Hi !
I think it's safe to say, by now, all of us have had a taste of
warm weather and sunshine. We had four glorious days of blue skies, sunshine and 70F temps here in Seattle, but now we're back to overcast skies and rain. Which, if you can believe, I'm okay with.
Because I wasn't ready for summer - yet. Lol!
There's a saying that if we didn't have rainy days, gardeners would never get any housework done. Am I right?
Today's Miniature Garden TIP / Reminder:
'Tis the season for "conifer dieback." It's how conifers exfoliate.
Conifers shed their "leaves" or needles at least once a year, some shed in the fall, others do it in the springtime. Larger
trees do this naturally, but our miniature and dwarf trees and shrubs need a little bit of help exfoliating while they are still young, as the dead stuff stays in the branches and doesn't let the air and light through it, suffocating the tree/shrub.
Look for dead or yellowing foliage in the
middle of the tree or shrub and slough it off/out with your fingers. You may need gloves if you are cleaning-out a spruce or juniper as the needles are pointy. (<~technical term. :o)
I let the dead leaves fall to the ground and then get my rake fork out and
clean it up from the base of the tree. If your miniature garden is a couple/few years old, and the pot is small enough, I've tipped over the pot gently, and held it on its side to let the needles fall on the table instead of in the garden. It makes clean-up even easier.
It Must be Spring!
New trees, shrubs, "miniature bedding plants," and more miniatures for the garden are back in stock this week. Whoa Nelly! See our New and Back in Stock Section
here.
ICYMI - Here's a spring to-do list for your
miniature garden containers, to make sure you're thinking of everything. (In-ground gardeners, it's still March! Ugh. :o)
Let me know if you have any questions or need any help
choosing the right plant for your area. Glad to help! Hit reply.
Feedback is always welcome. As the only resource for this hobby, your feedback is invaluable. Hit reply. <3
Whatever you do, make it fun,
