By Carol Stocker
The Garden Club of America is helping to fund a 3300 square foot native shrub garden which will be planted June 2 at the Trailside Museum in Milton by the Milton Garden Club.

The New England Wild Flower Society grew the trees and shrubs and made a selection based on native plants found in New England woods, that create food and habitat for birds. If you are interested in doing this kind of planting yourself, here’s their list:

Amelanchier canadensis, shadblow tree, two, berries, 25×15.

Aronia arbutifolia, two, berries 6×6 (suckers)

Aronia melancarpa, two, berries 4×6 (suckers)

Cercis candensis var candensis, redbud, two, 25 x 25

Clethra ainifolia Hummingbird, 3×5

Cornus florida Heritage, a GCA anthracnose resistant selection.

Hamamelis virginiana, suckers, likes a moist spot, 15 x 2

Hydrangea arborescens Annabell, wants shade, 4×6 (from Missouri)

Ilex glabra Compacta, five, moisture, evergreen, 4×5

Ilex verticillata, Southern Gentleman, pollinator male, 9×9

Ilex verticillatam Winter Red, three females, bright red berries, 7×7

Kalmia angustifolia Kennebago, sheep laurel, moist, likes peatmoss, 2×4

Kalmia latifolia Carousel, two, mountain laurel, evergreen, likes moisture and rocks, 10×10

Salix discolor, pussy willow, catkins in late winter, suckers, 10×15

Sanbucus candensus, three,berries, including one dark leaved, 9×9

Viburnum acerifolium, suckers, two, berries, 5×5

Vaccinium corymbosum, highbush blueberry, berries, seven, two kinds for cross pollination, 7×7

Viburnum dentatum, straight branches used for Indian arrows, hence the name arrowwood, two, berries, 8×10

Don’t have 3300 square feet? Proven Winners, the company that has introduced so many high performance annual flowers for containers, has been expanding into shrubs bred for compactness for backyard gardens.

They are introducing two new varieties of Arrowwood Viburnums that only grow to 5X5, called “All That Glitters” and “All That Glows.” The reason for two different varieties is so they can cross pollinate and produce loads of the gorgeous blue berries that are so popular with birds. This is a great way to attract birds to your yard in a small space and would make an ecologically sound foundation planting. And they are deer resistant.

To clear up any confusion, these are not our native New England arrowwood, V. dentatnum, but a south eastern plant called limerock arrowwood, or V. baracteatum. But it is cold hardy here, and is endangered in the wild. And it seems to do ok in our acid soil, too.

Other new shrubs being introduced these years by Proven Winners includes a yellow needled minature arborvitae, Filip’s Magic Moment, which could substitute for Dwarf Alberta Spruce if you have a couple of yours that have outgrown their containers. There is also a new Spirea (yawn!) called Glow Girl with lime foliage that is 4×4, which still seems too big for me – I’d like to see a really small one. And of course PW has a new version of the ever popular blue reblooming Hydrangea Macrophylla. Let’s Dance Blue Rhapsody blooms amethyst blue and stays small enough for gardens (3×3).

• 
  Gardening on a budget

Someday, I want my home’s yard to look like the gardens at Versailles Palace. The only problem is I’ve got an orchid taste on a petunia pocketbook.

Some of my horticultural dreams can wait until my Powerball ship comes in. But in the meantime there are some practical methods for planting more without spending more.

I am not suggesting that we all begin gardening on the cheap, which could be detrimental to our greenhouse growers. We need local growers, and they are well-worth every dollar we spend. Can you imagine trying to request North Dakota’s Sheyenne Tomato from retailers whose buying decisions are made in a corporate office in Arkansas or Mississippi?

As always, I’m suggesting that we increase our gardening, landscaping and flower planting to make our homes ever more beautiful. If budgets are tight, we still can accomplish increased plantings with relatively easy horticultural practices.

Annual flowers. Make the usual purchases for flower beds at the usual date. But for some additional large, eye-catching annual beds, we might find some clearance prices in late May and early June. Greenhouses may be long on certain types and run sales.

We also can get more mileage from annuals by stretching the planting distances a bit. If the directions indicate 6 inches to 12 inches apart, the wider spacing usually works fine, and a larger flowerbed can be created with the same number of plants.

Perennial flowers. When buying, look for plants with multiple shoots arising from the basal crown. They often can be immediately divided, yielding two or three plants.

This division can be done using a sharp knife or shears, cutting down through the root mass. I’ve found another method that I prefer. Submerge the soil/rootball in a large bucket of water. The soil will loosen and begin to wash away, allowing you to carefully pull the intertwined roots apart and separate the plantlets. Keep the roots in water and plant immediately, followed by a thorough soaking.

Older established perennials can be divided to increase your own plantings or share with friends and neighbors.

There’s a neat rule of thumb for remembering the proper seasons for division. Divide during the season farthest from the bloom season. For example, peonies bloom in late spring/early summer, so dig and divide in September. Tall Plox paniculata blooms in mid to late summer, so dig and divide in spring as new growth begins.

Flowers in containers. Rather than crowding outdoor planters for an immediate full-grown look, use fewer plants per pot. Each will enjoy a little more room to develop, and the extra plants can fill an additional container.

Trees. There is an old saying: “The best time to plant an oak tree was 30 years ago. The second best time is this morning.” Gardening teaches patience. Daughter Sara planted an acorn behind our home 20 years ago this fall. Today, the oak tree is a beautiful, straight-trunked 25-foot-tall feature. Sara is a beautiful recent college grad, but less than 25 feet tall. The acorn was free.

If a $200 10- foot potted tree is out of the financial question, maybe a 6- foot $49 specimen is for you. The smaller tree usually will establish quicker and soon surpass the “gotta have it now” size.

Shrubs. Planting too closely is a common landscape mistake because plants look so cute when they are small. Check labels for mature width, then space accordingly. For the same expenditure, you can space farther and develop a wider, larger shrub planting.

Lawns. Taller mowing height of 3 inches will reduce weed competition, and reduce the cost and overuse of weed-killers. Allowing clippings to filter into the lawn instead of bagging adds nutrients to the soil, which is the equivalent of one fertilizer application per year. We just saved the cost of one fertilizing, and avoided a trip to the yard waste collection site.

Do not scrimp on lawn seed prices. Bargain seed often contains a high percentage of annual rye grass, which grows rapidly but dies over winter.

Vegetable gardens. I usually seed lettuce, radishes and carrots too thickly, which results in the wasteful need to “thin” the rows as the seedlings grow. This year, I promised myself to seed more thinly at planting time. As a result, the seed packet planted extra feet of row.

About sales. During our 20 memory-filled years in the greenhouse, Mary and I chuckled a bit when certain customers would annually question “When is this going on sale?”

End-of-season sales can help growers turn overages into cash and give gardeners bargains. But during the peak of the season, certain prices are needed to meet expenses and keep things profitable.

We are “Growing Together,” and we all need one another.

This column was written exclusively for The Forum.

Don Kinzler writes a weekly yard and gardening column in SheSays. Readers can reach him at donkinzler@msn.com.

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More from around the web

From Country Living gardening editor Stephanie Donaldson:

Garden care

● Dig up any self-sown seedlings that might be useful elsewhere or would make good presents.
● Enjoy the roses; they’re at their best this month. Read all you need to know about growing roses
● Deadhead roses and border flowers regularly to encourage more blooms to grow during the summer.
● Take cuttings of sage and rosemary.
● Take cuttings from daphnes. Pot 7.5cm non-flowering shoot cuttings into free-draining gritty compost.
● Divide and repot auriculas into soil-based compost.
● Sprinkle fish, blood and bone feed over the surrounding soil after the last cut of the asparagus.
● Clear weeds and grasses from around fruit trees and mulch after rain.
● Towards the end of the month, pinch out the tips of dahlias.
● Keep the atmosphere in the greenhouse moist to avoid problems with red-spider mite.
● If the weather is dry, raise the blades of the lawnmower for a longer cut. This will help conserve moisture and keep the lawn looking green.
● In dry weather, water containers and young plants in the evening so they can absorb the moisture overnight.
● Stand houseplants outdoors in gentle summer rain to clean them.

In the greenhouse

● Open the doors and windows wide for good air circulation, and use blinds or shading on sunny days to prevent scorching.

Fruit and veg

● Plant out runner beans, courgettes, squash and pumpkins.
● Harvest herbs before they flower to promote more leafy growth.
● Spray tomato flowers with water to encourage the fruit to set.
● Plant out pumpkins once frost risk has passed.
● Plant out Brussels sprouts and other winter brassicas, plus leeks.
● Plant out vegetables such as courgettes, squash and tomatoes.
● Plant main-crop carrots to avoid root fly, and erect a plastic barrier to protect them later in the season.
● Earth up potatoes.
● Scatter straw around strawberry plants and protect them from birds.
● Sow your final pea crop at the end of the month.
● Plant main-crop carrots and protect from root fly
● Plant tender vegetables, such as tomatoes and courgettes, in their final positions
● Pick gooseberries firstly as thinnings for stewing
● Feed asparagus with a mixture of fish, blood and bone after the final cut

Pruning

● Prune established spring-flowering shrubs by removing one third of the oldest stems and trimming back the remaining branches to a neat shape
● Prune established cherry, almond and plum trees, removing dead, dying and diseased wood.
● Thin apples and pears if the trees have set a heavy crop, leaving well-positioned fruit to mature.
● Summer-prune figs by pinching out young shoots to six or seven leaves to encourage fruiting next year
● Cut back flowered stems from early flowering summer shrubs such as Deutzia and philadelphus.
● Prune non-fruiting laterals on grapevines to five leaves, and fruiting laterals to two leaves beyond the cluster

Planting and sowing

● Collect seeds from foxgloves, forget-me-nots, hellebores and aquilegia and sow while still fresh.
● Plant out morning glories, but try to avoid root disturbance, which they hate.
● Successional-sow salads and herbs
● Sow rocket, basil and coriander.
● Sow zinnias in fibre pots to avoid root disturbance when planting out.

From Prima gardening expert Ann-Marie Powell:

● Apply or top up mulches in your flowerbeds and containers.
● Water your plants in hot spells. A good soak every couple of days will be more beneficial than frequent quick sprinkles.
● Fill gaps in your borders.
● Tie in climbing and rambling roses as near to horizontal as possible. This will restrict sap flow, causing more side shoots to grow along the length of the stem. That way, more flowers will be produced.
● Sow French, broad and runner beans, peas, squash, sweetcorn and outdoor cucumbers directly into prepared beds outside.
● Hoe off weeds between crops in the vegetable garden.
● Pinch out the shoot tips on summer bedding to encourage strong, bushy plants.
● Thin out early sowings in the vegetable garden. 
● Clean out pond filters.
● A high-potash liquid fertiliser will feed annual bedding, tomatoes and perennials.
● Check regularly for pests and diseases. Look out for aphids on soft new growth, spraying them off with a strong jet of water, squashing or picking them by hand, or use a suitable insecticide (including soft soap).
● Net soft fruits.
● Put greenhouse and conservatory plants outside.
● Put straw around strawberries.
● Trim back early-flowering herbaceous geraniums to encourage a second flush of bloom.
● Plant up summer containers and hanging baskets.
● Sow calabrese, beetroot, carrot, kale, Swiss chard, lettuce, radish, kohlrabi, peas, spinach and turnip.
● Start deadheading summer bedding and perennials.
● Plant young tomato plants outside if you haven’t already.
● Water plants twice a day in hot weather.
● Fork over the compost heap.
● Wage war on weeds.
● Layer clematis to propagate

From House Beautiful’s Natalie Flaum:

● Enjoy the garden at its most exuberant. Roses are at their best so remember to deadhead when necessary to encourage flowers later.
● Hoe borders regularly. It’ll keep any weeds in check.
● Now the threat of frost has passed, put out baskets, containers and summer bedding plants. Keep an eye on tall plants and stake them before they grow too much.
● Cut the lawn once a week but not too closely so it can cope with a drought better.
● Shade greenhouses during prolonged periods of sunshine to prevent plants inside from scorching.
● Pinch out side shoots on your tomato plants to encourage a better crop.
● Harvest lettuces, radishes and other salads you’ve planted earlier, and early potatoes. Sow more of these and other fast-growing crops for a constant supply through summer.

You might also like…

Grow your own fruit, veg and herbs: A-Z guide

Get all of our gardening advice

See our gardening calendar for a month-by-month guide to what to sow and plant

The Huntingdon Valley Library will hold a Great Gardening Tips event on June 10, from 7 – 8 p.m.

The event will feature tips with Drew Carroll, a horticulturalist Feeney’s Nursery. According to Feeney’s website, its garden center has been recognized within the last five years as one of the “Best of Bucks.

All are welcome to the event and is free to the public. For more information, visit the Huntingdon Valley Library website.

Posted: Friday, May 31, 2013 11:30 am

Gardening Tips: Growing your own strawberries

By Matthew Stevens

RR Daily Herald

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Strawberries are perhaps the most popular of all small fruits and one that tastes much better when freshly picked.

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Friday, May 31, 2013 11:30 am.

Mamie George Branch Library, 320 Dulles Avenue in Stafford, will present the program “Landscape Gardening in the Texas Heat” on Monday, June 10, beginning at 6:00 pm.

Fort Bend County Master Gardener Tricia Bradbury will discuss landscape plants that do well in this area. She will explain the different heat zones and winter-hardiness zones, and how to select hardy plants that will thrive in the Texas Gulf Coast area. This presentation will not cover vegetable gardening.

The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call the branch library at 281-238-2880 or the library’s Public Information Office at 281-341-2677.

Short URL: http://www.fortbendstar.com/?p=31267

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Now for the plants

When the stage is finally set, the plants are the players. Design work is not done, however.

A few plants will have full-time jobs providing the skeletal structure of your garden, sometimes by themselves and sometimes in relationships with solid “hardscape” features. Plan the tall hardscape pieces in conjunction with the choice of largest plants because they have the same jobs: vertical interest, focal points, support for vines, shade or backdrop for smaller plants.

Too many tall things – trellises, trees, giant grasses – makes a space look cluttered, whereas one tall thing draws attention and pleases the eye. Choose your tall feature early, and if you already have the heirloom gas street lamp or Grecian urn selected, you may not need a tree.

If your garden design does call for a tree or large shrub, or several if the scale is larger, an important caveat is in order: Do not fall in love with and choose a tree at a nursery based on what you see before you. How tall and wide will that plant become when it is mature?

Of all the landscape design mistakes that professionals see every day, failure to ask this question is the worse because the consequences are most expensive and disruptive. How many times must we pull out an arborvitae or juniper placed 3 feet from a front door or remove a gorgeous, 20-foot Japanese maple that was put 4 feet from the corner of a house and now blocks half the living room window?

Evergreens and small trees including Japanese maples are now available that actually will remain the size that will suit smaller landscape spaces, but you can’t make a large plant into a small one by chopping it back continually. For your garden bones and focal points, good nurseries do have beautiful specimens that will remain 22 feet tall, but you must read, communicate and understand.

Nearly as important as focal point plants or bones, front-edge or border plants greatly define or frame a garden. A uniform front-edge planting ties a garden together and suggests a plan; it provides comforting uniformity.

The front edge of the bed can be all one kind of plant – a bright coleus, begonias, lamium or sedum. It can be several swaths of different species with the same color foliage or flowers – gray lamb’s ears, dusty miller and snow-in-summer. Or it can be long sweeps of several different kinds of plants, preferably repeating at least one of the groups for continuity. What does not work: one of everything you like that is short, or a dotty every-other-one alternating pattern.

It’s fun to choose upfront plants these days, as garden centers offer so many flowering annuals that you can change every season and low-growing perennials that quickly cover the soil and block weeds. More than in any other part of the garden, choose more plants for the front border than you think you’ll need and put them closer together than you normally would. The front edge makes a strong first impression and makes a garden look finished much quicker than any plants you place within the garden bed.

Rules aren’t really made to be broken; most garden design principles will serve you well. But it’s your garden, and the most important rule should be that your garden should give you joy. Go make a design, and find the joy.

Sally Cunningham is a garden writer, lecturer and consultant.

Gardeners place demands on their bodies and—if done improperly—gardening and yard work can lead to muscle and joint pain, repetitive strain injuries, tendonitis and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, as well as other injuries and accidents. Topical BioMedics, Inc., Rhinebeck, NY, offers insights and tips for enjoying gardening more with less pain.

Rhinebeck, NY (PRWEB) May 29, 2013

It’s the time of year people are tidying up their yards, digging in the dirt, and planting flowers and vegetables in their gardens. However, along with the joy and satisfaction of being active outdoors in nature, gardening also brings with it the risks of pain and injury. Topical BioMedics, Inc., of Rhinebeck, NY, offers insights and tips for enjoying gardening more with less pain.

BENEFITS OF GARDENING

Some of the benefits of gardening include being outside in the fresh air and sunshine as well as getting the blood moving. It’s also great form of exercise because it combines three types of physical activity: strength, endurance, and flexibility. Perhaps surprisingly, it’s possible to burn the same number of calories gardening for 45 minutes as doing 30 minutes of aerobics.

Here’s another benefit. In a study of more than 3,010 women, researchers from the University of Arkansas found that those involved in yard work and gardening had lower rates of osteoporosis than women who jogged, swam and did aerobics. In addition, spending time in nature can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and relieve muscle tension.

There’s no doubt that gardeners place demands on their bodies and—if done improperly—gardening and yard work can lead to muscle and joint pain, repetitive strain injuries, tendonitis and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, as well as other injuries and accidents.

“Planting, raking, weeding, digging, pruning, stooping, reaching, bending, kneeling, lifting, crouching, carrying heavy debris, and operating machinery puts stress on different parts of the body,” says Lou Paradise, president and chief of research at Topical BioMedics, Inc., the makers of natural Topricin® Pain Relief and Healing Creams. “Gardeners spend hours performing these activities and without warming up and using proper form, they can lead to a variety of problems such as sprains, strains, twisted ankles, hand and wrist pain, lower back and shoulder pain, foot, and knee pain.”

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, last year, more than 41,200 people were injured while gardening. For a safer 2013, Topical BioMedics offers the following tips to help stay injury free and safe from potential hazards throughout the gardening season:

To avoid/reduce injuries:

–Warm up/stretch as you would before any physical activity, and then cool down and stretch afterwards.

–Wear gardening gloves to lower the risk of skin irritations/cuts and reduce blister formation, and use kneepads or a foam cushion to make the work less stressful on knees.

–Dress to protect yourself from lawn/garden pests and the hot sun. Wear long-sleeved shirts and long, light-colored pants made from breathable cotton, tuck pants into socks or boots, and check yourself and family members for ticks. Wear a hat and sunglasses, and if you use a sunscreen make sure it is as safe and natural as possible (for recommendations, visit the Environmental Working Group at http://www.ewg.org).

–Wear goggles when doing things like weed-whacking or chipping and ear protection when using loud equipment.

–Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water throughout the day. Remember that you’re outside in the heat, working up a sweat and perspiring.

–Use ergonomically designed tools, or ones with padded handles that are kinder to hands. Keep your “tools of the trade” in tip-top shape by making sure your power equipment is working properly and your tools are sharpened and properly stored.

–Do not mow grass when it’s wet and slippery. Before mowing, walk around the yard, checking for sticks, stones, toys, and other foreign objects that could shoot out from under the mower.

–Work at a steady, constant speed, take breaks often, and be sure to change positions every 10 or 15 minutes to avoid overusing any one muscle group.

To prevent and treat injuries:

Aches and pains don’t have to interfere with summer gardening when you practice prevention and follow activities/injuries with appropriate treatment protocol.

Topricin Pain Relief and Healing Cream is a favorite treatment for gardeners around the country. Fueled by nature not chemicals, Topricin is a blend of eleven natural medicines that naturally help the joints detoxify by stimulating the body’s desire to drain toxins and excess fluids from the muscle tissue, which restores blood flow back to normal and helps heal the damage that is causing the pain.

–As a preventative, Topricin can be applied prior to outdoor activities. For example, if you are planting flowers or vegetables, apply Topricin lower back, hands and wrists, which are points of stress. Topricin can also be applied to exposed areas of skin, acting as a barrier to the urushiol oil in poison ivy.

–Topricin helps relieve symptoms of pain from other gardening aliments such as blisters, tick bites, Lyme disease, poison ivy, and minor sunburn and dehydration.

HOT AND COLD THERAPY:

Hot and cold therapy, along with Topricin, can shorten the duration of the recovery so the body heals faster and you feel better sooner.

–ICE is the first course of action, for the first 24 – 48 hours to help with inflammation. Ice therapy has an effect when the ice is REMOVED. Ice stops the blood flow, when removed it releases fluids and toxins, stimulates lymphatic and toxin draining and more blood flow. Basic procedures for ice therapy: 10 minutes on; 5 off; 10 on, 5 off.

–MOIST HEAT and ICE/HEAT:

–HEAT: 48 – 72 hours after injury try using heat on the injured area. You’ll know it’s OK to continue if you don’t feel worse afterwards. Heat draws more blood to the area and removes toxins.

–ALTERNATING HOT AND COLD: Cold and heat can be very powerful when used together at this point. Protocol – takes about 45 minutes: Start with HEAT for 10 minutes; followed by 5 minute break. Then COLD for 10 minutes, followed by 5-minute break, then HEAT again for 10 minutes. Follow with application of Topricin.

Topricin Application Instructions:

–Generously apply Topricin as needed three inches on and around to affected area/injury. Rub in well until absorbed. For best results, apply evenings, morning/after bathing and 3 – 4 or more times during the day as needed.

NOTE: For severe pain and swelling, seek medical attention (Topricin may be applied as a first line first aid treatment while enroute to a medical facility).

To learn more about Topricin Pain Relief and Healing Cream, go to http://www.topricin.com.

About Topical BioMedics, Inc.

Topical BioMedics is the research and development leader in patented topical natural biomedicines for pain relief. The company’s flagship product, Topricin® Pain Relief and Healing Cream, was introduced in 1994 and is now a leading natural therapeutic brand. A combination biomedicine formula, Topricin has been awarded a patent for the treatment of pain associated with fibromyalgia and neuropathy.

Topricin products are formulated with approved medicines as found in the HPUS (Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States) and are in compliance with federal rules for homeopathic over-the-counter medicines. Safe for diabetics, the products contain: no parabens, petroleum or harsh chemicals, are odorless, greaseless and non-irritating, and produce no known side effects.

For more information or to sign up for the free newsletter Natural Healing, Natural Wellness visit http://www.topricin.com

# # #

SOURCES:

Topical BioMedics

Rodale.com

Mother Nature Network

SparkPeople/The American Institute of Cancer Research

Health.com

Care2.com

Weed Man

Prevention.com

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2013/5/prweb10780805.htm