Ideas and Articles To Increase Your "Gardening Know-How"




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43 Million Gardens were Planted in the US in 2009
Over 8 Million People Tried Gardening for the First Time in 2009
On Average, $100 of Seeds Will Result in $2500 of Produce

  • Container Gardening
  • Indoor Gardening
  • A Red, White and Blue Garden Planner Patriotic Garden Ideas by Mary McLane, Thumb-R-Green Garden Club
  • Entering Horticulture and Flowers in a Flower Show by Susan Andrews and Jackie Preedom, Gallatin Empire Garden Club
  • Conditioning Flowers and Greenery -- making the arrangement last longer
  • Norm's Notes --Articles written by Norman DeNeal on Gardening in Montana. Norm is a charter member of the Butte Garden Study Club and has been gardening atop the Continental Divide for many years.
  • Annie's Arbor Notes, by Annie Mollock, Gallatin Empire Garden Club in Bozeman
  • Gardening Reflections, by Zelpha Boyd, Gallatin Empire Garden Club in Bozeman
  • Herbs -- How to Grow, Use and Enjoy! by Vicky Barbieri
  • Nutrients for Garden Soil [pdf file]
  • Natural Insecticides and Fungicides
  • Seeds -- Buy or Grow Your Own by Ray Gallik
  • The Plants of Lewis and Clark in Today's Landscaping by Jan Cashman, Owner of Cashman Nursery in Bozeman
  • Wildflowers of Lewis and Clark by Susan Andrews, Gallatin Empire Garden Club
  • Meriwether Lewis, the Naturalist, by Ella Mae Howard, Great Falls Garden Club
  • The Story of Our State Tree, the Ponderosa Pine
  • Our State Butterfly, the Mourning Cloak
  • Montana Garden Plants Attractive to Birds and Butterflies
  • Xeriscape Articles Water-Saving Methods


    • Container Gardening

    The Container Gardening DVD is very informative as it is a 66 minute compilation of the program "Rebecca's Garden" from HGTV. One segment on color showed a formal garden with all the same color (cobalt blue in this case) containers; the impact was absolutely smashing. Use it for one of your club programs this year.


    Pictures from our 2011 1st Annual Container Contest will be posted here.


    Indoor Gardening

    by Barbara Tucker, Dearborn and Great Falls Flower Growers Garden Club

    CLEAN AIR NATURALLY WITH HOUSE PLANTS -- Common houseplants can clean indoor air of toxins, gases and pollutants, especially during our long winters when we keep our homes shut up to save energy. Try these plants: spider plant, aloe vera, philodendron, peace lilly, schefflera, chinese evergreen, corn plant, peperonia, golden phothos and sansevieria. To be most effective, place the plants in an area where circulation is best. Avoid cold, drafty areas near doors or touching the window.

    Propagating Indoor Plants

    Starting new plants--propagating--is a fun and rewarding way to develop healthy plants with almost no cost. The method most often used is to take cuttings either from a stem or leaf. Wetting the stem, dip it into a growth hormone such a Rootone and shake the excess off. Insert the leaf or stem in rooting medium such as perlite or vermiculite and do not let it dry out. In a month or so it will form roots, creating a new plant.

    Another way to propagate plants is through root division -- separating plants at the root zone. This is done when their growth slows or they become dormant. Use a sharp knife or trowel to divide, then repot in a suitable container with the proper drainage.

    African Violet Facts

    There are about 21 species and many cultivars of African violets. The leaves are deep green or variegated, fuzzy, oval or lance shaped. Clusters of single, semi-double or double, sometimes ruffled or fringed blossoms come in violet, blue, pink, white and sometimes bicolored.

    The African violet prefers filtered sun with well-drained soil. Turn the plant weekly for even growth. Water when soil surface dries, avoiding foliage. Fertilize with each watering, dilute fertilizer to half its recommended use. Deadhead flower clusters at stem base.

    Christmas Cactus Schlumbergeras bridgesii

    The stem segments have rounded notches and rounded ends. Medium light and normal room temperatures at a partly-shaded window is best throughout spring, summer and fall. To bring the plant into bloom it must be kept out of bright light in the evening. If your cactus is in a bright window, move it to a dim corner in a cool room or pull the shade in the afternoon. It is a light-sensitive succulent that thrives in a "jungle" understory condition. These plants like shade and water to bloom. (I add 1 tsp. castor oil to one watering late in September.) Apply a high potassium, tomato-type fertilizer once every two weeks throughout the year. Depending on the light conditions, the plant may bloom in late fall and early spring.

    Poinsettia
    The "Crown of the Andes"

    Did you know over 61 million poinsettia plants are purchased in the U.S. each year? When selecting a plant, look for dark green foilage down to the soil line, bracts [modified leaves] fully colored, no pollen showing on the flower clusters in the center of the bract, and plants displayed in an open uncrowded area [plants held in paper or plastic sleeves will deteriorate rapidly]. Note too, that extensive studies have shown that all parts of the poinsettia are NOT poisonous to humans or animals. A study at Ohio State Univ. showed that a 50 pound child who ate 500 bracts might have a slight tummy ache. The milky sap may cause skin irritation.


    Forcing Bulbs

    A Cornell University horticulturist found that growing paperwhites in the traditional way and, after the roots have started growing, replacing the water with 4 to 6% alcohol stunts the growth of leaves and stems but doesn't bother the blossoms. To reach a 5% solution from a 40% liquor (gin, vodka, whiskey, etc. but not beer or wine), add 1 part booze to 7 parts water. Or, use rubbing alcohol (1 part alcohol to 10 parts water.) Use this solution for further watering. Plants will be one-third shorter, but with large, fragrant, long-lasting blooms that won't need staking.

    Seed Harvesting Information -- by Ray Gallik, Anaconda Garden Club

    It will soon be that time of year when we will be thinking - First: Do we or don't we put in a garden? Second: Do we buy seeds, plant and raise our own seeds for next year?

    Seeds are expensive so with a little time, effort and care, you can save a lot of money by saving the seeds from your plants. If you plan on saving seeds, the seeds you buy should not be AF1 variety because when AF1 seeds reproduce, they will not resemble their parent plants, as they are Hybrid. AF2 variety are preferred. AF1 and AF2 are noted by the plant in garden and flower seed catalogues.

    Buy good reputable seeds from a reliable source and you should not have to buy seeds again. When collecting seeds, there are some things to remember:

    First: Plant your seeds early, usually by the end of March or the first part of April or as soon as the ground is workable. This gives the plant a longer growing season and ample time to completely mature.

    Second: The plant must mature naturally but not in the garage or basement and should be completely ripe. It is ripe when the container, pod, fruit or vegetable is mature.

    Third: Collect the seeds and store them in a sealed, plastic bag and keep them in the refrigerator for approximately five (5) months. The temperature should be constant and not fluctuate-too warm or too cold.

    When buying seed packets, check for the correct zone in which you live. Buy seeds that will mature in your zone; zones are based on the number of frost-free days you'll have for your plants to grow and mature. Montana is divided into two zones- zones three and four.

    They say a robin is a "Harbinger of Spring" but I believe seed catalogues are. I hope you all have a beautiful yard and/or a productive garden.

     

    Tips to Help Gardens Thrive

  • Don't apply dormant oil sprays late in the spring or when temperatures are too high. Doing so may cause phytotoxicity in your plants.
  • Some pines around the state continue to exhibit browning needles. This is a problem incurred last winter, although symptoms may become more evident as temperatures warm. However, many brown pines are greening up now and are out of immediate danger. If your pine tree is still brown after early July, replace it.
  • Begin transplanting trees and shrubs now (April), but be sure they are in sync with your area. In other words, be careful not to purchase rose bushes in full bloom and then plant them outside when those in your area are just beginning to leaf out.
  • Begin seeding new lawns or overseeding old lawns in a few weeks if the weather holds.
  • Peas, onion sets, spinach, etc. can go in now. Wait a little longer for transplants.
  • Check plants that are mulched or covered with baskets or rose cones and remove the coverings when the plants begin to grow.
  • For more tips, ask for the free fact sheet, "Can I Grow That Here?" at your county or tribal MSU Extension office, or go directly to the MSU website.


    • Water Conservation Tips

    Instead of running the sprinklers every day, water the lawn only when it needs it or just give it a good soak once a week. If the grass springs back when you step on it, there's no need to water.

    Use mulch (chunks of bark, peat moss or gravel) to cover bare ground in gardens and around trees (leave some room around the trunk) to slow evaporation.

    Water the lawn in the early morning or evening when there is less evaporation.

    Plant drought-resistant, native trees and plants. Learn the techniques of xeriscape planting.

    Adjust your sprinklers so they don't water the sidewalk, driveway or street.

    Skip watering the lawn on a windy day when there is too much evaporation.

    Set lawn mower blades higher because longer grass means less evaporation and reduces stress on the grass during hot, dry periods.

    For a more thorough examination of this subject, read Montana State University's publication entitled Yard and Garden Water Management. (Written by members of MSU's Extension Service.)

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