Pink Moon April

Full Moon III

April Pink Moon

From my Front Yard

Yes, once again there is a full moon upon us on April 4^th. Besides there is a full moon there will also be an eclipse starting at 6:15 and by 6:33 CDT the moon will be 70% covered in Chicago. One of the several names for this moon is the Pink Moon. It is because of pink Phlox or ground Phlox which is native and blooms for a long time in the spring. The best days to go fishing are the 5^th,6th, and 7th April.

Go to this link and read the full story.

http://farmersalmanac.com/blog/2015/03/31/now-its-the-moons-turn-to-be-totally-eclipsed/

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Roses

ROSES

Roses are the best know flower though out gardening and to some it is the queen of all flowers. Roses have a past and I knew that there are several breeders in England and France however in an article by Harald Enders “A New Home FOR OLD GERMAN ROSES”

” http://media.wix.com/ugd/e6654e_42a58c08b17d606a6c8826823a2cbe7d.pdf “I found that many roses were bred in Germany and brought into commerce before 1900. Through time and three wars many have been lost but Harald Enders is trying to find them and bring them back into production. Many of these could be the genetics of our modern rose. On further investigation, I found that there are many rose gardens in Germany the best being Sangerhausen which began in 1896 it now has about 75,000 roses.

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Hellebores

HELLEBORES

“Lenten Rose”

At the first job I had as a grower in a small greenhouse in fall, eight (8) weeks till Christmas I was handed a box of plants to grow for Christmas, the label said it they a plant called Lenten Rose. There were little or no instructions just plant and keep cool until they bloom around Christmas. They were added to the other plants I was growing to compete with the Poinsettias that were everywhere in the greenhouse.

This was well before the first perennial boom of the seventies (70’s) and they did well as pot plants but I pinched the remainder of those not sold. If I had only known the value and worth of these plants, I would have put them into the perennial plant section I was growing for spring.

Hellebore is a great perennial, unlike other plants that show well in the summer, hellebore dies back and make great green leaves. In the late fall, new leaves start to grow and the awakening starts to begin. When the snow starts the mass of green leave make quite a show, and then as they are covered with snow they show some dieback. As the snow melts they start to bloom making a great show of flowers. It is a shame that they are not sold more in garden centers as they are a great addition to the American Garden and can be used as cut flowers in the early spring

A slow grower it will take two (2) to three (3) years to establish once they get started they make grand slight for shade area in your landscape. Be sure to place them so they are visible when you go in and out of your house in early spring. There are about seventy-five (75) varieties in cultivation on the commercial market. They come in singles and doubles. The color range is white, pink, red, black and blotched. Two new varieties from Walters Garden by hybridizer, Hans Hansen, will appear sometime in 2016 look for them. Until then there still many great varieties that can be found.

©Ken Wilson Gardening Whisperer 2015

Pictures are from Walters Gardens, Honeymoon series (singles), Wedding Party series (doubles)

This entry was posted in New Varieties and tagged Hellebores, Lenten Rose, New perennial, New Plants on March 11, 2015, by Ken Wilson. Edit

Full Moon

Full Worn Moon

This Month’s “Tonight to be exact” is a Full Moon. It has several names and The Farmers Almanac has a great article on them. http://farmersalmanac.com/astronomy/2013/03/26/march-full-worm-moon/

Go and read the article.

The moon and the full moon have always been connected to gardening and planting. I have always been interested in how it affects planting. I will discuss it later.

This entry was posted in Weather and tagged Full Moon, Moon Phases on March 6, 2015, by Ken Wilson. Edit

Dormant Oil

DORMANT OIL AND SPRING SEASONAL PREPARATION

On the eve of another snowstorm all over North America, it might be difficult to see the spring that is coming around the corner. Adding to the perception of we get this week we are still behind by two (2.5) inches, but we will catch up. Now is a great time to think about several ideas that will shorten your work time in your yard this summer. Continue reading →