February 12, 2010

Daffodils are beginning to sprout!

By Richard J Carpenter, Freelance Writer

 On your winter hikes, or while running errands around Dallas, you may notice short, thick, green blades poking out of the ground. This is not grass, but spring flowering bulbs! It’s amazing to witness the toughness of the daffodil as it will even poke its sprouts right up through snow cover as seen in the photo above - daffodils in snow in Dallas! These harbingers should be blooming in only a few more weeks bringing yellow tidings of spring.

 If you have daffodils in your yard, just let them do their thing. They don’t need much help with growing, and once they have fully bloomed and die off at the onset of summer, wait until the leaves turn completely yellow/brown before removing—this allows the flower to synthesize a few last drops of nutrients to rebuild its bulb before going into reverse hibernation until next winter. One way to deal with waiting on the leaves ‘to die back’ is to fold them down and rubberband them ‘out of the way.’ This allows the leaves to decay rather than pulling them out. The plants NEED their ol’ leaves – all the way till the end.

Our first freeze took place last week in the Dallas/Ft Worth area – December, 2009 – which left some perennial plants looking ‘nasty.’

They’re black! Yuk – take them out. But not by the roots! Just cut them back to about 3” above the ground level. Pick up the cuttings and toss them into the compost heap – it would help to cut the leavings up a bit as this helps to hurry the breaking down of plant tissue and to make the rich compost you want to add back into the garden – faster!

Perennials return each spring and usually last all growing season. They often prefer spring and fall for blooming, but some will even give us color in the heat of summer. Deadheading – cutting off the dead blooms throughout the growing season – is helpful for getting more blooms. This is because by cutting off the dead blooms seed production stops, and more flowers bloom!

Today I cut back Texas Lantana – the big yellow flowering guys, Mexican bush sage, Turk’s Cap, Texas Star Hibiscus, Henry Dahlburg Salvia. But not the roses! Leave them be until late February when they will need cutting back by at least 1/3 of their height.

Prepared by Lynne M Carpenter owner and designer of LANDSCAPE ARTIST Design & Service - we plant RIGHT! Call: 972-345-0874 or Email: L@Landscapeartist1.com to schedule an appointment to discuss ANTHING for the landscape.

October 16, 2009

Spring Daffodils in the Landscape Design

Lynne M Carpenter

Why talk about daffodils in the Fall?

Daffodils are one of the harbingers of springtime  –  and so they must be dug into the ground in the Fall. In the DFW area, it’s best to wait till early December to plant spring blooming bulbs. Dig a hole big enough to hold the bulb, about 6” deep, drop it in and cover up. A good fertilizer for bulbs is one with phosphorus – the middle of the 3 numbers on a package of fertilizer. Blood Meal is a good choice. They don’t really even have to be watered – let the winter rains take care of that.

And then, ‘when on your couch you lie, in vacant or in pensive mood, they will flash upon that inward eye which is the bliss of solitude; and then your heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils.’  — William Wordsworth

October 8, 2009

Why Hire a Designer for the Landscape?

Lynne M Carpenter, LANDSCAPE ARTIST

With the availability of all kinds of self-help materials, why hire a designer?

Do you want curb appeal? A private garden oasis? A safe play area for children? 

A knowledgeable designer, with artistic sense, plant expertise, and experience – will save homeowners and business owners a lot of headaches! A lot of time. A lot of money. And truly offer enhancement to their landscape – no matter what the current need or special requirements. The designer can save plant enthusiasts money on plants that don’t work. She is a guide to considerations not thought of – since she has the expertise required. If installation help is needed, the plan can then be put in quite quickly – usually in a couple of days - rather than a year or two, which some home projects become.

With all you already have to do – why not meet with a professional and start your garden-building project off right? The designer will sit down to hear your side of the story – what you really want the garden to be, beauty with practicality, including your budget limitations. She will note the property’s light exposure and soil type to point you to the best plant selection.  You do want those plants to grow well in the sun exposure you have in your yard, don’t you?  In order that the plants last –plant the right ones at the beginning of your garden dream project.           

Oh, the money spent on plants that didn’t work!