FALL GARDENING & SPRING FLOWERING BULBS

FALL GARDENING & SPRING FLOWERING BULBS

Early fall is a busy time in everyone’s life. School is starting, fall sports begin, and tending our gardens takes a back seat as we focus on the upcoming holidays. In the rush, we overlook the fact that fall is the time to plant spring flowering bulbs and make other garden improvements. There is often a cost savings associated with planting and other landscape work done in the fall, especially in these economic times. Fall is the ideal time to plant large trees and install shrubs and herbaceous perennials, and plant fine lawns. If you are interested in building a new terrace or walkway, doing so in the late season guarantees that it will be ready for your enjoyment in early spring.

Gardeners challenged by deer know that they do not browse daffodils, but there are many other bulb varieties that the deer also dislike. With a little forethought, you can turn a simple daffodil display into a unique and colorful celebration of spring.

The following list of deer resistant bulbs does well in our area and will add variation and interest to any spring bulb display:

ALLIUM
• Blooms Late Spring to Early Summer
• Heights from 3” to 4’, Many Colors
• Full Sun
• Resistant to rodents as well as deer

CROCUS
• Blooms Early Spring
• Heights from 3-8”, Many Colors & Stripes
• Full Sun to Part Shade
• One of the earliest varieties to bloom

DWARF IRIS
• Blooms Early Spring
• Heights from 4-6”, White, Blues, Purple
• Full Sun to Part Shade
• Tolerates moist soil conditions

FRITILLARIA
• Blooms Mid Spring
• Heights from 10-24”, Purples, Creamy Whites
• Full Sun to Full Shade
• Dramatic, cut-leaf look, great focal point

SNOWDROPS
• Blooms Early Spring (March, before Crocus)
• Heights 4-6”, White only
• Part Shade
• Naturalizes well in lawns and woodland borders


When planning your spring display, consider mixing any or all of the above varieties with daffodils to create a colorful garden vignette, but remember to use the lower height species toward the front of the garden and the taller types to the rear. Many of these bulbs (especially Daffodils) have bloom times that vary. Researching bloom schedules and mixing the early, mid, and late-season varieties will extend the length of time your garden bursts with burgeoning blossoms!

This year, as the leaves are falling and the pumpkin pies are baking, give some thought to planting spring flowering bulbs and making garden improvements. Next spring, as you relax on your new terrace under newly planted trees watching the floral show unfold, you will be glad you did!

Fragrant Plants for the Garden

In our recent newsletter we referred to the appeal of fragrant plants. Not only do they produce beautiful blossoms but those blossoms can fill the garden with a powerful aroma. We detailed six of our favorite shrubs;
Korean Spice Viburnum
Carol Mackie Daphne
Miss Kim Lilac
Mock Orange
Pink Spires Summersweet
Witchhazel


This was just a a start, there are many fragrant trees, perennials, vines and annuals. Here is a list of some more favorites.
Trees

Lindens - sweetly scented flowers in spring, beautiful foliage through the growing season
Yellowwood - pendulous white flower panicles in spring
Fringetree - clusters of thin, pure white, highly fragrant flowers
Southern Magnolia - spectacular, dinner-plate size flowers that are powerfully fragrant up close
Star, Sweetbay and Saucer Magnolia - all produce visually striking flowers that have mild, but wonderful scents




Perennials
Lavender - Most fragrant when lightly crushed and left in a bowl or dish in the house - powerful, classic fragrance
Butterfly Bush - all are fragrant and attract butterflies but certain varieties like Black Knight are particularly fragrant
Garden Phlox - spectacular in bloom with a light, sweet fragrance
Dianthus - both annual and perennial Dianthus are fragrant
Peonies - many varieties are subtly fragrant




Vines
Honeysuckle - powerfully fragrant even from a distance
Sweet pea - exquisite fragrance, makes a good cut flower, annual vine - will not come back year to year
Wisteria - the classic pendulous blooms are also surprisingly fragrant




Annuals
Nicotiana - in the tobacco family but a surprisingly sweet fragrance
Sweet Alyssum - profuse white, rose, purple or lavender flowers with a sweet fragrance
Heliotrope - wonderful clusters of purple or white flowers, which are intensely fragrant with a deep, grapey smell


Some of these plants require close contact before the fragrance is fully apparent, others you can smell from across the yard. A few tips will help you get the most our of your fragrant garden.
Wind carries the fragrance of these plants so they should be planted down wind of areas you most frequent. Spring winds come directly from northwest and then the west, summer winds tend to come more from the southwest. Keep this in mind when locating your plants.
Plant fragrant plants close to areas you frequent like the patio, poolside, near the garage or mailbox.
Nothing beats a courtyard or area enclosed on 2 or 3 sides for trapping the fragrance.
Many of these plants make nice cut flowers so don't be afraid to try and bring a stem indoors to fill a room with the aroma.


Happy fragrant gardening!!

Deer Resistant Landscapes

Deer have a significant impact on landscape plantings in New Jersey.
Many homeowners have given up on buying new plantings for fear that
deer will eat them and the money will be wasted. There is a perception
that nothing can be done to stop the deer, so why bother. This is a
mistake - there is plenty that can be done to have a beautiful garden
that is very deer resistant.

Deer have a very repetitive range within which they browse. Usually, their
territory is roughly one square mile. They generally follow the same ‘grazing’
pattern and timing. As grazing animals, they will nibble to taste test plants
which is why at times you find they have munched on plants that might fall into
the “deer resistant” category. As a general rule, they avoid leaves that are
aromatic and/or having fuzzy texture…tomentose leaves. This is why you
will see deer avoid lavender and herbs or lambs ears and viburnum.


The first step is to pick the right plants. From the smallest bedding
plants to the largest trees, there are varying levels of deer
resistance for the plants available in our area. Although there are no
plants that are absolutely deer proof, there are many plants that are
strongly deer resistant. The best guide we have found for the varying
levels of resistance among plants is published by Rutgers. It can be
found at http://njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/. You'll see that
this list, like most lists, break the plants down into levels of
resistance. The highest category is plants that are "Rarely Damaged"
by deer. If deer are a major issue in your garden than stick with
plants with this level of resistance.

Picking highly deer resistant plants can do the trick for many
gardens, but it may not be enough in some cases. If deer continue to
be a problem then the next step is deer repellants. Although there are
countless home remedies for deer repellants, there are some very
effective commercial products that are easy to apply. Many people have
had unsatisfactory experiences with older deer repellants. A new
generation has corrected many of the deficiencies of older products.
New Jersey gardeners have reported excellent results with two products
that are available on-line. The first is Deer Scram (http://www.deerscram.com/) which is very appealing because it is a granular product that is shaken from a dispenser around the base of plants, or the edges of beds. The second is Deer Out (http://www.deerout.com/) which is sprayed directly on leaves, won't wash off, and can last a month or more between sprayings.

Although there are no guarantees, there certainly are two steps that
you can take that can result in a diverse and beautiful garden that is
highly deer resistant. Pick plants from the "Rarely Damaged" section
of the Rutgers list, and use a simple to apply, long lasting, deer
repellent.

Your Landscape Helps Clean our Environment

We all know that greenhouse gases are increasing in our atmosphere. The most prevalent of those gases is carbon dioxide which makes up 26% of all greenhouse gases. Did you know that plants capture and hold an enormous amount of carbon dioxide? In fact, 50% of the dry weight of a plant is carbon. Forests, and that includes the trees in your yard, trap up to 12% of all the carbon from fossil fuel emissions in this country.


The process by which plants trap carbon dioxide is simple. Plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make sugar. The sugar is then used to make carbon-based cellulose which is the primary structural element in all plant tissues. Cellulose is found in the roots, trunk, stems and leaves of all plants. Plants take in carbon dioxide and use it to make tissue - it's that simple. As long as a plant is alive that carbon is trapped inside, unable to reach the atmosphere. If the plant dies and is ground up as wood chips or mulch and allowed to decompose - the carbon is slowly released into the atmosphere where it immediately combines with oxygen to make carbon dioxide.


As far as the amount of carbon each plant contains nothing beats a good tree. Trees by their nature have an enormous amount of structural tissue, they have to in order to support something so large. We've all handled firewood or lumber so we know how heavy dry wood can be. Well 50% of the weight of that wood is carbon. Therefore, a 20 - 30 foot tall maple or oak tree in your yard could easily be holding a ton or more of carbon. It's entirely possible that the plants on your property hold dozens of tons of carbon.


As you walk through your landscape and enjoy the beauty of your plants and trees, remind yourself that in addition to everything else they provide, they also trap and hold an enormous amount of carbon that would otherwise be contributing to the build-up of greenhouse gases

Hardy Hellebores

March has many different weather personalities in the New Jersey Garden. From frigid cold to whipping winds, to driving rains, these months test the winter tolerance and hardiness of both plants and plantsmen alike. So, when the hale and hardy Hellebores begin to bloom despite these difficult conditions and frequently frozen earth, we all delight in the prospect that spring weather cannot be far behind!

WHO ARE THE HELLEBORES?

Commonly referred to as Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis) or Christmas Rose (Helleborus niger), hellebores are native mostly to Europe. These evergreen hardy plants bloom anywhere from Mid-February to Late March in New Jersey, depending on location and winter severity. The flowers are long-lived and can last easily into early May.

They are members of the Ranunculaecae, or Buttercup Family. This is a very popular gardening family and includes such garden greats as Peony, Trollius, Clematis, and Thalictrum. Hellebore’s early bloom time makes them well-suited to grouping with early spring bulbs such as Galanthus (Snowdrops), Crocus sp. And Narcissus (Daffodil).

HELLEBORE HOW-TO

Hellebores can be grown in most parts of the United States. They prefer full to partial shade, and moist, rich soil. They are tolerant of heavy soils, but not of wet soils. Soil pH range should be between 5.5 and 7.0. Hellebores respond to nutrients in the soil and so, should be fertilized on a regular basis. The course evergreen foliage is a popular ornamental attribute of Hellebores and they add good winter contrast because of this. Their distinct palmate leaf contrasts well with hostas, ferns and astilbes. Mulching the plants for winter helps facilitate earlier bloom time. Shredded hardwood mulch is a fine material for this use.

There are few diseases and pests that bother Hellebores. Occasionally, they are attacked by Botrytis fungus or Aphids, but these infestations are few and far between. The Botrytis is easily treated with a copper-based fungicide and the Aphids with a contact or systemic insecticide.

Use Hellebores in the foreground of perennial beds and where they can be seen from the house in winter. The flowers are a welcome sight during the dreary late winter. Flowers range from dark purplish-pink to mauve, and even are available in creams, whites and chartreuse. The large, colorful flowers tend to droop down on a forty five degree angle. First, because they are heavy, but in terms of evolution, this was a survival mechanism. This way, the reproductive parts of the plant are protected from snow and ice that often occur unexpectedly at this time of the year. Hellebores are completely deer resistant and this makes them a welcome addition in today’s deer browsed environments.


Cut Hellebore flowers anytime during the flowering cycle, leaving about an inch of stem. To increase the longevity of the cut flowers, dip the ends of the stems in boiling water before putting them in the display vessel. They look absolutely fabulous floating in a shallow bowl with floating tea lights.

Keep your eyes open and look for the Hardy Hellebores, harbingers of spring! You will not be disappointed!

Winter Interest & Spring Blooming Shrubs for your Garden:

Spring may be around the corner but we still have a little over a month more of Winter to go! As we venture out into our gardens over the next couple of weeks, mother nature will begin to herald the coming new season with spectacular late winter and early spring color and interest.

Some recommended shrubs for your landscape that exhibit Winter interest and or Spring Color and Bloom are:

o Vernal Witchhazel (Hamamelis vernalis) - a North American deciduous native shrub, hardy to Zone 4, with fragrant spider-shaped flowers born on naked branches. The flower color can range from bright yellow to dull orange to red-orange; with the flowers usually opening during the few warm days of January or February and persisting as long as four weeks. It has a rounded to spreading growth habit at maturity, and it is adaptable to a wide range of soil, sunlight, and moisture conditions. It also has good fall color and no serious insect or disease problems. In all a good shrub to use as a specimen planting, or in a shrub border or as a screen or informal hedge.
o Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea) – a deciduous native shrub to North America, hardy to Zone 2B, with year ‘round interest! It produces red showy naked stems in winter, profuse tiny white flowers in Spring and green foliage that turns crimson during the Fall. A few cultivars worth mentioning are: ‘Cardinal’ with bright red stems that look like they are on fire. ‘Flaviramea”, called Yellow Twigged Dogwood, with stems that turn yellow in winter, and ‘Coloradoensis’ with red stems and bluish white fruit.
o Japaness Pussy Willow (Salix chaenomeloides) – a native to Japan, Korea and China, hardy to Zone 6A – this highly ornamental shrub exhibits beautiful pinkish purple buds that open to showy silvery white-edged catkins in the early spring. The new leaves emerge with a reddish brown color and mature to a dark bluish-green above, and a soft, lighter underside. This shrub will grow in well drained moist soil with full to partial sun.
o President Lincoln Lilac (Syringa vulgaris ‘President Lincoln’) – hardy to Zone 3B, this shrub is truly an outstanding lilac noted for its fragrance and large trusses of pyramidal clusters of single Wedgewood blue flowers in May. This shrub tolerates drought and some salt, and requires full to partial sun.

Please remember - if you want your spring blooming shrubs to bloom their best, you will need to site them in that part of your landscape where they can ideally receive 6 hours or more of sun light; with 4 hours being the bare minimum. Anything less than 4 hours and your shrubs will not flower their best!

2009 Hummingbird Migration has begun!

The web link below will take you to a web site that monitors the northern migration of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). These tiny birds overwinter in Mexico, Central America or some Caribbean Islands. They begin their journey with an eighteen to twenty hour nonstop flight across the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf States. Once stateside, they will follow the spring blooms northward to their nesting grounds. The migration map will enable you to plot their northern progress. Typically, they arrive here in central New Jersey at the end of March. Share this link with others and when they get close, get out your feeders! Previous year migrations are also documented on the site. ‘Hummers’ depend on nectar from flowers and sugar water from backyard feeders for nourishment. Bee balm, honeysuckle, morning glory, columbine, trumpet vine, and agastache are some of the perennials that will attract them to your garden. Try mixing in annuals such as salvia, impatiens and petunias which will also catch their eye and keep them in your garden.

http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html

So click on the link and watch their northern progress as these wonders of the bird world chase the coming spring.

The Architecture of Trees

Winter in its nakedness, offers us an opportunity to study the architectural forms of trees that comprise our landscape. When designers begin to layout a landscape they usually start with the trees, ornamental or shade trees. Why? In the life cycle of a landscape, trees are the most impactive and influential element. Trees form the walls and canopy of a space and they are long-lived.

Winter offers us qualities of light and shadow that are not around when the sun is at a higher angle in the sky. Light reflects off of bark and branching at a more perpendicular angle this time of year bringing texture to the forefront. Gorgeous crystal sunsets can add a surreal feel to any tree in silhouette. Shadow play on the ground plane is sinewy and lithe as it stretches out across a space. There is sensuality in the winter landscape as the slow dance of contrast between white snow and dark shadow plays out.

The architecture of trees influences people in subtle ways. Think of an allee of trees as it overhangs a driveway, welcoming the visitor with outstretched limbs. Vase-shaped branching arching over the pavement gives us the sense of envelopment and warmth. In the same way, a tree can evoke feelings of sadness or hilarity. How many times have we seen the weeping form of cherries or beech and thought how heavy is the burden that this tree carries? Whether imagined or subliminal, this is a profound shape in any landscape.

On the other hand, can you see and feel the joy and mirth of a vase-shaped tree throwing up its arms in a guttural laugh, beckoning the visitor to stroll beneath it and join the fun. Trees can convey strength and an air of permanency to a space as well. Think about the pictures of the age old Live Oaks of southern plantations. These trees in their massive girth tell stories of endurance and stoicism in each muscular limb. These trees embody the grandeur of the Old South. Their architecture is not only a symbol of horticulture but a symbol of a past culture.

Stripped of the soft elements of leaves and flowers, trees in winter offer a framework from which to view the landscape that is unique. So, as you pass through this wonderful winter landscape, take the time to notice the impact that trees have on your everyday experience. In the depth of winter trees offer the prospect of beauty to come, even as they stave off a harsh wind or savage snowstorm. The architecture of trees is a victual to be savored all year long, but perhaps no other time of the year in such a raw, essential way.

FORCING SPRING BLOOMS IN YOUR HOME

About this time of the year, gardeners in the colder climates are very ready for spring. One way gardeners can speed up the onset of the flowering season is to force branches into blooming indoors. This is a great way to salve the winter blues and get a jump start on the freshness of spring!

Most trees and shrubs require anywhere between 800 and 2500 hours of temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit before they will break dormancy. By Mid-January in New Jersey, the weather has provided enough of these hours that gardeners can feel comfortable in bringing in cuttings of flowering trees and shrubs.

Here is a list of commonly forced spring bloomers:

Small Trees:
Apples
Cherries
*Crab Apple
*Magnolia
Pears
Pussy Willow
*Redbud
Seviceberry

Flowering Shrubs:
Azaleas
*Beautybush
Flowering Quince
Forsythia
Rhododendron
*Spirea
Witch Hazel

Plant types with an asterisk (*) generally require longer dormancy periods. It is best to wait until late February or Early March to cut these species.

Try to pick a warmer day to cut the branches if possible. Look for plants that have swelled buds, as they will be easier to break once indoors. Take cuttings that have some abstract or architectural value so that they have an aesthetic appeal even before they begin to flower. Make sure that you cut the bottom of the branch at an angle and then lightly crush the cut area to enhance water uptake. If the branches are really cold, submerge them in lukewarm water for about thirty minutes to thaw them out.

Place the prepared cuttings in warm water in a vase or other suitable container. Hold them in a relatively cool dark place like a basement for about two weeks to give them time to acclimate and trick them into thinking it is spring. You will know when it is time to bring them up to a warmer sunny location when you see the buds beginning to swell and or break open. If you take branches each week for a few weeks you can have a ready supply to change out as blooms fade.

Remember to change the water in the container when is becomes discolored or cloudy. A good tip to remember for first time forcers is that the closer to natural flowering time you cut the branches, the easier they will be to force.

Enjoy this early taste of spring blooms and don’t be afraid to experiment with the plants growing in your garden! It is a great way to bring the good feelings of spring right in your home!

To Prune or Not to Prune? And if so, When?

This is usually the age-old dilemma that besets many a conscientious gardener through-out the calendar year.

Well why prune? Good and effective pruning, if done at the right time of the year, can:

Remove unwanted, dead, damaged, and diseased wood that can harbor over-wintering insect pests and disease.
Invigorate new growth and better health in flowering trees and shrubs.
Promote increased fruiting and flowering in fruit and specimen trees and shrubs
Improve overall appearance and form.
Decrease the potential for winter snow, wind and ice damage by the selective thinning of the canopy.
Protect a home-owners landscape investment by ensuring that they don’t out-grow their intended space.
Help to create a safer environment for people, homes, pets and wildlife.

The dormant season, considered early winter to early spring (or time before buds begin to break) is usually considered the best time to prune many deciduous tree and shrub species, as their leaves have already fallen, their structure can best be seen; allowing plant wounds to heal quickly without the threat of insect or disease infection.

Be wary of tree’s that bleed sap such as birch, maple, oak and elm. Pruning trees in early winter can help reduce the likelihood of spreading oak wilt and other tree related diseases.

Flowering can also be prevented or enhanced by pruning at the appropriate time of the year. For flowering shrubs, it is best to know if the new season flowers are produced on the new season growth, or last year’s (or second year’s growth!). Generally for flowering shrubs, pruning should be done after flowering has finished; which, depending on the species is usually late spring to early summer. If the shrub blooms later in the season on current season’s growth, then generally late winter or early spring pruning is the recommended choice.

Finally having the proper pruning tools, in good working order, is essential to getting the job done right! This is what you need and why:

Pruning Shears – probably the most important gardener’s tool, cuts up to a ¾ inch diameter
Lopping Shears – have longer handles and provide ease of cutting by providing greater leverage to cuts up to 1 ½ inch diameter.
Hedge Shears – meant for pruning hedges only!
Hand Saws – very important for cutting branches over 1 inch in diameter.
Pole Saws – similar to what a hand saw does but allows for extended reach up the canopy!
Chain Saws – these are for the savvy gardener and landscape professional that requires a heavier duty tool to cut larger size tree branches. Protective clothing and goggles must be worn and extreme cautioned exercised when using these tools!

Below are a few recommended links worth visiting that gives our readers more information on pruning; all links cited below referencing selected plant material.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG0628.html

http://www.almanac.com/garden/trees/winterprune.php

http://www.humeseeds.com/prune.htm

http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/pruningwhen.html

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