Garden Solutions - March 2018

            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.

 

            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. And I would like to encourage to continue feeding the birds through May because fledglings will be hatching, and it may be too early for nature to have grown enough of a food source for the baby birds.

 

            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!!  And it is always good to know where your food came from.  Get the kids involved, nature is awesome!!
           

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

 

Garden Solutions - January 2018

            January can be a dreary time of year for the gardener, yet it can be exciting as well.  We have had a very trying season this past year with warmer temps and drought.  Now is the time to dream and redesign your flowerbeds for the upcoming spring season.  Now is a good time to beat the spring rush if you would require assistance or guidance from landscape designers.

            Remember our wildlife!  Birding is a favored hobby among American people. Your yard can be a natural magnet for all kinds of birds by supplying special treats of food, water, safe places to nest and a few other necessities this season.  Enjoy their antics and activity during snowy days.  This can give you a real feel good sensation.

            Feed the birds hi-energy foods like black oil sunflower seeds 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.

           

            Let’s turn thoughts to the indoors as there are many things that can be done there.  Houseplants should have the dust washed off their leaves on a regular basis during winter.  This allows the leaves to gather light more efficiently which will result in better growth, especially since there is less light available this time of year. 

            Indoor plant insect population is a problem that needs to be checked on regularly during the winter as well.  Dry home conditions are perfect for insect incubation cycles.  Washing the plants regularly will greatly cut down on this problem.  Organic remedies, such as Insecticidal Soap, for controlling insects are readily available and safe for indoor use.

            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. 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. 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.

           

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

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - December 2017

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!

Fall will turn into winter this month. 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. 

Trimming or pruning of some of your trees and shrubs can be done now. Resist the urge to cut back everything. Most perennials benefit from adding a layer of mulch or dead leaves. Keep your ornamental grasses up until mid-March.

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 too. No wonder your evergreens don’t look so great come spring. This drying effect is called desiccation. To fight desiccation, choose the right plants for windy, dry areas. Make sure to water your evergreens well through early December, before the ground freezes. Mulch your plants for winter to retain soil moisture as well as soil temperature. Use an anti-desiccant like Wilt Stop by Bonide. These products coat leaves and needles to slow down the loss of moisture.

Here are a few tips on winter houseplant care. When the heat goes on and the daylight becomes shorter, 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. The ideal temperatures for foliage plants are 68-70 degrees during the day and slightly lower at night. Remember, windowsill locations are much colder during the winter and plants may need to be moved to prevent them from getting chilled. The amount of water the houseplants need declines during winter.  Reduce fertilizing as well.

 

Some of the plants in your landscape can help you decorate for the Christmas season. Holly and Boxwood can be trimmed now with some of the cuttings used to accent wreaths or live indoor plants. Some of the growth of evergreens such as White Pine and Norway Spruce, 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.

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 2017

As evenings become cooler and crisper and the daylight gets shorter and shorter, it's a signal that frost is upon us. The change in temperature and season can leave gardeners longing for the warm summer air, instead of prepping for winter. There's still plenty of gardening to be done this time of year. Get the most out of your fall harvest and set your garden up for spring success by jumping on these garden tasks now.

 

6 Tips for Fall Gardening

Plant Trees

It's no secret that the best time to plant a tree or shrub is in the fall. Before you plant, evaluate the landscape to assess the amount of sunlight, ground vegetation, proximity to permanent structures, and hazards, such as overhead wires or underground pipes. Choose a site where the tree will be able to grow to its mature height. Then, dig a hole twice as wide and the same depth as the root ball. Place the tree in the hole at the same depth it was growing before and fill half the hole with compost. Mix in an organic fertilizer with the soil. Backfill the hole, give it a nice drink of water and watch your tree grow.

 

Get Bulbs in the Ground

Spring-blooming bulbs can generally be planted any time before the soil begins to freeze. Give bulbs their best shot by planting a few weeks before the ground is frozen to help them establish roots.

Improve the Soil

While fall is for planting, it's also the perfect time for prepping for next season. Healthy soil is the backbone of every successful garden. Test soil now for pH and nutrient levels and amend accordingly. Dig 4" deep with a stainless-steel trowel and either use a DIY soil test or stop in with your soil sample and we will test the pH for you. To adjust the pH level of your soil, use Espoma's Organic Garden Lime to raise the pH of very acidic soil. Poke holes in the soil's surface and scatter on the lime. Rake lightly into the top inch of soil. Or, apply a soil acidifier to lower the pH of extremely alkaline soil.

 

Create Compost

All of those colorful leaves that are falling make for perfect additions to your compost pile. If you don't have a compost pile already, start one! The best compost contains about 25 times more carbon-rich materials than nitrogen-rich materials. Think of these as brown and green materials. Brown materials include paper, straw or dried leaves. Green materials include garden and food scraps for rich, fertile compost.

 

Top with Mulch
Add a thick blanket of mulch on garden beds to reduce evaporation and control weeds. Choose organic mulch that will improve the soil as it decomposes. Lay 2 - 3" of mulch around established plants. When mulching trees, the mulch should extend away from the plant to just beyond the drip line covering a bit of the roots Keep 2 - 3" away from the stems of woody plants and 6" away from buildings to avoid pests.

Make the most of this beautiful fall in the garden.

Sandi McDonald

 

Garden Solutions - October 2017



This month I am going to focus on bulbs, trees and pumpkins!

 

DIG----DROP----DONE!!!

For those frustrated by gardens already too full, flower bulbs are delectable treats to tuck easily amongst established shrubs and perennials. Spring-flowering bulbs are planted in the fall because most need a period of cold conditioning to activate the biochemical process that induces them to flower. In general they are best planted when soil temperatures have started to cool, and, optimally, at least six weeks before the first hard, ground-freezing frosts.  This translates to anywhere from early October to November and even December in our climate. Whether a garden bed is bursting at the seams or rather bare, there’s always room for bulbs.  And the process is as easy as…….DIG—DROP—DONE!!  ENJOY!!!!

 

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.

•             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.)

 

Preserving and Firming Up a Pumpkin

                There are ways to help keep your pumpkin fresher and firmer.  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