Dirt Divas

May 20, 2007

Spring is out there somewhere! Keep your jackets handy in the garden. So far it looks like a repeat of last summer's depressing funk. Don't forget, you can still get hypothermia if you're gardening all day in weather like this. I'd say, ‘At least it's not raining,' but then I'd be out in the stock beds dividing mud instead of plants. Best not to say anything and just pretend you appreciate the weather even if it is cold and breezy.

It's a bit early to try and harden off your tender seedlings unless you have some floating row cover or an open cold frame to keep that cold breeze off of them. Out here in the Valley we're likely to have cold breezy or gale force winds off and on right through the first week in June. It's important to keep that wind off new starts and for newly divided plants as well. Those divisions are already stressed and need to be protected from that fickle spring weather of ours.

I see the big box stores are throwing their caution to the winds again. And their garden help is working in the paint section and not watering their inventory as usual. Folks, if you're going to persist in gambling your dollars on those plants, please, know what you're buying. Every year these stores bring in shrubs by the vanloads with many varieties that just are not hardy in our zones. So, take a reference book along and check them out before you buy. The warehouses in Anchorage have hot deals, but, I've seen many of these shrubs fail in local gardens. Those fancy Blue Spruce topiaries and such look great for a couple of months, but, they'll probably be toast by next spring.

Water these specimens daily after planting for at least a month and make sure you spray them with an anti-desiccant to keep the needles from drying out in the wind.

This is especially important in the fall. Better yet, find a local nursery with a proven track record and buy your trees and shrubs from them.

If it's Alaska Grown, it must be wintered over a minimum of two years. That's a great insurance policy for the consumer.

If you can curb your enthusiasm, try waiting for the local garden shows and tours to buy your perennials. Mark your calendars and get that picnic basket ready for these events:

May 26 - Valley Garden Club sale. 9 - 3 p.m. Burchell High, Wasilla (892-0993).

June 2 - Mat-Su Master Gardeners plant sale. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Palmer Pavilion, downtown visitor's center. (745-6561).

June 3 - North Root Big Lake Gardeners third Annual Mat-Su Greenhouse Gallup, noon. From Big Lake to Palmer a great tour of greenhouses, gardens, and tree lots. Big Lake Library parking lot. (892-8119).

July 21 - Alaska Garden & Art Festival. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Alaska State Fairgrounds. Tour the fabulous gardens without the fair crowds, buy locally grown plants, art, food, and attend plenty of workshops, demonstrations, and talks by noted gardeners. A fair not to be missed. (gardenfestival@ alaskastatefair.org).

July 21 - Willow Garden Club Garden Tour. 10 a.m. Willow community center, Mile 69.2 Parks Hwy. Bring your own lunch. (495-6636).

July 21- 22 - Coyote Garden Tour. Sat. 10 a.m. -5 p.m., Sun. Noon-5pm. Mile 7, Willow-Fishhook Rd. in Willow off Parks Hwy. Les Brake's gardens have been featured in Sunset, Horticulture, Country Gardens, and the British Gardens Illustrated magazines. This is an English garden living on the edge. Take your camera and a notebook! (770-3692).

Don't miss these ‘Must see' gardening events in Anchorage!

June 23-24 - Alaska Botanical Garden Fair. Sat. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. What a great place to see what plants we can grow in our gardens.

There are wonderful plants to be bought from nurseries, garden clubs, and the ABG folks. Art, crafts, food, demonstrations, music, fun for kids, and a great place to spend the weekend. (Call 770-3692, or e-mail garden@alaskabg.org).

July 10 - Alaska Rose Society sale. 7-9 p.m. Delany Park Strip Centennial Rose Garden. This is an important group of folks to hang out with if you want to grow roses in Alaska. It's first come-first serve, so, get there on time! (345-5609).

I see that July 21 is going to be a very full day, but, may I recommend that you DO NOT miss the Garden and Art Festival, a comprehensive and delightful garden fair.

Fortunately, Les Brake's garden tour is also open on the 22nd, so, you can have a full weekend of hanging out in someone else's gardens!

OK, it stopped raining. Time to go dig up those Canadian lilacs. Back to the mines. Brrr.

Brooke Heppinstall is an artist, writer, and the owner of WoolWood Studio & Gardens, a small specialty nursery specializing in winter hardy Alaska Grown perennials on Lazy Mountain in Palmer. Contact her at WoolWood@chugach. net or 746-3606.