As you read this, the reality of the 2004 Peoria County 4-H and Extension Foundation Hog Roast and Auction is history. The preliminary dollar amount raised is presently around $20,500. With that having been said, let me say thank you to those Master Gardeners who donated their services to be auctioned and their time in preparation and implementation of the auction. Thank you.

I am excited about the possibilities being presented, almost on a weekly basis, for the Master Gardeners to tell their "story." On April 7, several Master Gardeners were involved in a Hosta demonstration given at the Bergners' store in Sheridan Village. In speaking with the Community Relations Coordinator, she is almost as excited as I concerning the possibility for further partnerships. Imagine the possibilities, especially with combining the resources of the 2004 Master Gardener Graduates.

Of course, the big project upcoming is the Tri-County Gardening Day on April 24. Much time and effort has been put into this project, as always, and many positive results have developed in previous years.

I continue to anticipate the impact of the Master Gardeners as we endeavor to "put knowledge to work" in Peoria County.

To paraphrase the Mission Statement of the Master Gardeners, a Master Gardener's job is to spread the word on good gardening practices with in our community, It seems to me that all of the Peoria Master Gardener Projects do just that. However, the most important part of our contribution to the community is The Help Line. We have the training and expertise to answer questions about Asian lady bugs, how to rid a lawn of crab grass, and what to do with this funny looking bug that's crawling around in the hosta. The Help Line is open every weekday morning from 9:00 am to Noon. Currently it is understaffed. All of you well trained and knowledgeable Master Gardeners please call Julann, pick a once a month morning for you to make your contribution to better gardening in Peoria. It's fun. The questions are usually not difficult and you have the opportunity to talk with very nice gardeners just like you.

- John Armbruster

Can you feel it? Can you smell it? Can you see it? Have you found yourself peering at flowerbeds when you go out for the mail? Has your heart leaped when you saw that first beautiful green shoot barely peeking out of the soil? If the answer to all these questions is yes, you're a gardener and it's Spring.

To bring you up to date (in case you didn't read the January newsletter) early last fall I moved into a new home surrounded by the yard of your nightmares. Fairy rings, Zoysia grass, stubby bushes and that was just the front yard.

In order to have some hope to hang on to through the winter I planted 240 tulip bulbs, some sedum and various other perennials in a swath from the driveway, around the lamppost and across about half the front yard.

I mulched this treasure trove and after the first medium frost covered it with fir branches. When the wind blew them off, I put them back on and on and on.

The tulips are up about four inches and a few other plants are daring to show their faces. As the temperatures go up and down, I'm uncovering and covering everything almost every day.

But best of all I've been planning for months. All the bushes except for the "Burning Bush" are coming out. One of my daughters-in-law is going to use them to control some soil erosion.

I killed the Zaysia last fall (I hope) and a grandson has tilled it but it may not be deep enough. I may have to remove the Zysia with a sod cutter. Then we'll do a hard rake over the rest.

I want to plant more perennials later this spring and bulbs (next fall) across the rest of the front and a lilac bush on the SE corner.

Across the front of the house to replace the 'prickly' bushes I'm putting in pink Rugosa Roses and a few other things but I'm not sure what. I'll let you know later. The yard faces east so if you have any ideas or plants contact me at the Extension Office, please. One definite is a Magnolia tree in the middle of the front yard. I had one at my other house and the grandchildren climbed it and we all miss it. So we'll start all over again and maybe my great grandchildren will climb it.

There is still a lot to plan and dream about, but it's a beginning and there's no end in sight.

- Terry Finan (Part II of her continuing saga)

Newspapers and Inserts:

• Newspapers and grocery store tabloids can be used as a mulch in the garden. Four or five layers of paper can be laid around plants and anchored down with a shovelful of soil or rocks/bricks/stones on the corner.
• The paper will decompose throughout the season. Additional layers may need to be added to prevent weeds from emerging. Avoid walking on the paper, especially after a rain or soaking. Wet-to- dry paper becomes brittle and tears easily.
• Paper remains can be rotortilled in the garden after the end of the growing season.
• Shredded newspaper can also be used. Apply the shredded paper in three to four (3 to 4) inch depths.
• Newsprint with colored pictures can be used with little problems. AVOID glossy colored paper inserts, colored Sunday comics, or sections with heavy colored printing. Chemicals and heavy metals such as lead and cadmium used in the colored printing process can leach into the soil and may cause toxic problems with plants or their uptake.

Magazines:

• AVOID using magazines which rely on the use of many colored photos or heavy colored printing, as well as thick glossy paper. Chemicals and heavy metals such as lead and cadmium used in the colored printing process can leach into the soil and may cause toxic problems with plants or their uptake.
• Black and white newspaper-type or newsprint-type magazines can be used. However, there are few and far-between types of these periodicals. Most are the types which should not be used.

- from U of I Extension, Champaign

(Before you get too generous with your plant donations for our May 1 Plant Sale here is something you may need to know before you start digging up your bulbs...)

• Certain bulbs need dividing or separating in order to maintain a healthy, flowering stand. Crowded bulbs are less likely to produce a high quantity and quality flowers. When flower number and size starts to diminish, consider separating the bulbs and replant.
• Bulbs planted at recommended depths initially require less dividing and resetting.
  
• Spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils, tulips and hyacinths should be divided in September or October. Granted, it is difficult to determine the location of the bulbs without staking or mapping them out previously. Care should be taken when digging to prevent damage to bulbs. It usually is easier to dig a large area and separate bulbs then trying to dig individual bulbs separately. If bulbs are planted among trees, shrubs or perennials consider replacing the bulbs every three to five years instead of separating. This minimizes damage to the root system of the nearby plants.
  
• Summer flowering bulbs can be divided in early April or late fall.
  Some bulbs, including Surprise Lilies (Lycoris) may not appear to need dividing. However, plants will produce more flowers if divided.
  
• When dividing or separating bulbs, carefully remove side bulbs from the main bulb. Replant at correct spacings.
  
• The following table provides a guideline for dividing bulbs:
  Bulb Type Years to Divide
  Tulips 3 - 5
  Daffodils 3 - 6
  Hyacinths 2 - 3
  Lilies 4 - 6
  Surprise Lily (Lycoris) 3 - 5
  Iris (Bulbous types) 3 - 6
  Alliums 4 - 8
  Crocus seldom needed
  Grape Hyacinths (Muscari) seldom needed

- from U of I Extension, Champaign

Now that Illinois has had a few days with freezing rain and snow, gardeners and farmers alike are eager to begin their spring planting, but they still need to wait a bit longer and keep frost dates in mind.

"The last spring frost usually occurs between April 7 (southern Illinois) and April 28 (northern Illinois), and April 14-21 (central Illinois) based on 1971-2000 averages," says State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.sws.uiuc.edu), a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

"The actual frost date varies quite a bit from year to year," says Angel. He suggests adding two weeks to the average frost date for your area before planting tender plants to protect them against the possibility of a late season frost. "By doing so, the odds are only one in ten that frost will occur later in spring" continues Angel.

Although 32 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature traditionally used to identify frost, visible frost can be seen on the ground and on objects at slightly warmer temperatures on calm, clear nights that allow cold, dense air to collect near the ground. Under these conditions, the temperature near the ground actually can be a few degrees cooler than at the five feet height of the official National Weather Service thermometer.

Open, grassy areas usually experience frost first while areas under trees are more protected because the trees help prevent the heat from escaping. Covering tender plants when a frost is expected can provide this same type of protection. Plants near heated buildings sometimes are spared too. An abundance of warm buildings and trees in town means that urban areas tend to have frost less often than rural areas.

According to Angel, average high temperatures in spring (March-May) range from the upper 50s (north), to the low 60s (central), to the upper 60s (south), while the average low temperatures range from the upper 30s (north), to the lower 40s (central), to the upper 40s (south). Data from the Water Survey WARM Network also indicate that soil moisture across the state is near to above average for this time of year.

"Don't let the mild winter we've had fool you into thinking we'll have a warm spring. Historical data indicate that warm springs do not follow warm winters. Although there is a tenuous relationship between warm Aprils and earlier dates at which the last spring frost occurs, it only takes a day or two of unseasonably cold weather to produce a late spring frost," cautions Angel.

Source: U of I Extension, Champaign
Contact: Jim Angel - (217) 333-0729 " jimangel@uiuc.edu or
Eva Kingston - (217) 244-7270 " eva@sws.uiuc.edu

• Repair any bare areas in lawn. Grass seed germinates in zone 5 B around April 15. Check to make sure that the type of crabgrass killer you may have applied, does not interfere with germination.
  
  
• Apply crabgrass preventer (if needed) when the forsythias have finished blooming.
  
  
• The temperature of the soil in April is still conducive to the root growth of grass. Thus you do not want to stimulate top growth until May, as strong grass roots take your lawn more successfully through the heat and drought of summer. Best time to apply first fertilization of your lawn is around Mother's Day. Crabgrass preventer can be applied earlier and separately. Avoid walking on the grass or working the soil when the ground is wet. This only compacts the soil which impairs root growth.
  
  
• Fertilize trees now if you didn't in March. Spread 12-12-12 evenly under and out to the drip line of the branches. Water in.
  
  
• Apply Preen to prevent weeds.
  
  
• You can trim pachysandra and other low groundcovers by mowing them with your lawnmower set three to four inches high. This will thicken them and help prevent weeds. Be sure to remove the clippings by gently raking. Boston ivy, English ivy, Purple winter creeper, Cranberry cotoneaster all benefit from spring trimming.
  
  
• Go light with the fertilizer around ornamental grasses - they are vigorous enough without any help.
  
  
• Prune roses, rake back mulch and discard (to help prevent black spot). Dig in a trowel of balanced fertilizer around each plant and add new mulch.
  
  
• Check your asparagus and rhubarb for picking.
  
  
• Pull or dig out any and all early weeds and stray grass clumps. Soil is soft and weeds are still small.
  
  
• Spray apple tree foliage for scab to control it.
  
  
• When spring bulbs have finished blooming, scratch in a light application of 5-10-5 fertilizer.
  
  
• End of month, remove mulch from strawberries.
  
  
• Divided overgrown pond plants; also perennials. The best time to divide hostas are as their pips emerge.
  

- By Nancy Crawford