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The Scenario No, I am not going to give you all the gossip from the AHS e-mail robin. Instead we are going to talk about the soil that we tuck these precious plants in. Why? Because I developed a new bed and the plants were not thriving as I expected them to do. We started the bed in the spring. When I say "we," my husband is doing the entire dirt hauling and rock placement. I just plant and take care of them. One of my friends died in March and I wanted dedicate a memorial garden to her. Katherine Decker was 92 years young when she died this year from lung cancer. She was a dear person with a very active life style. She loved her children, grandchildren and friends. I will miss her. Flowers are my way of keeping her memory alive. Well, back to the dirt or soil. We got this soil from our neighbor Kyle who could be the subject of another column! He is what Tennesseans would call "a good old boy." He is really a nice relaxing person to be around. He has soil, mulch, and compost that he sells for a reasonable price per truckload. Well, "we" spread the soil and placed the rocks for a border and a path around it. I painted a neat birdbath and we were in business (I thought). The next trip was to buy the plants so I got a rose bush, Daylilies, Coreopsis, Coralbells, Shasta Daisies, and some annuals. After I planted I mulched and settled down to reap the rewards. We had a very wet spring and the plants just sat there. Fortunately, I watched Paul James show on our House and Garden network. He had a show about soil. He said you had to have a combination of clay, compost, and sand to have a balanced soil. After all these years, you would think that I would know that! But we lived in Ohio, which has some of the best soil in the world - dark and rich. When we moved to Tennessee, red clay was news to me. Everything seemed to grow just fine because we used a combination of compost, fertilizers, and mulch.
What is Soil? Soil is simply the thin crust of the earth that we expect to support all our gardening efforts. It is made from mineral matter, organic matter, plant roots, living microorganisms, water, and air. Go visit Bob Woodmansee'ssite to view a really interesting graphic about soil composition. The soil body uses mineral material to anchor plants and provides some nutrients to the plants. Organic material provides and adsorbs most nutrients. It increases soil water holding capacity. Air provides gas exchange and aeration so plants don't drown. Water offers life support for the plants and microorganisms. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Nothing but the Dirt on Daylilies in Daylilies is owned by Ellen Roddy. Permission to republish Nothing but the Dirt on Daylilies in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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