Got Lawn Questions?

Oh my, do I have a great resource for you if you have questions about your lawn.  I just received my newsletter from the wonderful people at Utah State University Extension Turfgrass IPM advisory department.  This newsletter is packed full of wonderful information about what might be bugging your grass this time of year and also how to correct the problems if you see them.  Check out this advisory and if you are interested you can sign up for seasonal email here as well. Also, you can sign up for other advisory newsletters concerning the Landscape, Small Fruit and Vegetable, Tree Fruit, and the Utah Pest News quarterly newsletter.

   Spring Turf 2013 Advisory

2013 Class Schedule

Here is our schedule for all our 2013 classes that will be taught at the Ogden Botanical Gardens and the USU Botanical Center.  We have a great variety of classes and workshops to choose from and we also are bringing back some favorite events from last year, such as Baby Animal Days and our Member's Only Plant Sale.  Hope that you will find some classes that will suit your gardening fancy.

   USUBC OBG Class Schedule 2013

Free Pruning Class

You have no idea how much we have missed you this winter. With spring just around the corner we are excited to see you again here at the Gardens.

Our first event of spring is, of course, the PRUNING CLASSES. They are scheduled at the Ogden Botanical Gardens for Saturday, March 30, at 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00 am. Fruit Tree Pruning, Rose Pruning, and Pruning Ornamental Trees, and Shrubs will be taught at each hour so people can rotate through for instruction in all areas.There will also be demonstrations on how to clean up perennials and ornamental grasses.
Hope to see you at the Gardens on Saturday!

March Garden Calendar

Please show me by a raise of hands how many of you are tired of cold temperatures, shoveling snow, and being cooped up indoors?  Me too!  Well warm temperatures, sweltering heat, and sunburns will soon be upon us.  I think?
In the meantime, here is a list of things that you can do to prepare for spring:

• Attend pruning classes for roses, fruit trees, trees and shrubs at the Ogden Botanical Gardens, or USU Botanical Center in Kaysville.   Dates, times, locations are available at http://ogdenbotanicalgardens.org/htm/calendar/displayBy=next10/
• Start seeds indoors in a sunny, warm location for a jumpstart on the season.

•  Sharpen pruning equipment and get ready to prune.
• Sharpen shovels and other equipment to prepare for spring gardening.
• Plant peas in the garden as soon as the snow is off the ground.
• Fertilize fruit trees with nitrogen.



Clean up the yard when the weather is nice.

• Purchase seeds from your favorite nursery or garden center early—before your favorites are all sold out.
• Work organic material into annual beds as soon as they are dry enough to be worked.
• Plant hardy vegetables (peas, onions, radishes, spinach, broccoli, turnips, rhubarb)

 

• Plant bare-root plants (strawberries, raspberries, fruit trees, roses) 
• Purchase an herbicide to prevent crabgrass and spurge to apply the first of April.
• Consider applying a lawn pre-emergent earlier to areas next to sidewalks and driveways where it warms and breaks dormancy sooner.
• Prune fruit trees, raspberries, grapes and ornamentals that need it.

Apple and peach tree buds showing a little color. Look for color in the buds when you apply dormant oil.

• Apply dormant oil to all fruit trees as soon as the buds swell and the first tip of color appears.  Include an insecticide with the oil, if desired.
• Prune roses after the buds break and there is 1 to 2 inches of growth.
• Clean up perennials by removing last years’ dead material, and transplant or divide those that are overgrown.
• Plant pansies and primrose for color in the garden, if you didn’t plant them last fall.

Seed Swap

Tired of the snow?  Here's an event that will get you excited for the spring.  The Ogden Seed Exchange is hosting their Seed Swap on Saturday, February 23rd at the Ogden Nature Center.  There will be mini workshops at 10am and the swap will be from 11am-1pm. 

   Seed Swap 2013 by  

The event is free to the public so please come!  Our Master Gardeners will be there to answer gardening questions at our booth, so please go say hi.  Also, one of our new Master Gardeners, Mary Milan will be teaching a mini class about collecting heirloom seed.  This should be a fun event to socialize with fellow gardeners and you'll go home with some great seeds to start in your own garden.

January Gardening Calendar

With all the snow and cold temperatures you're probably thinking that spring will never come.  Now, don't get discouraged...warm temperatures and the sun will come back.  I promise.  In the meantime, here are some fun things to do while you wait for warmer weather and the snow to melt.

• Fertilize poinsettias after their blooms fall off, and trim back to just a few leaves if keeping it until next year.  Otherwise, add it to the compost pile.  Watch this great video by Jerry Goodspeed and say, "No to poinsettia neglect!"  

• Plan the garden on paper using a pencil and eraser.  Need more help with designing your landscape?  Enroll in our Landscape Design class that will be taught at the Ogden Botanical Gardens in April.  Hurry, class size is limited.

• Order some new and exciting seeds from your favorite catalog.  (This is one of my favorite pass times when it's too cold outside to play in the dirt.)

• Water evergreens if there is no snow on the ground. (Don't need to worry about lack of snow this month!)

We Finally Have a Website

We are excited to announce the launching of the Ogden Botanical Gardens website.  It will be a great resource for what is going on at the gardens, upcoming classes and what to do in your garden throughout the year. 

Go to ogdenbotanicalgardens.org and see our new site.  I will continue to add more posts to the blog and hope that you will enjoy another gardening resource produced by Utah State University Extension.
Hope that you are enjoying some gardening time-off and dreaming of new garden aspirations for next spring.