Where to Ask, "What Kind of Wood Is This?"
For a free answer, the place to send a sample is the Center for Wood Anatomy Research, 1 Gifford Pinchot Dr., Madison, WI 53705-2398. Any U. S. citizen may request identification of up to five wood samples annually; a six inch long piece is best, with accompanying information on the source of the wood and any specific questions for CWAR scientists. You can expect to get a reply back in a month or so. Tours of the Center, which has the most wood specimens of any facility in the U.S., can be arranged by appointment.

Reference: Christopher Knight, "Just What Kind of Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck? Ask here," The Wall Street Journal, October 22, 1997, B1.

Recycle Your Easter Lilly
Don't throw out that Easter lily. With appropriate care you can make your Easter lily a permanent part of your home landscape.

While the plant is still indoors, keep it in a sunny place where the temperature is cool and remove flowers when they wither but do not cut off the leaves and stem. Continue watering, but not as often as you would if they were in full bloom.

Move the plant outdoors when the garden soil warms up in late May. If the stem and leaves are brown, cut them off. If there are leaves that are still green, plant it anyway and remove the stem when the leaves have dried.

Choose a protected, sunny place with well-drained soil for transplanting. Add a 1-2 inch layer of compost or peat to the soil and mix thoroughly. This improves drainage and allows better air movement through the soil. In most soils plant the bulbs 4-6 inches deep (that is from the soil surface to the top of the bulb). Plant somewhat deeper in sandy soil.

Fertilize your lily plant several times during the summer. Add a complete fertilizer according to label directions when new growth is 2-4 inches high and again when flower buds appear. Apply the fertilizer to the soil around each plant about 2 inches from the stem. Be sure not to get fertilizer on the foliage - it may burn.

Water your Easter lily during summer dry spells. Shallow cultivation will also help, but don't cultivate too deeply or you will damage the roots. A summer mulch of leaf mold, peat moss or grass clippings is ideal to keep down weeds.

After the first frost, apply a 2 inch mulch of evergreen boughs or hay. You can cut the plant back to ground level after a killing frost. Remove the mulch when new growth appears next spring.

Source: University of Wisconsin Extension

Some Mail-Order Sources of Perennial Plants

Kurt Bluemel, 2740 Green Lane, Baldwin, MD 21013 (Ornamental Grasses)

Brecks Bulbs, 6523 N. Galena Road, Peoria, IL 61632

Dutch Gardens, P. O. Box 200, Adelphia, NJ 07710 (Bulbs)

Quality Dutch Bulbs, P. O. Box 225, Hillsdale, NJ 07642 (Bulbs)

John Scheepers, Phillipsburg Road RD6, Middleton, NY 10940 (Bulbs)

Milaeger's, 4838 Douglas Ave., Racine, WI 53402

Planter's Palette, 28 W 571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield, IL 60190

Riverhead Perennials, 5 Riverhead Lane, East Lyme, CT 06333

Daisy Fields, 12625 SW Brighton Lane, Hillsboro, OR 97123

Busse Gardens, Rt. 2, Box 238, Cokato, MN 55321

Bluestone Perennials, 7211 Middle Ridge Road, Madison, OH 44057

Andre Viette Farm & Nursery, Rt. 1, Box 16, Fisherville, VA 22939

Wayside Gardens, Hodges, SC 29695

White Flower Farm, Litchfield, CT 06759

This listing comprises some suggested sources of perennial (as well as other) plants. Inclusion does not imply endorsement by University of Illinois Extension.

Lawn Weeds & Their Control
Essential for the home gardener. Describes many weeds commonly found in lawns and suggests ways to control them. Includes 45 color photos. 1987. 24p. This book is available for $2.00 + postage (call the office at 773-233-0476 for postage rate).

Spring 1998
University of Illinois Booksale | Zoysiagrass! Can You Believe the Ads? | Crabgrass Control | Choosing Home Lawn Care Services | Selecting a Tree Service or Arborist | All America Selections 1998 | All Tomato Varieties Certainly Not the Same | Some Noteworthy Perennial Combinations | Bug Bites | Lawn Care Calendar | Cybergarden Sites | Hort Shorts | Hort Tips | Healthy Eating: Butter vs. Margarine | Health Update: Vitamin & Mineral Supplements | Food Safety: Eggs | Health & Household Update | Did You Know?

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