52March 2, 2016

The panic has set in! I have lost track of the number of people who have come into the store and they are panicking because their spring flowering bulbs have started to pop up growth. There are many instances of tulips and daffodil bulbs sprouting green tip growth through the cold ground. In some cases, the crocuses are in bloom. First off, crocuses are sometimes in bloom in late February. If the bulbs are planted close to the house and they are on the west or south side of the house, it is not that unusual to have them even push up flowers through the last bit of snow. They are extremely cold –tolerant. If you think about your daffodils and your early blooming varieties of tulips, their normal flowering time is around the first week of April. If you get a snowy winter and it takes time for the snow to melt, it may be mid April before they bloom. However, if it has been a winter with very little snow and it has melted and the ground is warming up, these early blooming spring bulbs could bloom at the end of March. Either way, the bulbs are responding to soil temperatures and putting up growth based on how warm the soil is getting in the late winter / early spring. Even if a late snowstorm comes before they flower or if the temperatures drop into a very cold range, the bulbs will not be harmed by the changes in the temperatures or a late snow. The only danger is when the bulbs are in bloom and a wet snow occurs, the weight of the snow may break the flower stems. For the most part, the bulbs are a lot more weather savvy than we are so just let those bulbs do their job as the herald of spring to come.

When I went to a trade show this past fall, I saw a neat item called Pot Toes. These are small plastic pieces that can interlock or they can be used singularly. They are used to hold pots up off the floor, deck or walkway. In so many cases, when you put a pot outside and it sits on the deck, the condensed water under the pot can cause mold to form on the deck. Indoors, condensation can ruin a wood floor or stain a tile floor. The Pot Toes are placed under the pot. You would usually space three of then equally around the base of the pot. The Pot Toes raises the pot several inches up off the floor or the deck. This allows any excess water to drain away and also helps to prevent mildew from forming under the pot due to condensation of moisture. If you place a pot on the walkway or driveway, the slope can make the pot appear to be crooked. You can stack several Pot Toes together and place then under the down slope side of the pot to level the pot. The Pot Toes come in three colors, terracotta, gray and black. We brought in an assortment of Pot Toes because we feel that it is a great idea. If you have had issues with staining on your deck or staining on your indoor floors, this may be the solution to your problem.

Well, that’s all for this week. I’ll talk to you again next week.