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Gardening Tips: Many problems come with lots of wet weather

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Posted: Friday, August 16, 2013 11:31 am

Gardening Tips: Many problems come with lots of wet weather

By Matthew Stevens

The Daily Herald, Roanoke Rapids, NC

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Because of the wet weather we had for most of spring and early summer, this has been a difficult year on plants.

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Daffodil Planting along Marathon Route

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Posted by Carol Stocker, who will answer your garden questions live on line this Thursday 1-2 p.m.
Marathon Daffodils is a collaboration of nonprofit organizations, gardeners, cities and towns, organizations, businesses, and citizens interested in preserving the spirit of the Boston Marathon and Boston Strong, while embracing the tradition of celebrating the arrival of Spring to Boston.

Some of Massachusetts top horticultural organizations, partnering with communities and volunteers plan to plant daffodils along the 26.5 mile Boston Marathon route, to create a new event “Marathon Daffodils.” Tower Hill Botanic Garden, The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, New England Wildflower Society, The Garden Club Federation, The Town of Brookline Parks, The Charles River Conservancy, the Master Gardeners and other groups have agreed to collaborate. The goal is to raise $1000 per mile for a total of $26,500 from Hopkinton to Boston.

“We want to do something to lift the spirits of the community, in support of Boston Marathon 2014 and Boston Strong,” said Diane Valle, volunteer and organizer.

“We are excited to participate,” said Kathy Abbott, Executive Director of Tower Hill Botanic Garden, “because we believe Marathon Daffodils represent Spring and rebirth. This is a great community building opportunity.”

Plans include outreach to supporters and volunteers from young to old; and novices to Master Gardeners; to plant daffodils. “Marathon Daffodil” donations are welcome, sent to The Cooperative Bank, 201 Main Street, Charlestown, MA 02129. Without contributions this project will not be possible.

“With your support, the planting of daffodils is to commence in October. We hope you do what you can to rally the private homeowners to follow our lead and plant daffodils” said Kathy Thomas, Former Garden Club Federation President and horticultural activist.

For more information: contact Diane Valle, Marathondaffodils@gmail.com 617.791-5663

What can Master Gardeners and Garden Club members do?
Help raise funds to make the project possible.
Help with the distribution and planting of bulbs.
Help by contacting your friends and neighbors forward the press-release.
If you know a business that may want to donate fund please share our mission.
Volunteer to coordinate a specific planting location with youth groups.
Help find students in need of community service to help plant.
If you live in a town along the route getting planted, help coordinate with the DPW Town Officials.

Filed Under: gardening tips

Clive Edwards and his tips for gardening in December

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Make the most of the break in the rain to prepare your garden for winter says Clive Edwards

AFTER the heavy rainfall last week, there’s not much to do in the garden but one of the jobs you can get around to doing is placing a tarpaulin over the area to be dug and securing it to the ground with heavy stones.

Then when the weather does get a bit drier, pull the tarpaulin back and turn over the ground incorporating manure, moving the tarpaulin back a few more yards, and this way you can carry on with your winter digging.

Brussels sprouts should be ready for picking now and if you staked them earlier in the season, check stakes to make sure they are keeping the sprouts upright.

Leeks should also be about ready, just take what you need and leave the rest to stand until required. Leeks are much better harvested from the garden as they are required but in severe weather this can be difficult, so you can lift a few and heel them in on well dug ground as this will not freeze solid.

Protect any outside taps by wrapping insulation around them. Bubble wrap is ideal. If you have a garden hose, take it in and store making sure you drain off any remaining water.

Roses can now be cut back by half or so to stop them being damaged in the wind, any leaves with black spot on can be picked up and destroyed. Do not put them in the compost bin.

This is also the best time to catch up on all the jobs you were meaning to do in the summer months such as clearing paths of moss and lichen, treating timber with preservative, repairing fences and checking sheds. You can clean and repair your garden tools and check the lawn mower. If you have a petrol mower, make arrangements for a service. Any petrol mowers with unleaded petrol should be drained off as unleaded petrol will not last until next spring.

House plants won’t need so much watering now that the days are shortening. Cacti need very little watering or feeding over the winter, just keep them barely moist until spring.

You may be given a cyclamen plant which appreciates a cool, light room. Water into a saucer, not the top of the pot to avoid wetting the leaves and corm, which can easily result in rot and fungal infections.

Christmas cacti may fail to produce flower buds if the temperature is too high. Try moving the cactus into a cooler space away from artificial night lighting.

Hyacinths like a cool, bright space, if it’s too warm you will have more leaves than flowers.

Water azaleas regularly with rainwater not tap water, and keep in a cool room.

Poinsettias are susceptible to the cold. Avoid buying them from outdoor stalls on cold days and keep them in a warm, draught-free room.

Seed catalogues will be dropping through the letterbox, make a list of what you want to grow, have a look at something different or unusual and keep a small area in your flower garden or vegetable plot vacant.

Now is the time to drop hints to family and friends for Christmas presents. A good, warm jumper is always welcome when working outdoors, and a thermal cup to keep your tea warm, or maybe garden centre vouchers.

Ask Clive

Q Are there any garden plants that are poisonous to dogs?

A There are many, many plants that are toxic to dogs, cats and humans, including lots of widely grown favourites. It is perhaps more important to know which are appealing to pets, because they look like they might make a decent meal. So while foxgloves are toxic, dogs are less likely to eat them than a daffodil bulb which looks like a bit of fat or bone. Also watch out for the toxic seed pods of castor oil plants, cherry laurel fruits and lily bulbs all of which dogs might mistake for titbits.

Q Is it OK to harvest rhubarb in its first year?

Rhubarb, like most plants, uses its leaves to produce the food it requires to develop a strong root system. This in turn will encourage the development of lots of tasty stalks. Don’t harvest in the first year and take only a few stalks over a one to two week period in year two. From year three you can harvest regularly.

Quote

Sisters are different flowers

From the same garden

Filed Under: gardening tips

Gardening & More: Gardening tips gleaned from local garden walks

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BUFFALO — Chatting with gardeners is a great way to get tips you can use, in your own garden. When you go on garden walks, don’t be shy; strike up a conversation with the homeowner. Here are three tips I picked up, on recent garden walks.

Don’t let your coleus plant grow flowers
Luis Martinez and Jeff Wilson of West Delavan Avenue, Buffalo, are among the gardeners who loved using impatiens flowers in shady areas—that is, until the plants were killed last year, by downy mildew.

There is no treatment for that plant disease and it can return for years, so they had to find something different, for those shady areas.

This year, for a pop of color they chose coleus, using plants with colored leaves.

Here’s Wilson’s tip: Don’t let your coleus flower. Pinch off the flower and the plant will get fuller.

Bonus tip: Don’t throw away the part you pinched off. Place it in water or even directly in the soil and it should root.

Get free plants from demolition sites
When a house or other building is being razed, the land is often bulldozed and scraped, destroying wonderful flowers, shrubs, vines and bulbs in the process.

Elise Fila of Williamsville said she doesn’t like to see those plants go to waste, so she rescues them.

“We get in there with our shovels and dig things out before they’re totally history,” Fila said.

She finds out about demolition sites from a friend who does construction, or she simply stumbles across the sites.

Fila always tries to get permission from the construction workers or the owner of the land. Sometimes she is asked to sign a waiver, saying she won’t sue if she gets hurt, while she’s on the property.

“They’re afraid of lawsuits,” Fila said. “That’s all they’re really worried about. They don’t care if you take the plants. They don’t want them. They’re going to destroy them, anyway.”

Take trowels and shovels for digging, she advised, as well as buckets and recycling bins, to hold the plants.

She’s on the beautification committee in Williamsville, so she uses the plants she rescues in the village parks, as well as her own garden.

Choose a color scheme
You can choose a color scheme for your entire garden or just one section.

Barb Rudnicki of Reserve Road in West Seneca planted a patriotic grouping of clematis on her fence. One plant was red, one was white and one was blue. The clematis was blooming just in time to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Note: The blue clematis was purplish and the red clematis was on the pink side, but when you saw them together it was obvious what she was going for.

Consider planting flowers in the colors of your favorite school colors or sports team.

Next time you meet a gardener, start a conversation. You don’t know what great information you’ll discover, that you can apply to make your own garden the most unique display in the neighborhood.

Connie Oswald Stofko is publisher of Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com, the online gardening magazine for Western New York. Email Connie@BuffaloNiagaraGardening.com.

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Daffodil Planting along Marathon Route

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“We want to do something to lift the spirits of the community, in support of Boston Marathon 2014 and Boston Strong,” said Diane Valle, volunteer and organizer.

For more information: contact Diane Valle, Marathondaffodils@gmail.com 617.791-5663

Filed Under: gardening tips

Gardening Tip – 17th August

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Gardening Tip – 17th August

17/08/2013 , 9:57 AM by Peter Riley

Worried about unwanted insects destorying all your hard work in the garden? John Gabriele has some tips to help you out

Download GARDENING TIP 17 AUG

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Looking After Your Garden During Monsoon

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During the monsoon season, there are many things which gardeners do not follow. This in turn gives rise to en number of problems in your garden. Today, we have give you eight monsoon gardening tips which should be followed in order for your garden to look luscious and green. It is true that the monsoon season is a great time to make new additions to your garden. But, what if you are not following simple tips to make your garden look beautiful? Thus, we advise you to plan for this monsoon season so that your garden thrives the whole year.

You need not worry about the monsoon cloud which is looming over your city if you simply follow these monsoon gardening tips. Some expert gardeners believe that the best way to get through the rainy season is by making use of every tip you come across in order to keep your garden looking great.

Monsoons are the best time of the year for those who love gardening since you can see your plants soak in the moisture, grow faster and bloom in all its glory.

Here are some of the best tips for monsoon gardening

Weeds – It is during the monsoon season where you get to see a lot of weeds growing in your garden. Rainfall causes easy growth of some unnecessary plants in the soil like that of weeds. These weeds can tamper with the nourishment of your useful plants. Therefore, it is very important to frequently pull out the weeds during the monsoon season.

Trimming – The monsoon season marks the presence of gory winds which can simply cause damage to the long branches of your fruit trees. Therefore one of the most important tip for monsoon gardening is to trim the plants during the season.

Algae growth – One of the most common sights gardeners often come across is the patches of green algae on the soil surfaces of the garden. This indicates trouble if you ignore it as algae rotten the plant. Therefore, constantly check your plants regularly during the monsoon season.

Light – It is very rare to see a ray of sunshine during the rainy season. If you have a potted garden, keep them in the sun whenever there is a dash of sunshine. They need some amount of sunshine to grow. You can also provide artificial light to the indoor plants by using additional light source.

Fertilizers – There are en number of natural fertilizers which are organic in nature and can be used on garden plants. The soil in monsoon gardens should at all times be well enriched. Make sure you use only natural fertilizers for your garden plants or backyard.

Water logging – One of the key monsoon gardening tips you need to follow is, never allow water logging. You need to drain out the additional water to avoid lose soil in the plants.

Insects – It is a known fact that during the monsoon season there are a lot of insects which is a real menace to plants. One of the best monsoon gardening tips is to allow frogs and toads in your garden to keep your garden free from insects.

Watering the garden- There is enough water already. There is no necessity of watering your garden during the monsoon season.

These are some of the monsoon gardening tips if you have a backyard garden or a terrace garden.

Filed Under: gardening tips

Early August gardening tips

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This has been a trying growing season to date with periods of excessive high temperatures to excessive moisture often causing growing problems. In terms of lawn care, some problems to be on the lookout for include fungus problems like Brown Patch, Red Thread and leaf spot diseases. Cooperative Extension can help identify some of these fungus problems. If isolated to certain areas in the lawn you might be able to treat with registered fungicides for some control following exact instructions on product label. If total lawn is heavily involved, perhaps a lawn care company might be needed.

When we face dry periods, if you water your lawn, always water before 5 p.m. so that the lawn dries before sun set as late evening watering fosters growth of fungus problems. This holds true for flowers, vegetables and shrubs as well.

Grubs in the lawn are a major problem this year as the Japanese beetle adults, who are munching on your raspberries, grapes, and other plants, will testify! These beetles are just one type of grub. Before you attempt any treatment, do a sampling to discover the extent of the grubs in your lawn. Simply dig out a one square foot section of sod in few spots and count the number of grubs present-if the number is less than eight, you probably don’t have to treat. But if more than eight grubs are counted per square foot, then treatment with a grub killing product is necessary to limit feeding damage to the turf. Please remember, as with all pesticide products, to read product labels very closely and apply accordingly.

In terms of home pesticide use, when chemical pesticide products are thought necessary to use, always read product labels to be sure you are purchasing the right products. Cooperative Extension can be of assistance with this. A big factor in this is to use registered chemicals as a last resort for pest (insect, disease, weed, rodent) control and all other attempted measures have not given results. When using pesticides in the summer, it is crucial to avoid making applications when temperatures exceed 80 degrees. In terms of applying weed control products to lawns at temperatures above 80, the products can give off a vapor that can drift upward causing tree leaf damage or drift to nearby flowers or shrubs.

When purchasing pesticide products, especially liquid products, purchase the smallest amount possible to help limit winter storage problems. When applying weed control products, always dedicate a separate sprayer for application since you can never totally wash herbicides from sprayers and the residue remaining in tank could cause harm to plants that might be sprayed when applying other products.

Summer pruning is a practice many gardeners follow. This season, with the ample moisture conditions earlier, seemed to cause several bursts of growth for plants. However, use caution in pruning at this time of year and lightly prune to keep some plants in bounds and avoid extensive pruning practices. Extensive pruning is best performed when plants are in the dormant state in late winter to early spring.

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Scotland’s most magical walled gardens

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Lindsay’s garden had disappeared beneath 19th-century borders, so Historic
Scotland reconstructed a 17th-century parterre, framed by knee-high hedges
of box. The mottoes of Sir David Lindsay and his wife are spelt out in box
around four wedge-shaped beds planted with roses. Chequerboards of box
reflect the pattern of the walls, while in triangular corner beds, dwarf box
is clipped into two thistles, a rose and a fleur-de-lis to represent the
Union of the Crowns in 1603.

Edzell Castle, Edzell, Angus (01356 648631; historic-scotland.gov.uk).
Open every day, April 1 to September 30, 9.30am-5.30pm.

Kellie Castle in Fife

_{PIC: ANDREA JONES}

The Firth of Forth can be glimpsed from Kellie Castle in Fife, a splash of
blue beyond its stone walls. The Scottish architect Sir Robert Lorimer spent
his childhood here, his late-19th-century restoration of castle and garden
inspiring his subsequent work at Earlshall, Hill of Tarvit and Formakin. To
a 17th-century framework he added a central walkway, a summer house and
corner gardens, creating a compactly pretty Arts and Crafts garden.

On a central lawn, encircled by a seat, stands an ancient apple tree. From
there paths of grass and gravel lead out, flanked by lichened fruit trees
and vegetable beds interplanted with flowers. Structure is given by box
edging, by yew enclosing a stone bowl carved by Hew Lorimer, by cordons of
pears and fan-trained apples, and by kiwis, figs and peaches on the
south-facing walls.

Kellie Castle, Pittenweem, Fife (0844 493 2184; nts.org.uk).
Garden open all year, 9.30am-6pm (or dusk if earlier).

Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute (main pic, top)

On the other side of Scotland, Mount Stuart, ancestral home of the Bute
family, stands on the Isle of Bute, its 18th-century landscape garden and
lime tree avenue sloping down to the Clyde. The kitchen garden was built in
the 1870s, at the same time as the red sandstone Gothic palace that replaced
a Georgian mansion destroyed by fire. Along its south-facing wall are
trained plums and damsons above a border of lavenders and sage. It is
enclosed on the other three sides by beech hedges; these green walls shelter
planting that thrives in the gravelly peat.

The remodelling of the Victorian garden by Rosemary Verey in 1990 was
triggered by the 6th Marquess’s purchase of a large glass pavilion from the
1988 Glasgow Garden Festival. She surrounded it with box beds to echo the
pattern of the paths through the adjacent pinetum, with vegetables laid out
within in parallel lines. Above the pavilion are two fruit cages in beech
hedge compartments, while below are an orchard of apples, pears and
cherries, and a simple grass labyrinth.

Tender plants from around the world are grown inside the glass pavilion.

In 2000, James Alexander-Sinclair sensibly softened the garden’s harder edges
by turning several vegetable beds into herbaceous borders for a bravura
August display of chrysanthemums, dahlias, grasses and foliage.

Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute (01700 503877; mountstuart.com).
Open from April to October 31, 10am-6pm.

Cambo Gardens, Fife

_{PIC: ANDREA JONES}

By contrast with Mount Stuart’s strict geometry, the two-and-a-half-acre
walled garden at Cambo in the East Neuk of Fife is a place of mystery, with
winding paths and hidden seats. It is given rare charm by its burn, which
tumbles headlong to the sea, jumping over waterfalls and beneath the
Georgian, rose-clad, wrought-iron bridges that predate the early-1800s
garden. The Erskines have owned the estate since 1668, although the house
was rebuilt after a fire in 1878. House and garden are separated by
woodland, carpeted in February by the snowdrops for which Cambo is famous.

Sir Peter Erskine came to the helm in 1976, and his wife, Catherine, has
developed the snowdrop business and transformed the walled garden. Instead
of serried rows of dahlias, bedding plants, fruit and vegetables, Catherine
and head gardener Elliott Forsyth have created a garden for all seasons,
mastering the art of successive flowering, yet with a climax in August and
September. Relaxed and naturalistic planting combines the best of modern
design with an underlying sense of tradition. A nepeta walk slices through
the garden, with alliums, hardy geraniums and roses scrambling over old
apple trees. The dazzling ornamental potager is laid out in a flowing mix of
vegetables, annuals and perennials.

A new Prairie Garden, with North American species grown at Cambo from seed,
links the walled garden to the Georgian stables, soon to be restored with
Heritage Lottery funding.

Cambo, St Andrews, Fife (01333 450054; camboestate.com).
Open daily, 10am-5pm. Free tours every Tuesday, March to October.

Castle of Mey, Caithness

_{PIC: ALAMY}

This garden, on the tip of the mainland, faces due north over the Pentland
Firth. Salt winds whip in from the sea, yet there is a warm microclimate in
this two-acre garden that would not exist were it not shielded by a 15ft
wall and tucked into the lee of the castle.

When the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother bought Mey in 1952, the garden
was a wilderness, which she reclaimed, paying her last visit only five
months before her death. Her favourite place was a south-facing bench in the
Shell Garden overlooking rose beds and nasturtiums, growing up like a hedge
of colour. She knew the name and place of every plant, and changes were made
at the gardeners’ peril.

Morning and Chilean glory are trained up inside the greenhouse, while outside
a ledge is filled with tubs of trailing lobelia, petunias and helichrysum,
and annuals are planted beneath in summer. Honeysuckle, clematis and
buddleia clamber over arches, and wall-backed beds are a mass of herbaceous
perennials.

Working rather than merely ornamental vegetable beds are rotated on a three to
four-yearly basis, and fruit cages are filled with raspberries,
strawberries, gooseberries and currants. The down-to-earth practicality of
this garden belies its royal ownership.

Castle of Mey, Thurso, Caithness (01847 851473; castleofmey.org.uk).
Open from May 1 to September 30, 10am-5pm.

• Tips
for creating your own walled garden

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Gardening Tips: Wait until fall to relocate Yellow Jackets

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Posted: Friday, August 9, 2013 11:36 am

Gardening Tips: Wait until fall to relocate Yellow Jackets

By Matthew Stevens

The Daily Herald, Roanoke Rapids, NC

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0 comments

Last month I wrote about Ask an Expert app through www.extension.org.

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Gardening Tips: Many problems come with lots of wet weather

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Daffodil Planting along Marathon Route

Clive Edwards and his tips for gardening in December

Gardening & More: Gardening tips gleaned from local garden walks

Daffodil Planting along Marathon Route

Gardening Tip – 17th August

Gardening Tip – 17th August

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Looking After Your Garden During Monsoon

Early August gardening tips

Scotland’s most magical walled gardens

Gardening Tips: Wait until fall to relocate Yellow Jackets

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