Sanhedrin Nursery – Garden Blog

• Potatoes can be planted any time now. Choose from red, white, yellow and purple varieties.

• Cut back suckers on lilac bushes. Wait until they bloom to prune them, then you can bring the fragrant branches indoors.

• Bare root fruit trees, grape and berry vines, and ornamental trees and shrubs are still available.

• Plant seeds of broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and other spring vegetables now.

• Start peas and sweet pea seeds indoors now. You’ll be able to plant the sprouted seeds on the next warm day.

Fragrant Winter Daphne

The sweet fragrance of Daphne is one of the pleasures of springtime. The small, evergreen and deciduous shrubs which make up the Daphnes, all have handsome foliage and numerous white, rose or lilac flowers that bloom in the spring. One stem will scent an entire room.

Of the 50 species of daphne, Daphne odora, winter daphne, is the most familiar. It is an evergreen shrub growing to about four feet tall in this area, and at least as wide. In early spring, clusters of one-inch flowers appear at the tips of the stems. The pink buds open to white or pale pink flowers that are intensely fragrant, with a citrus-like odor. The leaves of winter daphne can be solid green, or bordered with a pale yellow edge. It makes a very neat, handsome, evergreen shrub year-round. Plant it in a spot where it gets protection from the hot mid-day sun.

Less common is the Garland daphne, Daphne cneorum. It makes a choice rock garden plant, staying low, about a foot tall, and spreading to three feet wide. Its trailing branches are covered with small, narrow, dark green leaves. In April and May, masses of fragrant, rose-colored flowers open in clusters at the tips of the branches. It is probably the showiest of all the Daphnes, and has a sweet, intense fragrance.

This daphne also likes partial shade. Mulch underneath the plant with peat moss or potting soil to encourage stem rooting and the development of a larger clump. It also makes a good container plant. The variety ‘Ruby Glow’ has larger, more deeply colored flowers and often re-blooms in late summer.

The wonderfully fragrant ‘Carol Mackey’ Daphne is not easy to find but it is a real garden gem. From pink buds, it’s fragrant white flowers open in the month of May. This daphne is similar in growth habit to Daphne odora, but has smaller, variegated leaves.

Daphnes need air around their roots, so they must be planted in light, well-drained soil. Put a little dolomite lime in the hole at planting time. If you don’t have fast-draining soil, you can grow them in containers for many years.

Plant daphne where it will get at least three hours of shade a day. Be sure it is set so the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface. Daphnes will tolerate acid soil but do not require it. Fertilize right after bloom with a complete fertilizer, but not acid plant food.

During the summer, water as infrequently as the plant will allow. Light watering in summer increases flowering next spring and helps prevent sudden death from water mold fungi.

Prune daphne just after it finishes flowering to shape the plants. All parts of daphne plants are poisonous, and deer seem to leave them alone.

Daphnes are slow to take off but once they do they are generous in flower and fragrance. Enjoy the sweet fragrance of daphne in your garden, or make a gift of one to a friend.

• Cabbage, broccoli, lettuce and other cool season vegetables can be started now from seed. There are many wonderful varieties available on seed racks.

• Roses should be pruned if you haven’t done so already. Remove all old leaves on and around the bushes and spray with a combination of lime-sulfur and dormant oil to prevent early pest and disease problems.

• Clematis that bloomed last summer can be pruned now. Cut them back to about waist height, to encourage bushiness, more flowers and a nicer looking vine. Wait on spring-blooming varieties until after they bloom.

• Rose of Sharon is a summer-blooming shrub with large, hibiscus-like flowers. They are available now as bare root plants in patio tree form.

• Pansies, with their bright faces, are impervious to cold weather. They even bloom under the snow. So plant some now for spring color.

Enjoying the Color and Fragrance of Roses

Roses have long been revered for both their stunning colors and their memorable fragrances. It is usually the color of a rose that first catches one’s attention but as soon as you get close to one, you want to smell it.

The palette of roses now includes an amazing array of colors. Flowers may be solid-colored, striped, bi-colored (different colors on the insides and the outsides of the petals), or blends (two or more colors intermingled on each petal).

To create a warm color scheme, choose a combination of red, orange, gold and yellow roses. These will draw the eye into the garden and make it look smaller than it is. A cooler color scheme, composed of violet, mauve, purple, pink and white, is soothing and refreshing. It is the best choice for a quiet garden meant for relaxing. It also makes a small garden look larger.

When it comes to fragrance, there are many fragrant modern roses as well as old garden roses.

Many red roses have a strong fragrance. ‘Mister Lincoln’ is an standard among red roses, and a new dusky red rose named ‘Lasting Love’ has a rich pure rose fragrance.

‘Double Delight’ has creamy-white flowers brushed with crimson that carry a spicy perfume. ‘Scentimental’ has red blossoms splashed with white and a strong sweet spicy fragrance. ‘Rock & Roll™’ is also variegated red, pink and white with a strong rose and fruit fragrance.

‘Perfume Delight’ has rich pink flowers with a strong rose fragrance and the deep, velvety ‘Don Juan’ is the best of the fragrant dark red climbers.

Purple roses tend to be very fragrant. ‘Fragrant Plum’ has a delicious scent and
‘Outta the Blue’ carries a strong clove and rose fragrance.

‘Sunsprite’ is one of the best yellow roses and it has a strong, sweet licorice aroma. And ‘Strike It Rich®’ is a soft gold rose with a spicy perfume.

Remember that one fragrant rose in a mixed bouquet will perfume the room and give you the colors you want at the same time.

Color and fragrance are related and have to do with a rose’s heritage. The classic “rose” fragrance comes from the damask rose and is found mainly in the red and pink roses. It is a heavy fragrance that needs heat before the rich odor is released. White and yellow roses have a lighter fragrance that is best sniffed on a warm summer morning.

Few flowers bloom for as long and abundantly in this climate as do roses. The best selection is available now.

• Primroses, in their rainbow of colors, will light up your flower beds and boxes this winter and spring.

• Pluots are a cross between plums and apricots. Their meaty fruit has a wonderful flavor. Bare root trees can be planted now.

• Spray for peach leaf curl with copper sulfate. Peach and nectarine trees may suffer from this fungus disease without a protective spray.

• Plant strawberries now for delicious strawberry shortcake this summer.

• English daisies are an early-blooming perennial with showy red, pink or white flowers just in time for Valentine’s Day! They will bloom all spring in partial shade.

Starting from Seed

Spring begins early when you start from seed. First there are the decisions to make about what new things to try this year, then there’s the preparation, and the planting and then the fun of watching the magic of those tiny seeds turn into plants. There’s something very rewarding about following the whole life cycle of your plants from start to finish, and trying different varieties from the usual ones you can find at the nursery.

Seed racks at local nurseries and mail-order seed catalogs are full of new types of flowers, vegetables and herbs. For a very small investment, you can grow a whole garden of different varieties.

The essential elements for growing from seed are bright light, bottom heat and moisture. Many seeds will germinate without light, but they must be moved into bright light as soon as they are up. Bottom heat is not essential, but it speeds up the process. Moisture is important, especially for seeds which are germinated on top of the soil. A plastic dome over the flat or pieces of plastic wrap will keep the moisture content just right.

There are two ways to plant the seeds, depending on whether you want to transplant the tiny seedlings or not. You can plant 10 or 15 seeds in a small pot and then transplant each plant into its own pot in about two weeks. Or you can put 2 or 3 seeds in each cell of a 6-pack and remove all but the strongest one after they germinate. It may depend on how large your germinating area is.

Plants can be grown on the windowsill, but you will get stockier, stronger plants if you use fluorescent lights suspended about 4 inches above the pots. They should be left on at least 12 hours a day. Most seeds should be covered with about ¼-inch of potting soil. Water after planting the seeds, and then only water if the top of the soil is dry.

Many perennials do best when planted on top of the soil. Sprinkle the tiny seeds over the moistened seeding mix, spray with water, then cover with plastic wrap. Place under the lights and most seeds will germinate in 5-10 days. In about two weeks, you can remove the plastic wrap then water as needed.

Growing plants need good ventilation. If necessary, set up a small fan to keep the air moving. It is important that your pots and propagation area are clean and sterile. Soak pots briefly in a 10% solution of clorox and water before filling them with bagged seeding mix. Clean pots and moving air will usually prevent “damping off”, a disease that causes young plants to keel over.

When should you start your seeds? Broccoli, cabbage and other cool season vegetables can be started right away along with perennials, pansies and petunias. Wait on tomatoes and peppers for another month, or they will be ready to set out before the frosts are over. Squash, melons and pumpkins can wait until mid-April or May. Corn and beans can be planted directly in the garden in May.

The last thing to remember is not to plant seedlings outside without hardening them off first. It’s best to get them acclimated to it gradually. Some people take them out a little longer every day, starting with an hour the first day. Or you can put them out in a cold frame for a few weeks, lifting the plastic for a few hours a day.

If this is your first try at starting from seed, it might be better to start small. Remember, there is always next year when it comes to gardening!