natural and try to stay away from power tools when possible. Power tools do the job quickly and if you're pruning a long hedge, it's the only way to do it--but individual plants should be pruned by hand. Your yard is not DISNEY WORLD; plants do not grow in nature in shapes that are round, square, columnar or conical. What you want to achieve is something in-between natural and Disney!

Start with the right tool for the job--and make sure the tool is sharp. Use your fingers when you remove faded flowers from your annuals or remove suckers from your tomatoes, and even to pinch back vines to help them produce new shoots. If you're going to use a knife or small saw, select one with a folding blade for safety when you carry it around the yard. Pruning shears are for branches under 1 inch in diameter, and they should always be closed when not in use--open pruners in your back pocket are a problem waiting to happen. They have to be sharp and clean or they will crush the stems, not cut them off cleanly. If they aren't sharp, you have damaged the plant every time to made a cut on a branch because a crushed stem cannot form callus and produce a healing scab to keep out disease and water.

Loppers are for branches over 1 inch in diameter; they are designed for medium duty pruning of single branches and for getting inside plants easily. Hand or bow saws are for larger branches and dry or dead wood; they make a nice clean cut--often doing a better job than loppers and causing less damage to the plant. Pole saws are for removal of branches in a tree out of your reach they keep you off a ladder and safe. The chain saw is for major removal of large branches or the entire tree; they work fast, so be careful---and always look around you before cutting for a way out if the branch does not go where you planned for it to fall.

For shaping a hedge, use hedge shears: manual or electric--it does not matter--just take your time, as many small shoots are cut at the same time. If you're using electric shears, always keep an eye on the extension cord, as many of us have cut the cord--and the fun quickly ends. If you're using manual hedge shears, choose some with teeth on the blade or a wavy edge, as this feature will hold the branches in place better. Also--when you use these giant scissors, select a pair with a good rubber shock absorber to help the handle spring-back more easily and get ready for the next cut. This good shock absorber will also make the pruning easier and your arms less tired.

One last thing about your good tools: they are expensive, and maintenance is the secret to a long life. Service will pay you back many times the cost of the tool; all you need is to clean them before and after using them. Sharpening the blade and tightening the screws that hold them together--along with applying oil to the moving parts and the blade--will pay big dividends when you need to use them again. One last thing, tree pitch from evergreens and rust on the blade are not acceptable; they cause you to work harder and put more stress on the tool. Always clean your tools and store them inside--out of the weather.

Now is the best time to prune your plants. Before the foliage begins to develop on the branches--and this next goes for evergreen plants too--prune while the plant is dormant! If you're pruning deciduous plants without foliage it will be easier, because you can see all of the branches and in what direction they are growing. Without foliage, the branches will be lighter and less likely to damage other branches as they fall from the plant--so that's easier for you to handle. It's also easier to see damaged or dead branches on the plant that must be removed to keep the plant healthy.

Right now, the energy or sap is still in the ground and just beginning to move up the plant. If you wait for the plant to leaf out before pruning, ll this energy will be used to make new growth on the plant--and when you cut it off, the new growth is wasted If you prune now, all the energy in the plant will be used to make new growth to cover the pruning you have just done, and no energy is wasted. Dormant buds will wake up to replace the buds you removed and your plants will become fuller with all this new growth. You may not believe this, but pruning will stimulate growth in most plants, as the dominant buds have been removed and the buds that remain will now compete to become the new leaders of the plant.

Here are a few things to consider when pruning your trees and shrubs this spring.

1) Prune all non-flowering plants NOW before the new growth develops--especially evergreens. When the new growth does form, it will hide any of the foliage you cut when pruning. This applies especially to broadleaf evergreens, because where you cut the leaf will turn brown--and half a leaf does not look good on a plant.

2) Flowering plants are best pruned as the flowers begin to fade, because after the flowering cycle the new foliage will form, and if you prune now you will remove the flower buds and miss the flowers.

3) Roses are always best pruned in the late spring to stimulate new growth and more flowers. Also, the plants will suffer less winter damage than when pruned in the fall. When the baseball season begins for real, it's time to cut back your roses--not during spring training.

4) When you prune, remove dead branches, broken branches, diseased branches, suckers, water sprouts and crisscrossing branches that are rubbing together first--before you do anything else to your plants.

5) When you prune evergreen plants that have begun to get too large, you can remove up to 75% of the green foliage (NOT 75% of the plant) and it will respond quickly and thicken up for you.

6) Prune your blue hydrangea to control the size of the plant but never cut it back to the ground. I would suggest that you wait until the buds begin to swell on the plant--and leave at least half of the buds on every stem, as many hydrangeas flower on buds made the previous year.

7) If you're pruning a conical evergreen like a spruce, do not touch the top of the plant or main leader, because your plant will begin to produce several new leaders and you will lose your conical shape.

8) Pruning paint is no longer recommended to cover cuts you made on the plant--they will heal much faster without it.

9) When you're done pruning, always fertilize your plant to help stimulate new growth and help form a scab to seal the cuts you made and keep out problems.

10) Go the book store and look over several good pruning books for information about the plant on your property. Pictures and information can help you do a better job and help encourage you to do this unique part of gardening! Learn to prune--it's rewarding!"

Thanks to Paul Parent!

Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
April 1, 2012

Pansies, Violas, and Jonnie Jump Ups

Good gardening friend Paul Parent of the Paul Parent Garden Club (http://www.paulparent.com/) sends out a great newsletter every week with pertinent gardening topics. I encourage you to go to his website to sign up for his newsletter. Paul can also be heard every Sunday morning from 6 AM to 10 AM at his website or at WBACH (104.7 FM) every Sunday morning from 6 AM to 9 AM. Paul recently sent this article out called Pansies, Violas and Jonnie Jump Ups  (I occasionally add a few comments in italics) and here it is:

"When the winter season comes to its end and the spring season arrives, the pansy family of flowers is more than ready to show us their happy faces in our gardens. Pansies hold a special place in my heart--and for most gardeners-- because of the cheerful flower faces that welcome the new season. Some years, the weather does not cooperate and we are surprised with a blanket of snow after planting them, but the pansy family does not care; it just keeps smiling until the snow melts. No other flower can tolerate the type of weather that they can; cold and wet growing conditions are not a problem. For your own peace of mind plant pansies, violas and Johnnie jump ups this spring.

(Pansies at Skillin's!)

The pansy family comes from the mountains of New Zealand and got its start in America from a Dutch grower who brought seed to Massachusetts, where the gardeners could not get enough of them. Before long new pansy hybrids developed to bring cheer to a cold spring gardens. The pansy is the floral emblem of Rhode Island and the state flower of New Jersey and Wisconsin.

The Violas were named for a lover of the God Zeus, and even Shakespeare mentioned them often in his works. Napoleon, banished to Elba, said he said he would "return with the violets." When he did return, Josephine was dead. He picked violets for her grave before going into exile again to St. Helena. When he died, a locket found on him contained a lock of her hair and violet flowers.

The pansy family has many names and I thought you would like to know just a few of them: Tickle-my-Fancy, Kiss-her-in-the-Pantry, Three-Faces-in-a-Hood, Love-in-Idleness and Heartsease. This flower has five petals that are arranged on a short stem, with two petals on top, one on each side and one larger one on the bottom. The center is most always yellow, even in solid darker colored flower types. The foliage is medium green, the leaves are I to 3 inches long, and the shape is oval to heart shape. The plant grows in a clump 4 to 8 inches wide and 4 to 8 inches tall. The plants are easy to grow and are very hardy in all types of weather. Plant pansies in partial shade where summers are hot. Pansies will also grow in a sunny or shady spot in your garden or even in containers or hanging baskets. Select a location with a humus-rich soil for the best results, though they will also grow well in a moist well-drained soil.

If you want to grow pansies from seed, you must plant them 8 to 10 weeks before the first frost, usually during mid January. Once the seed germinates, keep the new seedlings in a cool room or they will grow fast, stretch and grow tall, often falling over in the garden. All greenhouses, nurseries and garden centers have plants available now, ready to face the changing weather where you live. The flowers will last until the heat arrives when planted in the sun, so transplant them into a shaded garden in late June for summer flowers. If you like pansies, look for the new fall-blooming pansies available in September. These plants will bloom until the snow covers them in November or later. Many of them survive the winter and reappear the following spring.

(Fish and Seaweed Food Neptune's Harvest)

When planting add a bit of "Soil-Moist" to the planting hole: it will help them save water during hot days. Feed them every other week with "Miracle-Gro" fertilizer (I prefer Fish and Seaweed Food by Neptune's Harvest every week or every other week. It's natural ingredients will sustain these plants much better than Miracle Gro) once planted. The "BIG" secret is to pick off the faded flowers so the plant does not make seeds. The more you clean them, the more they will flower. When you pick off the faded flowers, crush the seed pods and throw them into the garden, where some of the seeds will germinate and spread. Smile with the Happy faces of Spring."


Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
April 11, 2010