Hillermann Nursery & Florist

Garden Solutions - January 2012

2012-01-01T09:00:00.001-06:00

LET’S TALK BIRDS AND TERRARIUMS….

There is only 80 days until spring! FOR BIRDS, a combination of sleet and deep snow makes many food sources impossible to reach. In normal winter conditions, most birds have ways of coping with the cold. To help survive cold nights, Chickadees can lower their normal 108-degree body temperature by 12-15 degrees to conserve energy. By dawn, they, like many birds, will quickly dart to a food source to fill their empty stomachs. That’s why early morning and late evenings are some of the ‘largest crowds’ at bird feeders.

Feed the birds hi-energy foods like black oil sunflower seeds, tree nut pieces and suet, which give birds more energy per ounce consumed. One need of wild birds often overlooked by consumers in cold weather is the need for ‘open water.’ The main reason they need water is to help keep warm. Birds fluff out their feathers so they can better capture a ‘layer of air’ that acts as heated insulation. Matted, dirty feathers can’t be fluffed out. Therefore, by offering food and water, dozens of your feathered friends will soon add brilliant flashes of red and blue, gray and white, across the snow, and you’ll hear their melodious songs as the sing “Thanks” to you for helping them survive.

TERRARIUMS, a great way to satisfy your green thumb during the winter is to tackle a classic indoor gardening project: terrariums. I have a terrarium that has thrived for months with low light and no additional water. It's not so much a miracle as it is the science of nature. The plants inside the terrarium create their own mini climate, transpiring water vapor that condenses on the glass and then flows back into the soil. Science aside, I find a terrarium fascinating to look at, like a miniature landscape in a jar. Speaking of miniatures, decorating these mini gardens are even more fun to do.

Don't be intimidated by the process of building a terrarium. Materials needed include a wide-mouth glass container, potting soil, small plants, pea gravel, and charcoal. For easy access, an apothecary jar with a glass top is a great choice. If your container does not have a lid, you can cover it with clear plastic wrap, a piece of Plexiglas or a sheet of glass. Leaving it open is another option, but watering needs will vary.

To avoid insect and disease problems, wash the gravel and use top-quality, sterile potting soil. Fill the bottom of the container with about ½”-1 inch of gravel. Next add about ½” to ¾’of charcoal, this helps keep the soil sweet and not sour, which can cause disease. Top the charcoal with 3 inches of soil. Now comes the fun part: planting the “landscape”. Select varieties of plants that all have the same growing needs when it comes to light, water and humidity. Slow growers with small leaves are best suited.

Remove the plants from their pots and plant them in the terrarium just like you would in the garden. Place the taller plants in the back, mid-size plants in the middle, and low-growing things like moss toward the front. If possible, keep the foliage away from the sides of the container. Once you have the plants in place, moisten the soil lightly and put the lid in place. How often you will need to water your terrarium depends on how tightly the lid fits. A loose-fitting lid lets moisture escape. A good indication of when to water is whether there is condensation on the glass. If there is no condensation, water the soil very lightly. If there is heavy condensation, remove the lid to allow the terrarium to air out.

The neat thing about terrariums is that you are only limited by your imagination. Add large rocks to represent craggy mountains or small mirrors for ponds. You can even create a desert landscape with succulents and cacti. Or make a mini landscape with pathways and furniture! So try your luck at indoor gardening this month! It will make every day feel like spring.

Until next month, Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - December 2011

2011-12-06T10:15:00.012-06:00

The month of December brings the holiday season and warm thoughts of family, friends and community. I would like to say “Thank You” and I wish you and yours a “Blessed Holiday Season” with all the best in the New Year! Furthermore, fall will turn into winter this month. With the addition of fire pits in our outdoor rooms, evenings outdoors can still be enjoyable sampling hot chocolate or cider with friends around the blaze of a comfortable warm fire. You can even gather the kids for the making of s’mores! Enjoy the crisp cool weather.

It may not always be the most comfortable time to be planting anything in your landscape, but it is a great time for the plants. Trees and shrubs are completely dormant now, so the concept of transplant shock does not apply. However, you do need to treat any new plantings the same now as you would if it were the middle of summer. New plantings need to be thoroughly watered in regardless of the weather conditions. If it is below freezing but the ground is not frozen, go ahead and plant, taking care to backfill the hole with as loose a soil mix as you can. As soon as the temperatures are back, above freezing go back to your new plantings and water them in. If you have spring bulbs that you have not planted in the ground yet, you need to make that a priority. A little bone or blood meal placed over the planting areas will help keep the squirrels away from your bulbs. They are also great additives for your bulbs.

Leaf removal is the next task. I had all of the leaves collected out of my yard a week ago, only to see a lot of my neighbors leaves come to visit my yard, with the help of the wind we have had. The point I am trying to make is that leaf removal is an ongoing task. Composted or mulched leaves are great as flower bed coverings for winter and a wonderful addition to your compost piles. So recycle your leaf collections and put them to good work in the garden!

Trimming or pruning of some of your trees and shrubs can be done at this time. Basically it breaks down like this, if the tree or shrub flowers before the 1st of June don’t touch it now. If it flowers after the 1st of June, you can safely cut it now. Resist the urge to cut back everything. Most perennials benefit from a layer of mulched dead leaves. If you had any fungus or disease problems in an area, go ahead and cut back the plants in that area and rake up the debris. Mulch any plants that need extra protection, like those hardy banana trees! Keep your ornamental grasses up until mid-March (I’ll let you know when it’s time to cut them back).

Roses: a winter “hair-cut” can be given, but don’t cut them back all the way. Some winters can be so cold that the roses could get winter die-back which would need to be removed in the spring anyway, so plant on your heaviest rose trimming in spring around the first of April. Apply a thick layer (10-12”) of mulch at the base of your roses now.

Lawns: It is still a great time to apply a Winterizer fertilizer to the lawn. This fertilizer will help keep your cool season turf greener, even in the coldest part of the year.

Plants get “chapped lips” too. Cold, dry winter winds and bright winter sun make our skin chapped and unhealthy. Those winds have a similar devastating effect on your plants, which are out in the winds all winter. No wonder your evergreens don’t look so great come spring. This drying effect is called desiccation and is often the most devastating aspect of winter damage on plants in our Midwest region. To fight desiccation, first choose the right plants for windy, dry areas. Especially try to avoid placing broadleaf evergreens, such as azaleas, in places shady in summer but sunny and windy in winter. Second, make sure to water your evergreens well through early December, before the ground freezes and plants cannot “drink” from the soil. Third, mulch your plants for winter to retain soil moisture as well as soil temperature. Fourth, use an anti-desiccant. These products coat leaves and needles to slow down the loss of moisture. One of the best products to use is Wilt Stop by Bonide. This product is a natural polymer that covers plants with a FLEXIBLE coating to lock moisture in the plant tissue. The flexible coating is important to keep on the plants through winter as they bend and sway in the wind. Wilt Stop lasts 45-60 days so apply the first treatment in early December and again in early February.

Here are a few tips on winter houseplant care. When the heat goes on and the daylight becomes shorter, houseplants sometimes begin to yellow and drop their leaves. It may be necessary to move the plants to a different place in the home and to give them different treatment from that given during the summer. Flowering plants need at least half a day of direct sunlight to develop flower buds. Cacti and many succulents require a sunny location, and coleus and crotons need direct sun to maintain the decorative color. The ideal temperatures for foliage plants are 68-70 degrees during the day and slightly lower at night. Flowering plants retain blossoms longer at lower temps. Remember, windowsill locations are much colder during the winter and plants may need to be moved to prevent getting chilled. The amount of water the houseplants need declines during winter, so increase the amount of time between watering. Reduce fertilizing as well: flowering plants should be fertilized half as often and foliage plants should only be fertilized if needed.

Some of the plants in your landscape can help you decorate for the Christmas season as you prune them for next year. Holly and Boxwood can be trimmed now with some of the cuttings used to accent wreaths or live indoor plants. And, some of the inside growth of evergreens such as White Pine, Norway Spruce, Blue Spruce, even some of the seed heads of ornamental grassed can be used to make a harvest wreath or basket for your front door or porch. Talk about recycling! After Christmas, you can take them to your compost bin and make them future fertilizer! Along with these Holiday tips, here are a few other ideas for the month:

• Use caution when spreading salt or calcium on ice or snow packed walks or driveways. Salt can damage lawns and plantings, calcium is much safer to use. Be sure to designate areas to for piling snow from plowing in advance to prevent damage to trees, shrubs and lawns.
• Continue to feed our fine feathered friends and place heated birdbaths with fresh water out for them.
One last task is to remember your tools. Steel and wood don’t like dirt and water. Keep them clean and well oiled and they will serve you for years to come. And gasoline powered tools should also be serviced according to the manufacturers specifications so that they will start for you on the first pull next year.

Again, I wish you and your family a very Blessed Christmas season. Let’s get to work on planning that beautiful garden scene for next year!

See you in the Garden…………..
Sandi Hillermann Mcdonald

Garden Solutions - November 2011

2011-10-27T15:51:00.012-05:00

Water is the word of the month!! It is imperative to water your trees & shrubs, especially new plantings. Our fall season has been very dry - following a record heat summer. Even though the foliage is gone, the roots need moisture to build up spring buds and increase root growth. The amount of water needed may be less than when the foliage was on the plants, but water is still very important.

Clean out and cut back. Loads of dead leaves and rotten stalks on plants can harbor disease, even through the winter season. But, don’t cut all your plants back to the ground, and don’t pick up every leaf. It is a great treat to leave some seed heads on plants for the winter birds and ornamental grasses for their winter art in the garden. Leaving some plant stalks to protect the crowns of tender perennials is also beneficial.

Cover up. Mulch is the best winter protection for your plants. Wood mulch is the most common. Mulched leaves will also work. Wait until the ground has frozen slightly, usually around Thanksgiving for us, to ensure the plants are in their dormancy state. If the snow falls before you get the opportunity to get the job done, mulch over the snow. Some woody perennials and shrubs may benefit from soil mounded around the base. These plants, in our area include, roses, crape myrtle, butterfly bushes to name a few. Tender shrubs may need to be screened or wrapped with burlap or something similar, not plastic.

Dig in. There is still time to plant some garden jewels this month. Trees, shrubs and plants that have a root ball larger than a gallon can be put into the ground. In addition, now is the time to plant those spring beauties we call bulbs. To enjoy the beauty and bright colors of tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils as well as crocus and alliums, plant them NOW. Bulbs need 10-12 weeks of cold soil temperatures. Therefore, in our area you can plant up to the Christmas season, as long as frost hasn’t built up in the soil.

Write down. You will find that a garden log or journal will be very helpful next spring when you’re trying to identify those first tentative green shoots and wondering whether you divided that Hosta plant last fall or should you do it now. Draw a basic diagram of each bed, noting the plants and adding photos where you can. A little extra effort with your journal will pay off next spring.

Here are a few other duties to think about this month of November. Continue mowing lawn grasses as long as they keep growing, 3” is a good height. Apply Winterizer fertilizer to lawns to strengthen plant stems and roots for winter growth and early spring green up.

Cover garden ponds with bird or pond netting to prevent leaves from fouling the water. Oxygen depletion from rotting organic matter can cause a winterkill of pond fish. Take steps to prevent garden ponds from freezing solid in winter. Using a floating garden heater in the pond will lessen the chance of ice damage.

Set up bird feeders. Birds also appreciate a source of unfrozen drinking water during the winter. Use one of the many styles of birdbath heaters or heated birdbaths available at garden centers. When feeding the birds, set up a variety of feeder types to get the best assortment of birds to come to your yard. Tube feeders are good for songbirds, platform feeders are good for cardinals and larger birds, and suet is a great source of fat and energy for woodpeckers and all bird types.

Enjoy the antics of wildlife and the beauty of plant art in the garden during this upcoming winter season. I will give you more to look forward to in the winter garden in December. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving to all and enjoy the outdoors as much as possible.

See you in the garden,
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - October 2011

2011-10-03T10:23:00.009-05:00

Wow! What a welcome feeling to have cooler days and lower humidity. This is truly a beautiful time of year. It is a time of year we want to get back outside, reclaim our yards and gardens, and enjoy the fresh air. It is time for fall barbeques and bonfires and hayrides. Fall is the perfect time to evaluate the garden for improvement to your curb appeal, and it is the perfect planting time. The cooler crisp days of October are great for these following garden tips:

• Lawn seeding should be finished by October 15th this month to insure germination and plant growth yet this fall. Choose a seed mix for your specific lawn area: sun, shade, sun/shade, play, drought, etc. Fescue mixtures are best for durability for our area. Fescue blends are spread at a rate of 5 lbs. per 1,000 sq ft on bare ground and 2-3 lbs. per 1,000 sq ft on a lawn with a 50% stand of grass.
• Be sure to aerate and renovate your yard when over seeding for BEST results. Without these steps, it is like throwing grass seed on to concrete because our soil is so hard now from such a dry summer. Have questions??? Ask the experts at your local garden center.
• Keep leaves raked or blown off of lawns to prevent smothering new grass plants, especially in shady areas.
• Winterize your lawn mowers before storage, by draining gasoline from the tank and the gas line. It is also a great time to sharpen the blades so you will be ready for spring!
• Put a Winterizer type fertilizer on all lawns from mid October through November to promote early spring green growth, and have the best-looking lawn in the neighborhood.
• Now is a good time to apply lime if your soil tests indicate the need. (Acidic soils require lime, a pH of 6.8 or below.) Use the recommended rate of 50 pounds per 500 square feet per treatment. Free pH testing is available at most independent garden centers.
• YOUR HOME’S CURB APPEAL can be enhanced with pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, mums, pansies, kale, and the great selection of other plants that are grown for the fall season!! Check out some of the great new selections available today! Ornamental grasses add a lot of texture as well. Let your imagine run wild!
• Pre-emergent herbicides can be applied to control cool season weeds, such as chickweed and henbit now. You can apply either a granular or liquid application to an established lawn.
• The average first frost usually arrives about October 15th to October 20th. A few degrees of frost protection can be gained by covering tender plants with sheets, newspaper, burlap or lightweight fabric row covers. DO NOT USE PLASTIC; this tends to “draw in” the cold temperatures.
• Cannas, Dahlias and Elephant Ears can be dug when frost nips their foliage. Before storing them, allow the plants to dry under cover in an airy frost-free place, such as a carport. Store them in a cool, dry area such as a basement in paper sacks packed with peat moss. Drying bulbs thoroughly will keep them from rotting.
• Plant bulbs now for spring bloom (Tulips, Hyacinths, Daffodils, Crocus, etc.). Plant bulbs into groupings for a massed effect of spring color. To fertilize them, use bone meal or a complete bulb fertilizer at planting time.
• Bulb container gardens can be planted with a lasagna type planting arrangement (layering of bulbs in potting soil). Check with your garden center for ideas and recipes on this feature.
• October is an excellent month to plant trees, shrubs and perennials. This gives the plants a great start in the warm soil and cool weather of fall with plenty of moisture in the spring to become established before the harsh summer heat and drought arrives. The plants’ roots will continue to develop under ground until frost in the ground literally stops them!
• Continue to water your plants, especially evergreens, since soils are dry. Until the ground freezes, they need moisture for root growth even if they are going dormant. Once a week should be sufficient.
• After perennial and flower beds have been cleaned and raked for winter preparation, refresh them with a bark mulch for the winter months at a depth of 2-3”.
• Towards the end of October, trees should be fertilized and tree spikes at their drip line are a perfect choice. Use one tree spike per one inch of tree trunk diameter. This will make for beautiful foliage next spring! (The diameter of the tree is a measurement found at a cross section of the trunk 12” above the ground)
• Gourds should be harvested when their shells become hard or when their color changes from green to brown.
• DON’T take hummingbird feeders down before mid October. The bird’s biological clock tells them when to migrate south. THEY ARE NOT dependent on us removing the feeders at a certain time! Hummingbirds who have started their migration will appreciate finding your feeders along the way.

Enjoy your yard and garden in every season!

Time to go……….See you in the Garden…………..
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - September 2011

2011-09-09T10:22:00.009-05:00

The kids are back in school and off to college, and it is time to get back to work in the yard and garden since you may have put off your outdoor living projects this summer because of bonding, vacations and sports programs … or hot, dry weather.

Our yards definitely DID suffer this summer. Thank goodness, the hottest month of the year is now behind us. Well, there is no better time to renovate and reseed than this month of September. In fact, the perfect window of opportunity for yard growth is August 15th- October 15th. Even though it may be hot and dry, it is the perfect time of year to aerate and over seed established yards. The process should be done as follows: Cut the lawn a little shorter than normal, 2-3 inches. Then run over the yard with a core aerator (this machine pulls plugs out of the ground about the size of your little finger). This whole process works best after a good rain or a deep watering. The core aeration process helps with the soil aeration, lessens soil compaction and makes for better, stronger grass root systems. Now, run a renovator over the area. This machine slices the ground with many little teeth and will break down the dirt clods from the core aeration process and bring up any dead thatch in the area. Now you are ready to sow your grass seed (use a 50% spread rate for a 50% stand of grass) and add fertilizer (a starter type fertilizer that is high in phosphorus is best). For a 50% stand of grass or less you will not need additional cover such as straw. If you are over seeding bare areas or new lawn areas, you will need to straw these areas to hold moisture for seed protection. For the specific grass seed type, shop for seed specific to your area of need: shade, sun, part-shade and sun, etc. There are special grass seed mixes made up for our Mid-Missouri region that perform beautifully here so, make sure you check that out for guaranteed success.

You can then re-fertilize and add a Winterizer fertilizer to the entire area in late October or November. This whole process will “promise” you a beautiful strong lawn for spring of next year. Water is, of course, essential for this growth if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate. New lawn installations are also best at this time of year as well.

You need to continue thinking about watering during this month … and remember that there are ways to make it economical and easy, just ask the experts. The wildlife in your yard, as well as all new and established plantings, needs our help this year as we have experienced several exceptionally dry summers.

Now turn your focus to Fall Decorations … and change the Curb Appeal of your yard by giving it a face lift for fall. Change out those summer containers and flower beds with fall bedding plants that work long into the fall season, which in our case here in MO can be thru mid Nov. You should be able to find such plants as pansies, ornamental cabbage, kale, cool season annuals, ornamental grasses, hardy garden mums and MUCH more. Don’t forget to add in straw, corn stalks, pumpkins and gourds to give your displays a complete look. Extend the look of your outdoor room and enjoy the fall season outdoors.

Fall bulbs are available now and should be considered for spring color in your garden! So start to think ahead to next year’s blooms, and get in on the action now.

For additional information about fall garden tips, check out this website: www.hillermann.com.

Time to go……….See you in the Garden…………..
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - August 2011

2011-08-03T14:30:00.010-05:00

August brings us the dog days of summer... there is no doubt about that. If you have not started enjoying “Outdoor Living,” it is NOT TOO LATE. With the price of gas lately, it is only understandable that more and more people are retreating to their own backyards and spending vacations at home this year. So, forget the stress of planning and traveling and enjoy your own “Stay-cation!” Our designers are here to help you with ideas that will turn your yard into an outdoor oasis. Look for inspiration at every “independent lawn and garden retailer.” Add patios, walkways, walls, water, hammocks and more!

Be sure to visit the Washington Town & Country Fair this year (August 3rd-7th). Don’t miss these two educational areas: the Agri-Land booth (near the livestock barns) and Hillermann’s “Gardening Solutions” (near the North Entrance Gate). Both of these booths offer hands on learning opportunities (for kids and adults) and helpful handout sheets on outdoor activities and gardening!

Here are additional tips for the heat and drought period of August:

It is not too late to put up Japanese Beetle traps to catch those pesky critters in a natural, safe way.
You can still apply lawn insecticides until August 15 to guard off grubs, fleas, ticks, etc. in the yard.
Compost or till under residues and debris from harvested crops.
Prop up the branches of your fruit trees that are threatening to break under the weight of a heavy crop.
Keep deadheading your spent annual and perennial flowers for continued blooms into fall.
Feed hardy garden mums and asters for the last time this season.
Monitor plants for spider mite activity. Hose affected plants off with a forceful spray of water, or spray with Bonide Eight (with Permethrin). To test for spider mites, hold a piece of white paper under the leaves. Tap on the leaves and then run your hand over the piece of white paper. If you see evidence of red streaks on the paper, you have an infestation of spider mites!
Roses should receive no further nitrogen fertilizer after the end of August to prevent the production of late tender growth that could be damaged by fall frosts.
Deep root water established trees around the drip line (this is where the edge of the branches stop) to help alleviate stress on trees going into winter.
Soak shrubs periodically during dry spells with enough water to moisten the soil to a depth of 8-10 inches.
Toward the end of August, dormant lawns should be soaked to encourage strong fall growth.
Prune to shape hedges for the last time this season.
Once bagworms reach full size, insecticides are ineffective. Pruning off or pulling and burning or discarding of large bags provides better control for next year.
Watch for fall webworm activity. Apply Fertilome bagworm and Tent Caterpillar Spray when webs are first spotted. Rip open the web bag before spraying for best control.
Cultivate Strawberries and apply weed preventer immediately, after fertilizing.
Protect ripening fruits from birds by covering plants with bird netting. (This is a poly type product readily available at Garden Centers).
Pinch the growing tips of gourds once the adequate fruit set amount is achieved. This directs energy into the ripening fruits, rather than vine production.
Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower transplants should be set out for the fall garden. Also, sow seeds of lettuce, radish, beans, beets, spinach and turnips now. (Spinach may germinate better if the seeds are refrigerated.)
Lawn renovation and over-seeding time is right around the corner. I will discuss this more in September.
For additional information about garden tips for summer and all seasons, check out this website www.hillermann.com.

Time to go... See you in the Garden!!
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - July 2011

2011-07-05T15:38:00.020-05:00

Tip for the month of July—Sit Back and Relax!! For many of us, the 4th of July date marks the beginning of the entertainment season. And what a season it is! We plan, we phone, we shop, we decorate, we mow, we clean, we check supplies, we shop again, we cook, we carry lawn chairs and coolers outside, and we fret about the weather. When the guests arrive it all starts over. Pouring, serving, clearing, fetching, and recycling can fill hours, if we let them. So part of the planning needs to include ways to have some time for you to sit back and enjoy your party, too. Maybe an e-mail sent to everyone with one push of the button can replace two hours of phone calls. Making your event a potluck will eliminate much of the shopping and cooking. Be sure to have everyone bring their own beverages, table service and lawn chairs. And finally, don’t mow. Your lawn will do better with foot traffic if it is left a little bit longer. With all that settled, all that’s left for you to do is enjoy a good time! Now that we have talked about having parties and enjoying your yard and garden at home, let’s get down to other tasks at hand for July.

It’s not too late to plant shrubs, perennials and annual flowers, but you will need to give them a little TLC for the summer. If you haven’t been pinching back your garden mums all summer, cut them back by half as soon as possible and feed them. This task should not be done much after the 4th of July. This will help them to grow bushier and bloom in the fall when anticipated until Thanksgiving for late blooming varieties. Avoid applying weed killers, insecticides, fungicides and fertilizers to plants when the temperatures are above 90 degrees. Spray early in the morning when temperatures are below 85.

If Japanese beetles are attacking your plants, you have several options for controlling them, from handpicking (not my favorite) to trapping (the safest) or spraying them. Japanese beetle traps are readily available and do a fantastic job of eradicating the problem naturally. Remove infected leaves from roses and pick up fallen leaves. Continue fungicidal sprays as needed on these beauties. Keep deadheading spent annual and perennial flowers for continued bloom. Keep weeds from making seeds now. This will mean fewer weeds next year.

Hot, dry weather is ideal for spider mite development. Damage may be present even before the webs are noticed. With spider mite damage, leaves may be speckled above and yellowed below. Evergreen needles appear dull gray-green to yellow to brown. Spray with permethrin to control this critter. Sweet corn is ripe when the silks turn brown. Blossom –end rot occurs on tomato and peppers when soil moisture is uneven and the calcium level in the soil is not right. Liming the garden will help these issues next year.

Water conservation is of the utmost importance during our dry summer months. These following simple tips can save time and money. Water where it counts, water at the roots, not the leaves. Drip irrigation systems in landscape beds do wonders for water conservation. Drip irrigation systems are easy for the homeowner to install. Trees and shrubs would also benefit from a deep root watering this time of year. You can use a deep root feeder (without the fertilizer) for this purpose. Water them around the drip line of the tree for best success. Doing this every 2-3 weeks will keep your trees stress free. Water frequently enough to prevent wilting. When you mow your grass, cut it less frequently and at a higher level. Cutting it short promotes growth, and growth promotes water consumption. Longer grass blades shade the soil and conserve moisture. Plant drought tolerant, native plants where possible. Native plants are becoming more readily available in nursery settings.

Check your plant containers daily for water. Put your finger at least one inch down in the soil, if it is dry, water thoroughly. Hanging baskets will need a drink at least once a day, sometimes even twice a day, depending on the weather. Provide water in the garden for birds during dry weather and they will repay you with wonderful antics and bird song. Enjoy nature and your gardens this summer. You won’t regret it.

See you in the Garden,
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - June 2011

2011-06-01T14:43:00.005-05:00

This month I will begin with a reminder that June is Perennial Gardening Month. Perennials are herbaceous plants that die back to the ground in the winter but return year after year to dazzle us with color.

The Perennial Plant Association’s “Perennials of the Year” (proven performance perennials that have been named since 1991) are usually great choices for anyone’s garden, as they are tried and true varieties. We are in planting zone 5, so it is always important to check that bit of information as well, on all plants you plan to leave from year to year in your yard.

Here are some quick tips to Fabulous Perennials: Begin by preparing the soil, then choose plants carefully, sun vs. shade, etc. Purchase plants that can establish in one season and space perennials to give them room to grow. Fertilize, mulch, control weeds and insects. Clean up your beds at the end of each season and enjoy!!!

Well, June is also the month of graduations, weddings, vacations, Father’s Day, and the beginning of summer. This is the month that we all begin to spend more of our free time outdoors, enjoying our gardens and the fruits of our labor from the last several months. If all of you have kept up with your tasks, then this month should be easy. However, if you are like me, June will be a month you get caught up.

The first task that we need to do this month is to get the spring flowering trees and shrubs trimmed. Flowering crabapples, serviceberry, dogwoods, magnolias, lilacs and viburnums all set their buds for next years’ flower on the new growth they develop this year. These plants should be pruned now to encourage new growth and therefore flower buds for next year. I recommend that you complete the pruning of these plants by early this month.

Here are other tips for the garden for June:
• Watch for the outbreak of bagworms on garden plants, especially junipers. Then spray affected plants with Permethrin sold under the label ‘Eight’.
• Deadhead bulbs and spring perennials as blossoms fade.
• Repeat plantings of corn and beans to extend the harvest season.
• Fertilize Zoysia grass now while it is actively growing.
• Renovate strawberries after harvest. Mow the rows; thin out excess plants; remove weeds; fertilize and apply mulch for weed control.
• Spray roses with a fungicide to prevent black spot disease and fertilize monthly.
• Continue pinching back your garden mums until July 4th to promote full, bushy growth and good fall color.
• Water turf as needed to prevent drought stress, and watch for fungus problems.
• Mow lawns frequently enough to remove no more than one-third the total height per mowing.
• Continue enjoying the antics of the wildlife in your yard and gardens by continuing to supply food and water sources for them.
• Change hummingbird nectar at least weekly to prevent fungus from growing. You can make your own nectar, 1 part sugar to 4 parts water---no food coloring please!
• Rejuvenate your older lilacs by cutting to the ground one third of the largest branches. This will create a fuller, lusher specimen.
• Orioles (if you were lucky enough to keep them around) begin building a gray woven nest; this takes about a week.
• Watch for birds carrying food to their young.
• Gray squirrels begin a second breeding.

Fully enjoy your garden; it is the only true place to connect you to Mother Nature.

See you in the Garden…
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

www.hillermann.com

Garden Solutions - May 2011

2011-05-11T09:14:00.008-05:00

Times are changing and everyone is busier then ever; with kids to coach, meetings to attend and work to do. So “coming” home at the end of a day can be even more important to us then ever. Enjoy daylight savings time and extend your living quarters to your yard and garden. Think of your outdoor spaces as an extension of your home. And in doing so, consider the floor, walls, and ceiling per se. Outdoor firepits, grill and bar centers, rugs, clocks, décor and more are available to add a cozy room effect to outdoor living spaces. Adding resting areas is easy to do…hang a hammock in a tree, set a bistro set in the perennial garden, or put benches in your Hosta beds. Then invite friends over and have a cook out. Let the nature in your yard tickle your senses with the sounds of birds, smells of flowers, sound of running water, and splashes of color. Hardscapes can enhance your outdoor rooms by adding a “floor” to your area of enjoyment.

While you are enjoying your yard, and I hope that you are, here are some items to put onto your gardening checklist. Begin planting summer annuals to add color and spice to the landscape, and don’t just stop with the flowerbeds. There are many new introductions in annuals this year that will prove to be very exciting. One worth mentioning is the “NEW” Potunia. This new Petunia variety is a wonderful filler plant as well as a stand alone plant. It comes in a beautiful “orange” as well as red and yellow and they bloom all season long. It thrives in full to part sun. It has a bold beautiful colors.

Container gardening continues to be a trendy thing. The many choices, styles, shapes, and colors of containers make great accent pieces for inside or out. Let your imagination soar and express yourself. Use imaginative containers you pick up at flea markets and auction yards. Learn to mix annuals and perennials for great combinations. Try hostas with begonias and impatiens….or hydrangeas with groundcovers. These containers can make great accent pieces on the front porch, the back deck, in a flower bed, around the pool, or at the end of the driveway. And you can rearrange them as often as you wish. No room for a vegetable garden? Try one in a container. You can enjoy fresh tomatoes easily this way.

Take your houseplants outdoors once the evening temperatures will remain above 50`. Move sun loving plants (hibiscus, gardenias, mandevillas, etc.) gradually to sunny locations, as they have not had full sun in your home and will need to be acclimated to those conditions. Check out the many new varieties of tropical plants available this year.

Plant summer bulbs now and fertilize with bone meal or bulb food. Pinch hardy garden mums back now and continue to do so until July 4th to insure proper fall blooming. Treat slugs in your garden with organic diatomaceous earth. This is a powder product, 100% safe, and is good for the treatment of slugs, ants, fleas and ticks outside, as well as roaches and ants indoors. This organic product is very safe to use and a good one to have on hand. “Natural Gardening” with eco-friendly products is a very “trendy” and SAFE thing to do for your own health as well as the environment. Check out the chemical-free options available to you today. Then sit back and watch your kids and pets enjoy the beautiful outdoors.

Insect problems to watch for this month are pine sawflies, aphids, scale crawlers, cucumber beetles, and grubs, to name a few. Permethrin is the chemical product on the market today that is labeled for indoor and outdoor use. Permethrin will kill a large variety of insects on plants, in the soil, and in the home. It comes in many formulations and strengths. See a professional for questions of use of this product.

Other May tips include:
• Pinch azalea and rhododendron blossoms as the flowers fade.
• Fertilize azaleas and rhododendrons with an acid base fertilizer now.
• Don’t remove spring bulb foliage too early or next year’s flower production will decline. Let the foliage die back naturally.
• Plant hardy water lilies now.
• Begin fertilizing annuals now and continue at regular intervals all season long.
• Treat trees with borer problems now with Fertilome Systemic Insecticide Drench.
• Keep bluegrass lawns cut at 3” high, fescue lawns at 3.5” high and zoysia at 2” high.
• Apply post-emergence broadleaf weed controls to the lawn now if needed.
• Begin planting sweet corn, tomato plants, peppers and sweet potatoes as the soil warms up.
• Keep asparagus harvested for continued spear production.
• Remove rhubarb seed stalks as they appear.
• Don’t spray any fruits while in bloom, you may ruin the pollination process.
• Birds eat many insects so attract them to your garden by providing good nesting habitats.
• Herbs planted in average soils need no extra fertilizer. Too much may reduce flavor and
pungency at harvest.
• Watch for fireflies on warm nights. Both adults and larvae are important predators for garden pests.

Until next month,…Enjoy connecting with nature and….see you in the garden….

Sandi Hillermann McDonald
www.hillermann.com

Garden Solutions - April 2011

2011-04-20T09:33:00.006-05:00

Vegetable gardening is making a comeback since food has made dramatic price increases over the past year. This is also because of the fact that more and more people are concerned with what they put on the family table. When you grow it yourself, you control what goes in the soil and on the plants, and you get to pick a much broader selection of vegetable varieties. The supermarket may have 2-3 varieties of tomatoes, where you can choose from dozens of varieties to plant yourself. Why are there more varieties available at garden centers? Tomatoes don’t ship well, and they taste a whole lot better home grown. In fact, a tomato from your own garden is the ultimate standard for taste. Some, who grow them annually, never buy them from the supermarket, because they pale in comparison to what they can grow in the summer.

If you’re thinking of growing a vegetable garden this year, you are not alone. If you’re a little timid, there is help available. Start small and expand as your interest and time permits. No summertime garden is complete without tomatoes, and the perfect accompaniment to fresh tomatoes on your table is basil. If your garden has anything this year, consider both. If you want a little more, some bush cucumbers will fit in small gardens, and so will the bush summer squash varieties. Most of these bush varieties can be planted in nontraditional garden areas like flower beds or as a small addition to the landscape. In short, a vegetable garden can find its way into every area of your home’s landscape. Whether it’s confined to its own area, combined into the annual or perennial gardens that you already have, or planted in containers on your deck or patio - it will provide the ultimate in fresh vegetable taste, and the safest vegetables you can produce for your family table.

The lengthening of daylight also seems to brighten peoples’ spirits and relieve some stress as we can now move outdoors and enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer. Therefore, I invite you to go outside and “dig in.” Here are other areas of consideration:
• Remove winter mulch now from your rose bushes. Trim out dead and diseased canes. Cut all other green wood to about 18” on Floribunda and tea rose varieties. A 24-30” height is good on shrub roses.
• Fertilize your roses with a slow release fertilizer and begin fungicide treatments to control black spot disease.
• When Crabapples are in bloom, hardy annuals can be planted.
• Transplant trees, shrubs and perennials early in the month for best success.
• Spots and bare patches in the lawn can still be over seeded if you did not apply a Crabgrass Preventer. During spring there are more issues to be aware of when seeding a lawn rather than in the fall. Talk to a professional about seed choices and procedures.
• Easter lilies can be planted after they finish blooming. Set the bulbs 2-3” deeper then they are in the pot.
• Liquid weed control should be applied this month to control dandelions, henbit and other broadleaf weeds. New grass from seed MUST be mowed 3 times to make it strong enough to withstand weed chemicals.
• Prune spring flowering shrubs after they finish blooming.
• Asparagus and rhubarb harvests begin. Keep your hoe sharp!!
• Start cucumber, squash, cantaloupe and watermelon seeds indoors this month.
• Shrubs such as Crepe Myrtle, Butterfly Bush, and Hardy Hibiscus can be pruned back to green wood this month. REMINDER—that these plants leaf out very late (early May) and should not be considered to have died or be replaced until after Mother’s Day.
• Termites begin swarming. Termites can be distinguished from ants by their thick waists and straight antennae. Ants have slender waists and elbowed antennae.
• Apply Bayer Advance Insect Control this month to control borers in shade trees and shrubs.
• Remove old tree wraps from trees planted last fall so you don’t make a place for insects to harbor.
• Mole young are born in chambers deep underground.
• Protect bees and other pollinating insects. Do not spray insecticides on fruit trees that are in bloom. Bees are in danger and it is very important to be careful around them.
• Ornamental Pear trees need to be sprayed “during” the flowering stage to prevent “Fire Blight” disease.
• Water gardens may be cleaned out and the water changed. Do not scrub the walls since this will remove accumulated beneficial bacteria. Begin adding additional bacteria and barley bales now to begin the natural cycle of pond clean-up.
• Hang out hummingbird feeders the first of this month. Use a solution of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Change the solution frequently to keep if from fermenting. Food coloring is not needed nor is it recommended for the hummingbirds.
• The last week of April is a good time to try an early sowing of warm season crops such as green beans, sweet corn, etc. Transplants of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and sweet potatoes can also begin being planted outdoors.
• Container gardening is good choice for flower and vegetable gardening if space is in short supply. It can be done by anyone, anywhere, check it out!!
• “Natural Gardening” is a wave of the future………..keep your family safe and check out what organic options are available to you when gardening this year. There are many.

Well, time is running short…see you in the garden

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - March 2011

2011-03-16T14:58:00.008-05:00

March welcomes ‘Spring’, and it will be met with open arms this year!! This is the month to open up the gardens and get things in shape for the new growing season, which means there is plenty that can be done. To name a few; mowing time is upon us; have you sharpened those mower blades? To keep that lawn looking fantastic, it is time to add Fertilizer with Crabgrass Prevention. Make sure to follow directions and do not try to skimp on the amount of product used, so you get great coverage from the Crabgrass Prevention. If you feel you need to over-seed the lawn, check with the professionals on proper steps for spring treatments.

Clean up those perennial beds and cut down all Liriope and Ornamental Grasses to about 3-5” above the ground. Once this has been done, it is time to re-mulch your shrub and flower beds. Top-dress these areas with a slow release fertilizer as well, such as Osmocote. Do not put mulch or fertilizer too close to the crowns of plants. You could cause either rot or burning of the plant crown.

Nesting boxes for Bluebirds and Purple Martin houses should be put out early this month. Purple Martins return to our area between St. Patrick’s Day and the end of the month. So now is

the time to be prepared. Are you considering doing some vegetable gardening this year? Well there is no better time than now to start those preparations. You can start seed in the house for plants such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Plant or sow seed for peas, lettuce, radish, kohlrabi, collards, turnips, potatoes, spinach, onion sets, beets, carrots, and parsley outside this month. Set out broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and pansy transplants now. This month is also good to set out strawberries, blueberries, blackberries grapes and other fruiting plants. It is likely we will see an influx of home gardening this year. It can be done in containers on the patio, as square foot gardens, or large plot gardening. There is nothing better than a home grown tomato!! Check out our website for instructions on these items, www/hillermann.com.

Here is a fun project for the family to try --‘Taters in a Basket’. Have you ever tried growing potatoes in tough clay soil? The results are usually less than bad. However, here is the perfect solution for growing great potatoes. Grow them in a pot. Now, whether you’ve got clay soil, live in an apartment, or don’t have a garden at all, you can grow potatoes the ole’ yard boy way. And that’s in a container.

Here is what you will need:
1. The container, I like to use bushel baskets. They breathe well, allow for good drainage, and they look great! However, any container, plastic, wood or clay will work as long as it has good drainage and is at least 14-18 inches wide and at least 10-12 inches deep.
2. Soil-less potting mix works best. Use the good stuff for better results. If you have a compost pile, good compost will work too. Finely shredded is best. People have even used straw and ground leaves.
3. An all purpose garden food such as Osmocote is great.
4. Seed potatoes - these aren’t the ones you buy from the grocery store. They can be found at the garden center and are used specifically for growing potatoes. Do not use potatoes from the produce department at the grocery store; they have been treated with a growth inhibitor to keep them from sprouting.

Fill the bottom of your pot with 2-3 inches of soil-less mix or compost. Take a large seed potato, or a couple medium sized, cut up into pieces that contain the eyes, and evenly distribute those on top of the soil-less mix. You can plant 6-8-10 pieces with eyes per basket. If you’re not sure about the ‘eyes’, you can plant whole potatoes, or cut them in half and plant the halves. Cover with another 3-4 inches of soil-less mix, add the fertilizer and water in thoroughly, and place in the sun. Water as needed, thoroughly moistening the soil, then letting it dry before watering again. Once your potatoes start to grow, water regularly, being careful not to over water, which can cause the tubers to rot.

When your potatoes are growing, you have a couple options: 1) As the potatoes grow, keep adding soil-less mix or compost to the container, keeping about 4 inches of foliage showing. Continue this process until the container is filled to within 1 inch of the top of the basket. 2) Let the foliage grow until it’s approximately 3-4 inches above the basket, and then fill in around the foliage with your soil-less mix or compost unit the basket is full. Now you’re set for growing potatoes! Let your potatoes grow all summer. Don’t forget to keep them fed too. Come late summer or fall when the foliage starts to yellow, cut the foliage off, dump out your soil, and you’ll have a basket full of taters! It is that easy. Good Luck!!

Now it is time to go, so we will “See you in the garden!”
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - February 2011

2011-02-03T13:40:00.010-06:00

You would think that we gardeners would spend the winter months curled up by the fire, perusing seed and bulb catalogs and daydreaming about our gardens in the warmer months ahead. That is well and good from about Christmas mid-January and then we start to get the itch - you know the one - our fingernails are just too clean and it’s time to get our hands in the soil. A great way to satisfy your green thumb during the winter is to tackle two classic indoor gardening projects: terrariums and, topiaries.

Terrariums
As temperatures cool, I turn my attention to the many ways I can enjoy the garden indoors. Houseplants are a popular option, but if you are like me, my woeful neglect of the plants often leads to their quick demise. I suppose that is why I am so excited about terrariums. These houseplant arrangements are simple to assemble and the best news is that they will pretty much take care of themselves.

I have a terrarium that has thrived for months with low light and no additional water. It's not so much a miracle as it is the science of nature. The plants inside the terrarium create their own miniclimate, transpiring water vapor that condenses on the glass and then flows back into the soil. Science aside, I find a terrarium fascinating to look at, like a miniature landscape in a jar.

Don't be intimidated by the process of building a terrarium. With all the supplies in hand, you can put one together in a few hours.

Materials:
• Wide-mouth glass container
• Something to cover the jar top such as clear plastic wrap, a pane of glass or Plexiglas
• Potting soil
• Small plants
• Pea gravel
• charcoal
• Watering can or spray bottle

Directions:
Select a container for the terrarium. For easy access, choose one that has a wide mouth. A fishbowl or aquarium is a good choice. Or an apothecary jar with a glass top is a great choice. If your container does not have a lid, you can cover it with clear plastic wrap, a piece of clear Plexiglas or a sheet of glass.

To avoid insect and disease problems, wash the gravel with hot water and use top-quality, sterile potting soil.

Fill the bottom of the container with about 1 inch of gravel. If your container is especially deep, you may want to use 2 inches. Next add about ½” to ¾’of charcoal, this helps keep the soil sweet and not sour to cause disease. Top the gravel with 3 inches of soil.

Now comes the fun part: planting the landscape. When you choose plants, select varieties that all have the same growing needs when it comes to light, water and humidity. Slow growers with small leaves are best suited for the confines of a terrarium.

Remove the plants from their pots and plant them in the terrarium just like you would in the garden. Place the taller plants in the back, mid-size plants in the middle and low-growing things like moss toward the front. If possible, keep the foliage away from the sides of the container. Once you have the plants in place, moisten the soil lightly and put the lid in place.

How often you will need to water your terrarium depends on how tightly the lid fits. A loose-fitting lid lets moisture escape. A good indication of when to water is the condensation on the glass. If there is no condensation, water the soil very lightly. If there is heavy condensation, remove the lid to allow the terrarium to air out.

The neat thing about terrariums is that you are only limited by your imagination. Add large rocks to represent craggy mountains or small mirrors for ponds. You can even create a desert landscape with succulents and cacti. Good terrarium plants include:
• Acorus African violets
• Creeping fig Moss
• Maidenhair FERN Needlepoint ivy
• Oxalis Peperomia
• Prayer plant Peacock moss OR Irish moss

Topiary
Topiary can be described as the art of clipping shrubs into ornamental forms to create living sculptures. The word comes from the Latin word topiarus, meaning landscape gardener. This artful form of gardening can be traced to 1st century A.D. Roman gardeners. I like topiary because, in spite of its rigid appearance, it is quite flexible in application. A standard topiary is an excellent choice for punctuating an entry or, when used in a series, to create a sense of rhythm. And of course, the fantastic forms one can create are a natural for bringing your garden a touch of whimsy.

I always enjoy discovering new and interesting plants. Wire vine is a vigorous climber ideal for training into topiaries. Usually plants that look this delicate can be fussy, but don’t let its appearance fool you. This little guy is tough and is a rapid grower. Wire vine is native to the Mediterranean region so it’s accustomed to hot, dry conditions. I think that’s why it’s so ideally suited to our homes because, particularly in the winter, the air can become hot and dry. It can also withstand the caretaker who forgets to water it from time to time. Other plants that make good indoor topiaries include ivy, rosemary, thyme and lavender.

So try your luck at indoor gardening this month! It will make every day feel like spring.

Till next month,
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

http://www.hillermann.com/

Garden Solutions - January 11

2010-12-30T16:06:00.007-06:00

Winter is upon us in full force. Only 78 days until spring arrives! A combination of sleet and snow has made many food sources impossible to reach for many of the wild birds in mid Missouri. In normal winter conditions, most birds have ways of coping with the cold. To help survive cold nights, Chickadees can lower their normal 108-degree body temperature by 12-15 degrees to conserve energy. By dawn, they, like many birds, will quickly dart to a food source to fill their empty stomachs. That is why early morning and late evenings are some of the ‘largest crowds’ at bird feeders. Because most normal food sources are now either ice encrusted or covered by snow, wild birds need and greatly benefit by mid Missouri residents feeding them during times like this.

A good thing to feed the wild birds is hi-energy foods like black oil sunflower seeds, tree nut pieces and suet that give birds more energy per ounce consumed. While something is better than nothing, there is problem with cheap mixes full of oats and wheat or things like bread and cereal that people sometimes throw on the snow. These foods are not only low in energy, they are also the favorites of nuisance, non-native birds like Starlings and English Sparrows that compete, not only for food, but also nesting cavities that many native birds utilize in winter to stay warm. Several Central Missouri songbirds like Bluebirds and Chickadees often sleep in groups on extremely cold nights in cavities or nest boxes transferring heat from one body to the next. It is not uncommon for 6-9 Bluebirds to emerge from one box. A challenge of feeding suet is that Starlings love it. Feed suet in upside down suet feeders and hang them high as Starlings have a hard time hanging upside down to feed and Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Titmice, Nuthatches, and other desirable songbirds can easily hang upside down for feeding.

One need of wild birds often overlooked by consumers in cold weather is the need for ‘open water’. The main reason water is needed is that to keep warm, birds fluff out their feathers so they can better capture a ‘layer of air’ that acts as heated insulation. Matted, dirty feathers can’t be fluffed out, making a bird feel much like how a human feels that wears a down insulated jacket that’s all matted up and not very warm. That is why they need water throughout winter to bathe as well as drink. There are many birdbath heaters and heated birdbaths for as little or less that $20 to help keep water available for wild birds and cost pennies per day in electricity to run.

Does the weather keep you from getting out to your feeders? Just fling a spray of black oil seeds or a good quality wild bird mix out of a bucket or trash can and let it fly out across the top of the snow. Dozens of your feathered friends will soon add brilliant flashes of red and blue, and gray and white across the snow and you’ll hear their melodious songs as they sing ‘thanks’ to you for helping them survive.

If you can tolerate the cold weather, there are a number of things that you can do this month in your landscape that will lighten your workload for the rest of the season. The main item is pruning or thinning of your woody ornamentals. Deciduous trees such as maples, oaks, ash, etc., can be pruned at this time. Interior, broken, or crossing branches should be removed now while you can see exactly what you are removing. The general rule of thumb is that you should not touch spring flowering trees and shrubs at this time of year.

If the weather is extremely bad this month, then snow and/or ice removal are going to be the big tasks for this month. Heavy accumulations of snow or ice can easily damage plants. Dump a snow shovel full of wet snow on top of some of your shrubs and you may end up replacing the broken mass next spring. Snow plows can also do quite a bit of damage to plantings and lawn areas. Use location stakes with flags to show where your driveways and walkways are as well as where to “dump” excess snow. If you have to deal with ice, be extremely careful with the melting compound you use. Rock salt is the most widely used compound and it has the least temperature range for its effectiveness. In addition, rock salt will destroy concrete sidewalks, driveways, and concrete pavers. It will also kill most shrubs, perennials, and lawns. There are many other compounds used for melting ice that won’t damage your concrete or kill your plants. I recommend Calcium chloride or potassium chloride products. If you choose to use these, please read the labels thoroughly. Some work in very low temperatures, but are harmful to pets and wildlife. Others only work when the temperature is between 20 and 32 degrees. You can also use products such as birdseed, sawdust, and non-clumping cat litter to provide traction. Of course, these will not melt the ice, but they will not kill your plants, pets, or concrete.

If you have all of your pruning done, the snow or ice has been removed, and you still have time left to work on your outside to do list, don’t forget about your tools. If you haven’t already done so, it is time to thoroughly go over your lawn mower and make sure that it is already to go and will start on the first pull next spring. The same goes for all outdoor power equipment. Clean all of your hand tools, (pruners, shovels, rakes, etc.), removing any dirt, leaves, sap, from them. If they have wooden handles, inspect the handles for cracks, nicks, or splintering and either replace or repair them as needed. If they have a metal handle, check the welds for signs of breakage and have them repaired. If the tool is a cutting type, sharpen the edges as needed.

Time flies fast, so enjoy this winter preparing for spring, and we will “See you in the garden.”

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - December 2010

2010-12-02T10:00:00.009-06:00

“The month of December brings the holiday season and warm thoughts of family, friends and community. I would like to say “Thank You,” and I wish you and yours a “Blessed Holiday Season” with all the best in the New Year!” Furthermore, fall will turn into winter this month. With the addition of fire pits in our outdoor living rooms, evenings outdoors can still be enjoyable sampling hot chocolate or cider with friends around the blaze of a comfortable warm fire. You can even gather the kids for the making of s’mores! Enjoy the crisp cool weather.

Plants get “chapped lips” too! Cold, dry winter winds and bright winter sun make our skin chapped and unhealthy. Those winds have a devastatingly similar effect on your plants, which are out in the winds all winter. No wonder your evergreens don’t look so great come spring. This drying effect is called desiccation and is often the most devastating aspect of winter damage on plants in our Midwest region. To fight desiccation, first choose the right plants for windy, dry areas. Especially try to avoid placing broadleaf evergreens, such as azaleas, in places shady in summer but sunny and windy in winter. Second, make sure to water your evergreens well through early December, before the ground freezes and plants can no longer “drink” from the soil. Third, mulch your plants for winter to retain soil moisture as well as soil temperature. Fourth, use an anti-desiccant. These products coat leaves and needles to slow down the loss of moisture. One of the best products to use is Wilt Stop by Bonide. This product is a natural polymer that covers plants with a FLEXIBLE coating to lock moisture in the plant tissue. The flexible coating is important to keep the coating on plants as they bend and sway in the wind. Wilt Stop lasts 45-60 days so apply the first treatment in early December and again in early February.

Here are a few tips on winter houseplant care. When the heat goes on and the daylight becomes shorter, houseplants sometimes begin to yellow and drop their leaves. It may be necessary to move the plants to a different place in the home and give them different treatment from that given during the summer. Flowering plants need at least half a day of direct sunlight to develop flower buds. Cacti and many succulents require a sunny location, and coleus and crotons need direct sun to maintain the decorative color. Foliage plants, such as ivy, philodendron, and dieffenbachia plants, do well in indirect light rather than direct sunlight. The ideal temperatures for foliage plants are 68-70 degrees during the day and slightly lower at night. Flowering plants retain blossoms longer at lower temperatures. Remember, windowsill locations are much colder during the winter and plants that did well there in summer and fall may need to be moved to prevent them from getting chilled. The amount of water the houseplants need declines during winter, so increase the amount of time between watering. Reduce fertilizing as well; flowering plants should be fertilized half as often and foliage plants should only be fertilized if needed.

December also brings the preparation time for the Holidays. Poinsettias are an all time favorite to add a festive look to any décor. Follow these simple poinsettia basics for success. They should have sun for at least ½ the day and keep them away from drafts, registers and radiators. The soil should dry only slightly between thorough watering. Be sure to punch holes in decorative foil wraps to prevent soggy soil conditions. Are you looking for that unusual color? Poinsettias can be painted to match any décor you desire. Here is another idea, try one painted to match colors for your sports team of choice. The possibilities are endless. In addition, you need not worry about the myth of poinsettias being poisonous; there is extensive scientific research that gives the poinsettia a clean bill of health. Enjoy one this year yourself.

Along with these Holiday tips, here are a few other ideas for the month:
• Hollies may be trimmed now and the trimmings can be used in holiday decorations.
• Use caution when spreading salt or calcium on ice or snow packed walks and driveways. Salt can damage lawns and plantings, calcium is much safer to use. Be sure to designate areas to for piling snow from plowing in advance to prevent damage to trees, shrubs and lawns.
• Clean and oil all garden hand tools before storing for the winter.
• Winterize all power equipment before storage. Change the oil and lubricate moving parts. Either drain fuel systems or mix gas-stabilizing additive into the tank.
• You can continue planting bulbs until frost in the ground prevents you from digging.
• Perennial beds and roses should have been put to rest for winter by now. If not, cut back, clean up and mulch. Roses should be mulched 10-12” deep.
• Continue to feed our fine feathered friends and place heated birdbaths with fresh water out for them.

Again, I wish you and your family a very Blessed Christmas season. Let’s get to work on planning those beautiful garden scenes for next year!!!

See you in the Garden…

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

November Garden Solutions 2010

2010-10-29T10:45:00.006-05:00

It is sad to watch the garden fading into winter, but at least we don’t have to say goodbye. Spring will return, as naturally as the sun will rise tomorrow morning. All we have to do is get the garden prepped so that it can rest until its renewal a few months from now. Here is a to-do list that will help you prepare your garden for its winter’s nap.

Clean out and cut back. Loads of dead leaves and rotten stalks on plants can harbor disease, even through the winter season. But, don’t cut all your plants back to the ground, and don’t pick up every leaf. It is a great treat to leave some seed heads on plants for the winter birds and ornamental grasses for their winter art in the garden. Leaving some plant stalks to protect the crowns of tender perennials is also beneficial.

Cover up. Mulch is the best winter protection for your plants. Wood mulch is the most common. Wait until the ground has frozen slightly, usually around Thanksgiving for us, to ensure the plants are in their dormancy state. If the snow falls before you get the opportunity to get the job done, mulch over the snow. Some woody perennials and shrubs may benefit from soil mounded around the base. These plants, in our area include, roses, crape myrtle, butterfly bushes to name a few. Tender shrubs may need to be screened or wrapped with burlap or something similar, not plastic.

Dig in. There is still time to plant some garden jewels this month. Trees, shrubs and plants that have a root ball larger than a gallon can be put into the ground. In addition, now is the time to plant those spring beauties we call bulbs. To enjoy the beauty and bright colors of tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils as well as crocus and alliums, plant them NOW. Bulbs need 10-12 weeks of cold soil temperatures. Therefore, in our area you can plant up to the Christmas season, as long as frost hasn’t built up in the soil.

Write down. You will find that a garden log or journal will be very helpful next spring when you’re trying to identify those first tentative green shoots and wondering whether you divided that Hosta plant last fall or should you do it now. Draw a basic diagram of each bed, noting the plants and adding photos where you can. A little extra effort with your journal will pay off next spring.

Here are a few other duties to think about this month of November. Continue mowing lawn grasses as long as they keep growing, 3” is a good height. Apply Winterizer fertilizer to lawns to strengthen plant stems and roots for winter growth and early spring green up.

Cover garden ponds with bird or pond netting to prevent leaves from fouling the water. Oxygen depletion from rotting organic matter can cause a winterkill of pond fish. Take steps to prevent garden ponds from freezing solid in winter. Using a floating garden heater in the pond will lessen the chance of ice damage.

Set up bird feeders. Birds also appreciate a source of unfrozen drinking water during the winter. Use one of the many styles of birdbath heaters or heated birdbaths available at garden centers. When feeding the birds, set up a variety of feeder types to get the best assortment of birds to come to your yard. Tube feeders are good for songbirds, platform feeders are good for cardinals and larger birds, and suet is a great source of fat and energy for woodpeckers and all bird types.

Enjoy the antics of wildlife and the beauty of plant art in the garden during this upcoming winter season. I will give you more to look forward to in the winter garden in December. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving to all and enjoy the outdoors as much as possible.

See you in the garden,
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions

2010-10-05T09:03:00.013-05:00

This month in “Garden Solutions,” I am going to focus on trees and pumpkins. Quite a different combination, but both need attention this time of year.

The Many Benefits of Planting Trees

Most often, we plant trees to provide shade and add beauty to our landscape. These are great benefits, but trees also provide many less obvious benefits. Consider all the benefits listed below and remember fall is the perfect time to plant trees for an increased success rate next spring.

· Trees are perfect for planting as living memorials, to remind us of loved ones, or to commemorate significant events in our lives.
· Even though you may own the trees on your property, your neighborhood may benefit from them as well. Through careful planning, trees can be an asset to your entire community.
· Tree lined streets have a traffic calming effect, traffic moves more slowly and safely.
· Trees can be placed to screen unwanted views or noise from busy highways.
· Trees improve our air quality by filtering harmful dust and pollutants such as ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide from the air we breathe.
· Trees give off oxygen that we need to breathe.
· Trees reduce the amount of storm water runoff, which reduces erosion and pollution in our waterways and may reduce the effects of flooding.
· Many species of wildlife depend on trees for habitat. Trees provide food, protection, and homes for many birds and mammals.
· Well-placed trees can reduce your cooling costs in the summer by shading the south and west sides of your home. If deciduous trees are used, they will allow the sun to pass through and warm your home in the winter.
· Evergreen trees on the north side of your home and shrubs around the foundation of your home can act as a windbreak to reduce the cooling effects of winter winds.
· The value of a well landscaped home with mature healthy trees can be as much as 10% higher than a similar home with no or little landscaping. (Topping trees will reduce their value.)

Now let’s change the focus. This is the month for HALLOWEEN!!! What a great and fun time to decorate and enjoy the season with the children of the neighborhood. Here are “Tips for Selecting and Preserving Your Pumpkin.”

Selecting a Pumpkin

When selecting a pumpkin for a jack-o-lantern, choose one that does not have any bruises. Check for discoloration and soft spots. The size will not matter, however, to most children and some adults, bigger is better. You can always enlarge your pattern; shrinking a pattern can make the detail work too difficult.

Pumpkins that are more flat and do not roll well work the best. Look for pumpkins with a sturdy stem; this is the sign of a healthy pumpkin. Do not lift or carry the pumpkin by the stem, this can damage it and make it age faster. Check the bottom of the pumpkin to see if the base is damaged. Sometimes the bottom of pumpkins is thin and can get punctured. Then, bad things can grow in them. If the pumpkin feels heavy and sloshes, put it back. I once opened a pumpkin to find the insides had rotted and there was a slimy, smelly, liquid goo left behind.

Preserving and Firming Up a Pumpkin

There are ways to help keep your pumpkin fresher and firmer. If you place a pumpkin in a washtub of cold water, it will absorb the water and become very firm. Cut open the top of the pumpkin and clean out all the seeds. Fill a washtub, sink or large bucket with cold water, and soak the pumpkin in the cold water. If you have fine detail work to do, you may want to let your pumpkin soak overnight. This will firm up the pumpkin flesh and allow you to do carving that is more intricate. You can add a small amount of unscented Clorox bleach in the water to prevent premature mold and bacteria growth.

Once you have carved your pumpkin, you can add a thin amount of petroleum jelly on the exposed cut edges. This will help seal moisture in the flesh of the pumpkin. If the pumpkin dries out, it will shrivel. You can try to revive it by soaking it in a bath of cold water for one to eight hours. Longer is better. Overnight will not hurt.

You can prepare your pumpkins ahead of time and keep them fresh for a future party or gathering. Soak them first. Wrap them in plastic wrap to hold in the moisture and store them in the refrigerator (not the freezer). They will stay fresh this way for a very long time. Once you remove a wet pumpkin for display, you should immediately dry it off. This prevents mold from having a chance to grow.

Now, enjoy all that the month of October has to offer and I will…

See you in the garden.
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - September 2010

2010-08-25T15:05:00.008-05:00

There is no better time of year than this abundant season to catch your bearings, reevaluate the year, enjoy the harvest and relax. It is also the best time to take a few moments to invest in your home. There are many simple tasks you can do now, that will save time in the spring when you are twice as busy.

The kids are back in school and off to college. That makes it a good time to get back towork in the yard and garden. Especially if you have put your outdoor living projects off this summer because of bonding, vacations and sports programs…...or hot, dry weather.

Our yards definitely DID suffer this summer. Thank goodness, the hottest month of the year is now behind us. Well, there is no better time to renovate and reseed than during this month of September. In fact, the perfect window of opportunity for lawn growth is August 15 - October 15. Even though it may be hot and dry, it is the perfect time of year to aerate and over seed established yards.

The process should be done as follows: Cut the lawn a little shorter than normal (2-3 inches). Then run over the yard with a core aerator (this machine pulls plugs out of the ground about the size of your little finger). This whole process works best after a good rain or a deep watering. The core aeration process helps with the soil aeration, lessens soil compaction and makes for better, stronger grass root systems. Now, run a renovator over the area. This machine slices the ground with many little teeth and will break down the dirt clods from the core aeration process and bring up any dead thatch in the area.

After the aeration process is completed, you are ready to sow your grass seed (use a 50% spread rate for a 50% stand of grass) and add fertilizer (a starter type fertilizer that is high in phosphorus is best). For a 50% stand of grass or less, you will not need additional cover such as straw. If you are over seeding bare areas or new lawn areas, you will need to straw these areas to hold moisture for seed protection. For the specific grass seed type, shop for seed specific to your area of need: shade, sun, part-shade and sun, etc. Check with your local independent garden center for special grass seed mixes that are specially blended for your region for the best performance.

Once you have sown the grass seed, you can apply a starter fertilizer. Then, add a Winterizer fertilizer to the entire area in late October or November. This whole process will “promise” you a beautiful strong lawn for spring of next year. Water is, of course, essential for this growth if Mother Nature does not cooperate. New lawn installations are also best at this time of year as well.

NOW PLANT, PLANT, PLANT
Fall in Missouri is the ideal time of year to plant all kinds of things from cool-season vegetables to turf grasses, and especially shrubs, evergreens or deciduous trees. Yet, when it comes to planting, many gardeners only think of the spring. Why is fall such an ideal time to plant? First, the warm soil in the fall helps encourage root growth. The roots continue to grow through our mild winters becoming well established by the spring. This makes fall plantings much better equipped to handle our heat and drought once summer finally arrives. Plus, our fall and spring rains help do the work in establishing your plants so you don’t have to do as much. During this time, there is also fewer pests and disease problems to attack your plant while it is young.

Planting trees in the fall of the year is perfect timing to get better results. Choosing varieties for that special spot should be given some thought. The Washington Urban Forestry Council has developed a “Tree List” that can be found on the City of Washington’s website (http://www.ci.washington.mo.us/) under City Departments, Parks & Recreation, and Urban Forestry Council. The list is broken down into different categories that make choosing a tree variety very easy. So plant a tree this fall. You will help the environment, lower your electric bills, and enhance your property value.

Now turn your focus to Fall Decorations….and change the Curb Appeal of your yard by giving it a face-lift for fall. Change out those summer containers and flowerbeds with fall bedding plants that work long into the fall season, which in our case here in Missouri can be thru mid November. You should be able to find such plants as pansies, ornamental cabbage, kale, Fall Magic annuals, ornamental grasses, hardy garden mums and MUCH more. Don’t forget to add in straw, corn stalks, pumpkins and gourds to give it a complete look. Extend the look of your outdoor room and enjoy the extended season.

Fall bulbs are available now and should be considered for spring color in your garden! So start thinking ahead to next year and get in on the action now.

*For additional information about fall gardening and tips, check out the following website: http://www.hillermann.com/.

Time to go………..See you in the Garden
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - August 2010

2010-07-28T15:00:00.005-05:00

August brings us the dog days of summer... there is no doubt about that. If you have not started enjoying “Outdoor Living,” it is NOT TOO LATE. There are designers in the landscape industry to help you with ideas that will turn your yard into an outdoor oasis. More and more people are retreating to their own backyards. Look for inspiration at every “independent lawn and garden retailer.” Consider adding a water feature to “cool” things down a bit.

Here are a few health benefits of enjoying the outdoors. To the non-gardener or hard-core athlete, gardening may seem like a sedentary activity, but it is not. Activities like carting mulch around in a wheelbarrow, digging in the soil, plus all that bending and lifting involved in planting really does burn calories. Studies show that depending on the activity, gardening can burn between 250 and 500 calories per hour. For many people gardening is a creative outlet, for others it is the change of scenery from the daily grind that makes a difference. Still others find that the satisfaction of reaping the rewards (those tasty fruits and vegetables, and beautiful flowers) of your efforts is what helps to reduce stress levels. So try it out and let me know what you think. I would love to hear your gardening stories. You can email me at sandimcdonald@sbglobal.net.

You desperately need to continue watering during this month. There are many ways to supply water economically and easily, just ask the experts. In-ground irrigation systems are available as well as drip irrigation systems. Drip irrigation systems are very easy for the homeowner to install. Wildlife in your yard, as well as all new and established plantings, need your help during hot, dry summer days. Deep root watering is the most beneficial for established plantings. If you want to learn more about this procedure, ask the experts.

Stop and visit the Washington Town & Country Fair this year (August 4 - 8). Be sure to visit these two educational areas: the Agri-Land booth (near the livestock barns) and Hillermann’s “Gardening Solutions” (near the Family Activity Tent). They both offer hands on learning opportunities and free handouts on great outdoor gardening activities!

Here are tips for the heat and drought period of August:
• You should apply lawn insecticides until August 15 to guard off grubs, fleas, ticks, etc. in the yard.
• Japanese beetles can be eliminated by trapping. Beetle traps are available and safe/organic to use.
• Think “green” and recycle your planting containers.
• Keep deadheading spent annual and perennial flowers for continued bloom.
• Feed garden mums and asters for the last time.
• Monitor plants for spider mite activity. Hose affected plants off with a forceful spray of water, or spray with Bonide Eight (with Permethrin). To check for spider mites, hold a white piece of paper under a suspected branch. Tap on the branch and then run your hand across the paper. If you get red streaks, you have spider mites!
• Roses should receive no further nitrogen fertilizer after the end of August to prevent the production of late tender growth that could be damaged by fall frosts.
• Soak shrubs periodically during dry spells with enough water to moisten the soil to a depth of 8-10 inches.
• Prune to shape hedges for the last time this season.
• Once bagworms reach full size, insecticides are ineffective. Pruning off and burning or discarding of large bags provides better control.
• Watch for fall webworm activity. Apply Fertilome Bagworm and Tent Caterpillar Spray when spotted.
• Cultivate Strawberries and apply weed preventer immediately, after fertilizing to help with fall germinating weeds such as henbit or chickweed.
• Protect ripening fruits from birds by covering plants with bird netting. This is a black mesh netting and is readily available at Garden Centers.
• Pinch the growing tips of gourds once the adequate fruit set amount is achieved. This directs energy into the ripening fruits, rather than vine production.
• Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower transplants should be set out for the fall garden. Also, sow seeds of lettuce, radish, beans, beets, spinach and turnips now. (Spinach may germinate better if the seeds are refrigerated.)
• For additional information about garden tips for summer and all seasons, check out this website www.hillermann.com.

Time to go... See you in the Garden!!
Sandi Hillermann McDonald
http://www.hillermann.com/

Garden Solutions - July 2010

2010-06-29T11:15:00.009-05:00

Even though the weather outside is not as enticing or enjoyable as it is in the spring of the year, we can still enjoy being outdoors. In addition, there are things that still need to be done in the garden and landscape.

The most important item to consider this time of year, naturally, is water… Provide water to your garden, for not only the perennials, annuals, trees and shrubs, but do it also for the wildlife such as birds, rabbits, and squirrels. This can be done in several different ways. One way would be to install a drip irrigation system. These systems can be installed with tools as simple as a scissors or knife. Timers are also available to take the guesswork out of the project, and the system continues to work even when you are on vacation. This will be extremely important during summer seasons to provide moisture to new and established plantings. Now, Don’t forget the wildlife as well. Birds continue to give us enjoyment with new fledglings arriving as well as their daily antics. Supply water for them in forms of birdbaths, water fountains, or water garden displays. Moving water is a bigger draw for this wildlife activity than still water, and it is safer, too. With moving water, you do not need to worry about mosquitoes and the West Nile Virus.

Now that I have spent time expressing my concern and importance for water during the summer months, let me give you some other tips for the garden…

· Apply the chemical “Permethrin” after July 15th, to guard off grubs, fleas, ticks, etc. in the yard.
· Keep deadheading spent annual flowers for continued bloom.
· DON’T pinch hardy garden mums after mid-July OR you may delay blooming for fall.
· Keep an eye out for powdery mildew and red spider mites this month in the garden. Treat with Copper Fungicide or Malathion insecticide respectively.
· MULCH VOLCANOES KILL!! What this means is that you should NOT build up mulch around your trees with the tip of the volcano up on the tree trunk. In fact, it has to be just the opposite. Put the shallow ring of mulch around the tree trunk and build up a saucer effect of mulch around the outside of the tree ring. This will save the tree in several ways. First, it will not kill off the trunk, and second, it will keep mowers and trimmers from disturbing the trunk bark, which can be devastating to the trees success.
· Bearded irises can be divided at the end of the month. Discard old center sections. Replant so that the tops of the rhizomes are just above the ground level.
· Remember to deep root water established trees and shrubs, as well, during drought conditions.
· Prune out and destroy old fruiting canes of raspberries after harvest is complete.
· Dig potatoes when the tops die and plant fall crops by the 15th.
· Sweet corn is ripe when the silks turn brown.
· For the fall garden, sow seeds of carrots, beets, turnips, winter radish, collards, kale, sweet corn and summer squash as earlier crops are harvested at the end of the month. Also, set out transplants of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower for the fall garden.

This is also a good time of year to consider water conservation. Here are some water conservation tips for the home and garden:

· Water plants where it counts. Water at the roots of plants not the leaves. Focus on watering more expensive trees and shrubs.
· Stop feeding and fertilizing. Plants and grass that have been fertilized grow faster and consume more water.
· When you mow your grass, cut less frequently and at a higher level. Cutting the lawn short promotes growth, and growth promotes water consumption. Longer grass will shade the ground and stay healthier.
· Cut back on household water use. Place a plastic jug filled with water inside your toilet tank. The sealed jug displaces water and allows the tank to fill up more quickly. Use a half-gallon milk jug for older toilets, and a one-liter soda bottle for newer, low-flow toilets. Keep the jug in place with a string tied around it, secured in place from the weight of the tank lid.
· Plant drought tolerant, native plants. Many native plants are drought and disease resistant and make great additions in your gardens. Once established, these plants will need less water than hybridized varieties. Your local independent garden center can help you choose varieties that will work well for the location of your garden.

For additional garden tips for summer, check out our website at www.hillermann.com.

Time to go… See you in the Garden…
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - June 2010

2010-05-27T11:33:00.004-05:00

Although I’ve never been accused of being short on words, there is often this blank in my mind about where to start the article. This month I will begin with a reminder that June is National Perennial Gardening Month. Perennials are herbaceous plants that die back to the ground in the winter but return year after year to dazzle us with color.

Past and present Perennials of the Year (these are proven performance perennials that have been named since 1991) are usually great choices for anyone’s garden, as they are tried and true varieties. The 2010 Perennial Plant of the Year is Baptisia australis, commonly known as Blue false indigo. It grows three to four feet tall and three to four feet wide in an upright habit. This exceptional perennial grows across a wide range of zones and is one of the most adaptable native species. We are in planting zone 6, so it is always important to check that bit of information as well, on all plants you plan to leave from year to year in your yard. Check the Perennial Plant Association website at http://www.perennialplant.org/ for perennial plants of the year since 1991 plus gardening tips.

Here are 10 quick tips to Fabulous Perennials:
1. Begin by preparing the soil
2. Choose plants carefully, sun vs. shade, etc.
3. Purchase plants that can establish in one season.
4. Space perennials to give them room to grow.
5. Fertilize
6. Mulch
7. Control weeds
8. Control insects
9. Additionally, clean up the beds each season. Enjoy!!

Well, June is also the month of graduations, weddings, vacations, Father’s Day, and the beginning of summer. This is the month that we all begin to spend more of our free time out of doors, enjoying our gardens and the fruits of our labors from the last 3 months, (plus). If all of you have kept up with your tasks, then this month should be easy. However, if you are like me, June will be a month you can get caught up.

The first task that we need to do this month is to get the spring flowering trees and shrubs trimmed. Flowering crabapples, serviceberry, dogwoods, magnolias, lilacs and viburnums all set their buds for next years’ flower on the new growth they develop this year. These plants should be pruned now to encourage new growth and therefore flower buds for next year. It is recommended that you complete the pruning of these plants by early this month.

Here are other garden tips for June:

• Watch for the outbreak of bagworms on garden plants, especially junipers. Then spray affected plants with Permethrin sold under the label ‘Eight’.
• Deadhead bulbs and spring perennials as blossoms fade.
• Repeat plantings of corn and beans to extend the harvest season.
• Fertilize Zoysia grass now while it is actively growing.
• Renovate strawberries after harvest. plow the rows; thin out excess plants; remove weeds; fertilize and apply mulch for weed control.
• Spray roses with a fungicide to prevent black spot disease and fertilize monthly.
• Continue pinching back your garden mums till July 4th to promote full, bushy growth and good fall color.
• Water turf as needed to prevent drought stress, and watch for fungus problems.
• Mow lawns frequently enough to remove no more than one-third the total height per mowing.
• Continue enjoying the antics of the wildlife in your yard and gardens by continuing to supply food and water sources for them.
• Change hummingbird nectar at least weekly to prevent fungus from growing. You can make your own nectar using 1 part sugar to 4 parts water---no food coloring please!
• Move houseplants outside for the summer. Place plants in areas with dappled shade and some protection from hot summer winds.
• Rejuvenate your older lilacs by cutting back to one third of the largest branches. This will create a fuller, more lush specimen.
• Orioles (if you were lucky enough to keep them around) begin building a gray woven nest; this takes about a week.
• Watch for birds carrying food to their young.
• Gray squirrels begin a second breeding.

Are you late getting planting started in your garden this year? YOU ARE NOT ALONE! As busy as we were this May, and as wet as the weather was, many people have commented that they haven’t even begun their planting. That’s okay—you still have plenty of time. Plant selections should still be pretty strong at independent garden centers. Fully enjoy your garden; it is the only true place to connect you to Mother Nature.

See you in the Garden……………..
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - May 2010

2010-04-27T15:24:00.005-05:00

A SAMPLE GUIDE TO EDIBLE GARDENING

Growing your own food can be a fun and satisfying activity that can nourish your body and your soul. Homegrown veggies and fruits can be more flavorful and nutritious than store-bought produce. Some people might think they don’t have the time to dedicate to an edible garden, but it can easily fit into ANY busy schedule. Once planted, an average-sized edible garden will require less than fifteen minutes a day to maintain. Most seasoned vegetable gardeners look forward to their time spent in their garden, because the rewards are so great! And the therapy it provides is even better!! Your local independent garden center can provide you with all the plants and know how to make your garden a valuable, money saving asset for your home.

When it comes to location, choose the sunniest spot in your yard. Most edible plants prefer 6 or more hours of sun, although leaf veggies (like lettuce) can grow with less sunlight. Consider container gardens if you have a bright deck or patio. Edibles can also be incorporated into your flowerbeds and ornamental plantings as well. Be sure the area has good circulation or airflow.

When possible, raised beds offer ideal growing conditions for vegetables. This is done by mounding soil 8-12” high with or without framing it with wood or blocks. Soil in raised beds heats up faster and produces a crop more quickly. If these beds are high enough, they may even deter dogs and rabbits from visiting, but be ready to put up screening or fencing if necessary. It also offers better drainage and reduces root rot. A raised garden bed should be no wider than 4’ to allow for easy access from both sides.

The key ingredient to a vegetable garden is the soil foundation. Amend the topsoil with compost, such as Black Gold (which is Missouri Botanical Garden Compost produced in St Louis!). Well-rotted manure and humus are also suitable for adding to the existing soil.

Base your crop selection on what your family likes to eat. Choose from your local garden center’s selection of plants, which are known to be well suited for your area. Many independent garden centers trail most of their offerings to ensure that they will be successful in your garden too!

Plant your tall crops (like corn and climbers) on the north side of the garden to prevent them from shading the other shorter plants. Plant medium sized plants (like peppers, tomatoes….) towards the center. Short crops, like carrots, radishes, and lettuce, should be planted on the south end. Try to orient your garden from north to south for best sun coverage.

Here is a sample plant list for a healthy family of four:

10 tomato plants
2 for munching (grape or cherry)
2 for cooking (Roma)
2 for slicing (Better Boy, Celebrity…….)
2 for colorful salads (Lemonboy…..)
2 for conversation (Mr. Stripey or other Heirlooms…..)
4 cucumber plants
12 broccoli plants
8 cauliflower plants
20 lettuce plants
6 pepper plants
3 pumpkin plants
10 spinach plants
2 zucchini or squash plants

Essential herbs
-basil
-oregano
-parsley
-rosemary
-thyme
-cilantro
-dill
-bay
-french tarragon
-mint (very vigorous, so grow in a container!)
-fennel (for you and the butterflies!)

Other essentials…………….
Compost
Shovel, hard rake and tiller
Fertilizer—natural/organic or commercial
Tomato cages, stakes

I truly hope you enjoy the spring and summer season and try your hand a growing fresh produce for your family. Here is a recipe you can try using your fresh produce:

Sweet and Sour Coleslaw:

1 large head cabbage, shredded
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 cup sugar + 1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. celery seed
1 cup cider vinegar
¾ cup salad oil

Combine the cabbage, onion and green pepper in a bowl. Pour the 1 cup of sugar over the mixture. Let set in refrigerator covered for 4 hours or overnight. Boil together 1 Tbsp. sugar, salt, celery seed, vinegar and salad oil. Let mixture cool. Mix with slaw ½ to 1 hour before serving. Bon appétit!

Don’t forget that Mother’s Day will be here soon and garden plants make great gifts for Mom and Grandma. Plants, Gods natural creations of beauty, will continue to give throughout the season!

See you next month,
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - April 2010

2010-03-30T11:42:00.006-05:00

Now pay attention to the birds singing early in the mornings and their increased activity, which leads way to courting, nesting, and soon to be, new fledglings. Therefore, I encourage you to continue feeding our feathered friends during this important time and enjoy the antics that lie ahead. I would also like to remind you that these little birds do eat many insects, which is a great benefit for your yard and garden. You should already have your purple martin houses up and filled, and now it is time to hang up the hummingbird feeders. You can make your own nectar using four parts water to 1 part sugar (1/4 cup sugar to 1 cup water). You can start with slightly more sugar in the mix to attract the hummingbirds, and then go back to the 4 to 1 mixture once the hummingbirds are frequenting your feeders. Boil together the mixture to dissolve the sugar, fill your feeders and enjoy. Change out the liquid frequently as hummingbirds are very fragile and our summer heat can quickly ferment the sugar mixture. Clean the feeder in between each filling.

The lengthening of daylight also seems to brighten peoples’ spirits and relieve some stress as we can now move outdoors and enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer. So, I invite you to go outside and “dig in.” Here are tips to help you get started:

· Remove winter mulch from your rose bushes. Trim out dead and diseased canes. Cut all other green wood to about 18” above the ground on Floribunda and tea rose varieties. A 24-30” height is good on shrub roses (such as the Knock Out rose bush).

· Fertilize your roses with a slow release fertilizer and begin fungicide treatments to control black spot disease.

· When Crabapples are in bloom, hardy annuals can be planted.

· Transplant trees, shrubs, and perennials early in the month for best results. This includes moving plants you already have established in your yard that need to be moved to a new location.

· Spots and bare patches in the lawn can still be over seeded if you did not apply a Crabgrass Preventer. During spring there are more issues to be aware of when seeding a lawn rather than in the fall. Talk to a professional about seed choices and proper procedures.

· Easter lilies can be planted after they finish blooming. Set the bulbs 2-3” deeper then they are in the pot. They are generally hardy here and can take full sun.

· Liquid weed control should be applied early this month to control dandelions, henbit, and other broadleaf weeds. New grass in recently seeded areas MUST have grown enough to be mowed three times before it is strong enough to be treated with weed chemicals.

· Prune spring flowering shrubs after they finish blooming.

· Asparagus and rhubarb harvests begin. Keep your hoe sharp!

· Start cucumber, squash, cantaloupe and watermelon seeds indoors this month for late May/early June planting outside.

· Shrubs such as Crepe Myrtle, Butterfly Bush, and Hardy Hibiscus can be pruned back to green wood this month. REMINDER - these plants leaf out very late (early May) and should not be considered dead, or be replaced until after Mother’s Day.

· Termites begin swarming. Termites can be distinguished from ants by their thick waists and straight antennae. Ants have slender waists and elbowed antennae.

· Apply Bayer Advance Insect Control this month to control borers in shade trees and shrubs.

· Remove old tree wraps from trees planted last fall so they do not create a place for insects to harbor.

· Mole young are born in chambers deep underground.

· Protect bees and other pollinating insects. Do not spray insecticides on fruit trees that are in bloom. Bees are in danger and it is very important to be careful around them. In fact, check out nature friendly products readily available in garden centers when needing to do insect treatments.

· Ornamental Pear trees need to be sprayed with Streptemycin “during” the flowering stage to prevent “Fire Blight” disease.

· Water gardens may be cleaned out and the water changed. Do not scrub the walls since this will remove accumulated beneficial bacteria. Begin adding additional bacteria and barley bales now to begin the natural cycle of pond clean-up. Have questions, call a professional for assistance.

· The last week of April is a good time to try an early sowing of warm season crops such as green beans, sweet corn, etc. Transplants of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and sweet potatoes can also begin to be planted outdoors now.

· Container gardening is a good choice for flower and vegetable gardening if space is in short supply. It can be done by anyone, anywhere, check it out!!

· “Natural Gardening” is a wave of the future… keep your family safe and check out what organic options are available to you when gardening this year. There are many.

Well, time is running short with much to do…see you in the garden

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - March 2010

2010-02-25T10:39:00.007-06:00

By Sandi Hillermann McDonald

This month I would like to talk about two great windowsill garden projects for the home. The first one is “Windowsill Herb Gardens.” As the wind still howls outside, the temperatures are still freezing, and blooming plants are a distant memory, there is nothing like sticking your hands in some soil to bring a smile to your face. One of the easiest, most useful and satisfying things to grow is herbs. Many herbs lend themselves well to growing in a container on a windowsill or near a window. The beauty of growing herbs is you have a free, ready-made source to harvest for use in cooking, and the more you snip, the better they respond by becoming full and bushy.

The easiest herbs to grow include basil, chives, oregano, sage and thyme. These also happen to be some of the most frequently called for herbs in recipes. You will have the greatest success if you start your windowsill garden from starter plants, but seeds are readily available as well. All of these plants like full sun, and to remain flavorful, require at least 5 hours of direct sunlight a day. Therefore, south or southwest-facing windows are ideal. If this is not possible, the use of fluorescent lights placed approximately 6” above the plants will provide you the needed lighting assistance. Rotate the plants frequently to encourage more uniform growth. Herbs prefer temperatures between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Water them when the soil surface feels dry. Fertilize them once a month with a diluted solution of water-soluble fertilizer, like fish emulsion, which is organic. Herbs also benefit from a little extra humidity. Placing your containers in saucers or trays filled with small pebbles and water will provide that extra moisture as the water evaporates around the plants.

The next windowsill project is to “Grow Your Own Greens or Sprouts!” Some of the freshest, most nutritious organic greens on the planet can be grown without special equipment, complicated instructions or time-consuming techniques. All you need is a quart jar, a few tablespoons of sprouting seeds and water. In about a week, you will have a jar full of delicate sprouts you can sprinkle on salads, add to sandwiches or toss into soups for a delicious and healthful twist on your favorite recipes. Some say sprouts are the most nutritiously dense food one can grow. Sprouts are also an economical alternative to buying greens at the grocery store. A small bag of seeds will grow into many delicious harvests. Another benefit is that growing sprouts is a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen. Because sprouts grow so quickly, they’ll be able to watch the entire process from seeding to rooting to eating.

To get started chose the seeds of your preference. Seeds that are most popular for home sprouting include alfalfa, lentil, mung bean, radish, sunflower and broccoli. There are many seed blends available. Each kind of seed offers a different taste experience, from slightly sweet to tangy, but all offer a way to make ordinary meals special. Now to get started is easy. Add 2 tablespoons of seeds to a clean, dry quart jar. Cover the jar with cheesecloth, a nylon stocking or mesh screen; and secure it with a jar ring or rubber band. Cover the seeds with water and soak overnight. Drain the water; and rinse the seeds with fresh water. Swish the water and seeds and drain again. Then, rinse seeds with cool water once a day and drain. The sprouts will be ready to harvest in about 7 days. Use fresh sprouts immediately or store them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Here are a few ideas for using your sprouts. Add a cup or more of bean sprouts to your favorite stir-fry recipe just before serving. Cut a pita pocket bread in half, stuff with tuna or chicken salad and top it with alfalfa sprouts. Use sunflower sprouts in wraps filled with deli meat and cheeses for a tangy twist on a sandwich. Replace parsley with a handful of lentil sprouts in homemade chicken noodle soup. Top a cheese and tomato sandwich with alfalfa sprouts instead of lettuce, and create crunchy veggie tacos with black beans, salsa, cheese and broccoli sprouts!
I hope these simple projects get you thinking of spring!! It will be here this month!! I think that no one is more anxious than I am.

See you in the Garden,
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

February Tips for the Garden 2010

2010-02-01T11:11:00.006-06:00

Starting from seed……………
I’m not a fan of winter. There is nobody more excited than I am to see those first signs of spring, like the appearance of crocus. They pop up, and then I know I’m down the home stretch. It is at this time that I can also begin planning my vegetable containers. Part of my planning is deciding which vegetables I should start from seed. During these early months before spring is also the time that you should begin planting many of the summer vegetables you want to start from seed. Some seeds should be started indoors. There are others that you will be able to plant directly outside into the ground. Follow these simple steps to sprout all sorts of tasty treats this coming season.

Starting seed indoors: here is what you need to get started:
Something to plant in - peat pots, planting trays, and peat pellets work best. Just make sure the container drains well and is large enough that it will not dry out between watering.
Seedling potting mix - you will want to use a potting soil that is designed for starting seeds. Fertilome seed starting soil is the perfect medium for germinating seeds. The mix is designed to promote better root development in young plants.

Seeds - there are so many to choose from. For most varieties, plan on growing 6-8 weeks indoors, but check packet directions for accurate growing times. Also, check the packet to see if pre-soaking is recommended. Some seeds are recommended to be sown directly into the ground, so make sure to read the directions.

A place to grow - seeds need a warm place in order to germinate. After they sprout, sufficient light is critical. A sunny windowsill works fine, as long as it is not too hot or cold.
A cover - if your planting tray did not come with a clear plastic lid, you can use plastic wrap to cover your finished tray.

Spray bottle - you’ll want a spray bottle to be able to mist your soil to keep it moist.
Now you are ready to plant seeds. Follow these easy steps for success!
Fill your planting tray or peat pots with seedling potting mix. Pre-moisten the mix with clean water. Peat pellets are fun to use if you have young children. When you add water the peat pellet transforms from a flat disc to a tall self watering pot.

Place your seeds in the soil. Larger seeds can be planted individually into the tray or peat pot. Smaller seeds can be very difficult to see. Sprinkle 3-4 seeds over the soil in each pot. Press in or lightly cover the seeds with potting mix. Do not cover them deeply with soil.

Cover your planting tray with a clear tray lid or with clear plastic wrap. You can also place plastic wrap over the tops of individual pots if you don’t have a tray. Place the tray or pots in a warm spot out of direct sunlight. Make sure that your soil remains warm and moist.

When the seeds begin to sprout, remove the plastic wrap. Turn the tray every two days to keep the plants growing straight. Plants will always grow toward the sunlight.

Thin or transplant the seedlings when they get 2”-3” tall and have developed true leaves. This should happen after about 2-4 weeks. Thinning is done by gently pulling up the young plant or pinching off the stem. Transplant them to slightly larger containers to allow the roots to continue to develop. Lift seedlings carefully by digging them out with a fork or spoon, taking care not to disturb the tender roots. Keep transplants out of direct sun for a couple of days to prevent wilting.

Feed with a liquid soluble plant food diluted to half strength and remember to keep your soil moist, but not soggy.

When the danger of frost has passed, transplant your seedlings into the garden, but they must first be “hardened off”. Set the tray outdoors in shade for 2-3 hours a day, slowly exposing them to full sunlight. After the week is over, transplant the seedlings into the garden. Remember to use a transplant fertilizer when planting them.

Planting seeds outdoors; after danger of frost has passed (generally May 1st in Franklin County, MO), there are many seeds you can plant directly into the ground.

To begin, choose a spot that gets plenty of sunlight and where the soil drains well. Prepare the soil by raking the area clear of leaves and other debris. Dig the garden to loosen the soil down to about 12”. Add a transplant fertilizer at this time.

Make planting rows with a garden trowel or a pointed object, like a pencil to make indentations in the soil. Some seeds like cucumbers may require you to make the soil into mounds to plant the seeds. Plant the seeds according to the spacing directions on the back of the seed packet. Large seeds can be planted individually. Some seeds, like carrots are quite small. These smaller seeds can be mixed with a bit of sand and sprinkled over the area. You will want to read the directions on the seed packet to know how deep to plant the seeds. Attach the empty packet to a stick at the end of the row if you wish to identify what is planted there.

Water the area with a gentle flow from a watering can or hose. Be careful not to shoot the seeds right out of the soil with too strong of water pressure. Keep the garden moist (not wet), until the plants are up and growing.

Final tip:
Whether planting a seed straight into the soil or planting a transplant, don’t forget to bait for slugs. They will feast on our young plant before the plant grows big enough to feed you! Plus, keep a photo journal or a log of the weekly progress in your garden. Once the sun decides to finally return you’ll be surprised at how quickly your tiny little seedlings start mature and you can begin to harvest the fruits and vegetables of your labor.
Now, have fun planning for spring!

See you in the garden...
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

January Tips for the Garden 2010

2009-12-30T13:03:00.005-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! We truly welcome 2010! If you can tolerate the cold weather, there are several things that you can do this month in your landscape that will lighten the load for the rest of the season. The main item is pruning or thinning of our woody ornamentals. Deciduous trees such as maples, oaks, ash, etc., can be pruned at this time. Interior, broken, or crossing branches should be removed now while you can see exactly what you are removing.

If the weather is extremely bad this month, then snow and/or ice removal are going to be the big tasks. If you are one of the lucky ones with a teenager at home, you can get your son or daughter to shovel the driveway and walks for you. Whether they or you do the shoveling, you need to know where you are putting all of this frozen precipitation. Heavy accumulations of snow or ice can easily damage plants. Accidentally dump a snow shovel full of wet snow on top of some of your shrubs and you may end up replacing the broken mass next spring. Snowplows can also do quite a bit of damage to plantings and lawn areas. Use location stakes with flags to show where your driveways and walkways are as well as where to “dump” excess snow.

If you need to remove ice from drives and walkways, be extremely careful with the melting compound you use. Rock salt will destroy concrete sidewalks, driveways, and concrete pavers. It will also kill most shrubs, perennials, and lawns. There are many other compounds used to melt ice that won’t damage your concrete or kill your plants. These compounds contain potassium, magnesium or calcium chloride. These compounds also work in lower temperatures. You can use products such as birdseed, sawdust, and non-clumping cat litter to provide traction. Of course, these will not melt the ice, but they won’t harm your plants, pets or concrete.

Now, I want to mention a little about “bird feeding.” Celebrate our feathered friends and make it a family affair! It’s hard to say who benefits more from backyard bird feeders, the birds or the people who feed them. Some of life’s more enjoyable moments include the songs and antics of the birds outside our windows. Whether you are just beginning or greatly expanding your bird-feeding program, give careful consideration to making it easy and fun for the whole family. If the feeders are hard to reach, the bags too heavy for the kids to maneuver, or the birdbath too far from the hose, pretty soon someone will lose patience and object to being involved. Hang different types of feeders at different heights and near enough to your house so you can watch the birds at relatively close range. You can use empty coffee cans and homemade funnels (cut the bottom off a large soft drink bottle) for feeder-filling convenience.

Don’t be discouraged if you have just put up a new feeder and the birds don’t flock to it immediately. Because birds recognize food by sight, it can take a while for them to locate a new source. Try putting aluminum foil on the ground underneath, where sunlight can be reflected. If you already have other feeders, put the new one nearby until the birds discover it. Bird feeding activity attracts other species, so when you add a specialty feeder (such as a nyjer feeder) to your feeding station, it probably won’t take new birds long to find it. Remember that, for the sake of the birds’ health, it is always important to keep the feeders and the ground beneath then cleaned up of old seed that can harbor disease.

It is important to provide unfrozen water for the birds throughout winter. Put your birdbath in an open area, but near some trees or bushes to permit a quick escape if predators approach. Birds will visit regularly once they discover it is a safe and steady source of fresh water. Open water in freezing weather will attract as many or more birds, as a well-stocked feeder! Birds use it to help keep them warmer in winter. By cleaning their feathers and grooming them with natural oils, our feathered friends are able to help insulate their bodies from cold. You can keep water thawed with a submersible heater placed directly in the water… it’s economical and safe as long as you use a high-quality, outdoor extension cord to plug the heater into an electrical source. Heated birdbaths are also available.

Birds appear to be homeless in winter, which makes people wonder where they go at night. In general, they choose to roost in the same kind of places as they build their nest during breeding season. Some birds will use the same roosting spot every night unless predators disturb them.

Time flies fast, so enjoy this winter, do an analysis on your landscape and prepare for spring projects… and we will “see you in the garden”.

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

December Tips for the Garden 2009

2009-11-25T14:33:00.010-06:00

The holidays are fast approaching and all of our thoughts turn to decorating! Beautiful flowering houseplants add color and holiday cheer to every room. Here are some of my favorites:

Poinsettias are a holiday tradition and come in a variety of rich colors. The true deep red is a favorite, but don’t overlook deep burgundy, rich pink, soft peach, or beautiful creamy white. You’re sure to find one that is perfect for every room. While blooming, poinsettias like bright but indirect light. Water it when the top inch of the soil has dried and let it drain well. Do not let it sit in water. Poinsettias love cooler temperatures and keeping them cooler will extend the life of their blooms. Keep it away from any drafts, hot or cold, and mist leaves frequently when blooming.

Decorating Tip: Poinsettias in foil, colorful cachepots, or baskets add festive color to any room. Place groupings of three near one or both sides of doorways, hearths, or stairs for a super holiday look.

Cyclamen is a beautiful holiday plant with spectacular color! The heart shaped leaves are deep green with silver markings. The flowers rise gracefully above the foliage on slender stems and will bloom non-stop for several months. Colors range from deep iridescent red to soft pastels and white. Cyclamen love bright indirect light, and cooler temperatures will extend the life of its colorful blooms. Do not let your cyclamen dry out. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. Let the soil drain after watering before returning it to its decorative container.

Decorating Tip: Cyclamen is a compact plant and perfect for coffee tables, desks or counter tops. Drop small containers of these plants into your favorite holiday mugs for a quick holiday decoration to brighten up areas in your home.

Amaryllis in bloom is breathtaking. Nothing matches its clusters of huge, trumpet shaped flowers atop long thick stalks for a show-stopping look. Easy to grow, amaryllis is available in many colors including red, pink, peach, white, and many beautiful bi-colors. It needs bright light and soil that is evenly moist. Since amaryllis is top heavy, we recommend putting it into a heavy pot to avoid tipping.

Decorating Tip: Create a festive centerpiece by surrounding a blooming amaryllis with holiday greenery and ornaments.

These are just a few of my favorite holiday plants! I invite you to visit your local independent garden center and enjoy their houseplant displays during the holidays. They will be happy to help you select the right plants for your needs. Since a brief time in temperatures below 40° Fahrenheit can damage houseplants, garden centers will wrap your plants for protection during harsh winter cold and wind. Remember to take your plants home in a warm car and do not leave them more than a short time in a cold car if you have to make other stops on your way home.

Remember to add more beauty and life to your holiday decorating with colorful houseplants. Visit an independent garden center for creative ideas!

Time to go….See you in the Garden....
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

November Tips for the Garden 2009

2009-11-02T15:28:00.009-06:00

It is hard to believe we are ending another summer and fall season. This year’s fall season has been exceptionally wet and cool. That is not all bad for the plants, but it makes us lose interest in spending time outdoors. Below is a list of things you can do on warm fall days to prepare for winter. However, before we start those duties, I want to remind you all to turn back your clocks on the 1st weekend of November. The days are quickly getting shorter, so dig into these tasks listed below and enjoy the outdoors as much as you can!

The most important step is to make sure all plants--perennials, shrubs and trees--are well watered throughout November to insure adequate winter food reserves. That final, thorough soaking before the last frost is essential, but not enough. Soak evergreens and new plantings again in midwinter during a warm spell if moisture is not abundant.
Mulching is an important step but the purpose is not to keep plants warmer, rather to keep soil temperatures from fluctuating so much.

Protect the trunks of newly transplanted or young thin barked trees to minimize frost cracks when temperatures fluctuate wildly. White plastic roll covers and paper wrap, rolled from the bottom up, are good choices.

To achieve success with broad-leaved evergreens like holy and rhododendron, select reliably hardy cultivars. Plant them in sheltered sites, against walls or hedges, to protect them from drying winter winds and scorching sunshine. Anti-desiccants are fine if used every year, just be sure to reapply in January or February.

Till up the vegetable garden to expose many insect pests to winter cold and reduce their numbers in next year’s garden.

Keep leaves raked up and off the lawn to prevent injury to turf grasses.

Continue mowing lawn grasses as long as they keep growing, a height of 2-3” is good.

Apply Winterizer fertilizer to lawns to strengthen plant stems and roots for winter growth and early spring green up.

Plant tulips and other spring bulbs now through December.

Dig and store tender bulbs planted this spring such as Dahlias, caladiums, and elephant ears.

Start paperwhite, narcissus, and amaryllis bulbs indoors now thru December.

Roll up and store garden hoses on a warm, sunny day.

Towards the end of the month, be sure to shut off and drain any outdoor water pipes or irrigation systems that may freeze during cold weather.

Cover garden ponds with bird or pond netting to prevent leaves from fouling the water. Oxygen depletion from rotting organic matter can cause a winterkill of pond fish.

Take steps to prevent garden ponds from freezing solid in winter. Using a floating garden heater in the pond will lessen the chance of ice damage and provide an area for gas exchange that is needed to sustain fish.

After the first hard freeze, mulch rose bushes heavily to a depth of 12” to cover the plant graph area properly using bark, compost, or straw with rose collars. Prune back longer canes to 24-36” to prevent whipping from wind in the winter. Hold off on heavy pruning until April of next year. Mulch strawberries with straw for winter. The best time to do this is after several nights of 20° F, but before temperatures drop into the teens. Apply straw loosely, but thick enough to hide plants from view.

Set up bird feeders. Birds also appreciate a source of unfrozen drinking water during the winter. Use one of the many styles of birdbath heaters or heated birdbaths available at garden centers.

When feeding the birds, set up a variety of feeder types to get the best assortment of birds to come to your yard. Tube feeders are good for songbirds, platform feeders are good for cardinals and larger birds, and suet is a great source of fat and energy for woodpeckers and all bird types.

Winter houseplant care: reduce or eliminate fertilizer until spring, shorter days mean slower growth, slower growth means less frequent watering. Plants in plastic pots need less water than those in clay pots. Plants in cooler rooms need less water and will have slower growth than those in warm rooms. Creating additional humidity is always beneficial. An easy way to increase humidity is to use trays filled with water and large pebbles. Place the plants on the pebbles so they will not sit in the water, but they can get the benefit of a higher humidity level as the water evaporates.
Leave ornamental grasses standing tall for winter interest in the garden and for feeding the birds. Cut them down to 2-4” in early spring.

It is hard to believe how fast November has arrived. From November 1, there are only 26 more days until Thanksgiving, 51 days until the first day of winter, 55 more days until Christmas and 62 more days until January 1, 2010! In addition, you know how fast the next 62 days are going to fly by! So fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the outdoors as you prepare for winter….Enjoy your yard and garden in every season!

Time to go….See you in the Garden

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

October Tips for the Garden 2009

2009-09-29T16:02:00.009-05:00

Trees, trees, trees, now is a great time to talk about trees and how valuable they are to us. Many of us remember growing up, lying under a shade tree with our back against the bark chewing on a piece of grass, reading a book, or playing games like hide and seek around them.

In addition to great memories, trees bring a true beauty to all landscapes. The right tree in the right place provides shade to your home, creating a cooling insulation from hot summer days and reducing energy costs.

Fall is the best time to plant trees. Fall’s cooler temperatures and adequate rainfall ease the tree’s transition into its new home and decreases transplant shock and stress. Are you looking for an excuse to plant a tree? Well look no further, as the following statistics reveal just how important trees are to us in a community setting:

“Landscaping can reduce air conditioning costs by up to 50 percent, by shading the windows and walls of a home.”- American Public Power Association

“If you plant a tree today on the west side of your home, in 5 years your energy bills should be 3% less. In 15 years the savings will be nearly 12%.” - Dr. E. Greg McPherson, Center of Urban Forest Research

“A mature tree can often have an appraised value of between $1,000 and $10,000.” - Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers

“In one study, 83% of realtors believe that mature trees have a strong or moderate impact” on the salability of homes listed for under $150,000; on homes over $250,000, this perception increases to 98%” - Arbor National Mortgage & American Forests

“Trees properly placed around buildings can save 20-50 percent in energy used for heating.” - USDA Forest Service

“Trees can be a stimulus to economic development, attracting new business and tourism. Commercial retail areas are more attractive to shoppers, apartments rent more quickly, tenants stay longer, and space in a wooded setting is more valuable to sell or rent.” - The Arbor Day Foundation

“In laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees has produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension.” - Dr. Roger S. Ulrich, Texas A&M University

“They look pretty”- Mike Smith (WUFC) and Bernie Hillermann (Co-Founder of Hillermann Nursery & Florist)

So whatever reason you want to use…..now is a great time to plant a tree!! Start making your memories today!! Plant trees for energy conservation, home improvement, curb appeal, or better yet, to get your new memories started!! Check out the tree selection suggested by the Washington Urban Forestry Council by logging onto the http://www.washmo.org/ site and then clicking the WUFC tab under the City of Washington/City Departments/Parks & Recreation menu. Their suggested plant list is on this site. Check it out!! There are many great varieties to choose from at Hillermann Nursery & Florist as well. Ask for proper planting instructions as you purchase so you can have guaranteed success. Enjoy your time under the trees!

See you next month “in the garden”
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

September Tips for the Garden 2009

2009-08-25T14:40:00.009-05:00

The Best Time of the Year is NOW!!!

When I was a kid, I loved summer - no school, warm sunshine and lots of fun and mischief to get into. Now that I am a Grandma, my season preferences have also matured. Over the years, I have come to enjoy all the offerings of fall. The cool, crisp mornings that gives way to warm days and starry nights. Fall color in Missouri is exceptional with the turning of leaves on trees - colors so vivid and alive that they jump out of the landscape. Driving past fields of pumpkins gets the kids excited that Halloween candy is yet to come. The treat of eating sweet grapes fresh off the vine and juicy apples plucked from the trees. And of course, fall sports begin soon.

There is no better time of year than this abundant season to catch your bearings, reevaluate the year, enjoy the harvest and relax. It is also the best time to take a few moments to invest in your home. You can do many simple tasks now that save you time in the spring when you are twice as busy.

PLANT, PLANT, PLANT
Fall in Missouri is the ideal time of year to plant all kinds of things from cool-season vegetables to turf grasses, and especially shrubs, evergreens or deciduous trees. Yet, when it comes to planting, many gardeners only think of the spring. Why is fall such an ideal time to plant? First, the warm soil in the fall helps encourage root growth. The roots continue to grow through our mild winters becoming well established by the spring. This makes fall plantings much better equipped to handle our heat and drought once summer finally arrives. In addition, our fall and spring rains help do the work in establishing your plants, which reduces the care responsibilities and increases your success rate. There are also fewer pests and disease problems to attack your plant while it is young.

When fall arrives, I want to see bright oranges, vibrant yellows, and fiery reds. These fall colors bring life back to our landscapes after the summer sun has faded most of the blooms. The natural turning of leaves into their disguised color of glory brings a new energy to our yards and awakens our senses. Nowadays, you can find selections of trees and shrubs especially bred for fall color. There is no reason to have humdrum containers and flowerbeds during fall when there are Garden Mums and Fall/Winter Pansies to replace our burnt out summer annuals. Fall cool season plants known as Fall Magic are also great additions to beautiful fall containers and beds. Home decorating in fall is great fun also by adding pumpkins, corn stalks, gourds and other harvest items to the landscape or porch décor.

Fall bulbs is another subject you should consider at this time. You will find the best selection now, and you have until Christmas to get them into the ground for spring blooming. Bulbs need 10 weeks of cold weather to create their magnificent show. Many varieties and colors are popping up in this category of plants as well. I will talk more about bulbs in the October “Tips for the Garden” article.

THE POST SEASON WRAP UP
One of the best-kept secrets to the most lavish landscapes is autumn restoration. Just a few garden chores done in the fall will lead to spring and summer pay-offs that are well worth the work.

Things to do now include:
Pull Weeds: Clean up your yard by pulling weeds. Then apply a pre-emergent such as Preen containing Trifluran in the landscape beds. This will keep your yard looking nice and weed free for months to come.
Fertilize: It is important to fertilize your evergreens and conifers at this time because their root systems continue to grow throughout the late fall and even into the winter until ground frost appears. An application of Osmocote or plants spikes is ideal for this chore. The plants take up these nutrients and are ready to explode when the spring growing season arrives.
Prepare Your Lawn: Were you disappointed in your lawn this year? Well, now is the time to prepare your lawn for next spring! Aerate and de-thatch it if the soil is compacted. This will allow the soil to drain better and give it much needed oxygen. It is a good time to seed lawns as well as fertilize them. Seeding in early fall will give the roots plenty of time to become established before winter. Fertilize with a winter type fertilizer in late fall to build nutrients up in the root system. This will keep your lawn from going into the winter hungry stage, and it will help it take off much faster this spring.

Enjoy the cool crisp air and I will …...See you in the Garden
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

August Tips for the Garden 2009

2009-07-29T10:56:00.006-05:00

August… besides vacations, other activities that will pull you away from your list of gardening duties are fairs, festivals, family outings, and back to school preparations. It really is a good thing that August is a slow month for working in your landscape.

Your main tasks for this month both begin with the letter W. Weeding and watering. Both tasks are self-explanatory. However, I feel the need to explain them to some extent. It is important to stay on top of the weeds. If you let them get ahead of you and they go to seed, you are going to have hundreds more to deal with this fall and next spring. Spraying weeds with an herbicide such as Roundup is one of the easiest ways to rid of weeds. When using herbicides be sure to read and follow all label directions thoroughly. They are written for your protection. Also, be very careful when spraying around the plants that you want to grow in your landscape. It generally is best to pull weeds that are growing in and immediately around your desirable plants, and spray those that are “in the open”. As far as watering goes, most plants will survive on 1” of water a week. A rain gauge will help measure this.

Bugs, they really bug me, and some of them can really mess up your plants. Before you grab that bottle of insecticide, run outside, and spray every bug in sight, it is important that you identify the bug that is bugging you. Most insecticides can’t tell the difference between a beneficial insect like a honey bee and the destructive spider mite. Therefore, it is important that you identify what insect you are trying to kill and the best method to do it. You can collect some samples of your bug to bring to a garden center for Identification, but please, put them in a Ziploc bag and seal it before you do. This way the staff can safely examine and identify the pest without passing the problem on to their own plant stock. Once they identify the bug, the garden center staff can give you advice on the best way to control it.

Mowing the lawn is another task that continues in August. Due to the usually hot and dry conditions that are the norm in August, you may be able to space your mowing times further apart. That is unless you have an irrigation system to keep your lawn growing vigorously.

If you are thinking about a new addition to your landscape this fall, now is the time to talk to your favorite landscape designer. Your designer can discuss your needs with you, design the changes or new additions, and get you on the schedule for a fall installation.

If you tried your hand at seasonal vegetable or square foot gardening this spring, here are a few ways you can enjoy a fall garden. Carry tomatoes, peppers and basil plants over in your fall garden. Direct sow beets, radishes, peas, and spinach now where other spring crops such as broccoli and cauliflower have come and gone for this year. Replant nursery starts of broccoli and cauliflower.

Last but not least, take care of yourself. In the heat that is referred to as August, it is easy to over exert yourself. Drink plenty of fluids and rest in the shade as needed.

See you next month……….in the garden
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

July Tips for the Garden 2009

2009-06-30T15:26:00.004-05:00

I, for one, cannot believe it is the first of July already. This year is really flying by. This is the month for picnics, vacations, family reunions, and for just enjoying the outdoors in general. One of the tasks to take care of this month is weeding. If you put a pre-emergent weed control product in your landscape beds in March or April, you are due for a second application now. There are two reasons for this. First, most of the pre-emergent products that are available to the homeowner have a short life span, up to 60 days. The second reason is due to all of the rain we have had. However, there are many benefits to the very adequate rainfalls this year. One of them is the ease with which some normally difficult weeds can be pulled. So take time to clean up your landscape beds and apply a pre-emergent as soon as possible.

The long hot days of summer are stressful to every living creature, including all your plants. If you are tired of the endless task of keeping your plants watered, it is time to think about adding mulch to your beds.

I know that hotter weather is just ahead, so do yourself and your plantings a huge favor and apply mulch. If you have beds that have never been mulched, add 3” around all annuals, perennials, roses, trees and shrubs. Top dress previously mulched beds with an additional inch of fresh mulch. Not only does mulch hold in moisture, relieving you of some of your watering tasks, it also keeps the soil cooler, so your plants will be less heat-stressed. An added bonus is that weed seeds have a difficult time germinating when buried in mulch, reducing the time you spend weeding.

One of the most common questions that we receive at this time of year is, “How much do I water my ______?” I will try to explain some basic guidelines here:

Vegetables and Bedding Plants planted in the ground: established plants need at least one inch of water per week, more when bearing fruit. Check the soil around the plants, when it is dry one inch down, it’s time to water.

Container Gardens and Hanging Baskets: check your containers every day for water. Either test the soil by touch or lift the pot. Most baskets and many containers will need to be watered once, or even twice a day, depending on the weather. I suggest you fertilize once a week.

Perennials: newly planted perennials need daily watering until established, at least one to two weeks, depending on weather. After they show signs of new growth, apply a one inch per week rule.

Trees and Shrubs: newly planted trees and shrubs should be watered every 4-5 days for the entire first year after planting, unless rainfall is abundant. Place the end of your hose next to the base of the plant and let the water trickle very slowly for about two hours. This will allow the root zone to become thoroughly saturated.

Established Lawns: your lawn should be watered when the grass blades don’t bounce back after being walked on. One inch of water per week should keep your lawn green and healthy. It is best to water early in the morning, before the heat of the day. This keeps evaporation to a minimum, and allows plenty of time for the grass to dry before nightfall, which will help prevent fungus problems.

Newly Seeded or Sodded Lawns: for better germination, I suggest you mulch grass seed with straw as soon as it is planted. Once seed has germinated or sod has been laid, they must not be allowed to dry out. Water daily with a sprinkler until there is good growth. Early morning is again the best time. Once established, go back to the one inch per week rule.

Water Gardens: also require an occasional addition of water. Check your pond weekly and add water as needed. Water plants have variable depth requirements, so you need to keep the water levels consistent.

So continue to enjoy your outdoor spaces and make relationships with your plants! They can give you so much in return!

See you in the Garden,
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

June Tips for the Garden 2009

2009-05-27T14:14:00.010-05:00

Let’s talk PERENNIALS! June is National Perennial Gardening Month. The 2009 Perennial Plant Symposium will be held in St Louis this year on July 19-21. They are expecting hundreds of visitors to tour gardens and garden centers around the region to see what we have to offer in the Midwest. That is pretty exciting! Perennials are plants that grow and flower every year, and only need to be planted once! They die back to the ground in the fall, but the roots remain alive and will produce new foliage in the Spring. A wide range of sizes, flower colors and blooming times are available to fit any size garden. Most perennials are considered low maintenance and just need some general care to keep them happy and healthy.

It is important to choose plants that are appropriate to your garden site. You need to know whether it is a sun or shade garden. Full sun plants can be in areas with six or more hours of sunlight every day, four to six hours is partly sunny, and four hours or less is a shade garden. Remove any grass or weeds from the area you wish to plant. Good drainage is essential for successful plants. Amend the soil with Missouri Botanical Garden Compost, also known as Black Gold, now locally available. This will help improve drainage and aeration. Prepare the bed to a depth of 18” to allow for maximum root development. Fertilizer can be mixed into the soil prior to planting.

When planting, dig the hole as deep and twice as wide as the container it is currently growing in. Loosen the root ball and tease the roots so they will grow outward. The plant should be set at the same depth as they were growing in the container. After filling the hole back in with soil/compost mixture, water thoroughly and apply Fertilome Root Stimulator for plant success. Read the plant tags for spacing recommendations because many will spread more than their current size. Don’t be afraid to mix textures.

Perennials should receive 1-2” of water each week to develop a deep root system. A soaker hose works well for this purpose and saves water usage. Fertilize in Early Spring when new growth begins. During the growing season, fertilize once a month until the end of July. This will help the plants harden off for winter. Mulch should be applied after planting to help hold in moisture and reduce weeds. Apply 2” over the soil, leaving 2-3” of space around the base of the plant. Do not smother the crowns of shallow rooted plants. Additional mulch applied in winter is also recommended, especially for new plantings.

The art of deadheading is removing the faded, spent flowers on a plant. It will help lengthen the bloom season of many plants as well as improves the appearance of the plant. Some perennials with attractive seedpods such as Rudbeckia, Sedum, and Ornamental Grasses can be left alone. Once the initial display of flowering has ended, cut back the entire plant by two-thirds. This will help promote additional blooms.

I hope this information gives you the desire to plant some perennial color and texture in your yard! There has been a “Perennial of the Year” named by the Perennial Plant Association since 1991. These varieties are tried and true plants. You may check out the list at http://www.perennialplant.org/.

Now in closing, let’s discuss several other tips for the month of June. Soaker hoses and Raindrip irrigation systems make the most efficient use of water during dry times. Check out the systems available. Continue spraying roses with fungicide to prevent black spot. Mow lawns frequently enough so you don’t have to remove more than 1/3 of the total height of grass per mowing. There is no need to remove grass clippings from the lawn unless they are excessive. Prune flowering shrubs after they have bloomed. Hand prune or shear evergreens now. Watch for bagworms AND JAPANESE BEETLES. Milky Spore, Grub killer, and Japanese Beetle traps are available to eradicate Japanese Beetles. For bagworms, use insecticide with the pest listed on the label or hand pick them if the numbers are light.

Plant pumpkin seeds now to have Jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. Stop harvesting asparagus when the spears become thin. Repeat plantings of corn and beans to extend the harvest season. As soon as cucumber and squash vines start to “run,” begin spray treatments of Permethrin to control cucumber beetles and squash vine borers.

Enjoy your harvest………………………….see you in the garden.
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

May Tips for the Garden 2009

2009-05-04T16:28:00.007-05:00

Gardeners, start your containers!! Spring has sprung! The weather is beginning to turn warmer and the sun is beginning to hang around a little more each day. Now is the time to plant warm season annuals and vegetables. I want to focus on veggie garden containers this month. Even small space gardeners can grow enough nutritious produce to prepare a few meals, supplement your diet, and save some bucks. With a little planning and attention, container gardens can produce like mini farms.

Almost any vessel can be used as a container, but it must have drainage holes that allow water to freely flow through the pot. Most veggies only need 8” of soil depth. Trays and smaller containers work fine for lettuce, radishes, spinach, and peppers. Root crops like carrots and onions, and large plants like most tomatoes and squash, require containers larger than 16 inches in diameter. Generally as a rule, bigger is better for root growth and overall vigor.

When growing veggies in containers, packaged potting mixes are typically the best choice to use for a planting medium. Using garden soil in containers is never ideal. Packaged potting mixes are lightweight, moisture retentive, and well aerated. In addition, they do not harbor any fungi, bacteria, insects, or weed seeds that would cause problems later.

Sunlight, not space, is probably the biggest limiting factor in urban environments. Without at least six hours of sun a day, it will be tough to grow quality vegetables. Crops need a lot of solar energy to make nutritious fruits, seeds, and leaves. Southern exposure is best, but six hours from any direction should be sufficient. To avoid leaning or uneven ground, rotate the containers weekly. Use wire cages or other sturdy supports to protect large plants like tomatoes, beans, peas, and squash.

Regular watering is crucial when you grow in containers because there is a limited soil mass for storing water. During the peak of summer heat, gardeners may need to water daily to keep plants growing at full potential. A drip irrigation system allows you to water automatically, and with a timer, you can even water containers while you’re away. However, the best option for vacation watering is always a reliable neighbor. Vegetables grown in containers also need regular fertilizing. Follow the label instructions, and make sure the container is well drained or plants may suffer from high salt levels due to fertilizer buildup. Some gardeners combine the two tasks and simply water with a quarter-length fertilizer solution once a week.

If plants don’t appear vigorous and healthy, check them closely because disease and pest infestations can quickly get out of hand. If caught early, most are easy to treat. Check the undersides of leaves for insects. Many of them can be picked off or sprayed with a strong stream of water. Some pests require other treatments. Natural insecticides are very popular with home gardeners. Always read insecticide labels to make sure the product is compatible with food crops, and follow the directions carefully.

When looking for plants, look for vigorous young seedlings with bushy growth. Check to make sure each seedling is securely anchored in the six-pack or pot, which implies a well-established root system. Dip the seedling in a bucket of water to moisten the root ball, tease out any circling roots, and plant it at the same depth it was previously growing. (Tomatoes are an exception to the planting depth rule because they can be planted with the bare stem several inches below the ground, and roots will form along the stem.)

Some crops like lettuce, beets, and carrots, are best grown from seed. Simply follow the instructions on the packet. Be sure to thin sprouts to the recommended spacing. Thinning is a ruthless task, but fortunately most veggie sprouts can be used in salads and other dishes for a spring treat.

If you have space to do a small raised bed garden in place of containers, check out http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ for a complete listing and schedule to produce a plentiful harvest for a family of four. Dig in and see how great and beneficial veggie gardening is!

Enjoy the season,
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

April Tips for the Garden 2009

2009-03-27T08:57:00.011-05:00

Even though we had a fairly mild winter (cold but mild), springtime is still a very welcome experience. The birds singing early in the mornings and their increased activity lead way to courting, nesting and soon to be, new fledglings. I strongly encourage you to continue feeding our feathered friends during this important time and enjoy the antics that are ahead. We have just come out of a very tough time for winter birds, as the seed crops from fall and winter are long gone and the birds have to wait for new plants to emerge for food sources. So please continue caring for them.

Vegetable gardening is making a comeback, but this new fascination is not the Victory Garden rage of yesteryear. We could call them inflation gardens, because food has made dramatic price increases over the last year. Another contributor to this fascination is the fact that more and more people are concerned with what they put on the family table. When you grow it yourself, you control what goes in the soil and on the plants, and you get to pick a much broader selection of vegetable varieties. The supermarket may have 2-3 varieties of tomatoes, where you can choose from dozens of varieties to plant yourself. Why are there more varieties available at garden centers? Tomatoes don’t ship well, and they taste a whole lot better home grown. In fact, a tomato from your own garden is the ultimate standard for taste. Some, who grow them annually, never buy them from the supermarket, because they pale in comparison to what they can grow in the summer.

If you’re thinking of growing a vegetable garden this year, you are not alone. If you’re a little timid, there is help available. Start small and expand as your interest and time permit. No summertime garden is complete without tomatoes, and the perfect accompaniment to fresh tomatoes on your table is basil. If your garden has anything this year, consider both. If you want a little more, some bush cucumbers will fit in small gardens, and so will the bush summer squash varieties. Most of these bush varieties can be planted in nontraditional garden areas like flowerbeds or as a small addition to the landscape. You can interplant lettuce plants with your impatiens and harvest them long before the impatiens cover the area. You’ll get some salad greens, and kill two birds with one stone. Taking care of the impatiens insures the lettuce is never neglected. In short, a vegetable garden can find its way into every area of your home’s landscape - whether it’s confined to its own area, combined into the annual or perennial gardens that you already have, or planted in containers on your deck or patio - it will provide the ultimate in fresh vegetable taste, and the safest vegetables you can produce for your family table.

I would like now to mention other important steps to take in the yard and garden this month to keep things healthy and enjoyable. That will include applying liquid weed control to the yard this month to control dandelions, henbit and other broadleaf weeds. Prune spring flowering shrubs after they finish blooming. Watch for termites, as they begin to swarm in April. Termites can be distinguished from ants by their thick waists and straight antennae. Ants have slender waists and elbowed antennae. Fertilize your roses with a slow release fertilizer, such as Osmocote, and begin fungicide treatments to control black spot disease. Also, remove the winter mulch, and remove dead and diseased canes from your rose bushes at the start of this month. Cut all other green wood to about 18” on Floribunda and tea rose varieties and trim to a height of 24-30” for shrub roses.

Hang out your hummingbird feeders the first of this month. Use a solution of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water for the nectar. Change the solution frequently to keep it from fermenting. Food coloring is NOT needed, nor is it recommended for the birds. Water gardens may be cleaned out and the water changed. Do not scrub the walls since this will remove accumulated beneficial bacteria. Begin adding additional beneficial bacteria and barley straw bales now to begin the natural cycle of pond clean up. Asparagus and rhubarb harvest can begin!! Keep your hoe sharp. Start cucumber, squash, and cantaloupe and watermelon seeds indoors this month. The last week of April is a good time to try an early sowing of warm season crops in the garden such as green beans, sweet corn, etc. You can begin to plant transplants of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and sweet potatoes outdoors now. This can continue through the month of May. This is truly the year of the garden. So reap your own harvest and enjoy the scrumptious flavors of your own produce. Remember, that Natural Gardening will keep your family safe so check out what organic options are available to you! There are many.

Enjoy! See you in the garden……….

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

March Tips for the Garden 2009

2009-03-05T09:47:00.008-06:00

March welcomes ‘Spring’, and it will be met with open arms this year!! This is the month to open up the gardens and get things in shape for the new growing season. So, there is plenty that can be done. To name a few, mowing time is upon us; have you sharpened those mower blades? To keep that lawn looking fantastic, it is time to add Fertilizer with Crabgrass Prevention. Make sure to follow directions and do not try to skimp on the amount of product used, so you get great coverage from the Crabgrass Prevention. If you feel you need to over seed, check with the professionals on proper steps for spring treatments.

Nesting boxes for Bluebirds and Purple Martin houses should be put out early this month. Purple Martins return to our area between St. Patrick’s Day and the end of the month. So now is the time to be prepared. Are you considering doing some vegetable gardening this year? Well there is no better time than now to start those preparations. You can start seed in the house for plants such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Plant or sow seed for peas, lettuce, radish, kohlrabi, collards, turnips, potatoes, spinach, onion sets, beets, carrots, and parsley outside this month. Set out broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and pansy transplants now. This month is also good to set out strawberries, blueberries, blackberries grapes and other fruiting plants. It is likely we will see an influx of home gardening this year. It can be done in containers on the patio, as square foot gardens, or large plot gardening. There is nothing better than a home grown tomato!! Check out our website for instructions on these items, www/hillermann.com.

1. The container, I like to use bushel baskets. They breathe well, allow for good drainage, and they look great! However, any container, plastic, wood or clay will work as long as it has good drainage and is at least 14-18 inches wide and at least 10-12 inches deep.
2. Soil, soil-less potting mix works best. Use the good stuff for better results. If you have a compost pile, good compost will work too. Finely shredded is best. People have even used straw and ground leaves.
3. Fertilizer, an all purpose garden food such as Osmocote is great.
4. Seed potatoes, these aren’t the ones you buy from the grocery store. They can be found at the garden center and are used specifically for growing potatoes. Do not use potatoes from the produce department at the grocery store; they have been treated with a growth inhibitor to keep them from sprouting.

Fill the bottom of your pot with 2-3 inches of soil-less mix or compost. Take a large seed potato, or a couple medium sized, cut up into pieces that contain the eyes, and evenly distribute those on top of the soil-less mix. You can plant 6-8-10 pieces with eyes per basket. If you’re not sure about the ‘eyes’, you can plant whole potatoes, or cut them in half and plant the halves. Cover with another 3-4 inches of soil-less mix, add the fertilizer and water in thoroughly, and place in the sun. Water as needed, thoroughly moistening the soil, then letting it dry before watering again. Once your potatoes start to grow, water regularly, being careful not to over water, which can cause the tubers to rot.

Now it is time to go, so we will “See you in the garden!”

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

February Tips for the Garden 2009

2009-02-04T09:00:00.005-06:00

February is National Bird Feeding Month!!!

February is National Bird Feeding Month…and if you have not yet enjoyed this hobby, it is not too late to start. Choose a certain variety of feeder for the types of birds you would like to attract. Tube type feeders are great for all types of songbirds, including finches, nuthatches, chickadees, and more. Platform type feeders, (feeders with a horizontal bar or platform) are best for attracting larger birds such as cardinals, bluebirds, blue jays, etc. Viewing the antics of these fluttering jewels is remarkable. Start today.

I cannot believe that it is the first week of February already. January is normally one of the slowest months around a garden center, but this year it has flown by. It is a time for education, programs, restocking, inventory, merchandising and so much more. We have been busy getting ready for and looking forward to a beautiful Midwestern spring.

I am all excited about what is on the horizon in the gardening industry for 2009. So, let’s talk 2009 Trends in Gardening:
1. Eco-boosting is in. Conspicuous Consumption is Out. From hybrid cars to canvas shopping bags, consumers want to do their part to end conspicuous consumption and boost eco-friendly living. Today’s consumers are displaying ‘green pride’ by digging into gardening. A simple way to be an eco-booster is to create natural habitats for wildlife and say “no” to chemical ‘garden drugs.’
2. Grow it Yourself (GIY) is in. Doing it ALL for Me is Out. Relaxing, tranquil moments may be few and far between, but the increase in gardening reconnects us with nature, family, and friends as we share our bounty. With the increase demand for year-round fresh fruits and vegetables, local farmers markets are seeing an upsurge in business, community gardens have waiting lists, and plant swaps are on the rise.
3. Blended gardens are In. Segregated gardens are Out. Edible landscapes transform our yards into an ornamental but productive space as lettuces and parsley mix with roses and petunias. Planting mini-vegetables and being able to say, ‘I grew it myself’ is hip and cool. Container gardens are a great way to add edibles to your landscape.
4. Locavore is In. Big carbon footprints are Out. Buying local is all the rage. Again, this shows with the insurgence of farmers markets and their growing popularity. Home Grown is so good!
5. Water is In. Water is Out. For the first time, water is “In and Out.” Whether moving in fountains, endless waterfalls, or fishponds, the soothing sounds of water can turn any backyard or indoor area into a private oasis.
6. Outside is In. Inside is Out (But not “out”). From bean sprouts on kitchen counter tops to green walls laden with herbs, plants are being used to decorate spaces as ‘art-in-motion.’ There is a trend to bringing the outside indoors with tropical plants. They create instant beauty a give a boost of oxygen and clean air. They make perfect home air purifiers. Outdoor rooms and kitchens continue to be popular.
7. Info Lust is In. Lack of Knowledge is Out. Lack of time and knowledge have been primary reasons people hesitate to garden. Not anymore. Novice and experienced gardeners alike are hungry for inspiration, information, and instruction on gardening and “how-to-tips.” Gardeners’ are gobbling up information from friends, classes, workshops, magazines, and the internet on everything from best cultivation practices to which herbs are best to relieve stress. Sharing stories with bloggers and friends is a good way to learn more.
8. Quick & Simple is In. Over-the-top gardens are Out. Containers are no longer a trend but a garden staple in large and small spaces. Containers with an evergreen shrub or tropical plant for foliage add ‘boom without bloom’ and are gaining popularity. Simple edible gardens are best grown this way.
9. Worldly is In Cookie-cutter is Out. Americans have embraced the ‘world bazaar’ of vibrant colors, textures, sights and sounds. Rustic stone for pathways, patios, walls, and hidden trails, bring an added sense of discovery, charm and intimacy to any garden.
10. Bubbling is In. Excess is Out. Outdoor living continues to boom as the trend for “stay-cations” and “bubbling” comes home. Staying home and entertaining in our sociable spaces, dining and playing in comfortable great rooms, enclosed patios, and decks is preferred to expensive outings. People are staying home more and investing more in their homes.

So you can see, whether you’re gardening in the yard, decorating a balcony, patio or deck with assorted containers, or growing herbs in the kitchen window, it’s clear that “Mother Nature” is back in all we do!! So grab the kids and enjoy the fresh air and beauty around us. Start planning your spring gardens NOW……………

I cannot wait to get out and enjoy in the garden… see you next time.

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

January Tips for the Garden 2009

2008-12-23T15:25:00.009-06:00

This month I would like to talk “bird feeding.” Celebrate our feathered friends and make it a family affair! It is hard to say who benefits more from backyard bird feeders, the birds or the people who feed them. Some of life’s moments that are more enjoyable include the songs and antics of the birds outside our windows. Watching them is so captivating that it can alter an entire day’s plans, turning a twenty-minute breakfast into a three-hour brunch. Activity at your feeders probably can hold your attention all day with its ever-changing pattern of form and color, from fluffed-up chickadees to sleek cardinals. Often the brightest spot on the winter landscape, with the most activity, is the bird feeder in the backyard. No matter what size yard or garden you have, you can create your own bird haven. All you need to do is provide food, water and shelter. Start with shrubs and evergreens, which not only offer cover during harsh northern winters, but also protect birds from their natural enemies. They also provide safe nesting sites in the spring. Your local nursery can help you choose varieties that are most beneficial for the wild birds.

Whether you are just beginning or greatly expanding your bird-feeding program, give careful consideration to making it easy and fun for the whole family. If the feeders are hard to reach, the bags too heavy for the kids to maneuver, or the birdbath too far from the hose, pretty soon someone will lose patience and object to being involved. Hang different types of feeders at different heights and near enough to your house so you can watch the birds at relatively close range. You can use empty coffee cans and homemade funnels (cut the bottom off a large soft drink bottle) for feeder-filling convenience. Don’t be discouraged if you have just put up a new feeder and the birds don’t flock to it immediately. Because birds recognize food by sight, it can take a while for them to locate a new source. Birds are attracted to shiny, reflective items. Try putting aluminum foil on the ground underneath the feeder, where sunlight can be reflected. If you already have other feeders, put the new one nearby until the birds discover it. Bird feeding activity attracts other species, so when you add a specialty feeder (such as a nyjer feeder to attract finches) to your feeding station, it probably won’t take new birds long to find it. Remember that, for the sake of the birds’ health, it is always important to keep the feeders and the ground beneath then cleaned up of old seed that can harbor disease.

A clean source of water is important for the birds especially in winter. Put your birdbath in an open area, but near some trees or bushes to permit a quick escape if predators approach. Birds will visit regularly once they discover that it is a safe and steady source of fresh water. Open water in freezing weather will attract as many or more birds as a well-stocked feeder! Water actually helps the birds stay warmer in winter. By cleaning their feathers and grooming them with natural oils, our feathered friends are able to help insulate their bodies from cold. You can keep water thawed with a submersible heater placed directly into the water… which is an economical and safe method, as long as you use a high-quality outdoor extension cord to plug the heater into an electrical source. Heated birdbaths are also a good option.

Birds appear to be homeless in winter, which makes people wonder where they go at night. In general, they choose to roost in the same kind of places as they build their nest during breeding season. Some birds will use the same roosting spot every night unless they are disturbed by predators. Depending on the species, birds have different nighttime habits. For example, chickadees and other small feeder birds must be settled in before it gets dark. They usually head for some type of cover, often in the form of evergreen trees. Chickadee flocks fly into these evergreens together and tend to perch near the trunk for added protection from the wind. Nuthatches and some small woodpeckers, such as the downy, often head for tree holes in which to spend the night. Some woodpeckers may even excavate a tree hole in winter just for roosting, and they usually roost singly. A few other birds, bluebirds for example, may also roost in tree holes or birdhouses to conserve body heat. Bluebirds and nuthatches don’t mind a crowd so they may roost communally, particularly on cold nights. The record for the most eastern bluebirds found in one birdhouse at night is 25! That’s a good argument for keeping your birdhouses up all year long! Many birds fly long distances to spend the night in large communal roosts. Crows fly up to 50 miles each winter night, usually finding a roost in evergreens with as many as 100,000 of their closest friends. Grackles, robins, starlings and many herons also form large nighttime roosts. One of the most amazing night behaviors of birds is exhibited by the northern bobwhite. In winter, they join into groups called coveys. These consist of 12 to 16 birds that feed together during the day and gather together at night in a circle on the ground with their tails facing in. The circle is tight, and all the birds are close against their neighbors on either side.

Here’s a small trivia fact about birds. Did you know…for added insulation to conserve heat produced by shivering, birds grow a large number of extra feathers in early winter. White-throated sparrows average about 1,525 feathers in October, and well over 2,500 in February. “Feather light” is not an exaggeration. This huge number of body feathers makes up less than 10 percent of the whitethroat’s total one-ounce weight.

So take time to enjoy the show outside your window in the garden this winter, and we shall talk again soon.

From the garden,
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

December Tips for the Garden 2008

2008-11-24T13:25:00.007-06:00

The month of December brings the holiday season and warm thoughts of family, friends and community. I would like to say “Thank You” and wish you and yours a “Blessed Holiday Season” with all the best in the New Year! Furthermore, fall will turn into winter this month. With the addition of fire pits in our outdoor rooms, evenings outdoors can still be enjoyable sampling hot chocolate or cider with friends around the blaze of a comfortable warm fire. Connect with kids by roasting hot dogs and making s’mores around the fire! Enjoy the crisp cool weather.

It may not always be the most comfortable time to be planting anything in your landscape, but it is a great time for the plants. Trees and shrubs are completely dormant now, so the concept of transplant shock does not apply. However, you do need to treat any new plantings the same now as you would if it were the middle of summer. New plantings need to be thoroughly watered in regardless of the weather conditions. If it is below freezing but the ground is not frozen, go ahead and plant, taking care to backfill the hole with as loose a soil mix as you can. As soon as the temperatures are back above freezing go back to your new plantings and water them in. If you have spring bulbs that you haven’t gotten in the ground yet, you need to make that a priority. A little bone meal or blood meal placed over the planting areas will help keep the squirrels away from your bulbs. They are also great additives for your bulbs.

Leaf removal is the next task. I had all of the leaves cleaned out of my yard a week ago, only to see a lot of leaves from my neighbor’s yard come to visit my yard with the help of the wind we have had. The point I am trying to make is that leaf removal is an ongoing task. Un-composted leaves can smother your lawn and cause disease problems for some of your shrubs and perennials. You can shred the leaves with a shredder, or the lawn mower, and add them to your compost pile.

Trimming or pruning of some of your trees and shrubs can be done at this time. Basically it breaks down like this, if the tree or shrub flowers before the 1st of June don’t touch it now. If it flowers after the 1st of June, you can safely cut it now. Resist the urge to cut back everything. Most perennials benefit from adding a layer of mulch or dead leaves. If you had any fungus or disease problems in an area, go ahead and cut back the plants in that area and rake up the debris. Mulch any plants that need extra protection, like those hardy banana trees! Keep your ornamental grasses up until mid-March (I’ll let you know when it’s time to cut them back).
Roses: a winter “hair-cut” can be given, but don’t cut them back all the way. Some winters can be so cold that the roses could get winter die-back which would need to be removed in the spring anyway, so plant on your heaviest rose trimming in spring in early April. Apply a thick layer (10-12”) of mulch at the base of your roses now.

Lawns: It is still a great time to apply a Winterizer fertilizer to the lawn. This fertilizer will help keep your cool season turf greener, even in the coldest part of the year.
Plants get “chapped lips” too. Cold, dry winter winds and bright winter sun make our skin chapped and unhealthy. Those winds have a devastatingly similar effect on your plants, which are out in the winds all winter. No wonder your evergreens don’t look so great come spring. This drying effect is called desiccation and is often the most devastating aspect of winter damage on plants in our Midwest region. To fight desiccation, first choose the right plants for windy, dry areas. Especially try to avoid placing broadleaf evergreens, such as azaleas, in places shady in summer but sunny and windy in winter. Second, make sure to water your evergreens well through early December, before the ground freezes and plants cannot “drink” from the soil. Third, mulch your plants for winter to retain soil moisture as well as soil temperature. Fourth, use an anti-desiccant. These products coat leaves and needles to slow down the loss of moisture. One of the best products to use is Wilt Stop by Bonide. This product is a natural polymer that covers plants with a FLEXIBLE coating to lock moisture in the plant tissue. The flexible coating is important to keep the coating on plants as they bend and sway in the wind. Wilt Stop lasts 45-60 days so apply the first treatment in early December and again in early February.

Some of the plants in your landscape can help you decorate for the Christmas season as you prune them for next year. Holly and Boxwood can be trimmed now with some of the cuttings used to accent wreaths or live indoor plants. And, some of the inside growth of evergreens such as White Pine, Norway Spruce, Blue Spruce, even some of the seed heads of ornamental grassed can be used to make a harvest wreath or basket for your front door or porch. Talk about recycling! After Christmas, you can take them to your compost bin for future fertilizer! Along with these Holiday tips, here are a few other ideas for the month:

· Use caution when spreading salt or calcium on ice or snow packed walks or driveways. Salt can damage lawns and plantings, calcium is much safer to use. Be sure to designate areas to for piling snow from plowing in advance to prevent damage to trees, shrubs and lawns.

· Continue to feed our fine feathered friends and place heated birdbaths with fresh water out for them.

One last task is to remember your tools. Steel and wood don’t like dirt and water. Keep them clean and well oiled and they will serve you for years to come. Gasoline powered tools should also be serviced according to the manufacturers specifications so that they will start on the first pull next year.

Again, I wish you and your family a very Blessed Christmas season. Let’s get to work on planning that beautiful garden scene for next year!

See you in the Garden…………..
Sandi Hillermann Mcdonald

November Tips for the Garden 2008

2008-10-31T09:08:00.008-05:00

We have definitely had more moisture than usual this year. However, you still want to watch for dry periods and water your plants if the soil dries out, especially for new plantings. Roots of plants grow in winter months and need moisture before the ground freezes. You can plant trees and shrubs anytime the ground is not frozen. This will give the plant more time to become established before the next hot summer. Add a fire pit to your outdoor living space and enjoy cool evenings around a crackling fire. Remember to turn your clocks back the first weekend in November. There are many things to do in the yard and garden before the season ends. So, dig in to the tasks listed below and enjoy the outdoors as much as you can!

• Now is a good time to collect soil samples and test the pH and nutritional levels. Lime will increase the pH level if it is low. Sulfur will lower the pH level if it is high. The product labels and the staff at your local Garden Center can help you determine the rate to use for your situation.
• Till the vegetable garden to expose many insect pests to winter cold and reduce their numbers in next year’s garden.
• Keep leaves raked up and off the lawn to prevent injury to turf grasses.
Continue mowing lawn grasses as long as they keep growing, 2-3” high is good.
• Apply Winterizer fertilizer to lawns to strengthen plant stems and roots for winter growth and early spring green up.
• If we have dry periods before the ground freezes, water perennial beds, shrubs, and trees.
• Plant tulips and other spring bulbs now through December.
• Start paperwhite, narcissus, and amaryllis bulbs indoors now thru December.
• After the first hard freeze, mulch rose bushes heavily to a depth of 12” to cover the plant graph area properly using bark, compost, or straw with rose collars. Prune back longer canes to 24-36” to prevent whipping from wind in the winter. Hold off on heavy pruning until April of next year.
• Roll up and store garden hoses on a warm, sunny day.
• Towards the end of the month, be sure to shut off and drain any outdoor water pipes or irrigation systems that may freeze during cold weather.
• Cover garden ponds with bird or pond netting to prevent leaves from fouling the water. Oxygen depletion from rotting organic matter can cause a winterkill of pond fish.
• Take steps to prevent garden ponds from freezing solid in winter. Using a floating garden heater in the pond will lessen the chance of ice damage.
• Mulch strawberries with straw for winter. The best time to do this is after several nights of 20° F, but before temperatures drop into the teens. Apply straw loosely, but thick enough to hide plants from view.
• Set up bird feeders. Birds also appreciate a source of unfrozen drinking water during the winter. Use one of the many styles of birdbath heaters or heated birdbaths available at garden centers.
• When feeding the birds, set up a variety of feeder types to get the best assortment of birds to come to your yard. Tube feeders are good for songbirds, platform feeders are good for cardinals and larger birds, and suet is a great source of fat and energy for woodpeckers and all bird types.

Winter houseplant care: reduce or eliminate fertilizer until spring, shorter days mean slower growth, slower growth means less frequent watering. Plants in plastic pots need less water than those in clay pots. Plants in cooler rooms need less water and will have slower growth than those in warm rooms. Creating additional humidity is always beneficial. An easy way to increase humidity is to use trays filled with water and large pebbles. Place the plants on the pebbles so they will not sit in the water, but they can get the benefit of a higher humidity level as the water evaporates.

The fall season is ending, but outdoor enjoyment can continue especially with the new outdoor living trends of today. Can you believe that it is November already? Wow, from November 1, there are only 27 more days until Thanksgiving, 51 days until the first day of winter, 55 more days until Christmas and 62 more days until January 1, 2009! And you know how fast the next 62 days are going to fly by! So fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the outdoors as you prepare for winter….Enjoy your yard and garden in every season!

Time to go….See you in the Garden....
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

October Tips for the Garden 2008

2008-10-02T08:13:00.006-05:00

FALL-THE PERFECT TIME TO GARDEN:

Fall brings cooler air temperatures, continued warm soil temperatures, and more consistent rainfall - the perfect time to plant and transplant just about anything (especially trees) - and it is easier on us gardeners too! Tree planting is the most effective when it is done in the fall. This is because the tree roots continue to grow until the ground freezes and will grow again in spring allowing extra time for the tree to become established before our brutal summer weather hits. Trees should be fertilized towards the end of October, and tree fertilizer spikes placed at their drip line are a perfect choice. Use one tree spike per one inch of tree trunk diameter. This will make for beautiful foliage next spring! (The diameter of the tree is a measurement found at a cross section of the trunk 12” above the ground.)

Fall is also the best time to divide and transplant perennial clumps. Any spring or summer blooming perennial plants can be divided now. Make sure you prepare the area where the plants will be transplanted using some type of organic material, like cotton burr compost. Use compost at the rate of 1/3 compost to 2/3’s native soil for your garden projects. Cut back spent flower heads and foliage as it starts to die back for its winter dormant period. Leave ornamental grasses alone until early spring as their dried foliage will add a wispy, interesting texture to your winter landscape.

Lawn seeding should be finished by October 15th to insure germination and plant growth yet this fall. Choose a seed mix for your specific lawn area: sun, shade, sun/shade, play, drought, etc. Fescue mixtures are best for durability for our area. Fescue blends should be spread at a rate of 5 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. on bare ground, and 2-3 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. on a lawn with a 50% stand of grass. Be sure to aerate and renovate your yard when over seeding for the BEST results. Without these steps, it is like throwing grass seed on to concrete because our soil has such high clay content and compacts so easily.

It’s time to plan and plant for next spring’s bulb show! Tuck bulbs into your perennial border, mingle them amongst your ground cover, naturalize them around trees, or they can stand by themselves in beds and planters. Plant for a succession of blooms; start with the ‘early birds’ which include crocus and snowdrops, follow with an abundance of narcissus and hyacinth, and finish with a flourish of tulips and irises. When planting, fertilize with Dutch Bulb Food or Bone Meal and make planting easier by using bulb planters or bulb augers that fit your drill. For holiday blooms, buy paperwhite and amaryllis bulbs now to force blooms inside during the month of December.

DON ‘T take your hummingbird feeders down before mid October. The bird’s biological clock tells them when to migrate south. THEY ARE NOT dependent on us removing the feeders at a certain time! Hummingbirds who have started their migration from up north will appreciate finding your feeders along the way.

With winter coming, remember that gardening is not just confined to outside. Start an herb garden on a sunny windowsill and enjoy freshly snipped herbs or salad greens all winter long. Bring color and texture to any room-with blooming and foliage houseplants and cacti. Bring tropical plants that have spent the summer outside indoors before the night temperatures drop below 45F. Be sure to check carefully for signs of pests or diseases first, and treat as needed.

In October, you also need to prepare your water gardens for winter. Cut back dying foliage of hardy water plants and sink pots to the bottom of the pond. Cover your pond with a mesh netting to protect it from the buildup of falling leaves. In the winter, install a de-icer or pond heater to keep a hole in the ice for the fish to breathe. This will let the ammonia gases escape the pond. Stop feeding your fish when the water temperature reaches 55F.

Evaluate your summer plantings of annuals and vegetables while they are still fresh in your mind. What varieties worked well and what did not? Which varieties gave you the best flower display or yield? Remember that spring is just around the corner! So begin planning next spring’s flower and vegetable gardens now.

Enjoy your yard and garden in every season!
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

September Tips for the Garden 2008

2008-08-26T15:59:00.009-05:00

By Sandi Hillermann McDonald, Hillermann Nursery & Florist

It’s fall already! Where did the summer go? The kids are already back in school and off to college. The weather has been quite different this year compared to last year’s drought, heat, etc. It was a nice change considering normal summer weather for our area.

If you like to garden, I am sure you have heard the phrase “Fall is for Planting,” but do you know why we say this? Fall plantings have a wonderful success rate, especially here in the Midwest. Given the temperate nature of our fall climate with mild temperatures and generally adequate rainfall, the conditions are excellent for establishing new plantings successfully. The result is plants that grow faster and bigger, and they bloom better. The plant’s root systems actually get a second growing season before they have to manage our (normally) hot, dry summers. Plant roots continue to develop long after the leaves drop off in the fall. Roots will continue to grow until freezing of the ground stops them.

Now is also the time to add color into the fall landscape with the cheerful faces of winter hardy pansies and violas, gorgeous garden mums, and unique varieties of ornamental cabbage and kale. Transform the entrance to your home into a welcoming, colorful fall display with potted mums, cabbage and kale, cornstalks, ornamental grasses, an assortment of pumpkins and squash, and maybe a scarecrow set on a hay bale.

Don’t forget spring flowering bulbs. Now is the time to get the best selection of varieties and colors and you have until the middle of December to get them planted. Fall bulb planting varieties include Tulips, Hyacinths, Daffodils and Crocus to name a few. Planting depths vary but average 4-6” deep.

September is the perfect month for lawn renovation. Even though this year’s cooler, wetter summer was not as harsh on our lawns, now is the time to consider renovation and aeration. Aeration is one of the most important cultural practices available for your lawn. Aeration helps control thatch, improves the soil structure, helps create growth pockets for new roots, and opens the way for water and fertilizer to get to the roots of your lawn.

Aeration is the process of removing thousands of small cores of soil 1” to 3” in length from your lawn. These cores “melt” back into the lawn after a few rainfalls, mixing with whatever thatch exists on top of your lawn. The holes in the soil created by aeration make perfect pockets for catching fertilizer and water. Turf roots naturally grow toward these holes and thicken in the process. Aeration holes also relieve pressure from compacted soils, letting more oxygen and water move into the root zone of your lawn. Thatch on your lawn’s soil works like a thatched roof. It sheds water and prevents fertilizers and insect controls from moving freely into the soil. Thatch that has become too thick can require a major lawn renovation. Aeration helps thatch to break down naturally by mixing the soil cores into the thatch and speeding up the decomposition of the thatch.

Once aeration is accomplished, it is a perfect time to over seed your lawn. Fescue grass seed blends are most common here in the Mid-Missouri area. Fescue blends take our summer heat and drought conditions better than Bluegrass seed mixes, although Bluegrass types will work good in irrigated areas. Fescue lawn mixes tolerate heat, drought and traffic from kids and pets better. Over seed Fescue lawns at a rate of 2-3 lbs per 1,000 sq ft if you have a 50% stand of grass. Over seed Bluegrass lawns at a rate of 1-2 lbs. per 1,000 sq ft if you have a 50% stand of grass. After seeding, top dress with a starter type fertilizer, and you are ready to enjoy a beautiful green lawn for fall and spring!

The fall of the year is perfect timing for tree planting. You should give some thought to choosing varieties for that special spot. Sun exposure, soil moisture, and the available growth space, needs to be assessed to help with tree selection. The Washington Urban Forestry Council has developed a “Tree List” that can be found on the City of Washington’s website at http://ci.washington.mo.us/. Look under City Departments on the side menu, then Parks & Recreation and Urban Forestry Council. The list is broken down into different categories that make choosing a tree variety very easy. So, plant a tree this fall. You will help the environment, lower your electric bills, and enhance your property value.

Here are a few other quick tips for this month. Begin to adapt your houseplants for winter indoors. Check for pests and treat if necessary. Houseplants should be brought indoors at least one month before the heat is normally turned on. Sow fall vegetable crops through mid September. Harvest herbs now to freeze or dry for winter.

See you in the Garden……………………
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

August Tips for the Garden 2008

2008-07-25T10:05:00.005-05:00

August brings us the dog days of summer... there is no doubt about that. July 2008 brought us milder temperatures and more moisture than usual for this time of year. I must say it was very welcome, too. This may help some of the trees and shrubs damaged from droughts and ice storms of the past years recover better. However, the ground dries fast in the summer heat and wind. Be sure to provide water for all your trees, shrubs, and plants when rain is not enough.

If you have not started enjoying “Outdoor Living,” it is NOT TOO LATE. With the price of gas lately, it is only understandable that more and more people are retreating to their own backyards for vacations at home this year. So, forget the stress of planning and traveling and enjoy your own “Stay-cation!” There are designers in the industry to help you with ideas that will turn your yard into an outdoor oasis. Look for inspiration at every “independent lawn and garden retailer.” Add patios, walkways, walls, water, hammocks and more!

Be sure to visit the Washington Town & Country Fair this year (August 6th-10th). Don’t miss these two educational areas: the Agri-Land booth (near the livestock barns) and Hillermann’s “Gardening for Fun and Smarts” (near the North Entrance Gate). Both of these booths offer hands on learning opportunities (for kids and adults) and helpful handout sheets on outdoor activities and gardening!

Here are additional tips for the heat and drought period of August:

¨ It is not too late to put up Japanese Beetle traps to catch those pesky critters in a natural, safe way.
¨ You can still apply lawn insecticides until August 15 to guard off grubs, fleas, ticks, etc. in the yard.
¨ Compost or till under residues and debris from harvested crops.
¨ Prop up the branches of your fruit trees that are threatening to break under the weight of a heavy crop.
¨ Keep deadheading your spent annual and perennial flowers for continued blooms into fall.
¨ Feed hardy garden mums and asters for the last time this season.
¨ Monitor plants for spider mite activity. Hose affected plants off with a forceful spray of water, or spray with Bonide Eight (with Permethrin). To test for spider mites, hold a piece of white paper under the leaves. Tap on the leaves and then run your hand over the piece of white paper. If you see evidence of red streaks on the paper, you have an infestation of spider mites!
¨ Roses should receive no further nitrogen fertilizer after the end of August to prevent the production of late tender growth that could be damaged by fall frosts.
¨ Deep root water established trees around the drip line (this is where the edge of the branches stop) to help alleviate stress on trees going into winter.
¨ Soak shrubs periodically during dry spells with enough water to moisten the soil to a depth of 8-10 inches.
¨ Toward the end of August, dormant lawns should be soaked to encourage strong fall growth.
¨ Prune to shape hedges for the last time this season.
¨ Once bagworms reach full size, insecticides are ineffective. Pruning off or pulling and burning or discarding of large bags provides better control for next year.
¨ Watch for fall webworm activity. Apply Fertilome bagworm and Tent Caterpillar Spray when webs are first spotted. Rip open the web bag before spraying for best control.
¨ Cultivate Strawberries and apply weed preventer immediately, after fertilizing.
¨ Protect ripening fruits from birds by covering plants with bird netting. (This is a poly type product readily available at Garden Centers).
¨ Pinch the growing tips of gourds once the adequate fruit set amount is achieved. This directs energy into the ripening fruits, rather than vine production.
¨ Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower transplants should be set out for the fall garden. Also, sow seeds of lettuce, radish, beans, beets, spinach and turnips now. (Spinach may germinate better if the seeds are refrigerated.)
¨ Lawn renovation and over-seeding time is right around the corner. I will discuss this more in September.
¨ For additional information about garden tips for summer and all seasons, check out this website www.hillermann.com.

Time to go... See you in the Garden!!
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

July Tips for the Garden 2008

2008-06-26T13:20:00.010-05:00

Here is a tip for the month of July - Sit back and relax! For many of us, the July 4th date marks the beginning of the entertainment season. And what a season it is! We plan, we phone, we shop, we decorate, we mow, we clean, we check supplies, we shop again, we cook, we carry lawn chairs and coolers outside, and we fret about the weather. When the guests arrive, it all starts over. Pouring, serving, clearing, fetching, and recycling can fill hours, if we let them. So part of the planning needs to include ways to have some time for you to sit back and enjoy your party, too. Maybe an e-mail sent to everyone with one push of the button can replace two hours of phone calls. Making your event a potluck will eliminate much of the shopping and cooking. Be sure to have everyone bring their own beverages, table service and lawn chairs. And finally, don’t mow the lawn. Your lawn will do better with foot traffic if it is a little bit longer. With all that taken care of, all that’s left for you to do is to have a good time! Now that we have talked about having parties and enjoying your yard and garden at home, let us get down to other tasks at hand for July.

It’s not too late to plant shrubs, perennials, and annual flowers, but you will need to give them a little TLC for the summer. If you have not been pinching back your garden mums, cut them back by half as soon as possible and fertilize them. You should do this task by mid July. This will help them to grow bushier and bloom when anticipated in the fall - until Thanksgiving for late blooming varieties. Avoid applying weed killers, insecticides, fungicides, and fertilizers to plants when the temperatures are above 90 degrees. Spray early in the morning when temperatures are below 85.

If Japanese beetles are attacking your plants, you have several options for controlling them, from handpicking (not my favorite), to trapping (the safest), to spraying them. Japanese beetle traps are readily available, safer for children and pets, and they do a fantastic job of eradicating the problem naturally.

Photo courtesy of http://www.rescue.com/

Remove infected leaves from roses and pick up fallen leaves. Continue fungicidal sprays as needed on these beauties. Keep deadheading spent annual and perennial flowers for continued bloom. Keep weeds from making seeds now. This will mean fewer weeds next year.
Hot, dry weather is ideal for spider mite development. Damage may be present even before the webs are noticeable. With spider mite damage, leaves may be speckled above and yellowed below. Evergreen needles appear dull gray-green to yellow to brown. Spray with permethrin to control this critter. Sweet corn is ripe when the silks turn brown. Blossom – end rot occurs on tomato and peppers when soil moisture is uneven and the calcium level in the soil is not right. Adding lime to the garden will help these issues next year.

Water conservation is of the utmost importance during our dry summer months. These following simple tips can save time and money. Water plants where it counts - at the roots, not the leaves. Drip irrigation systems in landscape beds do wonders for water conservation, and they are easy for the homeowner to install. Trees and shrubs would also benefit from a deep root watering this time of year. You can use a deep root feeder (without the fertilizer) for this purpose. Apply the water around the drip line of the tree for best success. Doing this every 2-3 weeks will keep your trees stress free. Trees have had a lot of stress the past couple of years with the late April freeze of ’07 and the continued drought conditions the past several summers. Water frequently enough to prevent wilting. When you mow your grass, cut it less frequently and at a higher level - Cutting it short promotes growth, and growth promotes water consumption. Longer grass blades shade the soil and conserve moisture. Plant drought tolerant, native plants where possible - Native plants are becoming more readily available in nursery settings.

Check your plant containers daily for water. Put your finger at least one inch down in the soil, if the soil is dry to that depth, water thoroughly. Hanging baskets will need a drink at least once a day, sometimes even twice a day depending on the weather. Provide water in the garden for birds during dry weather and they will repay you with wonderful antics and songs. They will even take care of some garden insects for you. Enjoy nature and your gardens this summer. You will not regret it…

See you in the Garden,
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

June Tips for the Garden 2008

2008-06-03T11:11:00.007-05:00

Although I’ve never been accused of being short on words, sometimes it is hard to decide where to start. This month I will begin with a reminder that June is Perennial Gardening Month. Perennials are herbaceous plants that die back to the ground in the winter but return year after year to dazzle us with color.

Here is a list of the Perennial Plants of the year from 1990 through 2008 as chosen by the Perennial Plant Association:
2008 Geranium ‘Rozanne’
2007 Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’
2006 Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Feuerhexe’
2005 Helleborus xhybridus
2004 Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'
2003 Leucanthemum 'Becky'
2002 Phlox 'David'
2001 Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'
2000 Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue'
1999 Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm'
1998 Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'
1997 Salvia 'Mainacht' (May Night)
1996 Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'
1995 Perovskia atriplicifolia
1994 Astilbe 'Sprite'
1993 Veronica 'Sunny Border Blue'
1992 Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'
1991 Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple'
1990 Phlox stolonifera

Pictured is the 2008 Perennial Plant of the Year Geranium ‘Rozanne’.

The Perennial of the Year varieties are usually good choices for any garden, as they are tried and true varieties. Our area is in planting zone 5, so it is always important to check the plant tags for that bit of information on all plants you plan to leave in your garden from year to year. You can visit the Perennial Plant Association website at http://www.perennialplant.org/index.asp for more information on all of the plants listed above.

June is also the month of graduations, weddings, vacations, Father’s Day, and the beginning of summer. This is the month that we all begin to spend more of our free time outdoors enjoying our gardens and the fruits of our labor from the last 3 months (plus). If all of you have kept up with your tasks, then this month should be easy. However, if you are like me, June will be a month you can get caught up.

The first task that we need to do this month is to trim the spring flowering trees and shrubs. Flowering crabapples, serviceberry, dogwoods, magnolias, lilacs and viburnums all set their buds for next years’ flower on the new growth they develop this year. These plants should be pruned now to encourage new growth and therefore flower buds for next year. It is recommended that you complete the pruning of these plants by early this month.

Here are other tips for the garden for June:

· Watch for the outbreak of bagworms on garden plants, especially junipers. Then spray affected plants with Permethrin sold under the label ‘Eight’.
· Deadhead bulbs and spring perennials as blossoms fade.
· Repeat plantings of corn and beans to extend the harvest season.
· Fertilize Zoysia grass now while it is actively growing.
· Renovate strawberries after harvest. Mow the rows; thin out excess plants; remove weeds; fertilize and apply mulch for weed control.
· Spray roses with a fungicide to prevent black spot disease and fertilize monthly.
· Continue pinching back your garden mums until July 4 to promote full, bushy growth and good fall color.
· Water turf as needed to prevent drought stress, and watch for fungus problems.
· Mow lawns frequently enough to remove no more than one-third the total height per mowing.
· Continue enjoying the antics of the wildlife in your yard and gardens by continuing to supply food and water sources for them.

· Change hummingbird nectar at least weekly to prevent fungus from growing. You can make your own nectar: 1 part sugar to 4 parts water---no food coloring please!

· Move houseplants outside for the summer. Place plants in areas with dappled shade and some protection from hot summer winds.
· Rejuvenate your older lilacs by cutting to the ground one third of the largest branches. This will create a fuller, lusher specimen.
· Orioles (if you were lucky enough to keep them around) begin building a gray woven nest; this takes about a week.
· Watch for birds carrying food to their young.
· Gray squirrels begin a second breeding.

Are you late with getting started on your plantings this year? YOU ARE NOT ALONE! As busy as we were this May, and as wet as the weather was, many people have commented that they haven’t even begun their planting. That’s okay - you still have plenty of time. There should be a good selection of plants still available at your local garden center.

Fully enjoy your garden; it is the only true place to connect you to Mother Nature.
See you in the Garden……………..
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

May Tips for the Garden 2008

2008-04-30T11:52:00.006-05:00

“Coming home” at the end of a day can be even more important to us now than ever before. Times are changing and everyone is busier than before with kids to coach, meetings to attend, and work to do. In addition, the cost of gas makes us want to leave the car parked when possible. So, enjoy daylight savings time and extend your living quarters to your yard and garden. Think of your outdoor spaces as an extension of your home. And in doing so, consider the floor, walls, and ceiling per se. Adding resting areas is easy to do…hang a hammock in a tree, set a bistro set in the perennial garden, or put benches in your Hosta beds. Then invite friends over and have a cook out. Let the nature in your yard tickle your senses with the sounds of birds, smells of flowers, sound of running water, and splashes of color. Hardscapes can enhance your outdoor rooms by adding a “floor” to your area of enjoyment.

While you are enjoying your yard, and I hope that you are, here are some items to put onto your gardening checklist. Begin planting summer annuals (spring has finally come to stay!) to add color and spice to the landscape, and don’t stop with just the flowerbeds. There are many new color introductions available in annuals this year that will prove to be very exciting. Try Dragon Wing Begonias, Kong Coleous, Black and Blue Salvia, or Juncus to name a few. Another great addition to the landscape, Knock Out Roses - really are Knock Outs, and are now available in 9 varieties (including singles and doubles). These beauties are very disease resistant and require low maintenance. Therefore, roses are not just for the experts anymore.

Container gardening continues to be a trendy thing. The many choices, styles, shapes, and colors of containers make great accent pieces for inside or out. Let your imagination soar and express yourself. Use imaginative containers you pick up at flea markets and auction yards. Learn to mix annuals and perennials for great combinations. Try hostas with begonias and impatiens….or hydrangeas with groundcovers. These containers can make great accent pieces on the front porch, the back deck, in a flowerbed, around the pool, or at the end of the driveway. In addition, you can rearrange them as often as you wish. No room for a vegetable garden? Try one in a container. You can enjoy fresh tomatoes easily this way. You could even try a Salsa Garden in honor of Cinco do Mayo.

Take your houseplants outdoors once the evening temperatures will remain above 50`. Move sun-loving plants (hibiscus, gardenias, mandevillas, etc.) gradually to sunny locations, as they have not had full sun in your home and will need to be acclimated to those conditions. Plant summer bulbs now and fertilize with bone meal or bulb food. Pinch hardy garden mums back now and continue to do so until July 4 to insure proper fall blooming. Treat slugs in your garden with organic diatomaceous earth. This powder product is 100% safe, and is good for the treatment of slugs, ants, fleas and ticks outside, as well as roaches and ants indoors. This organic product is very safe to use and a good one to have on hand. “Natural Gardening” with eco-friendly products is a very “trendy” and SAFE thing to do for your own health as well as the environment. Check out the chemical-free options available to you today. Then sit back and watch your kids and pets enjoy the beautiful outdoors.

Insect problems to watch for this month are pine sawflies, aphids, scale crawlers, cucumber beetles, and grubs, to name a few. Permethrin is the chemical product on the market today that is labeled for indoor and outdoor use. Permethrin will kill a large variety of insects on plants, in the soil, and in the home. It comes in many formulations and strengths. See a professional for questions of use of this product.

Other May tips include:
· Pinch azalea and rhododendron blossoms as the flowers fade.
· Fertilize azaleas and rhododendrons with an acid base fertilizer now.
· Do not remove spring bulb foliage too early or next year’s flower production will decline. Let the foliage die back naturally.
· Plant hardy water lilies now.
· Begin fertilizing annuals now and continue at regular intervals all season long.
· Treat trees with borer problems now with Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub product.
· Keep bluegrass lawns cut at 1.5-2.5” high, fescue lawns at 2-3.5” high and zoysia at 1.5” high.
· Apply post-emergence broadleaf weed controls to the lawn now if needed.
· Begin planting sweet corn, tomato plants, peppers and sweet potatoes as the soil warms up.
· Keep asparagus harvested for continued spear production.
· Remove rhubarb seed stalks as they appear.
· Do not spray any fruits while in bloom, you may ruin the pollination process.
· Birds eat many insects so attract them to your garden by providing good nesting habitats.
· Herbs planted in average soils need no extra fertilizer. Too much may reduce flavor and pungency at harvest.
· Watch for fireflies on warm nights. Both adults and larvae are important predators for plant damaging insects.

Until next month, enjoy connecting with nature and….see you in the garden….

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

April Tips for the Garden 2008

2008-03-19T14:44:00.001-05:00

BREATHE! It is something we all have been doing since the doctor gave us that first slap on the behind the day we were born. It is something we do 24 hours a day every day of our lives, even while we sleep. We do it without thinking about it. Maybe that is part of our problem. The first thing I do each morning after I shut off the alarm clock is to take 5 long, slow, deep breaths and think about each one. It really clears the cobwebs out. As the day progresses and things happen that begin to build the stress level, I repeat my morning ritual, and the problems almost solve themselves. What does this have to do with your landscape? What better place to think about and practice breathing then out in your garden. Notice the clean fresh air following a spring thunderstorm, or the fragrance of all of the flowers in your landscape. Enjoy relaxing deep breaths after you have finished mowing your lawn. The next time you feel the stress starting to build, somebody just cut you off on your drive to work, the kids are yelling and arguing, or the weeds seem to be the only thing growing in your landscape, just breathe. Try it! I’ll bet you keep doing it!
Now pay attention to the birds singing early in the mornings and their increased activity, which leads way to courting, nesting and soon to be, new fledglings. Therefore, I encourage you to continue feeding our feathered friends during this important time and enjoy the antics that lie ahead. I would also like to remind you that these little birds do eat many insects, which is a great benefit for your yard and garden. You should already have your purple martin houses up and filled, and it is time to hang up the hummingbird feeders. You can make your own nectar using four parts sugar to 1 part water. Boil together the mixture to dissolve, fill your feeders and enjoy. Change out the liquid frequently as hummingbirds are very fragile and our summer heat can quickly ferment the sugar mixture. Clean the feeder in between each filling.
The lengthening of daylight also seems to brighten peoples’ spirits and relieve some stress as we can now move outdoors and enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer. So, I invite you to go outside and “dig in.” Here are tips to help you get started:
· Remove winter mulch now from your rose bushes. Trim out dead and diseased canes. Cut all other green wood to about 18” above the ground on Floribunda and tea rose varieties. A 24-30” height is good on shrub roses (such as the Knock Out rose bush).
· Fertilize your roses with a slow release fertilizer and begin fungicide treatments to control black spot disease.
· When Crabapples are in bloom, hardy annuals can be planted.
· Transplant trees, shrubs, and perennials early in the month for best results. This means moving plants you already have established in your yard that need to be moved to a new location.
· Spots and bare patches in the lawn can still be over seeded if you did not apply a Crabgrass Preventer. During spring there are more issues to be aware of when seeding a lawn rather than in the fall. Talk to a professional about seed choices and proper procedures.
· Easter lilies can be planted after they finish blooming. Set the bulbs 2-3” deeper then they are in the pot. They are generally hardy here and can take full sun.
· Liquid weed control should be applied early this month to control dandelions, henbit, and other broadleaf weeds. New grass in recently seeded areas MUST have grown enough to be mowed three times before it is strong enough to be treated with weed chemicals.
· Prune spring flowering shrubs after they finish blooming.
· Asparagus and rhubarb harvests begin. Keep your hoe sharp!
· Start cucumber, squash, cantaloupe and watermelon seeds indoors this month for late May/early June planting outside.
· Shrubs such as Crepe Myrtle, Butterfly Bush, and Hardy Hibiscus can be pruned back to green wood this month. REMINDER - these plants leaf out very late (early May) and should not be considered dead, or be replaced until after Mother’s Day.
· Termites begin swarming. Termites can be distinguished from ants by their thick waists and straight antennae. Ants have slender waists and elbowed antennae.
· Apply Bayer Advance Insect Control this month to control borers in shade trees and shrubs.
· Remove old tree wraps from trees planted last fall so they do not create a place for insects to harbor.
· Mole young are born in chambers deep underground.
· Protect bees and other pollinating insects. Do not spray insecticides on fruit trees that are in bloom. Bees are in danger and it is very important to be careful around them. In fact, check out nature friendly products readily available in garden centers when needing to do insect treatments.
· Ornamental Pear trees need to be sprayed with Streptemycin “during” the flowering stage to prevent “Fire Blight” disease.
· Water gardens may be cleaned out and the water changed. Do not scrub the walls since this will remove accumulated beneficial bacteria. Begin adding additional bacteria and barley bales now to begin the natural cycle of pond clean-up. Have questions, call a professional for assistance.
· The last week of April is a good time to try an early sowing of warm season crops such as green beans, sweet corn, etc. Transplants of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and sweet potatoes can also begin to be planted outdoors now.
· Container gardening is a good choice for flower and vegetable gardening if space is in short supply. It can be done by anyone, anywhere, check it out!!
· “Natural Gardening” is a wave of the future… keep your family safe and check out what organic options are available to you when gardening this year. There are many.

Well, time is running short…see you in the garden

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

March Tips for the Garden 2008

2008-03-19T14:42:00.001-05:00

March is the month for spring!! What a wonderful feeling to be able to spend more time outside to enjoy what Mother Nature is unfolding before our eyes. The lengthening of days is a welcome site and the warming sun on our faces is a very great feeling. We “spring forward” with Daylight Savings Time on Sun., March 9 this year. That in itself is exciting.
March is what I call the foundation month in your landscape. Just as a house is only as good as the foundation it is sitting on, the success, or failures you experience in your landscape this year can be traced back to the tasks you complete this month. The first thing you need to do this month is go for a walk. Walk around your yard and make notes about the things you see. Did the winter storms do any damage to your trees or shrubs? Did the winds blow all of your neighbors’ leaves onto your property, leaving them packed in and around your shrubs of in some corner of your planting beds? Did you get all of your perennials cut back last fall, or are the tops still lying around cluttering your beds? If you said yes to any or all of the above questions, then the first thing you need to do this month is take care of these items.
Here is a list of other interests for the month of March:
· Once you have your landscape beds cleaned up and all of the early pruning and cutting back completed, it is time to spread a little fertilizer around your trees and shrubs. A general purpose plant food with a 14-14-14 formulation would be greatly appreciated by any and all of your plants. Don’t forget your perennials. Just because you can’t see them right now does not mean they would not benefit greatly from a feeding.
· Begin your weed prevention program this month by applying a pre-emergent weed control product such as Preen to your landscape beds. Now is also the time to apply Fertilome crabgrass prevention on the lawn. You will need to water these applications in or apply them just prior to a gentle spring rain.
· Mowing time is right around the corner. Mow lawns now to remove old growth and the last of winter’s leaves before new growth begins. Thin spots in the lawn can be over seeded now. If you intend to treat for crabgrass at this same time, check with a professional before starting the process to get the right products to ensure success.
· The new crop of seeds for the 2008 season are now in garden centers, along with all of the supplies needed to start those seed indoors. Early-spring, cool weather vegetables can only be grown during cool weather, so they are planted very early in the year so that they can be harvested in early spring. These plants include peas, lettuce, radish, kohlrabi, collards, turnips, potatoes, spinach, onion sets, beets, carrots, [parsley, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage and Chinese cabbage. This month is also great for setting out strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, grapes and fruit trees. Grow your own just like Grandma and Grandpa used to do!
· Start seeds indoors this month for tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Check with your professional to get a vegetable garden schedule and easy “how-to tips.”
· Houseplants can still be replanted in an attempt to get them ready for spring, moving them to containers 2 inches larger in diameter than their current pot. Continue to check houseplants for over wintering insect populations.
· Nesting boxes for Bluebirds can be set up as well as Purple Martin houses. Purple Martins return to our zone 5 region between St Pat’s Day and the end of the month. Bluebirds however, are here year round, but now is the time for nesting. So clean out those houses and be prepared for the show!
· Ornamental grasses and liriope should be cut back the first part of March to the height of 2-3 inches.
· Apply dormant oil sprays now to all fruit bearing plants, fruit trees, roses and all plants that appear to be disease susceptible. This will prevent problems in season and should be applied when the nighttime temperatures will remain above 40 degrees over night after spraying.

Enjoy the new birth of spring this month and I will see you in the garden!
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

February Tips for the Garden 2008

2008-03-19T14:35:00.001-05:00

February is National Bird Feeding Month!!!

February is National Bird Feeding Month…so if you have not yet enjoyed this hobby, it is not too late to start. Choose the proper feed for the types of birds you would like to attract. Tube type feeders are great for all types of songbirds, including finches, nuthatches, pine siskens, and more. Platform type feeders, (feeders with a horizontal bar or platform) are best for attracting larger birds such as cardinals, bluebirds, blue jays, etc. To view the antics of these fluttering jewels is remarkable. Start today.

I cannot believe that it is the first of February already. January is normally one of the slowest months around a garden center, but this year it has flown by. It is time for that furry little rodent to come out and tell us what we already know; it is winter, and groundhogs know nothing about predicting the weather. It is also time for the Super Bowl and the associated parties. I really hope that the game is at least as good as the commercials normally are. With that said, on with this month’s tasks and ideas.

Now would be a good time to finish cleaning, sharpening, and oiling your yard tools. Check the handles of all of your yard tools to make sure they are not broken, splintering, or otherwise dangerous, and replace those that are. Also, make sure that your wheelbarrow is sturdy and your lawnmower, roto-tiller, and string trimmer are in good working condition and ready to start on the first pull this spring. Another cold weather job is cleaning up any containers or planters that you have stored away. While doing this, make a list of the flowers that you are going to need for these containers in the spring.

If the weather warms up enough to be able to go outside and work, look for winter damage as well as damage done to your plants by hungry critters. You can also begin some of the spring cleanup tasks at this time. Remove all those leaves that have blown in from your neighbor’s yard and accumulated around your shrubs. Cut back any perennials that you may not have gotten to last fall.

Are you thinking of using wood ashes in your garden? Be careful. A measured application can be beneficial to increase the soil pH and add potassium, but an over-application can increase the likelihood of soil related problems. Wood ashes should not come into contact with germinating seedlings or plant roots, since they may cause root damage. Ashes that settle on foliage can cause burning. Do not use ashes around plants that prefer acid soils such as blueberries, hollies and azaleas. Never use more than 20 pounds of wood ash per 1,000 square feet, as toxicity problems could result from excessive usage.

You can still safely prune most deciduous trees and shrubs now, but remember to stay away from any of the spring flowering trees and shrubs. If you trim them now, you will not have any flowers this spring.
Towards the end of the month, you can start cutting back any and all of the ornamental grasses in your landscape. You can also edge your planting beds and get them ready for mulching.

If the weather does not warm up enough for you to get any outside work done this month, do not despair, you can find help by contacting your local landscape provider. If at any time you feel overwhelmed with the tasks you have to complete in your landscape, call someone for help.

We are approaching March, what I call the foundation month. All the work that you do in March sets the foundation for a successful or unsuccessful year of gardening and enjoying your landscape. Remember, February is your chance to get a head start on March. Take advantage of any warm days we get at this time. Anything you can get done this month will be one less thing you have to do in March.

Therefore, there is a lot to embrace and enjoy in the garden… see you next time.
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

January Tips for the Garden 2008

2008-01-14T09:37:00.000-06:00

JANUARY IS FOR THE BIRDS!!! SO ENJOY THEM!!!

It is hard to say who benefits more from backyard bird feeders - the birds or the people who feed them. Some of life’s more enjoyable moments include the songs and antics of the birds outside our windows. Watching them is so captivating that it can alter an entire day’s plans, turning a twenty-minute breakfast into a three-hour brunch. Activity at your feeders probably can hold your attention all day with its ever-changing pattern of form and color, from fluffed-up chickadees to sleek cardinals.

Often the brightest spot on the winter landscape, with the most activity, is the bird feeder in the backyard. No matter what size yard or garden you have, you can create your own bird haven. All you need are food, water, and shelter. Shrubs and evergreens are good, not only to offer cover during harsh northern winters, but also to protect birds from their natural enemies. They also provide safe nesting sites in the spring.

Hang different types of feeders at different heights and near enough to your house so you can watch the birds at relatively close range. You can use empty coffee cans and homemade funnels (cut the bottom off a large soft drink bottle) for feeder-filling convenience. Don’t be discouraged if you have just put up a new feeder and the birds don’t flock to it immediately. Because birds recognize food by sight, it can take a while for them to locate a new source. Try putting aluminum foil on the ground underneath the feeder to reflect the sunlight. If you already have other feeders, put the new one nearby until the birds discover it. Bird feeding activity attracts other species, so when you add a specialty feeder (such as a thistle feeder for finches) to your feeding station, it probably will not take long for new birds to find it.

Open water in freezing weather will attract as many, or more birds, as a well-stocked feeder! Birds use it to help keep them warmer in winter! By cleaning their feathers and then grooming them with natural oils, our feathered friends are able to help insulate their bodies from cold. You can keep water thawed with a submersible heater placed directly in the water; it is economical and safe as long as you use a high quality, outdoor extension cord to plug the heater into an electrical source. As a firm believer in providing water year round, there are many options on the market to suit the need.

Remember that, for the sake of the bird’s health, it is always important to keep the feeders and the ground beneath them cleaned up of old seed that can harbor disease. So fill your feeders and enjoy the show!

See you in the garden…
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

December Tips for the Garden 2007

2007-12-06T13:27:00.000-06:00

Here are a few tips on winter houseplant care. When the heat goes on and the daylight becomes shorter, houseplants sometimes begin to yellow and drop their leaves. It may be necessary to move the plants to a different place in the home and to give them different treatment from that given during the summer. Flowering plants need at least half a day of direct sunlight to develop flower buds. Cacti and many succulents require a sunny location, and coleus and crotons need direct sun to maintain the decorative color. Foliage plants, such as ivy, philodendron, and dieffenbachia plants, do well in indirect light rather than direct sunlight. The ideal temperatures for foliage plants are 68-70 degrees during the day and slightly lower at night. Flowering plants retain blossoms longer at lower temperatures. Remember, windowsill locations are much colder during the winter and plants may need to be moved to prevent getting chilled. The amount of water the houseplants need declines during winter, so increase the amount of time between watering. Reduce fertilizing as well; flowering plants should be fertilized half as often and foliage plants should only be fertilized if needed.

December also brings the preparation time for the Holidays. Poinsettias are an all time favorite to add a festive look to any décor. Follow these simple poinsettia basics for success. They should have sun for at least ½ the day and keep them away from drafts, registers and radiators. The soil should dry only slightly between thorough waterings. Be sure to punch holes in decorative foil wraps to prevent soggy soil conditions. Are you looking for that unusual color? Poinsettias can be painted to match any décor you desire. Here is another idea, try one painted to match colors for your sports team of choice. The possibilities are endless. In addition, you need not worry about the myth of poinsettias being poisonous; there is extensive scientific research that gives the poinsettia a clean bill of health. Enjoy one this year yourself.

Christmas trees are usually the focal point of home holiday decorations. Living Christmas trees are gaining in popularity. These simple basics can help you succeed with this tradition. Dig the planting hole outside before the ground freezes. Mulch and cover the backfill soil and the planting hole to keep them dry and unfrozen. Store the tree outdoors in a cool, shady, windless area until you are ready to move it indoors. Do not allow the trees roots to become dry. (Once the tree is in the house, you can water it with ice cubes on the root ball daily.) Spray the tree with Wilt Stop to reduce needle moisture loss. Do NOT keep the tree indoors for more than 5-6 days. Then plant the tree promptly when you take it outside.

Along with these Holiday tips, here are a few other ideas for the month:
• Hollies may be trimmed now and the trimmings can be used in holiday decorations.
• Use caution when spreading salt or calcium on ice or snow packed walks and driveways. Salt can damage lawns and plantings, calcium is much safer to use. Be sure to designate areas to for piling snow from plowing in advance to prevent damage to trees, shrubs and lawns.
• Clean and oil all garden hand tools before storing for the winter.
• Winterize all power equipment before storage. Change the oil and lubricate moving parts.
• Either drain fuel systems or mix gas-stabilizing additive into the tank.
• You can continue planting bulbs until frost in the ground prevents you from digging.
• Perennial beds and roses should have been put to rest for winter by now. If not, cut back, clean up and mulch. Roses should be mulched 10-12” deep.
• Continue to feed our fine feathered friends and place heated birdbaths with fresh water out for them.

Again, I wish you and your family a very Blessed Christmas season. Let’s get to work on planning those beautiful garden scenes for next year!!!

See you in the Garden…

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

November Tips for the Garden 2007

2007-10-31T10:12:00.000-05:00

An extra week of daylight savings time will be a welcome gift this year. Turn your clocks back this first weekend in November. There are many things to do in the yard and garden before the season ends. So, dig in to the tasks at hand listed below and enjoy the outdoors before it is too late!

• Keep leaves raked up and off the lawn to prevent injury to turf grasses.
• Continue mowing lawn grasses as long as they keep growing, 2-3” high is good.
• Apply Winterizer fertilizer to lawns to strengthen plant stems and roots for winter growth and early spring green up.
• Plant tulips and other spring bulbs now through December.
• Start paperwhite, narcissus, and amaryllis bulbs indoors now thru December.
• Because of our dry summer and fall, continue to water perennial beds, shrubs, and trees.
• Toward the end of the month, be sure to shut off and drain any outdoor water pipes or irrigation systems that may freeze during cold weather.
• Roll up and store garden hoses on a warm, sunny day.
• Covering garden ponds with bird or pond netting will prevent leaves from fouling the water. Oxygen depletion from rotting organic matter can cause a winterkill of pond fish.
• Take steps to prevent garden ponds from freezing solid in winter. Floating a water garden heater in the pond will lessen the chance of ice damage.
• Now is a good time to collect soil samples to test the pH and nutritional levels. Lime will raise the pH level if it is low. Sulfur will lower the pH level if it is high. The product labels and the staff at your local Garden Center can help you determine the rate to use for your situation.
• Fall tilling of the vegetable garden exposes many insect pests to winter cold, reducing their numbers in next year’s garden.
• Mulch strawberries with straw for winter. This should be done after several nights of 20 F, but before temperatures drop into the teens. Apply straw loosely, but thick enough to hide plants from view.
• Set up bird feeders. Birds also appreciate a source of unfrozen drinking water during the winter. Use one of the many styles of birdbath heaters or heated birdbaths available at garden centers.
• When feeding the birds, set up a variety of feeder types to get the best assortment of birds to come to your yard. Tube feeders are good for songbirds, platform feeders are good for cardinals and larger birds, and suet is a great source of fat and energy for woodpeckers and all bird types.
• Winter houseplant basics: reduce or eliminate fertilizer until spring, shorter days mean slower growth, slower growth means less frequent watering. Plants in plastic pots need less water than those in clay pots. Plants in cooler rooms need less water and will have slower growth than those in warm rooms. Creating additional humidity is always beneficial.
• After the first hard freeze, mulch rose bushes heavily to a depth of 12” to cover the plant graph area properly using bark, compost, or straw with rose collars. Prune back longer canes to 24-36” to prevent whipping from wind in the winter. Hold off on heavy pruning until April of next year.

The fall season is ending, but outdoor enjoyment can continue especially with the new outdoor living trends of today. Can you believe that it is November 1 already? Wow, that means only 22 more days until Thanksgiving, 52 days until the first day of winter, 55 more days until Christmas and 62 more days until January 1, 2008! And you know how fast the next 61 days are going to fly by! So fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the outdoors as you prepare for winter….Enjoy your yard and garden in every season!

Time to go….See you in the Garden....
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

October Tips for the Garden

2007-09-21T08:28:00.000-05:00

Wow! What a welcome feeling to have cooler days and lower humidity. This is truly a beautiful time of year. It is a time of year we want to get back outside, reclaim our yards and gardens, and enjoy the fresh air. It is time for fall barbeques and bonfires and hayrides. Fall is the perfect time to evaluate the garden for improvement to your curb appeal, and it is the perfect planting time. The cooler crisp days of October are great for these following garden tips:

· Lawn seeding should be finished by October 15th this month to insure germination and plant growth yet this fall. Choose a seed mix for your specific lawn area: sun, shade, sun/shade, play, drought, etc. Fescue mixtures are best for durability for our area. Fescue blends are spread at a rate of 5 lbs. per 1,000 sq ft on bare ground and 2-3 lbs. per 1,000 sq ft on a lawn with a 50% stand of grass.
· Be sure to aerate and renovate your yard when over seeding for BEST results. Without these steps, it is like throwing grass seed on to concrete because our soil is so hard now from such a dry summer. Have questions??? Ask the experts at your local garden center.
· Keep leaves raked or blown off of lawns to prevent smothering new grass plants, especially in shady areas.
· Winterize your lawn mowers before storage by draining gasoline from the tank and the gas line. It is also a great time to sharpen the blades so you will be ready for spring!
· Put a Winterizer type fertilizer on all lawns from mid October through November to promote early spring green growth, and have the best-looking lawn in the neighborhood.
· Now is a good time to apply lime if your soil tests indicate the need. (Acidic soils require lime, a pH of 6.8 or below.) Use the recommended rate of 50 pounds per 500 square feet per treatment. Free pH testing is available at most independent garden centers.
· YOUR HOME’S CURB APPEAL can be enhanced with pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, mums, pansies, kale, and the great selection of other Fall Magic plants genetically grown for the fall season!! Check out some of the great new selections available today! Ornamental grasses add a lot of texture as well. Let your imagine run wild!
· Pre-emergent herbicides can be applied to control cool season weeds, such as chickweed and henbit now. You can apply either a granular or liquid application to an established lawn.
· The average first frost usually arrives about October 15th to October 20th. A few degrees of frost protection can be gained by covering tender plants with sheets, newspaper, burlap or lightweight fabric row covers. DO NOT USE PLASTIC; this tends to “draw in” the cold temperatures.
· Cannas, Dahlias and Elephant Ears can be dug when frost nips their foliage. Before storing them, allow the plants to dry under cover in an airy frost-free place, such as a carport. Store them in a cool, dry area such as a basement in paper sacks packed with peat moss. Drying bulbs thoroughly will keep them from rotting.
· Plant bulbs now for spring bloom (Tulips, Hyacinths, Daffodils, Crocus, etc.). Plant bulbs into groupings for a massed effect of spring color. To fertilize them, use bone meal or a complete bulb fertilizer at planting time.
· Bulb container gardens can be planted with a lasagna type planting arrangement (layering of bulbs in potting soil). Check with your garden center for ideas and recipes on this feature.
· October is an excellent month to plant trees, shrubs and perennials. This gives the plants a great start in the warm soil and cool weather of fall with plenty of moisture in the spring to become established before the harsh summer heat and drought. The plants’ roots will continue to develop under ground until frost in the ground literally stops them!
· Continue to water your plants, especially evergreens, since soils are dry. Until the ground freezes, they need moisture for root growth even if they are going dormant. Once a week should be sufficient.
· After perennial and flower beds have been cleaned and raked for winter preparation, refresh them with a bark mulch for the winter months at a depth of 2-3”.
· Towards the end of October, trees should be fertilized and tree spikes at their drip line are a perfect choice. Use one tree spike per one inch of tree trunk diameter. This will make for beautiful foliage next spring! (The diameter of the tree is a measurement found at a cross section of the trunk 12” above the ground)
· Gourds should be harvested when their shells become hard or when their color changes from green to brown.
· DON’T take hummingbird feeders down before mid October. The bird’s biological clock tells them when to migrate south. THEY ARE NOT dependent on us removing the feeders at a certain time! Hummingbirds who have started their migration will appreciate finding your feeders along the way.

Enjoy your yard and garden in every season!

Time to go……….See you in the Garden…………..
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

"Tips for the Garden"

2007-08-31T14:50:00.000-05:00

September Issue 2007

The kids are back in school and off to college. This means it is time to get back to work in the yard and garden since you may have put your outdoor living projects off this summer because of bonding, vacations, and sports programs……..or hot, dry weather.

Our yards definitely DID suffer this summer. Thank goodness the hottest month of the year is now behind us. Well, there is no better time to renovate and reseed your lawn than this month of September. In fact, the perfect window of opportunity for yard growth is August 15 - October 15. Even though it may be hot and dry, it is the perfect time of year to aerate and over seed established yards. The process should be done as follows: Cut the lawn a little shorter than normal (2-3 inches). Then run over the yard with a core aerator (this machine pulls plugs out of the ground about the size of your little finger). This whole process works best after a good rain or a deep watering. The core aeration process helps with the soil aeration, lessens soil compaction and makes for better, stronger grass root systems. Now, run a renovator over the area. This machine slices the ground with many little teeth and will break down the dirt clods from the core aeration process and bring up any dead thatch in the area. Now you are ready to sow your grass seed (use a 50% spread rate for a 50% stand of grass) and add fertilizer. A starter type fertilizer that is high in phosphorus is best. For a 50% stand of grass or less, you will not need additional cover such as straw. If you are over seeding bare areas or new lawn areas, you will need to straw these areas to hold moisture for seed protection. For the specific grass seed type, shop for seed specific to your area of need: shade, part-shade and sun, etc. There are special grass seed mixes made up for our Mid-Missouri region that perform beautifully here so, make sure you check that out for guaranteed success. You can then re-fertilize and add a Winterizer fertilizer to the entire area in late October or November. This whole process will “promise” you a beautiful strong lawn for spring of next year. Water is, of course, essential for this growth if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate. New lawn installations are also best at this time of year as well. You need to continue thinking about watering during this month…..and remember that there are ways to make it economical and easy, just ask the experts. We are down about 7” of rain for the year and we were down in total from last year also! The wildlife in your yard, as well as all new and established plantings, needs our help this year as we have experienced several exceptionally dry seasons.

Now turn your focus to Fall Decorations….and change the Curb Appeal of your yard by giving it a face lift for fall. Change out those summer containers and flower beds with fall bedding plants that work long into the fall season, which in our case here in Missouri can be thru mid November. You should be able to find such plants as pansies, ornamental cabbage, kale, Fall Magic annuals, ornamental grasses, hardy garden mums and MUCH more. Don’t forget to add in straw, corn stalks, pumpkins and gourds to give it a complete look. Extend the look of your outdoor room and enjoy the extended season. Fall bulbs are available now and should be considered for spring color in your garden! So start to think ahead to next year and get in on the action now.

*For additional information about garden tips for fall, check out this website, www.hillermann.com.

Time to go……….See you in the Garden…………..
Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Key Elements for Attracting Birds

2007-08-24T15:15:00.000-05:00

It’s fun to watch the activity of wild birds in your yard. Sitting back and listening to a mix of their songs can help you relax and forget a stressful day. These, as well as diminishing habitat and food sources, are good reasons to attract birds and provide some necessities to help them flourish. Food, shelter, water and nesting habitat are the four key elements that will attract birds to your yard.

Feeding the birds has been a popular hobby for many years. However, we do not always think about different species and the different foods they require. Attract a variety of bird species by using several types of feed such as seed, suet, and meal worms. There are also different types of bird feeders to work well with the different types of food. Plants and flowers also provide a food source for the birds. Many trees and shrubs produce berries and fruit, and flowers provide nectar and seeds.

Birds need shelter not only for nesting but to escape from weather and predators. Trees and shrubs are a natural form of shelter. Plant a variety of them in your yard including evergreens and varieties that provide a food source. Birdhouses or nesting boxes provide places for the birds to raise their young and escape extreme weather. There are different types of houses available to accommodate different species of birds.

Water is a vital necessity for birds in all seasons. Garden ponds, fountains, and birdbaths beautify your yard and provide drinking and bathing sources for birds. We offer all of the above in our Garden Center including pond kits for do-it-yourselfers. Contact our Landscape Division if you’re interested in a professionally installed garden pond. Even plant saucers will work as birdbaths lying in a flowerbed or on top of a tree stump. Change water frequently to prevent disease and mosquitoes. Use a deicer to provide needed unfrozen water in winter. Visit our Garden Center for help with selection. Pick up some of our free information sheets on birds, wildlife, gardening, plants, and more!

Welcome!

2007-03-07T18:31:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Hillermann Nursery & Florist Blog! Great place for those with a green thumb to exchange ideas! For those without a green thumb, learn something new or share your great story!