Hello again,
Barbara Gardener kicks off the week's activities with this awesome picture. Barbara writes "I know you like dianthus--and so do I. Some have been blooming all summer and are continuing to do so. I cut back all of the tall ones to the ground and they are doing well and starting to bloom again. Naturally, Skillins impatiens have been blooming "full speed ahead" all summer. No news to you! " (Barbara has always been very nice to us here at Skillin's!)
Gardening is Happening in Skillin's Country!
In this post we will be letting you know what we are doing or what we hear is going on out there in our local gardening world.
We will be updating this post with quick supplements all through the week!
So check here frequently!
If you would like to contribute just drop us a quick note at
info@skillins.com OR leave a comment at the end of this post.
-
August 24:
Hammon Buck of Plants Unlimited in Rockland Maine stops by with the following sound advice:
Take cuttings late in the month of favorite geraniums, coleus, begonias, and any other annual flowers that you want to overwinter for replanting next year. You can also bring these plants indoors for the winter if you have a sunny spot. Several popular bedding plants are perennial in warm climates and can be brought indoors as houseplants if you don't wait until the weather gets too cool. Cold temperatures can set them back and make it hard for them to recover. Gradually move the plants into shadier locations so they are better adjusted to the reduced light levels when you move them indoors.
-
August 23:
-
Some great gardening questions today and I hope some good answers:
-
First question from customer MD: "After my clematis filled out and before I had blooms, one stem turned completely black---dead black. This gradually continued through the summer which means that now I have this horrible black thing on the trellis. I have seen another one do this in the Wiscasset village. What happened???"
-
Our answer: This is undoubtedly “clematis wilt” which occurs more often in wet weather and boy we have had some severe wet weather this year! The following comes from the Washington Post in a gardening edition I found a few years back. I think it discusses clematis wilt very well.
“The disease you describe, known as clematis wilt, is caused by a fungus, Ascochyta clematidina . Like most fungi, it is most prevalent in wet weather. Fortunately, it only affects leaves and stems and does not kill the roots or the underground crown of the plant. Often a single stem on a plant may be affected while others are healthy.
Promptly remove any stems that may have blackened or wilted. Cut them all the way to, or even slightly below, the ground. Clematis that are established in the garden store great amounts of carbohydrate in the thickened roots that spread out from the crown of the plant, and they can recover quickly. Keep mulch away from the crown of the plant, water infrequently but thoroughly, and make sure that there is good air circulation in any place you'd like to grow a clematis.
Fungicides are not terribly effective on this disease, so focus your efforts on removing any dead vines and leaves. The fungus may also cause black leaf spots, so cleaning up any old clematis leaves that may be on the ground or caught in the tangle of vines may be helpful. This must be done well before new growth begins in spring.”
-
Next question from customer MS:
-
My weigelia is just under four feet tall and is giving off too much shade for my perennial garden beside it. I would like to cut it back to about a foot tall. Is Fall a good time to do it ; or should I wait until after it blooms in the Spring?
-
Our answer: The best time to prune a weigelia is within a few weeks after it flowers. Any surges of growth that has occurred after it flowers is quite possibly some of the growth that will produce flowers next year and so you will not want to cut too much into that new growth.
That being said, if the perennial garden is being held back by all the growth it may be best overall to cut it back now. Of course in time the weigelia will come roaring back which means you will be frequently cutting it back sharply (which is fine if you do that on an annual basis right after it flowers) OR you may want to move the weigelia at some point (early Spring is the best time to do this) to give the weigelia and your perennials more of their own space.
Next question from customer JP: I have 3 Endless Summer hydrangeas. The plants are gorgeous and so healthy looking. However, they are not producing flowers. One has a few, one has three and one has none. What is the problem?
This is their 3rd year and they have never produced many flowers much less ALL summer. Aren’t they supposed to bloom on new and old and therefore bloom all summer?
I was so excited to get them but am now so disappointed. A gorgeous bush but no flowers?
Our answer: I have consulted with Tim Bate our nursery manager.
Many of us are still trying to figure out all the “ins and outs” on the Endless Summers. By most accounts this has been a great year for them probably because of the massive snow cover we received this past winter.
In most cases you should see the first flush of growth around Mother’s Day time (May 10 or so) and then the first blast of flowers in mid summer. When the flowers decline we recommend pruning the plant fairly hard to reshape it and also to signal the roots to send out new growth and to produce a second wave of flowers in the fall.
The other time to prune would be at the very beginning of the Spring to prune any dead growth back.
From talking to Tim and others it is clear that the best light exposure for the Endless Summers is eastern or at most southeast exposure. Avoid the heat stress that the south and the west can bring.
We have also seen many cases of Endless Summers being over fertilized and thus producing too much foliage that can shade any plant buds or in some cases produce so much foliage that the blue flowers are actually hidden! Tim recommends one light feeding of Holly Tone by Espoma in the early Spring; I have done early feeding and I also put another light feeding down a few days ago of Holly Tone—but that is it for the year. Avoid liquid feeds like Miracid or Miracle Gro unless the plant is a pale green and really needs a quick boost. But in that case I would recommend a liquid feed of the Fish/Seaweed blend by Neptune’s Harvest for better results than the Miracid or Miracle Gro can do.
We have been told that the Endless Summers are hardy enough to not have to mulch and protect over the winter. A few years of experience with the Endless Summers in Maine have told us that may well not be true. As such, I would definitely recommend mulching in late November with fir boughs or compost around the base of the plant and to protect any growth I would wrap the Endless Summers in burlap to protect the growth against winter winds.
Last year, my Endless Summer produced poorly. I decided to not prune at all except for one obvious dead branch. I think the non pruning along with the winter cover from all the snow helped. Now I have some declining blossoms that need to be pruned out and I will do some reshaping. In your case, let’s not prune until early Spring when it is time to prune away any dead growth. If your Endless Summers are in a south or western location consider moving them to the east in early Spring. Don’t feed unless you put a light touch of Holly Tone by Espoma down. And protect the plants by mulching and burlaping in late November.
August 22:
If you have not done so yet, it is still a fine time to get Step #3 of the all natural Four Step Organica Lawn Program on your lawn--Step 3 is the Microbial Soil Conditioner. This product contains no active fertilizers which is fine since our lawns can get a little dormant during hot weather. But the Microbial Soil Conditioner is a great way to naturally reinforce your lawn's soil as the product contains natural microbes that your soil will use to produce beneficial bacteria. The beneficial bacteria works with the existing cell structure of your soil to make BETTER SOIL and this will result in deeper and healthier roots for your lawn. Deeper and healthier roots make a lawn that is better able to thrive in both the cold and the heat that our climate has to offer!
-
I know that we got some rain back on Tuesday in some areas of Skillin's Country and of course some rain over this past weekend but this morning I noticed that some of my sun loving plants in containers were quite dry. So make sure you check all of your containers and hanging plants for water--your plants may need it as we have had a nice stretch of sunny and warm days!
August 21:
I did some feeding of some of my trees and shrubs a day or two ago. Generally speaking I think it is best to apply good natural fertilizers like Holly Tone by Espoma or Plant Booster Plus by Organica twice yearly to all trees, shrubs and perennials. So for many of plants this is the 2nd feeding of the year.
For the most part I cast generous handfuls of the appropriate food around the base of each plant. I have a couple of woody plants that are not doing as well as I would like for cultural reasons. First, I have a small row of lilacs that years ago I wedged in between some pieces of heavy ledge in the ground. Years later, their root systems are pretty tightly confined. My second situation is I have an old flowering crabtree that needs a serious pruning (will get to that shortly) and has struggled with age just a little bit. I have treated it with Messenger this year as I have discussed in previous posts and I do think that the tree has a cleaner and healthier look.
In both cases, I want to get the Plant Booster Plus closer to the root system rather than just sprinkle generous portions on the ground. So I have taken an oak stake (you can use a crowbar too) and pounded into the ground about a foot deep. After prying the oak stake out, I have about a foot deep hole. I have filled that hole with the Plant Booster Plus.
For my crabtree, I did these holes about two feet apart just in from the dripline of the tree a few inches. For my lilacs (much slower plants) I placed my holes about a foot away from the trunk.
I hope this technique gets the nutrients and biological matter from the Plant Booster Plus into the roots of these plants just a little quicker!
August 20:
A couple of great gardening customers check in with some questions and comments:
Question from SW:
This year I was soooo looking forward to starting a new garden in my new home in Portland.
Planted Echinecea, Bee Balm, Anise, last fall and a Weigelia Wine and Roses. However, something has been eating away at all of these, including my Holly Hocks in the yard, not to mention the Sunflowers I started from seed. I have tried the Slug pellets from Skillins, sprayed insect soap, and now have a spray that kills on contact. I have seen red beetles, pulled of Japansese beetles from Holly hocks and just sprayed the heck out of these BIG black shiny big beetles eating my new clematis I just bought from you guys.
Answer:
The first thing you have to say is "I am not going to give up! I will have beautiful plants in my garden."
I want to compliment you on your choice of plants; they are excellent and all should do well.
With over 20" of rain this summer in the Portland area this has been one of the best summers for slugs. And the wet humid weather is a great breeding ground for chomping insects like the beetles.
Take heart, short of snow in summer, we won't have any worse summers for gardening!
Now back to the present. The slugs can be so disheartening and the Slug Magic won't get them all but I feel consistent and persistent applications are still by far the way to go.
In terms of the beetles, the best product still on the market are Rose and Flower Insect Killer by Bayer Advanced that contains imidacloprid or Merit. We feel it is very important to follow the directions and not over apply. This should take care of most beetles but it is wise to keep a contain of ready-to-use Insecticidal Soap on hand to spray any chomping beetles that you see.
This difficult summer underscores the fact that it is important to feed our plants in an organic and natural way as the natural products will provide better long-term sustenance to the plants roots. Deeper and more healthy roots mean stronger plants that are better able to withstand the swings of cold and hot, wet and dry, and any invasions of foreign creatures.
Much of this you are already doing I know and we applaud you. Keep the faith and the consistent persistence going!
Question from LJT: Now that fall is in the air, our thoughts have turned to transplanting and rearranging our perennial borders before the gardening season ends for 2008. As such, we have several questions about the process that we hope you can help us with. Some of our perennials have gotten tall, gangly and bent over due to the lack of support. Can we use tomato guards in the future to provide this necessary support? Someone said that we could prevent some of our perennials from getting tall and gangly by pruning them back, resulting in more compact plants. Is this true and, if so, when should this be done so as to prevent the loss of flowers? When is the best time to transplant perennials in the late summer/fall? When is the earliest they can be transplanted? When, if at all, do you severely cut back perennials? We have been measuring heights, checking color combinations and planning our perennial beds for next year. So, the answers to these questions will assist us in putting this new plan into operation for what we hope will be a spectacular perennial garden and border.
Answer: First off, I would say that you should definitely be attending our Dividing, Relocating and Transplanting class this Saturday at Skillin’s at either 9 AM or 1 PM; the class is free of charge and many if not all of your questions will be addressed at the class.
First off, you can always use tomato guards or some sort of support to prop up wayward perennials. Pruning does usually result in more compact plants. Spring flowering perennials can be effectively pruned or “haircut” right after they flower. This will help to keep them compact. Fall flowering perennials like a Montauk daisy should only be pruned early in the season.
Most perennial pruning this time of year should be confined to dead or dying growth or growth that has just got way out of hand.
Also take a look up. You may some overhanging trees that are causing your perennials to stretch. A few years ago I started a sunny perennial bed that because of overhanging trees is now a shade garden. I am going to cut some of those trees down and get some more light in there. Let us know if you need a good professional to help you with something like that.
Any severe cutback of perennials is usually done in the very first part of the year when you want to cut back any winter kill or prune back any woody growth that will keep the plant from being compact.
Gardening with perennials is probably my #1 gardening passion—I am typing this part small so the vegetables and annuals and shrubs don’t read this! So I am very excited for you and we want to help you all we can.
Response from LJT:
"I am looking for a good perennial diagram. I am concerned about creating a 'garden jungle'".
Answer: Don't be too hard on yourself about a “garden jungle”. My advice is to let the plants show off! My perennial gardens won’t win any awards but they consist of plants that I like—nothing more. If I see a plant and can buy it, I will do that AND THEN I will find a place for it.
Again let the plants show themselves off and let the plants create the angles and features. I will admit on occasion the next year I will look at a plant and say” what was I thinking?” when I plant it but then I just move it to another spot. A good perennial garden is often “in flux”. But that is a good thing; the garden is alive and growing!
August 18:
Now is a great time to prune evergreen shrubs like yews, hemlocks and junipers. Most of these shrubs should have pushed out new growth by now that has turned a darker green (a sign of the growth hardening off). With clean hedge shears or clippers take those shrubs back to a nice shape--don't be afraid of aggressive pruning to help rejuvenate growth.
Also if you have not done so lately, spread some Holly Tone by Espoma around the base of each shrub. Holly Tone is an all natural food and provides some great nutrients for these acid loving plants.
Now is NOT the time to prune most rhodys and azaleas as they have already started to form flower buds for next year.
Contact us at
info@skillins.com or at any Skillin's store with any pruning questions!
Speaking of pruning, we are offering a great pruning class on September 27 at all Skillin's stores.
