Garden Solutions - April 2016

            April is the “opener” of spring. Grass greens up, trees leaf out, shrubs begin to bloom, perennials come back, and the birds continue to sing. This is truly my favorite time of year; the time of rebirth! The seasons move so fast, this is one that you really need to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n and enjoy every day.

            One of the bigger movements across the country this year is “Protecting the Pollinators.” Last year a huge push to “Save the Monarch Butterfly” was seen everywhere. A few years ago, the Honey Bee had been known as declining. Well, the decline of these most important Pollinators is still a strong concern. Therefore, we need to make ourselves aware of the push to save ALL pollinators. We can help with this push by being aware of your surroundings and eliminating the use of synthetic insecticide products, especially on blooming plants that are visited by pollinators. It you have an insect issue, talk to a representative at your local garden center about methods of controlling pests without harming pollinators. Our food supply depends on it.

            The Washington in Bloom (WIB) committee is supporting this program 100%.  In fact, the WIB group is promoting a separate program to PLANT 100 Pollinator gardens in the Washington area.  This will gain recognition in the America in Bloom national program, which we are graded on every year.  Washington is so excited to be partnered with this National group.  If you have questions on how this program works, please call the City Parks Dept or Hillermann Nursery & Florist.  We have A LOT of exciting things happening in Washington to increase sustainability and pollination.

            There is so much to talk about in April, I have made a short list of some of the more common, timely items that will need attention or guide you as we begin this most wonderful season of Spring!

·         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.

·         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.

·         Start cucumber, squash, cantaloupe and watermelon seeds indoors this month.

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

·         Ants have slender waists and elbowed antennae.

·         Mole young are born in chambers deep underground.

·         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 birds.

·         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 start 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 here to stay………..keep your family safe and check out what organic/natural 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 - June 2014

 

            Let’s talk PERENNIALS! June is National Perennial Gardening Month.  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.  Remove any grass or weeds from the area you wish to plant. Good drainage is essential for successful gardens. Amend the soil with Missouri Botanical Garden Compost, also known as Black Gold, 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.

            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. 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. 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 www.perennialplant.org.

 

Here is a list of other duties to you can attend to this month:

·         Watch for the outbreak of bagworms on garden plants, especially junipers.  Then spray affected plants with Permethrin.

·         Deadhead bulbs and spring perennials as blossoms fade.

·         Repeat plantings of corn and beans to extend the harvest season.

·         Fertilize Zoysia grass now while actively growing.

·         Renovate strawberries after harvest. Mow the rows; thin out excess plants; remove weeds; fertilize and apply mulch for weed control.

·         Plant tropical water lilies and lotus when water temps are above 70 degrees.

·         Prune spring flowering trees and shrubs before month’s end.

·         Spray roses with a fungicide to prevent black spot disease.

·         Continue pinching back mums till July 4^th to promote bushy growth and good fall color.

·         Water turf as needed to prevent drought stress.

·         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 weekly to prevent fungus (1 part sugar to 4 parts water—no food coloring please).

            Enjoy your harvest………………………….see you in the garden.

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - October 2012

 

             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. 

            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 this website: http://www.ci.washington.mo.us/, then go to the City Departments/Parks & Recreation Menu to find the WUFC link. Their suggested plant list is on this site. Check it out!! There are many great varieties to choose from in local garden centers as well. Ask for proper planting instructions as you purchase so you can have guaranteed success. Enjoy your time under the trees!

Here are additional Garden Solutions for October:

• Lawn seeding should be finished by October 15^th 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.
• 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.
• 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 Hillermann Nursery & Florist.
• YOUR HOME’S CURB APPEAL can be enhanced with pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, mums, pansies, kale, and the great selection of other fall plants that are grown for the fall season!! 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.
• The average first frost usually arrives about October 15^th to October 20^th. 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.
• 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.
• 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!
• 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.

See you next month “in the garden.”

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

March Tips for the Garden 2009

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.

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, 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.

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