Spring

Every moment is full of wonder, and God is always present.

And no where is that wonder more evident than in the Southern spring. Redbuds, dogwood, azaleas and irises burst forth in a parade of color and texture against a backdrop of green.

LAWNS

BULBS

VINES

SHRUBS FOR THE LANDSCAPE

FLOWERING TREES

SOIL AND ADDITIVES

The earth in your garden beds is the mainspring of a successful garden and a good garden loam is about 40% clay, 40% humus and 20% sand. Clay is what you start with - it is the "mud" that is in the ground that you break to make your garden bed. Humus is decayed organic matter, whether it be well-rotted manure, the residue of a good compost heap or peat moss. Sand is finely ground particles of rock.

A word here about manure. It may not smell good or look good, but it's pretty to gardeners because of its usefulness. Rabbit manure is the only kind that is safe to apply fresh to the garden in spring or summer. All other types - horse, cow, chicken, and so on - when fresh, can harm plants and should be composted before applying to the garden. You can spread fresh manure over the garden and till it in immediately, but you should wait four weeks before planting.

If your soil is dry and caked, showing cracks you may be sure that you need sand to help break up the thick sticky clay. If water runs off the bed too freely, then you need to add humus. In other words, besides the clay that you start with, you need sand for better drainage and humus for body and conditioning. Of the three constituents, humus is probably the key to good plant nutrition because it increases the breathing capacity of thick clay soils and helps sandy soils hold water.

After adding the correct amount of humus and sand to your garden beds, stop to consider the three most important elements in plant growth: Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potash. After them come Calcium, Magnesium and Sulphur. Cottonseed meal is said to be tops as a vegetable source of nitrogen. When you buy a commerical fertilizer known as 8-8-8 or 5-10-5, the first figure stands for Nitrogen, the second for Phosphorus and the third, for Potash.

Take time to check the "pH" of your soil. The word pH is an expression of the amount of acid in the soil. Some plants require alkaline conditions, while others prefer acidic soil. A good soil testing kit wil help you discover what you soil is like. If you have access to organic fertilizers by all means use them in place of the commercial ones wherever feasible. Organic fertilizers come from plant and animal materials, for example: bone meal, which is rich in phosphorus and can always be used around bulbs and tubers without fear of burning the plant as long as you do not apply it directly on or below the bulb; dried blood, which supplies nitrogen, and cottonseed meal which is so beneficial for acid-loving greens. A good compost heap is a joy to have.

The old adage: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" applies very well to planting. Make certain that your soil contains the necessary elements for whatever you plan to put into it and you will find stronger plants with lovelier flowers of longer blooming periods.

If you pray for rain, be prepared to deal with some mud.

You are listening to "Singing In the Rain".

You are the

visitor planted here.

WEB GRAPHICS BY
SHADOWY MIST

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