Dear Gardener...

Well, spring came and left again. With snow in the air and cold night temperatures we just have to be patient a little while longer. Let's hope it is just around the corner. Every time spring does make its entry it seems like such a wonder and almost an achievement in itself. It makes us feel - phew, we made it again. But did the plants also make it? As soon as the snow disappears we are out in our gardens checking up on things. Did these survive? Oh, did we really put tulips there? Look how early the Forsythias are budding out this year! Half of gardening is about watching, assessing and taking action, the other half is miraculous, pure and simple - like life itself. This week is intense at the greenhouse. Apart from being very busy preparing to see you all again for our Bareroot Days on April 19th through 21st, we have been spending some time in the garden. One of the first things we do is to fertilize the spring bulbs like daffodils, tulips and the later blooming oriental lilies, as well as adding bonemeal to the flowering shrubs and roses. Another is uncovering marginal hardy plants that we covered up for the winter - plants like Heather, Lavender, zone 5 Roses and a few plants we are trialing for performance. This winter most of us had very little snow to protect our plants. It was very cold in January and February so we are hoping for the best.

The Billion Tree Campaign is a program from the United Nations whose goal is to plant a billion trees worldwide in 2007. With all the effects of global warming, deforestation, and erosion many people are wondering how they can contribute. This Campaign gives every community, school, government organization and individual an opportunity to do something for the cause' plant a tree. It's easy to get involved, pledge a tree and plant it. For more information about the campaign and how to pledge it go to: www.unep.org. All you do is type in your name & address and that you pledge to take care of this tree.

How can trees help? - Here are just a few examples. - One tree will absorb the CO2 from 4 cars every year. - Shade trees can reduce utility bills for air conditioning by 15-50% and protect your home from cold winds in the winter.

With Earth Day coming up Sunday the 22nd, the day after our Bareroot Sale, one way to celebrate is to plant a tree and pledge it too! The Bareroot Days Sale is our biggest sale of the year with all of our bareroot trees, shrubs, roses and small fruits being sold at 25% off. Every tree will have a special 'Trees are Cool' tag you can attach to it. Several door prizes will be drawn each day for 'Trees are Cool' T-shirts too.

The Perennial Plant of the Year for 2007 is Catmint or Nepeta 'Walkers Low'. This Nepeta is not so low as the name would suggest but actually more like knee high. The common name 'Walker's Low' comes from a well known English garden and isn't descriptive of the height at all. Nepetas are long time favorites of ours. They are so tough, drought resistant, deer resistant and long blooming that it's hard not to like them. We have them planted along a Rose bed here and all summer they bloomed and buzzed with bee's and butterflies and hummingbirds as well. The soft lavender flowers complemented the red, pink and white roses wonderfully. In mid-summer they flopped over a bit, leaning into the walkway, so we cut the plants back on the sides and left the top part to bloom. Two weeks later they were nicely rounded again and in full bloom. So cutting back a couple of times during the year creates a better shape and a longer bloom time. Nepeta is also very early to break dormancy in the spring. Ours are up one inch here in early April. The botanical name derives from the minty fragrance that seems to attract cats. We have heard from several people that this is a fact, but our kitty must not be a gardener, as she much prefers mice. Let us know if you have any catmint stories.

Do you have our Spring To Do list? This list shows a variety of things you can do to treat your garden with as much TLC as it deserves. Spring is a great time to look at the shrubs and trees that make up the 'scaffold' of the garden. When there are no leaves on the trees we can see the shape and structure of the plants more easily. Remove any dead limbs or old wood on your trees, but avoid pruning spring bloomers like Forsythia, Lilacs, Crab Apples and Azalea's. Instead prune them right after they are done blooming in early summer. Perennials that were left up during the winter for interest, like coneflowers, sedum and grasses need to be cut back now as well. You can cut them back to about 4 inches and remove the foliage. While taking a stroll around the gardens assessing the 'movements' that the seasons have created, we noticed several Heucheras or Coralbells that have heaved a little out of the ground. Frost heaving often occurs when an area experiences frequent periods of above and below freezing temperatures. Why some plants do that specifically is a mystery, but Heucheras along with Scabiosa (Pin Cushion Flower), Shasta Daisies, Blanket Flower (Gaillardia), Pigsqueak (Bergenia), Foamflower (Tiarella), Garden Mum (Chrysanthemum), and Painted Daisy (Tanacetum) are all somewhat susceptible. It is very easy to do a side dig with a spade and press it back down. We once had a visitor saying she just stepped on it! Maybe a little drastic, but if you do it at the side, avoiding the crown it works too. Avoiding to plant these perennials too late in the fall really helps too. In our next issue we will be covering how and with what we fertilize in the garden as well as which perennials benefit from a pinching or cutting back.

Your mind is a garden, your thoughts are the seeds,

the harvest can be either flowers or weeds.

- Author Unknown