The Monterey Garden Club

  in magnificent Highland County, Virginia

special announcement:

The 11th Monterey Garden Club

House & Garden Tour

will be on Saturday, July 14, 2012

"Sweet Memories of Highland"

GARDEN HINTS AND NOTES

FOR JANUARY 

SAVE THE ASHES FROM YOUR FIREPLACE

Some of this information taken from The Country Garden by Josephine Nuese

They are of great value to the earth, especially in the spring. They supply a certain amount of lime in a quickly available form and are also an excellent source of potash (potassium) - an essential mineral which strengthens stems, helps protect plants from fungus troubles and bacterial diseases, and regulates the balance of other minerals. Most gardens have a potash deficiency.

• To be effective wood ashes should be applied dry, as they come from the fireplace. (Ashes from an outdoor fire which has been rained upon are almost worthless as so much of their mineral content has been leached out.)
•  Hardwood ashes are best, but even soft wood ashes are good.

• One of the easiest ways to save your wood ashes over the winter is to put them (after they are cooled, of course!) into large plastic garbage bags; they will be lighter to move and store than cardboard boxes.

• Almost all forms of plant life - trees, shrubs, lawns, vines, bulbs and most perennials - enjoy wood ash, in varying degree, in the spring. Of course, the acid-loving plants - such as the broad leafed flowering evergreens, and many of the woodland-type evergreens - find lime in any form to be a potential kiss of death. And many of the small ever-green treasures like the heaths, heathers, andromedas, bearberry, shortia etc can also be killed by lime.

• Some evergreens do like lime: the junipers do - and boxwoods which like lime in moderation.

• Lilacs are greatly benefited by wood ashes in early spring - preferably on top of the snow; spread a thin layer over the entire root area, which is often extensive. Flowering quinces and cotoneasters will also appreciate this attention.

• Most mixed-planting flower beds need the potassium content of wood ashes, and as the majority of popular bulbs and perennials either like lime or are indifferent to it, this is a good place to distribute wood ashes. Be especially generous to clematis and gypsophila: they are lime addicts!

Other plants benefit from this largesse: peonies, delphiniums, campanulas, pinks, candytuft, tulips, stachys, the Madonna lily (L. Candidum), and artemisias.

NOTE: Wood-ashes being feather-light, they can be distributed upon your person by the slightest current of air, so it may be well to wear some kind of enveloping garment, such as an old raincoat. Protection for the hair is also advisable - a large shower cap is fine - and as the ash can irritate nasal passages if too much is breathed in, you might want to add a towel draped over the nose and mouth and fastened atop the head with a safety pin. This ensemble is particularly bewitching if you happen to wear glasses. Getting yourself rigged up in this way is one sure way to invite unexpected callers and visitors.