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- THE DALLAS POST, WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 1984 13
Spruce Up For Spring |
Splash spring through your yard or garden. Start planning gorgeous
perennial and annual beds now, when spring is just around the corner.
Many varieties of flowering favorites are easy to plant and require
simple care.
If a fantastic landscape of blooming plants isn’t quite what you had
in mind, why not just plant a cutting garden of French marigolds,
cockscomb, fragrant stock and everlasting strawflowers to bring
nature’s glories indoors for endless family enjoyment?
Don’t limit blossoming plants to the yard. plant them in decorative
urns, ceramic or terra cotta pottery, or other types of containers with
adequate drainage. Use these novel planters at the home entranceway,
on the porch, patio or under windows to highlight unique architecture
or drapery details.
Instead of a drab mailbox stuck in the front yard, why not position
the mailbox post into a weathered wooden barrel or freshly-painted
farm cart? Fill the barrel with an organic soil mixture and surround it:
with blossoming annuals and perennials fo delight the-mailman and
everyone else who passes by.
Line the driveway, sidewalk or vegetable garden with a border of
rainbow-colored plantings. Encircle trees or attractive shrubs with
these versatile varieties, or use them in hanging planters.
Professional nurserymen know that adequate fertilization is the key
to flowering plants neighbors will envy. After fertilization, the most
important ingredient to keep plants covered with showy, healthy
To make sure results meet your
expectations when you seed a lawn,
take time to check the quality of the
grass seed before you buy.
show an analysis of the seed within.
It offers an invaluable guide to
quality by explaining the differ-
ences between seed sold at $1 and
seed with sells at $5 for one pound.
The analysis indicates the per-
centage by weight (required by
law) of each item identified by the
seed testing company. It does not,
however, reveal the volume propor-
tion of each ingredient, which is
most important to know to deter-
mine how your lawn will eventually
look.
Exactly what should you look for
on the label? The names of grasses
contained in the package will give
you an idea of the characteristics of
the lawn you're buying. Improved
grasses have variety names, like
‘“Victa’’ Kentucky bluegrass or
‘Loretta’ perennial ryegrass. The
germination percentageindicate
how much of the seed content is
capable of growth under ideal condi-
tions.
Under the heading ‘‘Other Ingre-
¥ dients,” you’ll find, the percentage
“by weight of undesirable contents.
(more than 0.6 percent) of ‘‘Crop
Seed” is listed, take heed. ‘‘Crop”’
refers to plants grown for profit or
utility. These are usually very diffi-
cult to get rid of once they are
established in your lawn. Examples
of Crop Seed included timothy and
orchard grass.
Weeds are something else you can
do without in your lawn. Youll find
weed seed included under ‘‘Other
Ingredients’; more than 0.1 percent
is foo high.
“Noxious Weeds,” on the other
hand, are considered special prob-
lems and may be very difficult to
control. They must be named and
counted separately per ounce or per
sorrel and nutsedge.
“Inert Matter” is anything not
classified as a seed. Levels of 2.5
percent or more are a good indica-
tion of poor quality.
To make sure you grow a lawn
with the characteristics you want,
it’s also important to understand
seed count. Grasses vary widely in
the actual number of seeds. per
pound. For example, it takes 226,800
ryegrass seeds to make a pound,
but Highland bentgrass requires
9,072,000. The difference lies in the
size and weight of the two seeds.
blossoms is proper soil preparation. Before planting, use a spade to
loosen soil to a depth of about eight inches. Now is the time to improve
soil by adding peat moss, coarse sand, compost or leafmold if the soil
appears to be too heavy or compacted. Aeration and drainage are vital
to the growth of strong plant root systems.
Mix ordinary garden soil with large amounts of the organic matter
plus scoops of continuous feeding fertilizer. Follow package instruc-
tions for proper fetilizer amounts. Then set annuals or perennials in
place without pushing roots through the fertilizer. Refill the holes with
soil, tamp gently, then soak with water. In window boxes and
containers, add the suggested amount to the potting mix prior to
planting.
Perennials from previous years are even more in need of vital
fertilization. These herbaceous beauties like bleeding heart, Oriental
poppies, delphinium, red-blossomed penstemon, pure white Shasta
daisies and summer phlox require a spring feeding to stay strong and
florabundant.
Remember that every two to three years, as perennials outgrow their
space, divide the clumps and replant. Use these lovely extras to
replace bare spots in the yard with lavish color.
Replanting is less stressful during the fall or early spring, while the
plant is dormant. Carefully dig up the roothall with a spade. Separate
each one into two or three sections. Use a spading fork to divide day
lilies or other strong-rooted perennials.
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Cleaning Up After
Children And Pets
W.C. Fields reportedly never trusted a man who liked dogs and
children.
Most of us, however, enjoy the particular charms of both groups.
Pets and kids, though, present homeowners with endless supplies of
dirt and cleanliness challenges.
Some solutions are presented by new technology in household
furnishings, such as antimicrobial carpet treatments that permanently
resist odor and stain-causing bacteria. This and other tips can help
save you from from following after cats, dogs and kids with a broom
and mop every minute of the day.
GIVE PETS A HAND
Most cats and dogs can be hosebroken, but accidents will occur. You
can help them and yourself with these suggestions during housebreak-
ing and afterward.
— A few drops of a dog-attracting solution (available in pet stores)
on newspaper or outdoors clues your pet to use these designated areas.
— Young dogs like to chew on anything in sight when they are
teething. Provide them with rawhide bones to prevent damage to
furniture.
— Cats’ instincts tell them to scratch to keep their claws sharp. A
scratching post will prevent claw marks and shredded furniture.
CLEANING UP AFTER CHILDREN
Children’s habits can make housekeeping real work. Ease your
cleaning chores with these suggetions:
— Give children their own play area, one with easy-care tile floors
and washable walls.
— Put a toy receptacle in every room. An attractive basket blends
nicely with any decor.
— Let children know that certain toys are to be used in particular
rooms. Untidy toys such as blocks can be kept in rooms that aren’t
always on display.
— Discourage snacking outside kitchen and dining areas. Food can
be easily smeared and ground into furniture and carpeting.
A little common sense and some help from modern technology can
help you survive and enjoy your pets and children. Take advantage of
easy-care finishes on walls, furniture and carpeting to keep your home
presentable at all times.
Shrubs Bring Beauty
To Your Garden Area
Think of the most tranquil, beauti- Informal hedges,
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ful landscaped area you know of,
and most likely the unsung hero will
be woody and flowering shrubs.
These hard-working and easy-to-
care-for foliage plants may be just
what you are looking for in your
landscape planning and planting.
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