Take A Moment To Inspect Your Wish List
I’m sitting with stacks of new garden catalogs at my feet, each boasting a variety of new plants and seeds. It’s so unfair. With plant descriptions and pictures that shout out warm, summer days, sensuous fragrances and a kaleidoscope of colors, how could anyone resist the temptation to order a little something from each catalog?
But before I invest in a roll of stamps for these mail-order specialties, I intend to let my fingers do some walking. A quick call will confirm whether the plants will be available from local nurseries.
The first plant I’m interested in is the sun-loving impatiens walleriana Bruno from Park Seed. Bruno is supposed to be the most sun-tolerant impatiens available. It has attractive, dark green foliage and 2-1/2-inch flowers in orange, red, rose, salmon, pink blush, violet or white. What a treat — impatiens that won’t wilt.
I may not be able to find my next choice locally, as it’s touted as being a Wayside Gardens mail-order exclusive. It’s clematis tangutica My Angel. The coloration and shape of the flower reminds me of a wood rose. This strong climber sports nodding flowers with petals of purplish-red on the outside, yellow-orange on the inside and cream around the edges. What a beauty. This clematis is supposed to bloom from June through September.
Though I have more than enough fruit trees in the garden, I may have to give the Balaton cherry from Stark Brothers a try. It’s a sweet-sour cherry. According to the description, the fruit is so sweet, you can eat ‘em fresh. Balaton has proven to be sweeter, larger and more firm than Montmorency. Though it’s self-pollinating, it will bear a larger crop when pollinated by any other cherry.
And from Seeds of Distinction I have my eye on a sweet pea variety called Phantom of the Opera. If the picture is true, this particular variety is a striking blend of very dark (purple-brown) flowers mixed with pure white flowers.
Next week we’ll look at a few new vegetables.
Beyond bulbs
If you think it’s too late to plant spring-flowering bulbs - tulips and daffodils - think again. Garden.com has introduced a new group of spring-flowering bulbs called Bulblings. They’re pre-chilled, pre-sprouted bulbs. You can plant them indoors in containers right now, or outdoors once the ground thaws. In either case, two or three weeks later, Bulblings bloom.
Bulblings are shipped in flats of 13 varieties of tulips, hyacinth and daffodils. Spring-blooming Bulblings can be purchased online at www.garden.com or by phone by calling (800) 466-8142.
Attention novices
What is meant by the direction “plant when you can work the soil”?
Digging or tilling should not be done when the ground thaws, rather, wait until the soil has begun to dry out. A simple test can be done by grabbing a handful of soil and squeezing. If it crumbles easily, the soil is ready to work. If it stays in a wet ball, don’t dig, till or walk on the soil. Tilling or digging too soon can destroy the structure of the soil creating a field of hard marble-like soil clods that can take years to break down.
Mark your calendar
The University of Idaho Cooperative Extension is offering its annual horticulture workshops beginning Feb. 7.
However, the kick-off day for the series will be Jan. 29 at Cavanaughs Templin’s, 414 E. First in Post Falls. The kick-off runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., cost is $20 and includes lunch. The morning session focuses on incorporating herbal medicine into Western medical practices, taught by Michael Angelo. Angelo is a pharmacist at the Benewah Medical Center in Plummer, Idaho, and has a post-graduate degree in botanical medicine.
The afternoon session covers identifying, transplanting and propagating native shrubs and wildflowers, taught by Vera Weniger and Ann Seddon. Weniger collects and cleans native seeds for several wholesalers. As an amateur photographer, Seddon has created a photo record of native flowers and shrubs in northern Idaho.
Pre-register for the kick-off day before Thursday by calling the Kootenai County Extension Office at (208) 667-6427.