The Daily Herald from Arlington Heights, Illinois • Page 35

SUNDAY, MARCH 23, 2008 Crossword dailyhtrald.com SECTION Home Garden 4 Inside IVIiat's new for the nesl There's nothing like spring flowers Happy Easter. It's time to think spring, gardening and flowers! Azaleas and rhododendrons are the passion of many a gardener, but some believe you can't grow them here. Try telling that to Barbara Wetzel. Yes, she's from the South, but she's growing these blooming beauties in Harrington Hills. Her gardens are featured in the edition of Chicagoland Gardening.

And here are her tips: Protect your shrubs from wind and temperature changes. mixture of composted pine bark and humus loam in the planting hole. The hole should be twice as wide as the root ball, but only needs to be 1 foot deep. Tease the fine roots out gently from the root ball. Set the plant a half inch higher than the soil level.

If drainage is a problem, leave the root ball 1 inch above the soil level and mound around it or plant in a raised bed. Mulch with pine bark. Visit www.chicagoland gardening.com or call (630) 963-8010. You'll want spring indoors and out Now that spring is officially here, we all need some sort of pick-me-up for our homes. It doesn't have to be something big or expensive.

And in the current economic climate, you may not want to make large investments in new furniture or home projects. Cool spring colors include sand, cream, sea foam and bisque. Accent them with turquoise or robin's egg blue, says HomeGoods. The stores sell close-out items and other small lots. The glass charger plate and Murano glass from HomeGoods might be just the thing.

The charger is $3.99, the smaller dish $7.99. Visit www.homegoods. com. Youngsters should reach for the stars And we don't want to forget the younger members of the family. They might need a pickup, too, especially after spring break when we're in that long period before summer vacation, On the other hand, the youthful scientist who wants a solar system on his or her bed probably doesn't mind school much.

Land of Nod sells a twin quilt for $159, and a full- queen for $189. There are also star- dotted sheets, pillowcases and shams. The throw pillows are $29 each. One celebrates a rocket blastoff, and the other honors Pluto, which for years considered a planet but recently was demoted. Visit www.landofnad.com or call (800) Ponovan Lenten roses Hardy, shade-loving hellebores bloom even through frost, giving us an early burst of spring color BY DEBORAH DONOVAN DAILY HERALD HOMES WRITER hade gardeners who have different standards than those blessed with sunny stretches have elevated the shy hellebore to star status.

Called the Lenten Rose because of its early bloom, some hellebores have been known to flower as early as January in our frozen area before Lent. And others put on their show in after Easter but still early in these parts. Traditionally the bell-shaped flowers nod discreetly rather than turn up like a tulip, so a gardener could easily peer inside. Hellebore colors can be delicate and include green, usually not the favorite shade for flowers. But the drama of darker hues and dreamy color combinations flow into today's hybrids.

That ability to bloom so early also counts. The color hellebores add to the snow or frost can really cheer up winter-weary gardeners, says Gene Bush, who, with his wife, JoAn, owns Munchkin Nursery Gardens in Depauw, Ind. "They are as close to cast iron as you will find in a plant," said Bush, who spoke about the delicate-looking plants recently at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle. He means they are tough and easy to grow in almost any well-drained soil. The mystery of those nodding bell- shaped flowers adds to the charm, said Grace Romero, director of research for W.

Atlee Burpee. Although scientists say the hellebore bloom is not a true flower, it looks like one and stays on the plant for three or four months, she said. A bit of good news-bad news is that hellebores are toxic. This means deer do not like them, but gardeners must be careful that children don't eat them or even play with them because skin irritation is another possibility. The ability to clone hellebores has improved their popularity considerably.

While the odds have gotten higher, with seedlings there is no guarantee the color or shape will be the same as the parent. Colors today range from whites and greens to pinks, yellows, fuchsias, purples, burgundy red and even a fascinating gray slate. One goal is removing green shades from hellebores, said Bush. "If you do see a green one and appreciate it, pick it up," he said. A clear yellow has been a challenge for breeders, he said.

"They're doing a lot better job with the color red," said the nursery owner. "Everybody is working on it. Look for a good clean red in the near future." And the colors mingle in appealing fashions on the flowers. The lime green petals on Phoenix are tinged with reddish edges. See HELLEBORES on PAGE 3 PHOTOS COURTESY OF HERONSWOOD Hellebore hybrids brighten the early garden.

The collection from Heronswood includes Ivory Prince, above; the dramatic Phoenix, left; Rosy Finch, bottom left; Phoebe, a double, below right, and the slate-colored Starling bottom right. Lots to do to prepare garden, plants for growing season Leaves from a gardener's notebook: For the easiest way to prevent troubles in the iris patch, remove all old iris foliage and bloom stalks before new spring growth appears. Cleaning up the patch now removes iris borer eggs, laid last fall on the leaves and stalks, before Midwest gardening PPOTD BY JAN they have a chance to hatch and tunnel into the rhizomes. An early spring cleanup also removes spores could cause leaf-spot diseases. i Early spring pruning is a good way to control several rose prob- Removing ail old iris foliage and bloom If an easy way to keep Irises healthy.

lems. Remove and destroy broken or fallen canes now. Also make a pruning cut several inches below any abnormal swelling near the base of a cane, which could be caused either by borers or by a bacterial disease called crown gall. Sterilize pruners between cuts by dipping the blades in a 10 percent chlorine bleach solution or in rubbing alcohol. If your roses aren't disease-resistant varieties, apply a dormant lime-sulfur spray before new leaves unfurl to kill any overwin- tering black-spot spores.

For detailed information on caring for roses, visit the Web site of the American Rose Society at www.ars.org. The best time to plant spinach seeds is now, allowing plenty of time to produce a fine crop of leaves before lengthening days encourage flower stalks instead. Spinach leaves produced during spring's cool weather also taste best. The first picking of baby spinach leaves begins only three weeks after seeds are sown and will normally continue for three or four more weeks. Cover plants with cheesecloth or other lightweight cover to prevent leafminers from ruining spinach leaves with their light-colored patches.

you start onions from seeds, plants or sets, aim for early spring planting. The larger the tops before the bulbs start to form, SeelUlfiEltBAGHonMgE3 If.