Garden club’s Spring Flower Show will celebrate America
The Nevada Garden Club will sponsor its annual Spring Flower Show from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and April 10 at the Garden Club Center in the northwest section of Lorenzi Park, 3333 W. Washington Ave. The theme for this free event is "Salute America!"
If you haven't attended a flower show, you're in for a delightful treat. You'll see colorful flowers, plus displays of houseplants, cactuses, succulents, fruits and vegetables all grown here. Also featured will be artistic designs and bouquets.
You may want to enter your own plants or flower arrangements. If so, take them to the Garden Club Center on Friday for judging Saturday morning. There are certain limitations, so call 459-4633 for details.
On a sad note, the city of Las Vegas is closing the Garden Club Center at Lorenzi Park for a year. The landscape in that part of the park is being redone.
Here are some questions I've encountered lately.
Q: We moved into a vacant home and the Texas Rangers have been murdered or sheared. How do we prune to get maximum blooms?
A: Texas Ranger performs well without much pruning. If sheared into odd geometric spheres, it becomes ugly because a crown of leaves covers the plant so light can't penetrate its interior. This is why it's woody, hollow and dead inside.
To preserve the plant's natural shape and encourage more flowering, do "selective" pruning. First, reduce the size of your plant by one-third. Next, stagger the lengths of those cuts so light reaches the interior to generate new growth. The plant keeps its natural shape and a bouquet of flowers will cover the entire plant.
Q: Do I have to improve my soil every year to grow tomatoes?
A: If you want lots of tomatoes, compost, compost, compost and mulch, mulch, mulch. Compost and mulch open up the soil and provide a feast for microorganisms that improve the soil through the season. They also conserve water, cool the surroundings and control weeds. If you already planted, you'll be OK but add it next year.
Q: Will a garlic oil spray detract beneficial insects from my garden?
A: Spray it in the evenings, as bees do their foraging in the mornings.
Q: What is the sticky stuff on my pine needles?
A: It's the telling sign your tree is infested with aphids. You'll find aphids on the succulent growth plants such as roses. Wash plants off with a strong jet of water or spray with insecticidal soap.
Q: My 25-year-old holly oak tree has twig dieback and leaf-drop. Do I need to test the soil's pH?
A: With our cold winter, there has been some frost damage to oaks. When it warms up, it will quickly regenerate leaves. To lower the soil's pH, feed with acid-based fertilizers.
Q: How can I get grass to grow under my shady tree?
A: Zoysia grass tolerates shade, and as an added bonus, uses 35 percent less water than fescue grass.
Q: Will tufted evening primroses cause problems like Mexican evening primrose?
A: No, it's a clump grass, while Mexican evening primrose spreads by rhizomes. This clumping primrose gets a foot high and as wide with rosettes of fuzzy gray-green four-inch-long leaves. Three-inch-wide white flowers open to add fragrance to the evening air.
Q: Frost really hit my dwarf bottlebrush, but the branches are still flexible and appear alive. Will new leaves appear or do I prune it?
A: If the branches are pliable, it will be OK. As new growth appears, prune out the dead branches.
Q: How do we establish a golf green-type lawn? We already have a sprinkling system in and ground prepared.
A: Put in a hybrid Bermuda lawn. It's attractive if you purchase a reel-type lawn mower and keep it well fed. Hybrid Bermuda does produce seed heads but doesn't produce pollen, so it's nonallergenic.
GIGANTIC CACTUS SALE
The Cactus and Succulent Society of Southern Nevada and Moon-Sun Cactus and Koi Gardens (6430 McGill Ave.) are having their annual cactus and art sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 16 and 17. You'll see unbelievable displays of our desert wonders, artwork and beautiful koi fish. For more information, go to www.moon-sunlandscapes.com or call 645-2032.
Linn Mills writes a garden column each Sunday. You can reach him at linn.mills@springspreserve.org or call him at 822-7754.
