Tending To Raised Beds
For long-term blooming year-after-year, feed perennial flower beds. Apply initial fertilizer one month after planting, then again before and after flowering. Now’s a good time to propagate hardwood cuttings of shrubs such as spireas, forsythia, the holly group, junipers mock orange, Japanese quince and viburnum. Applying Roottone to the base of the cutting will hasten rooting and build stronger root mass. Apply it where cutting has been made at a slant, just beneath a growth bud on the stem.
A raised garden bed solves the problem of poor drainage in areas of firmly set soil. Use old railroad crossties or treated lumber to retain the soil. Or choose dry-stacked stone walls or mortared brick. Beds should not be more than five feet wide for easy access to plants. Good topsoil mixed with compost is nearly ideal for filling the raised beds.