“April showers bring May flowers”

OK so this gardener has always wondered where the showers part of this came from.  Mind you this year will be different…March 22, 2010 was the first big down pouring rain in Billings. I still think that in these parts it should read April rain/snows bring frosted crocus…..May will it ever get here.  Seriously though April is the time to get busy with those purchases that you didn’t secure in March.  April is also the time to clean out all those gardens and dead materials, if you have not already done so.

Lawns

Typically work on lawns begins in April.  Cleaning up, raking, fertilization and planning.  If you have ‘doggie spots’ we have some helpful hints that will help you to heal up those polka dots.  Funny how you can see that ‘fido’ or ‘chester’ sure didn’t want to get to far from the door to do business in that cold winter, who would!  Often times the doggie spots are a result of high concentrations of salts and pH changes.  Watering them generously will help to dilute the salts into the soil profile and weaken the concentration to the point that you can reseed.  Reseeding takes a bit of preparation though.  First, scratch out all the dead grass so that when you lay down the new seed, you will get good seed to soil contact.  Try our Dog patch spot repair.  Once you have finished cleaning the area then it is time to make that decision on what grass seed to use.

Standing in front of a wall of grass seed bags can be a scary experience.  Here are some helpful hints for you.  Before you go in to purchase your seed take the time to ask yourself these few questions. 

Is my lawn in full sun, full shade or a bit of both? 

Does my lawn get high traffic? 

How able am I to keep the area watered? 

Once you have these questions answered that massive wall of products will not seem so staggering.  Grass seed combinations have greatly advanced and new varieties designed for heat tolerance have arrived.  EZ Seed is a tidy way to seed down these spots and the seed comes with fertilizer and water smart formulation all in one plus a handy shaker container.  All the turf builder products are here now.  New to the market is the New Watersmart seed products.  The seed has a super absorbents coating that keeps the seed moist even if you forget to water a day. 

Fertilizer labels.  Most of you are familiar with the 20-20-20 label and I am sure that you are familiar with what those numbers mean.  But for the ones who don’t know, this is what they mean………..20-20-20 is the N-P-K or the Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium percentages in the product. 

N or Nitrogen is responsible for the formation of protein and Chlorophyll (basically the green stuff that stains your knees).  Simply put N stimulates lush green vegetative growth. 

P or Phosphorous is responsible for energy production.  Stimulates root and seed development and speeds up maturity.  In lawns you won’t want to have a high number for this one. 

Potassium is mainly a catalyst to many cell reactions like the reactions for photosynthesis.  Promotes a strong plant and increased hardiness. 

Iron is also used on lawns and will give you a deeper richer green coloring but I will caution you on the amounts, keep it balanced.  There are many good balanced lawn fertilizers available.  For me a good all purpose fertilizer is 25-5-3 or numbers close to these.

I will just touch on the warm and cool season grasses.  Most of the mixes for Montana lawns contain Fescue, Bluegrass and Ryegrass. 

Cool season grasses include Fescues, Bluegrasses and Crabgrass.

Warm season grasses include Ryegrass, Zoysia, Bermuda and Buffalo Grass.

A great way that I taught my students to understand and see this difference was, this time of year.  Right now the cool season grasses are greening up.  The warm season ones are not starting yet.  You can see the trouble this causes with Crabgrass as it greens up and gets going the same time as much of your lawn.  It is an aggressive plant and will take nutrients away from the lawn grasses you want.  Time to get rid of that stuff!  There are products in the store to help you out.

Just a bit of trivia for you….Crested Wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum) a cool season grass was heavily used in reclamation, highways, oil and power line projects, etc…because of its ability to come on early and cover bare ground.  However it was widely used in the warm season grass zones and hence crowded the native varieties out, becoming a huge problem taking over existing native stands.

Now that you are armed with some more information about your lawn, come in and let us help you make good solid decisions.  Having that wonderful thick green lawn is not hard if it has ready water, nutrients and health! 

Starting Seeds Indoors

On to another area that April is involved with, seeding indoors.  Seeding indoors is a great way to get that head start on your gardens.  Whether it is vegetables or flowers that you want to get started now is the time.  Some of my early birds have already purchased their seed, soil and containers and I hope are happily seeding away inside.  My tomatoes are all up and getting a great start to the season! 

We carry a great seed starting soil mix complete with high water holding capacity, taking all the guessing out of whether you have provided enough for your seeds or not.  Also picking the containers for this is important.  There are many different types out there.  Take into consideration how deep the roots are going to go, how big the plant will be, for the plant you are seeding.  We have starting pots that work really well and they come with their own watering trays.  Lots of things can be used and I started my tomatoes in paper egg cartons this year.  I will have to move them to bigger pots though if I can’t get them outside fast enough.  My mother always used the paper milk cartons that she cut in half length wise.  Those made it hard to separate the tomato plants to transplant though, care is needed. 

One product is the little Giffy pots.  If you have children they love the giffy pots that swell up right before you eyes when you add water.  They are handy little containers that do not require exposing the roots when you transplant later on.  When I give classes to kids they love watching these little pellets come to life. 

My mother and I started almost everything indoors.  Being from a much shorter growing season then here in Billings, we had to start tomatoes in February just to get a crop.  Here though you have a wonderful ‘banana belt’ condition and starting them now will give you lots of fruits to enjoy.  Lettuce, corn, tomatoes, celery, herbs, vine crops all do well when seeded indoors.  Radishes, carrots and most root crops prefer to be seeded directly but I have grown them in container gardening….yet another subject we will explore later on.  Almost all flowers, in fact I can not think of one flower that will not start indoors…….both annuals and perennials.  We are going to explore perennials later on too.  Be sure to watch for up and coming courses as well on this website.

Spraying

Spraying for insects and eggs on trees and bushes is done right now also, if you haven’t snuck in, in March.  Many are breaking their dormancy with the warm bright sun.  Make sure if you are spraying yourself that you keep safety always in the forefront.  If you do not want to do this yourself there are many qualified people out there who will do the job for you.  I personally leave this job to others and this saves me time to get other things done.

I am going to stop you at this point and tell you to remember the birds.  Birds in your garden perform so many good deeds that if they occasionally take a taste of your strawberries or lettuce, it is just too small a price for a gardener to pay in exchange for their help.  Birds will systematically ‘groom’ your plants of insects and their eggs.  I promote birds in my garden for many reasons but the help they give me is just way too important to not tell you about.

If you want to promote healthy birds in your garden then be careful what pesticides you use.  Many are labeled pet, bee and child friendly.  Keep them in mind when you make your purchases.  We can help you.

Grubs and cutworms can be a real nemesis to a gardener!  Those fat sassy creatures will dominate if you are not vigilant and wary that they are there.  Fortunately they are easy to see being big and sassy and making a noticeable mess.  We have products for your lawn and for your gardens that will help you get the upper hand on these pests.  Make sure that what you are using for your garden where vegetable crops will be grown, is safe.

A quick funny story about these pests and some chickens.....seems my chickens took a liking to grubs and cutworms and they would fastidiously search them out in my gardens and lawns.  What a hoot watching them go after these pests.  I had no idea chickens were so systematic in their attacks.  They were so effective at it that not one ever caused me trouble again.  Having chickens in town though will get you in trouble and I don’t want you to get in to trouble.  Come in and see how we can help you.

Hard vs Soft Landscaping

These terms can sometimes be confusing so here is a simple explanation.  Hard landscaping refers to everything but the plants.  Fencing, decks, paving stones, walls, ponds, mulching products and even furniture are often called ‘hard landscaping’. 

Soft landscaping refers to the plant materials.

It is time to really get those landscaping plans in place.  If you are like me you will have so many ideas inside your mind, after this cold winter wait, that there will be trouble staying focused.  Pick the most important idea.  In these times I encourage people to pick the ideas that will bring them the most relaxation and enjoyment.  Maybe it is a water feature or more trees….whatever it is put it to paper!  You can come in and show me, if you like and I can help you out.  There is just nothing like a successful project that will bring you hours of calm serenity.

Perennials

Splitting or dividing perennials happens in the spring.  Peonies are the exception to the rule and prefer to be divided in the fall. 

Perennials need to be divided from time to time to keep their showy full good looks.  If your perennials are starting to form a ‘ring’, like a donut, they are in need of dividing.  This technique is really not that hard to do.  Start by cleaning away all the dead material, then run your hand over the foliage and locate the natural separations in the plant.  Most perennials show this well, some are harder but there will be a dip or empty spot that will show you.  Then loosen the soil around the plant about 6 inches out and push the shovel in deep.  Loosen up the plant about ¾ but not fully out of the soil.  Locate those natural divides and placing your sharp shovel blade straight down, cut the plant using a quick stepping down motion.  Cutting this way too slow may damage the plant.  A knife can be used also. 

Once this separation is completed move the pieces to their new locations, replant, water and feed.  Replace soil around original plant, firm it down, water and feed.

Nothing to it!  Some perennials can be tugged apart like Iris and Daylilies.

Roses

There is nothing quite like a beautiful rose!  I think every garden should have a few.  When it comes to rose care many people get nervous.  No worries, roses are generally pretty tough even if they don’t look it. 

Right now is the time to care for them.  Spring is usually the time to prune, with some exceptions.  If your rose blooms on new growth, prune now before those new canes get growing and you prune off your flowers.  If your rose blooms off last years growth wait until after flowering.  If you have a Forsythia around, prune your roses when that plant starts to bloom.  That rule is an oldie goldie.  If you don’t have this other flowering bush to watch then watch the leaf buds on the rose and when they begin to swell and get red it is time to prune.

I begin with taking out any dead growth.  That will give me a good look at what my rose really looks like.  I have many roses in my yard now and I see that they are indeed ready for a prune.  Being in town and having a sheltered lot really speeds things up!  One thing that I was always shy about was when to uncover them if I had mulched some for winter protection.  I study the Farmer’s Almanac to see what April nights will hold and if snow is indeed on the way.  If I find snow in that month then I don’t uncover all the way, I will fluff up the cover and check inside to see what is happening.  My roses here are starting to green up and set leaf bud now.  So I will fluffy up this weekend but not remove for those tender varieties that I have.  The tougher ones I will go ahead and prune out the dead canes and shape them up.

Spring is also the time to give a good feeding to your roses.  First feed at first prune is an old adage that my family has used for years.  We have good products available for you.

Spring is also the time to spray for fungus of black spot and other wintered over problems.  Lime sulfate is a good spring spray for black spot.

Having beautiful roses in your garden should not be scary.  We will touch on roses later on.  If you haven’t planed for a rose in your garden, please do.  We will have many beauties to choose from and lots of advice on care.

Bulbs and Roots

Last of all don’t forget those bulbs and roots that I mentioned in March!  If you have gone in to get some lily bulbs and see they are sprouting, no worries, as long as they are not sprouting out of the package (that is a more detailed planting).  Tuck them into the ground and gently cover that sprout to protect it from any nasty April surprises especially cold temps at night.  You can also put them in pots and keep them inside for the night until April snow surprises are long over.  I keep them on my deck and after they are done flowering in the pots I plant them in the ground and have had no problem getting them to come back each year.  We are going to explore transplanting techniques also.

Now that I have given you lots to read up on remember that April is the surprise month, that is what I like to call the 4^th month of the year.  Anything and everything can happen and you should not let April temperament reflect on your gardening skills.  Many a skilled gardener has been fooled in this month, yours truly included! 

Come in and talk with us, see how our new Garden and Events Center is coming along!  We are very excited about this project and look forward to seeing you all.  Ask me for a tour and I will gladly take you through the safe areas.  Then tell your friends.  There is something very special happening just down the road on Grande!!!

As many of you have probably noticed, the east lot that sits between Billings Hardware and Albertsons has been under construction this winter. The transformation that is taking place is a new Garden/Event Center. The project is scheduled to be completed in April just in time for the Spring Planting Season.

                                             

JAN FALSTAD OF The Gazette

Posted: Sunday, February 28, 2010 12:00 am 

Although the temporary greenhouses generally lasted two years before high winds shredded them, Billings Hardware Co. is investing $300,000 to build a permanent greenhouse.

Construction is under way on the 24-by-60-foot heated greenhouse in the lot between the hardware store at 3175 Grand Ave. and Albertsons.

Since T.J. Comstock and his wife, Cami, and his parents bought the business in 2006, plant sales have been a significant, but undisclosed, percentage of yearly sales.

“They’ve grown double-digits,” T.J. said. “We’re bringing in good quality plants and making sure our prices are very competitive.”

The three checkout counters will grow to four and will be computerized when spring finally arrives. A dirt-and-bark parking lot was paved last fall and another 23 parking spots were added. The greenhouse should be completed by April 1, and with willing weather, the addition should be open by the middle to the end of April.

Each spring, T.J.’s mother, Karen, and his father, Jan Comstock, move from Eureka to Billings for several months to run the greenhouse.

In the fall of 2008, as the world was experiencing an almost daily shower of bad economic news, the Comstocks started changing their product mix.

“We needed to scale back on the high-end items like $2,000 barbecue grills and give people what they need, more than what they might want,” he said.

During the recession, Billings Hardware sales have stayed stable to slightly higher, T.J. said.