Gardening Daily Tips
For You
Sunday March 28, 2010 |
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) | Today's Featured Plant
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Read the full profile of this plant at ArcaMax.com.
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Q&A: Bark Mulch Vs. Stone Mulch Question: I am trying to plan a garden for the front of my house. I am not crazy about the look of bark mulch and prefer the look of stone. I already have azalea bushes and some roses growing in the area. I also plan on planting some annuals. Is bark mulch better, if so why?
Answer: An organic mulch such as shredded bark or chopped rotted leaves or cocoa bean shells, etc. is preferred for one primary reason: an organic mulch will eventually break down and help feed the soil, an important ongoing benefit that rocks do not offer. A rock mulch will also reflect heat, and in a warm climate this can be harmful to the shrubs during midsummer, while an organic mulch is cooler. Rocks will work down into the soil during seasonal freeze thaw cycles so it is a good idea to use an air and water permeable weed fabric type barrier beneath the rocks. This will keep them from disappearing into the soil and will make it easier to remove them if anyone ever wants to. It will also go a long way toward preventing weed growth -- the rocks are a perfect weed seed bed. For this reason it should be raked and weeded occasionally. An organic mulch can also be raked occasionally and will need to be replenished from time to time. |
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Q&A: Caring for Brown Turkey Fig Question: I have a four-year-old Brown Turkey fig tree, and would like to know how and when to prune and fertilize it.
Answer: In your area, figs are marginally hardy and will be killed to the ground in some winters. Therefore, training them into a tree form is generally not recommended, as the coming winter will likely give you the chance to start over again!
A better option is to train a fig as a multi-stemmed bush. Each year in late winter, remove some of the many shoots that emerge from the ground by cutting them out at ground level. Leave some of the larger ones, spacing them out 6 to 8 inches apart.
Fertilize figs sparingly--in March and again in May should do it. You don't want to encourage a lot of late season vigorous growth which is more likely to be damaged by cold.
Mulch the base deeply with leaves to help protect it over winter. |
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Tip: Maintain Ground Covers Spruce up ground covers such as ivy and vinca by mowing off the top growth and raking all the dead leaves and debris from the area. Fertilize and water to stimulate new growth. |
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Free Printable Bookmarks at BookDaily.com Get free printable custom bookmarks at ArcaMax Publishing's newest site, BookDaily.com! BookDaily offers more than 80,000 first chapter book samples -- for free.
Here's a listing of the top five bookmarks that have been printed out so far at BookDaily.com (you won't see the links for the bookmarks until you're logged in or create a free account. It's easy!):
Twilight (Twilight, Book 1), by Stephanie Meyer
On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, by William Zinsser
Just Like Heaven, by Marc Levy
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown
Once you set up a BookDaily account and login, you'll find a link on every book on the site offering a free printable bookmark, including the book's cover, title and author. Print as many as you'd like!
-- From the ArcaMax editors |
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ArcaMax Editors |
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