Garden Tips Newsletter
July 13, 2009
Cutting Flowers
If you plan to make an arrangement from your garden, consider cutting in the early morning when plants are full of moisture. The flowers and leaves are fresher than during the day, when sun and wind rob moisture as quickly as the roots can provide it. The next best time to cut is in the late evening. Whenever you cut, take a pail of warm water to the garden, and immediately place cut stem in the water.
Once indoors, strip away lower leaves that would be submerged in the arrangement, and cut the stems at an angle with a sharp knife or clippers. Experts now say that crushing or splitting woody stems is not recommended—just cut them at an angle as well. Stems with milky sap should be seared with a flame. Let the stems sit in a container of deep water from 2 - 24 hours to condition before arranging.
Mulch
Apply or replenish mulches before summers get any hotter. Mulch helps conserve moisture in the soil, keeps soil cooler, and lessens temperature fluctuations. It also breaks the force of rainwater or irrigation, thus preventing erosion around plant roots.
And it keeps down weeds by preventing germination of many weed seeds. Depending upon the kind of mulch you choose, you’ll need to cover beds to a depth of 2 to 6 inches. Do not pile mulch directly next to trunks or stems of plants.
For tips on mulching check out the new “Gardening through the Seasons” garden video section in this Web site. The direct link to the garden videos is http://msucares.com/gardenvideos. The mulch video can be found under the month of February.
Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes Garden Tips weekly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.