It’s Spring TheReview Wednesday, March 21,1990 — C6 Houseplants: must they really furn your home into a jungle? Since it is now spring, your houseplants will be starting new growth, and some things should be done for them. Plants such as hibiscus should be pruned back to an outward facing branch, reducing its all-over height to a manageable size. If you don’t want it to grow much taller, then rather than re-potting it, just scrape away some of the soil, and add fresh. All over-grown houseplants will benefit from either re-potting or the above-mentioned addition of fresh potting soil, and some ferti- lizer. Delicate plants such as African violets should be moved back from direct exposure to the sun, but where they will receive bright indirect light. Most plants will do wonders if placed outside for the summer. . . don’t put any of them outside until the first day of Junc, and then place them in what is called dappled shade (under a leafy tree, where it is mostly shaded but some brief patches of sun will reach it). African violets, tender fibrous begonias, gloxinia and achimenes are 100 fragile for life outdoors, but the African violet relative, the Cape Primrose (Streptocarpus) may be put outside under a roof overhang, and thoroughly cnjoy it. We put out such things as jade plants, clivia, Bird of Paradise, ficus Benjamina, all the cactus, the Hawaiian ginger, and the draceana, even the hoya, and they grow so vigorously we need two men and a boy to get them back inside in the fall. You°ll know that you shouldn’t over water your cactus plants, I’m sure . .. maybe they should also be put under the roof overhang. Everyone with a garden should grow at least two long keeper tomato plants. It is March 13 as I write this, and we still have two tomatoes left from last year’s crop. We lost a whole box of Long Keepers stored out.in the garage, but the ones we had in the utility room are still firm. They won’t taste like much, but will be as flavorful as those at the grocers — and look just as good in a Salad. Apply a scant cup of lime at the base of clematis plants, and around delphiniums, and a generous scat- tering throughout beds where you will be growing lettuce, peas, spin- ach, members of the cabbage fam- ily, tomatoes . . . pretty wéll all beds except those destined to grow Strawberries and potatoes. Rake your lawn to remove accu- mulated dead grass, etc. Apply seed to thin areas or bald patches, and cover seed with a thin layer of soil. Do this while spring rains continue. If we have a frost while your fruit trees are in bloom, rush out and turn on the hose, and spray the blooms before the sun reaches them. This will save the blossoms and thus your fruit crop. Put a teaspoon of corn starch in vases in which you plan to display tulips. Mix well and arrange your bouquet. The tulips should not sprawl, as they so often do. If you plan a mixed arrangement of spring flowers, do put the daffo- dils in a separate vase of water for several hours to allow them to shed that mucus-y sap that plays havoc with tulips standing in the same vase. Do not re-cut the daffodil stems. Prune off dead flowers remain- ing from last year on things such as spirea and hydrangea, trim off dead flowers on heathers, and reduce height of Spanish broom. Plant tomato seeds inside as soon as possible, but wait until the middle of April to seed squashes, melons, and cucumbers also “indoors. Ine beauty of the bulb * Narcissus rid 6 Corydalis @ ce DS em 86% : 4 oe @ Anemone blanda @ Scilla siberica and Galanthus Anemone blanda (yn) C) @e® e C) ee : TT I in Single Early Tulips I Scale 1:50 Spring starts now! Plant flower bulbs before the first hard Bulbs Under frost for a colorful spring garden. Lrees and The design pictured was created by Shrubs Dutch expert Wim Oudshoom, for : the Internation Bloembollen Cen- Anemone blanda trum of Holland. Chionodoxa = Convallaria majalis: called lily-of- the-valley Corydalis solida: in Dutch called Bulbs in crest-of-the-lark the Lawn Eranthis: called winter aconite Narcissus: e.g. “Dutch master’, “Golden Harvest’, “Mount Hood’, “Carlton’, “Ice Follies, “February Gold’ Chionodoxa: called glory-of- the-snow Crocus: Dutch garden hybrids and species Colchicum: called meadow saf- fron; e.g. “Lilac Wonder’ Narcissus: e.g. “Tete-a-Tete’, ‘Jack Snipe’ Galanthus: called snowdrops LAWN CARE SERVICES @Annual Program Of Fertilizing & Weed Control For your free Estimate Call 656-5606 Hose Wrestlin Horsing around with a hose might get a few chuckles from the neighbors. But your lawn and landscaping aren't laughing. Most turf and shrubbery do best @Aeration when they are regularly irrigated with a @\Moss Control light, gentle application of water. sos And that's what Hunter sprinklers are @Liming designed to do. They apply moisture For Complete Information, Just Call: Puschkinia libanotica: called Lebanon squill Scilla siberica: called Siberian ~ squill Bulbs Among Perennials — All of Above Plus: Allium karataviense, A. moly, A oreophyllum Eremurus: called foxtail lily Erythronium dens-canis: called dog-tooth violet Fritillaria imperialis: called crown imperial Iris: dwarf, e.g. Iris reticulata Lilies: all kinds Muscan: M: armeniacum and M. botryoides album Ornithogalum: e.g. O. umbellatum Tulips: T. Darwin hybrid: e.g. ‘Apeldoorn’ "T. Double early: e.g. Peach Blos- som’ T Double late: “Angelique’ T. Fostenana: e.g. “Purissima’ T. Fringed: e.g. “Burgundy Lace’ T. Greigil: e.g. “Toronto? TY. Kaufmanniana: Delight’ T. Lily-flowered: e.g. “Maytime” T. Parrot: e.g. “Estella Rijnveld’ T. Single early: “Couleur Cardinal’ ¥. Tnumph: e.g. “Golden Melody’ Bulbs for Beds or Containers “Heart’s Note; bulbs in containers should not be left outdoors without pro- lection or they will freeze; mulch wellor over-winter containers in unheated basement or garage. Hyacinths: all kinds Muscari armeniacum: called grape hyacinths Narcissus: e.g. “Tete-a-Tete’, “Hawera’, Jack Snipe’ Tulips: e.g. single and double early; kaufmanniana; greigii Feature Garden by Wim Oud- shoorn Courtesy: Internationaal Bloem- bollen Centrum, Hillegom, Hol- land g. coe It's Best Enjoyed As A Spectator Sport. precisely and efficiently for a greener, healthier lawn and longer-blooming landscape. Its time to hang up the hose and see how easy itis to install an automatic irrigation system featuring Hunter sprinklers. € Hunter The Irrigation Innovators RaAIn®REE @IRRIGATION @POOLS @LANDSCAPING 656-5871 #*