Strangleweed

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Dodder (Cuscuta campestri)

I never thought I would see a weed that I haven’t seen before in my area. Dodder, sometimes called strangleweed or field dodder, is a new one to me. I found it the other day while working in a local garden. It’s not a weed I will soon forget.

I searched online and verified through the Lehigh County Extension office.

It is a parasitic weed. The yellow tendrils wrap around the host plant (snapdragon in the picture) and suck the life blood out of the plant. The weed can cover a plant or shrub quickly. There are no roots to pull. Once the seed germinates, dodder gets all its nourishment from the host plant. One plant can produce up to 3,000 seeds. The seeds can remain in the soil for years.

I put a plastic trash bag over the affected plants, pulled them out and put the whole thing in the dumpster. I’ll use Preen to discourage any seeds from germinating. I’ll have to be sure to watch for a recurrence next year.

(More information about dodder from the University of California and Purdue University.)

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Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - August 2009

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Hydrangea
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This month I picked Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Venice’ for my bloom day post. It wasn’t hard to pick just one bloom this month. It's one of my favorites. This hydrangea started blooming in the middle of July. Some flowers were deep purple - others bright pink.

After five years my garden, it continues to bloom in different colors on the same compact bush. In recent nursery ads, it’s listed as dwarf or 12 to 32”. Mine is at the top end of that measurement plus.

It has a long season of bloom. Last September 3, I posted a picture of one of the last flowers to open.

(The pictures on the right show the same flowers on July 26, 2009 and again this week.)

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To enjoy other gardeners’ spectacular summer blooms visit May Dreams Gardens August Garden Bloggers Bloom Day hosted by Carol on the 15th of each month.

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(I’ll be away for the weekend so I'm cheating a little by posting this early. Hope you don't mind.)

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Locust Tree

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The old locust tree in the back yard is humming with bees. You can hear it best in the morning when the entire tree literally hums.

The sidewalk is covered with blossoms. The grass resembles a light snow event. Drunken bees walk on the driveway.

When the blossoms are gone the tree will produce seed pods. They will eventually drop and stain the sidewalks or rot in the garden. The leaves are small and easy to rake up in the fall.

We got the tree as a sapling from a relative so I really don’t know its name – most likely a honey locust. I have never seen any thorns. Modern varieties like Shademaster are both thornless and podless. They make a great shade tree growing to 70 feet high and 50 feet wide.

It’s a pretty, umbrella shaped tree and the blossoms smell sweet so we tolerate the mess.

(More information about honey locust at Tree Help dot com.)

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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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Summer Garden

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I’m taking a break from the garden this week to attend Musikfest.

Arts Quests’ music extravaganza began July 31 and continues through August 9. It’s a party all over downtown Bethlehem with a variety of music, street performers, craftspeople and food. (Picture above coleus at Blumenplatz next to Americaplatz.)

But I have had time to enjoy my own garden.

The reseeding area makes an instant cottage garden. Cosmos, snapdragons, snow-on-the-mountain, cleome, sweet alyssum with the double orange day lilies crowd together. This area is slightly different every year depending what re-seeds. This year the cosmos has pretty much taken over.

The new Casablanca lily’s pretty, scented blooms look good in their first year.

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I like the look of liatris and coneflowers together. The liatris seems to be extra tall this year.

Super Elfin Bright Orange Impatiens and coleus light up a dark spot under the redbud tree.

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Weeding and Deadheading

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I’ve been trying to catch up in the garden.

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Mature gardeners running willy-nilly around the garden attacking plants is not a pretty sight. Then it also seems like nothing is ever complete. So this time I’ve made a list. I’m trying to be logical and sane – the cool, organized gardener.

After the vegetables were picked, I started weeding and deadheading.

With 3 inches of rain while we were gone, the weeds are as happy as the plants. I plan to weed one garden area at a time.

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Purslane, creeping woodsorrel, crabgrass need to be pulled before they go to seed. Some of the paths are overgrown. The plants are so pretty I’ll leave them. Cosmos and sweet alyssum took over the path above.

Lilies, calendula, hostas, petunias need to be deadheaded.

I’ll cut about 1/3 off the top of the lily stalk.

I’ll cut the hosta flower stems as low as I can.

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I plan to cut the calendula flowers off with a hedge clipper. There are so many of them I don’t want all those seeds to fall.

I also need to pinch off the seed heads on the petunias. They look a little sad after a week of neglect. I always pinch the flower and seed head. I know some people just pull the spent flower. I think if they’re making seeds, they have less energy to make flowers. What do you do? Does it matter?

That's my immediate list. I wonder how long it will take to go from the cool, organized gardener to a garden maniac?

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(See Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide for pictures of purslane, creeping woodsorrel and crabgrass. Weeding gives me a lot of time to think. I wonder what weeds are in your garden? What weeds give you fits in the middle of summer?)

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Garden Vegetables

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(Yellow Bush Scallop squash, Beefsteak tomato, Kentucky Wonder pole beans and Cherokee Wax beans)

I came back from vacation to find the vegetables thriving without me.

The Kentucky Wonder Pole and Cherokee Wax plants dripped with beans. Most of the beans were huge, 7 to 8 inches. When I can see a distinct shape of the seeds inside the bean, I know they’re too tough for me to eat. I’ll compost the extra large and cook the small and medium beans.

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The scallop squash has overpowered the peppers. There are a few small peppers on the plants. I’ve cut some leaves off the squash to give the peppers more room and light. I may have to pull a few squash plants. I hope the squash is as tasty as it is pretty.

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The beefsteak tomato turned into a monster bush. A few branches broke from the weight. I pruned some small branches and leaves. The first small ripe tomatoes were delicious straight from the garden.

I’ll try to catch up this week with deadheading and weeding. It was nice to be away but it’s also good to be back in the garden.

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Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - July 2009

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So many garden writers post beautiful pictures of their garden blooms each month for Carol’s May Dreams Garden bloom day. I challenged myself to pick one favorite bloom from my garden this month. It was tough choice but I picked Lillium ‘American Dream’.

Every year neighbors stop by to see its spectacular bloom.

Dave’s Garden page suggests the height to be 4 to 6 feet. The lily in my garden is 8 ft tall with 50 to 60 blooms. It is extremely fragrant – a delight when we sit on the deck.

I planted one bulb May 2003. It now has 25 growing stems - 8 are flowering.

I feel extremely fortunate to have selected a spot where it continues to thrive. Sometimes a gardener just gets lucky!


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(I will be on vacation until Wednesday, July 29. I’ll keep up with fellow garden bloggers but I won’t be able to post until then. I have some posts in the works from my garden and maybe I’ll have some good stuff to bring back with me.)

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Perfect Day

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Imagine a perfect day – pleasant sunshine, low humidity, a cool soft breeze. Imagine flawlessly designed gardens, rolling hills, stands of old trees and lush green growth.

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In this perfect weather, the world’s best women golfers meet this week at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem for the U.S Women’s Open. Even if you don’t like golf, it’s an idyllic place for a walk.

On Wednesday, the last day of practice rounds, the atmosphere was relaxed as golfers concentrated to gain a feel for the course. They spent a lot of time on the greens getting familiar with the difficult putting surfaces. Golfers graciously signed autographs at every hole.

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Allison Fouch on the green on a difficult hole #3 (Meadows) – a lot of balls in the water behind the caddies in the picture.

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Even the best golfers can have a bad shot. Juli Inkster in the woods on par 5 hole #6. This hole named Sahara seems about 3 miles long with more sand than the beach.

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Thursday’s competition was more serious. Thousands of people watched in a hushed, almost reverent, atmosphere.

This locally hosted U.S./World championship is just another reason to make me glad I live in the Lehigh Valley. It is exciting to watch the women play on a beautiful course on a beautiful day.

I’ll try to get back to earth (literally) with an update on my garden on Wednesday.

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Putting practice in front of the clubhouse.

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Hosta

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The hostas are at their peak in my garden.

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From small

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To medium

To large


A bright glow in the shady corners.

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Garden Bloggers Death Day

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I discovered Garden Bloggers Death Day through Donna at Mamma Mia Days. Hosted by Kate at Gardening Without Skills on the last day of the month, it’s sort of a requiem for lost plants.

Although I am late posting about dear Gardenia’s demise by spider mites, I decided to do it now to help me through its sad passing.

The story begins many years ago when I had a beautiful, three-foot tall gardenia growing in our bedroom. The scent was heavenly. It lived for many years – a gift from my grandmother taken from a cutting of her plant.

I have tried to replace it several times without any luck. Spider mites always win.

On May 1 this year, while picking up some annuals at my favorite local nursery, I passed a bench with several alluring gardenias. I had to have one. I brought it home and proudly set it on a table by the front window.

Imagine my disbelief when the leaves started to turn yellow and drop off. “It can’t be, not again,” I said to myself.

“Maybe I’m not watering enough,” I said to myself. “Maybe it needs to be transplanted to a larger pot.”

The plant continued to get worse. Little webs appeared on some of the leaves.

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“If I had only used the systemic houseplant insect control sooner.” “If only I had sprayed it more often.”

I sadly watched it die as I reminisced about the beautiful plant I had once grown. I mooned over it for days.

After weeks of clipping and spraying and general fussing, I finally gave up. Nothing seemed to help the damn plant. I decided to trash it and get on with my life.

Maybe someday I’ll try again.

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(“Gardenia: A Gardener's Challenge” by B. Rosie Lerner from Purdue Extension.)

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Have a fun-filled and safe Fourth of July everyone!

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Calendula

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Calendula officinallis

Another plant from my grandmother’s garden.

This year the unsophisticated Pot Marigold fills a corner of my garden. Perfect for a cottage garden (if you don’t mind an overabundance of yellow) they will flower all summer.

I usually pull a majority of plants in spring. I don’t know if it was laziness or lack of a better idea for the area, but this year I left most of the plants there. I seem to have way too many yellow blooms.

This old plant, grown in European gardens since the 12th. Century, was once nurtured for its medicinal properties. The leaves were used as an antiseptic on open wounds.

The prolific self-seeder often becomes leggy in the summer heat. I’ll pull them out if they start to look too weedy. I’ll deadhead as much as I can but I know I’ll have a generous supply of plants next year.

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(Note: See Penn State Master Gardeners Blog June 27 post for important information on late blight on tomatoes and potatoes in Pennsylvania.)

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Miller’s House Garden Celebrates 20 Years

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I’ve talked about Miller’s House garden before here. Started in 1983, the garden was dedicated in 1989. It has been a labor of love for Bethlehem Garden Club members for 20 years.

Wednesday evening Bethlehem Garden Club members, friends and families came together to celebrate those 20 years.

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Located in the Historic Bethlehem Industrial Quarter, the garden was created on an empty, sloping hillside.

Pictures of the early years were on display throughout the garden. The pictures illustrate the evolution from hillside, to walled flat surface, to building raised garden beds, to adding a rose arbor, to planting. An abundance of well-marked plants fill the gardens.

Amid the blooming lavender, larkspur, statice and salvia members of the original committee were honored for their foresight and dedication.

As the evening came to a close, the garden shone in the setting sun as a peaceful and educational oasis of late Victorian cottage garden history.

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(Miller’s House Garden, 459 Old York Road, Bethlehem, PA 18018)

Powdery Mildew

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According to our local paper, we have had “roughly 40 days” of rain since the beginning of April or about 12 inches. The gardens are green and lush.

Penn State Extension’s “Plant Disease Facts”, lists conditions that favor powdery mildew:

- High relative humidity at night
- Low relative humidity during the day
- 70-80 F temperatures

That sounds like our weather forecast.

Aptly named, powdery mildew looks like someone with a diaper emergency tripped and dumped baby powder all over the leaves. I usually don’t see much of it in this area until the steamy nights of August.

The phlox in the pictures is a prime example. Mildew also infects the leaves of cone flowers and zinnias. It usually doesn’t kill the plant but it makes the leaves unattractive. The lower leaves will will eventually curl up and turn brown.

The best control is to buy disease resistant plants. Being disease resistant doesn’t mean the plant will never get mildew but that plants are less susceptible to the fungus. Spacing and pruning plants for maximum air flow can help. Cleanup and discard plant debris in the fall.

A little gardening trick is to plant a shorter plant that doesn’t get mildewed in front of the mildew-prone plant to hide the unsightly leaves.

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(More information on powdery mildew and mildew resistant plants from Clemson University 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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