Newspaper Page Text
-THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1991
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TKings to
consider
|l. Consider climate
when making plant
selections. Purchase
trees, shrubs and pe
rennials hardy to your
growing region.
2. Reduce size of lawn,
pevote more space to
ground covers with
Jow moisture re
quirements.
3. Improve soil by
spading in plenty of
organic matter like
decomposed leaves,
compost or manure.
4. Rely on native
plants and wildflow
jers. They are naturally
immune to pests and
diseases.
5. Select drought de
fying plants.
ROSO , from IC*
foilagc. Sunlight during the hottest
part of the day should be filtered.
Idea growing temperatures for
roses fall between 65-70 F during
the day and 50-60 F at night.
If nights are cold and days hot the
root intake of water will not bal
ance moisture loss because the soil
warms much more slowly than air.
Placing mulch around the plant can
help alleviate this problem.
Roses should be sheltered from
the wind and planted away from
large trees or shrubs which might
ROSES
W Hundreds of Varieties
Prices range from $6 95 to $ 10 95
Large selection of fruit trees $3 95 ea.
Apples Pears
Plums Peaches u
i Everbearing Strawberry Plants w/
3 in. peat pots - 35$ ea. aT
Bear root plants - 25$ ea. jgk
Flowering Shade Trees in stock now.
Cherry - Yoshino and Kwanzan
Dogwoods
M
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Challenge of good lawn care
It's a matter of getting basic essentials all in order
By JAN HAMPTON
Managing Editor
It's getting to be that time of the
year. Spring will soon be here and
hundreds of yards in Houston
County will be beckoning for care.
"Having a great looking lawn can
be beat down into three steps,” Jim
Wright, an extension agent with the
University of Georgia said. "It all
comes down to fertilizing, watering
and proper mowing."
Lawns should be fertilized twice a
year according to Wright, once in
s. early spring and again in late au
-9 tumn.
*■ "Many people get caught up in
the differences between fertilizers
like whether it is granular or liq
uid," Wright said. "That really isn’t
as important as some would think.
Rock gardens bring about pure delight
By JAN HAMPTON
Managing Editor
Tucked away on the hillsides and
courtyards of England are treasured
rock gardens.
The British enjoy the splashes of
color and fragrance the gardens add
to their lives.
But any place can become home
to a rock garden according to Cyn
thia Manis, a plant specialist with
the University of Georgia.
"More and more people just don't
have time to take care of large for
mal gardens," Manis said. "They are
opting for rock gardens. With a
rock garden a person can be totally
creative. The results are very satis
fying."
What to look for when selecting lawn seed
•Quality
•What type of growing conditions will be available? Sun? Shade? Climate?
•Miix two well adapted companionable species for better results
•vary rate of planting from 4 to 7 pounds per 1000 square feet
deprive them of air, sun and food.
Plenty of water is essential for
healthy plants. However, plants
should be watered while the sun is
out so the petals will dry.
Soil is most favorable for rose
growing when it is loose, well aer
ated and fertile. For best results mix
two shovelfuls of soil to one shov
elful of peat moss.
Rose beds should be dug a mini
mum of 18 inches, preferably 24
inches deep.
The most important thing to con
sider is the amount of nitrogen a
fertilizer contains."
Nitrogen is indicated by the first
of the three large numbers on the
bag. A 2 : 1-1 ratio is suggested. For
example, a nitrogen rating of 20-
10-10 or 16-8-8 is more preferable.
In middle Georgia, Centipede,
Saint Augustine or Zoysia grass
varieties are the most popular.
However, these varieties do best
when covered with shade trees. The
Meyer variety does best in semi
shade while Sunturf and Tiflawn
varieties have proven sturdy even in
full sun.
Wright offered the following tips
for selecting lawn seed:
•Consider quality
•Consider factors affecting the
A rock garden can be made along
a hillside or in the crevice of a wall.
It can be built with soil and stone
in a courtyard or patio. An innova
tive rock garden can be planted in a
crock pail or some other form of
pottery.
Soil for a rock garden should be
porous, mineral, well cultivated,
matured soil. The best effect can be
achieved by adding manure, sand,
gravel, limestone chips, loam and
leaf mould.
The stone for the garden should
be chosen carefully. It should reflect
not only beauty but should fit in
with the scheme and the type of
plants chosen for the garden.
SHRUBS
GOOD SELECTION
OF varieties
AZALEAS
HOMEGROWN
10for $ 25°°
ALSO LARGER SIZES
Handyman True-Value Handyman True-Value
1 000 Russell Parkway 922-7737 1 203 North Main Street 987-0211
kind of seed needed. How much
sun, shade and drainage is required?
How fertile is the soil? What is the
soil type? What kind of climate
will the grass be growing in?
For a rich, green lawn one inch
of water is needed each week. If a
lawn sprinkler is used, this trans
lates to two hours of use. It is best
to water grass before the soil dries
severly.
When cutting, it is best to adjust
the mower to a height of 1 3/4 to 2
inches. This will reduce the stress
on the grass and keep the cover
healthier.
"Having a beautiful lawn can be
done by following a few good prin
ciples,"Wright said. "Set a routine
and follow it. That's the best way
to be successful."
If a stream or piped in water can
be used in the garden design, it will
add dramatically to the beauty of the
garden. A water lily pool can be
developed.
"The fun of planning a rock gar
den is choosing the flowers I
think," Manis said. "Gardeners are
urged to choose many different col
ors and varieties. Everything from
.wild flowers, ferns, phlox, jas
mines, violets, asters, daisys, aza
leas and dwarf perennials can be
used for great effects."
For more information about de
veloping a rock garden, contact
your local extension agent.
ROSES
JACKSON PERKINS “BEST GRADE”
OVER 4,000 TO CHOOSE FROM
ALL POTTED READY TO GO
TREES
FRUIT TREES 4’ TO 5’
PECAN TREES 3’ TO 8’
SHADE A FLOWERING
JH Study
Smart
Are Your Study Skills the Best They Could Be?
The Pettigrew Center of the Fort V alley Slate C ollege will present Study Smart on
Saturday, March 2 from B:3OAM until 1:00 PM. The seminar will focus on skill-building
activities that can help students improve his or her study techniques.
• Learn to Listen Improve Note
Taking Skills Build Test Taking
Strategies • Improve Memorization
Techniques • Learn How to Take Tests
•Beat the Test Anxiety
Saturday, March 2 • 8:30 AM -1 PM
$5.00 per student
MinimunAgc: 13
Featuring Joe Posey, Director of Counseling and Testing, Macon College
To Register, call the Center at 875-6478
———————
5483 Columbus Rd. Open Sundays A.
(Behind Macon College) 1-5:30 Lj/»
474.1717 JciSsfflln- 1 Mon " Sat Ji /
OOumr&ENS W
Roses 5595 If
AH American Winners 68 Varieties up M
Truckload Azalea Sale
*25 for 10 Azalea liners SOSO
Pansies Fruit toes & Vines
■ uiieiud Cherry Apple
in full bloom Pomgranete Grape
_ Pear Scuppernong
SR9S Flat Plum Blue Berries
Nectarines Thornless-
Blackberry
Veg. Plants Broccoli Strawberries
COllardS Seed- ever bearing-3” peat pots
MM. 49« each
s9®® Flat of 21
Metro 360
Potting Mix Plnestraw
sll3 cu ft $299 10 or more
bales
_See Us For Large Trees
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TILLERS
Sold locally at Jack’s Saw Shop
We Offer:
FREE Demonstrations
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Complete sales, service and parts.
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JACK’S
SAW SHOP
_4467FORSYTH RD. TUES.-SAT,B-5 474-8181 474-8073