Forcing Shrubs to Bloom – Now!
Posted on Monday, April 4, 2016 · Leave a Comment
I don’t know about you, but I am more than ready for spring blossoms. My little bulbs like snowdrops are blooming already, but I want my magnolia, crabapples, forsythia and daphne to bloom, too. Fortunately, I can easily speed up the process –indoors. Here’s what I’m doing.
I have cut branches with flower buds and brought them inside to force them in a vase of water. It’s important to know what to look for when you cut branches to force.
Apple fruit spurs
Let’s start with apples. What you need to cut are older branches with little stubby outgrowths on them. Those stubs are called fruit spurs, and if they are at least 2 years old, they should produce flowers and as well as leaves. Most apple trees also create pencil-thin straight new shoots each year. These are called water sprouts and will not produce blossoms in a vase, only leaves. Sometimes I pick water sprouts, too, as even leaves are pleasant in early spring.
Fruit spurs most often are produced on branches that are growing at a 30 to 45 degree angle to the trunk or a main branch. Some young trees tend to be very vertical, sending most branches virtually straight up. If you bend a vertical branch to a broader angle, it will often develop fruit spurs in a year or two. Just tie it in place from now until early June and it should stay at the new angle.
An apple fruit spur produces not one flower, but a few, and leaves, too. Just put the branches in a vase of water in a sunny window. In a week or more the branches will burst open with blossoms. When I prune fruit trees, including apples, crabapples and pears, I regard the branches carefully and pick those most loaded with fruit spurs to bring into the house.
Some 20 years ago I planted a small magnolia in my back yard in the middle of an open lawn. Over the years it has reached full size – perhaps 25 feet tall and nearly as wide – and it blooms reliably on my birthday in late April. I have already cut some branches and put them in a vase, and they will bloom indoors within a week or so.
My magnolia is a ‘Merrill’ hybrid. It is a perfect 4-season plant. In the spring mine has more than a thousand 4-inch, lightly fragrant blossoms. In the summer it has glossy green leaves, and no pests. In the fall it displays colorful seeds and bright yellow foliage. In the winter the buds that will open in spring look like pussy
Magnolia bud
willows on steroids. And it is growing in moist soil near a stream, a location where many trees would not thrive (many do not like wet feet) . Other than the ancient, stately maples on my property, it is my favorite tree.
Then there is the forsythia, one of the earlier things to bloom in our part of the world. For decades gardeners in northern New England grew old fashioned varieties of forsythia and got blossoms low on the bushes, but not above the snow line. Flower buds on any early-blooming shrub are formed the summer before, and must survive the cold temperatures and winds of winter. Those forsythia buds were not hardy in my zone.
But all that has changed. There are now varieties that are fully hardy in Zone 4 – where temperatures drop to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit each winter. Prime among them are New Hampshire Gold (developed in my home town of Cornish, NH by the late Paul Joy), Vermont Sun, Meadowlark and Northern Gold. These bloom everywhere. When cutting stems for blossoms, pick vigorous young stems. By now you should see some hints of gold in the buds on those branches.
Daphne the dog with Daphne the shrub, and magnolia stems
I‘ve been growing a tidy shrub called February Daphne for a dozen years or so. Its proper botanical name is Daphne mezereum. I love this plant so much that when I got a corgi puppy 10 years ago, my first AKC registered dog, I named her Daphne Mezereum. Of course I call my wonderful dog Daffy (except when she rolls in nasty stuff, when I may use her full name to reprimand her).
February Daphne may bloom somewhere in February – New Jersey, the garden state, for example – but for me it blooms in April. Early April if the weather is mild, like this year. I picked some recently and the buds, nearly open, popped open almost immediately.
The rule of thumb is this: the closer you are to the outdoor bloom date, the quicker a branch will bloom in the house. Lilac, which is still many weeks from blooming for me, will not quickly or easily force in the house now. A week before those buds open? Piece of cake.
On another topic, an important one for gardeners, is the presence of deer ticks in the garden. I recently researched deer ticks and the diseases they carry, including Lyme disease. Ticks are already out and biting. If you wish to go on-line, you can see my piece that gives 7 ways to prevent Lyme disease, along with photos of the ticks. Just go to https://dailyuv.com/henryhomeyer.
Henry is a UNH Master Gardener and the author of 4 gardening books. He lives and gardens in Cornish Flat, NH. His web site is www.Gardening-Guy.com.
Getting the Vegetable Garden Ready
Posted on Monday, March 28, 2016 · Leave a Comment
I talked to a gardening friend who has already started planting a few things in his vegetable garden. Not me! Despite a few warm sunny days, it is way too cold and wet in my garden to do much of anything. Seeds will rot in cold, wet soil. Here’s what I’m doing – or not doing.
Technically, spring is here, but the soil temperature in my garden is in the thirties, even when the air gets into the fifties or warmer. We need consistently warm temperatures before I will plant outdoors because it takes time to warm up the soil. I want the soil to reach 50 degrees or warmer before I plant.
Soil thermometer
Yes, I take my soil’s temperature, much as I would a sick puppy or a child trying to avoid school. I have a thermometer that looks like an old analog oven thermometer: a steel probe with a round button with a dial on top that shows the temperature. Mine was designed for use in compost piles, so the probe is a couple of feet long. You can look at your local garden center, or order one from Gardeners Supply Company (www.gardeners.com) in Burlington, VT.
I’m not ready to rake off the leaves I spread on my vegetable beds last fall. In October I weeded my vegetable garden and then covered it with 4 to 6 inches of leaves that I’d run over with the lawnmower and raked up. The leaves kept the soil from washing from my mounded raised beds into the walkways (the beds don’t have planks to contain the soil).
Unfortunately, the layer of leaves is also an insulator, so the soil will stay colder than bare soil until I remove it. But the leaves inhibit weeds from growing, too. That’s a good thing. Since my soil is still pretty soggy, I don’t want to walk in the garden or disturb the soil.
Soil is actually a bit fragile at this time of year – step on it (or rototill it) and you can ruin its structure. So the leaves keep weeds from growing until I rake them off in late April or early May.
Once the leaves are off the beds and raked into the pathways, two kinds of weeds will grow: annual weeds and perennial weeds like dandelions and witch grass. Annual weeds grow from seeds and are easy to kill: you can run a sharp hoe just below the surface, slicing off the tops from the roots. That will kill annual weeds when they are small.
If you don’t get around to hoeing your beds and the weeds are well established, you could toast them! That’s right, cover a bed with clear plastic, seal the edges with soil, and in just a day or two of hot sunshine, they will be toast. I’ve measured the temperature in a bed being solarized, and on a 60-degree day, the temperature got over 100 degrees.
Perennial weeds need to be pulled. Their roots contain stored energy from last year, and generally even a scrap of root can regenerate and start a new plant. That is one of the reasons I don’t recommend rototilling. Chop up witch grass roots and each piece with a node will produce a new plant if it is within a few inches of the soil surface. It’s true that plowing a field and turning the sod under a foot of soil will kill most grasses, but that’s different than rototilling.
Stella Natura 2016 cover
Meanwhile, indoors, it’s almost time to start planting. Generally I recommend starting most things 6 to 8 weeks before I put them outside. I plant tomatoes outdoors in early June. So April 10 is my planting date most years. I use a biodynamic calendar called Stella Natura (www.stellanatura.com) to advise me about planting dates. It uses the planets, stars and the moon to determine good times for planting fruits (tomatoes and peppers), roots (carrots and potatoes), flowers (artichokes and cauliflower) and leaves (lettuce and kale).
This year April 10th is a root day, but the two days before, according to Stella Natura, are fruit days up until 2pm on April 9th. At that point there is a blackout period until 6pm, and I will definitely not plant anything then. My informal experiments with blackout days have shown me that there is a significant disadvantage to planting then.
So what should you do if you didn’t weed and prepare your beds last fall? Start weeding, a little every day, as soon as your beds dry out. An easy way to see if your soil is ready to work is to grab a handful of soil and squeeze it. Hold that ball of soil, and tap it with a finger. If the soil is ready to work, it should crumble. If not, wait.
And when your soil is ready to work, think about creating some mounded, raised beds. You can do this by loosening the soil with a garden fork, then raking the loose soil into beds that are about 3 feet wide and stand up 4 to 6 inches above the walkways. Add a thick layer of compost on top, and scratch it into the soil at the top surface, and you’ll be ready to plant.
We all want to start gardening now, but do wait until your soil is as ready as you are!
Read Henry’s blog by going to https://dailyuv.com/henryhomeyer. He is posting 2 or 3 times a week. You can sign up for an email alert every time Henry blogs that will take you right to the entry.
Growing Tropical Fruits
Posted on Monday, March 21, 2016 · Leave a Comment
Last fall in my weekly newspaper column I commented that, if I’d been a good boy all year, I hoped Santa would bring me lemon or lime tree, one that would bear fruit indoors. Santa did not do so, though I can’t imagine why. But many kind readers emailed me saying, “Go to Logee’s Greenhouse (www.logees.com) in Danielson, Connecticut. They will have just what you want.” So after presenting at the Rhode Island Flower Show in February, I went to Logee’s. I got what I wanted – and more.
I met Byron Martin, whose grandfather started Logee’s in 1892. He showed me plants that had been alive longer than he had – some dating back to his grandfather’s days. By now the business has 14 greenhouses – including the original greenhouse.
Byron Martin in Logee’s Greenhouse
Byron literally grew up in the greenhouses, and is a vast reservoir of knowledge. He also has a good sense of humor. In one greenhouse he showed us the Miracle Berry plant and invited us to taste the fruit. “Just chew it a little”, he said. “Spit out the seed.” It was nothing remarkable, pleasant, but nothing special.
Later, in a different greenhouse, Byron picked a lemon, cut it open and offered me a piece. “Try this,” he said. “It’s nothing like any lemon you’ve ever tasted.” Wow. It was sweet. I mean sweeter than an orange. He grinned and explained that the Miracle Berry changes the way your taste buds perceive flavors. The regular lemon he offered tasted sweet and delicious.
In addition to running a fabulous tropical greenhouse, Byron is also the co-author with Laurelynn Martin of Growing Tasty Tropical Plants in Any Home, Anywhere (Storey Publishing, 2010). This book really does tell you everything you need to know about growing tropical fruits. I wish I’d gotten it years ago.
The book explains not only how to do things, but why. I like that. So, for example, I knew that one shouldn’t transplant a small plant into a big pot, just go to the next size. It’s fine to move a plant from a 4 inch pot to a 6 inch pot, not a 12-inch pot. But I never knew why.
The book explains that a small plant in a big pot may develop root rot. Its small root system will not suck out the water from the far reaches of the pot, so the potting soil will remain cool and wet, and that can easily promote root rot. Makes sense.
Growing Tasty Tropical Plants has tips for success, plant by plant and best bets for beginners. It tells you how to grow coffee, tea and bananas. Cinnamon? Sure, you can do it. And what about those avocadoes from the pits we all have started? No, the book explains, those will never produce fruit – but there are kinds of avocado that will give you fruit.
As an organic gardener I appreciate that the Martin’s book explains easy, safe ways to control pests and diseases. Neem oil is produced by a tropical tree and offers pest control for many insects without resorting to synthetic chemicals. And a sharp blast of cold water can greatly reduce the population of aphids or spider mites. (I’ve been known to shower with my house plants).
Key lime before pruning
So what am I growing now? I started with a key lime. This will produce fruit on a 2-foot tall plant, blooming in late winter or early spring and producing fruit in the fall into winter. The book explains that it needs temperatures of 60 degrees or more, as much sun as possible, and well-drained potting mix. It will not do well in consistently wet soil mix.
Then I got a Meyer Lemon. With proper pruning it will produce fruit when just three feet tall and is on the “Best Bets for Beginners” list. Like the lime, this plant will go outside in full sun for the summer, and can tolerate temperatures down to 50 degrees. At Logee’s, most of their lemons grow in 12-inch baskets high in the greenhouse as they love heat. Each of those plants produces about 30 lemons a year!
And of course I had to get a Miracle Berry (Synsepalum dulcificum). According to the book, if kept in full sun and fertilized monthly, it fruits heavily twice a year. And, according to some, chewing on a mature fruit will change the taste of lousy red wine into something a wine aficionado dreams of.
Byron gave me a bay plant so I can have leaves for use in the kitchen, and a neem tree just for fun. I knew the neem tree from my years in Africa, its native home. Interestingly, Bambara farmers in Mali called it the equivalent of the “manure tree”, having figured out that it improves the soil (by fixing nitrogen). According to Byron’s book, neem oil will smoother and eradicate white flies, mealybugs, thrips and more. I bought a small bottle of it.
In a year or two I should be harvesting lemons and limes. I have a good sunny window for the winter, and they will go out in the summer. And if you want to try some of these things, think about a road trip to Logee’s.
Henry is now blogging regularly. Go to https://dailyuv.com/henryhomeyer to see his posts. You can sign up to get an e-mail every time he posts, too.
Pruning Blueberries
Posted on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 · Leave a Comment
March is a good time to prune not just fruit trees, but also your blueberries. Blueberries here in New England are relatively slow growing, so they don’t need to be pruned every year. But they do need help from time to time.
Ready to prune? Your first question should be,” Has the soil thawed and dried out enough to walk around the bushes without damaging the soil?” This is important. You can damage soil structure and roots by walking on soil that has thawed, but has a layer of frozen soil beneath it. Also if the soil is squishy, making sounds or leaving footprints, you should stay away. Yes, I know you want something to do outside on a warm spring day. But stay away from the blueberries, off the lawn and out of the garden until soil has dried out.
Blueberry leaf buds
Before making your first cut you need to know the difference between leaf buds and fruit buds. A branch that has few or no fruit buds is a good candidate for your pruners. Snip it off, and it will open up the bush, allowing sunshine to get to the productive branches.
Fruit buds are fat and leaf buds are not, they are slim and pointy. Simple as that. The rounded fruit buds generally produce a cluster of berries, not just a single berry, and you will certainly lose some berries when you take off a branch, it’s inevitable. But let the number of fruit buds on a branch guide you as you make your cuts.
Blueberry fruit buds
Whether pruning blueberries or apples or pears, you should never cut branches in a way that leaves stubs. Branches heal at their point of origin, either at the trunk or a bigger branch. On larger branches you may notice a larger, almost swollen area called the branch collar; they should remain when pruning any type of branch. If you cut off a branch an inch from the branch collar, the stub will need to rot back to the branch collar before it heals. In the meantime pests or diseases may be attracted to the dying wood.
Pruning is the ultimate game of choices for the gardener. Remove this branch or that? Here are some guidelines for making your choices.
- Removing a few larger branches is generally better than making many small cuts.
- First, remove any dead branches. They don’t count in your calculation of how many branches can be removed – they are not contributing anything to the plant’s wellbeing. It is generally accepted that you can remove a quarter to a third of tree or shrub’s leaves in one year. You can identify a live branch even in winter by rubbing it gently with your thumbnail. If you expose a green layer, it’s alive.
- When deciding between two branches, remove the older, less vigorous branch and leave younger stems, which on blueberries often have a green or reddish color.
- Prune away branches that are damaged or rubbing against another branch.
- In general, branches should be grow out, away from the center of the bush. Branches that aim into the middle will eventually cause problems.
- Blueberries sometimes develop a viral infection that causes “witches brooms.” These are masses of fine twigs growing on one branch. Remove the entire thing and put it in the trash, or burn it.
Blueberries really are easy to grow. They need full sun, which means a minimum of six hours per day. But most importantly, they need very acidic soil. Now would be a good time to collect a soil sample and send it off for testing at your state Cooperative Extension laboratory. You can download the form on-line, just Google “soil testing” and your state.
If your soil is not acidic enough, you can add elemental sulfur. This is fine for organic gardeners, too, as it is mined from the earth, not manufactured in a chemical plant.
Changing the soil pH may take you a number of years. It is better to add some elemental sulphur this year, and again next year and in later years rather than dumping too much on at once. Your ultimate goal is a pH in the range of 4.0 t0 5.0. The scale is logarithmic, meaning that 4.0 is ten times more acidic than 5.0, and a hundred times more acidic than 6.0. Seven on the scale is neutral.
My last bit of advice, and one I don’t follow well myself, is to keep the root zone of the blueberries weed free. Mulching with a thick layer of chipped branches is the best way to do so, and I’m going to do so this year!
So do some pruning this year, your blueberries will develop into more vigorous plants in just a year or two. And the rules for pruning blueberries can be applied to your apples, crabapples, plums and pears. So get busy!
Henry is now blogging regularly and you can read this at https://dailyuv.com/henryhomeyer. You can sign up for e-mail alerts when he posts there. His website is www.Gardening-Guy.com.
Bird Food
Posted on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 · Leave a Comment
When I was a boy and saw robins hopping around on the lawn when it was still frozen and partially snow-covered, my first impulse was to go buy some fishing worms and put them out. We feed the chickadees sunflower seeds, don’t we, I asked my mom? Why not feed the robins?
Sixty years later I am feeding the robins – but not worms. The robins this year came back early, and in great numbers. They have been feasting on crabapples lingering on a tree I planted outside my kitchen window. We gardeners can do much to provide the biological diversity needed in our environment to feed the birds – robins included. And earlier this winter that same tree fed the wild turkeys for a day or two. Fortunately it produces plenty of fruit, and there was some left for those early birds from the south.
Many years ago I attended a talk by naturalist Ted Levin of Norwich, Vermont. He explained that not all fruit is created equal. Birds need calories, and thus go first to any food source that has a high fat content, particularly in winter. Birds are a bit like teenagers: pepperoni berries would suit them fine. Some fruits have high sugar content, which also makes them attractive. Think of blueberries, and how quickly the birds can make clean off a bush if it’s not covered in netting.
Robin food – crabapples
Of the crabapples, some are liked by birds and others ignored. According to Kevin Brown of E.C. Brown Nursery of Thetford (www.ecbrownsnursery.biz), the following are good crabapples loved by birds: Snowdrift, Sugar Time, Sargent, Red Jewel, Prairie Fire and Golden Rainbow.
In many places staghorn sumac (Rhus hirta) are still loaded with dry red fruit, their seeds are clustered in “bobs” that are displayed at the tips of the top branches. Sumac is not generally planted by gardeners – unless you consider birds gardeners. They eat the seeds at this time of year and some seeds pass through their digestive systems unharmed. But sumac seeds have very little fat content, so, according to Levin, they have remained largely uneaten until now – the hungry time. I have seen starlings and bluejays eating them, and read that another 20 or so species do, too.
Staghorn sumac
If you are interested in learning more about trees that feed birds, or provide them with shelter or nesting sites, there is a wonderful book available in paperback by Richard M. DeGraaf calledTrees, Shrubs, and Vines for Attracting Birds. It is in a second edition published by University of New England Press for $24.95. The book lists what birds use each of a hundred or so plants for food, shelter and nesting. So if you want to attract a specific bird, you can find plants that will attract it.
Other good woody plants for bird food include elderberries, grapes, shadbush (Amelanchier spp.) and pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia). Elderberries like moist soil – I have them growing right up next to my stream. They are not long-loved plants, generally surviving under 10 years. Planting 2 or more varieties together will help to get better pollination.
Grapes produce their fruit on new canes. So prune them heavily each winter, before they set blossoms or leaves. A good structure to support the vines is important, too.
Shadbush is one of the first trees to bloom each spring. Its blossoms are similar to apples, but the fruit is small and dark, almost like a blueberry. Birds are ready to eat the fruit a few days before it is fully ripe, so although I have several bushes, it was many years before I got to eat any.
Pagoda dogwood is a wonderful native shrub that grows willy-nilly on my property. Like elderberries, it is not a plant with a long lifetime. It’s an understory tree that can do well even in shade. The blossoms, unlike those on its cousin the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), are small and understated. In late summer its fruit – dark blue drupes (fruit with one large seed, like a cherry) are prominently displayed on red upward-facing stems. And the birds love them, stripping them off as soon as they are ripe.
All evergreens are important to birds, too, including white pine, hemlock, balsam fir and spruces of all kinds. Birds not only eat the seeds, they nestle in their branches to be out of the winter winds.
So don’t worry about feeding those early-arriving robins. No need to buy fishing worms for them. But do think about planting some nice trees or shrubs for them this year. They’ll appreciate your efforts and reward you by eating some of the bugs in your yard.
Henry Homeyer lives in Cornish Flat, NH and is the author of 4 gardening books. His website iswww.Gardening-Guy.com. Henry is now blogging twice a week. Read his blogs athttps://dailyuv.com/henryhomeyer.
Wheelbarrows
Posted on Thursday, March 3, 2016 · Leave a Comment
Thinking about writing a memoir, I recently pawed through my late mother’s journal from 1948. I was amazed to read that on my second birthday my sister, Ruth Anne, herself just four and a half, gave me a wheelbarrow, my first. My parents gave me a watering can. My Uncle Ralph and Auntie Ruth gave me a shovel.
With gifts like those, is it a surprise that I turned out to be a gardening guy? Or that I now own 7 kinds of wheelbarrows, uncountable hand tools and several watering cans? Spring is just around the corner and this might be a good time to look over the necessities for the upcoming gardening season.
One of my first memories in life is being in the garden with my grandfather when a quick thunderstorm approached. Grampy scooped me up, placed me on a pile of weeds in his wooden wheelbarrow, and we raced back to his old farmhouse. I loved that wheelbarrow.
Wooden wheelbarrow
Many years later I searched for a company making wooden wheelbarrows and found Spring Valley Woodworking in Gordonville PA run by Ike Lapp, who is Old Order Amish. I’ve met Ike and purchased one of his barrows. It has removable sides, which is nice for lugging fence posts, and a steel-rimmed wooden wheel that never goes flat. It even makes the same squeak my grandfather’s wheelbarrow made all those years ago.
To reach Ike and order a barrow, leave a message for him at 717-355-9366. He can’t have a phone in his home or workplace, but has a plywood shack with an answering machine in the middle of a field. He will return your call at his convenience, not yours. Maybe we should all be more like that.
My sturdiest wheelbarrow, the one I go to most often is called a Smart Cart (www.shopmullerscarts.com). It is great for heavy and bulky loads. The axle is centered under the load so that it feels light to the touch and turns easily on its two wide 16-inch diameter wheels. It has a tubular aluminum frame and a big plastic bin (7 cubic feet).
Smart Cart
You can easily remove the bin from the frame so that you can wash the dog in it, or carry compost in the back of your car. My model (with wide wheels) is rated for 600 lbs; the wire wheel version is rated for 400 lbs. There is also a 12-cubic foot bin that is interchangeable with the 7-foot bin, though I’ve never seen it.
Everything about this cart is well designed. It’s more expensive than a standard wheelbarrow, but worth it. I’ve kept mine outdoors all summer for years without problems. I visited the web site and see that there are now 2 grades of carts: contractor (original) and a less expensive residential grade, which I have not tested.
Then there is the standard old-fashioned one-wheeled wheelbarrow in either metal or plastic. I have a metal one, but have had a plastic one, too. The metal ones are better for heavy loads, but do rust over time. Generally they have wooden handles that are replaceable – though you shouldn’t have to. Their biggest advantage is that they can turn on a dime and will go down a narrow path in the garden – something 2-wheeled barrows generally cannot do. They come in two sizes: 6- and 4-cubic foot varieties. I have the larger one.
I also have a plywood garden cart. The original brand, often called a Garden Way cart, is made by Carts Vermont (www.cartsvermont.com) though other companies now make them. These come in 2 sizes: Mid-size (6.5 cu feet) and large (13.6 cubic feet), which I have. These are great for carrying bulky loads like hay and leaves. They use 26-inch bicycle tires, but offer a solid tire as an option – which I wish I had. Avoiding flat tires would be great.
Then there is my folding aluminum wheelbarrow. It is the Tipke 2100 folding cart (www.tipkemfg.com/foldit), and is remarkably sturdy. It has removable sides like my grandfather’s cart but its main claim to fame is that it folds up – and weighs just 33 pounds. If you are an apartment dweller, you can store it in a closet; it will fit in a small car to go to the community garden, but it can carry up to 330 lbs.
There are also electric powered wheelbarrows that can assist you in getting up a long incline with a heavy load. A rechargeable 24 volt battery is the standard power source. I tried one a few years ago, but the motor and battery add weight and cost, so I was not interested. I’ve seen several brands on-line.
I’ve also tried the cheap plastic wheelbarrows with plastic wheels. They cost well under $100 at big box stores, and are worth even less. I wouldn’t have one, but I suppose if you are just beginning and on a restricted budget, one might do the job for a few years.
When possible, I recommend buying wheelbarrows after trying one out. So go to your local feed-and-grain store or garden center and test drive one. Do it now, before you get too busy in the garden.
Henry lives and gardens in Cornish Flat, NH. His website is www.Gardening-Guy.com.
Potted Bulb Plants
Posted on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 · Leave a Comment
As we amble toward spring I find I crave blossoms more and more. This must delight the people who sell flowers, as I have a hard time walking by a display of iris or daffodils growing in pots without buying some. But buying grocery store potted bulb-flowers is not just an indulgence. Many can be kept alive until the ground thaws and planted. Others are less durable. Let’s take a look.
Iris reticulata
I love those little purple iris that are commonly sold in 4-inch pots. I bought some recently for $3.99 and although they only lasted a week, I was delighted to have them. This particular iris is known to botanists by its Latin name, Iris reticulata. It’s related to Siberian iris and bearded iris, but has different growing needs.
According to the tag that came with the iris, you can plant these outdoors “in part shade after last spring frost.” What they don’t tell you is that Iris reticulata require very good drainage. They originated in the mountains of western Asia where they grow wild on pumice slopes of extinct volcanoes.
If you want these fabulous little iris to succeed for you, do not plant them in a heavy clay soil. In fact, build a six-inch raised bed of sandy soil and grit with very little organic matter. Outline your planting bed with stones or bricks. You should be able to pour water from your watering can over the bed and not have any pooling. Planting on a hillside will help with drainage, too. Most of my soil is too rich for Iris reticulata, so I’ve not had good luck with them after the first year. I guess this year I’ll build them their own little bed.
Tete-a-tete daffodils are great little bundles of yellow joy that are common in grocery stores and at flower shows. Each bulb produces more than one mini daffodil. They are very cold hardy and can be planted outdoors when the soil has thawed. Just keep them watered indoors after blooming. Like other small bulbs, plant the tips just 2 inches beneath the soil surface.
Every year I force paper whites. Also in the daffodil family, these are not usually planted in soil indoors, but in a container filled with pebbles. Choose one that has no holes and arrange the paper whites bulbs among the stones. Later, when the leaves and stems are tall, they will tip over unless you arrange your stones so that they hold the bulbs in place. I add water until it just kisses the bottom of the bulbs. Roots emerge and soon thereafter green leaves and flower buds emerge. Each bulb should produce more than one blossom.
The paper white flowers are usually – though not always – highly fragrant. Some people do not like the scent, though I do. And even after the flowers have dried out they still look good to me for quite a while. The unfortunate part about paperwhites is that they are not viable in our climate outdoors. No, do not save them and plant outdoors. They will not come back for you next year.
Forced daffodils in Earth Box
I also potted bulbs for forcing that I put in my cold basement last November, and I have brought them up into the light and warmth of the house. This year I used a plastic container called an “Earth Box” for planting. The one I used is 22 inches long, 9 inches wide and has a planting space about 7 inches deep; I planted about 20 bulbs in it. It is a “self-watering container” that has a water holding compartment a couple of inches deep.
Self-watering containers are all the rage for growing flowers on decks and doorsteps. They prevent the dehydration (and death) that old fashioned flower pots allowed. They wick up water from the water reservoir so that you only have to water once a week or so, depending on the weather. But they are great as containers for bulbs, too, because they don’t leak water out onto your table or windowsill unless you dump gallons of water and make them overflow.
Tulips are some of my favorite flowers but are also loved by deer, chipmunks, voles (but never moles), red squirrels, gray squirrels and a variety of other rodents. The bulbs are even edible by humans – some Dutch ate them to avoid starvation in WWII. So most years I plant some in pots and force them to bloom indoors. Just enjoy them now.
My personal experience is that tulips bloom well their first year –indoors or out – but fewer and fewer bloom each year thereafter. So if you buy potted tulips at the florist shop or nursery, I don’t think they are worth babying along until summer and planting outdoors in May.
I planted 100 tulips in a big raised bed in my vegetable garden last fall. I planted a few garlic cloves in with them in an effort to discourage rodents, though that is no sure cure. In the past deer have not bothered my tulips, but if I am feeling paranoid or see lots of footprints near the tulip bed, I could surround it with a chicken wire fence. Since the bed is only 8 feet by 3 feet, even a 4-foot fence should keep out the deer, I believe. I will use the tulips as cut flowers.
So brighten your house with some flowers grown from bulbs. Most you’ll be able to plant outdoors for another show next year, albeit later.
Henry may be reached by e-mail at henry.homeyer@comcast.net or at P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746. Please include a stamped envelope if you wish a response by mail.
Thoughts of Charles Darwin During a Walk in the Woods
Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 · Leave a Comment
I have great respect for Charles Darwin. He was a scientist who traveled around the world, observed nature, kept great records, collected specimens, applied logic and came up with a theory that changed how we see the world. He wrote The Origin of Species in 1859 which presented, clearly and forcefully, the theory which became known as evolution.
Darwin postulated that from time to time plants and animals had mutations that made them more or less competitive than others of their species. Those that were better able to survive had more progeny and their changes were more likely to persist and dominate. “Survival of the fittest” became a mantra of scientists that we’ve all heard.
Christmas fern
On a recent walk in the woods I pondered Darwin’s ideas as I looked at the flora of the forest. At the forest floor I observed just one species of fern, the Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides). It was everywhere I looked. Its greenery on that warm, sunny day presumably was using February sunshine to produce food for its roots. I know there are many other ferns in the woods, but all the others had lost their leaves in the fall, and were dormant. Using sunshine in winter must be an evolutionary advantage.
Next I reflected on the wildflowers I love. Early spring bloomers like hepatica are short and bloom before forest trees have leaves. Fall bloomers like goldenrod and cardinal flower are taller. Why is that? They may have evolved in competition with grasses and other tall plants that would shade out shorter things. Plants seem to time their blooming so that they will survive and thrive.
Why do beech leaves linger on the branches in winter
I have often wondered why young beech trees and some oaks hold onto their leaves until spring. Researching this on the web, I found a fabulous article in Northern Woodlands Magazine (http://northernwoodlands.org) by Vermont forester Michael Snyder. He explained that the first prehistoric trees were all evergreen, and that deciduous trees developed later. In cold regions such as ours, shedding leaves helps to minimize water loss and damage due to the cold.
The process of holding onto brown leaves until spring is called marcescence. Snyder postulated several reasons why this ability to hold onto leaves might be an advantage. First he noted that dropping leaves in spring might provide some organic matter as mulch just when a growing plant needs it. Leaves left on the ground all winter would be farther along in the decomposition process. In my view, that doesn’t make sense – trees that are growing green leaves need nitrogen, and brown leaves have little to offer. Nitrogen usually off-gasses when leaves turn brown, going back to the atmosphere. Sure, organic matter in the form of carbon does enrich the soil, but that is a slow process.
Snyder wrote that some other researchers suggest the leaves might help to trap snow in winter, thus retaining water. That does not match with my observations. Others suggested that the leaves might provide some protection to leaf buds against the cold. Again, that is not logical to me. Lastly, he proposes that the leaves might be a deterrent to hungry deer browsing tips of branches, removing leaf buds in winter. Yes, that makes a certain amount of sense to me.
Most trees are adapted to thrive either in sun or shade, but not both. The Canadian hemlock, one of the most common trees in my environment, can grow pretty much anywhere – full sun to full shade (though it does not do well in soggy soil). I can see why it so common in the wild. But it does not do well with road salt or pollution. Will this tree develop new varieties that are tolerant of human interference? Remember that evolution is very slow, often taking millions of years to create new species.
In marketing circles the promoters of a new product are always looking for a “market niche.” This means finding a product that no one else is selling, whether that be a wrist-watch computer or a new type of hair gel. It seems that plants do much the same. They “look for” a place where other plants don’t want to be or can’t succeed.
A great example of a plant market niche is on bare rocks. With no soil what self-respecting plant would want to grow there? Enter the lichens. These are relatively primitive living things that can survive on bare rock in full sun. Technically, they are not even plants.
Lichens are two life forms living together in a symbiotic relationship: fungus and algae or cyanobacteria. Those latter beings can, by photosynthesis, produce food; the fungus provides structure and moisture it gathers. Each species helps the other, and is helped by it. What an amazing evolutionary miracle! Together these living creatures have evolved the ability to live from Antarctica to tropical jungles. Lichens cover roughly 6% of our land mass – so I guess they’ve had good luck finding market niches.
So go for a walk and ponder the miracles of life. And try to figure out why beeches and oaks hold onto their leaves. If you come up with a new theory, be sure to let me know. I’m still not convinced I know the answer.
Henry is a UNH Lifetime Master Gardener and the author of 4 gardening books. His website is www.Gardening-Guy.com.
Groundhog (Day) Soup
Posted on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 · Leave a Comment
The old timers say that on Ground Hog Day we should still have half our wood supply – or more. This year I had more than half as it’s been a warm winter. Or perhaps not a real winter at all. At the half way point I always want to still have plenty of vegetables left from the summer, and I do. To celebrate Ground Hog Day this year I made a soup of my own vegetables, largely with root crops stored in the basement in an old fridge. Here is what I used:
Ground Hog Soup
1 rutabaga, cut in ½ inch cubes
1 kohlrabi, cut in ½ inch cubes
5 carrots, cut in rounds
3 medium-small yellow onions, finely chopped
½ a small celeriac, finely chopped
1 huge garlic clove, finely chopped
5 frozen whole large tomatoes (or substitute a 28 oz can crushed tomatoes)
2 cups winter squash, steamed
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp dried parsley
¼ to ½ tsp dried hot pepper (optional)
fresh rosemary (3-4 sprigs)
1 qt vegetable stock
1 cup cider
olive oil, salt and pepper as needed
View of interior of celeriac
To make the soup I began by sautéing the onions in olive oil until translucent. I use a heavy enameled iron pot for this. While the onions were cooking I chopped the rutabaga and kohlrabi into half-inch cubes, and the carrots into rounds. I added a quart of vegetable stock (I could have made my own, but cheated and used store-bought). Then I put in the root crops I’d cut up and turned down the heat to simmer. I added a cup of cider made from my own apples that I’d frozen, then thawed for this.
I’m sorry to admit that my supply of whole frozen tomatoes is getting low and will have to revert to store-bought canned tomatoes before the new crop comes in this summer. I freeze whole tomatoes in zipper bags in September because it is such an easy way to put them up, much easier than canning. Now I just run them under hot tap water and rub off the skins. I let them sit for a few minutes, then chop them up and toss into the pot.
I added some Espelette hot pepper powder – my own that I dried and ground in the coffee grinder – but you can add jalapeno and use more or leave it out altogether. I added dried parsley and fresh garlic, rosemary and ginger at this time, too.
Hubbard squash and other winter veggies for soup
I always have plenty of winter squash. This year I grew 2 large Hubbard squash in addition to many smaller Waltham butternut squash. For this soup I cracked open a Hubbard even though I couldn’t use all the meat from this 10-pound squash all at once. I cut it into many pieces, removed the seeds, and steamed it in a stock pot until it was soft.
I separated the flesh of the squash from the leathery skin with a large spoon and used 2 cups of the meat for this soup. The rest I cooled, then bagged and froze for later. I blended the squash in my food processor with liquid and tomatoes chunks from the soup pot, though you could use chunks of squash in the soup instead. I find pureeing it makes for a nice thick soup.
Last summer I dug my rosemary in mid-September and potted it in a 50-50 mix of potting soil and good compost. I’ve had it in a south-facing window and it has some soft growth as it leans toward the window, but is healthy, overall. I will start increasing the water to it as spring gets nearer. By March it will need twice as much water as I give it now. Three sprigs of this added good flavor to my soup.
A few words about rutabagas and kohlrabi. They are both great “keepers” for winter storage. Rutabaga grows well in full sun and rich, lightly moist soil. They need to be thinned to 8 inches apart early on or else you’ll get big tops and small roots. The flesh is sweet, not bitter the way some turnips can be. It works like potatoes in a soup, but never crumbles apart the way potatoes do.
Kohlrabi comes in purple or white varieties, and both are crispy and fresh either in a salad, soup or stir fry. ‘Kossak’ is a white variety that can be left in the ground all summer, getting huge – 8 inches or more – but not tough. It is designed for winter storage, and I usually grow some. Thin to 6 to 8 inches apart for good production, more if you are growing Kossak.
If you don’t have rutabagas or kohlrabi, you can substitute potatoes and perhaps add something else from your garden. I generally boil potatoes separately when adding to a soup or stew, and add them towards the end so that they are not mushy or crumbly. I bet green beans would be good in this soup, too. Whatever you use, it’s bound to be good. Bon appetit!
Henry gardens and cooks in Cornish Flat, NH. His e-mail is henry.homeyer@comcast.net. Or write him at P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746. Please include a stamped envelope if you want him to answer a question.
Spring Flower Shows
Posted on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 · Leave a Comment
Boston Flower Show
This has been a relatively easy winter for me. No heavy snows requiring me to climb up on my roof to shovel off the flat part above a death-defying 30-foot drop. No temperatures lingering below zero for days on end. Still, it’s winter and I’m a gardener who is already thinking about spring. Thank heavens for the spring flower shows! Here is this year’s schedule. Mark your calendar and get ready to go.
One of my favorite flower shows is on the first weekend of the big shows: the Rhode Island Flower Show (www.flowershow.com) at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence on February 18-21. This year’s extravaganza is called “Spring Fling” and is being promoted as a treat for all your senses: things to see, smell, touch, taste and hear.
So there will be, in addition to the standard flower displays, cooks whipping up treats and teaching tricks, and bands playing Friday and Saturday from 4 to 7 pm. Friday’s band will do tunes from the 50’s and 60’s, while Saturday’s band, Hey 19, is a Steely Dan tribute band. Should be fun. The show sells drinks and has a small dance floor, too.
As with all shows, attending the lectures and slide shows at the Rhode Island Show are an important part of the show for me. Actually, I’ll be speaking both Friday at4pm and Saturday at noon. But I may go hear Roger Swain of Victory Garden fame, or some of the many other speakers. And I love all the displays – from professionals to rank amateurs.
Also on February 18 to 21 is the Connecticut Flower Show (www.ctflowershow.com) at the Convention Center in Hartford. Like the Rhode Island show, this show boasts plenty of flower displays, vendors and lectures. In fact, it boasts 4 lectures at a time (in different rooms) for 4 time slots on the four days! Want to learn how to grow plants for Monarch butterflies? Learn about ground covers or decorative grasses? Build a water garden? An expert will tell you all about it.
Two regular New England flower shows are not scheduled for 2016. The Vermont show, one of my favorites, is on a two-year cycle, and this is an off year. The Portland, Maine show is also not happening this year. They are moving the show out of the ancient warehouse it has been in to new quarters next year.
The biggest show of the east, in Philadelphia, will be held March 5 to 13 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center (www.theflowershow.com). The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has been holding this event since 1829, when Andrew Jackson was President! It covers about 6 city blocks and will be attended by over a quarter of a million people over a nine-day period. It’s not inexpensive: an adult ticket is $27, kids are $15. No special deals for elders. Still, if you love the flower shows, you should travel to it at least once.
Then comes the Boston Flower Show (www.bostonflowershow.com) March 17 to 20 at the Seaport World Trade Center. This in another big show that is worth seeing. Like the Philly show, don’t go on the weekend if you can avoid it. It starts on a Wednesday, and will be much less crowded then, and on Thursday.
Boston Flower Show
The Boston show has a remarkable number of vendors selling everything from teak furniture to garden tools, plants and pottery. The gardens created for viewing are always interesting, as are the individual entries of potted plants, flower arrangements and more. Tickets are $20 for adults, $17 for seniors. Travel companies often offer package deals including bus fare and admission – which might be nicer than driving in Boston traffic and paying for parking.
The Seacoast Home and Garden Show (http://seacoast.newenglandexpos.com/)in Durham, NH on April 2 and 3 is a nice show on a manageable scale. Held in the Whittemore Center Arena at UNH, admission is only $8 or $6 for seniors. It is more than a flower show, with many home improvement companies present at well.
The last flower show in New England is in Bangor, Maine, the BDN GardenShow (http://bdnmainegardenshow.com/) April 15 to 17 held at the Cross Insurance Center. I’ve never been to it.
Actually, the last – and perhaps the best – of the shows takes place May 24 to 28in London: the iconic Chelsea Flower Show (https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show). I’ve never been, but am giving serious thought to going this year. I talked to a friend who has been there twice who said, “The Chelsea Show is the pinnacle of anybody’s garden show experience.” She told me to join the Royal Horticultural Society so that I can get in before the crowds.
The show is less commercial than ours, I gather, and is both indoors and out. The scope of the show is absolutely amazing – it even includes masses of vegetables. And the Queen goes every year, too! Another friend sent me a link to an hour BBC television special on the 2015 Chelsea Show, which got me even more excited about going: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMz6cgnc8f0.
So go to a show, even if you can’t make it to London.
Henry gardens in Cornish Flat, NH. Reach him by e-mail athenry.homeyer@comcast.net. His website is www.Gardening-Guy.com. He is the author or 4 gardening books.
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