Progress in the Garden

It’s been a perfect week in the garden – 60 or 70 degrees and lots of sunshine. Area gardeners are digging with joy.

The bamboo bean tepee is waiting for the pole beans planted last weekend, radishes are in the two leaf stage, cucumbers, flower boxes, canna are planted.

Zinnia seeds are in the ground. The roses have been fed. Lettuce is peeping out of the soil in the flower box.

The Euonymus, Pieris japonica, PJM, and lilacs need to be trimmed. Daylily and Brunnera need to be moved. The ivy covered bank needs to be cut back. There are weeds to pull and hoeing to be done.

But, 47 coleus plants (top picture), tomatoes, a bunch of impatiens, dusty miller, marigolds and other annuals (below) are ready for planting.

I plan a big planting day tomorrow. Everything else will have to wait. I'm almost giddy with anticipation.

Pruning Shrubs

It’s time to prune shrubs.

We pruned the Crepe Myrtle last weekend. First, I checked the University of Virginia pruning publications. The best time to prune crepe myrtle is January, February and March. Virginia is in hardiness Zone 7 but it’s close enough to my zone 6 to use with only slight adjustments. It’s a great resource.

Crepe myrtle blooms on new wood so cutting back the old wood shouldn’t hurt the blooms. Ours grows by about 1/3 each year. We cut a little more than 1/3 to keep it in bounds. We also cut crossover branches.

Here are the links to the University of Virginia Publications:

Guide to Pruning Deciduous Trees
Deciduous Trees Pruning Calendar
Guide to Pruning Evergreen Trees
Guide to Pruning Shrubs
Shrub Pruning Calendar

I will be away this coming weekend. Part of the weekend will be spent at the Philadelphia Flower Show. It’s always exciting. This year’s theme is “Springtime in Paris”. Ooh-la-la!

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The Valley Flower and Garden Show runs March 11-13. I’ll try to stop in before I leave. It’s fantastic to have a flower show back in the Lehigh Valley after a few years cancellation.

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Overgrown Shrubs

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I trimmed some shrubs yesterday. I have many of the problems common to old gardens. Paths are closing in, perennials become overcrowded, shrubs grow over perennials. I am constantly dividing and trimming. I know I didn’t put enough thought into mature size. Some evergreens grew larger than advertised.

These 20 year old red-blooming azaleas and (older than that) mountain laurel fill every inch of space our side garden.

They look better with some of the growth removed.

The back of the same garden was overgrown and caused mildew to grow on the house.

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A little pruning gave them some breathing room.

This fir was our Christmas tree 35 years ago. I left the little white plastic fence at what was once the edge of the garden. I remember how small the tree was when we planted it. It is now taller than the house.

Over the next six months I’ll try to make a plan for spring. Perennials will be divided or removed. I’ll try to decide if large trees or shrubs need to be removed or severely pruned. I’ll need to make some tough decisions. I’ll see what can be saved. It will be difficult to say goodbye to plants. They feel like old friends.

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A pruning guide is available at Virginia Cooperative Extension - when to prune and how to prune.

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Garden Bloggers Death Day

I’m a little late for Garden Bloggers Death Day started by Kate at Gardening Without Skills. Postings are usually done on the last day of the month.

I planted this little shrub, marked “Pinus - Pine Shrub”, in June. I don’t know what happened. It just didn’t make it. Purchased at Home Depot for $19.97 on a whim, I guess it wasn't meant to be. I'll try another evergreen in spring.

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Euonymus

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Last December I wrote about my Euonymus (Fortunei ‘Moonshadow’ and ‘Emerald Surprise’) .

Another problem has come up with ‘Moonshadow’. Parts of it are dying off. As I cut off the dead branches, I couldn’t find much evidence of scale. I found a little fungus on some of the branches.

It’s a bit of a puzzle. The lifespan of Euonymus is said to be 5 to 20 years. The ‘Moonshadow’ in my garden was planted in 2000. It could be the end of its lifespan, I guess.

With the very wet spring and beginning of summer, I have to suspect fungal infection. The shrubs are very dense from trimming all those years. I’ll open them up a bit by taking some of the larger branches out. I’m trying to pick up all leaf debris around the plant.

Also the ‘Emerald Surprise’ has scale for the first time this year.

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I’ll continue to spray both shrubs and see what happens.

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(Euonymus Diseases & Insect Pests from Clemson University Cooperative Extension.)

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Spirea

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Spirea ‘Anthony Waterer’ (Spiraea japonica)

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While we’re talking about reliable plants, Spirea shrubs are a candidate for this class.

The old shrub ‘Anthony Waterer’ came with our house. Over the years, a locust tree grew to provide dappled shade.

‘Anthony Waterer’ grows as a rounded mound about 3 feet high and wide. The leaves are dark green with white or variegated sports thrown in here and there. (The golden or yellow cultivars like ‘Lemon Princess’ are brilliant against darker shrubs or evergreens.)

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That said, the plant comes with a warning -

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources list of invasive plants in Pennsylvania, Japanese Spiraea is “Frequently planted; escaped in some areas.”

”ECOLOGICAL THREAT: Japanese spiraea can rapidly take over disturbed areas.

“BIOLOGY & SPREAD: A single Japanese spiraea plant produces hundreds of small seeds that are naturally dispersed by water and deposited along stream banks. Seeds may also be carried in fill dirt and establish new populations in the highly disturbed soil of construction sites.

“Spirea has cultivars that are not known to be invasive. . . . If you choose to plant a cultivar of an invasive species, ask a PA certified horticulturist (PCH), your Penn State extension agent, or a professional horticulturist about the cultivar's potential to be invasive.”

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I make sure to dead head the shrub to remove the seeds. It was trimmed back to about 8 inches in the middle of March. When blooms begin to fade, I’ll use a hedge clipper to cut it back. It will bloom again and the blooms will continue into fall. Then I’ll give it another haircut. I haven’t heard any reports of Japanese spirea becoming invasive in our area.

Perhaps it’s the reliability of this plant that is also it’s curse.

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(More information on spirea from Clemson University Extension.) http://www.gardening-tools-direct.co.uk/content/spirea.pdf

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Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day – April 2009

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I’ve been posting pictures of flowers blooming in my garden lately. Here’s one that I haven’t posted.

Daphnie x burkwoodii ‘Carol Mackie’

I ordered the shrub from Bluestone Perennials. It arrived in a 4-inch pot holding the promise of heavenly scent. There was a slight aroma from the few blooms. (Do all gardeners go batty over the arrival of a new plant?)

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I saw, or should I say smelled, one in a friend's garden last spring. According to Bluestone’s plant description, “Garland flowers are prized for their early spring bloom of exquisitely fragrant palest pink flowers in profusion.” It was an immediate addition to my “must have list”.

I did internet searches and found that this shrub sometimes succumbs to Sudden Daphne Death Syndrome. It also requires well drained soil. It may become infested with aphids, mealybugs, scale or fungal disease.

I bought it anyway. I can’t wait to plant it in the scented garden. The aroma is enough to make me try it more than once.

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GBBD thanks to Carol at May Dreams Garden. Have a look at what is happening in other gardens around the country and around the world.

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Home Show

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Although there’s a cold wind howling outside, we must be close to spring. Home shows are popping up faster than dandelions in April. It’s a good time to get out of the wind and check out local home products and services.

Master Gardeners will be available at the Eastern PA Spring Home Show in Ag Hall at the Allentown Fair Grounds February 27 through March 1. (Click on the link for more information and directions.)

Gardening for all ages, gardening in small spaces, gardening with children and gardening without breaking your back will be part of the display. Master Gardeners will be available to answer questions. Informational fact sheets may help with problems you had last year or point you in a new direction this year.

If you’re interested in growing a pot of tomatoes, a garden full of produce or improving your landscape with some new plants, stop by and talk to a Master Gardener.

Spring is only 27 days away.

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Invasive Plants

Two popular shrubs have become invasive in Pennsylvania dominating natural resources and depleting cover and food for wildlife – Japanese Barberry and Burning Bush.

Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) has never been a favorite of mine because of its sharp edges. It has a burgundy color that adds interest to the landscape so it is has become an attractive addition to many gardens.

According to Invasive Organization http://www.invasive.org/eastern/midatlantic/beth.html

“In the United States, Japanese barberry occurs throughout much of New England and the Northeast, south to North Carolina and west to Michigan and Missouri. Barberry forms dense stands in a variety of habitats, including closed canopy forests and open woodlands, wetlands, pastures, meadows and wastelands. This highly shade-tolerant exotic shrub displaces a variety of native herb and shrub species in areas where it is well established.”

The Barberry variety ‘Concord’ can be substituted providing everything the invasive plant offers without the seeds that promote invasiveness.

I do have personal experience with Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus). Purchased in the early 90’s, I wanted a shrub that would add some color to the fall landscape. I got the color but I also got hundreds of seedlings after the shrub matured. I’ve removed the bush.

The Global Invasive Species Team http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/alert/alrteuon.html has this to say about Burning Bush:

“This new invader is becoming increasingly common in Connecticut, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. It has been observed making dense thickets in Pennsylvania. These thickets can shade out native herbs and crowd out native shrubs.”

Some native plant substitutes for Burning Bush worth checking include: maple-leaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), Korean spice viburnum (Viburnum carlesii), service berry (Amelanchier arborea), spicebush (Lindera benzoin), strawberry bush (Euonymus americanus) or red chokeberry 'Brilliantissima' (Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima').

Even the much loved Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) has become invasive in some parts of the country. Since seeds of the Butterfly Bush don’t mature until spring, trimming spent flowers in the fall will greatly reduce the threat.

It may take a bit of research to make the right choice when buying shrubs or working with a landscaper. But, by staying away from the shrubs that can become invasive, at least I won't add to the problem.