Suzanne Williams

I traveled around town this week and made a video slide show featuring some of the best decorated houses. It's really fun to watch. Enjoy!!

http://youtu.be/TE6btxeZSyk

Tricks, Not Treats: 6 Horror Stories of Bad Neighbor Behavior

http://members.houselogic.com/articles/tricks-not-treats-6-horror-stories-bad-neighbor-behavior/preview/

My sister-in-law, Barbara Williams, is a Master Gardener. I asked her to share some tips with us and she has given us some great advise about planting bulbs. Thank you Barbara!

Fall in North Carolina is one of my favorite times of the year. It’s a perfect time to garden - the weather is not too hot and not too cold. Who wants to stay inside on days like these? This is a great time to plant spring flowering bulbs. Years ago an old neighbor of mine introduced me to Dutch Gardens, a catalogue of many varieties of bulbs as well as other perennials. The prices are right, the bulbs are very healthy, and the service is great. If you want to find unusual as well as common varieties of spring flowering bulbs, this is a good source. There are other good catalogues - I just like this one in particular. You can find their catalogue on

www.dutchgardens.com/.

In our area daffodils are a favorite - easy to grow, naturally multiplying over the years with little care. To make a big impact, plant in large clusters (25-100 or more in one area). There are all types of daffodils, also called narcissus. They come in different colors and heights. When blooms are gone, leave the foliage alone until it turns brown/yellow. I know this is hard to do, but the leaves are producing nutrients for next year’s blooms and it is important to let them alone until they are completely dry and discolored. If the looks of this bothers you (it bothers me), you can tie the foliage into a knot close to the ground for a neater look. When the leaves have turned, then and only then can you cut them off. The monkey grass (liriope) that is planted in the daffodil bed at my house soon covers the ugly foliage. Be sure to cut some of your daffodils and bring them into the house to brighten your day.

Crocus are one of the first signs of spring in Hickory along with blooming Bradford pear trees, quince, and forsythia. These are small purple, yellow, and white flowers that can be planted en masse in beds or as a carpet on your lawn. The lawn planting is particularly beautiful because the crocus bloom before the lawn begins to grow and needs mowing. We have had trouble with squirrels eating the bulbs, but planting them is certainly worth it when you have had a long, hard winter and see this harbinger of spring. They bloom in February and truly lift your spirits.

Tulips are my husband’s favorite flower. He remembers walking to school as a young boy and picking his neighbor’s red tulips on the way. Tulips can give a constant show of color for 3 or more weeks by selectively choosing tulips by blooming time and also by planting the bulbs a week apart. There are many interesting varieties of tulips - peony (Angelique), fringed (American Eagle), parrot (Bright Parrot) - and they, too, benefit from being planted in groupings. They need 12-14 weeks of very cold weather to last more than one season. However, there are some varieties that tolerate warmer winters than others. According to an NC State study these are: Golden Parade, Jewel of Spring, Orange Emperor, Spring Song, Yellow Dover and Striped Apeldoom. Rated next best are Burgundy Lace, Candela, Don Quichotte, Duke of Wellington, Golden Apeldoom, Gordon Strike, Monte Carlo, Orange Bouquet, Oxford, Smiling Queen, Sorbet, White Emperor, Holland’s Glorie, Jimmy and Red Matador.

Other less common spring flowering bulbs include scilla campanulata, hyacinth, muscari, lilies of the valley, and allium. It’s fun to try new and different bulbs. The FALL GARDENING TIPS - PLANTING BULBS FOR SPRING flower catalogue will give you the light, fertilizer, and water requirements of all the bulbs.

Planting Tips:

The hardest part of planting bulbs is digging the holes! The number of bulbs and the clay content of the soil will determine what tool will do thebest and be the easiest to use. You can use a hand-held bulb digger, a step-on bulb digger, a bulb-digging auger (less than 3 inches in diameter) attached to an electric drill, or just a plain old shovel and/or mattock. Although most instructions tell you to plant the bulb 6-8 inches deep, if you have heavy clay soil (as many of us do in his area), the bulb should be planted about 4-6 inches deep. Clay makes it hard for the bulb to make its way to the surface if planted too deep. Amend the soil if necessary. You will know if you need to amend the soil if water poured into the hole does not drain well. Whenplanting any bulb adding 1 tablespoon of bonemeal for a large bulb and 1/2 tablespoon of bonemeal for a small bulb will greatly benefit them. After they have bloomed, it would also be beneficial to top dress the bulb bed with bone meal (7 cups per 100 square feet).

Containers:

A final idea for using spring bulbs - plant them in containers. You can use one type of bulb or select several types (tulips, daffodils, scilla, etc.) that bloom at the same time. If planting an outside container, you would start by adding drainage material (rocks or broken clay pots) to bottom of container. Add a few inches of soil. Place the largest bulbs on bottom layer, cover with soil, and then the next largest bulb, cover, etc. Try not to place bulbs directly above each other. Face tulip bulbs toward the outside of the container. You also can force bulbs indoors by doing the same with bulbs such as paperwhites (a kind of narcissus), amaryllis, crocus. They need a period of cold (35-48 degrees) for 12-13 weeks. Some that you buy at the store in boxes have already been dormant and you just need to follow their directions.

Paperwhites are wonderful at Christmas and exude a very strong, sweet perfume. You can also grow paperwhites in a rock-filled, shallow, flat container filled with water. The bulb is then put on top of the rocks so that the bottom of the bulb just touches the water.

Bulbs are a great addition to your garden and are worth the work. Call me if you need any more information and I will do my best to answer your questions. Happy gardening!

Barbara

My clients have their house under contract and are selling some of their lovely home furnishings. here is a link to the web-site where you can view what will be for sale. Tag Sale is being run by Renesting Resources. The sale starts this Friday and ends Saturday.

http://www.renestingresources.com/ReNesting_Resources/Hickory_Tag_Sale%3A_Upcoming.html

LOWES CARD GIVEWAY

Congratulations to SHARON GITLIN, a blog subscriber and winner of the $50.00 Lowes gift card giveway!  Hope you can use this and thank you for subscribing to my blog!

MARKET SNAPSHOT _ YOU NEED TO TRY THIS!

I have recently begun subscribing to a really great tool that I love to share with everyone I know. It's called Market Snapshot. All you have to do is put in the address of a property you're interested in (could be your own home) and the snapshot will show you what homes are for sale in your area, their vital statistics, price, etc. You can also see homes that have sold. There is a lot more info. available - you just have to play around with it and see what it can do. Here's the form to fill out. Once you fill it out you are taken to your market snapshot......

I am so happy to be able to introduce you to Brian Frazier, Director of Planning & Development for the city of Hickory, NC. Brian will be keeping us updated monthly on what's happening in our town with business and residential development.