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The good Earth

Preparing your soil is a cornerstone of gardening

There are three key ingredients to successful gardening, says Marc Cathey, president emeritus of the American Horticultural Society.

You need sunlight with some shade-like protection from scorching summer heat and supplemental water.

But the foundation of great gardening is good soil.

``It's like a good meal,'' says Cathey of getting our soil ready before plopping plants in the ground.

We can't control the heat and cold Mother Nature gives us but we can help plants by giving them good soil to grow in, says Cathey.

``My mother was a tiny lady but she believed digging to China was worth it,'' says Cathey of the early gardening lessons he learned. ``She'd dig for 10 minutes and it may be another day before she would dig anymore but over six weeks she could move the earth. That's one of the great things about gardening ... you can adjust it to your speed.''

Attention is given to soil preparation in Cathey's new book ``Heat-Zone Gardening: How to choose plants that thrive in your region's warmest weather'' ($25). Cathey also is creator of the new heat-zone map, a companion to the plant hardiness map that for 50 years has helped gardeners select plants that will survive winters.

The first step is to have your soil tested for pH, acidity level, and nutrients. Virginia Cooperative Extension offices offer $7 kits that can be mailed to Virginia Tech, which returns reports on what your soil needs. Nonacid-loving plants generally like a pH between 5.5 and 7.5.

The ideal soil is loam - a combination of sand, organic matter and clay in a light texture that looks like devil's food cake and crumbles between your fingers. Few of us, however, are lucky enough to have natural loam in our yards.

Therefore we can try gardening in one of two ways:

* With native plants that will adapt to what our garden soil offers.

* Or by enriching our existing soil - clay or sand. Sandy soil is made up of large particles and is free-draining so it dries out quickly. Clay soil is packed with lots of nutrients but its tiny particles hold water; too much water replaces oxygen in the soil and plant roots suffocate.

Most horticulturists believe it's easier to pick plants suitable to your soil than it is to change your entire soil structure.

That's true, but you can at least alter small sections of your garden if you would like plants that prefer humus-rich surroundings.

The best improvements to sandy or clay soil start with compost - organic matter such as leaf mold, peat moss, shredded leaves, composted grass clippings and aged manures. In sandy soil, organic matter helps retain moisture and adds nutrients. In clay soil, organic matter improves aeration and drainage.

Within a growing season, soil will show signs of life. You'll see worms breaking down organic matter and microorganisms turning residue into humus.

Clay can be further improved by adding inorganic materials that will break up the soil and create spaces that allow water and air to travel through the soil. But you'll need large amounts of these materials or you can get consistencies that resemble concrete. You can use:

* Perlite, a white glasslike volcanic mineral, about one-tenth the weight of sand. It's often included in potting mixes.

* Vermiculite, a mica mineral, heated until it explodes into spongelike kernels that are highly porous but very lightweight. It's also included in potting mixes.

* Coarse builder's sand, not fine sand.

If you want to avoid digging and tilling, build raised beds with lumber boards and fill the beds with one third each sand, compost and soil. Build a raised bed at least 8 inches above the ground. Raised beds also can be created by simply mounding, shaping and edging the bed with a shovel; sculpt beds so they blend into the existing grade of your landscape. Done properly, raised beds look nice and offer excellent drainage for plants.

Container gardening is the easiest way to enjoy the fruits of good soil. Just buy bags of perfect potting mixes, which can include time-release fertilizers, and dump them in pots. Gardening couldn't get any easier.

Last month I listed some of this year's top plant selections. Here are the rest:

RAULSTON SELECTIONS

These are more '98 Raulston selections, which are considered to be excellent plants for southeast gardens after trials and tests at the JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University:

Illicium parviflorum - Evergreen leaves emit a licorice scent when crushed, star-shaped fruits follow small white blooms in spring, grows quickly to 8 feet in moist shade. Also known as small anise tree and makes nice alternative to red-tipped photinia.

Ardisia japonica Chirimen - Fast-growing evergreen ground cover for shade, has star-shaped pink and white flowers in spring and bright red fruits in summer.

Viburnum awabuki Chindo - Fast-growing evergreen shrub with attractive glossy leaves, small white flowers in spring and no known pest or disease problems, good for sun or shade.

Campsis grandiflora Morning Calm - Vine covers sunny fences or trellises with large coral flowers and glossy leaves all summer, no known pests or diseases.

Rosa pimpinellifolia Petite Pink Scotch - Fast-growing rose with feathery foliage, it produces a mass of pink flowers in late spring, tolerates hot sun and dry soil.

Gardenia jasminoides Kleim's Hardy - Single-petaled gardenia that flowers profusely in May and June, then sporadically until frost, needs some winter protection because leaves will brown in a bad winter but roots are hardy.

The Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh. N.C., is open year-round, free; call (919) 515-3132.

GOLD MEDAL PLANTS

Bottlebrush buckeye, Aesculus parviflora - Ornamental deer-resistant shrub likes partial shade and acid soil, grows up to 12 feet high and offers a yellow flower.

Thuja Green Giant - A vigorous grower in any soil condition, this new arborvitae can be used as an evergreen screen or specimen plant. It grows 3 to 5 feet a year, reaching more than 50 feet with a 12- to 20-foot spread. The plant likes full sun and produces a rich emerald green color in winter.

Mahonia bealei - Claiming to be deer-resistant, this shrub has dark, leathery blue-green leaves, spikes of pale yellow flowers in January-February followed by dark blue berries. It grows 5 feet tall, likes a moist, well-drained, acidic soil and tolerates part shade.

(ALL-AMERICA GLADIOLUS SELECTIONS)

(Blue Beauty gladiolus - Medium blue violet on the outer edges of the floret, shading to a lighter throat with a white midrib on each of the lower petals. Coloring further enhanced by small rose violet blotch deep in the throat, which extends part way out on the lower petals. Good cut flower.)

MORE ON SOIL

* Secrets to Great Soil - This 200-page softcover book by Storey Publishing talks about composting, mulching and creating fertile soil for your garden. Covers topdressing, using gypsum, pH test, double digging, improving clay soils and more. $20.

* Nutri-Green - an organic compost made by Hampton Roads Sanitation District, can be worked into sandy or clay soil to improve its structure and nutrients. Sold at many local garden centers; 40-lb bag about $3.

* Aqua Turf - a biodegradable agent that reduces soil tension, allows water to saturate the soil instead of running off. Sold at many local garden centers, about $15 for quart bottle which does 8,000 square feet.

* Profile Soil Solutions - made with kiln-baked ceramic particles that help drain water in clay soil and help retain water in sandy soil. Clay-soil conditioner, 40-pound bag, $16.99; sandy-soil conditioner, 10-pound bag, $10.99 and 40-pound bag, $16.99; and aquatic plant soil, 10-pound bag, $9. The conditioners should be used with an organic compost. Available at McDonald Garden Center.

 

April 1998

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