Green Up Your Lawn

Green Up Your Lawn - Organically

Most people find lawn care challenging, but it is actually much simpler than it seems. We’ve all grown so compliant to the concept that the only way to get that lovely green lawn is through the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides. The truth is that a healthy organic lawn will stand fast against insect invasions and all but the toughest of weeds. Plus – you have the added bonus of not having the chemicals going into the ground, the water table and getting on your kids and grandkids, who can now be flagrant grass-rollers with no concern!

These five steps will result in a beautiful healthy organic lawn:

Get a soil test. Lawns are a little finicky about the pH levels and nutrient requirements. The only way to measure these factors is to get your soil tested at a facility such as the local county cooperative extension service. You can ad either lime or sulfur to your lawn, depending upon the results of the pH test. Too much of certain types of nutrients will benefit the weeds at the cost of your lawn’s health. The test results will not only provide you with accurate measurements of pH, but chemical composition as well. They will further supply you with recommendations for how to improve your soil. Adding amendments without getting a soil test is not only a waste of money, but you could wind up with a less healthy lawn that the one you started with.

Top dress with compost in the spring and fall. Every single lawn can benefit from a twice-yearly top dressing of compost. It will add trace minerals and some nutrition to your soil. Remember, feed the soil and the soil will feed your plants. Compost also introduced beneficial microbes into your soil, which results in healthier soil that has better water retention. Earthworms love compost and will tunnel through your soil to get to it, aerating your lawn, adding fertility and increasing worm populations. A one-quarter inch layer of compost, raked evenly over your lawn, will accomplish all of these tasks without overwhelming your lawn. How much do you need? 100 square feet of lawn will require one cubic foot of compost.

Mow high. Mowing high, 2.5 to 3 inches tall, does a number of important things. Taller grass shades the soil, which helps weed seeds from germinating. It helps keep the soil moist and cool, so your lawn will require less water. Finally, taller grass will increase its ability to photosynthesize. Each blade soaks up the sunlight and converts that energy into food. Another beneficial mowing practice is to use a mulching mower and leave your grass clippings right on the lawn. The clippings will shade and cool the soil while they decompose, and will give your lawn frequent, low doses of nitrogen.

Water deeply, but less often. People waste more water on lawns than anywhere else in the household. Lawn grasses need approximately one inch of water per week during the growing season. If it doesn’t come from rain, you’ll need your sprinkler. Lawns need to dry out between waterings. There are two reasons why this is important – First, a lawn that is watered frequently develops a root system only in the first inch or two of soil. These lawns are susceptible to heat and drought. Second, lawn grasses grow best when their roots extend deep into the soil. Most weeds are shallow-rooted. By watering frequently and not allowing the soil to dry out, you’re actually encouraging weeds. The best way to ensure that you’re watering enough is to use a rain gauge, or even a coffee can to catch the water. Measure every ten minutes or so and when you’ve got an inch, you’re done. Water in the early morning so that your grass has a chance to dry out before evening to avoid fungal issues.

Be Smart About Weeds. While weeds are not the end of the world, no one wants a lawn that’s more dandelions than grass. A little white clover, however, isn’t going to hurt anything, plus it captures nitrogen from the air and released it through its roots into the soil. There are several great organic ways to address weeds in your lawn. The first method – the one that no one likes – is to simply pull or dig out the weeds on a regular basis so they don’t take over your lawn. Ahem. Yeah, I knew that would go over like a lead balloon. The second method is to apply corn gluten meal, which is an organic pre-emergent herbicide, in early spring – like right now. Corn gluten is outstanding at controlling dandelions, crab grass and other weeds, but it’s not an instant fix. It can take up to two years of use before the corn gluten gets things totally under control. You can also run your lawn mower a few times over the leaves on your lawn rather than raking them up and adding them to the burn pile. A recent study by Michigan State University showed that chopped leaves left on the lawn and allowed to break down naturally prevented the germination of dandelions the following year.

Organic lawn care isn’t hard and it’s not expensive either. If you’re willing to change a few longstanding lawn care habits or beliefs, a beautiful ORGANIC lawn is easily within your reach.

GARDEN FOCUS FOR APRIL:
Rake or remove mulches from your flowerbeds.

Broadcast lime, wood ashes, or a combination of the two over alkaline-loving perennials such as delphiniums and dianthus.

Sow sweet peas as soon as the soil can be worked. Nick the seeds with a nail file and plant them five inches deep, but cover them with three inches of soil. Hoe more soil on them as they grow.

Although April can be a damp month, be mindful of keeping your transplants well watered during dry spells.

When the danger of frost has passed, uncover your strawberry bed and keep it well watered.

Rhododendrons & Azaleas

The spectacular show of spring flowers put on by azaleas and rhododendrons make them amount the very most popular of garden shrubs. They are, however, shrubs for all seasons. Throughout summer and fall the leaves add an eye-pleasing, deep-green color to your garden. Some deciduous azaleas add bright fall color before dropping their leaves for winter. When winter does arrive, some varieties stand out with large, evergreen leaves.

Growing rhodies and azaleas is not difficult. The Renegade Gardener suggests that all nurseries should attach a bold tag to each plant that reads, “ATTENTION: GROWING THIS THING INVOLVES GARDENING!”

Here, you will find some simple gardening steps to successfully growing these truly magnificent shrubs:

LOCATION: Rhodies and azaleas both thrive in the light shade created by an overhead tree canopy. Dense shade, however, is not satisfactory. Rhodies can take full morning or afternoon sun, but like it best when it’s not more than four hours. Azaleas may be planted in part shade to full sun. In all cases, these plants must be mulched heavily throughout the growing season to keep their roots cool and the soil from drying out. Selecting a good site is important as is selecting a good quality plant. A site sloping to the north or east is usually best, because it is protected from the drying south and westerly winds. Always plant azaleas and rhodies where they get wind protection. Buildings and slopes provide good barriers. Evergreen shrubs or trees such as pine, juniper or spruce planted to the south or west of your rhodies protect them and make a good backdrop for showing off the flowers. Plants not given protection from the wind often develop leaf scorch or splitting bark on the stems.

SOIL: (I know, I know – “Here she goes with the soil again!” But really, folks, feed the soil and the soil will feed your plants!) Soil is crucial. Rhodies and azaleas will die if planted in clay or any soil that does not drain efficiently, and will grow poorly without blooming in soil too high on the pH scale. They need ample moisture but will rot if the soil stays too damp. They wish to develop a thick mass of very fine, shallow roots that can spread with ease horizontally from the main stem. These roots will rarely go more than 8 inches deep, but can travel as far as 8 feet out. These roots need acidic soil, lower on the pH scale than the soil in your yard. All of these seemingly difficult conditions are extremely easy to create.

Most azaleas and rhodies thrive best at a soil pH between 4.5 and 6.0. Soils previously limed heavily for a lawn or garden may need the pH lowered. Mortar or other building materials mixed into the soil close to foundations may increase pH. It would be a really, really good idea to take a soil sample to any cooperative Extension Service Office for testing. If the pH is too high, the soil can be made more acid by applying agricultural sulfur or iron sulfate. The amount the pH will change varies with different soils, but generally about one and a fourth cups of iron sulfate or two and a half pounds of agricultural sulfur per 100 square feet will lower the pH one unit. For example, if the soil tests at 6.5, this treatment should lower it to 5.5.

Soils that are too acid (below 4.5) may easily be made less acid by adding ground limestone.

PLANTING: Prior to planting, dig a large, bowl-shaped hole at least three feet in diameter and 18 inches deep. If you can dig it wider, do! The hole should resemble a UFO landing site or a giant birdbath. Do not dig a hole with abrupt sides. In your barrow, make soil that is one-third compost, one third dirt and one third coarse sand or pea gravel. Remember, drainage is vital. Rhodies and azaleas don’t like wet feet! Fill your hole and plant your rhodie or azalea in the middle, being careful not to compact the soil. Scatter a couple of handfuls of soil sulfur across the circle and rake it lightly in. Water the “bowl” thoroughly and mulch with a two to three inch layer of wood chips. That’s it. You’ve just planted the shrub perfectly and it will thrive.

WATER: During hot periods with no rain, water moderately twice a week. If you’re using a drip system, which I personally don’t like for rhodies and azaleas, make sure you’re getting enough water to the outlying roots and keep the drip heads away from the crown of the plants. Over watering in sites where drainage is faulty will kill your plants, no doubt about it. Especially avoid excessive irrigation in the fall. Plants kept dry in September will tend to harden off and be better prepared for the winter. If the fall has been excessively dry, watering should be done after the first hard frost. At that time, watering will not reduce winter hardiness, but will prepare the plant for winter. The soil should be thoroughly moist before cold weather sets in with a vengeance. The best time for fall watering is around Thanksgiving. During the growing season, be sure that at least one inch of water, either from the sky or from the hose is available each week.

PRUNING: There is little need for pruning azaleas and rhodies. If growth becomes excessive, reduce the size with light pruning. It is important to remove the flower stems on rhodies as soon as flowering is complete, although this practice is not necessary on most azaleas. Failure to do this will reduce flowering the following year, leads to a messy plant and flowerbed and lends itself to disease. Be sure to break out only the dead flower cluster and not the young buds clustered at its base.

Azaleas sometimes branch poorly and form a loose, open shrub. The plant’s form can be improved by pinching out the soft, new shoots of vigorous growing plants. Do not pinch after July because flower buds will not have time to develop for the following year.

Fertilize as you would any shrub, preferably with an organic fertilizer. Be sure to stop all fertilizing after September 1. These plants set their flower buds for the next year in mid-summer, so they mustn’t be pruned in the fall or winter. Depending on the types of plants you’ve chosen, your plants can reach heights of six feet in our area, and in the spring will provide your garden with a riot of bloom that is a wonder to behold.

The Dirt On Dirt

The dirt in your garden, the soil, is generally perceived as the boring part of gardening. Garden soil will never be as fun and interesting as choosing what you’re going to put init, but there is a whole world under your feet that is – quite literally – the base of your garden. Fledgling gardeners are advised to put funds and efforts into improving their soil before they even consider planting anything. Not so many appreciate the inherent smarts in what they are hearing until they watch their new plants struggle to survive, demanding more food and more water. In organic gardening, we’re told, “Feed the soil and the soil will feed the plants.”

The soil in your yard supports an amazing community of insects, invertebrates and microorganisms. Adding organic matter to the soil will provide food for this array of critters and they will in turn release nutrients into the soil as they process the organic matter. These soil dwelling critters contribute more organic matter through waste and decomposition, as well as aerating the soil.

Bug sprays, fungicides and other chemicals make their way into the soil and can kill these beneficial critters living there. Synthetic or chemical fertilizers contain salt and other chemicals, which can also kill your critters as well as build up in the soil and – after time – can actually harm the plants you think you’re feeding. Also, synthetics add nothing to the actual fertility of the soil.

“But what is healthy soil?”

When looking at soil, we should consider four things: texture, structure, pH and fertility.

Texture refers to the actual size of the soil’s particles. Sandy soil has the largest particles and is of irregular shape. This is why sand feel coarse and why it drains so well. Sand doesn’t compact well at all. Silt soil contains particles that are smaller than sand but still irregular in shape. Clay has particles that are almost flat, which is why it packs so easily. Clay soil leaves hardly any room for water or air to penetrate. Sandy loam is thought to be the ideal garden soil and is made up of three textures. Don’t run out, though, and buy sand to add to your heavy clay soil. Mixing sand and clay gives you concrete.

Soil structure is how your soil clumps together. You can determine your texture by testing your structure. Squeezing a handful of damp soil into a ball and poking it lightly will tell you volumes. If it falls apart with a light poke, it’s probably sand. If you need more pressure, you’ve got silt. If you poke and poke and nothing happens, you’ve got mostly clay. A good soil structure is crumbly. This lets the roots work through it, air passes through and water drains, but not so quickly that the plants can’t use it.

There are two things that will improve your soil and they work together:

Remember those critters I talked about? Insects moving about in the soil help to aerate and they add small amounts of organic matter, the second part of improving your soil. Organic matter improves any type of soil. Compost, leaf mold, manure and green manure are all decaying organic matter. They loosen and enrich the soil and provide food for your critters. Infrequent tilling will loosen the soil structure and sometimes this is a necessity. Over-tilling can crumble the soil too much and kill the critters living there. Regular tilling is not recommended.

PH is a measure of your soil’s acid or alkaline levels. 7.0 is considered neutral. Most garden plants prefer a neutral pH range. Some plants have different requirements. Lilacs and clematis like soil with a higher alkaline level, whilst rhodies and blueberries like it a bit to the acid side.

Generally, if your plants are growing well, you pH is probably fine. If your plants are having nutrient issues or not growing vigorously, it’s worth it to get your soil tested. There are a number of pH soil testers available at a good garden center or nursery. Once you know your pH, you can begin to adjust it slowly. Some form of lime will raise pH and a form of Sulphur will lower it. Your testing kit will likely tell you what to do once you have your results in hand.

Adding lime or Sulphur is not a quick fix to the pH dilemma; it can take months to register a change and you will need to periodically retest to make sure your soil is not heading towards it’s old, original level.

Organic matter does so many fabulous things for your garden that it’s just silly not to take advantage of it. There would be no “organic” gardening without organic matter! Organic matter is how plants are fed in nature, how things are meant to be. Those good critters in your soil need to be taken care of. The more beneficial microorganisms your soil has, the less bad organisms will survive. These good critters feed on harmful microbes like nematodes and some soil born diseases. They also feed the soil when they die.

Compost is the poster child of organic matter. You can make your own or buy it in bags or by the truckload. Finished compost looks like very rich soil. Dark and crumbly with an earthy smell. Compost can be added to your garden at any time, either by turning it into the soil or mulching or top dressing. Grass clippings, leaves, vegetable peels, coffee grounds, egg shells, sawdust, straw and shredded paper are all fine things to put in your compost bin if you have one. Aged animal manure is an organic material with the added bonus of soil nutrients. Cow, sheep and chicken manure are the most popular varieties. There are others, however, that are equally acceptable. Avoid cat, dog, pig and human manures due to the risk of disease.

The nutrients in your soil are the final component in building healthy soil. Just like people, plants need certain nutrients to grow and fend off disease. Organic fertilizers are made of plant, animal and mineral sources and are basically returning what you’ve taken from the soil. They are released slowly, which means that plants can feed when they need to. Your plants will develop strong, healthy root systems because they’ll have to work a bit harder to get to the nutrients rather than living off the chemical rush of salt-based fertilizers. No sudden change in the makeup of the soil will prevent harm to your army of friendly critters.

Building healthy soil is an ongoing process. If your gardens are already established, you can always give it a boost by side- or top dressing, mulching and the addition of rich organic matter. It’s not the most fun or glamorous part of gardening, but the rewards are immeasurable.

Esteemed Member Of The English Cottage Garden...Allow Me To Present...The Hollyhock!

I don’t know about you, but hollyhocks take me back to my grandmother’s garden. I couldn’t tell you what she called them; I just can’t wrap my mouth around the word for “hollyhock” in Italian, but she loved them and so do I. In fact, there is probably a soft spot for this classic garden beauty in the heart of every gardener. If you think you’d like to plant a garden after the English cottage style, hollyhocks are an absolute must-have. Plant them along a fence, next to your shed, by the garage or at the back of the garden in the back of the border. Many gardeners plant dahlias and baby’s breath, Black-eyed Susans and mums in front of hollyhocks to “cover their shins.”

In addition to planting them at the back of the flowerbeds, they can be used as a screen to hide undesirable views. In fact, hollyhocks were once known as “outhouse flowers” because they were often planted to hide outhouses. A polite lady didn’t need to ask where the outhouse was – she just looked for the hollyhocks. Hollyhocks could be planted around children’s playhouses to make them a little more secluded. In fact, an ambitious gardener could use hollyhocks for the walls of a playhouse and perhaps runner beans to grow over the top for the roof. Ok, maybe I’m crazy, but it’s an interesting idea, you have to admit!

Hollyhocks are perennials or biennials depending on your climate. In zones 3 to 8, they may live over the following winter and bloom again if you cut the faded flower stalks off at the base, but it’s not guaranteed. In colder zones, you will want to mulch over the bases to protect from frost over the winter.

Flowers come in both single and double varieties. The blooms are carried on stems that can reach up to 8 feet tall depending on the variety. For more flower stalks, pinch out the growing tips once or twice early in the growing season. This will give you shorter plants with more branches. As they say, hollyhocks can get quite tall. I don’t know about you, but I don’t know that I’m interested in anything that requires a ladder in order to get those flowers into a vase! Hollyhock flowers open up like colorful saucers, up to 5 inches across! The double varieties look like large pom-poms. If you have children or grandchildren about, I’m sure you’ll find that they will love playing with these enormous blossoms. If you never made dolls from hollyhock flowers, you missed out on a wonderful childhood experience. The fully opened flowers are the skirts, half opened flowers are the torsos and the buds are the heads. Threading them onto a little stick holds them together.

While hollyhock flowers have no scent, bees and hummingbirds like to visit them.

Some gardeners insist that the ONLY way to start hollyhocks is indoors, in pots, in mid-February (in other words, RIGHT NOW!). If you choose this method, plant them about ½” deep in soil mix. The seeds will germinate at around 65 to 70 degrees. Check the pots often to make sure the soil doesn’t dry out, but be careful of over watering – these seeds rot easily. Seedlings should appear in about two weeks. Cut back on the water and let the soil dry out a bit between waterings. They like bright light otherwise they stretch and get quite gangly.

If you want blooms in the first year and are starting your seedlings indoors, some varieties for you to consider are Indian Spring, Happy Lights, Crème de Cassis and Summer Carnival. These are known for being rust resistant and for blooming the first year. However, I’m a lazy gardener and I prefer sowing right into the ground. Here in the Valley, the best time would be around mid-April.

Plant them in well-drained, neutral soil and make sure they get lots of sun. These plants don’t like shade! Feed in the spring with generous amounts of composted manure and continue feeding about every three weeks to once a month with fish emulsion.

When pruning, be sure to always leave a few spikes on the plant so they can set seeds and re-sow. You can also collect some of these seeds to share, when you become the envy of all your friends and neighbors with a knock-em-dead display of blooms.

Hollyhocks are prone to hollyhock rust. If you start to notice orange bumps or blisters on the leaves, pick off those leaves at once, put them in a bag and dispose of them – preferably off of your property. Do not compost those leaves; you’ll only be propagating the rust. Hollyhock rust is worse during wet summers, which we generally don’t have here in the Rogue Valley. Avoid overhead watering with your hollyhocks whenever possible. I always just pull of the rusty leaves and get rid of them. I’ll live with a little rust. If you don’t want hollyhock rust at all, then there are copper or Sulphur sprays you can use to prevent further infection. Obviously, if you’re using fungicides and pesticides, you shouldn’t let children play with the blossoms or around the plants themselves.

Hollyhocks also have a reputation for attracting bugs. I make a point of setting out extra ladybugs in their vicinity to control whatever it is that thinks living on my hollyhocks is the thing to do. Of course, if you’re using ladybugs, you shouldn’t be using pesticides. You could even set out a mantis egg case either right in or very close by your patch of hollyhocks. Mantids are great for controlling a large number of pests, plus they’re kind of fun. I had a really large one living in a wisteria vine on my back porch for a season and I think we got to be friends…but that’s a story for another time.

Begin at the beginning...

And continue on right to the end. Alice was advised to do this during her sojourn to Wonderland. And that would be a good place for you to start, if you’re thinking about wading into a vegetable or herb garden for the first time. Aside from gardening being good for your physical and mental health, the veggies you grow yourself are way healthier for you. If you have children, getting the to eat their veggies is MUCH more easy to do when it’s something they have helped grow! There’s something magical about your first garden and every day is a learning experience. Who among us couldn’t use a little bit of that kind of magic?

Take courage! With a little reading and research, you can be really successful and have a garden worth crowing about!

If you think you’re ready to think about beginning, remember this: It’s better to be proud of a small garden, than frustrated by a big one. You don’t want to get out there, rotor till a quarter of an acre and then find out that you just can’t manage something that size. If you don’t want to dig up your yard or make a garden in the ground or don’t have a yard to dig up, there are lots of things you can grow in containers. Cherry tomatoes spring to mind, but I’m wandering. More on containers later…

One of the common errors for beginners is planting too much too soon and way more than anybody could eat or want. Unless you want to have zucchini taking up residence in your attic or your neighbors to hide when they see you coming with your brown bag of veggies, plan carefully. By the way, if you wind up in the situation of having way too much of anything, I’m sure the folks over at the community center can help you find someone who would be interested in some surplus fresh veggies. Wandering again…moving on…Start small and then – if you choose to – you can expand with the years and experience. For example, one tomato plant per person is really sufficient, unless you plan on being the supplier for your neighborhood or want to sell them in your front yard. I have to admit to a fondness for tomatoes and frequently have more than we can use. I like the heirloom tomatoes and the ones in interesting colors. But really, one plant per person works well, perhaps with a cherry tomato plant for salads.

Here are some very basic concepts you’ll want to explore further as you become a vegetable gardener supreme:

Vegetables love the sun! They require six hours of sunlight each day, at least. Continuous sun would be best, if possible.

Vegetables must have good, loamy, well-drained soil. Most backyard soil is not perfect and needs a helping hand. Unfortunately, many people have a truly astounding combination of rocks and clay that can sometimes seem nearly invulnerable to shovels, picks and hoes. It’s a good reason to start small, because improving the soil is the toughest part of gardening. Check with your local nursery or county extension about soil testing. Working quantities of composted manure into your soil is, in my opinion, the best way to make sure that your veggies get what they need and you’re making your soil better as well. I tend to shy away from chemical fertilizers and pesticides; so composted manure is always my first choice. There are so many horses, cows and goats around about; there’s got to be local sources for composted manure. Rabbit manure is really great fertilizer as well.

You can always construct a frame, line the bottom with chicken wire (to keep burrowing critters out) and fill it with soil from your yard, blended with composted manure, composted leaves or peat moss.

Placement is everything. Like people, vegetables need the right nutrition to grow healthy produce. Place your garden too near a tree and it will lose its nutrients to the tree’s greedy roots. On the other hand, a garden closer to your house will help discourage rabbits, raccoons, deer, mice and opossums from chowing down on your potential harvest.

Vegetables need lots of water. At least one inch per week. Did you notice where the snow was melting first in your yard a few weeks ago when we all had a white coating in our yards? That’s where the sun catches in warm pockets and will make a difference in how well you vegetables will grow.

If you receive the seed catalogs, study them and order early. If you don’t, you can check locally for seeds or go into town to a home center or nursery. Later in the season, you can get plants that are already started which are also a great way to set out your garden. Tomatoes and peppers are among the few vegetables that aren’t direct seeded into the garden. They should be started indoors in April, then planted in the garden with the seeds of beans and zucchini in mid-May. Or you can always purchase pre-started plants locally. Peas, lettuces, spinach and radishes like cool temperatures and they should be started as soon as the chances for frost have passed.

A good-sized beginner garden is 10 x 16 feet and features crops that are easy to grow. A plot this size, planted as suggested, can feed a family of four for one summer, with a little extra for canning and freezing and giving away. Adjust proportionately to your family size, don’t be afraid to do less and definitely feel free to adjust quantities to what you and your family are likely to enjoy eating! If you think you can manage more than what’s listed here, consider a couple of barrels or wooden containers with some extras or salad greens. These will be easy to maintain. Cherry tomatoes are a great choice for a container and are very easy. Vegetables that may yield more than one crop per season are beans, beets, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, radishes and spinach. To plan for a second crop, check the days to maturity in the seed catalogs or on the packets.

For the plan below, your rows should run north and south to take full advantage of the sun. Make your garden eleven rows of 10-feet each of the following: tomatoes – 5 plants – staked or caged, squash – 4 plants, peppers – 6 plants, cabbage, bush beans, lettuce – leaf and/or bib, beets, carrots, chard, radish, garlic and marigolds (to discourage rabbits and other garden-munching visitors). Leave two feet between bush beans, one half foot between bush beans and lettuce and one foot between all the rest.

When to plant? If you’re setting out pre-started plants, pick a day that is overcast. If you have to plant on a sunny day, wait until the sun is low in the sky. It makes the transition from pot to the ground much easier on the plant.

Dig a whole twice the size of the pot and loosen the soil as deep as your trowel will go. Turn the pot upside down and tap out the plant. Place the plant in the hole and give it a good soaking. Carry the watering can with you when you plant and give each plant a drink as it’s planted. Don’t plant the whole bed and then come back to water it later.

Seeds need a finely raked bed. Be sure to just barely cover them and keep them moist until they germinate. It’s really nice to do your planting in a light rain. The plants love it although your neighbors might think you’re nuts. Keep ‘em guessing, I say. Keep the new plants watered well the first couple of weeks, then water as needed. Remember, your garden will need one inch of water per week, either from the hose or from Mother Nature.

Once everything is growing, weeding is the main task left. The best tip I ever read about weeding was to use just mulch over the weeds throughout the season. Eventually, you will smother even the most persistent and invasive weeds and turn them into something that will benefit your soil.

Let’s talk for a minute about pests. There are a variety of insects that may try to take up residence in your garden. Aphids, tomato hornworms, cut worms – all kinds of things. There are two things that I like for pest control – ladybugs and praying mantis. You can purchase containers of ladybugs and mantid egg cases at the nursery, hardware store and most home centers. If you really don’t want them, Ivory soap and water will deter most garden pests. Unfortunately, the only foolproof way to keep hornworms off of your tomatoes is to pick them off by hand. If you must, there are pesticides available to control bugs in the garden. The local hardware store has a selection and knowledgeable folks to help you out in that area.

You can always grow your lettuces or salad mix and radishes in containers. One great way to get your kids or grandkids to eat salad is to purchase the seeds for a nice salad blend. Plant it in a container and when the plants are four inches high or so, send the kidlets out with some safety scissors to harvest the salad for dinner. Rinse it and toss it with some of those cherry tomatoes you grew on your deck and you have a very healthful meal, packed with nutrients and flavor. You will notice that veggies you grow yourself, taste a lot better than store-bought!

Gardening is fun and – really – it’s good for your soul. There’s something primitively satisfying about digging in the dirt – maybe a throwback to a time when our parents told us not to. So get up, step away from the TV and get outside! I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised by the fruits of your labor.

A Rose By Any Other Name...

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, so Shakespeare tells us.

Links to antiquity are strong among old roses and is one of the many reasons gardeners love them. The oldest rose planted today was in existence some 2,000 years before the birth of Christ. Rosa Gallica var. officinalis migrated from Iran through Turkey to France and finally into England just in time to be named “The Red Rose of Lancaster”, figuring prominently in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century. Known as “The Apothecary’s Rose”, because during the past thousand years or so it has been extensively utilized by herbalists.

Ancient civilizations have revered roses for their beauty, aromatic oil and medicinal powers. Rose petals have tannin, which is an astringent and were used to control bleeding. Rose oil and rose water were used in China for stomach and colon problems. Rose hips are rich in vitamin C.

The supremely fragrant “Desiree Parmentier”, a Gallica rose, was called so after the Frenchwoman who became the queen of Sweden. In her younger years, she financed Napoleon’s second campaign with her jewelry after her father had refused to do so. When one of Napoleon’s commanders ended up getting himself crowned king of Sweden, Napoleon played matchmaker – introducing Desiree to the king, who was in the market for a wife.

“Souvenir de la Malmaison”, was first grown by Josephine Bonaparte in her chateau gardens near Paris and was so loved by Catherine the Great that she filled the Imperial Garden at St. Petersburg with these pale pink Bourbons.

While a truly “easy”, carefree rose doesn’t really exist outside of our imaginations, some are easier to grow than others and a few tricks will help make sure your endeavors are a success.

Be sure to choose varieties proven in your climate. When in doubt, look for AARS winners. They are invariably good bets for your garden.

Plant your roses where they will receive a minimum of five or six hours of full sun per day. They would probably like even more than that.

Diligently water your roses. They are quite thirsty plants and you should soak the entire root zone at least twice a week during dry summer weather. If it’s really hot, you may even need to do this daily. Don’t let the leaves get wet. Wet foliage invites fungus and, once you have it in your garden, it’s not easy to get rid of. I like a soaker nozzle on my hose, but a drip or soaker hose also works well. Water in the morning for best results. Please avoid frequent shallow sprinklings, which won’t make it to the deeper roots and could encourage fungus, the bane of rose gardeners everywhere.

For newly planted roses, the experts tell me that one of the most important things is this: DO NOT FEED YOUR ROSES WITH FERTILIZER IN THE FIRST YEAR!! Sounds crazy, I know, but the logic behind it is infallible. When you plant, add LOTS of organic material to the soil, preferably composted manure. With all these cows and horses around, we should all be able to locate some, right?

The reason for this? If you feed heavily with a commercial fertilizer, you will discourage the development of a strong root system. The rose thinks it doesn’t have to look very far for food and the result will be a puny and weak root system. The developing roots will not be able to use a lot of this easily available food and you could easily kill a newly planted rose by giving it soluble fertilizers. One expert, local to the Rogue Valley, suggests “If you MUST feed your roses, a mild feeding of ½ strength fish emulsion can be applied once or twice in June or July. But they won’t really need it if you’ve done your job correctly.” He further recommends a vitamin B solution at the rate of ONE DROP per gallon of water. It is a growth stimulator and has the ability to encourage strong root growth.

Once they’re established, feed your roses. They have big appetites. The absolute best thing to feed your roses with is the age-old gardener’s choice of soil amendment – aged manure. Fork in a 3 to 5 inch layer of manure every spring for established plants. You might want to add more later after the first blooming has ended. Fish emulsion fertilizers are wonderful as well since this kind of organic feeding can actually contribute to the long-term health of the soil by introducing compounds that feed the naturally occurring organisms. In May and June, add a tablespoon of Epsom salts. Magnesium sulfate encourages new growth. Kelp is also an excellent natural fertilizer. Stop fertilizing one month before the first expected frost. In my opinion, fertilizers that offer a sudden burst of harsh chemicals damage the soil and could – over time – render your garden toxic. That’s just my opinion – I’m OK with those who prefer the three-in-one granulated insecticide/anti-fungus/fertilizers. I personally prefer a different way.

Roses like a nearly neutral soil pH, somewhere between 6.5 and 7. For best results, test your soil and follow the recommendations for adjusting the pH levels. Contact a good local nursery or the Master Gardeners for help with soil testing. In addition, roses need really great drainage. Many of us in Rogue River have the rocks-and-clay soil that simply puddles up water. If you can’t provide good drainage to help keep their feet dry, perhaps a raised rose bed would be a better alternative. Allow at least one foot of space between rosebushes for good air circulation. This helps prevent disease as well. Remember that one foot of space means that you will probably need to plant them about three feet apart to allow for growth.

It is so much easier to prevent disease than to cure it! Many die-hard rose gardeners treat their roses weekly with a general-purpose spray such as Funginex. I have been told that a solution of 1 tablespoon of baking soda, one tablespoon of Ivory dish soap and a gallon of water will prevent black spot. Use a hose type sprayer to apply. When the weather is damp and spores are abundant on old diseased foliage is when your plants are at the greatest risk. Deadhead regularly and religiously. Keep your beds clean. Don’t leave your rose trimmings lying about. Keep your plants strong – pay attention to their other needs such as sun, food and water – and it will help hold your losses – if they occur – to a minimum.

Insect pests can really be pests. My first choice in insect control is ladybugs. They eat enormous quantities of aphids and other pests. Spider mites and praying mantis are also lovely to have help keep order in your garden. An excellent natural insecticide is neem seed oil. Garlic plants and sprays are fine organic techniques to help keep a variety of beetles away from your roses.

Another method of helping your roses be all that they can be is mulch. Mulch after they are planted. Mulching is the practice of adding plant material, such as leaves, dead grass or shredded bark on top of the soil. The plant material will eventually be broken down and pulled into the soil by the friendly denizens living there. It will become humus. Mulching also helps the soil retain moisture. In a natural environment, leaves fall to the ground and stay there. They act as mulch. Your roses will appreciate your activities in this area very mulch.

Roses should be pruned in the spring. Cut out any dead wood and damaged branches. Always sharpen your shears and soak them in a solution of half water and half bleach before pruning. This will help protect your bushes from diseases and insects.

Plants of all kinds are a little like humans – some play well with others and some don’t. Some plants grow well together and actually help each other survive. Other plants are oppressive to neighboring plants. Plants that grow well together are referred to as “companion plants”. I mentioned garlic earlier and have to restate that roses really do love garlic as well as other members of the onion family. The onion family is made up of around 500 species. While planting garlic will help protect your roses, there are many other onion varieties that will protect your roses and provide beautiful flowers to enhance the roses. In addition, marigolds, mignonettes, lavender and thyme are good companions for roses.

All in all, roses are very rewarding to cultivate. There are few things in the garden more beautiful. Roses truly are the “Queen of Flowers” and will add elegance and a real sense of joy to any yard.

The Bambi Syndrome OR They didn't get the memo...

Every spring, gardeners all over the Rogue Valley set out gorgeous plants that they’ve been told are deer resistant. The problem with this, of course, is that the deer didn’t get the memo and, even if they had, they can’t read the darned thing.

They clearly have no idea that the plants you’ve carefully selected are on the list of things deer don’t prefer. Having them stroll through your yard is always noteworthy; no doubt about it, they are beautiful. Unless it’s your tomatoes or your roses being eaten, or your lawn mauled by little feet. Then all that beauty turns to dismay. Must they leave a trail of destruction behind them? Granted, they aren’t ruining your landscape out of spite or malice – They’re just hungry. One adult deer consumes between six and ten pounds of vegetation a day. If you’re laying out a spread that looks good to them, then – as far as they’re concerned – it’s fair game.

Is there a solution to completely take care of the deer problem? Not really. But you can manage it and minimize the damage.

Although many people enjoy the deer grazing in their yards and some even set out feed to attract them further, deer can be very destructive to gardens, orchards and landscaped areas. Deer damage to your plants is associated with a number of factors including increasing number of deer, human population shifts to rural and suburban areas and prohibited hunting.

There are a number of theories on how to keep deer away. Everything from hanging bars of soap in pantyhose bags around your yard, collecting hair from your local salon and scattering it around, boxed big cat poop from the spendy nursery store or bottled wolf urine via mail order. Do any of them work? Some people swear by them, some people fall over laughing at the very idea.

I’ve checked out some of the alleged “homemade deer repellants” and have found two versions that Master Gardeners in various locations in the west swear by:

Version 1 – The California Version: Combine in a blender one egg, one cup of milk, three tablespoons of cooking oil, one tablespoon of liquid soap and one teaspoon of hot chili oil. Blend this with a quart of water and spray it on your plants every five to seven days.

Version 2 – The Portland Rose Gardener Version: Combine in one gallon of water: the zest of six large oranges, two tablespoons of Tabasco sauce, two tablespoons of corn oil, one tablespoon of cod liver oil and one cup of milk. Put it in a garden sprayer and spray in the desired areas.

A deer-proof fence is probably the best insurance against damage. Some local ordinances may prohibit a fence high enough to keep deer out. You might not want to have to look at that fence and it’s fairly likely that your neighbors aren’t going to want to look at it either. Utilizing deer-resistant plants in your landscape is much more pleasing to the eye.

Deer are picky eaters; they prefer some foods over others. The plants that the deer avoid are considered “deer-resistant.” Deer do eat a lot of different things including wood plants, grasses, fruits, nuts, ornamental trees, shrubs, vines and vegetables. They’ll also make short work of your tulips and roses and very neatly top the bloom off of just about any flowering plant, I think, just to see if it tastes good. Bearing this in mind, knowledge of deer feeding habits can reduce the expensive browsing damage deer can cause in your yard.

Plants can be deer resistant for a number of reasons. Lots of the most deer resistant plants are poisonous. Some of these plants are poisonous at all times, others only at certain stages of their growth.

Taste, preferences and digestibility also vary with plant parts, age, growth and the time of year. The availability of the deer’s natural food can have a lot to do with the amount of damage caused by deer as well. If there is plenty of natural food available for the deer, they are less likely to eat the plants in your yard. When the deer’s regular food supply is low, however, they can cause heavy damage. If you happen to be calling them to your yard with feed, there’s not much you can do to keep them from eating your plants. As far as they’re concerned, in this case, the buffet is open and it’s chow time!

When there is a large population of deer around, they will frequently eat many plants that they would normally avoid. Damage from deer usually occurs from late fall through early spring. Deer sometimes will browse plants that are included in the “deer resistant” category and will sometimes avoid plants not included in that group.

Highly fragrant plants that are known to actually repel deer are catnip, chives, garlic, onions, ornamental Alliums (these also repel gophers), honey bush, lavender, mint, sage and thyme. While you’re sitting in your home, going over the gardening catalogs that have stuffed your mailbox over the winter, plan on replacing the things deer like with some of the things they don’t. If you want to plant bulbs, choose daffodils over tulips. If you like roses (and who doesn’t?), choose a rugosa hybrid. The overwhelming scent, leathery leaves and thorns make them considerably less attractive to deer.

While no plant is immune from deer damage, selecting plants that are on the regional lists of “deer resistant plants” is still a better way to plan your garden than spending a fortune on a salad bar for the deer.

Oregon State University tells us that deer are not particularly interested in the following plants, shrubs and trees:

Bulbs & Perennials: Columbine, Basin Sagebrush, Larkspur (poisonous), Foxglove (poisonous), Hellebore, Iris, Lupine (poisonous), Narcissus (poisonous), Daffodil (poisonous) and Rosemary.

Shrubs: Oregon Grape, Western Spice Bush, Red Osier Dogwood, Holly, Jasmine, Juniper, Honey Bush, Rhododendron (poisonous), Red Elderberry (poisonous) and Common Lilac.

Trees: European White Birch, Flowering Dogwood*, Kousa Dogwood*, English Hawthorn, Persimmon, European Beech, Honey Locust, Holly, Juniper and Black Locust.

- OSU apparently failed to notify the deer that frequent my mother-in-law’s yard that they aren’t supposed to be interested in Dogwood trees.

Vines & Ground Cover: Carolina Jessamine (poisonous), Nightshade (poisonous), Cape Honeysuckle and Japanese Wisteria (poisonous).

Try to plan your garden space to be as deer deterrent as possible. Make you yard less inviting to enter by bordering the entryways and edges with deer repellant plants, as well as tactics like eliminating cover and cleaning up wind fall fruit.

Lastly, aside from opening your yard to hunters (NOT the recommended deer deterrent of choice!), a nice, big dog that barks when deer come calling works wonders. Or even a little dog. Deer don’t like the noise of a barking dog and will head on down the street to your neighbor’s yard instead. Besides, they say having a dog reduces stress.