During these short days of December, January and February  take advantage of every mild day to give your garden cold frame a thorough ventilation. Plants with green leaves are never really dormant unless the temperature drops to freezing.

Pansies and sweet violets should be flowering now, provided the temperature is right. Remove blooms instead of allowing them to decay on the plants. Whenever feasible, stir the soil, especially if you have to give water. If violets seem tardy in flowering, don’t be concerned. They’ll pick up in January, when the sun gets higher, if the temperature can be kept at 40° to 45°. In a lower temperature, flowering will be delayed until around March.

By now you should be picking lettuce, Chinese cabbage and cress, the current problem with them being to keep the temperature above freezing. Little further development can be expected from these crops, nor is it advisable to try to carry them through winter. Cress and radishes will go to seed as soon as spring growth begins.

If the wooden frame greenhouse is used principally for carrying plants through the winter which are liable to damage outdoors, that’s another story. Simply cover cold frames over with hay or straw and leave them. Allow snow coverings to remain. In addition to pansies, biennials carried over in this way include English daisies, forget-me-nots and Canterbury bells. Perennials carried over include chrysanthemums and red-hot-pokers (kniphofia).

The gardening cold frame design offers yet another possibility for usefulness… the propagation of trees and shrubs by means of hardwood cuttings. These are cuttings taken after leaf fall and after plant tissue has been subject to several frosts. The list of plants suitable for propagation by hardwood cuttings is extensive. It includes the mockorange, butterfly-bush, privet, chaste-tree (vitex) , rose-of-Sharon, willow, deutzia, weigela, false-spires (sorbaria), jetbead, flowering quince, hydrangea, tamarisk and many others. Currants, grapes and gooseberries are propagated by this method also.

Although the garden cold frame is ideal for this method of propagation, you may run into the problem of needing the frame in early spring for raising seedlings before it’s possible to transplant the cuttings to the garden. But the project fits in very well if you don’t plan to use the frame for seedlings before March.

Build Cold Frame

More Vegetable & Flower Gardening Tips With Coldframes

Gardening In February: Maple Syrup, Sugar, Seed Planting Dates

By February 23, if all hard freezes are over in your area or you have a way to provide supplemental heat to your cold frames or tunnel houses if needed, go ahead and plant young cabbage plants and onions.

Gardening With A Cold Frame

Not all of us (in fact, few of us!) are lucky enough to have greenhouses like this one to get us through winter. A cold frame, on the other hand, might be just the thing.

Cold Frame: Extend Your Vegetable Garden Season

A cold frame is a bottomless box with a clear or translucent top. It is set on the ground or over a planting bed to capture solar energy and heat the air, soil, and plants inside.

Cold Frame From An Old Window

But you can start seedlings around now, either indoors or in a cold frame like this one from Instructables, which is recycled from an old window. The window acts like a little greenhouse to protect the seedlings from the cold.

Cold Frame Calendar: Harvest to Table

As the seasons progress there are several uses for a cold frame. Start cool-temperature spring vegetable seeds and seedlings in late winter. Start summer warm-temperature vegetable seeds and seedlings beginning in early- or mid-spring.

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Why FALL Planting?

Experienced gardeners prefer fall planting. Not for all plants, but for a great many that the beginner seldom thinks of setting out except in spring.

Unless you are in a very cold section of the country, roses planted in fall take hold better than do spring-set bushes. So do most fruit trees and bushes, other deciduous trees and shrubs and many evergreens. The majority of hardy perennials, too, respond best when moved in autumn rather than in spring.

Fall planting is advantageous to the gardener too. Over most of North America spring is short, its days all too crowded.

Despite carefully made plans and the best intentions, it is usually physically impossible to accomplish all the planting and other work that needs doing. This is true if you do the work yourself; it is so if you hire professional help.

 In the mad rush of spring, skilled Gardeners and nurserymen seem to be almost as scarce as the proverbial hen’s tooth, and if you succeed in corralling one (or more), chances are he will be so rushed that your planting may be done less carefully than had you employed him at a more leisurely season.

But plantwise, why is fall the best time to set out most material? The first point to recognize is that the operation we call planting is actually transplanting. It consists of moving a living plant from one place to another in such a fashion that it will become reestablished.

Such transplanting is an artificial disturbance. In nature it occurs rarely, as when a tornado or swollen stream rips a plant from its anchorage and sets it some place else, where it takes root. But these are freak accidents. Plants usually spend their entire lives in the place where nature propagated them.

Transplanting is analogous to an operation on a human being. Parts of the body are cut away, the physiological processes disturbed. Common sense dictates that an operation should he done at a time most favorable to the patient, at the beginning of a period when recuperation is likely to take place most rapidly and when no undue demands are expected to be made upon the patient’s energies. For most plants, fall meets these conditions best.

Let’s examine the reasons why this is so. The above-ground parts of a plant depend upon the roots for water and nutrients, and to find them, roots often travel much greater distances than ordinarily supposed. A lowly perennial may send some of its feeders down 2, 3 or even more feet, and the spread of these feeders almost invariably far exceeds that of the foliage. In the case of trees and shrubs, too, the underground parts usually occupy more space then the stems and leaves.

It follows that no matter how carefully transplanting is done, some roots are cut off and the plant’s ability to supply its stems and leaves with water and nutrients is temporarily reduced. In fall, with its shorter days, lower temperatures, less intense sunshine and in many cases normal loss of foliage, the demands for water and nutrients made by the tops of hardy plants are at a near minimum and decrease as day follows day. This is a significant factor.

Roots of fall transplants are able to continue growth long after top growth has ceased, because the ground beneath remains warm and moist even after the upper inch or two is frozen. Therefore, new roots, generate readily from the cut and broken ends of transplants, enabling them to rapidly re-establish their root systems.

Contrast this with conditions that prevail in spring. Then all factors that favor vigorous top growth (with its resulting heavier demands upon the roots) are at work. Days are lengthening, the sun strengthening. Winds are stealing water from every stem and leaf. And as the leaves increase in size and number, the demand for water and nutrients increases correspondingly.

Are there any disadvantages to fall planting? Yes, in some cases there’s danger of winterkilling. Winter is the crucial period for plants on the border-line of hardiness in any given locality, plants which are so close to being tender and winterkilled anyway that the root disturbance tips the balance against them.

For such plants spring transplanting is safer, because in order to survive the winter, these borderline plants need a fully established root system. Planted in spring, they have a whole growing season in which to re-root before being called upon to face the rigors of winter.

Transplanting done too late for the particular plant type may also result in winterkilling. In such cases there simply is not sufficient time for adequate rooting before the under soil becomes too cold.

Then, too, heaving (soil movement due to alternate freezing and thawing) can tear and break roots, and with smallish items, such as rock garden plants and perennials, this may cause so much damage that serious harm or death results. However, precautions can be taken to minimize this danger.

On the negative side, one other factor must be taken into account. Experience has proved that a few plants transplant better in spring (preferably late spring) than in fall. These include some subjects with more or less fleshy roots, such as magnolias and beeches. If you have any doubts about a particular plant, check with an experienced gardener.

The actual operation of transplanting is the same whether done in fall or spring. Only the details of after care differ. Regardless of season, the soil must be deeply and thoroughly prepared and should be in a crumbly rather than pasty condition.

Preparation ordinarily involves loosening the earth to a depth of 10 inches or more, mixing in a generous amount of organic matter (compost, leafmold, rotted manure, peatmoss or commercial humus) and some fertilizer.

In fall, use only slowly available fertilizers such as coarse bonemeal, pulverized sheep manure or prepared mixtures that have much of their nitrogen content in organic form. The quickly soluble, rapid-acting kinds are more advantageous in spring, for these serve chiefly to stimulate leaf growth, which is not of immediate importance in fall. For certain plants, some soils will need liming. And in some cases, the use of a synthetic soil conditioner may be advisable.

The details of preparing the soil depend upon the particular plants to be set out. In any case, see that the preparation is thorough and, if possible, have it completed well in advance of planting. This gives the earth time to settle somewhat and makes firm planting at the right depth easier.

If you must plant before the soil has settled sufficiently by itself, either tread it until moderately firm (while it is dry enough not to stick to the shoes) or give it a thorough soaking with the hose and then allow it to dry. Either treatment will settle it enough for planting.

The old admonition that it’s better to put a 10-cent plant in a dollar hole than a dollar plant in a 10-cent hole still holds. For every plant you install, make a hole sufficiently large to easily accommodate the ball of roots without crowding and to permit you to pack a liberal amount of good soil around the old roots to encourage growth of new ones.

This is especially important with trees, shrubs and evergreens planted where the entire surrounding soil is not specially prepared, as it usually is with herbaceous plants and closely set shrubs. For a moderate-sized shrub or tree, the role should be at least 2 feet wider than the spread of the roots… more if the soil is poorand more when big specimens are being moved.

One of the great advantages of fall planting is that purchased nursery stock is then newly dug. It has not been wintered in a nursery cellar or storage shed as have most spring-sold plants.

Take care when planting not to let the roots become dry. If the specimens are moved with a ball of soil, as evergreens always should be and larger trees and shrubs often are, be sure, not to break it.

Spread the roots of plants that are moved without a soil ball in the directions in which they run naturally and work good soil between them. Set the plants at the same depth or only very slightly deeper than they were previously. Firm the soil well, but do not ram it until it is as hard as a road. Unless rain is imminent, soak the soil immediately after planting and keep well watered.

Secure fall-planted trees firmly to stakes or guy wires to prevent winter storms from loosening or toppling them over. Deciduous shrubs rarely need staking, but it is often good to prune back or thin out some of the branches. Evergreens (both shrubs and trees) will appreciate a burlap screen if they are exposed to wind or strong winter sun.

Very important, too, is the subject of winter protection. For most plants, a mulch 1 or 2 inches deep (3 or 4 inches for evergreens) spread over the ground after it has frozen will delay frost penetration to greater depths and enable roots to grow for a longer period. A mulch will also reduce heaving.

Suitable materials are coarse compost, half-rotted leaves, manure, straw and peat-moss. A mulch of this type, however, is not practicable for ground-hugging plants such as strawberries and many rock garden subjects, which require a light covering of salt hay or evergreen branches. Perennials, too, prefer the latter type mulch.

Roses require a little different kind of winter protection. After the top inch of earth has frozen, bill the soil high around the bases of the stems to protect the lower buds, and fill the hollows between the hills with loose manure or some other mulch material.

Let’s take a look now at the best fall planting times for the different plant types. Evergreens should go in first. These have to support a crop of leaves all winter and so need plenty of time to develop ample roots. Deciduous trees and shrubs, excepting those few kinds that move better in spring, may be safely planted considerably later than evergreens. Put them in any time between the start of natural leaf fall and the first hard ground freeze.

Roses should be planted as soon as obtainable, and planting may continue until frost makes it impracticable. Perennials and biennials should be planted as soon as possible after the first killing frost to enable them to root well before the soil freezes.

Planting In Autumn

More Tips For Fall Gardening

How To Naturalize Spring-Flowering Bulbs

Of these, only spring-blooming bulbs absolutely must be planted in fall. This “now or never” push makes fall bulb planting an annual tradition in many households, where spending an hour or two each fall can reap colorful spring time bulbs.

Fall Work Makes Spring Planting Easier

Crisp autumn days make you want to drink hot chocolate and sit by a warming fire. I’ll join you, but first we have a few things to do to be ready for spring gardening. (Did you really think I was done giving you things to do?)

5 Tips for Fall Gardening

If you’re ready to take the organic gardening plunge, we have some great tips for you from the experts at Bonnie Plants, a green-gardening wholesaler in Union Springs, AL: Don’t be intimidated.

Fall Gardening Tasks

Pruning chores are easier in fall as the leaves drop. But be certain to only prune away dead or diseased wood – if you prune healthy wood, it will spur new growth that will become damaged by winter cold.

Technorati Tags: biennials, evergreens, fall, gardening, Perennials, planting, plants, roses, shrub, tips, transplanting, trees

Growing Orchids Is So Easy! 

I had always believed that to grow orchids would be exceedingly difficult… tender, delicate and temperamental… and so expensive as to be entirely out of reach of the average person. But I have learned that none of these things are true. Orchids are within the means of any of us. There are reasonably priced plants as well as expensive ones, and because the plants remain handsome and increase in size from year to year they are an investment that brings thrilling dividends. This article is about orchid flower gardening made easy.

As for their reputed delicacy, the fact is orchids are remarkably tough and hardy. Indeed. they are freer from disease than any other plant I can think of. The

chief requirement to grow orchids is to learn the conditions under which they thrive in their native haunts and to approach those conditions as closely as possible in the home or greenhouse.

Perhaps the most important condition is proper light. Orchids, like African violets, want light but not glaring sun, in other words, filtered sunlight. Keep in mind that their native habitat is jungle "rain forests," where dense tropical vegetation allows only filtered sunlight to penetrate. Try growing an orchid plant next to your African violet in a window with a north or east exposure and watch it grow! But if you must use a window where the sunlight is too strong filter the sun with Venetian blinds or place the plant so that it receives maximum light but not direct sun.

In the greenhouse, the glare of full sun can be cut by the use of roller blinds or by painting shading on the outside of the glass, especially on south and west sides. I simply use a light coat of white enamel paint, then stipple it with a sponge.

Second only in importance to light is humidity. In tropical jungles, the air is very humid, so it follows that moisture in the air is a necessity. The why of this is readily seen. Orchids are epiphytes, usually growing upon logs or stumps (epi means above or on, phite means plant). Their roots are mostly aerial, and they take their nourishment mainly from the moisture in the air (possibly also from minerals in the decaying humus with which their roots come in contact, although they are not parasites, as is often thought).

In the greenhouse, humidity is achieved by hosing the floor and benches in the morning, at noon and in midafternoon. As this moisture evaporates into the air, it creates the needed humidity. In my own greenhouse, I have a small automatic humidity system, geared to an adjustable temperature dial, which throws a fine mist spray under the benches when the temperature reaches a certain point. This is a tremendous help, because I am away all day and can’t do the sprinkling needed in hot dry weather. More sprinkling, of course, is needed on hot, dry days than on dull, cloudy ones.

Another humidity aid in the greenhouse is to place pans of water on the floor, particularly in front of or on top of the heater. I keep a pan of water directly in front of my electric heater, and the amount of evaporation from this pan is surprising.

If you grow orchids in the home, you can achieve humidity by placing the orchid pot in a saucer of gravel and keeping the gravel moist. But do not allow the water to touch the pot, for orchids must not be set in water or allowed to become soggy. Good drainage is essential. Pot watering of orchid plants is needed only about once a week.

Doesn’t orchid growing sound unbelievably simple? It is! If you have windows in your home that afford good light and the night temperature doesn’t fall below 58 degrees, you can grow orchids just as easily as you can grow African violets.

Having been an iris grower for several years, I’m interested to note the similarity in structure between orchids and iris. Like iris, orchids have rhizomes, and the buds come up through the stems in similar manner. An interesting feature about orchids, however is that they have thickened stems called pseudo-bulbs, which are storage places for food and moisture for use during dry seasons in the Jungle.

Another surprise to those unfamiliar with orchids is the fact that they are not grown in soil. Remember that in the jungles they grow on trees or stumps, not on the ground. The potting medium for most orchids is osmunda fiber (roots of tropical ferns). This is a coarse material and very porous, so that water drains right through it. From this osmunda fiber and from the air, the roots of orchids derive the nourishment they need.

Some orchid families, however, require compost with the osmunda. These are called terrestrial or semi-terrestrial orchids. The compost is usually a mixture of sphagnum moss and a form of leaf mold. A well-known terrestrial orchid is the cypripedium or lady-slipper. Many of you are undoubtedly familiar with the hardy form of lady-slipper which grows wild in the woods of many regions.

In selecting your first orchid plants we need to follow some flower gardening basics, choose species whose requirements of light, heat, etc., are similar so that they will do well together. Some orchids require cooler conditions than others, some more shade, etc. So unless you have facilities ‘to suit varying types, it’s best to choose orchids requiring similar conditions, In my greenhouse are cattleyas, epidendrums and oncidiums, all of which have like tastes. My greenhouse is an intermediate house with the night temperature ranging from 58 to 63 degrees, the daytime temperature from 60 up into the 70’s. A small Humidial indicates both temperature and relative humidity. To grow orchids, the humidity should be about 80 per cent of the temperature, and a dial of this sort makes it easy to keep check on this.

The cattleya is generally looked upon as the monarch of orchids. Its bloom is the most gorgeous extravagantly beautiful achievement of the flower world. In color, cattleya blooms range from pure white through lavender shades to deep old rose. There’s also a golden species with velvety red lip known as C. dowiana aurea, from which many gorgeous yellow hybrids have been produced.

My first cattleya to bloom was Cattleya mossiae, an exquisite, ruffled flower of opalescent lavender blotched on the lip with magenta. It came into bloom in April and stayed perfect for more than a month. Cattleya labiata is now in bloom in my greenhouse, and it is said that it often blooms in both spring and fall. It is a luminous rose with Violet lip and orange spots in a yellow throat. In growth, this plant is outdistancing everything else in my greenhouse!

Cattleya gaskelliana, purple violet touched with white, is another popular species that usually blooms in early June. There are many more Cattleya species as well as countless striking hybrids in all colors.

Closely related to the cattleyas are the laelias, gorgeous in color and native to Mexico, Guatemala and Brazil. They have been crossed with cattleyas to produce the brilliant hybrids known as laelio-cattleyas. I have Laelia anceps, a winter-blooming species shaded purple, pink, white and yellow.

The epidendrum is another popular orchid which does well under the same conditions as laelias and cattleyas. The color range is wide, and many have a delightful fragrance. However, the blooms are smaller than those of cattleyas.

I have several species: Epidendrum atropurpureum, mahogany and green, which is spring and summer blooming; E. aurantiacum, red-orange and winter-blooming; E. cochleatum triandrum, the black orchid, a Florida native and near year-round bloomer; and E. fragrans, creamy white and summer and fall blooming. These are just a few, but they give a glimpse of the diversity of this charming family.

The oncidium is another orchid that does well with the above-mentioned types. In describing it, I couldn’t do better than to quote from Rebecca Northern’s book "Home Orchid Growing": ". . . Nature seems to have caught dancing rays of light, flickering patterns of sun and shadow, little fairy forms not seen by man, and made them into friendly, whimsical, thoroughly delightful little flowers."

There are some 300 species of oncidiums, and their native habitat ranges from Florida and the West Indies down to Brazil. I have four species: Oncidium cavendishianum, yellow red-spotted flowers, spring blooming; O. bicallosum, yellow shaded brown-green, winter blooming; 0, leucochilum, yellow-green marked with dark brown, blooming variably; and 0. varicosum rogersi, yellow marked with red-brown, winter-blooming.

This has been but a bird’s eye glimpse into an orchid world of vast diversity and endless beauty, a world inhabited by some 15,000 known species and probably vast numbers still undiscovered in jungles. But I hope this glimpse has opened your eyes to the tremendous adventure that can be yours if you will but give a try to grow orchids.

Technorati Tags: african, cattleya, grow, growing, home, orchid, orchids, plants, psuedo, terrestrial, violets

Fall Flower And Gardening Checklist – Part 2

When preparing our flower beds and garden in the fall for the upcoming winter we do not want to forget about these! Here we review what to do now for your lawn, house plants, and planting shrubs and trees.

LAWNS
Seeding and feeding are best done now. There is less weed competition and grass grows best in most places, in autumn. Cut and remove crab grass before it sheds its seeds. Clean out other weeds too. Loosen the soil in bare patches, work in grass fertilizer or a complete plant food, then sow with a grass mixture suited to your conditions. If fall-planted grass gets an early, strong it can stand the late fall raking of leaves without damage.

Even on a good lawn, plant food and extra seed are advisable. For such "extra" growth use 3 pounds plant food and 1/4 pound grass seed to 100 square feet.

In making a new lawn in the fall, dig the area and mix peat moss and plant food with the surface soil. If extra topsoil is needed put on at least 2 inches. Rake and roll two or three times to get an even, firm surface. Sow 1/2 pound grass seed per 100 square feet. Rake and finally roll using a 200 pound roller.

HOUSE PLANTS
It’s time to take in house plants, and to dig up and pot others to be used indoors. Geraniums, actively growing petunias, and dwarf salvia are suitable. Cut away a third of the tops before digging: pot firmly, water, and keep in a warm place.

PLANTING TREES AND SHRUBS
Transplant evergreens any time in September or early October. This applies to conifers, pine, spruce, hemlock and the like and the broad-leaved kinds: rhododendrons, mountain laurel, azaleas and similar plants. All growth has matured. The plants come with a ball of soil. Set the plants at same depth they were in the nursery. Their roots are near the surface and will be injured if buried deeply. All must be watered thoroughly and the soil packed against the ball. Mix good soil with peat moss or humus plus a handful of 5-10-5 fertilizer per plant.

Late September and October is also time for ordering and transplanting the deciduous (leaf dropping) trees and shrubs. The few possible exceptions are magnolia, birch, cherry and dogwood, although when dug from the nursery dogwood is safe.

Unless the trees or shrubs are large, a ball of soil is not necessary. Most shade and flowering trees up to 10 feet high can be transplanted bareroot. However, keep the roots moistened until planted. Pack screened soil between the roots and flood with water. Single stemmed trees planted this way should be secured to two stakes.

Fall Plant And Tree Care

More Tips For Fall Flower Growing And Planting

Fall Is The Time To Plant Flower Bulbs

Bulbs are a wonderful addition to any yard or garden. Once planted, bulbs take little care and are a surprise when they pop up and take on life and color.

Fall Is For Planting

If I plant in the spring I only get one chance for roots to grow before summer. If I plant in fall I get much more root growth and time for the plant to establish itself.

Transformed Garden Plants Become Indoor Plants

Fall is a good time, before frost, to pot up a few chosen plants for continued bloom in the house long after freezing weather has brought an end to the garden season. Ageratum, lobelia, sweet alyssum, dwarf marigolds, and petunias. All of these bulbs should be dug with great care just like caring for spathoglottis so that they will not be cut or injured by the spade or fork.

Fall Tips of Gardens and Growers

A great deal of thought will be given to house plants during the next few months. The object will be to keep them growing and blooming through the dull days.

The Important Fall Garden Activity

Garden Sanitation – This all-important job should precede all other fall garden activities. Following the vacation period, many garden plants need to be groomed. Remove all dead foliage and old blooms from the plants or from the bed.

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