Innehållsförteckning för Nov/Dec 2018 från Garden Gate

As I look back on 2018 I’m reminded that each year in the garden is a unique opportunity, and every season is different from previous years. Last summer my ‘Sum and Substance’ hosta had gorgeous chartreuse leaves and was absolutely huge. This season it was half the size and the leaves weren’t nearly as yellow. In fact, none of my large hostas did well. But not everything in my garden was disappointing: Traditionally it’s been a critter buffet, but this year I’m happy to say they haven’t done much damage. I’ve come to realize that no matter how much I plan, I’m not in charge. And that’s OK! It’s a joy to be surprised by what will happen with the plants and wildlife in my garden every year. That’s why…

Cut back perennials’ dead stems. Make it easier to cut maiden grass by tying stems together with twine and using electric hedge shears as I’m doing in the photo at right. Cut it within a few inches of the ground. Prune shrubs. Smooth hydrangea blooms on new growth so cut it back by one-third to get rid of the last year’s papery blooms. Give garden mums their first pinch of the season when plants are 4 to 6 in. tall. Repeat every time they add another 4 to 6 in. of growth. Apply a 2- to 3-in. layer of organic mulch to conserve moisture and keep weeds down. Watch for new growth. Don’t be too quick to give up hardy hibiscus for dead — its new growth emerges slowly. Divide…

Annual vines are sort of like slipcovers for the garden. After all, they can cover a multitude of sins in a single season—from ugly chain-link fencing to unsightly utility boxes. But they’re also lovely in their own right, adding vertical color and interest to otherwise earthbound beds and borders. GROW UP There are, of course, hardy perennial climbers—such garden classics as roses, clematis, wisteria and trumpet vine—that can most certainly provide cover for walls and structures. But sometimes all you really need is a temporary climber or just a single season of pageantry. Or perhaps you want to create additional shade in an outdoor room or some privacy from passersby or nosy neighbors. Or maybe you have a small garden and the only space left to garden is to grow…

It’s such a simple piece of garden equipment: A tube to disperse water. But nothing causes more aggravation than a hose that kinks, leaks, is stiff and won’t unwind or is heavy to drag around. Here are my secrets to finding a hose you’ll be happy to use for years. HIGH-QUALITY FITTINGS You can get inexpensive hoses with aluminum, stamped metal, or plastic couplings, but brass is more durable. Get the kind of coupling with an octagonal shape so you can use a pliers to loosen the connection if you need to. Also, if you leave an aluminum coupling connected to a brass faucet too long, a chemical reaction called “galvanic corrosion” may fuse the two metals together and you’ll never get that hose off the faucet. Avoid the problem…

You can make dreams of a beautiful garden come true with ‘Fairytale’ veronica. Wands of pale pink provide loads of color starting in early summer and last for several weeks. Adding to the wonder are the bees and butterflies, which are frequent visitors to the tiny individual flowers. CARE IS SIMPLE Grow ‘Fairytale’ in a spot that has well-drained soil and plenty of sun to get the most flowers and healthy green foliage. Look closely at the photo and you’ll see that most of the stems are branched. The center flower blooms first, starting at the bottom and moving up. When that stalk has faded, snip it off to encourage its companions on either side to take off more quickly. When the entire stem is done, cut it back to…

Sure, you could just go into an area, strip off the sod and start planting a new bed. But maybe your soil isn’t so great, and starting a new garden sounds like a lot of work if you’re not confident of your results. This method doesn’t require much digging, allows you to improve your soil easily and puts garden debris from other parts of your yard to work — and your plants will take off better than ever. It’s simple enough that you could stick your spade in the soil on Friday evening and by Sunday afternoon have the garden above. Or you could do a little in the fall and finish it off in the spring. Sound good? Let’s get started! 1 Mark out your bed Once you know…

Shredded cedar Nice-looking, holds color for a year or two before it needs to be refreshed; density makes it great at weed suppression Good for High-visibility beds; shredded types are good for slopes and windy spots — pieces knit together Pine bark nuggets Oils may suppress fungus splashing from soil to plants; variety of sizes Good for High-visibility situations; holding off disease, especially around tomatoes Pine needles Come in easy-to-manage bales of various sizes; cover a large area easily; don’t mat down Good for High-visibility situations; woodland look Crushed granite Also called turkey grit; stays in place well; gray or rose color; allows plenty of drainage Good for Plants that need great drainage — it won’t hold moisture like wood mulches Composted leaf mold Buy or make your own; needs…

Every garden has weeds. They travel from one spot to the next by any means they can — wind, water, birds and animals. But if you’re armed with a little knowledge about a weed’s life cycle, you can attack it when it’s most vulnerable, which makes getting your garden in shape much easier on you. Most weeds are annual, biennial or perennial. Let’s start with annuals and biennials, then on the next pages move on to perennials. Annual weeds grow, flower, set seed and die all in one year. Biennials sprout one year then bloom, set seeds and die the second season. With both, the seeds are the biggest problem. Once in the soil, some can live for years, just waiting for the right conditions to grow. That’s why your…

Bag leaves, smother weeds and plant new things Jerry Klinken, Maryland If you bag up your leaves in plastic trash bags each fall, check out Jerry’s tips for putting the bags of leaves to use: After he fills them up, he lays them flat to cover the ground in an area where weeds need to be smothered or where he wants to make a new garden bed. In spring, he moves the bags out of the way. The weed-free area is a great place to plant seeds or seedlings. Next he spreads the leaves around the young plants as mulch. By the end of the season, they’ve started to decompose, and will eventually enrich the soil. At this point, he starts again by raking up new leaves and putting them…

0 correct: Time for you to get outside with a bird field guide and get to know your neighborhood birds. Birds make great subjects for nature photography, so grab a camera or your phone and start taking some bird photos! 1 to 4 correct: Not too shabby! You’ve done some homework, but there is still much more to find out. Time to hang up a bird feeder or place a birdbath in your garden and grab a pair of binoculars. 5 to 8 correct: Impressive. Now consider joining a local birding group and be sure to sign up for a field trip to meet other bird-lovers. Keep a journal of the birds you see in your garden. 9 to 12 correct: Have you considered becoming an ornithologist? Be sure to…

Deadhead spent blooms. Keep an eye out for weeds. If you mulched, most of them should pull easily. Water. Extended dry periods, especially during the height of summer, will cause even mulched soil to get super dry. Keep the birdbath full so your feathered friends have a reliable water source. Cleaning helps prevent the spread of disease. After mid-July, stop pinching mums so they can start forming buds.…

Oh, the classic, romantic emblem of the summer garden: the rose. Gardeners have been enamored with the amazing fragrance and stunning beauty for centuries. Its reputation for beauty is well-earned. Its reputation for being high-maintenance and hard to grow is, well, also earned. In the long history of roses, many have been vulnerable to a plethora of diseases and were particular about their growing conditions. But to dismiss all roses as difficult to grow is just not true! Through hybridization, roses have been developed to remedy some of their common issues. Now it isn’t difficult to find a disease-resistant rose that’s hardy, easy to grow and looks like a million bucks. So if you’ve been waiting for your rose-growing success story, check out these five roses that defy their difficult…

Take a walk in this small Northern California town and you might come across this charming home and garden. There’s just something welcoming about its neatly trimmed hedges and topiary in numerous sizes and shapes. If John Ritter is out working in his garden, he’ll be happy to answer any questions you have and may even take you on a tour to see the rest of the yard. His front porch is a popular gathering place for friends old and new, especially on Friday nights—what better way to pass a lazy summer evening than chatting with friends, glass of wine in hand? John bought the house 20 years ago and did a lot of work indoors before taking on the neglected yard. He removed most of the existing plants except…

Dahlia dilemma Debbie Smith, British Columbia Q I plant my dahlias in large pots each spring and have had good success in the past, but last year I had no flowers. The tubers and foliage look healthy. Do you know why this might happen? A If your dahlias get plenty of sun—6 hours or more—then too much nitrogen could be the problem. The folks at Swan Island Dahlias recommend using a low-nitrogen plant food, such as 5-10-10, twice a month for container-grown dahlias (once a month for those in the ground). Dahlias also need plenty of water so keep the potting mix moist, but not soggy. Patio cleanup Hedy Ballestero, Indiana Q Our concrete patio is on the north side of our house with lots of vegetation and gets little,…

Even the best gardeners run into problems every now and then. It could be a favorite perennial going dormant and leaving a gaping hole in the perennial border, or that vine that just won’t climb the new arbor. We’re here to help with solutions to these problems, and more! Let’s start by covering design and maintenance problems you might have to contend with. Then we’ll look into some situations that affect the health of plants. Let’s get started putting your garden back on track! A fading perennial leaves a bare spot There are several perennials that take a well-deserved nap after they finish their show. You don’t want to banish them from your garden just because they leave a bare spot in your border. Plants affected Here are three ephemeral…

Annual bluegrass Poa annua Annual with tufted habit; full sun; 1 to 4 in. tall, 3 to 5 in. wide. Use a preemergent on lawns and gardens to keep this fast-growing pest from sprouting. Pull or hoe out plants early in spring before they have time to set seed. Cleavers Galium aparine Annual with bristles along the stems so it clings to animals and other plants; part to full shade; stems grow 1 to 6 ft. long, weaving into other plants. Its small root system is easy to pull or hoe out of the soil. Preemergents and mulch are effective at keeping this weed from sprouting. Common burdock Arctium minus Biennial with large, broad leaves, spreads by prickly seed balls; full sun to part shade; 1 to 5 ft. tall,…

Red fox Vulpes vulpes With a fluffy tail and rusty-colored face, the adorable red fox can be found all across North America. Fruit, worms, grubs, spilled trash, pet food and small rodents or birds are the fox’s favorite foods. It’s not aggressive toward humans, but it might do a great job of keeping mice, moles and even rabbits away. THE FOX IN THE GARDEN A fox might interrupt your garden by eating fruit or stepping on or digging up plants in the search for grubs. And the smell can be pungent as they mark their territory. They rarely attack, but it’s a good idea to keep your pets indoors, your chicken coop securely fastened and, if you’re a bird watcher, make sure birds have an area to seek shelter if…

Fall is the time to get spring-blooming bulbs in the ground. In the photo at right you can see that we mark where they are with turkey grit so we don’t accidentally dig into them when they’re dormant. Cool-season annuals (or even a pumpkin) are easy to tuck in here and there to fill any empty spots. Trim back the lamb’s ear if it’s spreading too far into the path or bed. Just cut off stems where you don’t want it to go. You might be tempted to clean up spent mum flowers. They survive winter better if we wait until spring in our zone 5 garden. Once frost has killed the foliage, spread a 1- in. layer of compost to feed the soil. Don’t stop watering when the weather…

There’s nothing quite like a splash of hot colors to add sizzle to the summer garden. After the pastels of spring, flower borders can begin to look a little lackluster. So why not ignite some fiery reds, bright oranges, and vivid yellows? Warmer colors appear to come forward in the landscape and seem closer than they actually are. They are lively and energetic and they make big spaces feel smaller. Use them to draw the eye away from problem areas or eyesores. In the garden, red, orange and yellow seem to glow more intensely than other colors, especially late in the day when the sun sits low in the sky. “By putting together three of the brightest, most intense colors, you increase their vitality and encourage each to ‘sing out’…

With these long-blooming flowers, your garden is ready for company anytime. Fragrance is a bonus — some scents float on the breeze while others require you to get up close and personal to enjoy the perfume. A Star jasmine Trachelospermum jasminoides Woody vine; small star-shaped white flowers spring to summer, strong sweet scent; full sun to part shade; up to 20 ft. tall, spreading; cold-hardy in USDA zones 8 to 10, heat-tolerant in AHS zones 12 to 1 B Gardenia Gardenia jasminoides Shrub; single white flowers spring to summer, strong, rich perfume; full sun to part shade; 3 to 8 ft. tall, 3 to 6 ft. wide; cold-hardy in USDA zones 7 to 11, heat-tolerant in AHS zones 12 to 1 C Rose Rosa ‘Iceberg’ Shrub; lush…

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If you’re not building a berm but planting directly in the ground, you’ll want to remove the sod. Here are a few chemical-free options. Strip it For a small bed, this might be your best option. Use that shovel and scrape off the sod layer. If you have a large bed, you can also rent a manual or a powered sod-cutter. This is a relatively quick option, although it’s hard work. Smother it In any size bed, this is a low-cost, low-environmental impact way to do it, but it takes a little time. Using the lowest setting on your mower, cut the grass, then cover the area with overlapping layers of 6 to 10 sheets of newspaper or single sheets of cardboard. Cover that with 4 to 6 in. of…

Grasshopper FAVORITE PLANTS From vegetables and fruit trees to flowers, grasshoppers aren’t picky eaters. WHAT’S THE DAMAGE? Blooms and foliage will look tattered, but a big outbreak can defoliate plants or ruin fruits and vegetables throughout the summer, decreasing your potential harvest later in the season. WHAT’S THE PLAN? There are pesticides and beneficial pathogens that cause disease in grasshoppers, but they’re hard to use because they have to come in contact with the insect to work, and new grasshoppers are always moving in. Cover important plants or crops with floating row cover or a fine wire mesh. Along with larger beneficial insects, such as the praying mantis, chickens make excellent natural controls. Japanese beetle FAVORITE PLANTS Clematis (Clematis spp. and hybrids), dahlia (Dahlia hybrids), rose (Rosa spp. and hybrids),…

Creeping Charlie Glechoma hederacea Sprawling vine with purple flowers and minty scented foliage; full sun to full shade; 2 to 18 in. tall, spreading. Spreads by seed and rooting stems. In flower beds and borders the best control is hand-pulling. In lawns, broadleaf herbicides applied in spring are effective. But it takes more than one application to kill this weed. Curly dock Rumex crispus Large coarse weed with spikes of green flowers; full sun; 1 to 5 ft. tall, 1 to 2 ft. wide. A deep taproot makes this weed tough to pull. So dig, but if a piece of root remains in the soil it can regrow. Repeated mowing will prevent seeds, which are its main method of spreading. After mowing, cover the area with mulch to smother the…