Garden Catalog Season
12/21/2016
In addition to being welcome eye candy, many catalogs are also a wealth of gardening information. Take the time to read what the growers are saying about their product. They will oftentimes also provide some general information, perhaps sharing a story or two from their own gardening experience. However, do keep in mind that if something sounds too good to me true, it probably is.
Give careful attention to shipping sizes, how plants are packed, where they are grown and when they are shipped. The last thing a Payne County resident needs is to have a nice lush Florida grown plant arrive bare root the first week of March when we could easily have several inches of snow on the ground. Mid-April is generally considered our safe to plant date.
It is also helpful to know that our USDA winter hardiness zone is 7. This means plants rated for zone 7 or lower (smaller numbers) should survive our winters. If you’re an adventurous gardener, you may also have success with some zone 8 plants if you take extra care to protect them from winter exposure.
Speaking of winter survival, last week’s deep to near zero degrees should have some benefits come next summer. It is also difficult to say with certainty but hopefully, the cold killed some of the insect pests that have given us so much trouble the last two years.
For more information on this or any other horticultural topic, you can contact Keith Reed, the Horticulturist in the Payne County Extension office. Keith can be reached via email at keith.reed@okstate.edu, phone at 405-747-8320, or in person at the Payne County Extension office, located at 315 W. 6th in Stillwater.
Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies