Spring

I haven’t had much time to work in or enjoy the garden this week. I hope to put in some good garden time next week.

The PJM rhododendron is putting on it’s usual spectacular bloom. Tulips, daffodils and grape hyacinths are blooming everywhere. It’s a beautiful spring color show.

Biochar

The other night I watched “Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures Return to the Amazon” on PBS. I was amazed to hear about “Terra Preta de Indio (Amazonian Dark Earths)” currently called biochar or agrichar.

According to Dr. Johannes Lehmann of Cornell University Assistant Professor, Soil Fertility Management, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences:

"Soils with biochar additions are typically more fertile, produce more and better crops for a longer period of time."

From Cornell ChronicleOnline by Susan Lang (Dr. Lehmann) “shows how reproducing the Amazon's black soil could increase fertility and reduce global warming."

If biochar is some sort of miracle soil amendment, why have I never even heard of it? Have you?

Originally, Terra Preto was made by pre-Columbian Indians in the Amazon River Basin. Most information points to a society that burned trees to make room for agriculture then added agricultural waste, human and animal waste, broken pots and refuse in a sort of an agricultural garbage dump.

As I understand it, biochar can reduce the need for fertilizers, reduce greenhouse gasses. “Char-amended soils have shown 50 - 80 percent reductions in nitrous oxide emissions, increase crop yield as well as supply a renewable energy source" (International Biochar Initiative [IBI]). According to IBI, “The bio-char process . . . produces a combination of both bio-energy and carbon-sequestering fertilizer from agricultural waste, which results in a net reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.”

Today, biochar is manufactured by slow pyrolysis. According to Best Energies http://www.bestenergies.com/ in their work on clean energy production:

“Slow pyrolysis is a thermochemical decomposition of organic material at elevated temperatures in the absence of oxygen. The feed material is dried and fed into a stirred, heated kiln. As the material passes through the kiln, a combustible synthesis gas (syngas) is evolved and is continuously removed from the kiln. Approximately 35% by weight of the dry feed material is converted to a high-carbon char material that is collected on the discharge of the kiln.”

An easier to understand article was published September 1, 2007 Environmental Science & Technology published by the American Chemical Society:

"Pyrolysis, a technologically advanced form of smoldering, involves burning biomass under controlled, low-oxygen conditions. Small- and large-scale facilities work in various ways and yield a variety of energy products, including bio-oils and gases, with biochar as a byproduct." http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/publ/Media/Renner%202007%20EST.pdf

OK, let’s just say heating in the absence of air.

There is definite interest in biochar research and production worldwide. The International Biochar Initiative (IBI) was formed in 2006. In 2007, IBI held a conference in Australia. It attracted science & business professionals from around the world. The 2008 conference will be held September 8-10, 2008 in the UK. http://www.biochar-international.org/

Democratic Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado introduced S.1884 – The Salazar Harvesting Energy Act of 2007. A Summary of Biochar Provisions in S.1884: Carbon-Negative Biomass Energy and Soil Quality Initiative for the 2007 Farm Bill is published here http://www.biochar-international.org/newinformationevents/newlegislation.html The bill will boost funding for biochar research.

There are many unanswered questions:

Who will conduct research into the possible negative environmental effects?

Who will regulate or measure manufacturing methods and quality (how)?

Will modern biochar be able to reproduce the sustainability of benefits to the soil that was established in pre-Columbian soils?

What system is best to mass produce biochar?

Will biochar contain enough inorganic ions, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, essential to plant growth?

What is the best raw material to use? How will it be collected?

Who will develop distribution machinery for farmers to use to spread biochar on crop fields? Will it be affordable?


There is a lot of work to be done but I suspect we’ll be hearing more about biochar in the future.

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Spring Garden Priorities

It’s the time of year when everything in the garden needs to be done at once. My list includes:

Divide & pot perennials – coreopsis, daylily, liriope, mums, sweet woodruff, sweet shrub, brunnera, lily of the valley

Move Japanese Blood Grass

Continue Cleanup

Spray euonymus for scale (pictures before and after the cut)

Finish trimming shrubs

Finish trimming roses

Move mulch

Fertilize lawn according to the soil test

I got a good start this week but the next two weeks will be very busy with volunteer community garden cleanup, Earth Day, classes and meetings.

I try to remove weeds as fast as they appear. Wild garlic, yellow rocket and ground ivy are beginning to give me fits but I know it pays to keep up. My trusty dandelion digger is always with me.

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Garden Awakening

The garden explodes in spring.

There is a lot happening in the garden right now. I’ve managed to divide the liriope, daylily, and coreopsis. About half of the cleanup is done.

The daffodils,

mini iris,

glories of snow,

hellebores are blooming and

I have a load of mulch in the driveway.

As lemon thyme, bleeding heart, mums, coreopsis, lupine, columbine turn green, I’ve got a lot of mulch to move.

Why I Don’t Use Landscape Fabric

Many years ago I tried landscape fabric to keep weeds out of the garden. And it worked, somewhat.

It doesn’t mean I never had to pull a weed. I covered the fabric with mulch. Weed seeds love to settle in mulch and need to be pulled from time to time. Some weeds such as thistle or dandelion go through the fabric. I know someone who’s fabricked garden is completely covered with weeds.

Small weeds in fabricked landscape usually come out easily. If a weed gets large and you pull it out, it pulls the fabric with it and then you have to re-cover it with mulch. Sometimes a strong rain will wash away the mulch and expose the fabric. I hate to see black plastic soil.

The cost for landscape fabric can be anywhere from $13.95 for a 3’ X 50’ roll to $145.95 for 4’ X 250’ Professional Weed Barrier. I found the different types available today confusing.

I used some of the leftover fabric under rocks at the top of our small bank. I hear it may work well under a stone path. I really don’t know anyone who has rock mulch so I can’t comment on that.

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The point is – using landscape fabric is not completely maintenance free.

See more information from efn.org http://www.efn.org/~ipmpa/fabric.html

But, the most important reason I don’t use landscape fabric – it makes it impossible to add organic matter to the soil. Compost and mulch are basics in the garden. Over time, compost and mulch produce good soil. Good soil produces healthy plants.

If you have a weedy area that you want to cover and mulch, spread newspaper 6 sheets thick and spread mulch on top. It will kill the weeds and then degrade into the soil. My side garden was done that way.

Since you have to cover the fabric with mulch anyway, why not feed your plants at the same time. I don’t even want to think about planting a new shrub in a fabricked bed.

Ornamental Grass

Cutting tall ornamental grasses is a spring chore we don’t look forward to. The long blades are tough and sharp. We have tried everything from a sawzall to a chain saw. We’ve gone back to using a hand hedge trimmer or lopping shears.

We tie the grass with baling twine in two places. I pull back on the bundle as my husband chops away at the bottom of the grass. I move the cut stems out of the way so he can see where to cut. When the grass bundle is free we pile it for delivery to the city’s compost center.

The tall grasses tend to get wider over time. I would really like to divide them this year. Since that takes a lot of digging and a strong back wielding an ax, I don’t think it will happen.

I don’t cut back the Liriope (lilyturf) every year - mostly because I forget or I am too lazy. This tough little plant doesn’t seem to mind being ignored. I needed to trim this year because I want to divide the several clumps I have around the garden. I used a grass shears for the job. It’s a tough bladed plant and takes a while to whittle it down.

Stella de Oro Daylily also needs to be divided this year. I have unashamedly put this off for the last 2 years. I have never divided the clump. It was planted in 2001 and it seems to flower less than before. I plan to use a garden fork to lift and then separate the roots by hand. I’ll spread them out in the same spot and perhaps have a few left over to give away.

A few coral bells (Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple') try to grow in the same area. (picture right: coral bells on both sides of impatiens in another area where they have room to grow, July ’07) The coral bells are overwhelmed by the daylily, hosta and pink azalea. I’ll move these to the front shade garden. I’ve read that they are rabbit and deer resistant. Since the critters have mowed down a row of crocus, I need more plants rabbits or deer won’t eat. I can’t spread the cayenne pepper fast enough.

Some of these plants will be given to friends who have requested them. Others will go to plant sales for local groups. Hopefully, I will have a less crowded look this summer.

Jim Brand

In memory of Jim Brand, Chairman Musikfest Flower Committee.

Leader, jokester, inspiration, and friend.

We will miss you Einstein.

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Right Plant/Right Place

(Spring - crocus at the top of the bank.)

Kay Johns spoke at the Bethlehem Garden Club meeting this week. Kay and her husband Herb own Point Phillips Perennials in Danielsville, Pa. http://www.ppperennials.com/

Kay’s talk “Perennials: Right Plant/Right Place” included:

Sun Loving Drought Tolerant Plants
Sun and Moisture Loving Plants
Shade Loving Drought Tolerant Plants
Shade and Moisture Loving Plants
Sun and Moisture Loving Drought Tolerant Plants
Shade and Moisture loving Drought Tolerant Plants

Her informative and fascinating talk started by stressing the need to know the soil moisture during the winter as well as the summer. In some areas of the garden, snow cover keeps the soil wet in winter. If the plant can’t take the winter moisture it may rot.

Ms. Johns provided a list of specific plants for each condition. It was another reminder to do the research to save time, money and the environment.

Experience has taught me to follow the “after established” caveat when planting drought tolerant perennials. A new plant may need to be watered into October or November depending on weather. Planting in July requires more frequent deep watering than the same plant planted in September. New perennials, trees or shrubs may need to be watered for one or even two or three years. Once established, drought tolerant perennials may not bloom generously during a dry, hot summer but they should survive.

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Coffee in the Garden

I love to walk through the garden on a warm spring morning with a cup of coffee. I take stock of perennials and re-seeding annuals breaking though the soil. I notice weeds and re-seeders in the wrong place. I check bunny damage and make a mental note to use cayenne pepper. I also plan my next area of garden work. Mostly, I just enjoy the garden.

But, the best thing about morning coffee is the coffee grounds available to spread on the garden or into the compost bin.

I spread the grounds around the acid-loving plants such as rhododendron and hydrangea. I don’t bother to dig it in. I save that job for when I’m spreading mulch or working in that area of the garden. The thin layer of grounds won’t lower the pH much but they say the worms love it. It may also send slugs somewhere else.

For more about coffee grounds and the garden see Doug Green’s http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/coffee-grounds-and-gardening.html

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Indoor Blooms

The garden outside is still messy since I haven’t had time to get out so far this week. A few hyacinths have broken through the ground.

Inside, the orange and the pink Christmas cacti are re-blooming. The poinsettia is coming into bloom and the amaryllis’ pop of color is quite spectacular.

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Garden Clean Up

I took a lap around the yard yesterday. It’s a bit of a mess. A lot of it looks like this.

I don’t have anything that needs pruning immediately so I can work on clean up one section at a time. (Here is a handy pruning schedule from University of Virginia Extension http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/nursery/430-462/430-462.html ) Ornamental grasses will have to be cut soon before any more pieces blow around the neighborhood.

I need to get the leaves out of the azaleas, clean up the tulips and crocuses, and trim some left over perennials from last year. Hostas have dead spikes and leaves of mush on the ground. Fortunately, I have paths to work from so I don't have to tromp on the garden.

Bunnies (or something) are munching on the tulips. They have all been sprayed with Liquid Fence. The deer, groundhogs, rabbits and skunks dine on new spring growth and critters in the soil. The birds pick dusty miller for their nests. I won’t cut last year’s dusty growth until June when the new growth is well established. I also use a lot of cayenne pepper in the spring to try to convince the critters to eat something less ornamental. My husband insists they are out there making salsa in the middle of the night.

The hellebores appeared like magic it seems. The purple flowers are ready to open. A two-inch patch of mysterious green appeared next to the rhododendron. I think (hope) it is Irish Moss (Sagina sublata) although I have no record of planting it there. If anyone recognizes it, please let me know.

The gardening season has begun in earnest. I have a very busy schedule next week but I’m trying not to panic and run helter-skelter through the clean up. It’s a grand time of year as each day presents surprises in the garden.

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Philadelphia Flower Show

“Jazz It Up”
March 2 to 9, 2008

Some of it was glitz and glitter, some of it was informational and inspiring, all of it was loaded with fun and a spirit of New Orleans. (Pictures: Above French Quarter “Jazz It Up” main theme. Carnation saxophone - Fairmount Parks Commission “A Splash of Jazz.”)

Walter B. Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences in partnership with Philadelphia International Airport presented “Under the Tarmac”. The informational, well-documented exhibit included habitats, animal facts and environmental issues of the wetlands ecosystem surrounding the airport.

“Children Jazz It Up” by Camden City Garden Club highlighted primary colors in the musical instruments, gazebo and exercise equipment. A vegetable garden promoted a healthy diet. Information was available for the Camden Children’s Garden http://www.camdenchildrensgarden.org/ According to the brochure, “The Garden provides horticultural experiences for creative and imaginative play.” It sounds like a fun place to visit.

Winner of the People’s Choice Award (and more) Waldor Orchids of Linwood NJ produced realistic view called “Down On The Bayou”. Waldor’s brochure says it best.

“As the morning mist rises over the Louisiana bayou, a young lad fishes for catfish from the porch of an old fishing shanty. Spanish moss dangles from the branches of the Bald Cypress trees which are laden with colorful orchids and tillandsias. Beware of the alligator lurking nearby in the swamp. It’s just another day in bayou country.”

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The setting made me catch my breath. It was a storybook interpretation of the bayou. Orchids on trees were icing on the cake.

Almost without fail, all exhibits noted plant genus and species. It was good to see many environmentally conscious displays from the Philadelphia Water Department’s “Jazz Up Your Roof” to Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades “Springtime in the Wetlands”.

“The Second Line” brass band snaking its way among the lush exhibits made it truly a N’awlins experience.


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Allentown Flower Show

2013 -
 ValleyFlower, Garden, and Pool Show  -
3/8-9-10/2013 
Ag Hall, Allentown Fair Grounds, PA

2012

Valley Flower and Garden Show

Ag Hall, Allenttown

• New Dates: March 2, 3 and 4 -- Mark your calendars!!!

Adventures in Agriculture

Palmer Park Mall, Easton

Friday, February 10, 4pm – 9 pm

Saturday, February 11, 10am – 9 pm

Sunday, February 12, 11 am – 4 pm

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Philacelphia International Flower Show

March 4-11, 2012 = Islands of Aloha

2011 SPRING SHOWS -

Adventures in Agriculture Feb 11-13, 2011 http://shoppalmerparkmall.com/calendar/event/11082

Philadelphia Flower Show “Springtime in Paris” March 6-13, 2011 http://www.theflowershow.com/home/index.html

Valley Flower, Garden and Patio Show - Ag Hall, Allentown Fairgrounds, March 11-13, 2011 http://www.valleyflowershow.com/

Lehigh Valley Green Builders Expo March 19-20, 2011 http://www.lvgreenbuilders.org/expo/

ALLENTOWN FLOWER SHOW WAS CANCELLED (2009-10) - NEW SHOW SCHEDULED FOR 2011 (see above)



“Tapestry of Green”Lehigh Valley Flower and Garden Show 2008
Agri-plex Allentown Fairgrounds March 7, 8 & 9
http://www.allentowntradeshows.com/html/flower_show.html

This is the weekend for Lehigh Valley Flower and Garden Show. With rain predicted for Friday night and Saturday, it’s a good way to be dry outdoors, sort of.

As promised, there are a few more plant sellers at this year’s show. Penn State Master Gardeners will be selling all the shrubs in the display. You can stop by the booth and reserve a plant but you must be there at 4:45 to pick up your plant at 5 pm on Sunday or it will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Landscaper’s sale & Lehigh Valley Florists Association auction also take place at the end of the show on Sunday.

The kids will love the train display by Lehigh Valley Large Scalers. And across the way, they will be able to landscape a model farmhouse with miniature shrubs at the Master Gardener exhibit.

Lehigh Career and Technical Institute constructed a sophisticated informational garden. Kutztown High School’s display is quite professional and includes a cold frame and gazebo.

There are booths of crafts, garden “art”, garden structures, demonstrations as well as professional landscapes.

Let’s get out of the rain and pretend it’s spring.

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Spring Fever

All it took was one warm day. Temperatures above 60 on Monday made me antsy to get out and work on garden cleanup. I trimmed the pussy willow and cut back the hellebores and sweet autumn clematis.

I don’t want to walk on the garden while it is soft and wet but I can reach a lot of from paths and stepping stones.

I need to cut back Autumn Joy Sedum, Purple Coneflower, Black-Eyed Susan and other perennials where I left the seed heads for the birds over the winter. Ornamental grasses need to be cut. I don’t see any new growth from the hellebores which is unusual. Hopefully they’re late and not dead. There are leaves to be cleaned out. I’m sure I’ll find much more when I get outside on the next balmy day. Believe it or not I can see some weeds popping up. They will go ASAP.

The Japonica is almost in bloom.

Snow drops are everywhere.

Heather blooms cheerfully at the top of the bank.

I can see the tops of daffodils, crocus and miniature iris.

Ah yes, spring is almost here.


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Eco-gardening

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Eco-gardening

Eco-gardening, sustainable landscape, xeriscape, organic gardening, native plants, bio-diversity – words that elicit strong opinions but are not easy to define. There is controversy at every turn. Experts don’t agree on what organic means. How much organic fertilizer is too much?

Brian Higgins review of Jeff Gillman’s recent book Truth about Organic Gardening http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/20/AR2008022000952.html

‘”…if you are simply replacing synthetic products with organic ones, you are missing the point. The aim is to reduce the need for fertilizers and, especially, pesticides. How do you do that?
You build the soil with correct amounts of compost and mulch, choose plants that do well and place them in their optimum locations. These are the true parts of organic gardening," says Gillman, a professor of horticultural science at the University of Minnesota.’

Here’s a British article on Eco-gardening:
http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/article1289066.ecerticle1289066.ece The comments are especially enlightening and outline some of the problems and differences of opinion with sustainable landscaping. The controversies, large and small, are not exclusive to England.

As we all try to be eco-friendly, it’s not easy to follow the many differing viewpoints. And some experts are very opinionated.

Doug Green’s Gardening Blog February 24 “Gardening as a Religion” illustrates just how opinionated some gardeners can be http://blog.douggreensgarden.com/

‘“…I see this extreme attitude in individuals in a huge variety of gardening groups. From the native “plant nazi’s” (yes, that’s how they’re referred to in the trade) who reject any plant that isn’t “native”. (whatever that is)…’

Native plants are good, right? IPM Choosing Healthy Landscapes http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/uj238.pdf has tips for choosing plants well adapted to your site.

“Sometimes, exotic plants are more resistant to pests than are their native relatives. For example, Cornus kousa, an exotic dogwood that was introduced from the Far East, is less susceptible to infestation by the dogwood borer than is Cornus florida, the flowering dogwood, one of our native species.”

I chose the Cornis florida for my garden because I think it’s prettier. Even if it may be shorter lived, the squirrels continue to plant replacements. That’s sustainable enough for me.

Marianne Ophardt Master Gardener, Central Washington Editor, Extension Area Educator, Washington State University recommends trying some unusual weeping trees. ‘. . . the discriminating gardener that “takes the road less traveled” should consider some less familiar, more unusual weeping specimens.’ Well, who wouldn’t want to be known as a “discriminating gardener”?

Rhododendron is an acid soil loving plant. Does it have a place in our limestone soil gardens? . Do we need to add Holly Tone or Mir-Acid? Is that sustainable? New construction changes the natural soil. Most experts seem to agree that soil testing is a good idea. (See September 29, 2007 post)

Bee Colony collapse, white nose syndrome in bats, fish abnormalities, frog and toad deaths, air pollution, water pollution, carbon footprint – we all want to do the right thing. The problem - what is the right thing to do?

Here’s my starter list:
- Don’t spray indiscriminately
- Don’t fertilize indiscriminately
- Read and follow all label directions

Most important
- Make compost
- Use mulch
- Do the research
- Be patient