By the time you get through reading this article I will be participating in the 4-H plant and flower arrangements as a judge. Another Master Gardener and I volunteered to do this and two other Master Gardeners will be judging vegetables. I have done this judging before and really enjoyed seeing the projects and meeting our young 4-Hers. I do not know if you all are aware of our "shrinking" 4-H clubs. It is really sad. It appears there are so many other activities the younger generation is involved with, that 4-H is just not a priority in their lives like it used to be. And we do have fewer families involved with farming and livestock than we did 20 years ago. Even though 4-H offers projects for all interests—aerospace to visual arts—many still consider it an "agricultural oriented" organization.

We have had another really cold spell hit our area again. My body is still trying to play catch-up with this roller coaster weather. It is not good for all the swimming pools. But our plants are loving it.

We kind of lucked out with the Japanese Beatles. I just had a few on my Porcelain Vine. The rabbits are just having a "hay-day" with so many of my plants. I am trying to keep track of the ones they like and don't like. I think the number one plant they don't like is the Sedum—lucky for me I do have a lot of these plants. So I will just get different varieties of them.

GARDEN QUESTIONS FOR CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Q) Some of my perennials such as, bleeding heart and columbine go dormant in late summer and vanish. Should I continue watering the area where they're planted? A) Most perennials do need some moisture even while they're dormant, but whether you have to supply it by watering will depend on the quality of your soil and the regularity of the rain. Sandy soils dry out more quickly than clay ones. All soils dry faster when it's warm and windy than when it's cool and still. So, before hauling out the hose, dig down a bit and check. Although moist is good and dry is not, dormant plants don't need as much water as plants that have leaves and if they get too much they'll rot.

I would also like to suggest that you take a ride out to the Idea Garden located on the west side of Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center. We do not have trees planted out there but we do have a wonderful selection of plants and shrubs for you to see. It is always good to see what plants are thriving in this part of the country. Of course you cannot go wrong with planting plants that are native to the area you are in. Heliopsis is probably one of my favorite perennials. They are almost fool proof. You just need to make sure they get full sun. They bloom almost continually from late spring to fall.

There is information at each of the areas describing the many plants that are out there. Remember you can also go to our web sight for even more information.

Q) When should I plant a "Fall Garden'? A) Suggested planting dates for a number of fall vegetable crops for central Illinois are July 24 to August 5 for beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, endive, snap beans, and summer squash. For lettuce, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, mustard, turnip, winter radish, plant August 15-24.

Q) I was told that the "Stella d'Oro day lilies will bloom all summer if they are deadheaded. So, I have been removing the spent flowers faithfully. But lately I have been seeing what seems to be big green seedpods developing. What am I doing wrong? Do I need to literally cut off the spent blooms with a little stem? And when a stem seems finished, should it be cut back? A) This may not be the place to say "Don't believe everything you read," but these day lilies, like most perennials that are supposed to be constant re-bloomers are more accurately described as frequent re-bloomers. They will indeed make flowers over a long season, but usually in waves, called flushes, rather than all the time. Deadheading does help encourage more flowers by preventing the development of seeds, but only if you also consistently remove the baby fruits (seedpods) while they are small. Look for them right below the flowers at the top of the small stems that join the flowers to the larger stalk. The plant will look better if you cut stalks to the ground after they have finished blooming.

Q) This year I have planted my first garden. I included a number of annuals because I wanted lots of blooms and color. So far, I have had lots of leaf and a disappointing number of flowers. What do you think the problem is? A) The likeliest answer is that you have been feeding your plants with a high-nitrogen plant food. Nitrogen is important for photosynthesis. Plants need it to make stems and leaves that contain sufficient life-sustaining chlorophyll. Nitrogen promotes rapid growth, too. But the growth it promotes is vegetative development, and if you add too much it will retard the formation for flowers. On the other hand, you may just need to wait a little while. Many common annuals take at least 3 months to flower from seed, and some take a great deal longer. Even the speediest plants need about nine weeks before they start blooming.

If you have any horticulture questions, call the U of I Extension office 345-7034. Volunteer

Master Gardeners are in the office on: Monday—2 to 4 p.m.; Wednesday and Friday—9-11 a.m.

This column is based on information and materials at the University of Illinois Extension office, located at 707 Windsor Road, Suite A., Charleston, 61920; phone 345-7034; or web site: www.extension.uiuc.edu/coles/