Monthly Archives: February 2014

The Late Winter Garden – More To Do

Winter damaged leaves of lenten roses…

After clipping out old leaves…

The lenten roses, Helleborus orientalis, are beginning to bloom in my garden, and I bet yours are too. These sturdy and dependable perennials don’t need much help from us to survive, other than providing a shaded, well draining area.

If they’re happy they’ll slowly spread by seeding themselves. Their older leaves usually look rough by the end of winter, and this year with our exceptional cold mine look awful.

It’s very easy to remedy this, though, and they’ll look so much better! Simply take a little time one nice day and clip off all those large, old cold damaged leaves.

You’ll immediately begin to see all the small flower buds down low, and, depending on the weather, some may already be open. The trick is not doing this too early – those old leaves are also protecting the new growth and flower buds from any late winter frosts and freezes.

An epimedium bloom (Shown later in the spring.) There will be many of these on a mature clump…

Another evergreen blooming perennial you may not be familiar with and needs the same care, is epimedium. This early spring bloomer (there are many cultivars) has delicate flowers that can be overlooked if the old foliage isn’t clipped off. With this one it’s really important to clip of the old leaves before the delicate stems begin to come up through them.

If you wait too long it’s really difficult to do without inevitably cutting off the wiry flower stems. If you have a shade garden and don’t have epimedium, you’re missing out on one of the toughest perennials out there! Truly, it only looks delicate.

I’ll cut this clump to the ground…

Another many of you probably are familiar with is cast iron plant, or aspidistra. This is another workhorse evergreen shade perennial. Usually each spring I give a good tug to winter damaged leaves, pulling them right out, effectively thinning the clump a bit.

This year I’m going to cut whole clumps to the ground, since the majority of leaves show damage. With spring right around the corner, fresh, new growth will appear quickly. Doing all of these simple late winter tasks will ensure an even more beautiful garden as the weather warms….

Late February is traditionally the time to prune roses – some say to prune them on President’s Day, others say to tackle this chore when the forsythia blooms. Well, we’re past President’s Day, and my forsythia is blooming, but I haven’t quite gotten around to the roses yet…that will be next on my list!

Late February and March To-Dos

See the green growth at the base of this snapdragon?

February is usually the month the temperatures begin to rise, though there is always the possibility of cold weather still through March. This year it’s definitely been colder than usual, and the pretty pansies, snapdragons, and other cool season annuals we all planted last fall have definitely taken a hit.

These pansies need to be deadheaded – they have cold damaged blooms and buds…

Normally in February, regular deadheading (pinching off faded blooms) should be done to keep pansies and violas blooming well. Many of the snapdragons you planted will still be green at the bottom, but have dead growth that needs to be clipped off. With temperatures moderating and even rising, they will begin to grow again. In fact, they may be prettier than ever late spring into early summer; think of the cold damage as a rejuvenating pinching back!

Mondo grass, prior to being cut back with a string trimmer…

Mid-February is the traditional time to cut back mondo grass, liriope, and acorus in your landscape before spring growth begins. A string trimmer makes quick work of this job. Don’t wait too long to take care of this necessary grooming maintenance or you’ll risk damaging new growth.

This big clump of miscanthus needs to be cut down to make way for fresh growth…

Do you have tall perennial grasses in your landscape? They should also be cut back now. The easiest way to address large clumps of grasses is to bundle them up with strong twine or a bungee cord, then, if it’s a small clump, cut it back with your hand pruners. Or, if the clump is large, use a power hedge trimmer and simply cut the entire clump to the ground. Again, don’t wait too long to tackle this chore or the new spring growth will already be up. Be very careful with these large perennial grasses; wear long sleaves to protect your arms and glasses to protect your eyes from the sharp grass blades.

It’s still a bit early to fertilize shrubs and trees in anticipation of spring growth – that is best left for the end of March into April. However, if you didn’t shred your leaves this fall and work them into garden beds, resolve to do it this year. Adding any organic matter to beds helps loosen soil and provides nutrients, contributing to the overall health of your soil and microbes that live in it.

These 4’x8′ beds are just the right size for a few veggies…

Have you been thinking about creating a new bed in your landscape? It’s a great time to do this as well. Perhaps you’d like to have a vegetable garden this spring. Even a small area of 4’x8′ can provide enough space to grow a couple of tomato plants or some peppers or a combination of a few different things.

The one thing to remember when making a new planting bed is you must add organic matter to our clay soil – leaf mulch, cow manure, soil conditioner, homemade compost (Do you have a compost pile? You should!). Work as much organic matter as possible into your new bed. This will aid in drainage and soil fertility and make it easier to plant too! If you have old newspapers, these can be laid over the top of your bed and a thick layer of mulch or leaf mold placed on top. Not only does the newspaper smother weed seeds you may have brought to the surface but it will decompose – the perfect way to recycle your newspaper!

Narcissus ‘Baby Moon’ foliage beginning to come up through the ipheion…

You may have perennial bulbs appearing in your garden. As this foliage emerges, it is the time to fertilize them with a bulb fertilizer. If they seem crowded and don’t bloom well, consider dividing into smaller clumps this spring.

Taken a bit at a time, these tasks aren’t too demanding, and the deadheading, cutting back, and fertilizing will make your landscape shine!

February – Boxwood Care, Tips From Dave Bradford

The following is an excerpt from Dave Bradford’s newsletter. He is a former Jefferson County Extension agent, and can be reached at the following websites if you need an onsite consultation.

www.BradfordHorticulture.com

www.BoxwoodDoctor.com

Pruning Boxwoods is best done this month if possible. I visited a home last week with some beautiful 6 to 7 foot Boxwoods. They had already been pruned. These plants were mostly sheared to give the shape that the homeowner wanted. I think Boxwoods look more natural pruned with hand pruners and not power shears. One point to remember about pruning is that where ever a Boxwood stem is pruned, growth in the Spring starts just below the cut. If you only use power shears across the the outside, then all the growth occurs at that point. Years of this kind of pruning often results in ‘leggy plants’ and maybe more disease issues. Shears are best used on edging type Boxwoods. The healthy way to prune may be to use hand pruners to get growth from down inside the plant and occasionally use power shears in combination to keep them at the height you want.
Winter Dormant spraying on Boxwoods is a good practice. We use Horticultural Oil + (this year) Bifenthrin. This spray is helpful in controlling Mites, Black Twig Borer, and occasionally Scale insects. It’s not a cure all, but it’s a good practice. The problem we all have had is finding suitable weather conditions to spray.

Staghorn Ferns – An Easy Fern To Grow

There are many unusual varieties of staghorn ferns, but the most common, and the one you’ll see most often, is Platycerium bifurcatum.

When the basal leaves completely cover the wood board, it will
be remounted on a larger piece, as it will become quite heavy.

Staghorn ferns in their natural habitat grow in trees as epiphytes, getting their nutrients from tropical rains that wash nutrients onto their growing base. They’re native to the Philippines, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Northern Australia, and Africa…and there’s one rare species in South America.

An unusual looking fern, they actually have two quite different types of leaves. The first is the basal leaf that doesn’t look much like a leaf; it’s the part of the plant that grows onto the branch or piece of wood that they’re commonly mounted on. The second is the fertile foliar leaf, the one that looks like a staghorn, and, of course, is where the name comes from. Both types of leaves are covered with hairs that help conserve moisture and give them their silvery cast.

Because stagorn ferns can grow quite large, they are usually grown attached to wooden planks using sphagnum moss as a base for the basal leaves to attach themselves to. They can also be placed in wire baskets, also using sphagnum, and this method allows the new leaves, or pups, to grow through the basket, eventually growing into a ball. Quite the conversation piece!

A customer, who grew up in Florida, told me she remembers growing them in strawberry jars – as they got larger, the fern would slowly encompass the jar…we’re going to try this!

Attaching a stagjhorn fern to a piece of cork wood using sphagnum moss and fishing line

Caring for your staghorn fern is quite easy. The most important thing to remember is not to overwater; allow your staghorn fern to go completely dry between watering.

If you’re not sure whether to water, leave it alone until the leaves slightly wilt. An overwatered fern will suffer and possibly die, where one that’s allowed to dry completely will quickly recover once watered well.

If a staghorn fern has been overwatered it may develop a fungus appearing as black spots on fronds, which can spread rapidly and kill the plant. Older plants, with many layers of spongy old shield fronds will be able to go drier than younger plants.

Chartreuse reindeer moss and air plants add color to this staghorn fern…

Fertilize with a 20-20-20 fertilizer once a month from spring through summer and every other month from fall through winter. Generally pest free, mealy bugs and scale can be problems, and may appear during winter months when the air is drier and the plant may be more stressed.

A bright room indoors is ideal, and, through the summer, place your staghorn fern outside under a shade tree or on a sheltered porch where they can enjoy the extra humidity outdoors. Eventually, if it’s happy, your staghorn fern will grow to a very large size. They can be very impressive!

More Plantings In Glass – Winter Terrariums

Miniature garden frogs are at home in a terrarium!

Winter is the time to plant in the greenhouse, and plan for spring. After the holidays when it’s quiet is the time we plant and plan…terrariums can be time consuming, so this is the perfect time of year to design them.

A tall terrarium Molly planted…

Terrariums can be made in any glass container, either with a lid or without. If it’s not enclosed you may need to add water a bit more often, but be very careful not to overwater. We use activated charcoal to alleviate any bacterial problems from water that may settle in the bottom of the container. Simply sprinkle a layer of the charcoal over the bottom layer of pebbles prior to planting.

The layering of different colored pebbles, pea gravel and stones add a decorative element to any terrarium, and are quite fun to play with. Once this bottom layer is complete, add a light potting soil and plant your terrarium.

Decorative stones and a tricolor sedum…

The posts on ferns and miniature plants may help you choose which ones to use. The last step is to add any decorative moss, larger stones, miniature gardening accessories, or natural items gleaned from your yard. These might include small pinecones, pieces of lichen or whatever strikes your fancy!

Why Shopping For Plants At A Locally Owned Independent Should Matter To You

This January our winter temperatures dropped lower than they’ve been in two decades. While uncomfortable, this is actually good for easing the summer bug population (Ticks, mosquitoes and fleas come to mind.). But it does put a damper on gardening efforts, though dormant trees, shrubs and perennials can still be planted and bright pansies added to planters and garden beds carry us into spring.

photo (16) However, a friend recently sent a picture she took (mid January) of warm weather caladium bulbs that had been left outside on display racks for sale in freezing temperatures at one of the “big box” stores in town. Now, caladiums grown in pots are so heat loving we don’t even begin to carry them until late April – and advise people not to plant caladium bulbs in the ground until the soil is thoroughly warmed in May.

Caladiums in the summer garden – they love the heat…

Why should this matter to you? Because, if you weren’t aware of this, you or your neighbor might have bought these and, on the next warm, sunny day, planted them. Of course, after having been left outside on the racks in those temperatures, your gardening failure is guaranteed since the bulbs were not properly taken care of. It’s highly questionable whether they should even be for sale yet – unless they think someone will purchase them to start inside in pots and plant them outside at the proper time (May, remember?).

This is just one example of why shopping for your plants with people who sell only plants, at locally owned, independent garden shops, matters. Thanks for reading.

Interesting Late Winter Arrangements…

Cork Bark Planter with Spring Bulbs and Lichen Branches Now that January is behind us, we can look forward to spring, knowing it is right around the corner. Until then, we’ve been satisfying our planting urges using late winter offerings from growers. We are determined to come up with something interesting on long winter days in the greenhouse!

Jamie found some wonderful lichen covered branches; they’re beautiful to work with. She positioned them on one of our cork pieces and planted around them, creating a visual feast of winter flowers – cyclamen, primroses, muscari, osteospermum and teté a teté narcissus – for a customer. The bright flowers of this piece and the addition of some ceramic mushrooms make it memorable!

I wired one large lichen covered branch that had an interesting shape to one a bit smaller, using bark wire. I then lined the opening that was created with waterproof foil and sheet moss. In this “container” I planted a simple fittonia and air plant arrangement. The size and shape make this one a nice coffee table piece…and it would be very easy to care for too.

Cork Bark Planter - Aeonium, Mustard & Thyme Many of the succulent aeoniums fare better here during the winter months. They seem to dislike our excessive summer humidity (Don’t we all?), and the Aeonium ‘Kiwi’ seemed just right to work into some sort of arrangement. I loved how they looked paired with this frilly dark purple leaf ornamental mustard. If I could just work it into a container that could be moved in and out easily if temperatures dropped below freezing…

I chose a cork bark piece that complimented the aeoniums and mustard. With the addition of some creeping thyme and a couple of pots of species crocus bulbs just beginning to come up, I think it turned out pretty well!

Lichen branches and rex begonias…

We have more of these lichen covered branches available, if you’d like to use some for an arrangement of your own, or we can put one together for you.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Greenhouse in Winter – Beautiful Foliage…

Some pictures from the greenhouse in winter…Rex begonias, agloenemas (Chinese evergreens), angel wing begonias, fronds of a neantha bella palm, variegated Algerian ivy, Sanseveria, plumosa ferns, aloe and succulents. Can you find them all?

More Statuary and Planters…Spring 2014

A few more of the planters and some statuary that arrived recently…

Assorted statuary…

light weight…fiberglass

Different shapes and sizes of light weight planters…

glazed bowls…

St. Francis…St. Fiacre

cast stone window boxes

As of January, 2016, many of these planters are no longer available. Please stop by or call for availability, and look HERE for the latest offerings.

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