Spring and It's Beauty

It is something about Spring that makes me come alive. Every part of it is beauty, except for the storms which sometimes arrive also. One of the most beautiful things is the budding and blooming of the spring flowers and trees and the many colors which decorate our garden or yard it is sometimes called in the South.

It seems that Spring is the time for renewal of the mind, body and soul as well as washing the windows, cleaning the brick and porches of one's home. We rack the yard to get it ready for the lawn mower and make sure the Magnolia tree rubbish has been picked up. Then we wait; we wait for Mama's daffodils, then the pink dogwood to bloom and the pear tree she planted. Next is the Azaleas surround the house and have been here for 40 years, I am sure. I can't forget the pretty soft lilac and blue hydrangeas as I walk outside my back door. It is a beautiful site to see and makes Spring so enjoyable.

No, I am not the green thumb and neither are my two sisters but Mama had a way of making things grow like they were suppose to. She would order trees and flower and had plenty of space to put them; she loved her flowers and still does. She is 89 and doing really well for her age and still loves flowers, but for some reason she just did not pass the gene on to her girls to have a garden with the beauty in which she help make them grow. She lived where I am living for 45+- years; so she had plenty of time to grow her garden and enjoy the many variations of God's green earth.

I know the simple things that grow in our yard;  but she could tell you what all of them were and it still hurts her when we let something die or be cut back or down; which she had nutured for years. I would love to have her green thumb but it takes a dedication which I cannot give and would take a lot of study for me to grasp the many different flowers plus when and how you plant them.  I will give some examples of how to take care of some of the flower we have and those that are easiest to have.

Spring is not all about flowers but let's see the beauty, one at a time as it appears for us.

Some of the first flowers and tress to bloom in the spring:

Daffodils

Crocus

Dogwood Tree

Redbud Tree

Tulips

Poppies

Moderation in all things is what growing Azaleas is about to include cultivation: moderate light, moderate water and moderate prunning.

Azaleas do best in mixed sunlight and partial shadebut will blossom in full sunlight.

Prerequisites of success: Good drainage, acid soil, and pleanty of organic matter are essential. To ensure proper soil conditions- especially in heavy clay soil, plant azaleas in raised beds. Alternatively, place the plant directly on a spaded-up surface, then mound up three to four wheelbarrows of humus-soil mixture around and over the root ball.

Do not fertilize when planting. The common practice of putting fertilizer directly in the bottom of a planting hole can be fatal to azaleas. Wait until the plant is established before you start feeding it.

The property humus: Use decayed bark or sawdust for humus. Don't use hardwood or fresh pine, which deplete soil nutrients.

Mulch well....Azaleas llike a 2-inch mulch of wood chips, pine needles, bark chips, salt hay, or oak leaves to keep roots cool and moist. But do not use peat moss; it seals in water and can promote root rot.

Maintenance

Fertilize sparingly. Azaleas often fall victin to too much fertilizer. For a good homemade fertilizer, combine 4 cups of dried coffee grounds with 1 cup bone meal and 1 cup granite dust.

For rapid growth and dark green leaves, apply nitrogen in spring and early summer. Good sources asre cottonseed meal, ammonium sulfate, manure tea, and urea formaldehyde.

Adequate moistureis critical for azaleas until they become established--at least 2 years after planting. Once mature, they can survive drought, although they're more susceptible to disease, insects and cold. Wilted leaves are a sign of drought stress; water with a deep soaking. Do not water as much in the autumn. Watering induces new growth, which may not harden off before the first freeze.

Prune young plants lightly after they flower to promote lateral branching and a compact form. Remove larger branches from the interior of the older plants to allow light in; sunlight inhibits disease. Cut away dead and diseased wood below the infected area.

Azaleas can be rejuvenated if they are old plants by cutting the entire plant back to 6 to 8 inches from the ground. Or prune over a 3-year period, cutting back a third of the branches each year. Prine in early spring, before new growth begins.

You should disinfect tools throughly with alcohol or household bleach before and after using. Always comple the pruning by early summer to avoide injuring flower buds.

Azaleas can be relocated if they have outgrown their space.

A meadow is a grassland area that supports a profusion of woldflowers. A pasture or an expansive lawn may be made into a meadow. It takes proper seed bed preparation, sufficient water and weed control and the use of plants native to your own region. It can be an excellent easy care alternative to a high maintenance turf or flower bed.

Plant a meadow in spring or fall; just before the rainy season. Start your stie preparation 6 weeks before planting, tilling the area 6 to 8 inches deep. You should wait 3 weeks for any weeds to germinate, then apply a general herbicide to eradicate them; wait another 2 weeks for herbicide to dissipate. Sow the wildflower seeds evenly, using the recommended rate. Rake them into the soil lightly and tamp down with a roller or board. Water regularly between rains until plants are mature. Once the meadow is established, weed out intruders and reseed bare spots with your favorite flowers. Mow meadows to a height of 6 to 8 inches in late fall. Wildflowers need at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day.

Wildflower Names

Annual coreopsis, Black-eyed Susan, Butterfly weed, Coreopsis tenctoria, Rudbeckia hirta, Asclepias tuberosa, Eschscholizia californica, Goldenrod, Indian blanket, Solidago odora, Gaillardie pulchella, lance-leaved coreopsis, New England aster, Aster novae-angliae, Ox-eye daisy, Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, Purple condflower, Echinacea purpuea, Swamp sunflower, Helianthus angustifolius to name a few.