May 2009 – The Garden Lady

May 29, 2009May 24, 2009

Plants that Love Both Acid and Shade

Happy Easter from Georgias Callaway Gardens! by UGArdener — Happy Easter from Georgia's Callaway Gardens! by UGArdener

TheGardenLady received this question from Jennifer.

I have a shady area under my pine trees where nothing grows except weeds. I want to plant some blueberries and other acid loving plants there. Do you have some suggestions on plants that would love very acidic soil and full shade?

When one has a very shady area under a tree, one can always do what is referred to as limbing-up a tree, which is cutting off lower branches to allow more light or space under the tree to have more room for plantings.

Blueberries like most vegetables, herbs and fruit want lots of sun. So though you can use the pine needles to mulch the blueberries, it would really not be advisable to plant blueberries under the pine trees. Blueberries want to be planted in full sun.

Azaleas or rhododendrons would look beautiful under your pine trees. Consider native azaleas to compliment the area and for uniqueness. There are many plants even some with flowers that will also grow happily in this dry shade area with acidic soil .

Enrich the soil by adding humus and mulch and work it into the soil under the tree without hurting the tree roots. Even if you love the shape of your evergreens and are reluctant to cut off branches you can still have plants that will be happy under the pine trees.

Some good shade plant s that will work are hostas, foam flowers –Tiarella cordifolia, sweet woodruff – Galium odoratum, lily of the valley, woodland flowers like Celandine Poppy or Wood Poppy-Stylophorum diphyllum, as well as many of the ferns like:

Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora) – Hardy in USDA zones 5-9. Easy to establish. Rabbit and deer resistant;

Lady Fern, Athyrium filix-femina. by Jeff Wardeska

Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina) Hardy in zones 3-8. Rabbit resistant;

Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum ‘Pictum’) – Hardy in zones 3 to 8;

Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) – Hardy in zones 3-8. Very easy to grow.Â Can take very dry to moist soils.

May 27, 2009May 24, 2009

Gladiolus Leaves Turning Yellow

Plant turning yellow is an early symptom of Fusarium

TheGardenLady received this question from Diane.

I planted some Gladiolus bulbs in the spring and they were coming up beautifully. Today I noticed the leaves on one of them were turning yellow. I haven’t had any bloom yet but the stalks were very green and hardy. What can I do for this plant? Why would it have turned yellow?

Gladiolus grow best in loamy soil with proper drainage. Glads do not grow well in soil that is too wet. Soggy, compacted soil hampers root growth, diverts moisture and locks up plant food. Glads need plenty of water. Lack of water inhibits spike growth, flower development and corm growth. Watering at planting will help develop a good root system. Provide at least one inch of water each week to ensure good growth, making sure the water soaks 6-8 inches into the soil.

Not having seen your gladiolus, I cannot give the most accurate reason for why your one gladiolus is turning yellow. Gladiolus are very hardy and have few problems. But all living things do HAVE problems.

You may have bought a corm, or what you call a gladiolus bulb, that was deceased. There are a few root rots or corm rots that fit the description of gladiolus getting yellowing leaves.

From the University of Minnesota extension they write,

Stromatinia Corm Dry Rot – This corm disease, caused by the fungus Stromatinia gladioli, is found during periods of cool, wet weather. Leaves produced from infected corms turn yellow prematurely and die. Small, red-brown, sunken lesions develop on the corms. When an infected corm is cut in half, dark streaks can be seen radiating out from the core to the surface of the corm. The fungus produces sclerotia (over-wintering structures) in infected tissue. Often plants are infected in groups as the fungus spreads from the original infected plant. To manage this disease, discard infected corms, plant only healthy corms in well-drained soils and in the fall harvest corms during dry weather. T. Do not replant gladiolus corms in infected soil.

Or another corm rot described in a professional gladioli website is Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.gladioli . During the growing season, leaves turn yellow prematurely and stems collapse. During storage, corms develop a reddish-brown dry rot. Diseased corms produce spindly, weak plants the following year.

Because corms are inexpensive, it would see best to pull up and discard the one plant that looks yellow and hope that if there is a disease, it has not spread to your other gladioli. Never plant another gladioli in the spot where the infected corm was.

May 25, 2009May 24, 2009

Propagating Lavender

TheGardenLady received this question from Sheila.

In order to be thrifty I would like to take some lavender cuttings to make a border in a sunny area by my mailbox. I have an established plant and some rooting compound. What next? Any advice.

There are two ways to propagate lavender. One is by seed and the other is by cuttings. Seeds are very tiny and therefore can be tricky to sow. Seeds from some lavender species don’t always run true. And seeds can be slow to germinate.

Cuttings are therefore an excellent way to propagate lavender. See here. Some people have success putting the lavender cuttings just in water without rooting compound. Experiment and try to root a few this way. Lavender officinallis may be the hardiest and most easily started lavender.

To propagate lavender from cuttings, take 2 inch shoots off the main stems and branches in late fall or early spring. Each shoot should include a “heel” which is a portion of older wood attached to its base. Cut the “heel” clean. Remove the lower leaves for about 1 inch from the base. Insert in well-packed sand in a cool greenhouse and keep the sand moist. Slight bottom heat will help rooting. While roots are not more than 1/2 inch long, put up in small pots in a mixture of 1/2 sand, 1/2 soil. Keep in cool greenhouse for winter if fall made cuttings or in a cold frame if spring made.

Read also what Master Gardeners learned about how to root lavender at
a lavender conference.

When planting the baby plants outdoors, lavender will have much more
prolific blooms, with better fragrance, if grown in a light well-drained soil high in lime content. Rich or heavy soils encourage foliage growth rather than bloom. Lavender will do all right with six hours of sun a day, but it really needs full sun to achieve its true potential. Plant it in as open an area as possible for full air circulation to combat summer humidity. Also,Â lavender wants good drainage. If you have poor drainage, try planting it on a raised (7-10 inches) mound. Finally, lavender needs a pH in the 7.0-7.3 range. You should have your soil tested.

Though lavender is a Mediterranean plant, Sequim in Washington State boasts that it is the capital of Lavender growing in the US. Every year they have a lavender festival. There are also lavender conferences that you might want to attend.

And if you like to raise lavender, you might consider joining the Herb
Society of America.

May 22, 2009May 17, 2009

Top 10 Invasive Plants

In the last two posts (here and here) TheGardenLady explained the problem with invasive plants and how they came to the United States respectively.Â In this post TheGardenLady will give a list of 10 of the invasive trees and shrubs in great parts of the US:

Tree of Heaven - Ailanthus altissima by maxi millipede (on flickr_ — Tree of Heaven - Ailanthus altissima by maxi millipede

1. Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima – This might be the tree in the fiction, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”

Japanese barnberry (Berberis thunbergii) by copepodo (on flickr)

2. Japanese Barbery, Berberis thunbergii – landscapers love to sell this and plant this in your yard- be warned.

3. Asiatic Bittersweet, Celastrus orbiculatus – pretty in wreaths but don’t use it because when the berries spread, you are spreading this invasive.

Eleagnus umbellata_fruit.jpg by meghan.mcginty

4. Autumn Olive, Eleagnus umbellata – smells pretty, but what a nuisance.

Japanese Knotweed a real problem plant by arrowlakelass

5. Japanese knotweed, Polygonum cuspidatum – brought in as an ornament for screening and soil erosion.Â Horrible.

brwyn, cyrs - Phragmites australis by Gwylan

6. Common Reed, Phragmites australis – This one may have come accidentally aboard a ship. It is now invasive in all but one state and is clogging up waterways.

Ampelopsis brevipedunculata, è›‡è‘¡è„ sheputao, Porcelain-berry by pancrat

7. Porcelain berry, Ampelopsis brevipedunculata – This plant is still sold by nurseries. Don’t buy it especially if you live in the eastern half of the US.

Lonicera japonica - Japanese Honeysuckle by mondomuse

8. Japanese Honeysuckle Lonicera japonica, Tartarian Honeysuckle Lonicera tatarica and Amur Honeysuckle Lonicera maackii – 3 types of honeysuckle have become invasive.

Pueraria montana var. lobata - Kudzu by johnstonephotos Pueraria montana var. lobata - Kudzu by johnstonephotos — Pueraria montana var. lobata - Kudzu by johnstonephotos

9. Kudzu Vine, Pueraria montana var. lobata – This vine was brought to this country as an ornamental plant and as a forage crop and became so invasive- it has covered have the country.

Infiorescenza dell Acer platanoides.....Norway maple flowers by Sante.boschianpest — Infiorescenza dell' Acer platanoides.....Norway maple flowers by Sante.boschianpest

10. Norway Maple, Acer platanoides – This handsome tree was used for
landscaping. DON’T plant it. Nothing can grow under It.

May 20, 2009May 11, 2009

How Invasive Plants Came Here

Glechoma hederacea - Hondsdraf, groundivy by AnneTanne (on flickr)

In the last post, TheGardenLady explained the problems caused by invasive plants – that is, plants that have come into the environment and take over the native plants’ environments, eventually choking out the native plants.Â In this post, TheGardenLady explains how invasive plants came to this country.

Some invasive species came accidentally in ship ballast, packing materials or even on people who travel around the world and return with small seeds adhereing to shoes or clothes, etc.

Some came purposefully.

Some were brought as medicine or food. Ground ivy, Glechoma hederacea, with many common names one of them being Gill over the Ground, is an invasive that was brought here by our earliest settlers. Ground ivy has a long history of use in alternative medicine and as an edible herb, dating back to the first century A.D. Ground ivy was considered to be such a miracle medicine that it is said to be one of the first herb and edible plants brought to the North American continent. Now it has become so invasive that it is the bane of most people with lawns and there is not much one can do to get rid of it other than repeatedly plowing every tiny stem of the plant until it finally gets killed. But even saying that repeated plowing will kill the ground ivy may be wishful thinking because it sends out runners and may come toÂ our lawn from a neighbor’s.

Callery pear blossoms 1 by chasqui01 (on flickr)

Some were brought for horticultural use. The Callery pear was brought here from China and was used to decorate streets, parks and gardens. The thought was that the Callery pear would not fruit and was therefore sterile. They didn’t know that when the callery pear met other desirable pear species in this country, it wasn’t so sterile and started going forth and multiplying.Â See here.

Continue reading “How Invasive Plants Came Here”

May 18, 2009

Carolyn Walker’s Shade Garden Open Hours

Here are the open hours for Carolyn Walker’s shade garden.

Saturday, May 23, from 9 am to Noon

Sunday, May 24, from Noon to 3 pm

Monday, May 25, from 2 pm to 5 pm

Anyone who wishes to visit Carolyn’s shade garden, should read the following:

Please pull into the driveway and park along the right hand side after the new fence under the old apple trees. If there is no room there, then turn around and park on Robinhood Road across from my driveway entrance. Directions are attached but please follow the parking instructions above.

I still have a great selection of hardy geraniums, ferns, and hosta (including minis). I have also gotten a good start on inventory for my summer and fall-blooming open house on May 30 with lobelia, liriope, Chinese astilbe, coralbells, corydalis, dwarf goatsbeard, hostas, and hardy begonias. I have restocked the following plants that sold out at the May 9 open house: â€˜Herman’s Pride’ lamiastum, yellow corydalis, Japanese primroses, and meadow rue.

This is the time of year when the weeds begin to take over and groundcover plants become a priority. Fill your bare spots with the following excellent groundcovers: Chinese astilbe, purple wood sage, creeping hardy geranium, dwarf hostas, â€˜Shell Pink’ and â€˜Purple Dragon’ lamium, â€˜Royal Purple’ liriope, â€˜Lace Carpet’ foamflower, golden groundsel, perennial forget-me-not, white or yellow violets, and dwarf Jacob’s ladder.

Hope you can make it, Carolyn

May 18, 2009May 13, 2009

The Problem of Invasive Plants

This May TheGardenLady attended a lecture called “Weeds in Nature’s Garden…the problem of invasive species” given by Bruce Barbour who is a Rutgers Cooperative Extension Environmental Agent. There are invasive plant species, invasive animal species and invasive disease species. This is a fascinating and scary topic. For example, the April 20th, 2009, New Yorker magazine wrote an article about the escape of exotic animals in Florida where they are now invasive species. We have all watched in horror as something called the swine flu or the H1N1 virus spread across the world.

But the invasive species that Bruce Barbour spoke about was the plants
species that have become invasive in NJ and around the country.

What are invasive plant species and why are they a problem? Well, the short answer is that these are plants have come into the environment some way and then they take over the native plants’ environments, eventually choking out the native plants and they become nuisance plants or weeds where they are not wanted. The native plants were the plants that fed the local animal population. Without the native plants to eat, the native animal, bird and beneficial insect populations that need special plants are lost or can become extinct. It is a vicious problem in at least the short and middle term. In the long term, millions of years from now, we can’t know what will happen.

If you’re concerned with the invasion of invasive plants, and you’re wondering about what types of plants your should plant in your area, there is an excellent website that talks about native plants for each area in the United States.Â Here it is.

In addition, each state has its own Native Plant Society. Consider joining your state’s Native Plant Society or checking out their website.

In two days, TheGardenLady will continue to discuss invasive plants, in particular how they came to the United States.Â So stay tuned.

May 15, 2009May 10, 2009

Eradicating Oxalis Corniculata

Oxalis corniculata by naturgucker.de (on flickr)

TheGardenLady received this question from Gay.

What do you recommend to eradicate Oxalis in coastal climate (SF Bay area)? This is not the ornamental type, it is invasive with a succulent flower stem and yellow blossom.

Oxalis – Oxalis corniculata L. , yellow wood sorrel is an invasive plant in California.

This GardenLady always tries to first recommend the safest method ofÂ weed removal, which is hand pulling. If you aren’t overwhelmed with too many Oxalis on your property always try hand pulling first. Now the problem with oxalis is that it has a long tap root. Besides these tap roots it also sends out stolons. A stolon is a shoot that bends to the ground or that grows horizontally above the ground and produces roots and shoots at the nodes. And it has rhizomes. A rhizome is a horizontal, usually underground stem that often sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Plus Oxalis makes seeds. How is that for insuring species survival? So to eradicate the oxalis with all its alternative methods of growing into another plant, one has to get rid of all of its roots, stolons and rhizomes before it sets seed. That is very difficult to do. But one can try. If your soil is not rocky you can use a manual asparagus picker to get to the bottom of the tape root.Â I hope you can still purchase these manual asparagus pickers. They have a handle and sort of look like a long screw driver with a V at the end which is what you use to cut. However,TheGardenLady does not know where to buy them. Mine is an antique from my parents’ farm.

Continue reading “Eradicating Oxalis Corniculata”

May 13, 2009May 13, 2009

Unusual Floral Pieces at Lacroix Restaurant

Lacroix at the Rittenhouse Hotel by mreid0183

One Sunday in May TheGardenLady was invited to lunch at Lacroix
Restaurant in the Rittenhouse Hotel on Rittenhouse Square. The restaurant advertises itself as having one of the 10 best hotel brunches in the US. TheGardenLady will not talk about the wonderful ambiance of the restaurant or the fantastic service we had that day nor the marvelous food both in the presentation and taste. It was an amazing experience that
TheGardenLady was happy to have once in her life. Still as nice as all that was, that is not what made TheGardenLady want to write about the experience. TheGardenLady is interested in plants. And on the table were some unusual floral pieces that I think warrant a post.

fraises des bois by LumiÃ¨res des Alpes (on flickr)

First decorating the table was a cache pot filled with fraises du bois ( I have seen it also written fraises des bois). Fraises des Bois is translated as strawberries of the woods or wild strawberries. Growing up in the country, TheGardenLady couldn’t wait for spring and early summer to look for wild strawberries, the native American wild strawberry, Fragaria vesca var. americana, which grows in spring in the fields or in patches along the roadside or near the woods of the eastern states. These wild strawberries were tiny and delicate with an intense strawberry flavor. They were ambrosial.

TheGardenLady thinks her mind doesn’t deceive her when she recalls finding some in the Black Forest in Germany.

Then when TheGardenLady moved to the town where she presently lives,
she found there were patches where the wild strawberries grew. This was so wonderful and she delighted finding berries in these spots she kept secret. But then the street crews mowed the green along the sides of the road, mowed the areas where the strawberries grew. And they mowed so often that these wild patches gave up the ghost. The strawberry patches are no longer alive.

Several varieties of this wild berry have been growing in forests all over the world since prehistoric times, and though I once read that the French have domesticated them, I have never tasted the domesticated wild strawberry; but have been told that even the French have never succeeded in breeding a strawberry that compares to its wild cousin when it comes to taste.

Continue reading “Unusual Floral Pieces at Lacroix Restaurant”

May 11, 2009May 6, 2009

Leaves as Fertilizer

TheGardenLady received this question from Marvin.

I like your article on using leaves as fertilizer. What specific nutrients are added and how much? I use them in my garden and have sugar maple leaves.

By recycling leaves you are doing what nature does. But leaves by themselves take a long time to break down. Especially maple leaves which can become compacted and suffocate plants if left whole on your plants. So if you just want to use leaves, make them into mulch. Rake the leaves into a pile. Then you can use your lawnmower as a mulcher and mow over the leaves until they are particle sized. Or you can buy a mulcher to do this. This is easiest in the fall when the leaves are brown and dry. Spread the leaves as you would mulch. There are some nutrients in the leaves when used this way and as the leaf mulch works down into the soil it helps make the soil more friable ( crumbly).

Or you can make compost with the leaves. Save the leaves in an out of the way place or build or buy composting bins to hold the leaves. You don’t have to add nutrients, there are some nutrients in the leaves. But to make your compost quicker, you will have to do a little more than just save the leaves. You will want to add grass clippings and household garbage to the leaves.

Microbial activity is affected by the carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio of the organic waste. Because microbes need nitrogen for their own metabolism and growth, a shortage of nitrogen will slow down the composting process considerably. Material high in carbon relative to nitrogen, such as straw or sawdust, will decompose very slowly unless nitrogen fertilizer is added. Tree leaves are higher in nitrogen than straw or sawdust, but decomposition of leaves still benefits from an addition of nitrogen fertilizer. Grass clippings are generally high in nitrogen and enhance decomposition when mixed properly with leaves. Manure, cottonseed meal, or blood meal can be used as organic sources of nitrogen. Otherwise use a high nitrogen- containing fertilizer. You need an initial C/N ratio of about 30 parts carbon to 1 part of nitrogen. C/N ratios below 25:1 may give off ammonia odors and above 35:1 will take longer to compost. Other nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium are necessary, but are usually present in adequate amounts for decomposition.

Follow the directions here.

You will want to add water to the C/N mix and will want to turn the mix. Some of the purchased bins have a device to turn the barrel. But save your money and use a pitch fork with a little muscle. By getting air in the mix you are heating the mix so that your compost will decompose quicker. Good composting with be hot and you might even see steam even coming out.

By making compost with the mixture of leaves, grass and garbage, you will be making a rich soil to give back to the earth that which was depleted. Your plants will be so thankful.