In The Early Summer Garden...

Wow, it sure did get HOT fast, didn’t it? While I’m not loving it so much (with a nod to a certain woman I know who THRIVES in the heat…), our gardens certainly are.

Please, folks, pay attention to your bodies when you’re working out in the yard in the heat. Wear a hat and sunscreen. And whatever you do, stay hydrated. You need water in this heat as much as the plants you are care-taking in your yards and gardens. Where will they be if you’re laid up with heat stroke?

Some tips for keeping your early summer garden looking fresh and colorful:
Trim or shear deciduous or evergreen hedges.
Mow your lawn as often as needed, but don’t cut it too short. Never remove more than 1/3 of the grass blades at one time. When your lawn is growing like a house a’fire, it’s better to mow it every four or five days, than to wait a whole week.
Keep weeding! Easy to say, but not always easy to do. If you have children or grandchildren, spending a couple of hours together in the morning or the cool of early evening with a reward of, perhaps, baking some cookies afterward, is a sure way to get those weeds in check quick.
Continue to water as needed, especially new plants, trees, shrubs and perennials. They definitely need a good soaking every week for the first couple of months. If it doesn’t rain enough, and it’s looking like we’re pretty much done with rain for the year, you will have to water. You may want to also get out your watering can and hand out a dose of water mixed with fish emulsion every couple of weeks as well.
Keep a keen eye out for developing insect and disease problems.
Deadhead your rhodies and lilacs and prune back some of those spring flowering shrubs that have finished blooming.
Spray your roses every week with a baking soda solution or fungicide (if you use chemicals in your garden) to protect against blackspot disease. A great homemade fungicide is 2 teaspoons of baking soda with a few drops of Ivory dish soap in a half gallon of water. Use a spray bottle or garden sprayer. This will also help prevent aphids on your roses.
Pinch back your asters and mums, if you have them, to encourage compact growth and more blooms.
Cut back yellowing bulb foliage.

Let’s talk a bit about fertilizing your roses. You probably first fertilized your plants this year around mid April. You probably used a general purpose 10-10-10 fertilizer. Some of you may have supplemented with alfalfa pellets, cottonseed meal or fish emulsion. You may have also added some Epsom salts to encourage new canes from the crowns of your plants and healthy leaf production. You’re coming up on the next general fertilizer application. As much as I prefer organics, for success with roses you really should consider a fertilizer formulated especially for roses. Apply in a circle about six to eight inches from the crown. Scratch the fertilizer lightly into the soil and water it in. Be careful not to disturb the roots that live nearer to the surface of the soil.

Many rose gardeners are using a liquid fertilizer in between the major feedings in April, June and August. Liquid plant foods can be applied as a spray and can be combined with sprays for fungus and insects, including the baking soda fungicide. Do not spray your roses during the heat of the day; this could result in leaf burn. Early evening, when it’s pleasant out, is ideal. One point to note – Experts say that we should spray our roses for blackspot and fungus even if we see no evidence of these diseases. Using the baking soda solution will not only help prevent disease but also kill insects.

We’re going to talk about mulching your roses, although mulching is something that will benefit ALL of your planted areas. There are a number of important reasons for mulching. One is to provide a neat and manicured look to your rose and flower gardens. Some weed control is provided, moisture is retained, soil temperature is regulated through summer and winter, erosion is prevented and mulching prevents the need for constant cultivation. Mulch also encourages root growth, encourages earthworms and bacteria in the soil, and – if you’re using an organic – will renew and rebuild the content of your soil.

You can use lots of different things for mulching. Before I list those, let’s note that pine needles – which most of us have in copious amounts – benefit acid-loving plants. Rhodies and berries of any kind like this. The variety of materials available for mulching include hardwood bark, pine needles, rotted manure, straw (not alfalfa), wood chips, mushroom compost, ground corn cobs, grass clippings, chopped tree leaves, black plastic, sawdust and chopped or ground nut hulls. Generally, what you use greatly depends on what you can get, how much it costs and how easy it is to deal with. Be aware that straw has a tendency to reduce available nitrogen in the soil, but it does furnish potassium. You will want to maintain a mulch thickness on all your beds, including vegetable gardens, of two to four inches. If you’re using hardwood bark, you will have to regularly test your soil and, if the pH lowers to the acid side, you will need to add lime to maintain a 6.0 to 6.5 pH level.

In the rose or perennial garden, a convenient way to utilize hardwood bark as a mulch is to mound your plants with it as winter protection and then spread it out over the rest of the bed in the spring.

Some key tips for your veggie gardens for this season are:
Keep picking.
Water regularly.
Control insects and diseases.
Feed lightly.
Make sure they’re getting enough sun.
Keep the weeds down.
Practice succession planting.
Consider fall planting, perhaps with the use of a tunnel or cold frame system, to extend your veggie growing season.

Remember to share the bounty. With a little extra work and maybe some luck, we’ll all probably have more veggies than we can use. Sure, we can all freeze some and put some up for the winter. We’ll probably be dropping some off on the neighbor’s porch when they’re not looking (that is, if we aren’t competing against them for the best salad greens or the biggest ‘maters!). Don’t forget that our community center, local churches, food banks and the Plant A Row programs can all use extra help. With so many in our region struggling to put food on their tables, let’s not forget that caring for our fellows is always the right thing to do.

Gardening With Kids, Part 2

Watching our feathered friends eat from a homemade bird feeder has always filled my little budding birdwatchers with pride and fascination. Probably the best of all, is that these feeders are super easy to make with your kids or grandkids or whatever children are hanging around your house over the coming spring and summer months.

Toast Feeder. Make some toast and spread it with some nut butter. Peanut is great, but if food allergies are an issue, sun butter, made from sunflower seeds, is also a good choice. Cut the toast into a fun shape with a large cookie cutter, and then poke a hole in the top with a wooden skewer or a straw. Have the child press the buttered side of the toast into a plate full of bird seeds. Thread a ribbon through the hole, knot the ends and hang. This feeder should last for at least a week or until the next rain.

Pine Cones. Smear nut butter onto a pinecone with a stiff paintbrush until it’s well coated. Have the child put the cone into a large zip lock bag full of seeds, close securely (this can be a real mess if the bag isn’t closed tightly!) and shake the cone in the bag until it is thoroughly covered with seeds. Tie a piece of string or ribbon around the end of the pinecone, knot the ends and hang.

Cone-servationist. Have the child nibble a small hole in the end of a pointy ice cream cone or poke a hole into the flat part of a flat bottomed cone. Spread nut butter on the cone and roll it in birdseed, thickly coating it. Thread the ends of a ribbon into the hole, tie a knot too big to slip out of the hole and hang it up.

It won’t take long to cultivate the gardening bug in your kids with this project developed by Hans Leo of Massachusetts. His inspiration comes from the Canadian Indians would create temporary lodges out of live saplings by tying the upper branches together to form a roof.

Here are the instructions for planting and growing a sunflower hideaway of your own, including ways to keep the kids interested in the project.

In the spring, like right now, stake out a six foot square area where the sunflowers can be planted. Using a fork or rototiller, if you have one, loosen and turn a path about a foot wide along the perimeter of the square. Leave a few feet unturned on the north side for an entry way. Sunflowers need a fair amount of nutrients, so mixing in compost or aged manure into the turned soil is vital.

In late May or early June, plant your sunflowers. Hans recommends the Mammoth Gray Stripe, which has a stout stem, very large flower heads and can grow up to twelve feet tall. You can start your seeds in peat pots, thus getting the kids involved in the planting and sprouting process. Plus, you can plant the seedlings, pot and all. Plant 2 seeds in 24 pots and set them in a sunny, but sheltered, location. Keep the soil moist, but not soaking. Once your seedlings are four or five inches tall, snip back the smaller one. Plant the seedlings in their pots about a foot apart and water them well. You can also direct-sow your seeds, two to a hole, about a foot apart. When your seedlings are four to eight inches tall, snip off the weaker of the two.

As they grow, water and weed as needed. Spread mulch around them to conserve water. Give them a good watering once a week unless it gets really hot. Spraying the leaves weekly with liquid kelp will produce vibrant growth.

When your sunflowers are around 4 feet tall, you can add petunias or marigolds or whatever annuals you like to add some color to the house.

By the time your sunflowers are 6 feet or so tall, it’s time to start making your roof. Gently tie some baling twine around a flower on one side of the house about a foot below the flower head. You may need a stepladder for this. Slowly pull the plant toward the flower opposite of it and loop the free end of the twine around it. Bring the flower heads together and secure the twine. Don’t tie them too tightly or you could uproot your sunflowers. Pair up the flowers until your roof is done. You may have to adjust the twines over the next few weeks as the plants continue to grow.

As the sunflowers grow, periodically weed and rake the floor of the house to keep it clear. Kids like quick results, so include fast growing plants. Nasturtiums are also a good choice as are marigolds. Radishes of several varieties (Easter egg radishes, with their multiple colors, are a huge hit around here) and short or round carrots are a nice addition to the spaces between the flowers. Think short and round so you’re not compromising the roof system of the sunflowers when you pull up the veggies.

Encourage the children in your life to help with the planting, weeding and picking, but don’t let these activities stretch beyond their attention span. Make gardening fun but not a chore. Then it will be something that they look forward to each spring and summer.

Gardening projects to do with the kidlets, part 1

There are a number of very cool crafty projects that you can put together for your garden. And what child doesn’t like doing crafts? I know that my two would rather do crafts of any kind over just about anything else. Add gardening to the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for an afternoon of excited and happy kids. And happy gardeners!

The first project I wanted to tackle is the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter. They sell these gadgets on those infomercials for over twenty bucks a piece (and that’s only if you buy two of them!). Even though I resisted the whole idea of the upside down tomato, I did have the opportunity to give the topsy turvy a try and it’s actually OK. I don’t care much for the price, and was pleased to find instructions on how to make my own.

The bottom line is that tomatoes love the sun, and even planting them upside down will not deter them from searching out the light.

It takes a couple of hours to put this together and – if your planter is white – why not have your kids or grandkids decorate it with some bright colored Sharpie pens? You’re going to need a sturdy bucket, preferably one with a cover, a drill with a 2” hole saw, electrical tape, sphagnum moss, tomato plants (smaller ones), potting soil and compost.

I’ve seen these done a couple different ways. One is to plant only one plant per bucket, right out of the bottom. I don't care for that version; what if you have to take down the planter and set it down? The other is to use three, from the sides of the bucket. I prefer the three from the side version, so those are the instructions I’m using here.

Moving on…Thoroughly clean out your bucket and cut three holes, equally spaced, about two inches from the bottom of your bucket. Wrap the edges of the holes with electrical tape to avoid sharp edges. You could sand them as well, if you wish. Put moss in the bucket all around the holes to keep the tomato plant from falling out when you first hang the bucket.

Thread the upper two to three inches of your tomato seedling through the holes but keep the root ball inside the bucket. Then you and your kidlet can loosely pack soil around the stem and root ball. Add enough soil to cover the roots by about two inches. Add a layer of compost and then another couple inches of soil. You will want to fill your bucket so that the soil is just a few inches below the rim. Hang the bucket by its handle in a sunny location, perhaps on the edge of your patio, and water it thoroughly, until water starts running out of the holes. Water your topsy turvy regularly and add soil and compost when levels inside the bucket fall. Keeping a cover on the bucket will help retain moisture. As the plants grow, the leaves will search out the sun until fruit forms to weigh them down.

Many of us are seeing crowds of winged visitors in our yards right about now. This little bird feeder is quick to make, fun for the kidlets and uses recycled materials. You’re going to need a 1-liter soda bottle, a craft knife, two wooden spoons, a small eye-screw and a length of twine or wire for hanging. Start by drawing a ½ inch asterisk on the side of a clean 1-liter pop bottle about 4 inches from the bottom. Turn the bottle 90 degrees and draw another asterisk about 2 inches from the bottom of the bottle. Draw a 1 inch wide circle on the opposite side of each asterisk. Using your craft knife slit the asterisk lines and cut out the circle (that’s a grown-up job!). Insert the wooden spoon handle first through the hole and then through the asterisk to hold it in place. Turn the spoon so that the depression will catch the seeds as they come out of the feeder and push it far enough in so that the base of the spoon is just inside that hole you cut. The handle on the other side serves as a perch. Take off the cap of the bottle and twist the small eye screw in to the top for hanging. Finally, fill your feeder with birdseed, recap it and use your length of twine or wire and hang if from a tree or your patio. Remember, though, that hanging a feeder on your patio or deck can get messy after that feeder becomes popular with your feathered visitors.

These are both projects that you can do with the kidlets in your life, or projects that you can make and give away. Wouldn’t grandma really grin over a topsy turvy tomato planter? And who doesn’t love bird feeders? Make some for your own yard and garden and make some for gifts. Don’t forget Father’s Day is coming up and Dad’s and Grandpa’s garden, too!

Catmint and other stuff....

I generally try to be whimsical and chirpy about approaching my computer each week to compose something that will, hopefully, be remotely informative and mildly entertaining. I’m finding that I really need the human equivalent of catmint; something that will instill euphoria and just make everything right in the world.

Sigh.

Since I’ve not found that human equivalent, catmint and a couple of other cool plants are the order of the day. Catmint, obviously, is a member of the mint family and has a lovely lemony-mint flavor. My girls love to crush a few leaves in the bottom of a glass before pouring in the ice and lemonade. It’s easy to grow both for your kitties and for tea or other beverages for you.

This is a strong smelling herb with clusters of purplish-blue flowers loved by honeybees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Oh, yeah…and cats. Historically, the medicinal effects of catmint have been recorded as great for treating colic or other tummy upsets and cold symptoms. Naturally, many of the supposed treatments have been dismissed, although it’s astringency and antioxidant qualities are documented.

In 2007, Faassen’s Catmint “Walker’s Low” was chosen as the Perennial Plant Association’s Perennial of the Year. This variety is slightly more compact than other catmints and much less floppy. It is drought tolerant and, since it is – after all – a mint, can creep through its area if you don’t keep an eye on it.

Catmint literally “billows” when it grows. It’s nice to have at the bottoms of roses, hollyhocks or even peonies to hide their “knees”. It’s a great border plant, lovely cascading over a wall and makes a nice substitute for lavender.

There are two schools of thought on the best way to propagate catmint. Our fabulous friends at the Master Gardeners swear by propagation via seed. They say if you bring the plants into your yard and crush so little as one leaf getting them planted, you will attract every cat in the neighborhood. Seed is the way to go, they say. Established plants can be propagated by division of the root ball. Remember to allow for plenty of space.

There’s a cute little rhyme for catmint:
“If you set it, the cats will eat it,
If you sow it, the cats don’t know it.”

Either way, it’s a nice addition to any home garden.

Catmint is easy to grow in either sun or partial shade and has few to no pests or other issues. Catmint is deer resistant. It likes well drained soil that is not too rich. Fertilizer is not generally needed, unless your soil is really bereft of nutrients. Maybe a little at planting and then a couple times a year for maximum growth. Periodically pinch back the shoots of your catmint to help make them bushy. First bloom should be around mid-summer at which time you can harvest the leaves for tea or cat toys. You can probably expect three harvests a year, and the honeybees will love you for growing it. Harvest the leaves as the flowers begin to bloom. You can cut off the leaves, stems and flowers for use fresh, dried or frozen.
Some nice varieties to try are ‘Felix’, ‘Six Hills Giant’, ‘Sweet Dreams’ and ‘Walker’s Low’. Catmint is beautiful when combined with the yellow and pinks of daylilies or yarrow.

Another plant that looks especially nice planted with catmint is Lamb’s Ears. The fuzzy, silver green foliage – soft as suede – are a nice counter to the brighter greens. They flower on tall spikes, pinkish-purple or white, in the late spring and early summer. Some folks like the flowers and others cut them off because they want that soft and fuzzy foliage more than blooms. As with catmint, bees love the blooms of the Lamb’s Ear. They look best as a rambling ground cover or border plant. You will have to do some maintenance to keep them from creeping out of their area. Lamb’s Ears self-seed like nobody’s business, and in some areas can be invasive and hard to get rid of.

Astilbes or Meadowsweet (love that name!) are very cool, plume-like bloomers that are noted for their long flowering quality. One of the easiest perennials to grow, Meadowsweet gives a very high return with their white, pink and red blooms. A pest free perennial, they offer color that pops to the shadier areas of your garden and do very well in containers. Their foliage is rather fern-like and the feathery blooms are on stalks above the foliage. The bloom cycle will last several weeks and the colors will slowly fade as the blooms dry. They prefer partial shade, but can do full sun with lots of water. They also like a richer soil. Meadowsweet is generally trouble free and not bothered by disease or insect pests. Cut these back in the spring or if the stalks fall over. They should be divided and shared amongst your friends every four to five years. Some varieties to consider: ‘Bridal Veil’, 3’ tall with full white plumes, ‘Purple Candles’, 3’-4’ tall with glorious purple plumes, ‘Fanal’, 1-1/2’ to 2’ tall with crimson flowers and bronze foliage, and ‘Rheinland’, 2’-2-1/2’ feet tall with rich pink blooms.

Well, I feel better now. I’m heading out to the garden. How about you?