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360-424-7461. The tour route is clearly marked and
there are maps. Parking is free at RoozenGaarde and
Tulip Town, but for a fee, private citizens may open their
pastures for parking. The roads are rural and narrow so
shoulder parking is discouraged and can even get you a
ticket.
Of course, I must stop at Christianson’s Nursery at
15806 Best Rd., and at Skagit Valley Gardens at 18923
Peter Johnson Rd., both in Mt. Vernon. A couple other
activities that sounded interesting to me were the Shutter
Photo Tour between April 1-28, 206-504-2128, and the
weekend helicopter tours, 360-377-4115.
In addition to looking at tulips, you will probably want to
bring them home. To get the blooms from field to home in
good condition, use a cooler with ice or a cold pack, but
don’t let them get wet. They like to be cold but not wet.
Of course, the bulbs are still in the ground so you can’t
take them home, but you can buy them and they will be
sent to you in the fall, just in time for planting.
Where to Start in the April Garden
by Judy Arnold, Contributing Writer/Gardener
I always approach the garden in early April with a
mixture of excitement and foreboding. The first chore
that deserves my attention is trimming the old desiccated
flower heads from my budding hydrangeas. If I cut them
off too low on the stems, I will ruin this year’s glorious
color. Of course, there is appropriate fertilizing to be
done, and it shouldn’t be hard to arrange this task right
before it rains. There is Aluminum Sulfate to make those
hydrangeas more blue and lime for the heathers.
The acid-loving plants, like most perennials, can use
a very small dose of rhododendron food. I need to
remember not to be too heavy handed though, since
most of our local soil is already acidic. Slug bait or some
natural strategy to combat slugs is important just now.
They love those new shoots of delphinium and dahlia.
Weeding is at the top of my to-do list. If I don’t jump on
it right now, Shot Weed (Hairy Bittercress) will go to seed
and fire their progeny all over the garden. The Horse Tail
Ferns will also be raising their green plumes very soon.
I have found that constant mowing of these voracious
prehistoric plants works best for me. My husband often
uses a “flame thrower” on them.
It seems I have concentrated on the hard work and negativity
here. In reality, I so look forward to being outside
and seeing the lovely lime green shoots. I really enjoy
the smell of freshly turned earth and the aroma from a
layer of newly spread compost. I look forward to the first
yellow and purple crocus and multi-colored primroses. I
take pleasure in caring for the roses with some pruning to
open out the stems to air circulation, and the application
of systemic rose care and alfalfa pellets to insure beautiful
blooms later in the season. If there are any “bare root”
shrubs I want to start, I need to get them planted now.
As in all seasons in the garden, there is a mixture of labor
and reward. The enjoyable anticipation of the outstanding
rewards to come is worth the effort.
The Power of Superfoods
by Autumn Pappas, Contributing Writer
Envision foods potent enough to reduce your risk of
heart disease and cancer while helping all the systems
of your body function at better capacities. Imagine these
same foods are all natural, low in calories and contain an
extraordinary amount of vitamins and minerals. This is no
myth, these superfoods really do exist! Superfoods have
many powerful benefits and can be great additions to our
everyday diets.
Dating back hundreds of years, superfoods have been
widely used by civilizations to heighten immunity,
promote longevity, prevent disease and produce optimal
health. They can be found on all of our continents,
growing in some of the most obscure places and unique
climates. While some superfoods are more well-known,
others like goji berries, moringa and maca don’t get the
spotlight they deserve.
Goji berries are one of the most nutrient-dense foods on
earth, containing 18 kinds of amino acids and up to 21
trace minerals. They can be found growing on vines in
desert regions from America to Asia. Loaded with antioxidants
and phytochemicals, they are believed to be one
of the richest sources of Vitamin C on the planet. Goji
berries are known to curb appetite, fight inflammation and
improve sleep. They are prized for their anti-aging, moodboosting
and immunity-building effects on the body.
Indigenous to the Himalayas, moringa (oleifera) has made
its name as the miracle tree. Its leaves yield more than 90
nutrients and 46 antioxidants. Beneficial to heart health
and diabetic patients, it lowers cholesterol and reduces
blood glucose levels. Moringa supports liver and digestive
health by detoxifying the body and regulating metabolism.
Improvements in skin, eyesight and mental clarity
are also common.
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