Your All Things Plants weekly news: April 20, 2013

There were 8 new gardening ideas posted last week:

By Dutchlady1 April 20, 2013 How To Fertilize a Potted Plant To fertilize a potted plant, rather than sprinkle the fertilizer on top, stick your finger about halfway in the soil along the edge of the pot and pour some fertilizer in the hole, then cover it up. The roots will find their way to the plant food, and weeds that might try to grow on the top of the soil will not 'steal' all the nutrients. I use this method with timed-release fertilizer, which is particularly sensitive to sunlight, so it is much more effective when covered. (4 comments)

By KentPfeiffer April 19, 2013 Iris Flower Patterns: Amoenas and Neglectas Irises are named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow. It's a fitting name because iris flowers can be found in almost any color of the spectrum. If that didn't provide enough variety, they also come in an amazing array of patterns. Amoenas and neglectas have been my favorite flower patterns since my childhood. (538 words - Read the full article) (4 comments)

By Paul2032 April 18, 2013 Extending the Bearded Iris Season The most popular and widely grown of the bearded irises are referred to as "tall bearded," but there are several other classes of bearded irises that can extend the bloom season and provide variety. (227 words - Read the full article) (2 comments)

By dave April 17, 2013 ATP Podcast #14: All Things Irises In today's episode we discuss the usual updates from our farm, including an impromptu discussion about Vidalia and Noonday Onions. Our main topic is irises, where Trish tells us what she knows about these beautiful perennial flowers. (99 words - Read the full article) (10 comments)

By KentPfeiffer April 16, 2013 Thinning Versus Dividing in Bearded Irises Although irises produce glorious flowers, the plants are remarkably carefree. They do have a somewhat unusual pattern of growth in comparison with other common garden perennials, though, and this presents challenges to gardeners. (888 words - Read the full article) (22 comments)

By irisloverdee April 15, 2013 The Size of the Rhizome Does iris rhizome size count? Does the size of the iris rhizome matter? There are many different opinions on the subject. I hope this short tutorial will shed some light on the subject for you. (255 words - Read the full article) (3 comments)

By dave April 15, 2013 The Iris Not-A-Raffle-Raffle Irises are favorites for most of us. These stunningly beautiful blooms deserve a place in any garden. Come join us in our raffle and compete for a chance to win some great cultivars! (239 words - Read the full article) (71 comments)

By pardalinum April 14, 2013 Japanese Irises The cultivation of Iris ensata was first noted in literature more than five hundred years ago in Japan. Native to eastern China, Siberia, Korea, and throughout Japan, they are found growing in damp areas near streams, ponds, lakes, and marshes. The selective breeding of the species that commenced in the 1800s produced the foundation of the modern Japanese iris. Colors and color patterns have been greatly enhanced over the years. (810 words - Read the full article) (6 comments)

The most popular images last week from our plant database: Photo of Daylily (Hemerocallis 'Aaron Brown') by floota: Photo of Hen and Chicks (Sempervivum 'El Toro') by Patty: Photo of Coral Bells (Heuchera 'Berry Smoothie') by Tepelus: Photo of Heucherella (Heucherella 'Gunsmoke') by Tepelus: Photo of Hen and Chicks (Sempervivum 'El Toro') by Patty: Photo of Indian paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa) by dave:

The most active threads this week:

Subject	OP	Area	Replies
Get your tickets while they're hot!	Skiekitty	The Iris Not-A-Raffle-Raffle	35
Announcing the winners!	dave	The Iris Not-A-Raffle-Raffle	34
ATP Series: The Daylilies of Ned Roberts	Char	Daylilies forum	33
Seedlings 2013	spunky1	Daylilies forum	32
Martagone bulb emerging	ge1836	Lilies forum	28
new badge?	daylily	Site Talk forum	27
Disappointment continues - What could be wrong?	JuliaNY	Irises forum	26
My first bearded irises	TexasPlumeria87	Irises forum	25
April Blooms in Bakersfield	Betja	Irises forum	23

Some new recommendations from our members:

curtsheirlooms recommended Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. and wrote: I live about 50 miles from them, so we get to visit their festivals. Always a good time. I order all my heirlooms from them. This year I had close to 100% germination rate, starting indoors. Excellent folks to deal with, and excellent products too. Highly recommended.

MelMcJames recommended Berries Unlimited and wrote: Placed a fairly large order and was pleased with the timeliness of shipping and the condition of items received. Everything is happy and healthy and the customer service was great! Call and speak with Barb!

Some numbers from last week:

• 78 new members.
• 140 new threads.
• 3,936 new posts.
• 2,371 new images to the plant database.
• 201 new comments in the plant database.