New Calendar Reveals Gardening To-Do's for Each Month
A complete 12-month, 20-page, 8 1/2 x 11" gardening guide, specially designed for plants, flowers, trees, and shrubs in the Hudson Valley region, is available as a free download. Visitors can also send questions to volunteer professional gardeners for FREE.
Warwick, NY (PRWEB) March 8, 2005
It's winter, and you're surrounded by snow and freezing temperatures. Cabin fever is setting in. The perfect time to turn your thoughts toward improving the health of your plants and flowers, according to a new calendar just released by Warwick in Bloom, the community group in the lower Hudson Valley town of Warwick, who specializes in teaching residents how to improve their environment. It's full of so many tips and reminders it would make your mother-in-law smile.
"January is the best time to start onion and cabbage seeds as well as pansies and delphiniums," said Deborah Sweeton, of General's Garden, one of the professional gardener-volunteers, "and don't forget to turn your houseplants every other day and wash them in the sink or shower to keep leaves clean," she added. There's more: one of the best ways to provide moisture for houseplants is to "rest them on a tray of stones with water."
And then there's February, when, according to the calendar, "the maximum depth of winter snow occurs." But you'd rather be planting than snowboarding at Mountain Creek? Then you can go out and prune fruit trees or research last yearÂ’s garden questions (You wrote them down, of course, didn't you?) and plan the layout of your vegetable garden to include a crop rotation. February's To-Do list also includes repairing and reviewing the condition of garden tools, or starting the tender summer flowering bulbs like caladiums and tuberous begonias. If you've always wondered why some flowers look a lot better than others, the secret is in keeping busy year 'round.
March is an active month for gardeners who know their stuff. "It's the right moment during the growing season to complete garden clean up; anything you didnÂ’t finish last fall or left for winter interest should be removed," offers Alicia Frosini, another professional volunteer, of Sugarloaf Mountain Herbs. Part of the month's chores include keeping bird feeders full and providing fresh water for drinking and bathing. If the soil is crumbly enough, "set out English daisies and pansies, and fertilize rhubarb before growth begins," reminds Frosini.
What's really helpful is that the calendar provides useful insight into preparing the right environment that will enable your garden to flourish, instead of competing with weeds for resources. It even teaches you about the importance of keeping insect pests under control and the need for fertilizer at appropriate moments.
The complete 12-month, 20-page, 8 1/2 x 11" gardening guide, specially designed for plants, flowers, trees, and shrubs in the Hudson Valley region, is available as a free download by clicking on http://www. warwickinfo. net/wib. html (http://www. warwickinfo. net/wib. html). But there's another bonus: if you have a gardening question for Warwick in Bloom, then click on the same website address and receive an answer by one of the groupÂ’s professional gardeners for free, too!
Warwick in Bloom is an independent, non-profit group of community volunteers interested in educating and informing area residents about improving the quality of life through the creative use of gardening. The group's intent is to create a network of people whose common interest is the beautification of the community in which they live by encouraging the appropriate planting and displaying of trees, flowers, shrubs, and aesthetically pleasing gardening programs.
Warwick in Bloom believes that by sharing ideas and information with others throughout the area, all parties can benefit. This common sense of purpose can lead to both personal and community growth, the creation of lasting friendships, more beautiful living and working environments, and the enjoyment that comes from an active involvement in one's community.
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