Dear $$firstname$$,

Memorial Day weekend is the kick-off to the "get-outside-and-garden" frenzy that lasts throughout the season. It’s a chance to start fresh, from making over your backyard…to trying out a new plant…to achieving that picture-perfect lawn.

The Garden Club is here to help keep your backyard looking great. Each month, you’ll receive gardening tips only available to Garden Club members.

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READ ON TO DISCOVER...

• Plant of the Month
• Yard Smarts
• Plant Doctor Q & A
• Plants that Attract Hummingbirds
• Enter to win a $13,000 Massey Ferguson Tractor
• Submit Your Story

Plant of the Month

‘Fresh Look Gold’ Celosia
All-America Selections Winner for 2007

Botanical name: Celosia plumosa, ’Fresh Look Gold.’

Featuring: The flowering plumes do not “brown out,” and they shed rain, hence the “Fresh Look” name.

Mature size: (h x w): 12” x 10”-12”

Hardiness: Annual

Growing tips: Grow in full sun, in average soil, in the garden or in a pot. Supply regular water, and the plants will look fabulous all summer long.

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Yard Smarts

The Best Time to Prune Flowering Shrubs
Not sure when to prune your flowering shrubs? Follow these rules of green thumb:

For spring bloomers: Prune spring-flowering shrubs, like lilacs, right after they finish flowering. Because these shrubs usually develop their flower buds throughout the growing season, a late-season pruning would remove these buds and reduce the number of flowers the following year.

For summer bloomers: Prune summer-flowering shrubs—spirea and potentilla, for example—in early spring. These shrubs bloom from new growth, so prune them before you see growth or "green" in the spring.

Late-winter pruning allows you to clean up winter damage as you shape the plant. It’s also a good time to prune because wounds will heal quickly.

Recycled Birdbath
Although she doesn’t fill it with water anymore, our neighbor still makes good use of a birdbath left by the previous owner—she plants flowers in it for a beautiful summer blooming display. This is a good way to make use of an old cracked birdbath that doesn’t hold water. Plus it brightens up the neighborhood.
–Pam Ferkett, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Plant Doctor Q & A

Bloomless Hydrangea
Q: About 3 years ago, I received a potted hydrangea as a gift. Eventually, I planted it outdoors, but it has not bloomed since, even though it fills out and grows to a healthy 3 feet tall. What do I need to do to get the plant to start producing flowers?
–Edward Wyszynski, Belleville, Michigan

Melinda: Your hydrangea is probably the type that blooms on old wood. That means the new growth that sprouts from the older stems produces flowers. You won’t see flowers the next summer if:
-Frigid winter temperatures kill the stems back to the ground.
-You prune the plants back to the ground during the dormant season.
To protect these plants in winter, cover with straw or evergreen branches once the ground freezes.

If pruning is the problem, the solution is easy. Avoid pruning old growth to ground level during the dormant season. In spring, only trim the dead tips and lightly shape. Finally, be sure not to overfertilize hydrangeas. Too much nitrogen will give you a lush green plant, but it will not produce flowers.

Move Over, Clover
Q: White clover has taken over my lawn. How can I get rid of this pesky weed?
–Diane Wojtalewicz, Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Melinda: Lawns that are nutrient-stressed are a breeding ground for clover. So, the best defense is a healthy lawn.

Test the soil to see what type of and how much fertilizer is needed to help your lawn. Proper fertilization improves lawn health, so grass can compete and crowd out clover, a legume.

One of the unique qualities of legumes is that they convert nitrogen from the air into plant-available nitrogen. Therefore, clover was once added to grass-seed mixes to assist in establishment of the lawn. Today, it’s considered a weed.

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Plants that Attract Hummingbirds

Bee Balm

Phlox

Salvia

The secret to attracting hummingbirds to your backyard is to plant nectar-filled flowers. Even a simple hanging basket or container packed with colorful flowers can draw in these flying jewels.

These birds search out nectar from many different colored flowers, but it’s the red ones that really have magnetic drawing power. Scientists believe this is because red tubular flowers contain the most nectar. And it may not be just flowers, they could be attracted to a red baseball hat, too!

Here are ten no-fail flowers that hummingbirds love!

1. Bee Balm

2. Butterfly Bush

3. Butterfly Weed

4. Cardinal Flower

5. Columbine

6. Fuchsia

7. Phlox

8. Salvia

9. Snapdragon

10. Trumpet Vine

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Enter to Win this $13,000 Massey Ferguson Tractor

Want a chance to win this ultimate garden tractor? Then go ahead…take some photos of your yard and enter our Backyard Makeover Contest. The Grand Prize winner of this year’s contest receives a Massey Ferguson Sub-Compact tractor, valued at nearly $13,000.00! Click here for details

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