Johnsons's Garden Centers Text File document - copyright 2005 PDF file available at http://www.johnsonsgarden.com/newsletter/gardentips.html Garden Tips September/October 2005 Marty Johnson, President, Johnson's Garden Centers & Kansas Certified Nursery Professional Summer Vacation I did not get to the Tour de France this summer to see Lance Armstrong win the 7th and final tour of his career. If you followed the race, you saw for the 7th time an example of great team planning, preparation and execution. If we can copy this kind of teamwork in our everyday lives we will accomplish great things. I did spend time with my bicycling friends riding around the Four Corners region of Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri. We were on an 8-day organized bike ride called "Border Raiders" which follows early Kansas history. Check out http://www.borderraiders.com/ for more information. Jack Van Es, my friend who was injured as a spectator last summer at the Tour de France, was on the Border Raiders ride and made it through without injury. This ride was a great opportunity to see small town America. Fall Weed Control This summer was not as hot and dry as some have been in the past, in fact, it was pretty nice. With the amount of rain we've had, our fall weed crop seems to be pretty good. If you are fighting crabgrass, you can kill it now with ferti-lome Crabgrass Killer. Crabgrass is an annual weed and is killed with the first hard frost; so if you wait a few weeks it will take care of itself. Be sure though, to apply ferti-lome's All-Seasons Crabgrass Preventer next spring to control the crabgrass next year. Broadleaf weeds (dandelions, henbit and chickweed) will germinate this fall. To kill these weeds spray with ferti-lome Weed Free Zone. You'll usually see results in less than a week. This product can be applied about two weeks after seeding new lawns. Spray Hi-Yield Super Killzall in your landscape beds to control any undesirable plants. Be sure to keep the spray off of your desirable plants. Fall Color I encourage you to take time to enjoy the great fall colors in area landscapes. If you want to add some fall color, now is the time see which plants are at their best in autumn. Some of my favorites are varieties of Red Maple (Acer rubrum) such as Sun Valley (a seedless variety!), Red Sunset and October Glory. These trees establish fairly quickly in the landscape, are spectacular in the fall and have good summer foliage. Other favorites of mine include the Chinese Pistache and varieties of Sugar Maple. Trees such as Lacebark Elm add great yellow fall foliage to contrast the reds and oranges of other trees. Stop by the nursery and ask our nursery professionals to help you in selecting a tree for your landscape. Hardy Boy Pansies Each fall, we encourage everyone to plant colorful pansies. You will have three seasons of color by doing this. Our winter-hardy Hardy Boy pansies bloom from fall through early summer. Dutch Bulbs By planting Dutch bulbs in the fall you can have Eranthis imperalis or Winter Aconite blooming as early as February, then continue with Crocus, Narcissus, Tulips and many other miscellaneous bulbs. Be sure to get some bulbs to force to bloom later in the spring. This year, I was able to force tulips to bloom for my daughter Kristen's wedding on May 28. These bulbs were planted in February, cooled for ten weeks, continued to grow and then bloomed as scheduled. Be sure to add Dutch Bulb Food to ensure great growth and blooms next spring. Create your own special mix of spring flowering bulbs to bloom early next year. Plant several types of bulb in clumps which will bloom at different times for an ever-changing landscape. Every day you will see something else spectacular in your garden. Let us help you select a mixture, or be like a kid in a candy store and have at it!