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Perhaps one of nature's greatest miracles are flower bulbs. They go into the ground as a crusty brown bulb, and over the course of four to five months burst through the soil and become beautiful blooming flowers. And who doesn’t love to see daffodils or tulips and other flower bulbs in their full blooming glory? For many of us, it’s the first sign that spring has finally arrived.

Tulips, crocus and daffodils are the traditional standby bulbs. But for those that like the unusual, there are many spectacular varieties to choose from. They can be layered in containers or in your flower bed so that the colors just keep popping up. It’s best to consider how many layers (or rows) you want to plant and work from low bulbs in the front of your planting bed (or outside edge of container) and then gradually increase the height towards the back of the bed (or inside of the container).

The lowest growing bulbs are crocus, which are also the earliest blooming. Other great border bulbs that stay in the 6-8” inch range include anenome, chionodoxa, and puschkinia. In the middle of your flower bed or containers consider using amaryllis, babiana, freesia, leucojum, muscari, ranunculas, scilla, sparaxis and watsonia. For the back of the bed or middle of your containers plant allium, daffodil, Dutch iris, hyacinth, lycoris, narcissus, or tulips to complete your layered design.

Two spring blooming bulbs that perform better on their own are bearded iris and amaryllis bulbs. Bearded iris re-produce themselves and spread out over time so give them lots of room. The giant Dutch amaryllis perform better forced indoors in containers where their beauty can be enjoyed without venturing outside.

And last but not least, fall is the prime time to plant garlic bulbs, onion sets and seed potatoes. Plan ahead so you can enjoy a delicious summer harvest by planting these bulbs in the ground by the end of November.

So don't be disappointed when your neighbors have beautiful flower bulbs popping up in their gardens next spring and you have bare ground. Plan and plant ahead! Choose your bulbs now and plant in the fall to see the treasure of their blooms in spring.

Lilies, narcissus and hyacinths need to be planted in the fall as well. Don't forget that hyacinths and Oriental lilies are fragrant. Plant them where your nose as well as eyes can appreciate their beauty.

And last but not least, fall is the time to plant garlic. Planning ahead for a summer garlic harvest requires putting the bulbs in the ground in the fall. For a mild flavor try elephant garlic. The bulbs are larger but just as easy to grow as regular garlic.

Don't be disappointed when your neighbors have daffodils and crocus popping up in the yard next spring and you have bare ground. Plan and plant ahead! Choose your bulbs now and plant in the fall.

Autumn is a good time to prepare your lawn for the year ahead, and the best time to tackle any long-term improvements. Tasks such as raking out lawn debris, eradicating moss, feeding, and aerating will improve the quality of your lawn greatly if carried out on a yearly basis.

Over the years, grass clippings and debris form a "thatch" on the surface of your lawn. This affects growth of the grass and should be removed with a lawn rake. Raking also removes moss.

If grass growth is poor, aerate the lawn. You can do this by pushing the prongs of a fork about 15 cm (6 in) into the ground. Brush a soil improver into the holes made by the fork. Use sand or a mixture of fine soil and sand if the ground is poorly drained. Alternatively, use peat, a peat-substitute or very fine, well-rotted compost if the ground is sandy. Reseed as necessary; fall is an excellent time for reseeding.

If your lawn is in poor condition and needs reviving, apply an autumn lawn feed. It is essential that you use one formulated for autumn use, as spring and summer feeds will contain too much nitrogen. If the grass contains a lot of moss, apply a moss killer. Use one recommended for autumn use; the mixture known as lawn sand, sometimes used to kill moss, contains too much nitrogen.

You can (and should) tidy an uneven edge whenever it's necessary, but doing a full job of it in autumn will relieve the pressure at busier times of the year. Hold a half-moon edger against a board held in position with your feet.

All we are doing when we make compost is putting back into the earth what we've taken out of it. It's easy! It can be as simple as mowing the lawn and leaving the clippings on--the green stuff is nitrogen! (Just be sure the clippings are small--if you've let the lawn get long and don't have a mulching mower, go back over the mowed area once or twice for the same effect.)

To understand the principles of composting, it will be helpful to understand soil matter. If you're out in the woods, for example, what you see on the top is leaves and decaying plant parts. Dig a little deeper and the material is less easy to identify, since visible and microscopic organisms have been busy digesting the organic matter. The end product is humus--food for the micro-organisms which release the nutrients for your plants. Once the easily eaten parts are gone, humus can last in the soil for centuries. It is this form of humus that improves the soil's structure and its ability to hold water and nutrients.

In making compost, the idea is to keep a balance of carbon (the "brown stuff" such as old leaves and stems) and nitrogen (the "green stuff" such as lawn clippings). You can also add raw kitchen scraps such as fruits and vegetables. No animal waste, meats, or cooked foods--or you may have larger guests than planned! Beetles and worms are a good sign--large scavengers are not.

Soil micro-organisms and plants need water, warmth, oxygen, moderate pH and the balanced supply of nutrients from the organic matter.

When you build compost in a pile, think of lasagna. Add materials a few inches deep, then about a 6" layer of soil after each addition. Let it sit and you're making what's called "cold compost." On its own, it will take about a year--but you can have several piles going at once. Different textures allow more air circulation. Turning the pile will speed things up--which brings us to the other method, called "hot composting."

Hot composting is faster. The more a pile is turned, the faster you have your finished product. Turning, adding water, and balancing carbon and nitrogen encourages organisms to reproduce rapidly, causing the pile to heat up. The temperature in the center of the pile can reach 160° and can kill off weed seeds, disease organisms and roots.

Compost tumblers are popular because they work so quickly and are easy to turn. You can also make bins from large garbage cans and other containers. Make sure the bin is elevated for drainage, and punch holes in the side and bottom for air circulation. A larger bin (around 3' tall, wide, and deep) is better for getting best mass for proper composition--but the smaller bins will work.

Watching for problems

• Ants? That means the pile is probably too dry.
• Odor? It's too wet. Add more carbon (brown stuff) and turn to let in more air
• Seedlings sprouting? It's not hot enough. Avoid adding anything containing seed or make sure seeds are in the center of the pile.

No time and still want to do your part? If you have leftover salads, etc.--just dig a small hole and bury them. Or just fling an apple core or banana peel into the bushes!

Another method is to "compost as you go." When removing old plants, dead annuals, and such, just put them in little piles in an area where you will be working later. By the time you get to it, it's often starting to break down. You can work in what's left later or shake it off and discard or add larger pieces to your main pile. Anything we put back is enriching our soil.

For fun make compost tea. Put a shovelful of compost in a burlap bag. Tie it closed. Submerge in a bucket, garbage can, or other container with water. Put a cover on and let it steep a few days. Then pour around plants. Dilute to the color of weak tea and use as a foliar feed. Use the solids as mulch or put them back in the compost pile.

It's that time of year again!! We invite you to experience the fall harvest season here, where the only thing more beautiful than the fall foliage is the sea of orange created by our great selection of pumpkins.

We have a large selection of pumpkins to dress up your home and front porch. We have in stock pumpkins that are great tasting and pumpkins grown primarily for carving, in large, medium and small sizes to fit into everyone's seasonal display.

We also carry an impressive selection of ornamental gourds. Looking for something smaller? How about a wonderful little pumpkin or unique mini gourd?

And don't forget we have lots of other fall décor to dress your home inside and out. We carry a large selection of autumn colored wreaths, silks, and table decorations.

So what are you waiting for? Come visit us today and don't forget to bring the kids. We are the best place to find all of your fall decoration needs.

What's the difference between a daffodil and a narcissus?

Answer:

There is no difference. The two words are synonyms. Narcissus is the botanical name for daffodils, just as ilex is for hollies.

Daffodil is the common name for all members of the genus Narcissus, and its use is recommended by the American Daffodil Society at all times other than in scientific writing.

In some parts of the country, any yellow daffodil is called a jonquil, usually incorrectly. As a rule, but not always, jonquil species and hybrids are characterized by several yellow flowers, strong scent, and rounded foliage.

But who really cares? They are all lovely flowers--and we say, "Call them whatever makes you happy!"

Whitefly are small fly-like insects with white colored wings that hide on the underside of leaves where they feed on plant juices. They can multiply rapidly, and when gathered in large numbers, can consume a considerable amount of nutrients, causing the affected plant foliage to turn pale in color. Like other sucking insects, they also excrete honeydew, attracting black sooty mold fungus which can make the plant look even worse. 

What makes whitefly difficult to control is their fast reproductive cycle, so it is important to spray every 5-7 days during a 40 day cycle. It’s also very important to spray the undersides of the leaves where most of the sucking nymphs reside. For organic control or on edible plants we recommend using either a sticky whitefly trap or a pyrethrum based spray. On non-edible plants you might consider using a systemic spray.