June 23, 2018 |
|
Weekly news from the National Gardening Association |
|
|
|
|
 How To Keep Red Color In Red 'n Pretty Hydrangea  |
|
"I know that by adding aluminum sulfate, you can turn or keep some hydrangeas blue. Is there anything I need to add to my soil to keep my Red 'n Pretty hydrangea red or to intensify the red? I just planted one in my camellia/azalea bed which has been amended several times with lots of peat. This bed is also mulched every winter with pine needles from our Christmas tree. The pine needles are turned into the soil every Jan. when we cut up the new tree for mulch. I haven't done a soil test, but I believe that this has created somewhat acidic soil since my camellias and azaleas thrive in this location. By the way, can I expect to see flowers this summer or do hydrangeas need longer to establish themselves before flowering? Thank you!!!! Janette" - Read the answer |
|
ARTICLES TO READ |
Edible Landscaping - How to: Start an Edible Garden with Your ChildOne of the joys of having an edible landscape and edible gardens is to share them with your children and grand children. When experienced gardeners look back at how and when they got started gardening, it often involved a parent, aunt, uncle, or grandparent taking them under their wing in the garden. 
Grow These Annuals to Attract PollinatorsThese annuals are easy to grow, look great in any garden, are easily found, and loved by pollinators of all kinds. Bees, birds, bugs, and butterflies all benefit from the list below. These beautiful flowers serve as host plants and/or as food for the pollinators. 
Growing Herbs Under LightsEven with a bright sunroom, sun-loving herbs will need 12 to 16 hours a day of supplemental light. You have two choices: fluorescent or high-intensity discharge (HID). 
Plant List for Hummingbirds, Butterflies and BeesThere is a nearly endless list of plants that gardeners can grow to attract hummingbirds, bees and butterflies to their gardens. We have put together a list of some of our favorite easy-to-grow plants for you to add to your own garden. 
Drying TomatoesFew pleasures match the satisfaction of tasting summer's fruits long after the season has passed--appreciation seems to increase the further the calendar is from summer. Although the intense aroma and flavor of a tomato just picked from the vine are almost intoxicating, by season's end, dealing with the bounty is almost a burden. After all, there are only so many friends to share the harvest with. Preserving these garden treasures, an art born of necessity, allows you to extend the season in several ways. Freezing fresh tomatoes is quick and easy, but the defrosted fruit can have a mealy texture. Canning offers 
Weed ControlThe appeal of toxic herbicides is powerful when you're faced with a garden rapidly dominated by fast-growing weeds. 
GraftingGrafting is the process of connecting two different plants so they grow as one. The advantages of grafting include combining attributes that don't naturally occur in a single plant, for instance flavorful fruit with dwarfing or disease-resistant roots. All grafts are composed of two parts: the detached part of one plant, called the scion, which becomes the flowering and fruiting top part of the plant; and the rooted and growing part of another plant, called the rootstock. |
|
AWESOME NEW PHOTOS FROM THIS WEEK |
|
|
|
NOTABLE DISCUSSIONS FROM OUR FORUMS |
|
THE NUMBERS FROM LAST WEEK: |
| 1,000 members joined. 6,705 posts written in our forums. 1,922 photos posted to the plant database. 1,209 plants added to personal inventory lists. |
