By Rhonda Ferree
Horticulture Educator,
University of Illinois Extension


Posted Jan. 18, 2014 @ 10:50 am

Would you send me the free garden and pest information mentioned at the end of your Sun columns?

We have hundreds of publications and articles on topics ranging from termites and deer to vegetables, fruits, trees and shrubs. You can browse through the subject areas or in the Information Library on our website. Or call and we’ll help you get the ones that address your interests or problems. If we do not have your topic already written up, we will send a specific answer (click “Ask MD’s Gardening Experts” on our website) or answer it over the phone. If you’re looking for a general reference on every aspect of gardening, however, we also offer the 600-page “UME Master Gardener Handbook” for $69.

University of Maryland Extension’s Home and Garden Information Center offers free gardening and pest information. Call 800-342-2507 or send a question to the website at extension.umd.edu/hgic.

Plant of the week

Baldcypress

Taxodium distichum

If you have a sunny, damp area, lots of space and want a strong focal point, baldcypress could be the plant for you. This unusual native looks like a lofty needled evergreen in summer but drops its foliage in the fall, giving it the name “bald”. Foliage is soft and flowing — yellow-green in spring, sage in summer, changing to russet in fall. In winter, its stately trunk has coppery peeling bark. An adaptable tree, it withstands dry and city conditions and can be used as a street tree. Planted in water, knobby “knees” grow from the ground around the trunk to provide more oxygen. Growing about 21/2 feet a year to a mature height of 50 to 75 feet, not only is it long-lived, but it is a low-maintenance native. —Ginny Williams

In the Garden

Houseplants are a must for every home. They provide a link with nature, add beauty and, most important, play a key role in purifying and adding oxygen to the air inside the home. The problem is to find attractive houseplants that will thrive in our low-light conditions in the Pacific Northwest, especially if your abode lacks big west or south windows.

Fortunately, provided a room has enough light to read a newspaper, there are some incredible houseplants that will perform admirably. Pothos (Scindapsus aureus) is a vining plant with glossy green leaves splashed with yellow that glows. Dracaena is another great choice for low-light conditions. There are plenty of varieties to choose from, but a favorite of mine is D. “Lime Lite,” with bright, golden foliage that glows in a dark corner.

An old-time favorite often used in Victorian mansions is the cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior). Every bit as adaptable to dark conditions is the mother-in-law tongue (Sansevieria). This attractive, sword-leaved variegated plant is indestructible, but it’s definitely not a good plant to have around pets, children and, evidently, mothers-in-law. Its common name comes from its capacity to paralyze the tongue of anyone who tries to eat it.

Finally, if you want an attractive choice that not only does well in low light but is also famous for cleaning the air, peace lily (Spathiphyllum) is your plant. Studies have found that ’Spaths purify air better than any other houseplant. It’s also one of the few houseplants that will actually bloom in low light, featuring white calla lily-like blossoms that turn green with age.

The key to keeping houseplants flourishing in dimly lit rooms is to water very sparingly. Give them a drink only when the leaves begin to droop or the pot feels light. Your variegated plant may fade if left in dark conditions for a long time. If that happens, send the plant off for a little RR by placing it near a bright window, out of direct sunlight. Before you know it, your plant will be restored and ready to go back to add beauty and cheer in the darker rooms in your home.

Give Rufous hummingbirds the blues

If you’re looking for a showy, small-scale ground cover for a sunny location, Lithodora diffusa is an excellent choice. The vines of this dark-green evergreen will cover from 4 to 6 feet, and beginning in early spring they are covered with brilliant blue flowers that often continue blooming until midsummer.

Lithodora looks fantastic in a rockery, planted in gaps between stones, or spilling over a wall. Best of all, hummingbirds love the flowers, which begin blooming right when the Rufous hummingbirds return from their winter migration to Mexico. Don’t be worried if the Lithodora in your garden turns pitch black before winter ends this year. This often happens after the plant suffers a hard freeze, such as the one we experienced earlier. The vines may have been killed, but the roots are hardy to around zero degrees. In early March, simply cut the blackened vines back to about an inch above the root mass. Your Lithodora will grow back strong and attractive, and may even produce a smattering of blooms on the new growth this summer.

Ciscoe Morris: ciscoe@ciscoe.com. “Gardening With Ciscoe” airs at 10 a.m. Saturdays on 5.

Don’t let the recent unusually cold weather throw you off. Planting cool-season vegetables and bedding plants continues through the winter. Although exceptionally cold weather can occur through February, we should still expect winter weather to be mostly mild. Watch the weather and avoid setting out transplants when a freeze below the upper 20s is predicted.

• Bare-root rose bushes are arriving at local nurseries and garden centers. January is the best month to plant them. They should be planted by the end of February at the latest. Containerized roses also may be planted as soon as they become available at the nurseries.

• Louisiana irises may benefit from a light application of a general purpose fertilizer now or in early February to encourage vigorous growth and abundant flowers. Control weeds and keep the planting mulched. Louisiana irises enjoy wet locations. They love the regular rainfall we have been getting this winter.

• Root crops, such as radish, carrot, turnip and beets, should be direct seeded in garden beds where they will grow this month. Young plants may need some protection from temperatures below the mid-20s.

• Harvest green bunching onions by digging up the entire clump, separating off half for use and replant the other half back into the garden for continued production. Harvest cabbage when the head feel very solid and hard.

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Senior citizens are known for respecting authority and being trusting. It usually works in their favor except when it comes to identity theft.

Zana Macki, a four-year presenter from the Michigan Attorney General’s Senior Brigade, spoke to a small group about the topic at the Garden City Public Library Tuesday. The Brigade has been in existence since 2009.

“These scammers are targeting seniors,” Macki said. “Seniors only make up 13 percent of the population but one third of consumer fraud is committed against seniors. The scammers know what buttons to push.”

Scammers can be articulate and seniors often welcome a friendly voice at the end of the telephone line when they call.

“Technology can be friend or foe,” she said.

Although Macki mentioned the recent security breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus, she said that her talk wasn’t designed to address those two companies specifically because it is still under investigation. Identity theft occurs because thieves have the right personal information.

“They may take your charge cards, clone them and empty out your account,” she said. “They may try to open up new accounts.”

Become aware

Macki said that consumers need to become aware. She, too, was a victim of identity theft 10 years ago.

“You feel violated,” Macki said.

Filing a police report to develop a paper trail and shutting down that account is essential. She advises consumers to copy the fronts and backs of credit cards and put it in a safe place, as well as retain bank account numbers, and contact credit reporting agencies regularly.

“Don’t ever give your Social Security number out,” Macki said. “That’s a gateway for these thieves to steal your identity. Beware of someone who says they are from the bank asking for that number.”

She also asked the audience: “What’s in your wallet? Aren’t we an open book for thieves?”

She advised shredding documents with a cross shredder which does a better job.

“Don’t put everything in one bag, either,” she said. “They are piece-mealing somehow.”

Macki also told residents to not give out their Zip Code numbers or phone numbers to cashiers at stores because that information might be sold for marketing purposes.

Gardeners learn some neat tricks over many years of gardening and I have picked up some things to share, some of which you may have read before and for some new readers, they may be things, which you haven’t heard.

Since we are all looking forward to fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes, here are some tips that help with growing the best tomatoes. Save egg shells and crush them to make a mote around each tomato plant of the crushed egg shells to discourage cut worms. Did you know that alyssum planted near your tomato vines will attract the insects which pollinate the tomato plants to give you bigger crops? On the other hand, marigolds planted near tomatoes will repel insects. Crushed marigold leaves and blooms added to a sprayer (sprinkler kind) will make a good spray to repel insects. Rain will wash it away so you will need to repeat this each time it rains but it really works. I have found that marigolds planted here and there in a big flowerbed works extremely well to keep out insects. I am not sure about the good insects.

If you have bananas that get too ripe to use, throw them in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer and use them this spring around your roses. One banana or just a banana peel added to each rose in spring give them a spurt of energy. The bananas and skins will be a big black glob in the freezer but will work wonders in the garden. Friends always helped me save them until I would have a garbage bag full by spring so I put them around some of my perennials and found they work on them as well.

The smelly yarrow makes a great addition to a compost pile because it acts as a compost activator. I have always grown the big yellow ones because they look so good in a back border and because I like to dry the flower heads and when the stem was cut back, I just automatically put it in the compost, not knowing that it was good for the compost. A wonderful addition to the center of your compost pile is fresh manure because it really heats up the compost to hasten the composting. Fresh grass clippings will do the same thing. You can even see the steam rising from the center of the pile sometimes.

Today I heard something that may or may not interest you but I find it interesting. Raw milk poured on any plant or grass fertilizes it greatly. When I find out more, I will let you know. Not many of us have access to raw milk.

Spray your evergreens now to keep down the red spider as well as scale and other pests. Check with your local gardening store for the best spray.

It is also time to prune your fruit trees. They must be pruned if you expect to get a good harvest. To learn to prune correctly, check with your local County Agent. My Pa had a wonderful very old orchard and he had the pruning done by an old man who went through the country just pruning trees. I remember that it took him several days. Maybe that was because Ma’s cooking was famous. Just like the Watkins salesman always made it to their house just at lunch time.

I hope you have many bird houses or are making some. A little knowledge of nesting needs of our birds will keep them safe and coming back each year. A metal collar around the pole that holds the bird house will keep Kitty from climbing up for a buffet of eggs and babies. Different birds need holes of different sizes and different kinds of houses.

And they need to be dull colored. Birds like to gather their own building material and sometimes it’s really bizarre. They will gather bits of string, rubber bands, lint from the dryer, old rag scrap, yarn scraps and hair from the barber seems a favorite.

None of our birds like to have other nests nearby so don’t space them too closely. The Purple Martin is the exception. Seems they like to enjoy a front porch gossip with friends and love a big apartment house.

It would take a full column to describe the needs and types of houses for each bird in our yards. In my book, I describe much more of their needs and habits.

It is not true that once you feed birds, you have to keep it up. On cold, snowy days, they need some food from their friends. Many birds die in winter from lack of food and water.

Please feel free to call me at 270-522-3632. Your calls are encouraging.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Increasingly, people are looking for ways to have more control over the source of their food. They are also looking for ways make their food supply more sustainable. The answer, for many, is found in aquaponics, a fairly new method of gardening that is quickly becoming popular. Aquaponics gives people a sustainable way to grow their own food at home, regardless of what the soil in their yard may be like.

 

“Aquaponics is an environmentally friendly route to growing food right at home, in schools, or pretty much anywhere,” explains Sylvia Bernstein, president of The Aquaponic Source, and author of the book “Aquaponics Gardening: A Step-By-Step Guide to Raising Vegetables and Fish Together” (New Society Publishers, October 2011). “Based on the idea of raising fish to create your own plant fertilizer, it creates a natural food source that can’t be beat.”

 

Aquaponics is easy enough for anyone to get involved. Here are some tips for getting started:

 

·      Get Educated. Find a trusted source of information, like Bernstein’s book or corresponding online course, to make sure your experience is successful, the first time.

·      Get the right fish. Although you can use a wide variety of fish, you want to stick to freshwater varieties. Determine whether you want to raise the fish for the fun of it or whether you plan to eat them. If you want to include eating the fish in your plans, you may want to opt for raising tilapia. They are the most commonly used fish for aquaponics, they are easy to grow, reproduce readily in captivity, and most people like the way they taste.

·      Pick your plants. When choosing the plants to include, opt for ones that are not acid-loving varieties. Be sure to plant them with their ultimate growth size in mind, so they can each get the sunlight they need.

·      Establish the microbes. Every successful aquaponics system must have a good beneficial bacteria source. This is an essential step that must not be overlooked, or the fish and plants will not be able to live.

·      Add the worms. After a couple of months of having the system up and running, you should add some red worms in order to help break down the fish waste that will be used for fertilizing the plants.

·      Consider other elements. There are other things that need to be considered, including the temperature of the water, which will depend on the type of fish you are raising. Lighting is also important when it comes to growing your plants, although it is not needed for your fish. You will also want to take the size of your tank into consideration, as that will determine just how much you can comfortably grow.

·      Get expert help. When you have questions about getting started, or about maintaining an aquaponic garden, be sure to speak with an expert. The information will be invaluable, helping to ensure that everything is set up correctly and that each garden is successful.

“We love to help people get their system set up,” added Bernstein. “Knowing that someone is getting started on their route to sustainable gardening is a step in the right direction for them, as well as for the planet.”

In addition to Bernstein’s book, she is the owner of The Aquaponic Source center, located in Longmont, Colo., 15 minutes NE of Boulder. The center focuses on all things Aquaponics, and features a retail store, education center, and research and development lab. They offer free tours every Saturday at 1:00 and on-site classes which teach people how to be successful with aquaponics. The retail store sells all of the necessary supplies, including aquaponics systems and aquaponics plumbing.

Roses are the most cherished flowers all over the globe. They resemble friendship, peace, love and so many other emotions. Roses have different colors and each signifies a feeling or emotion. Red Rose signifies love and romance, Yellow rose signifies warmth and care, pink signifies elegance and likewise white rose signifies peace, purity and innocence. Roses are used for gifting, decoration and gardening purposes.

Roses are widely used for gardening and decoration of backyard and porches. Roses are delicate and beautiful to grow. But they are very difficult to maintain. Yellow roses are also very slender and fragile to grow. They need special attention and extra care. Yellow roses are sensitive to temperature and climate and thus need different requirements to grow as the season changes. There are many guidelines and gardening tips available for gardening of roses.

Some guidelines and gardening tips that would help to grow yellow roses are discussed below:-

1.Watering the yellow roses – A must gardening tip is the watering routine that should be followed for roses. They should be watered regularly during dry seasons like the summer season. During monsoon, water the plant during the days when there is no rain or less rain. When watering the rose plants be careful and take a few precautions. Do not wet the leaves of the plants as that may cause a few diseases or infections. The water should always be sprinkled on the ground or mud and not on the plant directly. The plant should receive ample water through the roots.

2.Fertilizers and Pesticides – Roses are very delicate and are quite prone to getting infected immediately. Therefore, make it a point to use proper fertilizers and pesticides for the rose plant. Avoid using chemical based medicines as they can have harsh effect on the environment. Yellow rose plants need a good amount of compost as well. Use natural compost like vegetable waste, kitchen waste, cow dung, etc. A good gardening tip to grow yellow roses is to use natural fertilizers and compost for enhancing the growth of the plant.

3.Temperature Sensitive – Yellow rose plants are sensitive to temperature and climatic fluctuations. To protect the plant from these variations use different measures in different seasons. In the winter season, use barriers across the plants to avoid it getting exposed to the harsh winter winds. For summer season, water the plant regularly so that it does not dry and dehydrate. Yellow rose plants are fragile and personal attention should be given to the plants especially when the flower is budding. This is one gardening tip that should be followed for growing yellow roses.

4.Sunlight – Yellow rose plants need ample amount of sunlight to grow healthy and fast. When planting the plant do not plant it in a shady place. A good gardening tip to grow yellow plants is to grow the plant in an area where there is good sunlight available for atleast 4-5 hours a day. This should be the minimum requirement for growing rose plants.

5.Area – Roses need space to grow. You cannot just clatter a lot of rose plants in a small area and expect them to grow healthy. Rose plants should be separately grown as that would also minimize the chances of getting any disease or infection from other plants.

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January 11, 2014

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Transform your yard into a private oasis with an abundance of colourful tropical foliage.

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Cool change: Foliage in different tints and shades creates a stylish, relaxed look.

A tropical paradise is often top of the holiday wish list, but in the interim, why not create your own haven to escape into every day? Set up a few deckchairs, a small table for cocktails, a hammock – and plant these tropical-looking foliage plants for a garden oasis.

Shade is essential, so if your garden is exposed to the hot afternoon sun, create shelter with a pergola, large market umbrella or by planting sun-tolerant small trees, such as lilly pillies, as green screens to shade lower-growing plants.

Different tints and shades of foliage, from lime green to cool blues and dark purplish-green, can be used to create a stylish, relaxed look. Or use green as the main colour and accentuate with coloured foliage.

For height, the yellow-and-green striped clumping bamboo (Bambusa multiplex ‘Alphonse Karr’) looks stunning and adds bulk to foliage. Just as striking, and with a bamboo-like appearance, is Thysanolaena maxima ‘Tiger Grass’. This clump-forming, perennial grass reaches a height of 3.5 metres, ideal for a screen. For a palm-like appearance, Strelitizia nicolai is perfect. Many cannas have striking, large, green or purple foliage and are topped by tropical-looking flowers. Canna ‘Australia’ has deep burgundy-black leaves and red flowers. Just as stunning is ‘Tropicana Black’ whose scarlet-orange flowers sit on top of its purple-black leaves. Cannas are very hardy and easy to grow. Simply cut back the stems in late winter and new leaves will appear when the weather warms up. They will grow in sun or semi-shade.

Make use of ornamental gingers with their striking leaves and stunning flowers. Cane begonias, some of which have spotted leaves, are a must as the pretty flowers last for many weeks.

Use cordylines to provide architectural shape. Look out for newly released Cordyline ‘Cha Cha’ whose young strap-like leaves are apricot and brown, changing to yellow and green as they mature. Flax (Phormium) is just as architectural and its leaves come in a variety of shades. Check out Phormium ‘Border Black’ whose black- tinged leaves have a silvery grey reverse.

The very large, bold leaves of taro (Colocasia esculenta) make a statement. The cultivar ‘Black Magic’ has dramatic, large purplish-black leaves. Taro must have rich, deep, moisture-retentive soil, so add lots of compost or leaf mould to the soil before planting. It may also be grown in a water pot or as a marginal plant beside a pond.

At ground level, make use of the colourful leaves of coleus, beefsteak plant (Iresine), acalypha, bromeliads, Tradescantia pallida, maranta, heuchera, Rex begonias, calathea, caladium and crotons.

Philodendron ‘Xanadu’ has beautiful large leaves as does bird’s nest fern (Asplenium nidus). Both contrast well with strappy-leaved mondo grass, lomandra, dianella, liriope and clivia. Attach bromeliads, Spanish moss (Tillandsia usenoides), epiphytic orchids, staghorn and elkhorn ferns to tree trunks to complete your tropical oasis.

 

It’s time to . . .

❏ Fertilise hibiscus and trim lightly to encourage more flowers.

❏ Deadhead finished agapanthus flowers so the seeds won’t spread.

❏ Mulch Camellia sasanqua with compost or well-rotted manure.

❏ Feed potted plants.

❏ Feed lettuce with a soluble plant food every 10-14 days.

❏ Sow radishes in pots or garden beds. Radishes grow quickly and their crisp roots spice up summer salads.

❏ Mow the lawn but don’t set the mower too low. Lawn withstands heat better when it is not cropped too severely.

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Teachers are continually looking for innovative ways to reach and engage their students. Many are turning to in-class projects, such as aquaponics. The process of doing aquaponics in the classroom can be easier than one might think and it provides students with information and hands-on experience that is hard to beat.

“Teachers who engage their students in the world of aquaponics are teaching them so much,” explains Sylvia Bernstein, president of The Aquaponic Source, and author of the book “Aquaponics Gardening: A Step-By-Step Guide to Raising Vegetables and Fish Together” (New Society Publishers, October 2011). “The students are learning about a sustainable way to grow food, as well as how food production works.”

Aquaponics is a sustainable way to grow food that combines raising fish and plants symbiotically. Students who are exposed to aquaponics in the classroom will learn scientific and agricultural principals that can be applied for the rest of their lives. Here are some tips for teachers who may want to get started teaching the system in their classroom:
• Find funding. Cash-strapped schools and teachers may feel it is difficult to start up a new project like aquaponics. Get creative in order to secure funds for the necessary equipment. Speak with the Parent Teacher Association, apply for a grant, or create an online fundraising effort. Once you explain to people the benefits of having students involved, raising the funds should be simple.

• Purchase the equipment. Once funds are secured, the next step will be to purchase the necessary equipment, which includes fish, plants, aquarium, and worms. Be sure to speak with an expert for advice on this, so that each purchase can be tailored to your plans.

• Get students on board. Talk about the program with them and get them excited about what will be taking place. The more they are involved in the process, the more likely they will be to enjoy it and get more out of the whole experience.

• Monitor the progress. Once you have the system up and running, keep track of the progress and tout its success. Let others at the school, as well as the parents, know about it. The more people you can expose to this sustainable form of gardening, the better.

• Eat the food. Give students the ultimate lesson by letting them eat the food that they helped grow. Plan a day where the food will be prepared and everyone can participate, in order to get the full experience.

“We work with numerous teachers to help them with classroom aquaponics,” added Bernstein. “We always get great feedback in return, and we know the many benefits that the students are receiving. This is a winning curriculum for everyone!”

The Aquaponic Source offers a teacher’s curriculum guide, which features lessons to be taught sequentially. A teacher section and a student section are also included. The teacher section includes lessons, a materials list, background information, and an answer key. The student section includes a vocabulary list, lecture, activities, conclusion, and assessment. The information in the curriculum covers all aspects of aquaponics, including its history, sustainability, benefits, and more.

In addition to Bernstein’s book, she is owner of The Aquaponic Source center, located in Longmont, Colo., 15 minutes NE of Boulder. The center focuses on all things Aquaponics, and features a retail store, education center, and research and development lab. They offer free tours every Saturday at 1:00 and on-site classes, which teaches people how to be successful with aquaponics. The retail store sells all of the necessary supplies, including aquaponics systems and aquaponics plumbing kits. For more information, visit the site at: www.theaquaponicsource.com.