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Master Gardener tips on planting winter herbs and greens

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Ellis County Master Gardeners Association

Ellis County Master Gardeners Association



Posted: Saturday, January 4, 2014 9:45 am

Master Gardener tips on planting winter herbs and greens

By Arlene Hamilton
Ellis County Master Gardener

Waxahachie Newspapers Inc.

Now that your tomatoes, basils, peppers, pumpkins and squash plants have been relegated to the compost heap its time to spread some seeds on those bare patches in your garden. One of the great treats of living in Texas is winter offers an ideal growing season. Many of the plants that can’t survive our 90-plus summers will thrive during our cool winters and provide us with plenty of fresh and flavorful greens to enliven our winter meals.


How many times has your mother told you, “Eat your greens, they’re good for you”? She was right, of course. The fact is greens are very good for you. They are filled with nutritious vitamins and other trace elements that help your body fight off winter colds and illness.

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Gardening Tips: Identifying mysterious holes in the ground

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Posted: Friday, January 3, 2014 11:55 am

Gardening Tips: Identifying mysterious holes in the ground

By Matthew Stevens

The Daily Herald, Roanoke Rapids, NC

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Recently, I’ve received several calls about mysterious holes in the ground. The callers want to know who made these holes, why, and what to do to stop them. There are actually many different kinds of insects and animals that leave some type of hole or holes in the ground. The key to identifying the culprit is to look at the width and depth of the hole, and examine the area around the hole.

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Friday, January 3, 2014 11:55 am.

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Tips for New Year’s gardening resolutions

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Happy Gardening New Year! Here’s hoping your garden grows great, and the grass gets greener but grows more slowly. What is New Year’s without resolutions to improve or do better? Setting goals is always a good thing, even if we stumble and not carry through all the way. Here are a few it…

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When to Give Up on Houseplants

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It’s time to deconstruct your holiday decorations. Christmas china and tchotchkes go back in their boxes. But what do you do with those holiday plants?

Sometimes the problem is not keeping these alive, but wishing they would hurry up and die. Who wants poinsettias hanging around at Easter? Back when they were all ungainly and red as Rudolph’s reindeer nose, poinsettias were a joke, but breeders have worked such wonders that they have won the grudging respect of even plant snobs. Not only do poinsettias now come in an attractive variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, they are able to survive any amount of neglect. Unfortunately, they are still totally identified with Christmas, so unless you want to look like the horticultural equivalent of someone who never takes down their Christmas lights, you are forced to discard these as plants while they’re still healthy.

Do it. Even if you feel like a murderer. While you’re at it, throw out the paperwhite narcissus, which will never rebloom anyway, plus any other seasonal plants that have finished flowering or of which you are just plain tired. This is a really hard thing for gardeners to do. We are oriented toward nurturing. Air freight and mass marketing, however, have made houseplants so much cheaper than they used to be that it’s time to change our attitude.

We get a bouquet of flowers, it begins to look tatty, and we don’t think twice about throwing it out. But most of us feel a commitment to keep houseplants alive, when they can really be viewed as disposable. Why run a hospital ward, trying to nurse these things along for another year?

If you do want to try to have a long-term relationship with holiday plants, try thinking of your window sills as pieces of real estate. What counts for the plants is location, location, location.

You can have a black thumb but a cool house with a perfect draft-free nook in a south-facing window and even finicky plants will thrive. Or you can be attentive as an Earth mother but live in a house with dark windows and forced-air heat and watch your houseplants languish from lack of light and humidity. So experiment by trying plants in various windows to find the magic nook.

South-facing windows get the most light and are the best location for most flowering plants, succulents, bromeliads, and herbs. Begonias and gloxinias like east- or west-facing windows. Peace lilies and many foliage plants such as ivy, ficus, and ferns will tolerate north light.

Orchids do best in an east-facing window. Or keep them a couple of feet from a south window to lessen the strength of the sun’s rays. Moth orchids, called phalaenopsis (and pronounced fay-le-an-op-sis), are the easiest and longest-blooming type. Tropical lady slippers, or paphiopedilum (paf-e-o-ped-duh-lum) orchids, are less reliable rebloomers but have many fans because of their incredible markings. Orchids don’t like hot or cold drafts, so don’t put them near the radiator or a door because that might blast the buds.

Newly purchased flowering plants have been prepped to bloom in a well-lit greenhouse, but because light levels are low in New England homes in winter, there are relatively few flowering plants that will put on a good repeat performance next year if you keep them. You can get amaryllis, orchids, azaleas, cyclamen, gloxinias, and kalanchoes to rebloom with some effort and luck. Christmas cactus and peace lily are relatively easy rebloomers.

People are discovering that colorful foliage plants require much less light than flowers to thrive, and can more easily serve the same purpose of brightening up a home in January and February.

Fittonia, draceana, dieffenbachia, croton, and calathea are among the new tropical plants that have gained intensified leaf colors and patterns at the hands of European breeders.

Not all foliage plants are easy. Rosemary and other herbs need a lot of light but are worth pampering until spring because you can harvest sprigs for winter cooking when fresh herbs are expensive, and plant them outside in May.

Ferns need humidity and don’t do well in homes in the winter. They won’t die. They just won’t grow happily until spring comes. A home humidifier will help dramatically, or you can plant them in a terrarium.

The average New England home in winter is as dry as the Kalahari Desert. Plants that can stand this include cactus, peace lilies, jade plants, kalanchoe, and ficus. Still, if your cat won’t let you pet her because of the static shocks, you probably should buy a humidifier and run it at night.

An alternative for humidifying houseplant is to place them on saucers or trays of pebbles. Every houseplant needs a saucer to catch runoff from the hole in the bottom of the pot when you water, but some people make the mistake of letting the extra water stay in the saucer, which means the roots in the bottom of the pot are sitting under water and will rot. Filling the saucer with pebbles solves two problems. You don’t have to dump the water out of the saucer after each watering (as long as it doesn’t rise to level of the bottom of the pot), and that extra water creates a microclimate of higher humidity around the plant as it evaporates. Any kind of pebbles will do.

Indoor varieties of azaleas need a lot of water. But you can keep them going for years. Put them outside in the summer, then bring them back indoors in the fall because they are not hardy, and they’ll flower again. Fertilize them every two to three weeks when they’re not flowering. They need a lot of light.

Rex begonias have multi-colored leaves and make an undemanding, long-term houseplant. They like bright light but not direct sunlight. The flowering begonias are Reiger begonias, and those, you treat like an annual. They will bloom for nine months. Keep the old flowers picked off and discard them when they stop blooming.

Cyclamen and gloxinias should be kept slightly moist in a cool room. The trick is that they need a dormant period. They bloom October to May. Then they’re green during the summer. Stop watering them the first of August and let them die back and place them in a cellar for two months of rest. Then bring them back up, take them out of the pots, shake off the old soil, repot and water. Then don’t water again until they sprout.

Amaryllis will also rebloom after a dormant period. They usually start off with one flower stalk and a few blossoms, but you can encourage a second stalk by cutting off each flower as it finishes. Then cut off the entire stalk when all the blooms have finished. Water it once a week and feed it with a houseplant fertilizer such as Peter’s 20-20-20 water soluble fertilizer every other time you water it for two or three months. Don’t keep it too wet or it will rot the bulb. While it’s blooming, put it wherever you want to show it off, but when it finishes blooming, but it in a sunny window. The leaves will get strappy. Cut them off when they turn yellow. Put it outdoors in the shade in late May and water it once in a while. Bring it inside in early fall and repot the bulb in the same pot with fresh potting medium, so that one-third of the bulbs stick out above the new potting soil. If it’s rested outdoors enough, you don’t need a dormant period indoors. Fertilize it twice a month and it may rebloom in January or February.

And if it doesn’t, take it on a one-way trip to the compost pile.

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ASK A MASTER GARDENER: Tips for planting a live Christmas tree

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December 29, 2013

ASK A MASTER GARDENER: Tips for planting a live Christmas tree

Anonymous


Weatherford Democrat
The Weatherford Democrat


Sun Dec 29, 2013, 08:56 AM CST

Here are this week’s gardening questions and answers, provided by Parker County Master Gardeners.To submit a question, send it to pcmgaquestions@gmail.com. For more information about Parker County Master Gardeners, or to become a member, call 817-598-6096 or visit www.pcmg-texas.org.

Do you have any suggestions for planting a living Christmas tree?

After Christmas, it is best to plant the tree in your landscape as soon as possible.

The hole you dig for the tree should be large enough to allow three to four inches of soil on all sides of the root ball. If the plant was balled and wrapped in burlap, the burlap should be loosened and any wire should be removed before planting.

Settle the tree into the hole and make sure that the planting depth is correct. The soil line on the tree should be level with the surface soil around the hole. Planting the tree deeper or shallower than the original planting will affect the health of the tree.

Do not amend the soil that is used to fill the hole. Plant roots will tend to stay in that nice, rich soil instead of reaching out beyond the hole into the surrounding area. The plant growth will be stunted as a result. Fill the hole three-quarters full, water the tree well and then finish filling. Do not mound the soil up onto the trunk.

Once planted, there are a few things you can do to keep it healthy. Water it deeply and regularly, allowing the soil to dry a little between watering. Add a thick layer of mulch to reduce weeds and conserve moisture.

Keep weeds and grass away from the tree as they will compete with the roots for nutrients. Wait to fertilize the tree until June or July. Planted in your landscape, these trees can add beauty throughout the year and serve as an outdoor Christmas tree year after year.

When should I prune my oak tree?

Now through the end of January is the time to prune oak trees. Oak wilt is a disease that has devastated the population of oak trees in North Central Texas. Live oaks, Spanish oaks, water oaks, black jack oaks, Shumard red oaks and other members of the red oak family are particularly susceptible.

The most important management strategy is to avoid pruning oaks during the growing season when sap-feeding beetles are active. The coldest part of winter is the safest time to prune. This recommendation is critical in preventing the spread of the oak wilt.







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Gardening Tips: Improving soil in winter for springtime plants

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Posted: Friday, December 27, 2013 11:26 am

Gardening Tips: Improving soil in winter for springtime plants

By Matt Stevens

The Daily Herald, Roanoke Rapids, NC

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Most homeowners in Halifax County who have spent anytime in the garden have the same complaint- the soil. If it’s not that heavy red clay that many homeowners have, it’s mostly sand. Very few homeowners have that ideal loamy soil that is equal parts sand, clay and silt. Therefore, amendment to the soil is often necessary to be successful with most plants. Although winter is upon us, let’s look at a couple things you can do during winter to improve your soil in springtime.

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Friday, December 27, 2013 11:26 am.

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Garden gift ideas

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(MCT) — You’re making your holiday shopping list and checking it twice, and here are some gift ideas for the gardeners – naughty or nice – in your life.

Best book

The new book “Gifts from the Garden” combines the beauty of the bounty with the skills of the crafter for the green-fingered DIYer who wants to make the most of harvests throughout the year. From the edible to the decorative, author Debora Robertson shows how to make a unique something for every occasion – potted bulbs in teacups, personalized seed packets, herbal teas, floral-scented lip balms and indulgent body scrubs. Using fruits, veggies and nuts, she shows how to make spice rubs and fresh pesto, chile jams and tomato chutneys – gifts from the heart of your kitchen. $24.95; www.amazon.com

Birdie treats

Give your best birding friends a basket of treats meant for their feathered friends. Fill a basket with a trio of special blends that include sunflower meats, peanuts, safflower and pecans or sunflower meats infused with fiery hot habanero chilies to keep the squirrels away. A nutberry blend combines all of nature’s best in one bag – fruits with insect suet kibbles and whole kernel sunflower meats. $12.99-$17.99 per 5-pound bag.

Or, stock a basket with a suet cake feeder and the cakes to go in it – $1.69-$1.99. Cole’s Wild Bird seeds and foods available at wildlife stores and garden centers; find a retailer at www.coleswildbird.com or 770-426-8882.

Gardenia goodness

No air freshener can compete with the sweet fragrance of a flowering gardenia. The Heavenly Scented Evergreen Gardenia brightens a room with its clear white blossoms, and comes in a golden sparkle ceramic container that’s about 7 inches tall and wide; plant care information is included, $59.95.

Jackson and Perkins; www.jacksonandperkins.com or 800-292-4769.

Classic wisdom

The 222nd edition of the 2014 Old Farmer’s Almanac entertains and inspires throughout the year. In addition to gardening tips and plant profiles, the periodical features pie recipes and then ideas on how to lose the pounds after eating all those homemade desserts, $6.99. The Old Farmer’s Almanac for Kids with magical pumpkins, towering beanstalks, Salsa princesses, buzzing hummingbirds, bug costumes and friendly farm animals, $9.95. Available at garden centers nationwide or www.almanac.com or 877-717-8924.

Wild wonderful

Cornell introduces young and old to the wonders of birding, including:

• “Cornell Guide to Bird Sounds: Master Set for North America.” This comprehensive guide features nearly 5,000 soundtracks for 735 North American bird species. Download includes MP3 sound files and photographs. $49.99, or get files pre-loaded on a flash drive, $64.99.

• “Cornell Guide to Bird Sounds: Essential Set for North America.” This set includes the most common sounds for 737 species in downloadable MP3 files, $12.99, or on a pre-loaded flash drive, $24.99.

– Cornell Lab Beginner Bird-watching Kit. This kit, available from Optics Planet, includes introductory binoculars recommended by lab staff, six months free access to a lab online bird ID course, and other great accessories, $199.

Available at www.birds.cornell.edu or 800-843-2573.

Easy does it

If flower-arranging makes you feel uneasy, the Easy Arranger removes all that anxiety. The elegant hand-woven wire grid is placed on top of a vase and gently pressed down around the outer edge. Each petal of the crown then serves as a compartment for a stem and guides the user to perfect placement. Add flowers between the wires to make flowers stay where you want them. The bendable, reusable and decorative grid in 5-, 6- and 8-inch diameter sizes, can be used over a variety of vases and other vessels. Holiday special, $6 from The Gardener’s Workshop; www.shoptgw.com or 888-977-7159.

Best weeder ever

Take out carpets of weeds in one swipe, using the Japanese hand hoe. Forged of high carbon steel, it maintains a sharp edge. Holiday special, $19.95, www.shoptgw.com or 888-977-7159.

Comfy, cute look

If the gardener on your list is a gal, Garden Girl USA’s trim-fitting gardening pants, $93.99, or capris, $89.99, might be the thing. Made of durable fabrics, with pockets galore, Garden Girl’s signature hip/waist stretch panels provide “give” in all the right places, making it easy to bend, lug, haul, squat or crawl through typical days in the garden. They’re also ideal for comfort when hiking, dog-walking, tending toddlers, cleaning, or bopping around town. Floral-patterned Wellington boots, $85.99, complete the look; www.GardenGirlUSA.com or 866-610-5459.

Rosy dreams

Treat your special gardening friend to a David Austin gift voucher. Request that the confirmation, complete with 120-page “Handbooks of Roses” catalog, come straight to you for gift-giving. The roses will be shipped in spring at the right time for planting as bare rootstock. Two beauties to ponder: Munstead Wood, a deep crimson rose, $27.95 each or three for $71.25, and yellow climber Golden Celebration, $25.99 each or three for $66. www.DavidAustinRoses.com or 800-328-8893.

Tweet time

Watching wild birds from the window is especially sweet in winter. For close encounters with interesting birds of all kinds, consider The Winner Multi-Purpose Window Feeder, $35.99, which attaches to the outside of windows with three suction cup mounts and holds up to ½ pound of seed, suet or fruit. Another possibility is Dorothy’s Cardinal Feeder, $59.99, designed to attach to a post or a hook; this 13-inch feeder is topped by a height-adjustable, 15-inch clear-view dome that protects birds and feed from weather, while warding off unwanted larger birds. www.DrollYankees.com or 800-352-9164.

Space saver

Easy access to organized gear is the dream of every gardener, athlete, outdoor enthusiast or homeowner with too little space. Boulder-based Studio-Shed.com offers pre-fabricated single room structures designed for use as garden sheds and storage, as well as backyard home offices, art and music studios and more. Cost for an 8-by-10 Studio Shed storage model with unfinished interior and block/metal siding starts at $6,300, plus installation and shipping, starting at $900 each. Less expensive Small Shed DIY Kits are also available.www.Studio-Shed.com or 888-900-3933.

Hand tool sets

The Gardeners Hand Tool Gift Set from Joseph Bentley contains the small tools that are used most often by gardeners of all skills – trowel, transplanting trowel and hand fork. All three tools have carefully finished solid oak wooden handles and polished stainless steel heads. The tools are presented in a wooden seed box and nestled in shaved wood, $39.99 in gardening stores and at HomeDepot.com, Amazon.com and Sears.com.

Cam time

The new WildlifeCam takes up-close and personal photos of the four-legged wildlife – and winged wildlife, too – that visit your yard. The motion-activated camera, high-resolution, 8-megapixel digital photos capture candid moments of wildlife in stunning, full-color detail. The built-in flash makes it possible to take photos of animals in low light – or even capture nighttime visitors such as raccoons, deer and other wildlife in the dark. In addition to the single photo mode, the cam can also make digital videos with sound, $99.95 at wildlife stores and at www.Wingscapes.com or 888-811-9464.

Stylish composter

The Green Cycler is a clean, odorless kitchen countertop solution that turns kitchen scraps into ‘black gold’ for the garden in a matter of days rather than weeks and months, $99-$139. www.thegreencycler.com or 855-432-6866.

Hummer heaven

Hummingbirds are territorial and will use this swing, with a shimmering copper finish, as a perch to watch over their food source, according to birding experts. Simply place this swing near feeders and enjoy watching them sit and swing. The red glass bead attracts hummingbirds, $16.99. National Wildlife Federation at www.nwf.org or 800-822-9919.

Holiday happiness

The bird seed wreath is perfect as a holiday treat for backyard birds. Made with black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, colored safflower and red millet, this 8 ½-inch wreath weighs a hearty 2¼ pounds, $19.99. National Wildlife Federation at www.nwf.org or 800-822-9919.

Welcome everyone

Welcome friends and family to your garden with a whimsical “Welcome to my garden” plaque. Handcrafted from 100 percent recycled aluminum and made in the USA, the sign measures 12 inches wide and 7 inches tall, ground stake included; two to four weeks for delivery, $39.99. National Wildlife Federation at www.nwf.org or 800-822-9919.

Upclose and personal

Get to know your feathered neighbors from inches away. Watch the birds as they build their nest and raise their young. Clear panel provides a great view and slides out for easy cleaning. Easily attaches, with suction cups, to the outside of a window. Made with natural cedar, rust-resistant hardware and heavy plexiglass, USA made, $21.99. National Wildlife Federation at www.nwf.org or 800-822-9919.

Fine feeder

Turn your fruit feeder into a piece of artwork for your backyard. This heavyweight feeder holds 2 fruits, such as apples, and gives the birds a place to perch. Made of long-lasting beautiful copper, $29.99. National Wildlife Federation at www.nwf.org or 800-822-9919.

Mason jar magic

Reminiscent of the vintage blue glass canning jars used in the 1800s, the Perky-Pet Mason Jar Collection brings rustic chic to any outdoor space. The three styles include a wild bird feeder, hummingbird feeder and wild bird waterer, $17.95-$19.95. www.birdfeeders.com or 855-PERKY-PET.

DIY goodie

Got kids or DIYers in the mix? Give them an ‘experience’ with NativeCast’s DIY planter kits. This eco-concrete container is perfect for crafters, DIY lovers, party favors, crafty kids, and stocking stuffers. The kit includes NativeCast’s custom eco-concrete mix, a mold, organic potting soil, and herb seeds, $15-$35 and up www.nativecast.com.

Living art

Topiaries created with moss and succulents are living art that delights anyone who loves animals and wildlife. From a life-size bull frog to a full-size giraffe, Gardens by Teresa in Yorktown, Va., can create it. Her online gardening shop also features handcrafted wire topiary frames that look nice on their own; custom topiary orders accepted.www.gardensbyteresa.com or 757-532-0080.


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How to make Flower Bouquets Last

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On Gardening: Tips for savvy seed shopping

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Every time I’ve opened my mailbox the last couple weeks, I’ve been greeted with seed catalogs. I’m not an avid reader, but seed catalogs really get my attention. They get the attention of my family as well. As I start making my selections, sharing my excitement over the seeds of a cucumber grown in West Virginia for more than 150 years, I remember there’s a drawer full of flower and vegetable seeds in the refrigerator, and in the trunk of my car.

There are seeds in the bottom of my purse.

The reason I have a surplus of vegetable seeds is that I tend to order seeds based on the pictures. I see something unusual or pretty and forget to read the description or even do a little research on the seed in question.

But this year I’m choosing more carefully and following my own advice:

Grow what you know. This is especially true of vegetable seeds. I have a few standbys that do well for me every year (provided no unnatural weather conditions come along) — Cherokee Purple and Better Boy tomatoes, scalloped summer squash (also called pattypan squash) and Clemson Spineless okra. It is easy to get wrapped up in growing something new. Adding and trying new items is one of the most fascinating things about gardening. But varieties that have produced well in the past deserve center stage. We all like to see the fruits of our labor.

Grow varieties suitable for your region. This has gotten me in trouble in the past. Seed companies offer plant material grown all over the United States and across the globe. But the climate in Alabama is not the same as the climate in Oregon, Maine or the mountains of North Carolina. It usually gets hot quickly here so when selecting summer seeds, be they heirloom or hybrid, look for heat-tolerant varieties. I once made the mistake of ordering the oddest looking tomato I’d ever seen with hopes of having a tomato unlike anyone else around. My hopes turned to ketchup as the heirloom tomatoes grown in the northwest region of the country succumbed to our heat and humidity. Read the descriptions. Some catalogs offer warnings such as “Not for southeast U.S.” Realize that veggies that say “Matures well in cool temperatures” may not make it through a summer in Alabama, but could produce well in Iowa.

Order on time. I would rather get seeds weeks earlier than I need them as opposed to arriving weeks later. Last year several annual and perennial flower seeds arrived a little late and had to be stored for planting this year. I see no problem with planting them a year later, but germination rates do decrease with time — especially if not stored properly. Some companies ship seeds and other plant material at specific times. In a recent catalogue, I saw wonderful pictures of these red potatoes but orders were not shipped to the southern U.S. until mid March. I try to plant potatoes a little earlier than that if I can so buying locally is a better choice for me. Pay attention to the local planting dates, especially if buying live plants, slips, bulbs — any material that cannot be stored, and make sure they ship when you want to plant them.

Share seed orders. I buy a lot of plants locally, but there are some that only available by ordering the seeds. Many catalogs offer bulk seed orders — going in with friends, family and other gardeners will help save on seed costs and spread the joy of gardening together. And sharing seeds is a much better idea than ordering too much. Again, germination rates decrease over time so it’s best not to keep seeds for several years.

This year I have great intentions of saving more seeds from heirloom plants — less money to spend the following year and more plants to share. Maybe next Christmas everyone will get cucumber seeds … yes, I ordered them.

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Experts serve up tips for keeping dinnerware company-ready

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Silverware

Most of us store away our silver and silver-plated flatware for most of the year and take it out for only the most special of occasions.

Rory Richmond has a different idea.

Use your silver, said Richmond, who manages silver fulfillment operations at Replacements Ltd. Silver develops a patina with handling and use, which improves its appearance and gives it character, he said. That patina actually comes from tiny scratches in the surface that create a soft finish.

In addition, exposure to air causes oxidation, which produces a desirable darkening in the little crevices of the pattern. That darkening makes the design stand out more, Richmond said.

When you do use your silver, wash it immediately after use, and wash it well, he said. It’s particularly important to remove salt and citrus, which can damage silverware – especially silver plate, because it has just a thin layer of silver over a metal base. Mayonnaise, vinegar and eggs can also be problematic.

Don’t let silver soak in water for a long time, he cautioned. The water is corrosive and can also loosen the glue used to attach handles.

He recommended hand washing, because the heat of a dishwasher can damage the silver over time and loosen glue. And as with china, avoid detergents with citrus. The invisible residue they leave can cause rust, he said.

Use a soft cloth to wash the silver and dry it immediately with another soft cloth to prevent water spots.

If you’re storing silver long-term, use felt bags or a silver chest with a tarnish-resistant lining. Don’t store silver in airtight containers.

To polish silver, the company recommends starting by dusting with a lint-free cloth or soft toothbrush, and then washing. Dry each piece thoroughly, and use a blow dryer on a low setting to dry hard-to-reach places.

Apply a top-quality silver polish in a gentle, circular motion, and let the pieces sit according to the polish instructions before removing the polish with a lint-free cloth. Wash and dry each piece thoroughly to remove any excess polish.

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