Southern Gardening - Potpourri for May

May is the month we associate with the holiday, Memorial Day, honoring all who died serving in the Armed Services during U.S. wars, beginning with the Civil War. In 1971, Congress passed into law the Uniform Monday Holiday Act establishing that Memorial Day be commemorated on the last Monday of May of each year. And the red poppy is the flower associated with this holiday. After Flanders Field in Belgium was rutted for years with the tracks of heavy armored tanks and vehicles, red poppies started sprouting up and blooming. after the war was over. Just fields and fields of poppies grew and bloomed as far as the eye could see. So we can do our part by flying the flag and feeling patriotic on May 26 of this year.

COMPOSTING

The definition of composting to the act of combining organic plant material for managed aerobic biological decomposition. Many farmers and gardeners call compost "black gold". To recycle food and other organic waste provides a range of environmental benefits, to include boosting soil health, to reduce greenhouse emissions, to recycle nutrients, and to mitigate the impact of droughts. It is no surprise that everything that grows will eventually decompose. Composting just speeds up the process. Food waste and garden waste wind up being 28% of what we discard. If you think about it, the annual cost of landfill municipal solid waste costs the United States $55.00 per ton, so we spend billions of dollars on waste management per year. So composting allows the average homeowner to divert some of this waste from the landfill and turn it into a wonderful addition to our gardens.

What not to add to the compost " heap". 1. Avoid meat and bones--rotting meat accumulates bacteria, smells especially bad while composting; and bones take years to decompose. 2. Dairy--also puts of a rotten smell and attracts pests 3--Animal fats or oils 4--Processed grains, bread, pasta--these lead to mold 5-- Paper can be good, but avoid what is called "receipt paper" or shipping labels, also referred to thermal paper. 6--Colored cardboard--this contains heavy metals 7--Diseased plant material.

PLANT OF THE MONTH--GERANIUM (GERANIACEAE)

These plants are also called "Cranesbill" because the seed pods are elongated and rigid with a tapered "beak". Long lived in our area if we bring them inside when temperatures drop below freezing. I have had the same geraniums for years, which I cut back within a few inches from the top of the soil. Most of my geraniums are in pots within larger pots which makes it easier to transport. Those not in smaller pots are still cut back, heavily mulched, and the pot covered with a tarp to insulate from the cold. Geraniums have a wide range of colors from white, pink, red, orange, fuschia, and tones of light to dark. They need full sun to partial shade, love to be fertilized once a weed during bloom times, and need to be watered weekly. However in the heat of the summer, they may need water more often. The downside of growing geraniums is having to deadhead the blooms and in the heat of the summer, to rid the plants of bud worms. One solution for the bud worm is Dipel dust, but one has to reapply after a rain, so when watering, keep the water toward the roots and not the foliage.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY AND GOOD GARDENING.

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