The high winds did a pretty good job removing or breaking weak branches from trees. Ice or wind storms often leave jagged stubs that if left can lead to rot in main branches/trunks of trees. Every year around this time and after storms such as the last one it’s a good idea to check your trees and have broken or crossed branches removed. This is also a good time of the year for structural pruning because most leaves have fallen making it easier to see what branches should be removed. If you are considering pruning your trees it’s important that the pruning cuts be made correctly. If you’re unsure please give us a call so we can send you information on pruning. For branches that you can’t safely remove you may want to consider hiring an arborist.

As the growing season draws to a close so do our regular hotline hours. Between November and March we do continue to answer questions left on our voicemail at 331-8415 ext. 107 or e-mail us at mgwayne@cornell.edu Please leave a daytime phone number where we can reach you with any additional questions we may have.

Below we have included information about our upcoming events, garden and landscape tips for November, an article written by one of our Master Gardeners that summarizes our activities in our demonstration garden during 2012 and information about the invasive species – Asian Clam.

Upcoming events:
Gardening Hotline: During the winter months we receive many questions about insect pests inside homes, tree and shrub pruning and questions from people who want advice that will help them avoid problems they’ve had in their gardens and landscapes in the past. If you have a question please leave it on our voicemail at 331-8415 ext. 107 or e-mail us at mgwayne@cornell.edu. Please leave a daytime phone number where we can reach you with any additional questions we may have.

Master Gardeners are a great resource for new gardeners and for troubleshooting home garden and landscape problems including weeds, lawn issues, wildlife, insect pests and plant diseases along with control recommendations. Plant and insect samples can be brought to the office for identification or diagnostic work. During non-hotline hours you can leave your sample with our secretary or in the drop box at the end of the building. Please put insects in a sealed plastic container (so they won’t get crushed) and plant samples in sealed plastic bags. Remember to label them with your name and daytime phone number where we can reach you. We also offer soil pH testing (cost is $3 per sample) and can help you with soil test interpretation.

Monthly garden and home grounds tips:
• Wrap upright growing juniper and arborvitae shrubs loosely with twine to help prevent ice and snow from splitting branches.

• Protect young trees from rabbit damage by placing a wire “cage” around them.

• Use caution when applying deicing salt to areas near plantings where the run-off could injure plant roots. There are some products available that don’t contain salt that may be a better alternative in those areas.

• Clean up plant debris from vegetable and perennial beds and add them to your compost pile. Avoid composting diseased plants.

• To keep your compost pile in good condition it’s important to add the right balance of browns and greens. Adding three parts brown material to one part green, measured by volume, is your goal. Greens include fresh cut plant material, vegetable and fruit peelings and grass clippings. Browns include straw, non-glossy finely shredded newsprint, wood shavings and fall leaves. Contact us for a free composting fact sheet set that includes more info on browns and greens.

• Clean plant containers that you plan to reuse with a 10 percent bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) and make sure to rinse them well.

• Cooler temperatures and diminishing daylight will put houseplants into a resting period. Regular fertilization can be greatly reduced or stopped altogether at this time. Be careful not to overwater. If any of your houseplants were kept outside this summer monitor them carefully for pests.

• Houseplants should be located in spots where they receive enough light to remain healthy and away from heat sources.

• Avoid storing large quantities of firewood in the house, warm garage or basement because the heat can activate insect activity and bring about hatching of any insect eggs that may be in or on the firewood.

Invasive species: The Asian Clam, Coming to a Stream Near You

The Asian Clam Corbicula fluminea, an invasive bivalve mollusk, is quickly spreading across New York. Live Asian clams have been found in Seneca Lake, Otisco Lake, Owasco Lake, the Hudson River from Troy to Newburgh, the Champlain Canal near Fort Edwards, Lake George, and in Massapequa Lake and a number of other ponds and streams and the Massapequa Reservoir on Long Island. Shell-only sightings where the colonization status is unknown have been found in the Erie Canal from Lockport east to Clyde, Canandaigua Lake Outlet, and the Wallkill River.

Good gardening!

Gardening Tip of the Week- 17th November

17/11/2012 , 9:05 AM by Peter Riley

Christmas is fast approaching and John Gabriele has some tips to get you and your garden ready.

Take a listen below…

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Plants and markets

• Longleaf Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday in downtown Longleaf, off Starkey Boulevard and State Road 54, New Port Richey.

• Baker House plant sale and open house, 9 a.m. to noon this Saturday and the third Saturday of every month, October through May. The historic Baker House is at 5744 Moog Road, behind Centennial Park Branch Library. Plants for sale by Elfers Centennial Garden Club. For information, call (727) 372-9954.

• The Market, featuring plants and other gardening goods, runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every other Saturday at West Pasco Habitat for Humanity, 4131 Madison St., New Port Richey. For information call (727) 859-9038 or search for West Pasco Habitat for Humanity ReStore on Facebook.

• Spring Hill Garden Club’s Plant Nursery is open from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays and Mondays at 1489 Parker Ave., off Spring Hill Drive (four-tenths of a mile from U.S. 19). Through the end of the year, the club will sell plants at a 50 percent discount. A variety of plants that grow well in this area are available, and qualified personnel will assist the public in selecting the right plant for the right place. People may also visit the nearby Nature Coast Botanical Gardens, the “best kept secret in Hernando County,” which is open daily from sunup to sundown. For information call (352) 683-9933 or visit www.naturecoastgardens.com.

• Fresh Market at Wiregrass, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 1 and the first Saturday of each month at the Shops at Wiregrass, 28211 Paseo Drive, Wesley Chapel. Features produce, Florida-grown plants and locally made jams, salsas, seasonings and sauces, plus the works of local artists. For information visit tampabaymarkets.com.

• Fresh Friday Night Farmer’s Market, 6 to 10 p.m. Dec. 7 at Railroad Square in downtown New Port Richey (on Nebraska Avenue between Grand Boulevard and Adams Street). Vendors will sell produce, plants and specialty foods such as fish, meats, cheeses, bakery items, jellies and jams, honey, nuts, coffee and ethnic foods. There will be demonstrations, gardening tips and live entertainment. This seasonal market will continue every Friday from Jan. 4 to April 26. For information visit www.nprmainstreet.com.

• Hernando County Farmers Market runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays at 2450 U.S. 19, Spring Hill.

• Sweetwater Sunday Market is from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays at Sweetwater Organic Community Farm, Hanley Road and Comanche Avenue, Tampa. Includes native plants, fresh organic produce and products from green vendors and artisans. Live music from 1 to 3 p.m.; open mic from noon to 1 p.m. and 3 to 4 p.m.

• Dunedin Green Market is open every Friday and Saturday for its 9th season, featuring a wide variety of vendors offering organic produce, cheeses, artisan bread, plants and herbs, local honey, all natural pet treats, pickles, Alaskan Salmon, Florida seafood, olive salad, pastries and orchids. The market, located at Pioneer Park at Main Street and Douglas Avenue in downtown Dunedin, is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through the end of April; Saturday hours will move to 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. from May through July.

Seminars

• Preparing for Cold Weather, 9 to 11 a.m. Dec. 1 at Pasco County Fairgrounds, Clayton Hall, 36702 State Road 52, Dade City. Discover steps you can take now to minimize damage in your garden this winter at this free program taught by a local Master Gardener. For information, call Pasco County Cooperative Extension at (352) 518-0156.

• Bats: Creatures of the Night Garden, 6:30 to 7:40 p.m. Dec. 4 at Hudson Regional Library, 8012 Library Road, Hudson. Learn how to welcome insect-eating bats into your garden by providing food, water, and shelter. This free Pasco Extension seminar will be taught by a local Master Gardener. For information, call Pasco County Cooperative Extension at (352) 518-0156.

Frost Tips And Spring Flowering Bubs Offer At Bell Plantation

Christmas has already arrived at Towcester’s Bell Plantation

Ashley Warren owner of the Bell Plantation Garden Centre in Towcester in his weekly blog with AboutMyArea/NN12 says, “What a disaster this Ash die back disease is. When it gets a grip our countryside will look completely different as it did when we lost the mighty Elm back in the 70’s. Hopefully some strains will emerge as disease resistant. It’s a good excuse to plant more trees to enable them to get established before we say goodbye to the Ash

“Oak, Beech and Chestnut tree all have their fungal problems but hopefully not as bad as Ash die back is said to be. Silver Birch, Maple, Thorn, Mountain Ash are currently free from any disease problems. During the Winter is a great time to plant trees.

“The birds are getting hungry, when I fill up my 40cm long Niger feeder it is empty in three days, how lucky are we to have so many Finches in and around our garden? If I don’t get back to fill it immediately and leave it empty, they go elsewhere for food and it takes at least a week for them to return. If you want the birds to keep coming to your Garden you have to be consistent. Bags of bird feed over 12.5kg are vat free.

“Because the weather has been so wet and no one has been out in their garden we have got a lot of Spring Flowering bulbs in stock, these are now buy one get one free!! We need to shift them so we can get the Christmas lights out, Oh for a bigger shop, won’t be long I hope!

“Remember to cover up your tender plants before a heavy frost, straw, fleece, bubble wrap or even Oak or Beech leaves as they don’t rot down quickly.

“Lift your pots off the ground to prevent the frost blowing the wet bottoms.

“December 25th is moving closer and closer our shop is getting more like it should look at this time of year, we have got so much yummy stuff coming in and loads of great offers.

“Have a great weekend Gardening, give us a shout if you need anything.”

www.bellplantation.co.uk

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jaf701@frontier.com. You also can read her What’s Bloomin’ blog at www.news-sentinel.com. This column is the writer’s opinion.

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Walnut Creek’s Ruth Bancroft is a national authority on drought-resistant gardening. Twice a month, she and her staff share their knowledge with readers.

Q At the Ruth Bancroft Garden’s fall plant sale, I parked in the back and, walking up the drive toward the sale, I passed two plants with lovely flowers. One was a tree with clusters of bright red flowers, the other a bush with large yellow bell-like flowers. Can you tell me what these are?

A The tree is the Australian Flame Tree, Brachychiton acerifolius. The species name “acerifolius” refers to the resemblance of its palmate leaves to those of a maple. This is only a superficial resemblance, however, since this tree is not at all related to the maples.

The common name Flame Tree refers to the showy red flowers, which hang down in clusters of up to a foot in length. Under some climatic conditions, these trees shed all their leaves before bursting into full bloom, so that the many clusters put on a fiery display. At the Ruth Bancroft Garden, however, the leaves do not shed, and the tree flowers a little at a time over the summer and fall months.

The cup-like flowers of B. acerifolius measure about three-quarters of an inch across. There are no petals; the showy red cup is composed of fused sepals which look petal-like.

This tree can reach a height of 60 feet or more. Our specimen at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, however, is nowhere

near this tall after 30 years.

Brachychitons come from Australia, and B. acerifolius is native to Queensland and New South Wales on the eastern side of the continent.

This genus has long been placed in the family Sterculiaceae, which is related to the Hibiscus Family (Malvaceae). Many taxonomists now favor including the Sterculiaceae in an enlarged concept of the Malvaceae.

The plant with the large yellow flowers you’ve asked about is the shrub Tecoma stans ‘Gold Star,’ sometimes called Yellow Bells. Its leaves are divided into leaflets 2 to 3 inches long with serrated edges.

Normally the species becomes a large bush or small tree, up to 25 feet high. ‘Gold Star,’ however, is more compact, seldom exceeding 6 feet.

It is notable for its long blooming period, through the spring, summer and fall months. In cold winters, the plant may show frost damage, but it can be cut back to the base, and it will sprout and bloom again.

The genus Tecoma belongs to the Trumpet Vine Family, Bignoniaceae. Tecoma stans is native to a large area from southern Arizona and Texas south through Central America to South America.

If you have a question for the Ruth Bancroft Garden, email info@ruthbancroftgarden.org.

I changed my mind. I’m not giving in just yet!

Cold frosty mornings are not going to discourage me and neither will the shorter days. My gardens are still appealing and full of interest this time of year and certainly worth venturing into even this late in the season. With varying layers of plant texture and rustic colors of gold, amber, brown and russet that truly define a “November” perennial garden, it’s hard to walk away unsatisfied.

Now I’m not going to say that I enjoy it as much as the July and August garden, but I’m not ready to throw in the towel and entirely abandon the garden and landscape just yet either. With a little effort now, I might even find ways to keep the garden and its surroundings quite visual throughout the entire winter.

And why not? It seems to me that our gardens and landscape decorations should have a soothing visual impact regardless of the time of year. The garden is certainly not a dead place in the winter. In fact, there is much to be found and discovered in the garden, and it’s a time of year when many plants have their moment of glory.

Buddleia (Butterfly bush) is a classic summer blooming

perennial shrub, but it is rather uncommonly thought of as a “winter specimen” plant. They do, however, develop an interesting form in winter, particularly if seed heads are left on. Many will also flower into late autumn, especially if the bush is located in a protected location.

Ornamental grasses are wildly popular these days and with good reason — they provide a spectacular fall show as they send up interestingly shaped seedpods and maintain their tall, stiff stature until the very end of winter. Some of the best varieties to look for are Festuca glauca Blue Glow, Deschampsia caepitosa Golden Dew and my favorite, Miscanthus sinensis Gracillimus.

Of course, many planters are vacant from the once vigorous display of annual flowers that blossomed so generously all summer long. While there isn’t much that can be done to replace the brightly colored annuals, I do have several planters that continue to provide garden interest the entire year.

A rather large clay pot is the home for one of the prettiest, and by far one of the slowest growing Japanese maple trees (Acer palmatum) called Shishigashira. It has dark green leaves all summer long, but in the fall the leaves turn gold and russet and are very slow in shedding them. When all the leaves have fallen, this beautiful 12-year-old specimen will unveil its elegant winter shape all winter long.

I’ll continue to search for decorative ways that’ll provide a bit of sparkle and interest to help brighten up dark winter days. Unfortunately, many outdoor decorations in our landscapes and on our homes are viewed as strictly a holiday chore that need to be taken down soon after the new year starts. On the contrary, winter garden decorations should be viewed as something that last the entire winter season. A few simple touches here and there can add gleams of warmth and cheer in otherwise “non-gardening” months.

Now is a great time before the snow falls to scour the woods and even your own backyard for plant gatherings that you can use as winter decorations. I’ve managed to collect several bushels full of laurel, boxwood cuttings, various evergreen tips, sedum, dried branches, pinecones, dogwood, ilex and artemisia. Actually, you can even use a host of spent plant materials that the cold weather has already killed and dried.

Where to begin? I’d suggest taking a good 20 steps back from the front of your house and really take a good look at it. Any design must be based on the setting of your home and it must be appropriate. Some homes look great with a soft spotlight on just a single wreath. Tie a red ribbon on it and its Christmas. Remove it after the holidays and you’re left with an elegant, wintry decoration for the season.

How about those empty urns and planters? You can create wonderful focal points in a white snowy landscape with very little effort. Imagine that giant urn that flowed so wonderfully all summer long with tuberous begonias, now filled with a clustering of red-berried Ilex verticillata. Wrap some green damp moss around the base the stems as a collar and you’ve got a beautiful winter “planting” that’ll last until spring.

Window boxes are another component of the garden and landscape that gardeners also desert during the winter months. Why not take a few moments and brighten up the outside and inside views of your window box by stuffing it full of lush garden materials!

Begin by buying blocks of florist’s foam and cut them to fit precisely inside the (soil removed) window boxes. I like to have a broad variation of colors and textures in winter window boxes so I usually start out by adding tall evergreen branches of yew, fir, juniper, white pine and even rhododendron branches.

Next, a sampling of strawflowers, artemisia, nigella, herb pods and whatever else I find that will add interest and depth to the arrangement are added. Here again, if you choose too, add a bow for the holidays or simply leave it as it is.

Making my own garland is something I wish I had both the time and patience to do. That doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to cheat a bit and still call it you’re own. I’ll buy a standard, single garland from the nursery and then customize it with cuttings from my yard.

You can really create stunning roping by incorporating braids of boxwood, pine, yew and even dogwood branches. It doesn’t take a whole bunch of time nor does one really need a lot of it. A few long strands swaggered over a white fence or wrapped around a fireplace indoors is quite nice.

The next few weeks is ample time to get the yard decorated — winter is right around the corner and isn’t it nice to be able to “garden” right through all of it.

Q.: My blueberry bushes didn’t produce fruit this season. Normally, all bushes furnish enough blueberries for my own use as well as my friends and neighbors, as they have done for more than 20 years. Instead of producing berries this year, the bushes became “trees,” more than doubling in height from April to June. I’d really appreciate any suggestions you might offer. A. Smith, Fairfield.

A.: In your letter you mentioned that a local agricultural extension service suggested a late frost this year may be the culprit as to why your blueberries did not produce fruit. I highly doubt that’s what happened. I get the feeling your bushes are in desperate need of pruning. Blueberries are generally self-shaping and only need some thinning each winter to stay healthy and productive. However, if regular dormant pruning is not followed, otherwise productive plants will, over time, become less and less “fruitful.”

Prune in late winter or early spring just before growth begins each year. Remove prostrate canes and canes that are less than two feet tall, cutting them off flush with the base of the bush. If more than two or three new upright canes grew the previous summer, remove the extras. Also, remove canes from the center of the bush (this opens the bush to air and sunlight), and cut them flush with the base of the bush. I’d also check the pH of the soil, as blueberries require extreme acidity (4 to 4.5). Maintaining a proper pH will help these plants enormously in all aspects.

Readers of this column are invited to submit garden tips and questions to this column. Questions of general interest will be published as space permits. Mail to: Bing J. Carbone, 5 High Meadow Road, Huntington CT 06484 or e-mail Bjcgardens@aol.com

Q: We’re moving. Two years ago I planted several baby trees around my yard including a serpentine birch, a pine tree, a Japanese maple and a dogwood. Is it possible to transplant them to our new home?

A: It should be easy to transplant all of the trees you mentioned, especially since they’ve only been in the ground for two years. Wait until the trees are dormant and have dropped their leaves.

The rule of thumb is to dig 10 inches diameter of rootball for every inch of diameter of trunk at ground level. For example, if the trunk is 2 inches wide at the base, dig a 20-inch-wide rootball. You can tie the rootballs up with burlap to transport them, or if the rootballs aren’t too big, simply pot them up in black nursery pots and replant them in their new home as soon as possible.

Since the trees are so young, the rootballs will be fairly easy to handle, but make sure you consider how big these trees will get before you decide where to replant them. If they grow too large for where you plant them or if you place them too close to the house, it’ll be a major undertaking to dig them up and move them 10 years from now.

Q: I planted three Brussels sprouts this spring and they turned into beautiful 26-inch-high plants but no sprouts. How come?

A: How depressing! A number of factors can prevent sprouts from forming. The first consideration is variety. Brussels sprouts that take a long time to mature sometimes don’t form sprouts until it’s too late in the season for them to size up well. Varieties that ripen early, such as ‘Franklin,’ usually form nice, large sprouts in time to fatten up before frost occurs.

Avoid using fertilizer that is high in nitrogen. That encourages foliage at the expense of sprout formation. The best fertilizer for Brussels sprouts is organic tomato food. Work in a half-cup under each start when you plant them.

Perhaps the worst thing you can do is wait too long to plant starts, allowing them to get rootbound and stressed in their pots. Stressed plants usually bolt and rarely produce sprouts.

Finally, even if you do everything right, unseasonable temperatures (too hot or cold) may prevent sprouts from forming.

Plant your starts in mid-May and make sure the soil stays evenly moist, especially in hot weather. Then all you can do is hope for a mild spring and summer. My last piece of advice is to let the nice, big formed sprouts get hit by a freeze or two to make them sweet.

Q: What disease is causing ugly brown blotches on the leaves of my lilac tree?

A: The blotches look like they’re caused by a disease, but the brown, dead-looking spots on the leaves of your lilac are actually being caused by an insect. The lilac leaf miner is a small, brown moth that lays eggs between the epidermal layers of the leaves. Soon after, a little green caterpillar hatches and causes the blotches by feeding between the leaves.

Although the damage isn’t harmful to the lilac, the brown blotches are quite unsightly.

Fortunately, a product is available that will control this problem if it is applied in a timely manner. BioNEEM (available online) is an organic, environmentally friendly spray that repels leaf miners and prevents the moths from laying eggs in the leaves. Apply this product by spraying it on the leaves in early May and again in early July and you shouldn’t see any of the ugly blotches for the rest of the season.

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

2012-11-05 14:43

Green Tips:

– Keeping water hot takes up a major share of your electricity bill. Switch the geyser off during the day to save electricity.

– Buy a geyser blanket to help keep the water hot and use less electricity.

– Grow indigenous plants in your garden. They’re tougher and usually require less water than alien varieties.

– Reuse grey water for gardening. Attach your outlet pipe of the washing machine so that waste water is directed to a irrigation system for the garden.

– Install LED bulbs where you can. The price has come down and it saves electricity.

– Drive an at a constant speed to save fuel, and it help to time traffic lights so that you save on having to accelerate away from a stop.

– Switch off appliances not in use as DVD players, TVs and music systems consume small amounts of power even when in standby mode.

– If you have space, grow tomatoes or herbs in your garden. It saves some cash and doesn’t require loads of effort.

– Go solar power with swimming pool pumps, but if you live in Cape Town or Durban, go to the beach – it’s free.

– Share rides on your way to work. You’ll save fuel and the company may make the commute more fun.

If you have Green tips, share them with us here and we may publish them.
 

Virus kills 30 Kruger hippos

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Greensboro, NC — If you’re new to gardening, you may think with the spring and summer months now behind us, there’s little you can do o protect your plants in the colder months.

But Karen Neill from the Cooperative Extension says fall is a better time for planting because the soil is still warm from the summer months and the air temperature is cooling down.

The gardening expert says the combination allows the plant to develop a nice, sturdy root system in the winter.

Neill stopped by the weekend Good Morning Show to share some of her fall gardening tips.

Check out this video!