Iris Information

You have some Iris and you are confused about when to cut them back.

In the winter, once the weather has cooled down and the sun is not out as long, you can trim the fans to about 5 inches.

If you do it too soon, the plant will not get as much nutrition from photosynthesis to promote the next years growth.

At any other time you can remove leaves when they become damaged, brown, or diseased.

When thinning them, try to dig them up for transplanting in the late fall or early winter about the time that you normally would cut them back for winter.

When transplanting iris, you can dig them up, then trim back the greens to about 3-4 inches.

This will help give the plant more energy to root once they make it back into the ground.

When you replant, plant them at least 8 inches apart. Lay the rhizome horizontally in the shallow hole that you dug.

Barely cover with soil and mulch well for the first couple of winters.

Lilac Lowdown

You just love your lilacs but you are not sure how to take care of them.

Here are a few basic tips for keeping them blooming beautifully.

Lilacs need a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight each day. If they do not receive the direct sun, they will not bloom as well.

Lilacs like to be watered. Make sure to water them well when there has not been much rain. You can add mulch to help preserve moisture.

Only prune your lilacs after they have bloomed in the spring. If you prune them at any other time, you chance trimming off buds that will appear next year.

You do not need to fertilize lilacs. If you feel that you must, you can use a balanced fertilizer once every 2-3 years.

If your plant is not blooming, don't forget that they can take anywhere from 2-5 years to bloom depending on the species.

Bulb Bandits

You love your perineal bulbs, and well, so do the squirrels and other critters running around.

There is a quick and easy way to protect an established bed is in the fall.

Just after you have cut back all the spring and summer growth in preparation for the winter, you can get some chicken wire.

Roll the chicken wire across your beds and weigh down the edges with bricks or rock.

Now in the spring when everything is starting to bud and bloom, remove the wire and store for next winter.

Yard Yearnings

You have a garden, but it is not exactly what you want. You see all these great shows on tv that have beautiful yards.

It will not happen over night unless you have oodles of money but you can get there if you make a plan.

I like shopping now for end of the season sales. You can buy bushes, plants and bulbs. Some may not look like much, but remember that they are at the end of their season if they are spring or summer bloomers.

Plant them in the ground now and they will still have enough time to root a bit before they go dormant for the winter, and by next year you should have nice healthy plants.

Check the tag to make sure that you are not buying an annuals at the end of the season. These should be purchased fresh at the beginning of the season.

Easy Lawn Bagging

You picked up some of those great big bags from your local home improvement store, but you are having problems getting your leaves and debris into the bag.

You can make a quick and easy “funnel” for using with your bag. Locate an old plastic laundry basket or tall trash can.

Open up your bag and place the basket/can inside the bag to make sure that it fits.

Once you have confirmed this, simply cut off the bottom of the basket/can. Now place back in the bag and start filling.

Once your bag is full, remove your basket/can and place in the next bag for use.

Tomato Gardening

Tomatoes are one of the easiest plants to grown and very rewarding. Even if you have a small amount of space you can grow a substantial amount of fresh tomatoes.

First do your research, there are a lot of different varieties out there. You will need to decide what you are going to use the tomatoes for and how much room that you have.

Make sure that you read about how large the plants will get as well as the tomatoes themselves.

Find a location where the plants will get at least a half a day of sun or more each day.

Find a large pot (18 inches or so) and make sure that there is good drainage. Plant up to 3 plants in each pot.

Get a few wire tomato cages, or create some of your own for each pot. Tomatoes need this for support as they grow and start to produce.

Find a good fertilizer that is listed for tomatoes and use weekly.

When you water the tomatoes you want to make sure that all of the soil is kept moist all the time.

Watch the leaves as your plant grows. If you see any branches (suckers) starting where there is already a branch, remove the smaller branch.

As your tomato starts to grow you can use some twine or plant ties to hold the plant to your support.

As your tomatoes grow and you start to harvest you will never buy another tomato from the grocery store again.

Tee Pee in the Garden

You love working in the yard and garden, and usually the kids are right out there with you. When you are setting up your garden, whether it be with flowers or vegetables, create some fun for your kids too.

Instead of planting your beans or climbing flowers in a straight line, create a tee pee.

Draw a large circle about 6 feet in diameter.

Get some 8-12 foot saplings or bamboo and lay out around your circle about 12 inches apart with one opening about 3 feet.

Bury each stick about 6 inches or so in the ground and tie off the top with strong twine or wire.

Now as your beans/flowers grow, wrap them around the poles.

As they grow they will enclose in the tee pee giving your kids a place to play!