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Garden tips: Mapping heat can aid plant choices

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While severely cold winters have become less and less common in our region, it is obvious that we still can count on our extremely hot summers. When selecting trees, shrubs or perennial plants for local landscapes, a plant’s ability to withstand the stress of multiple days of high temperatures during the summer should be considered along with a plant’s ability to survive cold winter temperatures.

The late Dr Marc Cathey, American Horticulture Society (AHS) president emeritus, noted that heat damage is not as obvious as severe cold temperature injury that can kill or damage a plant. Heat damage typically is more of a chronic condition with plants failing over time from accumulated stress that leads to poor growth and attack by insects or disease.

That’s why in 1997 the American Horticulture Society under the direction of Dr Cathey developed the AHS Heat Zone Map. Similar to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Hardiness Zone Map, the AHS Heat Zone Map is divided into zones. The Heat Zone map has 12 zones based on the average number of days that “zone” experiences with temperatures above 86 degrees. Above the suitable zones, a plant will suffer heat damage.

Most of Benton and Franklin counties is rated as being in AHS Heat Zone 6 with greater than 45 days and less than 60 days above 86 degrees. However, the area immediately outside the Tri-Cities is rated in AHS Heat Zone 7, with greater than 60 days and less than 90 days above 86 degrees. Thank goodness we aren’t in Zone 1, with less than one heat day, or Zone 12, with greater than 210 days!

It is important to note that the AHS Heat Zone Map assumes “that adequate water is supplied to the roots of the plant at all times. The accuracy of the zone coding can be substantially distorted by a lack of water, even for a brief period in the life of the plant.” Most plants we place in our area home landscapes are not native to our region and require adequate supplemental watering. Indicating a plant is heat tolerant in our “zone” doesn’t mean that it is drought tolerant.

Water isn’t the only factor that could skew a plant’s ability to thrive in a particular heat zone. Soil aeration and drainage; exposure to light; air circulation; exposure to radiant heat from mulches, structures and paving; soil fertility; and soil pH all affect a plant’s ability to thrive in a particular heat zone.

I am seeing more and more trees and shrubs with a USDA Hardiness Zone Map rating and a AHS Heat Zone Map rating in catalogs and on plant labels. When you go plant shopping, look for these ratings to help ensure your plants will have a long and happy life.

Reminder: Our area is in USDA Hardiness Zones 6B to 7A.

— Marianne C. Ophardt is a horticulturist for Washington State University Benton County Extension.

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Experts share tips for mastering coastal gardens

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Julie Swank

Clay Lambert

Julie Swank

Julie Swank, gardening teacher at La Honda Elementary School, shows off the hidden corners of the school’s productive garden.




Posted: Thursday, September 5, 2013 10:34 am


Experts share tips for mastering coastal gardens

By Clay Lambert [ clay@hmbreview.com ]

Half Moon Bay Review

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Posted on
September 5, 2013

Like the garden itself, the gardening program at La Honda Elementary School needs attention in order to grow. That is why a steady trickle of parents, master gardeners and local residents turned out Saturday for the first of what may be many workshops in the school’s productive garden.

The event was organized by school officials and master gardeners who earned their titles through a 13-week course provided by the University of California Cooperative Extension Service. Kelly Greenwood, whose daughter Helen attends the school, is a master gardener and landscape designer. Janice Moody is a master gardener as well; her kids graduated from La Honda Elementary School years ago. Both have deep roots in the school’s garden.

Saturday’s topics included soil and plant bed preparation, year-round gardening in the coastal mountains and other tips for local planters. There was also something for the kids to do. The school’s gardening teacher, Julie Swank, worked with young students to create “seed tape” — seeds stuck to strips of newspaper with a sticky cornstarch slurry — that could then be planted in the garden.

The garden has existed for about 25 years. Originally, school administrators received grants to plant small beds on land adjacent to the classrooms. Today, the project has grown to nearly an acre and Swank incorporates math, science and nutrition lessons into time students spend in the garden. It costs about $20,000 a year and is largely funded by the La Honda Education Foundation.

“Our goal is to receive enough money to make this self-sufficient, but we haven’t gotten there yet,” said Principal Kristen Lindstrom.

It isn’t for lack of ideas. On Saturday, she and Swank traded money-making schemes. They have considered renting land to someone interested in growing the peaches that seem to grow nowhere on the coast but at the school. They talk about creating a large pumpkin patch that would funnel money back to the garden. They already sell eggs to parents and sometimes take food to the Pecadero farmers market.

Saturday’s event was free, but organizers hope to hold future master gardener workshops — and those may be fundraisers.

“We have lofty ideas,” Lindstrom said.


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Tips to add height to your garden

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Most of the flowers selected for a border are low-growing but tall plants that make bold vertical statements have their place in the garden, as well.

Too often they are relegated to the back of the border but they can look good as specimen plants or on their own. The few that I will tell you about here may be best located in full sun but others can do well in part or dappled shade.

A plant that is so well known that it is frequently passed by is the hollyhock. It can grow anywhere from four to seven feet in height. It may grow as a biennial that reseeds itself but I have also found it to be a short lived perennial. Its flowers may occur as singles or doubles but in my opinion the doubles look too much like the decorations for weddings. Colours vary from white through red, pink to yellow. Against a wooden fence they are outstanding.

Delphiniums or larkspur are one of the classic garden perennials that remind one of the traditional English-style herbaceous borders. The four to six feet tall Pacific Giant Hybrids bear spikes of double flowers that are white, pink and blue. These and other delphiniums are best suited to the back of a sunny border and do best in rich, moist but well-drained soil. The taller plants often need staking which is best done in late May but the mid-sized varieties seldom do.

Another plant with tall, long-lasting spikes is blazing star or gayfeather. They are tough, drought-resistant plants that may naturalize in a meadow situation as they are native wildflowers. They form low grassy clumps of leaves that send up spikes that may be purple, pink or white and reach five feet.

Mullein is often seen growing along roadsides and in waste places. The five to six feet stalks grow from a basal display of leaves and in the wild persist for months. The hybrid Verbascum plants have fuzzy gray leaves that grow in low clumps. The tall stems are laden with one-inch pink, white, yellow or lavender flowers from midsummer to early fall. They like any sunny location and I have found them excellent in the middle of a mixed bed.

Veronicastrum (Culver’s-root) is closely related to Veronica. This tall (4 ½-foot) native plant bears flowers in long wands that arch gracefully in late summer. Album is a popular white while Rosea is pale pink. When growing it choose small-flowered plants like Russian sage or Salvia as companion plants. Ornamental grasses like Calamagrostis, Panicum or Miscanthus can also fit well.

Tall, flowering plants that can grow in partial or dappled shade as well as sun are Ligularia, Foxglove, Bugbane and Gooseneck loosestrife. Lysimachia, the last-named, is a moisture-loving perennial that bears short spikes of white flowers. This native does spread to form patches but has good, red fall colour. Ligularia flourishes in cool, moist locations and belongs beside water. The tall clumps of large rounded leaves bear spikes or clusters of yellow flowers in summer. Bugbane (Cimifuga or Actaea) is also a native and prefers a moist soil.

The above plants do not exhaust the list of tall flowers you can grow. Jo-Pye Weed is one of the most striking of our native wildflowers. Its panicles of purple-red flowers can rise well over five feet. Other tall plants are a Black-eyed Susan (Rudbekia triloba), yarrow, bee balm and Boltonia.

Denzil Sawyer is a local freelance writer and a Master Gardener.

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Garden tips: Mapping heat can aid plant choices

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While severely cold winters have become less and less common in our region, it is obvious that we still can count on our extremely hot summers. When selecting trees, shrubs or perennial plants for local landscapes, a plant’s ability to withstand the stress of multiple days of high temperatures during the summer should be considered along with a plant’s ability to survive cold winter temperatures.

The late Dr Marc Cathey, American Horticulture Society (AHS) president emeritus, noted that heat damage is not as obvious as severe cold temperature injury that can kill or damage a plant. Heat damage typically is more of a chronic condition with plants failing over time from accumulated stress that leads to poor growth and attack by insects or disease.

That’s why in 1997 the American Horticulture Society under the direction of Dr Cathey developed the AHS Heat Zone Map. Similar to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Hardiness Zone Map, the AHS Heat Zone Map is divided into zones. The Heat Zone map has 12 zones based on the average number of days that “zone” experiences with temperatures above 86 degrees. Above the suitable zones, a plant will suffer heat damage.

Most of Benton and Franklin counties is rated as being in AHS Heat Zone 6 with greater than 45 days and less than 60 days above 86 degrees. However, the area immediately outside the Tri-Cities is rated in AHS Heat Zone 7, with greater than 60 days and less than 90 days above 86 degrees. Thank goodness we aren’t in Zone 1, with less than one heat day, or Zone 12, with greater than 210 days!

It is important to note that the AHS Heat Zone Map assumes “that adequate water is supplied to the roots of the plant at all times. The accuracy of the zone coding can be substantially distorted by a lack of water, even for a brief period in the life of the plant.” Most plants we place in our area home landscapes are not native to our region and require adequate supplemental watering. Indicating a plant is heat tolerant in our “zone” doesn’t mean that it is drought tolerant.

Water isn’t the only factor that could skew a plant’s ability to thrive in a particular heat zone. Soil aeration and drainage; exposure to light; air circulation; exposure to radiant heat from mulches, structures and paving; soil fertility; and soil pH all affect a plant’s ability to thrive in a particular heat zone.

I am seeing more and more trees and shrubs with a USDA Hardiness Zone Map rating and a AHS Heat Zone Map rating in catalogs and on plant labels. When you go plant shopping, look for these ratings to help ensure your plants will have a long and happy life.

Reminder: Our area is in USDA Hardiness Zones 6B to 7A.

— Marianne C. Ophardt is a horticulturist for Washington State University Benton County Extension.

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Roots and Shoots: Labor-Saving Tips for the Garden

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September 5, 2013

By Pamela Doan

Sometimes the temptation to peg a news story to a theme is too much to resist. With Labor Day’s spirit of celebrating the American worker, I mean, a good day for an end of season barbecue, what better time to acknowledge that since we are working more hours than ever, making time for the garden can be a challenge?

mulch

A layer of shredded leaves surrounds foamflowers, keeping moisture in and weeds out. Photo by P. Doan

Gardening doesn’t have to be just another demand during a packed day; it can be accomplished in whatever time you’ve got available. Maybe after you start modestly and grow a few nice flowering plants or harvest your own tomatoes or lettuce, you’ll even discover that more time becomes available because you like the results, too.

Two of the biggest landscape time-drains are weeding and lawn care and neither task is all that satisfying. In my mind, mowing is like vacuuming. Although you see an immediate result and it’s necessary, both are boring and need to be done weekly. For your entire life.

Time spent weeding and mowing can be cut back and diverted to other more interesting and pleasant tasks by meeting the same basic fundamentals – paying attention to soil, mulch and water. Let’s start with weeding. Of course since you tested the soil pH before planting, and chose the best plants for the site or amended the soil to balance the pH for the proposed plants, the desirable plants can thrive. That healthy soil isn’t going to discriminate against interlopers, though.

The answer is mulch. Mulch creates a protective layer over the top of the soil to prevent weeds from popping up. Spread it in the spaces around plants, shrubs and trees, leaving room for the roots. (Don’t pile it thickly near stems or stalks, though.) Mulch is your best friend when it comes to weeds and also saves time because you don’t need to till or dig in the ground. Actually, tilling can contribute to weed growth by turning the weed seeds that are on top of the soil into the ground, giving them a better chance to grow.

For many garden issues, mulch is the answer and it’s a way to reuse the natural resources in your yard and kitchen. Compost grass clippings, shredded leaves, plant material, and vegetable and fruit scraps to create a rich organic matter to layer in beds. Or use shredded leaves and wood chips that have been aged at least a year and add it directly to the beds. Spend a couple of hours mulching and then less time weeding for the rest of the season.

When it comes to lawn care, healthy soil is again the best first line of defense. Aerated, well-balanced soil with a pH level between 6.0-7.0 makes for the best base for grass. Fill in bare areas with a mix of grass seed that is most compatible with your growing conditions, taking sunlight, shade, and use into consideration. Determine a level and type of weeds you can tolerate in your yard. Clover is soft and bees love the flowers. It doesn’t spread or take over like crabgrass does, for example.

Once you’ve established a healthy lawn, consider altering mowing practices that can suck up time. By mowing with sharp blades set at a cutting height of three inches, the grass will be torn off neatly, avoiding damage to roots and you won’t have to mow as frequently to keep it the same length. I watch my neighbor’s lawn service show up on the same day every week, whether the grass has grown much or not.

It’s a waste of energy and an unnecessary pollutant to set up a mindless schedule that doesn’t account for the actual needs of the lawn. Keep in mind that one hour of mowing contributes the same amount of exhaust as driving a car for 20 miles. Cutting back on mowing not only gives you more time during the week, but is also better for the planet. And those clippings? Leave them on the lawn. We’re back to mulch again. The clippings provide a nice layer of mulch to help feed the lawn as they decompose and hold in water.

Now with that extra time, you’ve got a few more minutes to spend reading The Paper!

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GARDEN TIPS: Now is a good time to plant cover crops

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By Bob Beyfuss

The weatherman predicted possible frost very recently in the northern regions of the Capital District and that includes the higher elevations of the Catskill Mountains, as we enter the first week of September. 

This is much too soon for my liking as well as everyone else who is still waiting for their tomato crop to fully ripen. It is within the historical “norm” however, although I do not recall any hard frosts in September in the Hudson Valley and the Capital District in recent memory. 

Sadly, my memory is not what it used to be, but I am pretty sure I have not had a killing frost in September in at least the past 10 years.

 When people ask me what is the average date of the first killing frost, I have to ask them where they live, exactly. In places near the Hudson River, such as Kingston, the first hard frost may not occur until mid to late October and sometimes it does not happen until mid-November. At elevations above 2,000 feet the usual date is closer to mid or late September. 

By the way a “hard frost” is the same as a “killing frost”. Frost itself, just refers to temperatures of 32 degrees, which is the temperature that water freezes at. Most of our garden plants can tolerate this temperature for many hours. It generally requires temperatures in the mid 20s to kill tender garden crops such as squash, beans, tomatoes, eggplant and basil. 

Cool season crops such as lettuce, beets, leeks, Swiss chard, cabbage and all its relatives can tolerate much lower temperatures for long periods of time. If frost is predicted for only one or two nights, you can protect your tender crops by draping cloth blankets or sheets over them overnight. Plastic tarps or drop cloths are not nearly as effective. 

Typically, temperatures will return to more “normal” levels for days or even weeks after the first few frosty nights. This period of nice weather after a killing frost is referred to as “Indian Summer”.  

A hard frost does kill many insects such as mosquitoes but unfortunately, not ticks. Some mosquitoes will also survive and can reproduce quite nicely during Indian Summer. Some, but not all garden pests are also killed by frost. Most of our ornamentals also vary greatly in their frost tolerance. Some of our annual bedding plants such as petunias and snapdragons are quite tolerant of frost while others such as zinnias are more sensitive. When it doubt, get out the blankets!

This is a good time to plant cover crops in places in the garden that are no longer growing vegetables to harvest. Cover crops protect soil from eroding and prevent weeds from taking over, while providing an excellent source of organic matter for the soil.  They may be annual plants such as oats or perennial plants such as clover, alfalfa, vetch or winter rye. Legumes, such as clover, vetch or alfalfa are also capable of fixing nitrogen in the soil which will help to nourish crops in subsequent growing seasons.  The bigger your garden is, the more important it is to plant cover crops, but even small gardens can benefit from additional organic matter and weed prevention. 

Some leguminous cover crops, such as clover and alfalfa, require more than a few weeks to become established and even longer before they can add any significant quantities of nitrogen. If you have a section of garden that can remain fallow for a year, they are excellent choices, but if you plan to plant crops the following spring, you should opt for non-legumes. Winter rye, not ryegrass, is an excellent choice since it can be planted as late as mid-October and will still produce prodigious quantities of organic matter by the following May. The only downside to winter rye is that it will form a pretty solid sod that usually requires mechanical tillage to incorporate it in the springtime. Indeed, this grass like cereal grain will grow to three feet tall by Mid May in most areas. You may have to cut it down before tilling it under which is why farmers often harvest a good hay crop before tilling it in.  Winter rye also seems to suppress many weeds by producing an allelleopathic chemical that prevents the weed seeds from germinating.  Continued…

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Garden Tips: No time to slack during fall gardening

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As the garden season winds down, many may think it is time to relax. But now is the time to make a checklist of fall gardening chores.

First, fertilize the lawn. Early September and late October are the most important times to do this.

During the hot part of summer, cool-season grasses become stressed. Grass shoot and root growth slows to a stop. But as the weather cools, the grass begins to grow again, establishing new roots increasing lawn thickness. Nitrogen applied in the fall helps the grass recover from the summer stresses.

Washington State University recommends using a quality fertilizer that contains slow-release or controlled-release nitrogen, such as IBDU, sulfur-coated urea or urea formaldehyde. These fertilizers release nitrogen over an extended period of time. Fertilizers with soluble nitrogen, such as ammonium sulfate or urea, are best for late fall fertilization.

Next, take care of weeds. If you just have a few weeds, take them out with a weed digger. If the problem is serious, consider broadleaf weed killers.

For weeds like black medic, bindweed, mallow, dandelions, plantain and clover, use a combination herbicide product containing 2,4 D and MCPP. A lawn product containing triclopyr will help with tough-to-control broadleaf weeds, like oxalis, prostrate spurge, henbit, ground ivy and lawn violets.

It also is a good time to buy spring flower bulbs for planting next month after the weather cools. Keep in mind that more expensive bulbs produce bigger flowers. If your bulbs are packaged in a plastic or closed paper bag, place them in an open, well-ventilated tray in a cool (50 to 60 degrees) spot.

Wait to plant the bulbs until the soil temperature drops below 60 degrees. This temperature allows for root growth without stimulating leaf growth. Don’t forget to water after planting and whenever needed during mild fall and winter weather to keep the soil slightly moist.

Other tasks include:

— raking leaves.

— build a compost pile.

— divide spring and early summer flowering perennials that have become crowded.

— cut to the ground the dead tops of perennial flowers.

— weed and clean away plant refuse in garden and landscape beds.

— aerate lawn if the soil is compacted.

— give all trees, shrubs and perennials a deep watering before the water is shut off.

— Marianne C. Ophardt is a horticulturist for Washington State University Benton County Extension.

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LEAF TIPS: Garden & lawn advice from your UGA/Fulton County Cooperative …

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Rolando Orellana

slideshow

I’ve been spoiled by the taste of home-grown tomatoes and other vegetables this past summer. Can I continue to grow my own veggies through the fall and winter here in north Fulton?

We’re lucky to live in an area with a mild climate. Home vegetable gardeners in Fulton County have lots of great choices for growing their own vegetables in the fall. Many of the so-called super-foods such as kale, collards and spinach are ideal cool season vegetables for September planting. Just follow these simple suggestions and you can have a productive garden with healthful and tasty veggies for the months to come.

Preparation is key – If you already have a summer garden, now is the time to clean out the old plants and prepare the soil. Work in some compost, perhaps incorporating chopped up summer plants, along with a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10). Follow the label instruction. If you haven’t had a soil test recently, consider taking a soil sample to the Fulton County Cooperative Extension office at the North Fulton Service Center before doing any fertilization. For $8, you will receive easy-to-interpret pH and nutrient addition recommendations via email within two weeks.

Seedlings or Seeds? – Ideally, gardeners should start seeds for broccoli, cabbage, collards, kale, turnips and beets in August. If you haven’t already started seeds by now, many vegetables can be purchased as seedlings from garden centers. These will be ready to transplant into your prepared bed in September. Some plants such as spinach, lettuce and radishes are great to start as seeds right in your garden plot in September. No need to transplant.

Care and keeping of young veggies – Be sure to keep young seedlings watered while they are getting established and watch out for weeds which are growing rampant this time of year. Mulch applied between the rows will inhibit weed growth and help keep in moisture.

A balancing act – Getting fall vegetable crops established can be a balancing act. On the one hand, we need to start cool-weather plants early enough to allow them to get established before the cold weather sets in. Conversely, unseasonably warm weather lasting well into fall can subject new seedlings to diseases and insects, which flourish in the warm temperatures. With this in mind, it’s important to keep a close eye out for any early signs of pests or disease. Act quickly to rid your garden of these pests before they take over.

For more information on fall vegetable gardening, including disease and pest control, search the UGA College of Agriculture and Environmental Science publications website at caes.uga.edu/publications. You’ll find a plenty of specific “How To’s” for successful fall vegetable gardening.

Leaf Tip of the Week: Watering vegetable gardens early in the morning allows foliage to dry more quickly and helps prevent disease.

Rolando Orellana is the UGA/Fulton County Cooperative Extension Agent for north Fulton County. For answers to your specific gardening questions call the North Fulton Extension office at (404) 613-7670.

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Vegetable Gardening Tips: Monsoon Season

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During the monsoon season, one of the main things that gardeners fear is the stagnation of water and the birth of pests controlling the garden. Gardeners should take extra care of their vegetable garden during the monsoon season because this is the time when your garden thirsts for things to keep your plants healthy, like sunlight which is rarely seen.

Gardeners should take a look at some of these tips for a vegetable garden during the monsoon season. It is necessary that you provide in extra hours in the garden when you see that little ray of sunshine. Try to do all your gardening work when there is sunlight, so it gives you time to prepare for the rain.

Take a look at these tips for vegetable garden during the monsoon season.

Watering the garden – Gardens require a good amount of water for them to grow in a healthy manner. But due to the monsoon season, make sure that for a vegetable garden there is not too much of water standing in the bed. Cumulation of stagnant water will only lead to thriving of insects.

Looking after soil – The soil is the most important aspect in a vegetable garden. If the soil of your vegetable garden is loose, it is a problem. Vegetable garden soil needs to be of medium texture. They should not be loose nor tight!

Fertlisers – It is very important for you to compost your own natural fertilisers for your vegetable garden during the monsoon season. In this season, garden beds are more prone to developing moss which may lead to fungal infestation.

Weeding – When it comes to a vegetable garden, weeding is important. Make sure to trim your garden during this season as weeds grow easily in this weather. Vegetable gardens are prone to getting lots of weeds because of the soil bed.

Pest control – If there is stagnation of water in your vegetable garden, they will welcome pests and insects with a lot of care. Using natural pesticides to get rid of pests is the only way you can not harm your vegetable garden and corrupt your veggies.

These are some of the ways in which you need to care for your vegetable garden during the monsoon season.

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Quick tips to keep bees buzzing in your garden | Washington State Department …

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The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has developed a new pamphlet meant to help guide home gardeners on the ways to protect bees and other pollinating insects from the possible effects of certain pesticides.

The guide, “10 Ways to Protect Bees from Pesticides,” offers information on pesticide use and bees, web sites with information on the topic, and tips to reduce the risk to bees.

One tip is to avoid applying pesticides to plants when they are in bloom, since this is when bees are most likely to visit the plants.  Another tip urges home users to read pesticide labels closely and look for specific instructions regarding the protection of bees and pollinators.

“There has been a growing concern about the health of bees and other pollinators in Washington and across the country,” WSDA Director Bud Hover said. “Our agriculture community and our environment need these pollinators, and sharing information like this is one way we can help more people do their part to protect our bees.”

In addition to making honey, bees pollinate a variety of fruit and vegetable crops. It is estimated that the value of the crops pollinated by bees in Washington state was more than $2.75 billion in 2011. While no large bee deaths have been reported in Washington in recent years, there has been a general decline in the state’s bee population and significant bee death incidents elsewhere.

According to pollinator experts, the possible reasons for the decline of honey bee colonies may include parasites, disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticides. In mid-August, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new pesticide labels that prohibit the use of some neonicotinoid pesticides where bees are present.

WSDA has posted the pamphlet on its website and has advised retail associations that it is available so they can share the information with homeowners purchasing pesticides in local businesses.

For more information or copies of the pamphlet, email pestreg@agr.wa.gov or call 360-902-2078.

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