In Good Thyme - by Mariana Graham

Are you as sick of gray skies and cold, soggy weather as I am? Then you're probably as giddy as I am over daffodils, now blooming in Whidbey Island gardens. Their startling gold lights up even the gloomiest of overcast days. Pick a few to chase the doldrums from the kitchen, the bedroom, and enjoy the scent of spring. But don't combine them in a bouquet with other flowers; daffodil sap contains calcium oxalate crystals, which will cause vase-mates to wilt. That same substance is what keeps deer from nibbling daffs. Let's hear it for calcium oxalate! If you want to keep your daffodils strong and healthy for many seasons to come, fertilize them now with mild liquid fertilizer or granular 5-10-10. If you choose the granular, be sure to water it in so it won't burn tender roots. Daffodils are lovely indeed, but when they've finished blooming, you've got to leave the spent foliage intact to allow the bulbs to absorb nourishment for next year's growth. There's nothing lovely about the tattered yellow ribbons of has-been daffodils. I fold them over into tidy bundles held in place by rubber bands. The bundles may look a bit odd (they resemble little green mummies), but they work for us compulsive garden neatniks. When they turn brown and flop over, you can relegate them to the compost.

March is also the time to plant sweet peas. In the "good old days", sweet peas meant sweet scent. In this heyday of hybridization, that's not necessarily so. Many modern sweet peas are lovely to look at, but some of those Barbie Doll blooms have no fragrance whatsoever. If that nostalgic perfume is what you're after, read the seed packet carefully to ensure you're purchasing a scented variety. Among the most highly perfumed are "Spencer Mix" and "Cupani."
I've mentioned in previous columns that each year, I winter over my favorite geraniums and fuchsias in the unheated garage, giving them just enough water to keep them alive through the cold months. Last weekend I took a good look at the sorry- looking survivors. This week I'll begin taking them into the house, trimming off the winter-weary foliage, and repotting them in fresh potting soil. I'll work in some time-release fertilizer (although it won't activate until soil temperatures are around 70 degrees) and a spring tonic shot of houseplant-strength liquid fertilizer. Then they'll line every windowsill in the house until all danger of frost is past and they can bask and bloom outdoors.

It's good to see that more and more local nurseries are offering earth-friendly organic gardening products. The Greenhouse Nursery in Oak Harbor has announced that they've added Dr. Earth organics. They also stock iron phosphate-based slug bait which is not harmful to children, pets and wildlife, yet does a number on slugs.

The Greenhouse has also begun its seminar season, stating with Spring Bonsai Care on Saturday, March 16 at noon. On March 23 there's a free rhododendron seminar with rhodie grower/hybridizer Bill Stipe. April 6 features a rose workshop with rosarian Maryanne Coffey. Call the Greenhouse at 675-6668 for more information. Most seminars are free, but some require a small materials fee.

Island nurseries are currently bursting with fruit and shade trees and ornamental shrubs, just waiting to be planted in the moist, rain-fed soil. If you have spring-blooming shrubs such as lilac, forsythia, spirea and rhododendron, prune them immediately after flowering. They form next year's buds in late summer, so if you wait to prune in the fall, you'll destroy next spring's flowers.

Susan Mador and I recently facilitated a class on "Keeping a Garden Journal" at the Island County Master Gardeners' Whidbey Gardening Workshop. If you've never kept a garden journal, early spring is an ideal time to start. It's great for planning, organizing, record keeping, daydreaming. You can purchase a fancy, spiral-bound journal designed just for gardeners, but a 3-ring binder or planning calendar will do just as well. Some folks keep theirs on computer disk.
Once you begin garden journaling, you'll be able to see your garden's progress, achievements, and yes, even failures, compare each year's results, and solve problems more easily. If it pleases you, let your imagination go wild. Sketch your favorite posies, paste in photos, seed packets, clippings of useful garden articles. You don't have to be a great writer to keep a garden journal, but as a bonus, you may find your literary skills blooming in harmony with your garden.

Mariana Graham is a WSU-certified Master Gardener and member of Garden Writers Association of America. To have a Master Gardener answer your questions, call 679-7327.

OLDIES BUT GOODIES
I often get requests for copies of past columns. Every column I've written since April 2000 is available on the Washington State University Extension website, www.island.wsu.edu. Click on my name for the most current column, then on "more articles" for a list of past columns by date and title. Click and print the ones that interest you.

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