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Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Since We Asked Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend May 11, 2006 Give plants you want to purchase a close look By JOYCE SCHILLEN Ahhh, May. The weather has settled enough so we can relax about frost, though no one can make you any promises. Garden centers, nurseries and other outlets are ready to fill your garden with riotous color and gorgeous green leaves. With many stunning plants to choose from, how do you know which to buy? You want to get bedding plants that'll thrive in your garden, of course, so look plants over carefully before plunking down your money. Choose stocky, healthy plants that show no signs of disease or stress. Inspect the leaves, including the undersides, to make sure no insects lurk there to hitch a ride home to your garden. Look also for good, robust root systems. Quite frankly, I'm not too put off by a few plump, healthy-appearing roots poking out of drainage holes. It can show vigorous growth. Stay away from plants that are root-bound. They may be irretrievably stalled and never recover. Although it's tempting, don't buy vegetable plants that already bear fruit — tomatoes and peppers, for instance. If you do, remove them before planting. It's better to let plants first use their energy to establish themselves. With ornamentals, you might even pull off flowers before planting. They'll have a better chance to grow strong root systems that support prolific blooming later on. Advertisement Before planting new purchases, make sure they've been "hardened off." Ask the grower or clerk if that's already been taken care of. If it hasn't, put plants outdoors, still in their containers, for a few hours each day so they'll become accustomed to the sun, wind and cooler temperatures. Increase the time outdoors every day for a week or 10 days, moving plants inside at night. Then plant them in well-prepared, fertilized garden beds. Water plants several hours prior to planting so they'll slip easily out of their pots. Gently loosen root balls before placing them in generously sized planting holes. Tamp down the soil so no air pockets are in contact with the roots, and then water thoroughly. You might add a liquid fertilizer at this time. Here's a good tip if you plant peat pots in the ground. Cut away the bottom first, so roots won't have to struggle through. And peel away the tops of the rims to make sure they don't stick up above the soil level. Exposed peat-pot rims wick moisture up, out of the ground, where it evaporates. Locally grown plants may show superior performance. They're better acclimated to this vicinity, especially if they were grown from seed produced locally. Coming up The Ashland Garden Club's annual plant sale takes place Saturday, the day before Mother's Day. It will be held from 9 a.m. until noon at the Ashland Safeway parking lot on Siskiyou Boulevard. Proceeds go into a fund to benefit a Southern Oregon University junior in environmental studies. The Jacksonville Garden Club is holding its annual plant and bake sale from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Calvary Church parking lot, 520 N. Fifth St., Jacksonville. They'll also have garden art and décor and bird feeders. Sams Valley gardener Joyce Schillen is author of "The Growing Season," a book on organic gardening. Her e-mail address is [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems California Casinos Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Texas Electric Choice Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews Advertisement s Advertisement