PLANTS WAITING FOR SOIL TO WARM UP AFTER `SNOWBALL WINTER'

This is a time of lush growth in the garden. Wouldn't it be a continual picture if all of the foliage, grasses, trees and shrubs remained such a vivid green throughout the summer? Then the colors of the flowers would really make a show. What a dream!

Mother Nature has really planed tricks on us this spring with a late spring, abundant rains, wind storms, floods, then a teaser of spring-like weather followed by about 10 days of cold, rainy weather. Isn't it unusual to have this much cold weather at the first of the month? This has been a prolonged "snowball winter" and then there will be "blackberry" winter the latter part of the month. After that, watch out!

Many gardeners have planted their warm season crops and flowers. Plants will not grow until the soil warms up and there are no longer such cool nights. They just stand there and sulk like a naughty child. After the soil does warm, and all danger of frost is past, one can add mulch for summer crops to prevent crusting, conserve moisture and control weeds.

One can use leaves, peatmoss, ground bark, compost or any other organic materials. Black polyethylene is also good for mulch as the black color absorbs heat which helps increase soil and air temperatures slightly.

This is an excellent time to prune most spring flowering shrubs to keep their growth intact and by pruning at this time the buds for next year will not be destroyed.

If azaleas need to be pruned to keep their size intact, avoid shearing the plants, as that destroys their natural, loose tiered form. Take out the tallest stems at their point of origin. Because these plants put on a spurt of growth after flowering, this is a good time to fertilize with a recommended fertilizer for azaleas and rhododendrons.

If the foliage is yellow, even after fertilizing, the plants may need iron. The soil may be lacking iron, but the most common situation is too alkaline for the iron to be absorbed by plant roots. A quick, but temporary cure, is to spray the foliage with iron chelate.

Most foliage of spring flowering bulbs that has become so unsightly and has flopped over, may be cut now if it is beginning to brown at the base. It is good to feed a well balanced fertilizer to the area now (and again in the fall) as this is the key to next year's flowers.

Moving house plants outside this spring has been an ordeal. First, we take them out on the carport to harden them a bit before they go under the trees to their summer home. Then, it turns cool again and they are brought back into the garden room with some hanging baskets rehung. What is even worse--the heat had to be turned on again.

Most of them need work on them anyway before they are plunked out of doors. All dead leaves and stems should be picked off and all should receive a good hair cut. Some repotting is in order as at this time they really put on a spurt of growth.

Plants that are placed directly out may be showing scorched leaves because of the sudden changes in light. Another method of hardening them is to withhold watering for several days before the change. They should be protected from a too sunny location and from heavy rainfall and strong winds.

Check carefully for pests such as mealy bugs, scale, spider mites, white flies and aphids. These boogers are hard to see without the bifocals or sometimes a magnifying glass. At the very first sight spray with a good insecticide.

It is easier to take care of a collection of potted plants if they are grouped together rather than scattered about in different places. Avoid placing a beautiful flowering plant near the front door, next to the doorbell because these pretty, fragrant blossoms may draw bees. We recently read that honeybees have such well developed memories that a bee can remember and relocate a flower not visited for six months.

House plants that spend the summer vacation outside still need care. They should be checked periodically to see if they are dry. If rainfall has been scarce, mist them with water (warm) early in the morning. Remember, too, they need fertilizer (water soluble) about every two weeks. They also need a bit of pruning to keep them in shape.

There is a well know trick for keeping pesky animals out of the garden, particularly those that enjoy eating fresh, tender plants. For years it has been said that human hair scattered around the border of the garden will frighten them away. Our experience has been this is a fallacy because the rabbits just jump over it and have their breakfast on the petunias or beans.

Now, a woman from Virginia has written of her success with taking the clippings from her Airedale terrier, and sprinkled this hair in the garden. This worked beautifully, she said, and kept rabbits, deer and raccoon away.

Happy Gardening!