Wichita gardener’s almanac for Feb. 7

First iris of the year — Jan. 24 saw the first iris of the year opening in the garden of John Baumfalk, president of the Wichita Area Iris Club, he reported in the club’s newsletter. The short yellow beauty was an Iris danfordiae, a reticulata. I’m assuming the poor flower was not as happy with last weekend’s weather (except for the rain, of course).

Baggin’ it — If you ever go to Ikea, you discover at the check-out that the store does not provide sacks for your purchases. You can, however, buy very cheap, roomy blue polypropylene bags for your items. My friend Alice has a great idea for repurposing them: They are ideal for use in the yard. Mine is still currently full of Christmas items, but I hope to have it vacated by spring.

Check for scale — This time of year, when plants don’t have their leaves, is a good time to check them for signs of scale infestation, says Ward Upham of K-State. Plants that should be checked include Manhattan euonymus, fruit trees and bushes, lilac, crabapple, oak, ash, elm, maple, linden, arborvitae, juniper, pine, spruce and yew.

What to look for: small shells that are oval or circular, though some are shaped more like oyster shells, Upham writes in this week’s Horticulture 2015 newsletter. Colors include white, tan and brown. A few aren’t a problem, but numbers can explode during the growing season and damage fruit crops, destroy branches and kill plants, Upham says.

If you find scale, a dormant oil should be applied by March 1, on a day when the temperature is at least 40, he says.

Garden events

Iris meeting — The Wichita Area Iris Club will hold its first meeting of the year at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, at Botanica. James Winzer will give a program on show preparation. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Landscaping talk — Janet Gordon of Botanica will talk about landscaping the yard at a meeting of the Suburban Garden Club at 10 a.m. Monday at Botanica. The social will be at 9:45 a.m. There will also be a seed exchange. The meeting is free and open to the public. Lunch will be at Old Chicago for those interested.

Talk on new perennials — Rita Arnold from Arnold’s Greenhouse in LeRoy will talk about new perennials at a meeting of the Wichita Daylily Club at 7 p.m. Monday at Botanica. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Program on miniature roses — The Wichita Rose Society will view newer introductions of miniature roses, including a new climbing mini, at its meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Botanica. There also will be a demonstration of how to keep and grow minis that are sold by grocers this time of year. Social time will start at 6:30. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Seed-starting talk — Master gardener Dalene Stevens will be at Botanica on Wednesday to give a lunchtime lecture on starting plants from seeds. Her talk, at 12:15, is included in Botanica admission. Syl’s will have lunch for sale.

Annie Calovich

This story was originally published February 5, 2015 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Wichita gardener’s almanac for Feb. 7."