Growing Points

The heavy snows of winter did not fall in December. Warm sunny days returned in January. February fooled trees and shrubs into putting out new buds. Now it is April and gardeners want to get started. Well, roll the dice and gamble.

La Nina ensured that January , February and March were abnormally dry and warm, and it s always hard to tell what April will bring.

Colorado s winter cold is not what usually limits plant growth. Plants perform well in Colorado, provided you take into account our low humidity, desiccating winds and the difficulty our soil has in retaining useful moisture.

When there is too much water in heavy clay soil, oxygen is driven out and root death can occur. Sandy soils are porous and unable to hold moisture for any length of time. Roots can dry out and die.

The timing and amount of additional moisture must be carefully monitored. It is essential to water whenever there has been no snow cover for four to six weeks.

Bulbs, perennials, trees, shrubs and lawn all benefit from winter watering, but bulbs planted last fall are particularly vulnerable. In the early spring they are growing roots and need the extra moisture to establish themselves. If the air temperature is above freezing and the soil itself is not frozen, apply sufficient water to soak the root zone before the freezing returns. Water-wise gardeners avoid light, frequent waterings that evaporate before plants have a chance to use it.

Extra care can minimize damage and aid survival of the plant. Brush off the snow as soon as possible and properly prune broken branches. Straighten and stake young trees.

Some trees and shrubs will lose their buds during a late freeze and fail to produce blossoms and fruit, but usually will leaf out and return to a normal schedule in the following year.

Mulch has a dual purpose. Use it to retain soil heat and moisture during cold snaps; it can also be placed on beds that are already frozen to keep the ground cold and retard the emergence of bulbs during early warm winter periods.

Recognize that the charts give us good advice about planting times. Nothing is absolutely certain, but trying to outguess Mother Nature is an exercise in frustration. If you must start early, try starting your seeds indoors or in a cold frame.

Later on, protect transplants with Walls of Water which create a microclimate of warm air and soil to get transplants off to an early start. They can extend your tomato season by weeks. Gardening is a challenge, but isn t everything worthwhile?

See photos of All-American Rose Selections winners from 1947 to the present at www.rose.org

At the Pumpkin Patch see a photo of the prize-winning 1,131 pound pumpkin and read up on how to grow the really big ones. www.backyardgardener.com/pumpkin.html

http://www.diac.com/~jwest/index.html is a monthly publication featuring a wide variety of information, comprehensive articles and how-to guides for garden and hobby greenhouses.

Virtual garden tours are great fun, you get to peek into other gardeners backyards. There are many to choose from. This one calls itself a farm for homeless worms and cats, and includes links to other sites about worm composting. http://home.earthlink.net/~suzaplants/index.html

To identify the butterflies you see in your garden, go to http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/ Here is a nationwide listing by state and county of butterflies, with photos.

Anyone can post information on the web. Addresses ending with .com are commercial sites which may have an ulterior motive in trying to sell you something. Addresses ending in .org are non-profit organizations. Look for those ending in .edu or .gov for research-based information. The sites listed in this article are not endorsed by CSU. They are recommended for their entertainment value by the author.

I think border iris (Iris germanicus) belong in every sunny garden. A dramatic component of any perennial border, the taller ones also look well in large groups or in beds by themselves. Their foliage provides an excellent contrast to more fragile leaves and later blooming plants. Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of iris is that deer tend to ignore them.

Tolerant of almost any type of soil, iris thrive on little or lots of water. They also winter well in climates with below-freezing temperatures. These versatile plants, named for the ancient Greeks rainbow goddess, are available in almost every color and many are bi-colored. Some varieties even have variegated leaves.

Irises range in size from 3 miniatures to 42 giants. Though most bloom only from mid May to mid June, there are some continuous blooming varieties.

An iris is easy to plant, because its rhizome (a fleshy horizontal stem with leaf stubs at the top and coarse roots on the bottom)

Keep the soil moist for the first month or so after planting. Applying a quarter-cup of 5-10-5 fertilizer for every square yard of iris bed each spring keeps them well-fed. If you want superlative performance from the plants, feed them the same amount again, no later than four weeks after they flower. In the fall after a hard frost, trim back the leaves to about one-third of their original height; the remaining part should look like a fan.

Irises are easy to split when they become crowded ( every three to four years). Once the blooming season is over, insert a garden fork horizontally under the plants to uproot them. Separate the plants carefullly, using a sharp paring knife to cut away dead or diseased rhizome segments.

Cut the healthy rhizomes into new plants, each with a leaf-stalk and roots. Place three rhizomes in a one-foot triangle, with their leaves at each corner of the triangle, and cover them with half an inch of soil. Water them in, and keep them moist until they are established. Give away the extras. Your friends will be delighted to have them.