"Newsletter"

Hello Plant Lovers,

Osaka Purple Mustard, a cool season beauty.

It's March and Mayflower Greenhouse opens to the public next month! Already, we are filled to the brim with lots of goodies for your 2009 gardens and containers.

Events

Now's a good time to remind you to sign up for our spring programs. Some still have room, but time is running out. Events

New Plants

Here are some items so new that you won't even see them in our online plant lists. You're the first to know we carry:

Osaka Purple Mustard. This is a cool season beauty that adds POW to the spring garden. Planted outside in mid April, it will add stunning texture and color to the garden till mid June when the summer annuals and perennials come into their own.

Tomaccio Tomato. A Mayflower exclusive, the uniqueness of 'Tomaccio' is that the fruit dries naturally like a raisin. The taste of the dried fruit is very sweet. Each plant yields 13-18 pounds of cherry tomatoes!

Tomaccio Tomatoes.

Tomaccio Raisins.

Libertia. Ever heard of Libertia? It's another of those grass-like annuals from New Zealand. Sometimes called the New Zealand Iris it has colorful foliage on a spiky plant that looks especially great with the sun shining through it.

Libertias 'Taupe Blaze' (inset) and 'Goldfinger'.

Because it could be overpowered by more robust annuals, we suggest planting Libertia in a rock garden or succulent dish planter.

Tips for the Month.

Raising seedlings in your home. We realize there are those of you for whom the thrill of gardening includes nurturing your plants from beginning to end. Here are some things you can do to insure your seedlings thrive up to and beyond the time you set them out in their permanent spots for the summer.

Remember four rules when growing seedlings in your house.

1. Adequate sunlight.
2. Not too hot.
3. Moist but never wet.
4. Good drainage.

When possible take those seedlings outside if the weather warms enough and it's not too windy. The spring breezes and weaker sunlight will help harden off and strengthen the seedlings and help prevent damping off.

You should be done sowing cool season annuals like lettuce, pansy and viola.

Reawaken Overwintered Plants. The increased day length and more intense sunlight will start to reawaken those plants you brought indoors to winter over. You can slowly increase watering and perhaps begin feeding the plants with a dilute fertilizer. And, like your seedlings, take them outside and set them in a protected, semi-shady location on warm days to help them readapt to outdoor conditions.

Pruning. You should be in full swing pruning your trees and shrubs (do not prune plants in spring that bloom on second year wood - old wood - or you'll not get blossoms this summer).

With good weather you can trim your perennial grasses. Early trimming is especially important with Feather Reed Grass which starts to grow very early. Instead of trimming, you can burn some grasses - better make sure you call your local fire department or inform your neighbors before you start - some grasses like Panicum and Miscanthus burn like gasoline when dry. Blue Oat Grass and Fescues don't respond well to burning since they're technically evergreen, so trim those.

Bring in Topiaries and Custom Containers. We're putting together new topiaries and new container plantings, so this is a great time to bring in your own topiary forms and custom containers to be replanted. Our website offers some fun ideas for planted containers. New Items

Happy Gardening,

Jan Wos
Owner
Mayflower Greenhouse

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