December Tips for the Garden 2009

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

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

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

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

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