October Garden Talks Mailbag

Hello again,

Welcome to October in Skillin's Country. Some might say that October is an "off" gardening month. Well after you read some of the Questions and Answers in this month's mailbag you may have to  rethink that. October is a great transition month. Plants coming inside. What to prune. Vegetables to grow.

So ask the Questions and we will give the Answers! "We Know" gardening!

Check back to this post often--we will date the entries and keep the more current Questions and Answers near the top.

AND we will donate $5 to the Good Shepherd Food Bank for each Question and Answer we post to this Garden Log. At 10/14 we have 15 Questions and Answers! That means $75 so keep the Questions and Answers coming!


If you have a question you would like answered just send your question to skillins@maine.rr.com!


Question: (10/12) From Skillin's Friend Mary: "We have a weeping cherry tree that lost its weeping branches and the branches that took over don't bloom.Was it a graft? Should we wait or cut it down?


It is more than 3 years old, we (are) think(ing) the branches (may have) died as a result of the very cold winter(s)."


Answer: "Sometimes those trees have side grafts and sometimes top grafts. They are generally hardy to -15F and sometimes -20F.

Thoughts: Are the new, non-blooming branches weeping? If so, they should bloom if the winter is not too rough on the flower buds. Is the tree planted in a lawn that receives high nitrogen lawn food? That can interfere with blossom set and bud hardiness.

I would wait and see what happens next spring. The tree is given a little time, and if you decide to replace you will have many options next May/June. If your garden happens to be too cold for the weeping cherry, a weeping crabapple should work for you in its place."

Rhubarb Leaves Make Great Compost!

Question: (10/11) From Skillin's Friend Mary: "Is it alright to compost rhubarb leaves? Heard they are poisonous."


Answer: " Mary, it is absolutely fine to compost rhubarb leaves. The leaves in their pure form are toxic to humans but the toxic Oxalic acid breaks down very easily in any compost pile. So the composted leaves give plenty of organic matter to your compost."


Question: (10/10) From Skillin's Friend Roxanne: "I have a black walnut that finally produced nuts this year. It will take me a while to get the hang of harvesting, cleaning, and drying them though. My veggie garden and blueberry bushes are all within 80 feet of the dreaded drip line and I must make the decision to move the garden and bushes, according to websites I have consulted. They did not do well this season.


What advice can you impart on this loyal Skillin's gardener re preparing a new spot for both."

Answer: Congrats on the black walnut; we are excited for you. Tim and I have both looked at your email. We feel the veggie garden and blueberry bushes should be planted well beyond the 80 feet mark. We are reading the same 80 foot barrier that you are but our experience is that the black walnut can go grow roots beyond the drip line and secretions from these active roots can cause problems for your plants.


I have looked for revised distances but without much success. I think adding another 40 to 50 feet of distance would do the trick.

Be extra good about cleaning up black walnut leaves, branches and of course nuts.

As to the veggies and blueberries I would go "standard procedure" on the new location. A very sunny area--the more sun the better! Prepare the soil well with good doses of organic matter/compost. Fall is an excellent time to prepare a bed in anticipation of the coming Spring.

Question: (10/07) from Skillin's Friend Linda: "I read recently about a product called Bobbex to repel squirrels and other such animals.  I noticed that red squirrels? (or some other animals) are chewing the top of some wooden posts on our unfinished shed.  Would Bobbex be safe to use on the wood?  If not, what might you suggest I spray to deter animals from chewing. "

Answer: “You could try the Bobbex or some sort of hot pepper spray. It might prove to be a little bit of a deterrent. We do not carry Bobbex but I hear good things about it. We offer a product called Repel by Bonide which might be effective. We also offer the hot pepper spray. Jeff Skillin also suggested you employ a small Hav a Hart trap and to keep it out only during the day as that is when the Red suireels are out. They sleep at night but skunks are out at night!”

Question: (10/06) From Skillin's Friend Barbara R:  "I have had a bad season with snails and slugs; there's almost nothing they won't eat. I have used beer, Sluggo, homemade ammonia spray (You have to find them to use this) and still more bugs! My question is, is there anything I can do this Fall to prevent this onslaught next year?"

Answer: "I am not aware of anything you can do this fall to prevent the onslaught.Question: (10/05) From Skillin's Friend Barbara D: "We have a lovely cast-aluminum fountain planter that accumulates algae during the summer season in the water. A friend suggested we place copper pennies in the fountain to stop the algae. Does this remedy work?"


I pretty faithfully use Slug Magic by Bonide (similar to Sluggo) and that helps a great deal. Slugs and snails love to live in dark places—like under hosta canopies. When you apply Slug Magic make sure you put some near or under the Hosta. They almost always prefer the Slug Magic over plant material and that placement might help deter some more. “Get them where they live” during the day so to speak."



Answer: Copper pennies would work on a real limited basis—I would recommend picking up a good Pond Clearing algicide (sold at most garden centers). Besides pennies are not really copper these days, is that correct?

Question: (10/04) From Skillin's Friend Judy: "I have some bamboo growing right next to my foundation of the house who can i get rid of it.it is impossible to dig out the roots."

Answer: Judy bamboo is very tough to get rid of. Persistence is the key.

You can not dig out the roots without strengthening the plant in the long run.

Question: (10/04) Also from Skillin's Friend Holly: "I planted a bugbane last fall, and this spring it got early growth to about 6 inches, then nothing happened all summer. Was expecting it to do more this year.  Should it next?"

Answer: "I love the bugbane--one of Mike's Must Haves. If the plant is was still looking healthy this summer and early fall despite its diminutive state then I suspect the plant was devoting more time for root growth. More roots should mean a much bigger plant next year and beyond!"

Question: (10/04) From Skillin's Friend Holly: " I know that foxglove is a biennial, but I thought when I bought a lovely, large plant from you this spring from White Flower Farm, that it would at least bloom this year.....nothing! Should it next year?"

Answer: "It should bloom next year Holly and furthermore those flowers should drop seeds which will mean a few more plants down the road."

Question: (10/03) From Real Skillin's Friend Bruce: "I have several amaryllis plants that have spent the summer outside in pots. How should I get them ready to bloom?"

Answer: "In late summer or fall bring the amaryllis indoors, reduce watering and allow the plant to die back. As the foliage dies, cut it back to the top of the bulb, remove the bulb from the pot and clean off the soil and old roots. Store the bulb in a cool (45-50 degree) dry area until mid December and then begin again! (The natural tendency of an amaryllis is to bloom in late January and well into February; this is when your amaryllis will bloom in subsequent years)."


Question: (10/02) From Real Skillin's Friend Holly: "What is your opinion on fall garden clean up for perennials? I have been advised to totally cut everything back to about an inch or two
from the ground, and then another person says to just leave it. Which do you
recommend and what would the best time do this, after the first frost?"


Answer: "As for the perennials, the rule of thumb I use is to prune back any dead or dying growth. Much growth this time of year can still in good shape. I would not prune that yet. Wait until late hard frosts have killed that growth off or prune such growth very early next year (March or so). An early Spring pruning is a neat way to stimulate the roots of your perennials to send out nice new growth. Back to this year: much of our earlier flowering material (peonies, astilbes, coneflowers) is dying off or has died off. That "worn" or "dead" growth is what I would prune. Cut everything back to fresh green growth and then look to cut more when more dead growth occurs! Also pick up and clean out any material lying on the ground. Such material will become great hiding places and incubators for next year's insects and diseases. Fallen leaves and branches should be picked up and composted."

Question: (10/02) From Real Skillin's Friend Barbara: " I have 2 miniature rose plants in pots outdoors. Can I plant them in the ground, will they come up next  Spring or summer?  Any special treatment needed ? "


Answer: "Miniature rose plants make great year round outdoor plants. I think they may be more hardy and reliable than many conventional rose plants. Plant them now and water them in very well when you do plant. Keep them well watered between now and when the ground freezes. I would also mulch them over late this fall as the ground is freezing. Pull that mulch off in early April or so."

Question: (10/01) From  Real Skillin's Friend Lois: "I have two hibiscus plants that I put outside in their pots for the summer.  They didn't produce blossoms and now they look terrible.  The leaves yellowed and fell off. There are few leaves left. I just brought them inside a week ago.  What should I do do with them.  During the winter, they did blossom. They really need a lot of something."

Answer:  Lois, great to hear from you! I am sorry about the hibiscus; here is what I would do:

First off your hibiscus need as much sun as possible through the winter. Second it is time to give them a solid, solid haircut to make a better shape. This haircutting will encourage MUCH new growth and the flowers always come from new growth.

Third, hibiscus can attract insects when outside. Next time you are here pick up a small container of Systemic Houseplant Granules by Bonide. They are easily applied and can provide weeks of protection against any harm that can come the hibiscus way.

Fourth, hibiscus love great soakings. Their roots are numerous and very fine. They drink a lot of water. So when you do water them, really soak them (think a couple of gallons at a time). Any excess water should be poured off. (Use your bath tub for convenience sake).

Fifth, hibiscus love consistent food and Miracle Gro does not do that. I recommend applying all natural fertilizer granules by a company called Dynamite (sold right here at Skillin’s!). Apply these granules every 3 months and let them work their benefits on your plants.

Lois, when that hibiscus is blooming beautifully bring me a flower!

Question: (10/01) From Real Skillin's Friend Mickey: "Please advise me when it is the best time to prune my rose of sharon bush. This year I had the most beautiful roses on it. "

Answer: Glad to hear about your great success with the rose of Sharon. The best time to give your rose of Sharon a good pruning is late this March or early in April of this coming year. Give it a haircut to a few inches BELOW where you would like to target it’s growth. That way when it flushes back it’s growth it should fill in nicely!
  It is always a good idea to give the bush a protection of mulch around the base when the ground starts to freeze. This will keep the root ball in place and ensure a great amount of flowers for you!

Many people live with a segment of bamboo and then use a herbicide like Bonide Brush Killer to keep new growth at bay. I recommend being persistent with spraying Round Up on new growth that emerges. Vigilance and attention will cause the new growth to shrink back and will actually result in less overall spraying! You still have at least a couple of more effective weeks to use the Brush Killer by Bonide (sold right here at Skillin’s).

Many gardeners also do cut back the bamboo that they want to get rid of but they do this cut back for the purposes of having the bamboo send out new tender leaves. These tender leaves are ripe for spraying because the leaves will absorb the Brush Killer rather quickly. The Brush Killer will then go onto weaken the bamboo roots.

Persistence, persistence!

Mike Skillin
October 2011

Beautiful Berries on Your Shrubs and Trees for the Fall and Winter Months

 Good gardening friend Paul Parent of the Paul Parent Garden Club sends out a great newsletter every week with pertinent gardening topics. I encourage you to go to his website to sign up for his newsletter. Paul can also be heard every Sunday morning from 6 AM to 10 AM at his website or at WBACH (104.7 FM) every Sunday morning from 6 AM to 9 AM. Paul recently sent this article out called "Beautiful Berries on Your Shrubs and Trees for the Fall and Winter Months" (I occasionally add a few comments in italics) and here it is:
"Right now we are all enjoying the beautiful fall foliage but soon the magical colors will disappear and our garden will begin to look a bit drab! Unless...you planned ahead by planting shrubs and trees that not only flower but make beautiful fruit or berries for the fall and winter months. When most gardeners think of plants with berries, they think of holly--but there is so much more for your garden and there is no better time to learn about these berries than now when they are on the plants. Plants that make berries come in two categories, summer and winter types. Because it's fall, let me tell you about the winter types of berry plants for your garden.

The Awesome Winterberry--Great to Plant Now!

Let's begin with the wonderful trees that produce clusters of fruit in many colors and shapes to feed our birds during the fall and winter months. Yes, the berries are beautiful to look at, but their main purpose is to provide food for birds and wildlife during the winter months when most native plants are dormant or covered with snow. My favorite is the European Mountain Ash because of the wonderful white flower clusters in the spring and large clusters of bright orange fruit that develop during September.

I planted an 8 foot tall tree at my parents' house in the late 70's and today it's well over 40 feet tall. I would often watch the birds pick the berries from the tree around the Thanksgiving holiday. One Thanksgiving morning, my grandfather and I were having coffee and watching the birds from the kitchen table, when he told me this story about the Mountain Ash tree. My grandfather's name was Romeo Parent but everybody called him POP. I always called him "The Fisherman" because he loved nothing more than going fishing--and he often took me along. When I got older, it was my turn to take him fishing and we spent many wonderful hours together fishing--but let me tell you the story he told me about the Mountain Ash tree.

POP lived in the days of Prohibition, when beer and liquor were outlawed but POP and his friends used to pick the berries from the wild Mountain Ash trees growing in Maine to make homemade wine with them. Despite the law, almost everyone he knew made their own alcohol with wild berries and fruit like apples, pears, and peaches. POP told me that his favorite homemade wine was from the Mountain Ash tree and every time I see the Mountain Ash Tree I think of my Grandfather. If you're looking to plant trees with wonderful fruit go to your local nursery and ask to look at the following trees:

• The Flowering Crabapple family: Not all varieties make fruit, so be sure to ask for ideas from the nurseryman and for his suggestions. Some of my favorites are.
• Japanese Flowering Crabapple: with yellow to red fruit.
• Tea Crabapple: with golden fruit with a red blotch.
• Sargent Crabapple: with red fruit.
• Donald Wyman: with glossy red fruit.
• Harvest Gold: with glossy gold fruit.
• Zumi: with golden yellow fruit.
• Red Jade: red fruit
• Weeping Candied Apple: with cherry red fruit.
• Spring Flowering Dogwood: with jelly bean shaped red fruit.
• Kousa Dogwood: with a raspberry shaped red fruit.
• Magnolias: red to pink fruit in a pod that will break open to reveal the fruit.
• Sourwood: white early, then turning to brown.
• The Flowering Pear family: green to yellow.
• The Hawthorn family: Glossy red to reddish purple fruit.
• Red Cedar: powdery blue fruit.
• Russian-Olive: silvery green fruit.
• Autumn- Olive: burnt orange to red fruit.

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If your yard has no room for trees, here are a few wonderfulshrubs with unique fruit for both evergreen and deciduous plants. Here are some evergreen plants with much to offer your garden.

• Oregon Grape Holly: clusters of dusty bright blue fruit.
• The Holly family: clusters of bright shiny red and some gold fruit.
• The Skimmia family: clusters of bright red fruit.
• The Ilex family: shiny black fruit.
• The Cotoneaster family: bright red fruit.
• The Evergreen Euonymus family: red to pink fruit that will break open and reveal orange seeds.
• The Daphne family: red fruit.
• The Inkberry family: dark blue to black fruit.
• The Pyracantha family: My favorite shrub with bright orange to orange-red fruit clusters, and also yellow.

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Here are some wonderful deciduous plants with wonderful fruit clusters. Fruit is showy with and without foliage on the plant. With snow on the ground they are spectacular.

• The Viburnum family: This is the largest family of fruit bearing plants; they vary in many shades of red to reddish-purple, blue, and black. If you want birds you will need the Viburnum family on your property.
• Bayberry family: Dusty blue fruit.
• Barberry family: Oval red to yellow fruit.
• Snowberry; beautiful white fruit clusters.
• Burning Bush: red to pink fruit that will break open to reveal orange seeds.
• Privet Hedges: with wonderful blue black fruit clusters.
• Rosa Rugosa: Bright orange fruit that changes to red.
• The Beautyberry family: white, pink, and purple fruit clusters. A must-see plant in the fall.
• Winterberry family: My favorite deciduous plant, with shiny red fruit clusters that cover the new growth on the plant. Winterberry is often sold during Christmas to put in window boxes outside for the winter with greens. "

Paul, thanks again for a great post that is rich with information! We would love to talk with you about any of these plants!

Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
October 11, 2011

The Colors of the Fall Foliage Around You

Good gardening friend Paul Parent of the Paul Parent Garden Club sends out a great newsletter every week with pertinent gardening topics. I encourage you to go to his website to sign up for his newsletter. Paul can also be heard every Sunday morning from 6 AM to 10 AM at his website or at WBACH (104.7 FM) every Sunday morning from 6 AM to 9 AM. Paul recently sent this article out called "The Colors of the Fall Foliage Around You" (I occasionally add a few comments in italics) and here it is:

"I think that I enjoy the fall season more than any other seasons, because it's Mother Nature's turn to show off all of her hard work. It's also the perfect time for us to add color to our yards by looking at the colors of the foliage around us. If you enjoy red flowers in your garden during the summer months, then why not plant shrubs and trees that have red foliage during the fall months?

Fall is a season for every color in the rainbow--from reds to pinks, gold, orange, and yellow. So look around you at your gardens and your friends' gardens as you drive around town or on the trip to the mountains for the fabulous fall foliage color. Then visit your local nursery and take advantage of their fall sales to add color to your garden during the fall months. Here are some of my favorite plants to add color to your yard this fall.

Let us start with the trees, because they form the canopy over and around our property and will give us the most color for our money. The color of the foliage will vary from year to year, depending on the rainfall during the summer months and during the early weeks of fall. Also helping to determine the color is the temperature during the color changeover and the health of the tree overall. The length of the color on the tree is also determined by the weather and all it takes is a big rain and wind storm and the show is over--but nice "Indian Summer" weather will extend the show of fall foliage for many extra days.

The Gorgeous Norway Maple!

• The Maple family: Has the best color in the fall and a wide selection of colors to choose from but there are many other trees just as beautiful to look at, so print this list when you go "Leaf Peeping."
  • Norway Maple: best shades of yellow to gold and even a bit of orange on the same leaf.
  • The Norway maple Hybrid 'Crimson King' has reddish purple leaves spring to fall.
  • Red Maple: Brilliant and the best reds, with splashes of orange and yellow mixed on the same tree.
  • Silver Maple: Yellow and orange blend with a splash of red on the same tree.
• The Oak family: Known for shades of reds and deep green on the same leaf that will often develop later during the fall season and fade to reddish-brown. Some varieties hold the leaves well into winter.
• The Birch family: known for bright golden yellow foliage and the wonderful white papery looking bark.
• White Ash: known for the reds and purple shades mixed on the foliage.
• Green Ash: known for superb yellow to gold foliage.
• Beech family: known for bright yellow to golden brown to brown leaves that stay on the tree until winter.
• Ginkgo: brilliant bright yellow for many days but all the leaves will fall from the tree at the same time.
• Elms: shades of yellow with lines of green running thru it before turning brown and falling.
• The Linden family: shades of striking yellow to gold foliage.
• The Flowering Pear family: starts as a shiny yellow-orange then changes to red. Striking.
• The Flowering Crabapples: shades of deep bright orange and red on the same leaf.
• The Dogwood family: red to reddish purple and red to bright orange on the same leaves.
• The Shadblow family: bright orange and very striking.
• The Weeping Willow family: bright and shiny yellow foliage.
• The Mountain Ash family: showy golden yellow foliage.
• The Sourwood: begins yellow, then turns to shades of red and maroon foliage.
• The Dawn Redwood: an evergreen needle that will turn orange-brown to reddish-brown and drop.
• The Larch family: an evergreen needle that will turn bright yellow to gold and drop.

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Here are a few suggestions for the best shrubs for fall foliage color for your yard and your gardens!

Many of these shrubs also have beautiful flowers and fruit on them so the fall foliage is just an added benefit to the plant. Fall is for planting, so take advantage of the sales at your local nursery and get your yard landscaped this month and save money at the same time.

The Burning Bush is the KING of all fall foliage shrubs. In some states it has been removed from the nurseries and is not available for sale because these states overplanted them along the roadways and they have become invasive. These states will not agree with me but see for yourself when you drive along the highways how many are planted on the side of overpasses to prevent erosion, to give color to the highway and make the roadways look more beautiful during your many hours of traveling.

You all know the Burning Bush because of its wonderful bright fire-engine red foliage during the month of October. I Have several in my yard and have never seen seedlings develop around the plants, but because state horticulturists who overplanted them have passed a law preventing them from being sold, you are no longer able to purchase them in my state. If you have a Burning Bush in your yard please look around your property for seedlings and let me know if your plants have become invasive!

• The Viburnum family: varying shades of reds to reddish purple and very showy.
• The Witchhazel family: brilliant yellow to orange foliage.
• The Enkianthus family: bright red foliage with a bit of yellow splash on the inner leaves of the plant.
• The Sumac family: rich reds, scarlet, maroon and some new hybrids shades of yellow foliage.
• The Shrub-type Dogwoods: shades of red foliage with colorful stems that are red or golden yellow.
• The Fothergilla family: wonderful shades of yellow, orange, and red blended on the foliage.
• Oakleaf Hydrangea: unusual shades of reds to purples on the foliage.
• Rhododendron PJM: burgundy red fall color
• Rhododendron mucronulatum: Deciduous variety with yellow fall foliage.
• The Cotoneaster family: shiny bright red to reddish purple.
• Bridal wreath: orange and red combinations on the foliage.
• Forsythia family: green and burgundy foliage
• Kerria family: pale to medium yellow foliage.
• Blueberries: shades of yellow, orange and changing to bronze and red foliage.
• The Leucothoe family: rich wine to burgundy evergreen foliage during the winter months.

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There are a few vines and ground covers with good fall color that you should also look for at your local nursery. Most plants stay green or the foliage falls off the plant green in the fall season, but look for these two plants and you will not go wrong.

Boston ivy: bright reds, crimson and even new hybrids with yellow foliage, the best vine for fall color.
 
Euonymus Coloratus: my favorite ground cover will turn a plum-purple color from the first frost and last until the new growth develops in the spring before turning green again.

When selecting plants for your yard and garden it is always better to select plants that will provide you with more than one quality while in your care. The flowers are nice but they can only last for so long and if fall color is also available you have a plant with two qualities, not just flowers for 4 to 8 weeks a year. Enjoy!

I have one more suggestion for you for this fall. If you have family or friends who live in an area of the country where the foliage does not change colors in the fall, do this for them. Pick an assortment of colorful leaves and stuff a bag with them, then send them out to them where they live. I do this every year and take a large zip lock bag. Place a couple paper towels that are wet to cover the leaves and place in the bag. The leaves stay moist and hold their color until they get there. I use a Priority Mail envelop from the post office and it gets there in a couple of days for less than $10.00. It's a wonderful gift for people who have moved out of the area; it will bring back many memories for them. Great for the grandkids who live in the South where the closest thing to colorful plants is ORANGES on a tree. "

Thanks Paul Parent for a super article! Folks we can talk to you about a number of these plants right here at Skillin's. And Paul is right our shrubs and trees are on sale!

Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
October 10, 2011

Bulb Gardening Thoughts

Spring bulb planting begins in October as the night and day temperatures begin to fall and the air becomes clear and dry. Purchasing bulbs is another story and that can begin in September. Bulbs should be firm and show no signs of rot or damage. Some retailers sell inexpensive bulbs but be cautious of these, although they will survive they may be too young to produce flowers for several years if at all. Here are some of the products needed:


Bulbs of your choice Spring bulbs need to be planted in full sun (min. 6 hours) in little well drained soil. Each variety of bulbs has a mature height and bloom time so stag your planting low in front tall in back as well as stagger the variety for bloom time to lengthen the season.

Espoma Bulb Tone Bulbs like many of our garden favorites are not always growing naturally in our yards so the nutrients that they require mat not be available in the levels that they need to perform at their best. Bulb Tone is an all natural plant food (3-5-3) a complete blend aiding in the full development of our bulbs. Always follow the recommend amounts that are suggested on the packaging unless a soil test tells us differently.

Coast of Maine Cobscook Blend, Quoddy Mix or Little River Compost Bulbs like most of our perennials require a moderate amount of organic matter in the soil for them to flourish. The Coast of Maine products are the most consistent and general show the best results.

Bulb Planters Nothing beats a good shovel when creating a mass planting of bulbs. However for spotting bulbs throughout the garden in and around existing plants a bulb planter or auger that fits onto a cordless drill is a very effective tool. Bulbs should be planted at least 4 X their diameter. This is from the top of the bulb to the surface of the garden bed. This means the top of a 2” bulb should be 6” deep in the soil making the hole approximately 8” deep.

Ro­-Pel Many of our native animals of all sizes enjoy our bulbs as much as we do but for an entirely different reason. They taste good. We have found that Ro-Pel has been one of the most effective repellant to protect our bulb investment. Before planting bulbs soak them in Ro-pel for one minute allow to dry before planting. For deer and other spring feeders spray all surfaces including both sides of the foliage.


Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
September 28, 2011

Skillin's Moisture Meter

New outdoor plantings (of vegetables, annuals, perennials, and certainly shrubs and trees) require 1 inch of water per week optimally spread out over at least two deep waterings per week. A "deep watering" is defined as a slow soaking of your plant's roots.

(More detail about "deep waterings": A soaking rain which brings a half inch of rain or more qualifies as a deep watering. In lieu of rain a deep watering can be accomplished by letting water run slowly out of a watering can or the end of your hose into each plant's root system or by having a soaker hose at work for several hours twice a week. In "non soaker hose situations", pause on your watering if the water starts to run off; let the water soak in and then begin to water again. Repeat this process several times and move onto the next plant. For larger trees and shrubs (and if you do not have a soaker hose) merely set a hose against the tree or shrub for 1 to 2 hours and let the water almost trickle into the ground and down into the plant's root system. Again if there is runoff, pause and let the water soak in. )

Let us know if you have any more questions about watering!

Russian Sage

Good gardening friend Paul Parent of the Paul Parent Garden Club sends out a great newsletter every week with pertinent gardening topics. I encourage you to go to his website to sign up for his newsletter. Paul can also be heard every Sunday morning from 6 AM to 10 AM at his website or at WBACH (104.7 FM) every Sunday morning from 6 AM to 9 AM. Paul recently sent this article out called "Russian Sage" (I occasionally add a few comments in italics) and here it is:

(Picture from Paul Parent Garden Club)

With all the heat of the last month, you need to know about a perennial flower that loves the heat and will thrive in dry, sandy soil. The plant is called Russian sage but is not native to Russia; it's from Afghanistan. Until 1995 it was not a plant that most gardeners had it their gardens but the Perennial Plant Association named it the "Perennial of the Year" and today it is found everywhere. Let me tell you about this plant so you too will know the story of this wonderful perennial garden plant and why it was named the perennial of the year.

First of all, Russian sage is not in the Sage family of plants, it's actually in the Mint family--a close relative. The Genus name Perovskia was given to the plant after a Russian general, V.A. Perovsky (1794 to 1857), who was much admired by the Russian people. The plant can be found growing all over Russia today. The sage part of the name came because, like the mint plant, it has a pungent mint-like scent to it.

Let me tell you why you need to have this plant in your garden. The stems of the plant are gray-white to silver in color and they develop at the base of the plant, like wonderful outward-arching branches. The foliage is small, less than an inch long and narrow, needle-like but a unique fuzzy gray-green color. When the foliage stops growing the plant will make wonderful tall spikes of light blue flower spikes. Each flower spike will quickly develop many side shoots of spike flowers that will quickly cover all the foliage of the plant. The flowers come in clusters on these spikes and resemble tiny tubular blossoms that cover the plant, giving them the appearance of lavender blue to pale blue cloud.

The plant itself is woody looking, and also looks like a shrub, because it will grow 3 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide. If you want to control the height of the plant you can pinch the tips of every stem in the spring when the new growth reaches 12 to 15 inches tall. Each of these flower spikes can grow 2 to 3 feet tall on the plant. The flowers are long-lasting on the plant, usually lasting from June to September. If the blooms should end early, cut back the plant by removing all the faded flowers and one third of the foliage of the plant. Fertilize with a granular fertilizer like Flower-Tone or Dr. Earth Flower food with Pro Biotic and the plant will bloom again, lasting until the first hard frost in the fall.

Russian sage will grow best in a soil that is well drained; average to poor soil is best and never clay-like or heavy. This wonderful plant will tolerate a dry soil, sandy soils, acid soil, and open areas with a lot of wind like the seashore, making it the perfect plant to grow in a seaside garden or at a lake front garden where most plants fail. If your soils are heavy, make a raised flower bed or create a mound of soil to grow the plant on, as this will keep the crown of the plant and the roots out of the water especially during the winter months and early in the spring when the ground is wet.

Plant in a garden located in sunshine all day long for the best flowers on the plant. If you have a location that gets real hot during the summer and where watering can be a problem, this is the plant for you. If you plant in a partial shade or shade garden they will not do very well for you and will not flower. This is one plant for which conditioning the soil when planting is of little importance but you must keep the plant well watered the first year until is it well established and able to find its own water. Mulching around the plant is helpful in holding water in the soil during the growing season (along with weed control) but in cold climates like Northern New England mulch also helps to protect the root system.

In the fall, you can leave the plant as-is and enjoy the unique plumage-like winter branching or you can cut back the plant to 12 inches. This is a woody perennial and the new growth will develop on the branches that remain from the previous year's growth. New shoots do not develop from the base of the plant but from the woody branches.

In a cold climate, never cut back the plant right to the ground or it may not develop in the spring. If your climate is cold, be sure to build a mound of mulch 4 to 6 inches deep around the base of the plant to protect the plant just in case snow falls lightly to protect the plant from winter wind and frost heaves. The plant will tolerate temperatures that drop to minus 30 degrees when mulched in the fall. (This is an important paragraph. I lost my first Russian Sage because I cut the plant back too much in the fall and did not mulch enough. This plant is typically planted in the bright sun which means it is usually found in an exposed area in the winter so mulching through the winter is very important!)

You can plant Russian sage in containers like whiskey barrels as long as they have good drainage; you can also lift them off the ground with bricks or pot feet to encourage good drainage during wet weather and the winter when they freeze. If you're growing in clay or ceramic type pots, bring the pot into your tool shed or garage for the winter months and do not water until you move back outside in the spring; around March.

Put several plants in your cut flower garden for unique textures and the long flower spikes will be the most talked of among your fresh-picked bouquets on the dinner table. These flower spikes will outlast all of your cut flowers used in the arrangement. Blue is difficult to find in cut flowers and this flower will replace baby's breath or statice in your arrangement.

In a mixed border the Russian sage should be planted in the back of the garden or on the end of the bed, as the plant will get tall--3 to 5 feet. Give it room, as the flowers will develop from the ground up to the top of the plant. In a rock garden they will thrive with all the heat the rocks draw to the garden, and in a stone mulch garden they will outlast most plants in the garden.

I like the plant when planted in mass or in groups to create a splash of color in the planting bed for summer color. Mix with blue mophead type hydrangeas to create different textures in the garden.  (Great idea!) You can plant just one on the end of a fence to soften the hard surface, and if you live on a street with a rotary or traffic island, it will make the perfect maintenance-free plant; use instead of grass that needs watering and mowing. Create a garden on a slop or steep hill where mowing could be a problem or the soil is not very good.

You will like planting Russian sage in flower beds with daylilies, coreopsis,r udbeckia daisies, Oriental lilies, fall-flowering sedum and, in the late summer with an under planting of flowering cabbage or flowering kale for wonderful contrast. They will also flower at the same time as perennial hibiscus, rose of sharon, butterfly bush and all the new types of hydrangea--P.G. hybrids--for wonderful summer color near your swimming pool or patio. If you're spending a lot of time outdoors this summer, the Russian sage is the plant that will give you more color than any other perennial plant in your garden today.

Fertilize in the spring with a granular organic fertilizer, once a year and then forget it. Russian sage has no insect or disease problems to worry about and butterflies love this plant. Enjoy!

Thanks to Paul Parent!

Mike Skillin

Skillin's Greenhouses

August 9, 2011

August (early August) Garden Talks

Hello again,

I have been away from the keyboard for a few days but I am back where I should be able to bring a few early August Garden Talks and Tips over the next few days. So check back to this post often as we will be bringing different Quick Gardening Points to you!

*Now is a fine time to reapply some nice natural Garden Tone for your vegetable garden for that final push! Also Flower Tone for your perennial beds for the same reason. These natural fertilizers are great for the soil and will really help your plants--especially if all the fertilizer they have seen is Miracle Gro. Miracle Gro does get nutrients to the plants quickly but the nutrients also leach out quickly. Give your vegetable and flowering plants a good organic meal. (Plant Tone by Espoma or Pro Gro by North Country Organics can also be used for this purpose!) (8/03/2011)

*Now and through fall is a great time to overseed your lawn to help rejuvenate it. Your soil is nice and warm and the seed will just "pop" out of the ground. We have well priced but great quality seed and all the supplies you need to do the job right! (8/03/2011)
*Margaret of Away to Garden posted many great "August garden chores" for the upcoming month. They all apply well to Skillin's Country. Here are a couple of excellent pointers for the vegetable garden that should be acted on very soon:

"Sow another crop of peas right now for fall harvest (and perhaps freezing for offseason use)....another sowing of chard, radishes, carrots, arugula, kale, spinach, turnips, beets and lettuce means succulent fall crops. With salad greens, sow small amounts now and again in 10 days. Direct-sow one more row of bush beans if you don’t have later-producing pole beans to rely on for harvest now through fall, but do it fast." (8/02/2011)

*I have just fielded two customer questions about Tomato Blossom End Rot. Click HERE for a post from August 2010 that handles that dilemma quite well. Tomato Blossom End Rot is a common problem right now for gardeners in Skillin's Country--particularly those of us who grow tomatoes in containers. (8/01/2011)

Tomato Blossom End Rot (this can be treated!)

*Speaking of tomato issues, we should soon be hearing about and also seeing the semi terrifying Tomato Hornworm, quite often the biggest caterpillar you ever will see. Tomato Hornworms are voracious and they chomp lots of tomato leaves. In fact the Tomato Hornworm can eat up to 2 to 3 times its weight in fresh succulent tomato plants. This kind of eating really hampers the plant and the eventual tomato production.

Tomato Hornworm

Tomato Hornworm is best controlled with Spinosad--an all natural bacteria that only controls caterpillar type insects. Other old time insecticides like Sevin will harm bees--so don't use it! We offer Spinosad at Skillin's under the trade name of Captain Jack's Deadbug Brew by Bonide.


*I was looking at some of my beautiful Echinacea Coneflowers yesterday and I noticed lots of small buds lower on the bud below some of my profuse flowers. I do like to leave gone by flower heads for the birds to munch on BUT if we get "with it" and prune those aging flowers that will spur some very good re bloom by the Coneflower. So decision made. Spent flowers to be pruned over the next couple of weeks and I will get more flowers to enjoy! THEN the second and third waves of flowers will be left to age for the birds to pick at the seed heads. Everyone--birds and I--will be happy!

*Skillin's Moisture Meter: (8/03/2011)

New outdoor plantings (of vegetables, annuals, perennials, and certainly shrubs and trees) require 1 inch of water per week optimally spread out over at least two deep waterings per week. A "deep watering" is defined as a slow soaking of your plant's roots.

(More detail about "deep waterings": A soaking rain which brings a half inch of rain or more qualifies as a deep watering. In lieu of rain a deep watering can be accomplished by letting water run slowly out of a watering can or the end of your hose into each plant's root system or by having a soaker hose at work for several hours twice a week. In "non soaker hose situations", pause on your watering if the water starts to run off; let the water soak in and then begin to water again. Repeat this process several times and move onto the next plant. For larger trees and shrubs (and if you do not have a soaker hose) merely set a hose against the tree or shrub for 1 to 2 hours and let the water almost trickle into the ground and down into the plant's root system. Again if there is runoff, pause and let the water soak in. )

This Week's Moisture Meter Readings:

Quality rain (1).

Deep waterings required by you: (1).

Skillin's Country received a very generous supply of rain this past Friday night. That rain and some showers the previous Wednesday evening have served us well over the last few days. But some real sunny days over this past weekend have dried some areas again. Possible thunder showers are forecast over the next few days. Don't put those hoses away! I am thinking that a deep watering as described above will be needed by the end of this week or by this weekend of the 6th and 7th! Our plants are growing well and pulling moisture--do not deny them!

Stay tuned over the next few days--I will post any updated thoughts right here!

Let us know if you have any watering questions!


Mike Skillin
Skillin's Greenhouses
August 1, 2011