For those of you who are enjoying Encore Azaleas in your gardens, the Encore Azalea company  sent TheGardenLady this email with advice on summer care.  Encore Azaleas are the azaleas bred to bloom in spring and throughout the summer.

The heat of summer can be harsh on all plants, and we at Encore Azalea(R) would like to help you prepare.

Keep a watchful eye on the moisture level of the soil around your Encore Azaleas. The shallow fibrous roots like to be moist, but not saturated. A mulch of pine bark will help hold moisture near the roots, as well as
protect the roots from the harsh rays of the sun.

This is your last chance to prune for the season. Any heavy pruning should be done immediately after your Encore Azalea’s spring bloom cycle. Remember only to prune lightly in high heat.

Best Regards,

From your friends at Encore Azalea(R)

A Rare Sighting in the Greater Princeton Area

Organic Gardening, composting, Organic Lawn, & Organic Tomato lovers
Come to hear, see, and ask questions of Mike McGrath - Lecture
and Demonstrations, Q &A, A Book Signing Organic Afternoon

WHYY/NPR Radio Host of the Nationally Syndicated Garden program
“You Bet Your Garden” Tomato and Compost Expert Supreme

MIKE McGRATH

“Get Your Lawn Off of Drugs” and Container Gardening, Compost, the Best Organic Tomato Plants…..

Former Editor in Chief of Organic Gardening Magazine
Garden Editor of WTOP Washington DC
Columnist for GreenPrints Magazine
Author of McGrath’s Book of Compost; You Bet Your Tomatoes, and
Kitchen Gardening

June 7th  1 PM – 3 PM

The Lawrenceville School – Kirby Arts Center
Rt. 206 Lawrenceville Boro

$5.00 donation at the door
Rain or Shine

For more info go here. 

TheGardenLady received this question from Pat:

I am getting ready to plant Knockout Roses in my garden in northern South Carolina, and wonder how to best prepare the soil?  We have very dense red clay mixed with some sand.  Any recommendations on how to get these roses off to their best start in this type of soil?

Sorry it took so long to get back to you with a response, but TheGardenLady went right to one the sources of KnockOut Roses (see here) to get you the answer. I added a link to Permatill, a product mentioned in this column.

Here is the advice from a spokesperson for Novalis Plants that Work:

Many roses prefer well-drained soil, so the hard wet clay soil that you have in zone 7b will require a few steps to turn it into the optimum growing medium for these beautiful floriferous hardy shrub roses. It is quite possible the Pink Double Knock Out rose (an exclusive Knock Out rose from Novalis Plants that Work) will do well even in your current soil type as it is a robust grower. However, amending your soil can certainly help.

Adding a soil conditioner which consists of a primary ingredient of expanded slate will add needed oxygen and drainage to the existing clay soil, Permatill or other similar brands. Till-up the top 8″-10″ of existing soil and spread a 2″ layer of Permatill across the surface area. The Permatill particles act as a reservoir for air, moisture, and water soluble nutrients.

Adding a one-half inch layer of garden compost to the area will reinvigorate the old clay soil with new organic matter and will help the rose thrive. Though, one of the best features of this plant is that it usually does very well in less than perfect growing conditions. So, I think you will find it to be a wonderful plant for your landscape.

Don Eberly
Spokesperson for Novalis Plants that Work

                                                       Alternaria

TheGardenLady received this question from Helen.

I just put in marigolds next to my tomatoes, as companion plants. I think I’ve overwatered them and it’s been rainy in Ithaca this year…White spots are forming on them. I don’t have a digital camera handy, or I’d show you what they look like. My daughter says they have the chicken pox! Do I dig them up and replace them with new ones or do I just try to dry them out? I worry if they stay, that they are diseased and will just get worse-maybe
attracting pests… What’s your advice?

Not seeing your marigold plants TheGardenLady thinks you have diseased marigold plants. Heavy rains and winds can carry a disease called alternaria to ornamental plants.   See here.

Even though TheGardenLady has not seen the marigold plant and the problem, TheGardenLady would pull out the sick looking marigolds which are cheap to replace. The reason for this suggestion is because you might get a similar fungus, a fungus in the same genus, on your tomato plants and this alternaria or Tomato Early Blight damages the tomato plants and fruits.  See here.

If it is alternaria, the fungus gets into the soil and can remain in the soil for a few years which means you will have to be careful what you plant in that location. Scientists are working on creating alternaria resistant plants. You can put plastic sheeting around the tomato plants so that the fungus can not get from the soil to the tomato fruit.

Tomatoes are known for having numerous problems (see here), so TheGardenLady suggests that you should vigorously watch your tomato plants to see if they remain healthy.

You tried to do something interesting by doing companion planting, but because you now have a specific problem due to excessive rains, you will have to rethink what you will plant in that site.

TheGardenLady highly recommends visiting your local Master Gardener Office or extension office and taking the infected plants to the office to be sure that you do indeed have alternaria. The people in these offices will ID the problem more accurately than an email can and you will learn what you should do. They keep abreast of your local problems and can advise you specifically.

 

TheGardenLady received this question from Leah:

Isnt the Oklahoma rose the state flower for oklahoma?

According to all the websites on Oklahoma, in 2004 the Oklahoma Rose became the state flower.  Oklahoma Rose is Rosa Odorata, a hybrid tea rose. This is a very fragrant rose developed at Oklahoma State University.

Oklahoma also has a state floral emblem - Mistletoe- Phoradendron serotinum  This became the state floral emblem in 1893, 14 years before Oklahoma became a state.  See here and here.

And Oklahoma has a state wildflower - the Indian Blanket Gaillardia pulchella.  See here and here.  

 

TheGardenLady received this question from Steph.

I am going away for 4 weeks from mid-July and I don’t know what will happen to my plants! I can’t get anyone else to water them and I am afraid they will die…I’ve been nurturing them for about 1-3 years now…I have a ficus/rubber plant (Ficus elastica ‘Robusta’), a yucca (not too worried about this one) and still young/small Cycas revoluta/Sago palm. The sago palm is already suffering as one of its leaves is turning increasingly yellow, and I never know if this happens because of sun burn or lacking/excessive water. How can I ensure my beloved plants (I’ve even named them!) do not die while I am away? The only outside space I have is a small balcony which is west-facing and is battered by the sun from the early afternoon onwards (and is subject to temperamental UK weather).  

Going on vacation and leaving plants can be a serious concern. 4 weeks is a very long time to leave plants untended. Two weeks is about the longest time that plants seem to be able to tolerate. You are really trying to “push the envelope.”

I have been told that bonsai growers will rent a van and pack all their bonsai in the van and drive with the bonsai wherever they go when they go on vacation. Of course, this is an extreme measure, but it is a suggestion.

As you said, the yucca plant will like full sun. Your Cycas revoluta/Sago palm  may also be quite happy being out in the sun, which it loves with only moderate shade from strong summer sun. And it loves less water-like a cactus, but it should never be allowed to dry out completely. If the leaves are yellowing in the house, you might have been over watering the Cycas or giving it too much fertilizer or have it in the wrong soil. Cut off those yellowing leaves. And though the Ficus may be very resistant in dry conditions and can survive very harsh droughts when planted outdoors, naturally it will thrive with plenty of water, especially if the weather gets really hot. When plants are in pots there is very little soil around the roots which can dry out too quickly. So the Ficus is really the trickiest of the 3 plants to try to keep alive when you are away for one month.

Though the Yucca and Sago Palm are either drought tolerant or fairly drought tolerant and like sun. Older plants are more tolerant than younger plants.

However, here are some suggestions if you are leaving plants that need more watering: You say that you do not know anyone who will come to water your plants. Have you asked around at local plant nurseries to see if they can “board” your plants or if they know of someone who is in the business of watering vacation plants or boarding plants. There are companies that water plants in public offices. Have you contacted the companies that do this service to see if you can contract them for one month? I don’t know if the Master Gardening program has come to London - I had heard it was starting. MGs don’t recommend any businesses.  However, they might give the names of some commercial watering businesses who would go to a private home for a month or maybe one of the MGs provides this service. The best place of all for you to call for information about your plants, since you are in the UK, would be Kew Gardens. They certainly would give you excellent advice on how to care for your plants while you are on vacation and they might know a service that would go to your house when you were away.

Also, because you do not know a person who would go to your house, is there someone whom you could bring your plants to their house to be “boarded”? Is there some young kid in the neighboring apartment whom you could ask to babysit your plants on their deck for a babysitting fee?  Do you know someone with a garden? Someone who would be willing to allow your plants to sit outside in their garden under a shady tree or in a shady spot. Tell these people to just water the plants once a week or once every two weeks until the water runs through the pot.  Assure any friend or neighbor who offers to board your plants that should something happen to your plants, you would understand. People are afraid to assume this responsibility for fear of killing your plant. Of course it would be best to let your plants stay with someone with a green thumb. But these options would be better than allowing your plants to be “home alone” on your deck.

If getting a person is not an option, could you rig a big beach umbrella on your deck to shade the Ficus plant?

Any indoor plant being taken outdoors should be acclimated slowly.  Do not put them in bright sunlight right away. Take a few weeks to introduce them to the light slowly. Make sure to deeply water every plant (until water comes out of the bottom of their drainage holes).  Remember as well to remove all of the plants’ “unhealthy” greenery with a pair of clean sharp pruners. Where possible, water the plant in the bathtub or shower. Then put plants that need more water in pots that retain moisture, perhaps on stones in cache pots or pots with wicks to wick the water. You can use water retentive pellets mixed into the soil. I use Schultz Moisture Plus but there are other brands of watering crystals and in this link are other brand names.  Or you can buy pots with wicks that will constantly wick the water into the pots. Check your local nursery for water retentive pellets or wicking pots or make your own wicks (here or here).  Place the pot on something that holds water. Someone suggested getting some of those super duper disposable diapers, wet them to the dripping point then put your plants on top of it and enclose all in a plastic bag - best done in a shaded area. It is best to put the plants somewhere there won’t be large temperature fluctuations as you don’t want mold if it gets too hot.  But this is not an option for you. So I might also consider putting something damp on top of the pot for the plant that needs moisture.  Again this advice is Not for desert types of plants like Yucca or Sago Palm. And the Ficus does not like too much water so this is tricky.

For your Ficus, can you put some sort of drip hose line on your deck? Again check on drip line systems in Google or with your local nursery. There are many new types of drip irrigation around.   See here. Many people suggest the bathroom for leaving plants when going on vacation, as the best place to leave plants when going away. And you can leave the bathroom light on.   2 of the plants you mention will be happy with the sunny deck. But you might try the bathroom for the Ficus. What you are attempting is very difficult. TheGardenLady hopes that some of the suggestions will be what you are looking for.  here are no guarantees on any of these suggestions; but they might just work. Remember, whatever you do, as much as you love your plants, if one dies, mourn briefly and move on. In the grand scheme of life, the death of a plant is not the worst thing that can happen. My father-in-law used to say that the nursery business is the best business to be in because plants die and one always has to replace them. You are a good plant mother, but 1 to 3 years is not a very long time in a plant’s life.

And, please let TheGardenLady and her readers know what you chose to do and what the outcome was. It will be a learning experience for all of us.

 

TheGardenLady received this question from Shelly:

My daffodils have grown, but after a few days, they fall over, should I put some bone meal in the soil? I have Tulips and day lillies in the same bed, around a tree.

If your plants look healthy, no diseases on them, there are a few reasons that your plants are falling over.  Daffodils can be blown over by strong winds or if there are heavy rains, the rain can make the leaves and flowers flop over.

But generally, the reason the leaves and flowers of outdoor planted bulbs flop over is because of the planting depth. Planting depth and spacing are very important to the success of bulbs.

Usually when you buy bulbs, the package tells you how deep to plant. However, if there were no instructions, a general rule of thumb for planting depth (from top of bulb to soil surface) is two to three times the greatest diameter of bulbs 2 inches or more in diameter and three to four times the greatest diameter for smaller bulbs.

Bulb Planting Depth
Always make sure that you plant bulbs to the recommended depth.  If you plant bulbs too deep their shoots may not reach the surface If you plant them too high they will topple over once they begin to grow. So TheGardenLady suspects that you planted your bulbs too shallowly.

When you planted the bulbs last fall, you should have amended the soil. Some sources recommend digging a hole 12 to 18 inches deep and checking to see if there is good drainage before putting in some rotted horse manure in the bottom of the hole, then covering the manure with at least 2 inches of soil to separate the base of the bulb from the manure. Spread soil with a generous sprinkling of bone meal. Cover bone meal with approximately 6 inches of good topsoil (without manure) and set the bulbs on this. Finally cover bulbs with any fairly good friable soil.

This year you may have to stake the daffodils to keep them upright. If you also planted the lilies and tulips too shallowly, you may have these plants flop over; so you may have to stake them, also.  Bone meal should not be put on top of soil, no top dressing. It should only have been put near the roots at the time you planted the daffodils because today’s bone meal is not the same as the bone meal that was used long ago.

If you decide to dig up your bulbs to plant them at a proper depth, you should wait until the fall after the daffodil leaves die. If you do not  want to dig up the bulbs this fall after the  leaves die, try adding some more good topsoil on top of the ground where the bulbs were planted to give them more depth when they come up next spring. This isn’t the best solution because the soil may wash off with heavy rains. It is worth a try if you hate the idea of replanting bulbs just one year later. But eventually, to get good flowering and no flopping, you will have to dig up and replant your bulbs the proper depth.

 

TheGardenLady loves to let her readers know about excellent nurseries she thinks her readers would like to know about as well as flower shows that her readers would enjoy.

One such nursery is Stony Brook Orchids,  an orchid business in Pennington, NJ, that specializes in Phalaenopsis orchid plants of all colors and sizes, including the more unusual yellows, art shades, stripes, spots and more.  The nursery also sells miniature Cattleyas, one of the small treasures of the orchid world with plant height generally under 6 inches (flower spikes taller on some varieties) as well as Oncidium orchids.  And the nursery sells orchid-growing supplies, such as potting mix, fertilizer, etc.

The owner of Stony Brook Orchids is Susan Gange who says that she bought her first orchid in 1978 and promptly killed it, having relied on the rather sketchy orchid-growing information available to the hobby grower at that time. A couple of years later, she tried again, with much better success. So much success that this hobby resulted in a business.

Not only does Susan sell the orchids (she mails orchids if you don’t live near NJ)  she also lectures and teaches about growing the orchids that she sells. It is her hope that, based on her many years of experience in growing orchids on windowsills, under fluorescent lights, and in a greenhouse, she can help you to succeed with these beautiful, long- flowering plants.

Susan Gange’s experience includes being a past president of the Central Jersey Orchid Society, a member of the American Orchid Society and the International Phalaenopsis Alliance, secretary of the Delaware Valley Orchid Council, and in her free time, a Mercer County Master Gardener.

Susan has had her orchids win awards in judged contests. She has trained others to win orchid awards. And on the other side of the award table, Susan has been a judge of orchids, including the time she went to Taiwan, a country of orchids and orchid lovers, to attend an International Phalaenopsis Alliance Symposium and visit the orchid show. While in Taiwan she was invited to be a member of the team judging the Container Orchid Division and also voted on the show’s Grand Champion orchid.

Susan shows her orchids at many orchid shows and will have her orchids at the upcoming Longwood Garden Orchid Show at the end of March (3/28-3/30). Orchid lovers should not miss this awesome event.

On the Stony Brook website–click “Show Schedule”  to see a list of places where you can see and meet Susan.

Susan has promised TheGardenLady that if orchid questions come to this site, she will help answer them.

As TheGardenLady was eating her morning banana, she found this fun website that seems to answer every question one might have about the banana. She thought that her readers might also enjoy reading the facts about this plant.

 

TheGardenLady spent Wed. at the 2008 Philadelphia Flower Show. Her reaction? WOW! What a show!

The Flower Show is always a spectacular show visually. And this year with the theme ‘Jazz It Up’  is no exception. From the minute you enter the show and walk under an archway of floating piano keys and exotic cut flowers such as allamandas and heliconias and then see more
amazing Garden Displays ahead, you know you are in for a treat.

The official show program lists over 50 Landscape and Floral Displays. There are orchids galore - to see displayed or to buy.  I don’t think I have ever seen so many bromeliads in one location. Less exotic but no less beautiful garden plants including flowering trees, flowering shrubs, flowering bulbs, flowering perennials and annuals filled the convention center with their color and fragrance making garden lovers want to run home to begin their own gardens.

This Philadelphia Flower Show which was first held in 1829 is the “largest and longest running show of its kind in the world.” And this 2008 show has the most contemporary look, very much inspired by modern art.

Besides the flowers, the display gardens has so many water features. There were reflecting pools, water falls, ponds, bird baths and fountains. To keep with the Jazz theme, many fountains were cleverly made of brass instruments.

Floral decorators made interesting sculptural elements from flowers. The competitive exhibitors had the most wonderfully forced flowers and plants at the show. I always look for long time exhibitor, Mrs. Samuel Hamilton’s exhibited flowers and plants. This year her hanging Easter Cactus was fabulous.  Among my favorite parts of the show are always the floral “paintings”, the miniature rooms (I was disappointed to see that there were fewer of these this year), and the jewelry made of plant material (I was pleased to see carnival masks included here.) And this year there seemed to be so much more, including dresses inspired by flower arrangements.  So much to see.

And with all those flowers and plants that would have made the show great, there is a unique first at this show that added the Wow factor. This year there is live Jazz.  This 2008 show is a  happening!  You feel transported to New Orleans. It was so exciting to have live Jazz performing all day. Groups like Big Sam’s Funky Band, Hoppin’ John Orchestra, and the UCC Brass Band were making everyone tap their feet or even do a little dancing.

This 10 acre Show, with all the plants planted in soil, all the water features and all the people taking photos plus all the shops and everything in that convention center including the re-creation of Bourbon Street, TheGardenLady momentarily wondered about the weight. But she was too busy having a fabulous day to give it more than that micro- second of concern.

Remember, TheGardenLady did not write about everything going on each day - things like the excellent lectures and demonstrations.  One day seems too short to see and do it all.

The 2008 Philadelphia Flower Show ends March 9th. Try not to miss it. Buy in advance and you can get discount tickets - you save $6 a ticket - at the PNC Bank and at Acme, both show sponsors.  The train takes you to the Convention Center so you don’t have to drive and spend money parking - you just take the escalator up to the show.  In the Official Show program, in a pile at the entrance, there is a free coupon
for a gift from the Mantis company. TheGardenLady does not know what the gift is because she didn’t see the coupon until she got home. And for food, there are plenty of food stalls in the convention center. But TheGardenLady loves to go to the Reading Terminal farmers’ market across the street for food. Get your hand stamped before you leave the convention center so that you can get back in. (The Bassett ice cream, which has been sold at the Reading Terminal market for over 100 years,  is yummy.) PS There seemed to be adequate toilets for all the ladies because a lot of the men’s rooms were converted to women’s toilets. How smart the planners were.