Category: Home & Garden

It’s well-known that running irrigation overnight during hard freezes can save blooms and fruit from being destroyed.

During the weather in the teens last night, we attempted it with a big loquat tree that was loaded with blooms and fruit.

We used bungee cords to put a sprinkler up on the fence, then ran it the entire night.

What I didn’t expect was how much ice would accumulate on the tree. The weight of it was way too much, and…

Rats. That’s worse that losing the fruit.

Unfortunately, loquats aren’t well-suited to this area. Though the trees themselves are quite cold hardy, their fruits and blooms are not. They also have the annoying habit of blooming from November – January and setting fruit just as the frosts come.

There are loquat trees here and there all around our area, yet we almost never see any fruit. It’s really too bad.

Once the ice melts, we’ll see if we can save the tree through some careful pruning.

In the past, we saved our blueberry harvest by running sprinklers overnight. We just didn’t count on the weight of the ice on the big loquat leaves. Should’ve known better.

I’m a tropical boy. Still can’t get the hang of dealing with the cold and ice.

Today we’re visiting with Max Cannon who gardens in south San Francisco, California:

Our garden started as a barren plot of concrete and hard-pan clay in 2017, our mission has been to create a feeling of oasis in an urban setting.

Gardening is our primary tool for self-expression, our palette includes a diverse array of plants including bromeliads, palms, and succulents.

Vertical elements are a key feature in our very small garden creating a feeling of enclosure.

We have also tried to create intimate seating areas, places we can relax and admire the diverse array of plant forms in our garden.

While floral color is minimal and subdued most of the year, foliage color is always a primary concern when selecting and placing plants in the garden.

We have emphasized silver and blue in our garden, and have used bold paint colors on our home to help create a backdrop for our beloved plants, including a wall inspired by Yves St. Laurent’s Villa Oasis.

Recycled material has also become a key element in our garden, a favorite is the mattress springs we scavenge around town. Here a mattress spring serves as a place for Tillandsia (air plants) to  growing and blooming.

If you want to see more of this beautiful garden, check out their instagram: @planty_magoo

 

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

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Today we’re visiting with Fran Cohen who gardens in Rhode Island:

In the middle of my winter gardening routine, pouring over seed catalogs, reviewing favorite gardening books and old Fine Gardening magazines, I saw the FG comment that GPOD submissions are slow in the winter. That prompted me to look back at the years’ garden photos to see if there was anything worth sharing. And that gave me a new perspective on my 2023 gardening year. Instead of my lingering preoccupation with the damage done by deer and rabbits and bugs, I’m pleased to remember highlights.

Most of my hellebore flowers (Helleborus hybrids, Zone 4 – 8) are downward facing so flotation is a perfect way to enjoy them.

This beautiful red quince (Chaenomeles speciosa, Zone 4 – 8) isn’t very full because it doesn’t get as much sun as it should, but it’s still one of my spring favorites. The buds are beautiful, the flowers are like tiny roses, and the color is so rich.

I haven’t had the best luck with this tree peony (Paeonia hybrid, Zone 4 – 8) which has been moved umpteen times, but it seems happy here, backed by a doublefile viburnum (Viburnum plicatum, Zone 5 – 7).

This is a shady spot between a magnolia and a stewartia where a robust but delicate maiden hair fern (Adiantum pedatum, Zone 3 – 8) enjoys the company of a geranium (Geranium × cantabrigiense, Zone 5 – 8), forget-me-nots (Myosotis sylvatica, Zone 3 – 8)and sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum, Zone 4 – 8).

This arch has been the site of a few family weddings.

We took out an old in-wall air conditioner and instead of patching the hole added a window which gives us a very nice garden view.

Here is another flowering viburnum (forgot the name). I like the sorbaria (Sorbaria sorbifolia, Zone 2 – 8) foliage but take it from me, it needs to be confined to a pot.

This year my sister and I gifted each other with a rose. Here is my new beautiful David Austin ‘Gabrielle Oaks’.

This nicotiana (looks like Nicotiana sylvestris, Zone 10 – 11 or as annual) has an interesting history. It first appeared 2-3 years ago as a weed in a big potted Meyer lemon tree which overwinters in the house. Rather than disturb the lemon tree, I kept cutting back the seedling. Finally in year three I repotted the lemon and put the well rooted nicotiana in the ground where it took off, getting taller than me. Now I have lots of seeds to spread around the garden.

The seed heads of large alliums lightly sprayed with white paint make a good winter arrangement.

 

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.

You can submit your garden poems to the webmaster.

Prayer in a Garden
Today the world seemed cruel, but evening hours
Were filled with perfume from forgotten flowers.
I saw again familiar filigree
Of moonlight through my lacy Lilac tree;
I heard the robins stirring in their nest;
And saw the path that fairy feet had pressed;
Reflected stars were in my garden pool;
On my warm face the breeze was kind and cool.
The silence seemed to speak, my head was bowed,
Then ramblers that had grown into a cloud
Lifted my eyes that, tear-washed, now could see
The beauty that today was lost to me.
Dear god, who is so near to flowers, and birds,
Be nearer still, as I shall search for words
To thank Thee for the blessings night revealed,
Which through the day discouragement concealed.
-EvA SPARKs TAYLOR

Wild Orchid
“The flower that walks”, the Indian; said,

And walking spreads its crown-like roots
Through forest glades and upland dales.
Moccasin flower or Lady’s Slipper,
It matters not the name
Or if it be fair white or rose or tiny yellow kind
Tis ever rare and wondrous there
This woodland beauty Bequeathed us from another age.

A Heritage to guard with care
And cherish for posterity
That other eyes in future years
Mav see this Orchid walk the trails
As did our native Indian braves
And shy eyed maidens of the tribe.
-HELEN M. FLEET

WHEN RING THE BELLS
Lightly fall the Rains
On Heads bowed down in Grace,
And now the Summer Sun
Dries each upturned Face.

The Distant Bells are sparkling
And sweeten Lilac air;
Bright Rainbows flowing with the Wind-
The Congregation stares.

Daisies, Bluebells, joined in Prayer
One Summer’s windswept Day,
Knowing God and all his Blessings,
While with the Wind they Sway.
–Dave Vahlberg 6-26-2002

Will to Live
I think of all things that show a zest
For life, the dandelion beats the rest.
The little winged seeds from its white fluff ball
Settle and grow with no urging at all.
Settle in most unlikely places
And soon there’s a crop of dandelion faces.

They are man’s worst pest, but a child’s playthings.
Sometimes I wish I had light down wings
Like a dandelion seed, and could settle at will
On a velvety lawn or a sun-spread hill,
And live with the eagerness and zest
Of the wanton little dandelion pest.
-MARY TRIPLETT

Rebirth
Four days
Her petals furled
Gainst chilling wind and rain.
Came sun-and rose disclosed her heart
Purr gold
-Emma Berthelot

Rainbow Treasure
I have found the treasure
That lies at the Rainbow’s end;
Wealth beyond computing
Is mine to give or lend.

Opals of an April dawn,
Gold of a shimmering noon,
Amethysts of the sunset,
Pearls with the glow of the moon.

Would you like to share it?
There’s more than enough for all
In my Iris Garden
Against a grey stone wall.
-AGNES HAYES POST

Garden Magic
This is the garden’s magic,
That through the sunny hours
The gardener who tends it, Himself outgrows his flowers.

He grows by gift of patience,
Since he who sows must know
That only in the Lord’s good time
Does any seedling grow.

He learns from buds unfolding,
From each tight leaf unfurled,
That his own heart, expanding,
Is one with all the world.

He bares his head to sunshine,
His bending back a sign
Of grace, and ev’ry shower becomes
His sacramental wine.

And when at last his labors
Bring forth the very stuff
And substance of all beauty
This is reward enough.
-MARIE NETTLETON CARROLL

Springtime
Oh, spring came to my garden
And caught it unaware
Wearing just a few old leaves
And a dejected air.

But when spring left my garden,
Its work so deftly done,
Many, many Daffodils
Were dancing in the sun.
-Velma D. BATES.

Hillside, Narcissus
There’s a grassy slope not far away
Where thousands of Narcissus bloom,
And I catch my breath, as I watch them sway
Tossing their sweet perfume.

Gaily they nod their dear little heads
And smilingly welcome me,
As they spring up fresh from their winter beds,
Eager for company.

Their round white faces fair and clean
Are purer than frost or snow,
And I thank the hands, tho’ now unseen;
That planted them, long ago.
-NORA MC FARLANE

Memorial
I’ve had the garden tidied up,
As she would have me do.
This little pal who couldn’t stay
To see the season through.
The flowers were her dearest friends,
The garden was her own,
I’ve watched her work, but never knew
The things that she had grown.
Her, catalogues keep coming, and
Her garden magazine;
I run across the queerest names,
And study what they mean,
I read them all, from end to end,
And when the spring is here,
I’ll have a garden just like hers,
As though my wife were near.
Albert H. PEDRICK

Hen and Chickens
The “Hen” is in the’ garden,
And the “Chickens” are there, too;
They’ve traveled far to get here,
Across the ocean blue.

Of course, they do no scratching,
The reason is they can’t;
They’re not like other chickens,
For they are just a plant.
-JOHN CARROLL

The Garden
Across the road a garden grew,
And bent among the flowers,
A spare old man stooped to his task
Or he sat and dreamed for hours.

He had slaved away his early youth
In a pharmacy day and night.
A pallid drudge year in, year out,
He was starved for color and light.

He had no time for romance,
He grew to shun mankind.
Too stingy to spend emotion,
He closed his heart and mind.

He reaped the fruits of frustration,
In that dull round of care.
A life out of doors, the learned man said,
Might bring surcease from despair.

The gay nasturtiums stirred his heart,
Velvet dahlias woke his pride
The roses he loved like children,
The lily was his bride.

He left this mortal plane long since,
But the garden calls him still:
He walks there when the moon is low,
A bent form, dim and chill.
-FRANCES STRAWN LIVINGSTON

Laughter
When a gauzy, purple butterfly,
Softly tilts a golden flower,
It’s cool wings ease the summer flame
As laughter sooths a troubled hour.
-COURTNEY E. Cottam

Day’s End
The twilight comes to cool the. air,
The shadows lengthen on the sod,
Soft breezes blow the garden through,
The leaves and blossoms sway and nod.

On garden path, in sheltering hedge,
In treetops dark and cloudless sky,
The evening birds awake to life,
To stir; to sing and upward fly.
And flowers, warm with summer heat,
Expand to greet the softened light
And shed, to show their gratitude,
A fragrance in the summer night.
Now all is peace. From meadows near
A cooling mist blows o’er the wall
And strangely lonesome in the night
There comes the thrush’s silvery call.
-EDWIN W. PROCTOR

Garden Overtones
Gay visitors invade the bordered path;
Some rest on ageratum’s downy blue
Some tap the, honeyed dew
Deep in Dresden cups;
A few

Float lazily through shafts of summer sun.
Yellow ones, brown ones,, bronze and midnight blue
Silver stippled, gold edged, In rainbow rendezvous.

One golden day The Artist
Gathered grace and luster and light,
And made in endless surprise,
Unbelievable
Butterflies.
-THEODOSIA E. Fenner

Crape Myrtle
As lovely as soft bits of fragile crinkled silk,
These rosy blossoms, clustered thick upon the heavy
drooping boughs,
When shaken by a summer wind,
Drop down in swirling showers,
And drift awhile about the ground;
Then gathered into frothy heaps beneath the hedge,
They spread a frill of rosy lace around the green lawns
edge.
– LEDA CLEMENTS

The Gardener’s Morning
The robin’s song at daybreak
Is a clarion call to me.Get up and get out in the garden,
For the morning hours flee.

I cannot resist the summons,
What earnest gardener could?
For the golden hours of morning
Get into the gardener’s blood.

The magic spell is upon me,
I’m glad that I did not wait;
For life’s at its best in the morning,
As you pass through the garden gate.
– Howard Dolf

Unaware
There is no greater loss in life to man,
Than being unaware at early dawn
Of Earth’s awakening from a silver; mist
Shot through with golden threads of breaking morn.

There is no greater sorrow in the world,
Than eyes unseeing, color everywhere,
Or ears unhearing, softly wafted notes
From Nature’s great cathedral of the air.

There is no soul so dead as one of these,
Whose voyage leads through empty life, where hearts
Are veiled in darkness, claiming not the treasures,
Which Nature’s beauty to the world imparts.
-MABEL G. AUSTIN

Garden Sanctuary
You who walk,
Maybe with troubled thoughts,
Come, enter here and rest;
And may the sweet serenity of growing things,
And the heavenly peace
Be mirrored in the soul.
-Doxis M. Palmer

Retribution
Who would a growing thing uproot,
Deny it right to bring forth fruit,
Tears more than beauty from the sod,
He rends his sour in sight of God.
– GEORGIA BERRY HENLEY

Vespers
The golden sun has gone, the busy day is done.
Twilight has come and with it peace draws near
To dwell an hour .within my garden walls, while in
The lambent sky the first pale stars appear.
The wheeling shadows that so slowly marked the hours
Have left no impress on the tender grass,
Nor does the air hold fast the patterns bold and free
That winging birds weave as the warm days pass.
The red pool is stilled at last, and Lily buds
Prepare to open gently to the night
And to the questing moth whose fragile, gauzy wings
Quiver too rapidly for human sight.
In. this tranquillity, touch, hearing, sight are lulled.
I am as selfless as the scented airs
That wrap me round, while daylight’s drowsy flowers
Send out the fragrance of? their vesper prayers.

-MARIE NETTLETON CARROLL

Dew-Drops
Our garden in the morning
Is a display of precious gems;
One can see the Roses holding
Shining crystals, jewels hidden
By the fleeing night
Between
Red folds of velvet.
-MILDRED L. ELLIOTT

The Rose
Above Joppa, in the pasture-land of Sharon,
God set, a Rose
It blossomed, even as the rod of Aaron;
The wild bee gathered honey from its cup . .
And then man came and took the flower up
And labored to improve it, year by year,
A petal there another petal here
A color deeper than the tubes of God
Had furnished, when He set it in the sod,
A leaf more rank, arid varnished thorn and stem
Until, at last, it was a perfect flower,
Fit to adorn even nature’s diadem.
And God looked on, remembering
The hills, of Palestine above the plain
The flower lie set to mark the ages’ dawn,
Root, brier and thorn; and Autumn’s scarlet hip,
And said: ”’Tis well! my work man carries on;
Behold the product of our partnership.”
-FLORENCE Boucle DAMS

Prize Entry-Flower Show
A strange half-folded Lily, white and slim,
Frail mosses leaning on a white bowl’s rim;
Exotic water plants and small white shells
Fashion in miniature a sandless reef.
A Chinese Mandarin of whitest jade
Gazes, unseeing, in scornful disbelief.

Helen BAYLEY DAVIS

Winged Jewel
(The Huming, Bird)
Feathered fire of emerald .
A flashing through the air,
Its throat a glowing jewel,
A ruby solitaire.

Intrepid wings are whirring
In airy, fairy flight,
Careening through the sunshine,
A scintillating sprite.

Then pendant o’er flower
It dips its dainty hill
And gathers honeyed nectar
From flowery cup and frill.

Now darting, swiftly turning,
It seeks the trumpet vine,
A little tropic jewel
Aflame with nectared wine.
-CORA L. CONE

At Dawn
I slipped into the garden
Almost before ’twas light,
As the lazy sun arose
I glimpsed a charming sight…
Red Poppy flung her cap aside,
Shook out her silken skirt;
The way she danced with a young breeze
Told me she was a flirt!
-MARY C. SHAW

Weeder’s Thoughts
I have raked the soil and planted the seeds
Now I’ve joined the army that fights the weeds.
For me no flashing saber and sword,
To battle the swiftly marching horde;
With a valiant heart, I fight the foe,
My only weapon a trusty hoe.
No martial music to swing me along,
I march to the robin redbreast song.
No stirring anthem of bugle and drum
But the cricket’s chirp and the honey bee’s hum.
No anti-aircraft or siren yell
But there’s Trumpet-creeper and Lily-bell.
With a loving heart and a sturdy hand,
I defend the borders of flower-land;
While high over Larkspur and Leopardsbane,
A butterfly pilots his tiny plane;
But I shall not fear his skillful hand,
My enemy charges only by land.
Would those who lead nations in war and hate
But lay down their guns at some garden gate,
There, bury- their bombs and their bloody deeds,
And join the grand army that’s fighting the weeds.
-ALMA B. Eymann

Sunflowers
Walls of gold encircle
Pasturelands and plains,
Rimming hills and meadows, Edging country lanes.

Skirting cloistered forests,
Girdling fen and down,
Bordering the roadsides,
Shutting in the town.

Concentrated splendor
Of the year they hold,
Fortresses enclosing
Summer’s garnered gold.
-ELIZABETH E. BARNES

Canterbury Bells
Long years ago devoted folk
Sought Canterbury’s well-known shrine,
That in this church they might invoke
Saint Thomas for a heavenly sign.
And as they trod each rang a bell
For symbol of their pilgrim aim,
While all along the way the spell
Of nodding blossoms caused acclaim.
Today these flowers still are true
To the old title which they bear.
Swinging their bells, pink, white or blue,
With unheard pealings through the air.
–EDITH M. LARRABEE

Hummingbird
Won’t you stop a minute
While I note your color?
Dash and flutter thin it;
Trembling makes it duller.

You are like a petal
Summer winds are blowing,
Far too light to settle-
Ah, must you be going?
–EVA WILLES WANGSGAARD

The White Trillium
Trillium graceful, Trillium white,
Star of the woodland, Lady of light
Lo, how she proudly
Stands in the glade,
Tri-sceptred sovereign,
Queen of the shade.
Stately she rises,
Slender-stemmed, tall,
Gracious response to Spring’s early call,
Lifting three leaf-arms
High from the sod,
Gazing with pure face lip at her god.
–Milena Matcska

Reverie
A warm and cheery fire roars merrily
And shadows dance about the darkened room.
Beside the hearth a gardener sits and dreams
Of sunny days, of flowers in full bloom.
Some hollyhocks should tower near the fence,
Bright red. ones that the bees can’t help but find.
The trellis at the gate again must wear
Blue morning glories, or the rosy kind.
To lend a bit of distance to the scene,
Close to the rear I’ll plant in shades of blue:
The tall and stately larkspur, double ones­
Of course I’ll put in scabiosa, too.
I couldn’t do without a pansy bed­
Snapdragons make such beautiful bouquets­
Frilled zinnias and yellow marigolds
Add just the proper touch to autumn days.
The flowers grow and bloom with loveliness
Until a sound destroys the fantasy­
A burning ember falls and I must leave
My garden and my charming reverie.
-HELEN BATH SWANSON

Inner Food
I never let a full day pass
Without a touch of leaf or grass,
And never sunset goes but I
Must cool my lips against the sky.

For life grows acrid as a ‘sloe
As less and less of earth we know;
And life grows hollow as a reed
Without some earth on which to feed.

Earth is no friend we may forget.
For she and man are intimate,
And when the years pile up and leave
The little graves at which we grieve,

He, who has kept this nutrient link
With God, has inner food and drink;
Has more of faith and less of dearth,
And one true friend, the constant Earth.
-EVA WILLES WANGSGAARD

Trees
Trees are joy-inspiring
In those first sweet days of May
Stretching forth their lacy tendrils
To entice the lark to stay.
Trees are gracious, charming
When glossed with summer sheen
They catch the vagrant breezes
And spread their shady green. .
And somehow in the Autumn
When the magic touch of time
Has clad these trees in russet-gold
We sense a hand divine.
Yet Trees in winter fascinate
When their gaunt, nude forms arise
And trace in grotesque patterns,
Silhouettes against the skies.
-C. H. BOLTON

Winter Embroidery
The snow upon the hillsides
Makes them like great flour sacks
On which the birds and animals
Have cross-stitched with their tracks.
-THELMA IRELAND

What Is a Tree?
What is a tree”
Well doubtless he
Who dwells in city streets by choice May never know.
But souls that breathe expanding life outdoors
Know trees as brothers, friends; and feel aglow
With kindred fellowship and common voice.

Yes, bees do know
And birds have made
The trees their lifelong homes
And what is nearer or more intimately ours than home?

What is a tree?
The soul of God!
Whose budding leaves and blossoms in the Spring
Bespeak Creation.
Whose shade in Summer cools
The burning heat of life and brings us peace;
Whose bronzing colors in the Autumn landscape glow
With pride of fruitfulness, God’s bounty, man’s maturity.
Whose bare strong arms in Winter steadfast hold
Against- the ice and storms of life when courage sags
When green and sap of youth have lost their bold
Firm power and interest lags.

What is a tree?
Oh! Yes, I know! ‘Tis God.
‘Tis His own way to speak His majesty,
His voice, His power, His love, His mystery..
-G. Thomas DUNLOP

Angels in My Garden
Among my gift begonias
Is one called “Angel-wing”,
So true to form I fancy
I hear the seraphs sing.
For surely higher beings
Inspired the friendly hearts
Of my new    next-door neighbors
To give me these “new starts”.

O Angels, hover always
About this garden spot!
Help- me to share life’s blossoms
With those who have them not!
And from your shining wing-tips
Shake fragrance for the hearts
Of beauty-hungry thousands
Today, who need new starts!
-IRENE STANLEY

He Knows No Winter
He knows no winter, he who loves the soil,
For, stormy days, when he is free from toil,
He plans his summer crops, selects his seeds
From bright-paged catalogues for garden needs.
When looking out upon frost-silvered fields,
He visualizes autumn’s golden yields;
He sees in snow and sleet and icy rain
Precious moisture for his early grain;
He hears spring-heralds in the storm’s ‘ turmoil­
He knows no winter, he who loves the soil.
-SUDIE STUART HAGER

The Lilt o’ the Year
A melancholy mantle rests
Upon the land; the sea.
The wind in tristful cadence moans
A mournful threnody.
There flits no gleeful insect,
No blithesome bee nor bird;
0’er all the vast of Nature
No joyful sound is heard.
In garments sere and somber
Each vine and tree is clad:
It’s dreary-hearted winter,
And all the earth is sad.

In festal robes, bright garlanded;
A-lilt comes laughing Spring;
From fragrant meadow calls the lark;
The butterfly’s awing;
On hill and plain the wildflowers,
To crown the sweet event,
Have donned, in mood elated,
Their gay habiliment;
In garments viridescent
Each vine and tree is clad­
It’s happy-hearted springtime,
And all the earth is glad!
-HAZEL DELL CRANDALL

Evening Hours
The dusk has little gateways
That lead to pleasant homes
Enveloped in the soft light
Before the darkness comes.

Each home is in a garden
Alight with vivid blooms,
And there are fragrant posies
In all the restful rooms.

They are so cool and quiet,
After the hectic day,
After the crowded hours
That rush us on our way.

They are the little havens
Where we may turn to sit
And rest us in a leisure
The day could not permit.
-ELLA C.Forbes

My Choice
In all my garden’s length and breadth
I like these common things­
A sturdy, low-branched apple tree
Where, daily, a finch sings;
The clematis that trims: the fence
With garlands of white lace;
The maidenhair and Ostrich ferns
That fill each shady; space;
The fragrance of quaint mignonette
When touched with evening dew
And best of all I like grass pinks
Like those my mother grew.
-VELMA D. BATES

Indoor Gardener
A February wind blows dismally,
The sky is full of dark clouds hanging low,
The garden lies in numbed frigidity
And waits the falling of another snow.

Today, I planted seeds despite the cold,
For my tomato plants will mind it not­
Their tiny leaves will presently unfold
At my south window; in a flower pot!
-HELEN BATH SWANSON

Garden: South Freeport
In the garden where your mother
sat mending the torn sail
laundry flaps deliriously.
The boat is in dry dock.

You are sole mistress
of this place, counting
the deer among the asparagus,
bare feet heedless of ticks.

Over the porch, a wasp’s nest breeds
while an oriole pecks the fallen peach.
It is summer once again,
the season at its fevered work—

small calamities in the grass,
weeds encroaching on dianthus,
ant struggling with a skeletal bee,
the rock garden dry and gray.

A trowel gleams in the sun,
but the air is charged with storm.
Gravity pulls the rosy heads down.
It will not do to work today.

From the harbor, unseen, a wind
whips up the speckled iris
and lifts the veiled curtains
of the nonagenarian’s tilting house.

The first drops dampen
the gardener at midlife,
who hefts a basket of weeds,
pausing to take root and stock.
-Carol Alexander

Grass
By Michael C. Walker

Oh green, vibrant rich thatch of earth, so perfectly cut, each blade precise;
As tufts of cyan and amber sprout wild and feral in an unruly tangle.
My hapless endeavor, with tool in hand, against weed and root I wrangle.
The sun on my back, ahead drenched in sweat, weariness grows, perhaps heat stroke, or maybe death.
To quench my thirst I reach for one tall glass, though, if it were my druthers, I’d settle for a lawn full of green grass.

“A Gardeners Outlook on Life”
by Laurie Jo DeGrave 2003

Take up the spade with song.
Nurture early on.
Be fervent while you plot.
Chart the spot.
Prune with certainty and care.
Growth stops there.
Patience, patience, time to grow.
Reap what you sow.
Hardly the Garden of Eden?
Thankful for another season.

If you would like to know who grew the largest pumpkin this year, or learn how to grow a giant pumpkin that even your dad can’t pick up. This pumpkin patch will provide you with all the answers. Just look at the links below for all the great information you can find about pumpkins.

The key points on growing a large pumpkin:

• Soil – make sure it is tilled with good organic matter. Plan for 25-foot square area
• Seed – Look for great genetic seeds
• Pollination – Did Mother Nature pollinate your flower or did you?
• Temperature – Did you plant your pumpkin too early?
• Watering – Pumpkins grow due to Soil, Temperature, and Water
• Place soil over the vine nodes
• Limit the plant to two or three pumpkins
• More to read…..
  

Now that you have some understanding of how to grow your big pumpkin, you will need to consider shading it to prevent cracking or blowing up from growing too quickly. Yes, the pumpkin can blow up if it grows too quickly. Over watering can cause it to grow to quickly.

If you feel you have a mammoth pumpkin or you want to know the pumpkin’s weight, there are two methods to determine the weight. One method is to measure it, and the other is to take it to a weigh-off and meet other pumpkin growers.

If you need help understanding how to grow one of these mammoths, I have listed several home pages and books to assist you. With all my secrets, you can grow that 1000-pound pumpkin this year.

Each year, my Uncle and I have a competition to see who can grow the largest pumpkin. A couple of years ago, I gave my Uncle Bill some Atlantic Giant pumpkin seeds, and now he’s hooked!

Here are some of the pumpkin growing secrets, I have learned over the years.

Do you want to know how a world-record pumpkin looks?  I hope you are not bored yet, because you want to understand how these large pumpkins got started and why there are several organizations, then you better read this Outsider article.

Some people go out of their way to figure out WHAT TO DO WITH A PUMPKIN. Sometimes you are left with a pumpkin which is so large that one fellow decided to use it as a boat. Can a pumpkin support an outboard motor?
Additional Pumpkin Pages

How To Grow – Records – Clipart – Seeds – Poems – Phantom Pumpkin – Carving – Pumpkin – FAQ’s – How Big is it?

Photo credit – Wallace Wopper Organic Pumpkins

Two main groups of cherries are cultivated for the merit of their fruit, the `sweet’, dessert (Prunus avium) and the `sour’, culinary (Prunus cerasus); a third group, the ‘Duke’ cherries, form an intermediate class. The sweets are subdivided into the ‘black’ and ‘white’ varieties. All fruiting cherries are hardy in the British Isles, though the blossom may be damaged by spring frosts.

Named varieties are propagated onto rootstocks by budding in July and August, or by grafting in March, which would be rather unusual. Seedling Gean Mazzard and the clonal Malling F 12/1 rootstocks are used. Unfortunately, as yet, a dwarfing rootstock is not available and a mature sweet cherry tree may be up to 10m (30ft) tall with a corresponding spread too large for the average modern garden. Bush Morello (sour) trees rarely exceed a height of 5m (15ft).

Sour cherries do well in almost any situation and are particularly valuable for training as fan trees against a north-facing wall unsuited to other fruits. Although sweet cherries can also be grown as fans, they dislike hard pruning and are happiest as standards or half standards given minimum pruning. Plant standards 10m (30ft) apart, half standards 8m (25ft), bush and fan trees 5m (15ft). Cherries as a class dislike poorly drained, heavy soils. The sweet varieties do well on deep, light to medium loams while the sour ones will tolerate poor soils, provided they are not waterlogged. Lime in the soil is not essential as is commonly supposed.

Morello cherries are self-fertile and will pollinate any sweet cherry flowering concurrently. Most sweet cherries are infertile with their own pollen and often with certain other varieties. The John Innes Institute has classified the sweets into a number of groups but not with their companions (see table above). It is important to select varieties for interplanting whose blossom period coincides or overlaps. A few varieties called universal donors are compatible with all groups flowering at the same time. The dessert cherry season extends from mid-June to mid-August; culinary kinds are used throughout the year for cooking, bottling, and making jam or cherry ale.

Cultivation Young trees, not exceeding five years old, transplant best. Planting can be carried out at any time from mid-October to mid-March, whenever the soil is sufficiently friable to be worked between the roots.

Excavate a wide hole just deep enough to allow the roots to be covered with 10-13cm (4-6in) of soil. Plant firmly and stake securely. Shorten the previous season’s growth on the leading branches by half, and side shoots to 8cm (3in). In the spring, mulch the soil surface over the root area with composted vegetable refuse or decayed straw. Do not let weeds encroach for the first few years.

Sweet cherries fruit chiefly on the spurs formed freely on the older wood. Pruning consists of maintaining the tree to an open habit with an evenly balanced head, together with the removal of dead, crossing, and rubbing branches. This minimal pruning should be confined to the spring and early summer when infection from silver leaf disease is least likely.

Sour cherries fruit on shoots formed the previous season. After the basic fan of branches has been built up by shortening the leaders annually as for sweet cherries, annually replaced side growths are tied in parallel to the permanent branches. The replacement shoots are selected from May to August-one near the base of a fruiting shoot and another at its tip to draw sap to the fruit; all others are pinched out when quite small. The tip of the terminal shoot itself is pinched out when 8-l0cm (3-4in) of growth has been made.

After the cherries have been gathered, the fruited shoots are pruned back at their junction with the selected replacement shoots. The latter are then tied in neatly as before.

Cherries appreciate a spring mulch of farmyard manure at the rate of 51kg (1cwt) to 10 sq. m (10 sq. yd), or 56-84g (2-3oz) per sq. m (sq. yd) of Nitro-chalk if manure is unobtainable, plus an autumn application of 28-56g (1-2oz) per sq. m (sq. yd) of sulfate of potash. Trees on walls respond to being fed with liquid manure.

Protecting the fruit from bird dame is necessary, using fish nets or rayon spider’s web material on trees of a suitable size, or by bird scaring where trees are too large to net.

Sweet cherry pollination groups

Group 1.‘Early Rivers’ (e), ‘Bedford Prolific’ (e), ‘Knight’s Early Black’ (e), ‘Roundel Heart’ (m).

Group 2.‘Bigarreau de Schrecken’ (e), ‘Waterloo’ (e), ‘Merton Favourite’ (e), ‘Frogmore Early’ (m),’Merton Bigarreau'(m), ‘Merton Bounty’ (m).

Group 3. ‘Bigarreau Napoleon’ (m), ‘Emperor Francis’ (m).

Group 4.‘Merton Premier’ (m), ‘Amber Heart’ (m).

Group 5. ‘Merton Heart’ (e), ‘Governor Wood’ (m).

Group 6.‘Bradbourne Black’ (1),’Geante de Hedelfingen’ (1).

Universal Donors:‘Noir de Guben’ (e); ‘Merton Glory’ (m), ‘Bigarreau Gaucher’ (1).

Flowering period:(e) early; (m) midseason; (1) late.

The pear grown in Britain is the European Pear which derives from Pyrus communis, native of the temperate parts of Europe and the western part of southern Asia as far as the Himalayas. In America some varieties are grown which are hybrids between the European Pear (as represented by ‘William’s Bon Chrdtien’, known in America as ‘Bartlett’) and Pyrus serotina, the Japanese
sand pear.

Pears have been cultivated since very early times (Pliny, the Roman writer, knew of 39 distinct varieties) and they may have been introduced to Britain during the Roman occupation. They were certainly grown in monastic gardens and were popular in Tudor times. The nineteenth century saw the introduction of hundreds of new varieties, many originating in France and Belgium. Today, the number of varieties favoured by market growers can be numbered on one’s fingers.

In the opinion of most people dessert pears have a flavour superior to that of apples; it is more pronounced and the pears themselves are frequently much juicier. The best dessert pears have a melting consistency like butter (and hence the French word beurre applied to many varieties), although, for texture, many people prefer a crisp apple.

Although pear trees are longer-lived than apples, they tend to spur more freely forming too many clusters of buds. They are less prone to pest and disease attack, they flower earlier and therefore are more vulnerable to spring frosts. A few varieties only are suitable for growing in the open in most parts of Britain. Others need the protection of a wall, and some not only require such shelter but will thrive only in our warmer districts.

Although all dessert pears can be cooked if they are picked while still slightly unripe, particular varieties are usually grown for this purpose. Special varieties, too, are grown for the making of perry, a fermented drink made from the juice in much the same way as cider is from apple juice.

A slightly acidic soil suits pears best and a very alkaline soil should be avoided as, in such conditions, pears suffer badly from iron deficiency.

Compared with apples, pears are more likely to withstand poor drainage but are less able to tolerate dryness. A very light sandy soil, therefore, must be liberally enriched with humus-forming and moisture-holding materials. The ideal soil is a deep, rich loam somewhere between light and heavy.

Standard or half-standard trees take many years to come into bearing and eventually become too large for the average garden. Bush-type trees, pyramids, cordons, fans or espaliers are, therefore, more appropriate for small gardens, and these are usually grown on ‘Mailing Quince A’ rootstocks.

The form of the tree to be grown depends rather on the space available. For the open garden, bushes, pyramids or cordons are the usual choice. Bushes take up most room but their maintenance takes the least time. Pyramids come into bearing more quickly and their small size makes spraying, picking and protection from birds easier. Their pruning, however, takes rather more attention. Cordons require posts and wires for support but have the merit of taking up little room individually so that a single row can comprise a collection of varieties providing a succession of fruit. A row of cordons, too, can sometimes be planted on the southern side of a wall or close-boarded fence, so that full advantage is taken of the wind shelter thus provided.

Fans (trained specimens) can be grown in the open, with suitable posts and wires for support, but this is the best type of tree to grow against walls. Espalier-training may also be used against walls and espalier pears may be planted as a decorative yet useful edging to vegetable plots. The latter idea used to be more popular than it is today; the drawback is that fruit planted on the edge of the vegetable plot is liable to receive too much nitrogen so that growth is encouraged rather than fruiting, and suitable spraying is sometimes difficult where the drift may be harmful to other crops.

Planting should be done between fall and March—the sooner the better, and provided the soil is friable, following normal lines of procedure. The union between scion and rootstock must be well above soil level (10cm [4in]). If this point is not observed and roots are formed by the scion, the dwarfing effect of the rootstock will be obviated and the tree will, not only grow too large but will be many years coming into bearing. It should be noted, too, that where trees have been double-worked (because of incompatibility between quince and the chosen variety), there will be two unions and it is the lower one which must be quite clear of the soil.

After planting, staking and making firm, it is advisable to put down a 5cm (2in) deep mulch of garden compost, well-rotted stable manure, peat or leafmould which will help to keep the soil moist in the event of a dry spring. Newly planted pears should be inspected regularly in dry weather and watered liberally if there is any tendency to dry out.

For quality fruit the following planting distances should be regarded as the minimum: cordons (1 x 2m [3 x 6ft]), fan-trained and espalier on ‘Quince C’ (4m [12ft] apart) on ‘Quince A’ (5m [15ft] apart) dwarf pyramids (1.3 x 2.3m [4 x 7ft]) on ‘Quince A’ (5m [15ft] each way), standard and half-standard (1m [35ft] each way).

The subsequent manuring of pear trees should be adjusted according to performance.

In many cases pears will be maintained in good health by an annual (spring) application of rotted dung—a dressing on the surface about 5cm (2in) deep—this mulch then being gently pricked into the soil surface with the fork in autumn. As an alternative or where no dung is available, a mixture of chemical fertilizers should be given early in February; 56g (2oz) of superphosphate of lime, 28g (loz) of sulphate of ammonia and 14g (1/2oz) of sulphate of potash per sq m (sq yd) sprinkled as far as the roots extend (approximately the same as the spread of the branches or the height of the tree, whichever is greater) and raked into the surface.

In general, the pruning of pears follows similar lines to that of apples (see Fruit pruning), and so does the spraying to control pests and diseases.

In harvesting pears, it is particularly important to pick at the right moment. With early varieties, it is preferable to pick a little too soon than to wait too long, but with mid-season and late-keeping sorts, the pears should be picked only when they separate easily from the spur on being lifted just above the horizontal in the palm and then given a very slight twist.

In choosing pear varieties to plant it is necessary to consider not only the purpose (dessert, cooking, bottling) and personal taste, but also the provision of suitable pollinators which must flower at the same time as the variety to be pollinated.

The varieties `Jargonelle’, ‘Josephine de Malines’ and ‘Packham’s Triumph’ are tip-bearers and on that account should be avoided for pyramids, cordons, fans, or other forms of the trained tree.

Abies nordmanniana is a stately fir tree, usually growing 40 to 60 feet in height when cultivated, but up to 200 feet in the wild. The lustrous dark green needles densely cover the branches and have 2 whitish bands underneath. The large 5- to 6-inch cones are reddish brown, cylindrical or tapered somewhat. Grows best in slightly acidic soils in full to part sun. ‘Prostrata’, a low-growing cultivar, has needles that are flat and blunt. It has a prostrate habit.

Google Plant Images: click here!

Characteristics

Cultivar: Prostrata  
Family: Pinaceae  
Size: Height: 0 ft. to 6 ft.
Width: 0 ft. to 0 ft.  
Plant Category: ground covers, landscape, trees,  
Plant Characteristics: low maintenance, prostrate, spreading,  
Foliage Characteristics: evergreen,  
Flower Characteristics:  
Flower Color:  
Tolerances: rabbits, wind,  

Requirements

Bloomtime Range: not applicable  
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 6  
AHS Heat Zone: Not defined for this plant  
Light Range: Sun to Full Sun  
pH Range: 5 to 7  
Soil Range: Mostly Sand to Some Clay  
Water Range: Normal to Moist  

Plant Care

Fertilizing

How-to : Fertilization for Young Plants

Young plants need extra phosphorus to encourage good root development. Look for a fertilizer that has phosphorus, P, in it(the second number on the bag.) Apply recommended amount for plant per label directions in the soil at time of planting or at least during the first growing season.

How-to : Fertilization for Established Plants

Established plants can benefit from fertilization. Take a visual inventory of your landscape. Trees need to be fertilized every few years. Shrubs and other plants in the landscape can be fertilized yearly. A soil test can determine existing nutrient levels in the soil. If one or more nutrients is low, a specific instead of an all-purpose fertilizer may be required. Fertilizers that are high in N, nitrogen, will promote green leafy growth. Excess nitrogen in the soil can cause excessive vegetative growth on plants at the expense of flower bud development. It is best to avoid fertilizing late in the growing season. Applications made at that time can force lush, vegetative growth that will not have a chance to harden off before the onset of cold weather.

Light

Conditions : Light Conditions

Unless a site is completely exposed, light conditions will change during the day and even during the year. The northern and eastern sides of a house receive the least amount of light, with the northern exposure being the shadiest. The western and southern sides of a house receive the most light and are considered the hottest exposures due to intense afternoon sun.

You will notice that sun and shade patterns change during the day. The western side of a house may even be shady due to shadows cast by large trees or a structure from an adjacent property. If you have just bought a new home or just beginning to garden in your older home, take time to map sun and shade throughout the day. You will get a more accurate feel for your site’s true light conditions.

Conditions : Full to Partial Sun

Full sunlight is needed for many plants to assume their full potential. Many of these plants will do fine with a little less sunlight, although they may not flower as heavily or their foliage as vibrant. Areas on the southern and western sides of buildings usually are the sunniest. The only exception is when houses or buildings are so close together, shadows are cast from neighboring properties. Full sun usually means 6 or more hours of direct unobstructed sunlight on a sunny day. Partial sun receives less than 6 hours of sun, but more than 3 hours. Plants able to take full sun in some climates may only be able to tolerate part sun in other climates. Know the culture of the plant before you buy and plant it!

Conditions : Types of Pruning

Types of pruning include: pinching, thinning, shearing and rejuvenating.

Pinching is removing the stem tips of a young plant to promote branching. Doing this avoids the need for more severe pruning later on.

Thinning involves removing whole branches back to the trunk. This may be done to open up the interior of a plant to let more light in and to increase air circulation that can cut down on plant disease. The best way to begin thinning is to begin by removing dead or diseased wood.

Shearing is leveling the surface of a shrub using hand or electric shears. This is done to maintain the desired shape of a hedge or topiary.

Rejuvenating is removal of old branches or the overall reduction of the size of a shrub to restore its original form and size. It is recommended that you do not remove more than one third of a plant at a time. Remember to remove branches from the inside of the plant as well as the outside. When rejuvenating plants with canes, such as nandina, cut back canes at various heights so that plant will have a more natural look.

Conditions : Light and Plant Selection

For best plant performance, it is desirable to match the correct plant with the available light conditions. Right plant, right place! Plants which do not receive sufficient light may become pale in color, have fewer leaves and a “leggy” stretched-out appearance. Also expect plants to grow slower and have fewer blooms when light is less than desirable. It is possible to provide supplemental lighting for indoor plants with lamps. Plants can also receive too much light. If a shade loving plant is exposed to direct sun, it may wilt and/or cause leaves to be sunburned or otherwise damaged.

Conditions : Full Sun

Full Sun is defined as exposure to more than 6 hours of continuous, direct sun per day.

Watering

Conditions : Moist and Well Drained

Moist and well drained means exactly what it sounds like. Soil is moist without being soggy because the texture of the soil allows excess moisture to drain away. Most plants like about 1 inch of water per week. Amending your soil with compost will help improve texture and water holding or draining capacity. A 3 inch layer of mulch will help to maintain soil moisture and studies have shown that mulched plants grow faster than non-mulched plants.

Conditions : Outdoor Watering

Plants are almost completely made up of water so it is important to supply them with adequate water to maintain good plant health. Not enough water and roots will wither and the plant will wilt and die. Too much water applied too frequently deprives roots of oxygen leading to plant diseases such as root and stem rots. The type of plant, plant age, light level, soil type and container size all will impact when a plant needs to be watered. Follow these tips to ensure successful watering:

* The key to watering is water deeply and less frequently. When watering, water well, i.e. provide enough water to thoroughly saturate the root ball. With in-ground plants, this means thoroughly soaking the soil until water has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 inches (1′ being better). With container grown plants, apply enough water to allow water to flow through the drainage holes.

* Try to water plants early in the day or later in the afternoon to conserve water and cut down on plant stress. Do water early enough so that water has had a chance to dry from plant leaves prior to night fall. This is paramount if you have had fungus problems.

* Don’t wait to water until plants wilt. Although some plants will recover from this, all plants will die if they wilt too much (when they reach the permanent wilting point).

* Consider water conservation methods such as drip irrigation, mulching, and xeriscaping. Drip systems which slowly drip moisture directly on the root system can be purchased at your local home and garden center. Mulches can significantly cool the root zone and conserve moisture.

* Consider adding water-saving gels to the root zone which will hold a reserve of water for the plant. These can make a world of difference especially under stressful conditions. Be certain to follow label directions for their use.

Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor Plants

Normal watering means that soil should be kept evenly moist and watered regularly, as conditions require. Most plants like 1 inch of water a week during the growing season, but take care not to over water. The first two years after a plant is installed, regular watering is important for establishment. The first year is critical. It is better to water once a week and water deeply, than to water frequently for a few minutes.

Planting

How-to : Pruning Trees After Planting

It is critical to prune trees correctly from the beginning to assure proper growth and development. Young trees can be transplanted in a number of forms: bare root, balled & burlap and in containers. The more stress the plant undergoes in the transplant process, the more pruning that is required to compensate.

Deciduous trees like maples (those that loose their leaves in the fall) can be dug up and sold with their bare roots exposed. Because most of the root system is lost in digging, sufficient top growth should be removed to compensate for this loss. This may be done at the nursery before you buy the plant or you may have to prune at the time of planting. Select and head back the best scaffold branches, i.e. those branches which will form the main lateral structure of the future mature tree. Remove all other extraneous side branches. If the tree seedling does not have branches, allow it to grow to the desired height of branching then pinch it back to stimulate the lower buds to form branches.

Ball and burlap trees are dug up with their root systems somewhat intact. This was mostly done for conifers and broadleaf evergreens, but has become common for deciduous trees as well. Since some root mass is lost in the digging stage, a light pruning is generally called for. Head back the plant to compensate for this loss and to promote branching.

Trees that are grown in containers generally do not loose roots in the transplanting phase. Therefore you do not generally have to prune them unless there is some root injury or limb damage in the planting process.

Once you have your trees planted, be patient. Do not remove shoots from the trunk early on as these allow the tree to grow more rapidly and also shade the tender young trunk from sun-scald. Wait a few years to begin training the tree to its ultimate form.

How-to : Planting a Tree

Dig out an area for the tree that is about 3 or 4 times the diameter of the container or rootball and the same depth as the container or rootball. Use a pitchfork or shovel to scarify the sides of the hole.

If container-grown, lay the tree on its side and remove the container. Loosen the roots around the edges without breaking up the root ball too much. Position tree in center of hole so that the best side faces forward. You are ready to begin filling in with soil.

If planting a balled and burlaped tree, position it in hole so that the best side faces forward. Untie or remove nails from burlap at top of ball and pull burlap back, so it does not stick out of hole when soil is replaced. Synthetic burlap should be removed as it will not decompose like natural burlap. Larger trees often come in wire baskets. Plant as you would a b&b plant, but cut as much of the wire away as possible without actually removing the basket. Chances are, you would do more damage to the rootball by removing the basket. Simply cut away wires to leave several large openings for roots.

Fill both holes with soil the same way. Never amend with less than half original soil. Recent studies show that if your soil is loose enough, you are better off adding little or no soil amendments.

Create a water ring around the outer edge of the hole. Not only will this conseve water, but will direct moisture to perimeter roots, encouraging outer growth. Once tree is established, water ring may be leveled. Studies show that mulched trees grow faster than those unmulched, so add a 3″” layer of pinestraw, compost, or pulverized bark over backfilled area. Remove any damaged limbs.

Problems

Fungi : Rusts

Most rusts are host specific and overwinter on leaves, stems and spent flower debris. Rust often appears as small, bright orange, yellow, or brown pustules on the underside of leaves. If touched, it will leave a colored spot of spores on the finger. Caused by fungi and spread by splashing water or rain, rust is worse when weather is moist.

Prevention and Control: Plant resistant varieties and provide maximum air circulation. Clean up all debris, especially around plants that have had a problem. Do not water from overhead and water only during the day so that plants will have enough time to dry before night. Apply a fungicide labeled for rust on your plant.

Pest : Caterpillars

Caterpillars are the immature form of moths and butterflies. They are voracious feeders attacking a wide variety of plants. They can be highly destructive and are characterized as leaf feeders, stem borers, leaf rollers, cutworms and tent-formers.

Prevention and Control: keep weeds down, scout individual plants and remove caterpillars, apply labeled insecticides such as soaps and oils, take advantage of natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis (biological warfare) for some caterpillar species.

Pest : Scale Insects

Scales are insects, related to mealy bugs, that can be a problem on a wide variety of plants – indoor and outdoor. Young scales crawl until they find a good feeding site. The adult females then lose their legs and remain on a spot protected by its hard shell layer. They appear as bumps, often on the lower sides of leaves. They have piercing mouth parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue. Scales can weaken a plant leading to yellow foliage and leaf drop. They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew (coveted by ants) which can lead to an unattractive black surface fungal growth called sooty mold.

Prevention and Control: Once established they are hard to control. Isolate infested plants away from those that are not infested. Consult your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their control. Encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden.

Miscellaneous

Glossary : Specimen

A specimen can be a tree, shrub, ground cover, annual, or perennial that is unique in comparison to the surrounding plants. Uniqueness may be in color, form, texture, or size. By using only one specimen plant in a visual area, it can be showcased. Specimen plants are accents in the landscape, just as statues, water features, or arbors.

Glossary : Evergreen

Evergreen refers to plants that hold onto their leaves or needles for more than one growing season, shedding them over time. Some plants such as live oaks are evergreen, but commonly shed the majority of their older leaves around the end of January.

Glossary : pH

pH, means the potential of Hydrogen, is the measure of alkalinity or acidity. In horticulture, pH refers to the pH of soil. The scale measures from 0, most acid, to 14, most alkaline. Seven is neutral. Most plants prefer a range between 5.5 and about 6.7, an acid range, but there are plenty of other plants that like soil more alkaline, or above 7. A pH of 7 is where the plant can most easily absorb the most nutrients in the soil. Some plants prefer more or less of certain nutrients, and therefore do better at a certain pH.

Glossary : Small Tree

A small tree is less than 30 feet tall.

Glossary : Ground Cover

Aground cover is any low growing plant that is planted in a mass to cover the ground. Shrubs, vines, perennials, and annuals can all be considered ground covers if they are grouped in this fashion. Ground covers can beautify an area, help reduce soil erosion, and the need to weed.

Plant Images

Tropical evergreen shrub (in warmer climates) widely grown for its pendant, oblong leaves variegated in white. Bears green- or copper-tinted catkin-like racemes periodically throughout the year. Stunning color addition to any sunny garden. Often used in place of flowering annuals for its foliage and leaf size that reaches 8 inches. Excellent for use in well-drained containers.

Important Info : Do not over water during winter months; slightly dry is better.

Google Plant Images: click here!

Characteristics

Cultivar: Miltoniana  
Family: Euphorbiaceae  
Size: Height: 0 ft. to 6 ft.
Width: 3 ft. to 6 ft.  
Plant Category: annuals and biennials, houseplants, perennials, shrubs,  
Plant Characteristics: spreading,  
Foliage Characteristics: evergreen,  
Flower Characteristics: long lasting, unusual,  
Flower Color: greens, reds,  
Tolerances:  

Requirements

Bloomtime Range: Year Round  
USDA Hardiness Zone: 9 to 11  
AHS Heat Zone: Not defined for this plant  
Light Range: Dappled to Full Sun  
pH Range: 5.5 to 7  
Soil Range: Some Sand to Loam  
Water Range: Normal to Moist  

Plant Care

Fertilizing

How-to : Fertilization for Young Plants

Young plants need extra phosphorus to encourage good root development. Look for a fertilizer that has phosphorus, P, in it(the second number on the bag.) Apply recommended amount for plant per label directions in the soil at time of planting or at least during the first growing season.

How-to : Fertilization for Established Plants

Established plants can benefit from fertilization. Take a visual inventory of your landscape. Trees need to be fertilized every few years. Shrubs and other plants in the landscape can be fertilized yearly. A soil test can determine existing nutrient levels in the soil. If one or more nutrients is low, a specific instead of an all-purpose fertilizer may be required. Fertilizers that are high in N, nitrogen, will promote green leafy growth. Excess nitrogen in the soil can cause excessive vegetative growth on plants at the expense of flower bud development. It is best to avoid fertilizing late in the growing season. Applications made at that time can force lush, vegetative growth that will not have a chance to harden off before the onset of cold weather.

How-to : Fertilization for Annuals and Perennials

Annuals and perennials may be fertilized using: 1.water-soluble, quick release fertilizers; 2. temperature controlled slow-release fertilizers; or 3. organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion. Water soluble fertilizers are generally used every two weeks during the growing season or per label instructions. Controlled, slow-release fertilizers are worked into the soil ususally only once during the growing season or per label directions. For organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion, follow label directions as they may vary per product.

How-to : Fertilizing Houseplants

Houseplants may be fertilized with: 1. water-soluble, quick release fertilizers; 2. temperature controlled slow-release fertilizers; 3. or organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion. Water soluble fertilizers are used every two weeks or per label instructions. Controlled, slow-release fertilizers are carefully worked into the soil usually only once during the growing season or per label directions. For organic fertilizers, such as fish emulsion, follow label directions. Allow houseplants to ‘rest’ during the winter months; stop fertilizing in late October and resume feeding in late February.

Light

Conditions : Part Sun

Part Sun refers to filtered light, with most sun being received during the afternoon hours. Shade usually occurs during the morning hours.

Conditions : Bright Light for Houseplants

Houseplants requiring bright light should be placed within 2 feet of an eastern or western exposure window or within 2 to 5 feet of a southern exposure window.

Conditions : Full Sun

Full Sun is defined as exposure to more than 6 hours of continuous, direct sun per day.

Watering

Conditions : Normal Watering for Houseplants

Houseplants that require normal watering should be watered so that soil is completely saturated and excess water runs out the bottom of the pot. Never water just a little bit; this allows mineral salts to build up in the soil. The key to normal watering is to allow the top inch or two of potting soil to dry out between waterings. Check frequently as certain times of the year may dictate that you water more frequently. Also, some plants that require normal watering during the growing season, may require less during the winter months when they are dormant.

Conditions : Normal Watering for Outdoor Plants

Normal watering means that soil should be kept evenly moist and watered regularly, as conditions require. Most plants like 1 inch of water a week during the growing season, but take care not to over water. The first two years after a plant is installed, regular watering is important for establishment. The first year is critical. It is better to water once a week and water deeply, than to water frequently for a few minutes.

Planting

How-to : Planting Perennials

Determine appropriate perennials for your garden by considering sun and shade through the day, exposure, water requirements, climate, soil makeup, seasonal color desired, and position of other garden plants and trees.

The best times to plant are spring and fall, when soil is workable and out of danger of frost. Fall plantings have the advantage that roots can develop and not have to compete with developing top growth as in the spring. Spring is more desirable for perennials that dislike wet conditions or for colder areas, allowing full establishment before first winter. Planting in summer or winter is not advisable for most plants, unless planting a more established sized plant.

To plant container-grown plants: Prepare planting holes with appropriate depth and space between. Water the plant thoroughly and let the excess water drain before carefully removing from the container. Carefully loosen the root ball and place the plant in the hole, working soil around the roots as you fill. If the plant is extremely root bound, separate roots with fingers. A few slits made with a pocket knife are okay, but should be kept to a minimum. Continue filling in soil and water thoroughly, protecting from direct sun until stable.

To plant bare-root plants: Plant as soon as possible after purchase. Prepare suitable planting holes, spread roots and work soil among roots as you fill in. Water well and protect from direct sun until stable.

To plant seedlings: A number of perennials produce self-sown seedlings that can be transplanted. You may also start your own seedling bed for transplanting. Prepare suitable planting holes, spacing appropriately for plant development. Gently lift the seedling and as much surrounding soil as possible with your garden trowel, and replant it immediately, firming soil with fingertips and water well. Shade from direct sun and water regularly until stable.

Problems

Pest : Spider Mites

Spider mites are small, 8 legged, spider-like creatures which thrive in hot, dry conditions (like heated houses). Spider mites feed with piercing mouth parts, which cause plants to appear yellow and stippled. Leaf drop and plant death can occur with heavy infestations. Spider mites can multiply quickly, as a female can lay up to 200 eggs in a life span of 30 days. They also produce a web which can cover infested leaves and flowers.

Prevention and Control: Keep weeds down and remove infested plants. Dry air seems to worsen the problem, so make sure plants are regularly watered, especially those preferring high humidity such as tropicals, citrus, or tomatoes. Always check new plants prior to bringing them home from the garden center or nursery. Take advantage of natural enemies such as ladybug larvae. If a miticide is recommended by your local garden center professional or county Cooperative Extension office, read and follow all label directions. Concentrate your efforts on the undersides of the leaves as that is where spider mites generally live.

Pest : Mealybugs

Small, wingless, dull-white, soft-bodied insects that produce a waxy powdery covering. They have piercing/sucking mouth parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue. Mealybugs often look like small pieces of cotton and they tend to congregate where leaves and stems branch. They attack a wide range of plants. The young tend to move around until they find a suitable feeding spot, then they hang out in colonies and feed. Mealybugs can weaken a plant leading to yellow foliage and leaf drop. They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew (coveted by ants) which can lead to an unattractive black surface fungal growth called sooty mold.

Prevention and Control: Isolate infested plants from those that are not. Consult your local garden center professional or the Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal insecticide/chemical recommendation. Encourage natural enemies such as lady beetles in the garden to help reduce population levels of mealy bugs.

Pest : Whiteflies

Whiteflies are small, winged insects that look like tiny moths, which attack many types of plants. The flying adult stage prefers the underside of leaves to feed and breed. Whiteflies can multiply quickly as a female can lay up to 500 eggs in a life span of 2 months. If a plant is infested with whiteflies, you will see a cloud of fleeing insects when the plant is disturbed. Whiteflies can weaken a plant, eventually leading to plant death if they are not checked. They can transmit many harmful plant viruses. They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew (coveted by ants) which can lead to an unattractive black surface fungal growth called sooty mold.

Possible controls: keep weeds down; use screening in windows to keep them out; remove infested plants away from non-infested plants; use a reflective mulch (aluminum foil) under plants (this repels whiteflies); trap with yellow sticky cards, apply labeled pesticides; encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden; and sometimes a good steady shower of water will wash them off the plant.

Fungi : Rusts

Most rusts are host specific and overwinter on leaves, stems and spent flower debris. Rust often appears as small, bright orange, yellow, or brown pustules on the underside of leaves. If touched, it will leave a colored spot of spores on the finger. Caused by fungi and spread by splashing water or rain, rust is worse when weather is moist.

Prevention and Control: Plant resistant varieties and provide maximum air circulation. Clean up all debris, especially around plants that have had a problem. Do not water from overhead and water only during the day so that plants will have enough time to dry before night. Apply a fungicide labeled for rust on your plant.

Fungi : Powdery Mildew

Powdery Mildew is usually found on plants that do not have enough air circulation or adequate light. Problems are worse where nights are cool and days are warm and humid. The powdery white or gray fungus is usually found on the upper surface of leaves or fruit. Leaves will often turn yellow or brown, curl up, and drop off. New foliage emerges crinkled and distorted. Fruit will be dwarfed and often drops early.

Prevention and Control: Plant resistant varieties and space plants properly so they receive adequate light and air circulation. Always water from below, keeping water off the foliage. This is paramount for roses. Go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer. Apply fungicides according to label directions before problem becomes severe and follow directions exactly, not missing any required treatments. Sanitation is a must – clean up and remove all leaves, flowers, or debris in the fall and destroy.

Fungi : Leaf Spots

Leaf spots are caused by fungi or bacteria. Brown or black spots and patches may be either ragged or circular, with a water soaked or yellow-edged appearance. Insects, rain, dirty garden tools, or even people can help its spread.

Prevention and Control: Remove infected leaves when the plant is dry. Leaves that collect around the base of the plant should be raked up and disposed of. Avoid overhead irrigation if possible; water should be directed at soil level. For fungal leaf spots, use a recommended fungicide according to label directions.

Pest : Scale Insects

Scales are insects, related to mealy bugs, that can be a problem on a wide variety of plants – indoor and outdoor. Young scales crawl until they find a good feeding site. The adult females then lose their legs and remain on a spot protected by its hard shell layer. They appear as bumps, often on the lower sides of leaves. They have piercing mouth parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue. Scales can weaken a plant leading to yellow foliage and leaf drop. They also produce a sweet substance called honeydew (coveted by ants) which can lead to an unattractive black surface fungal growth called sooty mold.

Prevention and Control: Once established they are hard to control. Isolate infested plants away from those that are not infested. Consult your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their control. Encourage natural enemies such as parasitic wasps in the garden.

Miscellaneous

Glossary : Container Plant

A plant that is considered to be a good container plant is one that does not have a tap root, but rather a more confined, fibrous root system. Plants that usually thrive in containers are slow- growing or relatively small in size. Plants are more adaptable than people give them credit for. Even large growing plants can be used in containers when they are very young, transplanted to the ground when older. Many woody ornamentals make wonderful container plants as well as annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, and bulbs.

Glossary : Annual

An annual is any plant that completes its life cycle in one growing season.

Glossary : Evergreen

Evergreen refers to plants that hold onto their leaves or needles for more than one growing season, shedding them over time. Some plants such as live oaks are evergreen, but commonly shed the majority of their older leaves around the end of January.

Glossary : Shrub

Shrub: is a deciduous or evergreen woody perennial that has multiple branches that form near its base.

Glossary : Foliage Characteristics

By searching foliage characteristics, you will have the opportunity to look for foliage with distinguishable features such as variegated leaves, aromatic foliage, or unusual texture, color or shape. This field will be most helpful to you if you are looking for accent plants. If you have no preference, leave this field blank to return a larger selection of plants.

Plant Images

Those most readily available to today’s gardeners are hybrids. In Zones 9 to 10, they are perennials.

Elsewhere, they may be grown as annuals to be discarded at season’s end, tender perennials lifted before first frost and stored over the cold months, or grown indoors for winter blooms.

This guide discusses all you need to know to grow and care for freesia at your house.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

Let’s start with a bit of background.

Cultivation and History

Cool-weather freesia grows from a bulb-like tuber called a corm and blooms from mid-winter to spring in its native South Africa, entering dormancy when the temperatures rise above 70°F.

It is winter hardy in Zones 9 and 10 but frost-tender.

The foliage is grass- or sword-like, similar to that of a gladiolus or iris.

Flowers appear in succession along one side of a leafless, arching raceme and bloom from the bottom to the top.

The average mature dimensions are 12 to 18 inches tall and six to 12 inches wide.

Cultivation dates back to 19th century England during the heyday of plant hunters who discovered new species for British collections.

With six to 12 fragrant flowers per stem and longevity as a cut flower, these exciting species were destined for cutting gardens and florist shops.

By the late 19th century, hybridization was underway in Europe.

The initial crossbreeding of species like the greenish-yellow, yellow, or white F. refracta and creamy F. leichtlinii, with its slight lavender tinge and yellow blush, opened the door to a booming floriculture.

Other species that would make their way into development include the highly fragrant, predominantly white F. alba, red and sometimes pink F. grandiflora, and “flowering grass,” F. laxa in various colors, including pink.

Today’s gardeners and floral designers have access to hybrids that date to the 1890s, when species within the Freesia genus were crossed to create new flowers with features like disease-resistance, double petals, and taller heights than their wild counterparts.

Unfortunately, some cultivated varieties’ sweet and heady fragrance was lost in the process.

Next, we’ll talk about how to start plants.

Freesia Propagation

In its native habitat, freesia multiplies by self-sowing seeds and/or growing offsets or “daughter” corms.

We can start new plants at home by buying corms, dividing existing clumps to obtain offsets, and sowing seeds. Let’s discuss.

By Division

We can also start new plants by division.

To divide, wait until the plants have finished blooming and the foliage is withering, then dig up the clump of corms.

Separate and remove withered parent corms and retain the fresh, young offsets that grew up beside them to sow in containers or other locations.

From Seed

While corms are readily available and faster to sprout, you can also start with seeds.

Some species, like F. laxa, self-sow, dropping seeds that help to ensure the species’ survival in the wild.

Hybrids don’t always produce viable seeds. When they do, the seeds don’t grow into clones of the parent but can vary in traits like color, form, and quality.

If you start plants this way, be sure to purchase seeds or collect them from a species plant, not a hybrid, after the green seed pods turn brown.

When you have your seeds, soak them in water for 24 hours.

Use biodegradable seed starter pots with two to three seeds in each.

Lightly cover the seeds with garden or potting soil.

Moisten the soil, but do not oversaturate it.

Sprout the seeds in darkness at 55 to 64°F for best results. You can cover the pots loosely with foil and use a heat mat to achieve these conditions.

Once they sprout, thin the seedlings to one per pot.

Maintain even moisture and a temperature between 41 and 50° F.

Allow six months for the seeds to germinate and one to two years for them to mature to corms that flower.

Transplanting

A corm, like a bulb, stores all of the nutrients a plant needs to thrive.

If you are growing in containers, they should be eight inches deep to accommodate freesia’s long taproot. In the garden, work the soil to a crumbly consistency to a similar depth.

Set the corms two to three inches apart, with the pointed end facing upwards, situated just above the surface of the soil.

Freesia corms purchased from garden centers or nurseries may be heat-treated or untreated.

Heat-treated corms are intended for planting in cool zones that experience freezing temperatures and frosts. Plant them in early spring for a late summer bloom, approximately 110 to 120 days later.

If you live in a zone that freezes, and don’t want to grow freesia as an annual or lift corms annually, you can also grow them indoors for winter flowering. Plant them in early fall for blooming in 10 to 12 weeks.

You can also pot up corms to grow in a cool greenhouse in areas that freeze, for a cutting garden through the winter. The ideal temperature is 41 to 50°F.

Untreated corms are suitable for warm zones. They should be planted in late summer for spring flowers the following year.

Once we have our plants it’s time to address cultural requirements.

How to Grow Freesia

Freesia needs full sun to flower abundantly, though it will tolerate part shade locations, particularly in hot climates.

The soil should be organically-rich, sandy loam that drains well, with a slightly acidic to neutral pH of 6.5 to 7.0.

If you garden in containers, choose a quality potting soil that is light, airy, and moisture retentive.

Two to three-inch spacing creates a swath of color and enables plants to support each other.

Avoid fluoridated water and fertilizers that contain phosphorus fluoride, as freesia reacts adversely to these chemicals.

After an entire stem finishes blooming, you may snip it off near the base or allow pods to form and self-sowing to occur. Remember that seeds from hybrids will not produce true to the parent plant, so you may not want them to go to seed unless you’re curious about the possible results.

Once all of the flowers finish blooming, discontinue fertilizing and watering.

If you are growing perennials or lifting corms at season’s end to store them, allow the leaves to remain in place to feed the corm for next year’s flowers.

If you are growing annuals to discard post-bloom, remove them entirely to the compost heap when the flowers finish. Always clear all debris to avoid harboring pests and pathogens.

Growing Tips

With the best cultural practices, freesia thrives and delights with a spectacular display. Support its health and beauty by remembering to:

• Use the appropriate type of corm for your growing region.
• Provide a location with full sun.
• Use organically-rich, sandy loam or potting soil that retains adequate moisture while draining well.
• Sow corms at appropriate distances to self-support in dry regions and maintain airflow in wet conditions.
• Install support structures at planting time as needed.
• Maintain even moisture without oversaturation during the growing season.
• Fertilize bimonthly with a potassium-rich liquid product once buds appear.
• Stop fertilizing and watering when blooming finishes.
• Lift and store corms to reuse.

Now we’ll move on to maintenance.

Maintenance

If you live in a warm zone and enjoy growing freesia as perennials, maintenance includes digging and dividing corms, relocating divided offsets, and removing withered foliage at season’s end.

After blooming in the spring, you may want to lift and store to avoid rotting during rainy spells.

Here’s how:

• When the flowers fade, allow the foliage to wither.
• Dig straight down about 10 inches and lift clumps of corms.
• Remove the withered foliage and brush off the soil.
• If you want to divide offsets from the parent corms, do so now.
• Lay out the corms you wish to store on newspaper in a single layer, making sure they are not touching.
• Inspect the corms for signs of disease, and discard any that are discolored and/or soft.
• Dust the remaining ones with a fungicidal powder if desired.

Per the Royal Horticultural Society, store the corms in a paper bag in an 80°F location with high humidity of about 75 to 80 percent for 14 to 20 weeks.

Note that with higher heat and moisture, corms are susceptible to fungal disease, so inspect them regularly and dispose of any that are affected.

Be sure to label the bags, especially if you have different varieties.

Conversely, if you are gardening in a zone that freezes, lift the corms to store them after they wither and before the first frost.

Here’s how:

• Dig up the corms when all of the foliage finishes feeding the bulb and turns brown.
• If you want to separate offsets from the parent, now’s the time.
• Lay the corms on a tarp or newspaper in a single layer with space between them.
• Place them in a cool, dry location out of direct sunlight to cure for two to three weeks.
• When they are dry, dust with fungicide if desired.

Store the corms in labeled paper bags in a cool, dry location between 35 and 40°F.

Pests

Pests to be aware of include, night-feeding slugs and snails, and sapsucking aphids and thrips.

If you find the leaves chewed off, it’s likely slugs and snails have feasted upon them during wet weather or overwatering.

Tell-tale signs of sapsuckers are leaf distortion, discoloration, and desiccation, followed by leaf drop and a failure to thrive.

These pests are often disease vectors that cause extensive damage when infestations go unchecked.

In addition, herbivores like moles and voles may feed upon bulbs under the soil. Screening bulbs with a mesh enclosure at planting time is a preventative measure to consider.

Disease

Diseases to watch for include:

Gray Mold

Gray mold, caused by Botrytis cinerea, occurs with high humidity and appears as a gray fuzz on foliage, flowers, and buds. Black stiff or “sclerotic” structures may be visible.

Damaged plants are most vulnerable to softening, decay, and death.

As there are no effective treatments, growers should take avoidance measures, like sanitary practices, the reduction of humidity, and the removal of damaged or decaying plant material.

Iris Leaf Spot

Mycosphaerella (syn. Didymellina) macrospora fungus causes iris leaf spot. It may affect the foliage or buds and first appears as rounded, yellowish lesions.

The lesions dry, and the desiccated patches enlarge until the leaves turn brown and curl up. Premature leaf death results in a failure to nourish the corms for next year’s flowers.

Proactive measures to avoid iris leaf spot include:

• Growing in full sunshine
• Using organically-rich, well-draining soil that is not overly acidic
• Avoiding low-lying landscape areas with poor airflow

Destroy all affected foliage and treat remaining flora with a spray-on fungicide.

Viruses

Freesia Mosaic Virus (FreesiaMV) spreads via the potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphoribae, and the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae.

Freesia Sneak Virus (FreSV) is the result of a soil borne fungus, Olpidium brassicae, and is associated with the little understood Freesia Leaf Necrosis Disease (FLN).

Common viral symptoms are the development of yellow or “chlorotic” spots that spread, merge, dry, wither, and lead to overall decline and death.

Unfortunately, plant viruses are not treatable. Their presence requires the removal of affected flora, sanitization of tools, and rotation to a new location next year.

Best Uses for Freesia Flowers

Showcase fragrant freesia in cottage garden beds among the cosmos, dahlias, geraniums, and ranunculus.

Pair it with sweet alyssum in sunny borders and containers for fragrant variations in height and form.

Fill a section of your cutting garden with masses of cheerful stems for bouquets and vase arrangements.

Scatter bulbs for a naturalistic display that will enlarge over the years.

Interplant freesia with gladiolus and iris. Their comparable heights and sword-like foliage provide continuity punctuated by diverse and eye-catching blooms.

For many of us, this scenario may sound familiar: You move into a new house and everything is perfect—except that huge rhodie out front that is threatening to swallow the porch. Or, maybe you purchased a gorgeous lilac several years ago and now it is enveloping half the front walkway. I like to call the culprits in these cases the “beasts” of the garden: perfectly wonderful shrubs that tend to get out of hand. Perhaps you planted them at the start of your gardening career; or maybe you simply inherited a property with 1 (or 6) of these beasts already in place. Sometimes, you don’t want to get rid of the shrub completely, but after many decades of being ignored, you need to get things in check. Luckily for overwhelmed gardeners, there are specific ways to get these imposing monsters under control once and for all. True, there are far more beasts of the garden out there than are mentioned here—but you may be able to deal with them in a fashion similar to our three examples.

Forsythia (Forsythia spp. and cvs., Zones 5-8)

When to prune

This is a good fall project once all the leaves fall from the plant.

How to prune

Forsythia is a plant that runs through your garden almost as fast as Usain Bolt. Most folks take the power shears and shape it into a gumdrop. Although this tactic reduces the plant’s size in the short term, it also reduces the flower show in early spring (which is mainly the point of having forsythia). Remember: the longer the canes, the more flowers. Unfortunately, this may be a 3-year renovation project, depending on the size of your plant.

Start by yanking out all the runners until you get to the meat of the plant. Use a pair of loppers or a reciprocating saw to remove up to a third of the stems that have a diameter bigger than a quarter back to ground level. Always remove branches that rub against each other first, then remove those that have that potential to do so in the near future. The goal is to have the plant’s stems go up and then cascade down to look like a fountain. After that, follow out the branches from their base and remove any larger stems that fork into 2, leaving 1 meaty stem in place. I like to leave the topmost ones to create a more pleasing cascading effect. The branches you leave in place will usually have flowering spurs on them, so your show next spring will still be a good one.

Additional control tips

The thinning of the forked branches should be done over the next 2 years because, chances are, you won’t find all the offenders the first year. After this, yearly, you will be only removing those branches that get larger than a quarter in diameter and trimming back any branches touching the ground.

 Other plants that benefit from this approach:

1. Japanese kerria (Kerria japonica and cvs., Zones 4-9)
2. Weigela (Weigela spp. and cvs., Zones 4-9)
3. Deutzia (Deutzia spp. and cvs., Zones 5-8)

 

Common Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp. and cvs., Zones 4-8)

When to prune

This is a good fall project once all the leaves fall from the plant.

How to prune

This is a heavy-handed pruning job and not for the faint of heart! You’ll be cutting into the old wood severely, all of it, even if it’s as thick as a baseball bat. A good rule of thumb is to remove at least 2/3 of the shrub’s overall size. Use a large saw (chain, reciprocating, bow, etc.) to cut back each primary branch of the plant’s framework. Try to make clean, slightly angled cuts just above a latent bud (small, tannish-pink dots on the bark). When you’re finished, the rhodie will look like an old stump waiting to be yanked out by your neighbor’s pickup truck. When the warmth of spring arrives, little green buds will sprout from those “dead” trunks. Be aware that the new branches will not bloom the first year and it’s best to leave these plants alone (no other trimming) for the first year, too.

Additional control tips

In the following years, you can do your pruning (thinning, shaping, etc.) right after flowering to keep these beasts in line. Removing spent flowers helps fill in the plants faster. This renovation will keep the plant at bay for about 5 years before you may have to remove it.

Other plants that benefit from this approach

1. Japanese andromeda (Pieris japonica and cvs., Zones 6-9)
2. Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia and cvs., Zones 4-9)

 

How do you know when a shrub is not worth saving? We’d like to think that all plants are worth keeping, but truthfully, sometimes they just aren’t. First consider if you can transplant it. Obviously, you must take into consideration size, health, and space requirements before attempting the move. Some plants can be relocated to the borders of your property to help screen unwanted views. Here are a few times when you should pull the plug: The shrub is completely one-sided; You notice damage on the inside that can’t be pruned out; It’s just too darn big for the space; It’s growing into or under walls, walks, and other architectural elements and may cause or is already causing damage.

 

Old-fashioned lilac (Syringa vulgaris and cvs., Zones 3-7)

When to prune

Late fall (after a number of hard frosts) through early spring

How to prune

Chances are, your old lilac has a bunch of big ol’ gnarly trunks. Lilacs also tend to produce suckers (branches growing straight up from the ground). If there are lots of suckers at the base of your lilac, you can remove most, if not all, of the big trunks right at ground level. If that gives you anxiety, you can leave a few for structure. At this point, you might want to reduce the footprint of the plant, too. If so, you can dig the suckers, roots and all, right out of the ground. If there are larger buds at the top of some of these stems, consider leaving those, unless they’re out of bounds; they will be most likely to produce flower buds. Try not to remove more than half of the total number of suckers if possible in order to preserve the flower display next year.

If your lilac doesn’t have any suckers around the base, or if someone has already removed them all, you should only cut out some of the big trunks at this time. Start with any that cross or rub each other. The goal is to save 2/3 of the nicest trunks that have water sprouts (small branches that grow vertically from an older branch or trunk). Cut these trunks as close to the ground as you can, leaving 3 to 5 water sprouts (which grow quickly and help the plant fill out) coming out of the trunks.

Additional control tips

As for future maintenance, remove any crossing or rubbing branches as they get fatter, remove spent flowers, and continue to keep the suckers at the lilac’s base in line. A sharp, deep edge on the bed surrounding your plants will help. You should be able to keep this plant for a lifetime after this renovation.

Other plants  that benefit from this approach

1. Pussy willow (Salix discolor and cvs., Zones 4-9)
2. Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus* and cvs., Zones 5-8)
3. Tree lilac (Syringa reticulata and cvs., Zones 3-7)

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Ed Gregan is a nurseryman with 30 years’ experience and the coastal Northeast field representative for Carlton Plants, a wholesale bareroot grower.

Illustrations: Elara Tanguy