www.courierherald.com
Wednesday, January 15, 2014 • The Enumclaw Courier-Herald • Page 5
Don’t contain your enthusiasm for potted plants
1
large pot to The k e e p Compleat the potting soil Home f r o m Gardener clogMarianne Binetti ging the Columnist draina g e holes. The secret ingredient I add to all large containers is a shovel full of compost. I work this into the top few inches of potting soil to help hold moisture and add some active, living organisms to the otherwise sterile but quick-draining potting soil. My maple trees and small shrubs thrive in outdoor pots for seven to 10 years without the need for repotting or winter protection. Get creative with the frosting for your potting soil. A mulch is any material that sits on top of the soil to keep down weeds, seal in moisture and insulate from weather extremes. Bark chips and compost are common mulches in garden beds but when you pot up a plant you can get creative with the top layer of soil. Wine corks make a lightweight, inexpensive mulch especially around potted plants that need extra winter protection. (Tip: use a felt tip pen to write the name or date on your wine corks if the bottle of wine was used to celebrate a special event or given by a special guest.)
2
Polished rocks make excellent mulch on top of heat-loving sedums and succulents because they not only absorb heat but also keep the succulent foliage from rotting on the damp surface of the naked soil. Seashells as a mulch add character to any potted plant as well as marbles, pine cones
3
See BINETTI, Page 23
Liquidation Sale & Prize Contest! UP TO
70 OFF %
JEWELRY INVENTORY All Sales Final
Coins and Bullion Excluded
40 years of treasures coming out of our vaults! 1,300 sold and THOUSANDS to go! Enter to win 1/4 ct Diamond Stud DIAMOND STUD earrings! $300 EARRINGS value! Guess the number of jewelry items on display. Bring this ad in and double your guesses! Winner announced 2/1/14.
Triple your guesses with an in store purchase! (entries in store)
Dec. 13th winners of our Pearl Drawing!
Lucy E. Betty H. Karen L.
Tina M. Patricia P.
253-863-7077 • 20077 SR 410 East, Bonney Lake (located by Columbia Bank) www.chippersjewelry.com • info@chippersjewelry.com
Check our Facebook for updates and events!
Join us Wednesday, Jan. 15th from 5-8pm for...
The Season of Washington
Wine Tasting
Live Music every Friday & Saturday night! 966905
and, for large containers, display a dazzling collection of blown glass balls. Go small in a big way. Miniature gardens have had a big impact on container gardening
967339
Celebrate spring with Marianne Binetti at the Tacoma Home and Garden show Jan 23-26. She will speak every day at 2 p.m. Topics will be “Container Gardening with a Twist” and “Color, Color, Color.” Spring begins with the start of the home and garden shows! The Tacoma Home and Garden show starts off the season Jan. 23-26 with indoor display gardens and some plant sales, followed by the granddaddy of all garden shows, the Northwest Flower and Garden show, which is early this year, running Feb 5-9. This week start planning for spring by digging into some more creative ideas about containering your plants – but never containing the enthusiasm for Container Gardens – with a Twist Put your trees and shrubs in large containers – then use them to add shade and privacy to a porch or patio or to accent a lack-luster landscape. Our mild climate means Japanese maples, azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, pieris, nandina and other shallow-rooted trees and shrubs can be happy in pots for years and years – as long as you remember to water in the summer. Growing Tip: use a wooden or frost-proof pot at least 24 inches deep for shrubs and 36 inches deep for trees. Make sure there are drainage holes in every pot and add a layer of crumpled nursery six packs or empty plastic water bottles to the bottom of any
1444 Cole Street, Downtown Enumclaw 360.284.2333