Overwintering tender perennials

 Turning garden plants into houseplants

Geranium

I love a patio and yard filled with colorful plants and if I can get plants that I can use for more than one year so much the better. There are many plants that gardeners grow in their gardens and outdoor containers as annual plants that are actually perennial plants in warmer climates.  Some of our most common bedding plants that we treat as annuals fall into this category.  If gardeners rescue these plants before a frost, they can become attractive houseplants for the winter.

It’s also economical to keep a few tender perennials over the winter so you don’t have to buy them again in the spring. Many of these tender perennials can be multiplied by cuttings to produce a whole new selection to use outdoors next spring or to share with friends. Some tender perennials that are over-wintered become large, attractive plants that would be impossible to obtain with one summer’s growth.

There is a list of these tender perennials that can winter indoors given below. If these plants are growing in the ground, they should be dug up and carefully potted. If they are crammed into a container that is pretty full and lush it would be wise to separate the different plants and pot them separately. Check the plants and the pots carefully so you don’t bring in small surprise guests like frogs and mice.

Use a good, lightweight potting soil if you need to re-pot tender perennials you are bringing inside. Garden soil can bring in pests. You can use potting medium with fertilizer included but it isn’t necessary for most plants at this time of the year. Blooming plants do appreciate fertilization, however.

Some of these plants go semi-dormant in winter, even when brought inside.  They will begin growing again in the spring however, as the days lengthen.  The plants that do go into a resting stage can often be kept in a room that is well lit but has cool temperatures that stay just above freezing, such as a sunny porch.  Other tender perennials need room temperatures that don’t go below 55 degrees F. to do well over the winter.

Instead of bringing whole plants inside you can sometimes take cuttings of plants and over winter small plants you start from them.  It is better to start these plants outside in late summer, and then bring in the small pots before frost.  However, if frost threatens and it seems to be too much work to bring a large plant inside, take a few cuttings and try your luck.

 

List of tender perennials that can be brought inside for winter

Abutilon, often sold as container plants, make good houseplants.

Aloes, agaves, most are not hardy below zone 8, but can be overwintered inside.

Banana plants, will grow well in a sunny area inside.

Begonias, wax, tuberous, Rieger, angel wing, cane- all types of begonias will bloom all winter in the right conditions. Tuberous begonias and even cane types can be allowed to go dormant and the tubers stored. I always leave the tubers right in the pots and store them in a cool, above freezing place. Take the pots somewhere warmer and bright in February- March and let them start growing again.

Wax (fibrous rooted) begonias can make a pretty blooming plant all winter in bright light. Rieger types also do well inside as houseplants.  Rex types are great houseplants.

Brugmansia, most people bring these inside to a cool place just above freezing and let them go dormant in the pot. You can keep them growing and blooming in a warm, very sunny spot indoors.

Calla- you can bring inside and let them grow- or let them go dormant and store the bulbs in the pot until spring in an above freezing place.

Canna- canna will grow inside as foliage plants in bright light all winter or let them die back and save the rhizomes.

Coleus- bring the whole plant inside or take cuttings. If stems get woody and straggly looking cut them back.  Bright light is needed inside for good growth.

Colocasia, elephant’s ears- you can let them die back and store the bulbs or let them continue to grow as a houseplant if you have room.

Dipladenia and Mandeville can be overwintered but are a bit tricky.  They need bright light and warm conditions.

Eucalyptus, sometimes used in containers, grows well inside.

Fuchsia- plants will grow and bloom all winter in bright light. The smaller flowered varieties make better houseplants.

Gardenias- if you are below zone 7 bring these inside to save. They need cool, humid, sunny conditions inside.

Geraniums- you can store them in a semi-dormant phase in a cool, dark place or just pot them and let them bloom all winter in a warmer, brighter place. They will get quite large inside.

Gerbera daisies- will bloom off and on all winter if they are in bright light inside. I actually think gerbera do better inside than outside.

Gerbera daisy

Hibiscus-Tropical or Chinese - bring inside, in bright light they will bloom most of the winter. They’ll live many, many years and get very large.

Joseph’s coat (Alternathera ficoidea), good foliage plant.

Lantana, yep- it will grow and bloom all winter.

Lemon cypress needs the same conditions as rosemary, see below.

Lemon grass, needs bright light in winter.

Lemon verbena needs warmer, sunny conditions. It makes a small tree.

Lifesaver plant (Huernia zebrina), good houseplant.

Lipstick plant and goldfish plant, both make good houseplants.

Ornamental peppers- the smaller varieties with pretty foliage make the best houseplants.

Polka dot plants – keep pinched back so they don’t get leggy.

Rosemary- in zones 7 and lower rosemary should be overwintered inside. It needs cool, not above 65 degrees, sunny conditions for best survival. Most other herbs, including lavender, do not survive well inside over winter.

Setcreasea, the purple passion plant, grows well inside.

“Spikes” – dracaena – make good houseplants.

Sweet Bay- bring inside to overwinter.

Sweet potatoes will keep growing all winter in bright light and warm conditions.

Sweet potato with flower

Succulents-many of the new succulents are not winter hardy in zones 7 and lower. Bring them inside and they grow all winter. Check the hardiness zones of all succulents and sedums. If they are hardy in your zone it’s best to leave them outside.

Taro- let it grow through winter or let the leaves die back and save the tubers.

Bulbs that are tender for your zone can be allowed to die back and stored above freezing in net bags buried in shavings or just bring pots inside after potted bulbs have died back. All bulbs must be brought inside before a hard freeze. Bulbs include glads, dahlias, peacock lilies, rain lilies, crocosmia, pineapple lilies, (Eucomis) and other tender bulbs.

Don’t try to save too many tender perennials unless you have a big greenhouse. (Even I close my eyes and leave some behind.) Just save the most expensive, rarest or your personal favorites.  You can propagate cuttings from one or two plants for a new border of impatiens rather than trying to save the whole border. All plants need room and good light and the more you have, the more time you will spend caring for them.  Trust me, I know.

July 18, 2022 summer is here

 Hi gardeners

I’m hoping those of you who need rain are getting it and those of you who don’t need it are sending it my way. In my part of Michigan drought is starting to become a problem in many places. Heat, midsummer sun and wind increase soil moisture evaporation. 

 

In my garden the Oriental lilies are beginning to bloom, some are outside my bedroom window and their lovely scent wafts inside at night.  Also blooming are all kinds of daylilies, four o’clocks, nicotiana, and many varieties of hosta, some of which can make the air smell nice too.  The Black Eyed Susans are starting to bloom along side Shasta daisies and Echinacea.  Golden glow is starting to bloom too, which is keeping me on alert for Japanese beetles.  I have only seen a few so far.

 

Annuals are in their glory days, and I am getting ready to give them a booster dose of fertilizer. My tuberous begonias are gorgeous this year. There’s a second flush of bloom on the roses. Water hyacinths are blooming in my little pond and a giant bullfrog has taken up residence there too.

 

In the vegetable garden I have tomatoes finally starting to turn red, baby cukes and a nice sized watermelon. Hopefully the family of racoons who have started coming to the door all hours of the day looking for handouts will not eat my produce before I get to it.

 

I had two very large garter snakes take up residence in my laundry room, on a shelf 4 feet off the floor where I stored some old towels.  I don’t know how they got inside but after several days of chasing them away every time I saw them and removing the towels, they have relocated, and I believe it’s outside.  I don’t harm snakes as they are one of the most beneficial creatures you can have in the garden. (And that’s where they belong.)

 

I have an Indigo Bunting pair nesting along the edge of the old pasture. They like edge habitat and it’s one reason I do mow some of that space still, wildlife love it. We have had several pairs of Carolina wrens nesting around the house and they are driving me nuts scolding me whenever I work in the garden.  I am seeing young hummingbirds, so they are nesting nearby too. All kinds of birds are coming to the feeders right now. Keep yours full in summer and bird watching is easy.

 

Japanese Beetles

Yes, they have emerged.  Some places will have heavy numbers of them, and some won’t. If it was dry in your area last year when they were active, you may have fewer beetles this year. The eggs they lay in the soil and newly hatched larvae often die if they dry out and you’ll have fewer adults the next summer.

 

Japanese beetles have two seasons of doing damage to your landscape.  The larvae are some of those big ugly grubs in your lawn or garden and they can damage plant roots. Then the grubs turn into beetles and the real fun begins. Japanese beetles will feed on dozens of plant species, leaving flowers and foliage a ragged mess if populations are high.  They also eat soft fruit like grapes, raspberries and blueberries.

 

The adult beetles are very hard to control. Treating lawns and crop fields for the grubs in the spring is a better way to control populations. But many people don’t want to do that because other soil dwelling creatures can be harmed too.  Several organic controls exist – such as milky spore disease that kills the grubs, but they take years to be effective in an area.

 

Start controlling Japanese beetles as soon as you see the first ones. As beetles feed, they emit a scent that draws other beetles to the feeding area.  In a week or two your garden may be heavily infested.

 

You can hand pick and drop them in soapy water, squish them or vacuum them up. Neem oil will kill some and cause others to skip eating treated foliage for a short time.  But it’s not terribly effective and continuously applying it to foliage and flowers damages the plants.  And Neem oil harms beneficial insects too.  

 

No other home remedies like dawn dish detergent sprayed on foliage, work. Diatomaceous earth does not work. Don’t waste your time. Even commercial insecticides sprayed on plants doesn’t usually completely control the damage, they are hardy beasts.  Systemic insecticides work a bit better if applied about 2 weeks before the beetles emerge, but the beetles have to eat a bite or two before they are poisoned.

 

Japanese beetle traps work- but in a suburban/ city environment you can’t get the traps far enough away from your garden to be helpful. They actually lure in beetles from a large distance away and they often eat plants before they make it to the trap. Traps should be at least 100 feet from plants you want to protect- and your neighbor’s plants if they garden.

 

Be aware that yellow is highly attractive to the beetles.  You could use trap flowers like golden glow, (Rudbeckia laciniata 'Hortensia), which they love, to lure the beetles away from other plants, with the same problems as traps.  The good news is that the plants usually recover when beetle feeding ceases in late August. 

 

A note- gardeners hate Japanese beetles and it makes them vulnerable to scams that promise to get rid of the beetles.  And the number of useless and sometimes harmful home remedies on social media continues to climb.  Before trying anything contact your County Extension office or look up the product on a .edu or .gov or other science based site.

 

 Garden products I’m loving this year

The products I mention below I purchased myself, I did not get them free for review nor was I paid to review them. It’s just my personal opinion I’m sharing.

 

I’m not real fond of dragging a hose around to water but our water pressure isn’t a good fit for a sprinkler system so it’s water with a hose or watch things die. I have a hose system with one main line and 3 hoses running off that are on a gang valve so I can reach different areas of my garden. Two of my hoses needed replacing this year so I tried some different types of hoses rather than the rubber/plastic types.

 

I hate it when hoses kink.  So, when I was shopping for hoses, I looked for ones that said they didn’t kink.  The first one I bought was a stainless steel hose.  Yes, that’s right, steel.  It looks like a flexible water line used for home plumbing or a hand held shower nozzle. Bionic Steel is the brand name I have.

 

My stainless-steel hose is lightweight, and it doesn’t kink, but it is flexible. I really like it.  You can easily roll it up in a small circle if you want. It cost about the same as a good rubber hose. The only drawback to these hoses is that you can’t run over them with a car or other heavy object because the hose will be crushed, and you won’t be able to easily repair it.

 

I was going to go back and order a second stainless steel hose, but I found a “collapsible” pocket hose when cleaning out my mom’s house and decided to take it home and try it. I tried these hoses when they first came out and didn’t like them, they were cheap and quickly developed leaks. 

 

Unfortunately, I don’t know the name of this pocket hose or what it cost, but it’s obviously much better made than those older versions.  Once again- no kinks and very light weight.  You can’t leave these hoses turned on full of water because they get stretched out from the water expanding in the heat and could burst.  But if you remember to turn off the water and squeeze the nozzle until the hose shrinks up, they do a great job.  It basically compacts down into a small size all on its own that’s easy to store.

 

I’ve been using this pocket hose in the front of the house, leaving it attached to the gang valve which is zip tied to the railing of our ramp.  When the hose is turned off and the nozzle pressed until the water left in it is gone it neatly shrinks up on its own and I can hang it right beside the gang valve without it being in the way.  After 2 months I’m still pleased with it. 

 

These pocket hoses probably wouldn’t work well if you ran over them either and they would puncture fairly easily if you are using them in some situations where you are dragging them over rough surfaces.  And you can’t leave them full of water and expect them to last long.  But if you do need a new lightweight hose for watering plants do consider one of these newer pocket hoses.  I think you’ll like it.

 

Power tools

We changed to a battery powered weed whip a couple years ago and would never go back to heavy, messy gas weed whips.  Ours uses little plastic blades instead of string which are easy to snap on when you need one, rather than string.  It works just as well as a gas model and usually runs as long as we intended to work anyway.

 

This year I added two new battery powered tools to my stable.  One is a handheld grass shears by WorkPro.  I love this little thing.  When I’m weeding I keep it close by and I can make a nice close edge on the flower bed- even sliding it under plants drooping over the edge to trim grass underneath them.  It’s much easier to control around delicate plants than a weed whip.  I use it to trim around my little water feature and other tight places a weed whip might damage.

 

This is with the hedge blade

And this little wonder also has a hedge trimming blade you can put on.  Now it doesn’t handle heavy stems very well, but it whizzes through light weight stems that need shearing to shape and look nice.  This little helper is light enough for someone like me that has arthritic hands to use easily.  It charges up quickly and simply by plugging it in, no battery to remove to charge and it lasts a surprisingly long time on a charge.

 

The other battery powered tool we are liking is our battery powered lawn mower.  Yes – lawn mower. It’s a 19 inch cut push mower that looks much like a gas mower.  You insert the battery in a slot under the hood and push a button on the handle to start it. No pulling on a cord.  It works just as good as a gas mower, but it’s quieter, easy to start, and doesn’t require oil or gas. It doesn’t pollute the air either.

 

It mows for about 30 minutes on a charge.  Some people buy two batteries with these so they can exchange batteries and keep mowing.  We just use it for trimming since we have a riding mower so the charge time on one battery is usually good for us. And it charges fairly quickly.  We chose to get a steel deck mower, I heard the plastic deck ones are prone to breaking.  The cost of these mowers is about the same as a regular gas push mower.  Ours is from Greenworks.

 

The picture from Amazon of our new mower

We also have a battery powered chain saw called the JawSaw that’s excellent for taking down medium sized branches and quickly chopping up downed limbs. It’s a little heavy and still requires chain oil.  My husband decided to purchase a battery powered chainsaw with a 6 inch blade that’s air cooled. It requires neither oil or gas and is lightweight.  It does quick work on saplings and branches up to a few inches in diameter.

 

Battery powered tools are much improved from just a few years ago.  They are stronger and the batteries last longer and charge faster.  You can often get several tools that run on the same battery.  If you need a new power tool, consider a battery operated one. They are great for older adults and those with mobility/arthritis issues.  Greenworks and WorkPro are good brands for battery operated garden tools. Read descriptions and reviews carefully before you buy as quality varies a lot.

 

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”

John Lubbock

 

Have a great summer afternoon

Kim

 

No part of this blog may be reproduced without permission.

Contact Kim at kimwillis151@gmail.com

 

June 20, 2022 Summer solstice and fireflies

 

Hi gardeners

 It’s the first day of summer here and it’s hot enough to make the devil cry.  It’s a good day to stay inside and write a blog.  I was outside early doing a bit of weeding but soon came in. The first day of summer means that it’s summer solstice, the longest day of the year.  It’s all down hill from here, the days get shorter.  So, it’s kind of a sad day.

Did you know that no other month in the same year starts with the same day of the week as June?  This year June started on Wednesday. June in every year always ends on the same day of the week that March does. That is Thursday this year. June only has 10 days of “calendar summer” but September has 21.

I don’t know about where you live, but this spring has had some of the most erratic weather I’ve ever seen.  Chilly, then hot as blazes, then chilly, then hot again. We’ve had quite a bit of rain but some places, even fairly close to us, have not. I don’t know how this will affect the plants, right now they seem to be growing just fine. At first bloom times were behind last year, now we are ahead a bit.

In my garden the roses are blooming, as is evening primrose, clustered bellflower, clematis, shasta daisies, and Maltese cross. Echinacea is starting to bloom and daylilies will bloom in a day or two. I even have big buds on hostas. The annuals are hitting their stride and looking good. All of my new fuchsias are blooming. I am still transplanting cleome and woodland nicotiana that are popping up everywhere into better spots for them.

In the veggie garden I have baby tomatoes and peppers and the cukes and melons are starting to vine. Garlic has scapes now. The mulberry tree is ripening fruit and the birds are all over it- let the fun begin. The apple trees have a lot of little fruit started.

Birds are very numerous here this year.  Has anyone noticed that purple house finches, rose breasted grosbeaks and various woodpeckers are eating grape jelly put out for orioles? They are at my house. I’m going through 2-3 big jars of jelly each week. I’m starting to limit how much I put out.  The birds also consume about 6 suet cakes a week.

June bugs are flying at night. It’s time to watch for rose chafer beetles. The name rose chafer is misleading. While they are very attracted to rose flowers, they’ll eat the leaves and flowers on many kinds of plants, grape leaves and flowers are a favorite.

Rose chafer 
Photo credit MSU Extension

Rose chafer beetles are tan, sometimes with a greenish cast, with reddish orange legs and short antennae.  They are about a ½ inch long when mature and are strong fliers. New to many US gardeners is a scarlet red beetle called the scarlet lily beetle that is about the same size as the rose chafer but shiny scarlet with black head and undersides.  Wings have “dimples”. This is an introduced pest slowly spreading across the US.

Scarlet lily beetles have larvae that hide in piles of their own poop along lily stems and leaves. You may notice the poop first. The larvae and adults love members of the lily family, often consuming all the leaves and buds. (They do not feed on day lilies.) Sometimes however, they will also feed on lilies of the valley, hosta, hollyhocks, nicotiana, and potatoes.

Scarlet lily beetle
Photo credit wikipedia

To get rid of these pests you’ll have to decide whether to do the pick and crush or use pesticides.  You might try a hand vacuum.

Don’t stop mowing your lawn in July for fireflies

Another insect you may notice right now is the firefly. This brings me to the current social media memes spreading around the garden pages.  You remember the nonsense of no mow May? Well now certain people are trying to get you to not mow in July, because they wrongly assume that will protect fireflies. It’s nonsense and you should not promote or share these memes. Let’s talk about fireflies.

There are about 128 species of fireflies in North America, but we don’t know much about half of those species.  Of the species we do know about 14 species are threatened. Most species are not in danger, although antidotally they are thought to be declining. But a great many species of insects are declining so that would be expected. Pesticides- especially those targeting slugs and snails, light pollution and drought are much more damaging to firefly populations than mowing your lawn.

Fireflies, of course, appear at night, as tiny flashing lights zipping around the garden. So, what do adult fireflies look like in the daytime when they aren’t flashing?  That can vary by species. They are winged beetles with soft bodies up to about an inch long. Many are tan or brownish, some have heads of a contrasting color, some are striped.  Some have large mandibles for catching prey. In the US most species have both male and female flyers. But in some places the females of a firefly species never become winged, they remain larvae-like except for large compound eyes. They can twinkle however and are called glowworms.

The fireflies that can get “lit” have in their abdomens a chemical called luciferin. This chemical gives them a very nasty taste, so birds and frogs don’t like to eat them, but it also allows them to do something else.  When a firefly feels sexy, he or she can combine that luciferin with calcium, adenosine triphosphate, and oxygen to produce a glow or light. They use the light to attract mates. The light can be yellow, orange, green or even appear blue, depending on species. Firefly light is a cold light, it doesn’t heat the bug up. And it’s probably the most efficient light produced on earth, almost 100% of the energy produced by the chemical reaction creates light.

Besides performing light shows, fireflies are helpful to gardeners in another way. The larvae of most firefly species are carnivorous. Some of their favorite prey is the slugs and snails that cause gardeners so much grief.  They also eat the larvae of other plant eating insect species.  None of the larvae or adult fireflies are harmful to you or your plants.  Seeing fireflies in the garden is a good thing!

So, what habitat do fireflies like? You can find them in the city but most often you’ll find them in the countryside, near areas of wetlands or water. So, living near one of these wet areas or building water features makes it more likely you’ll see fireflies.

You don’t need to stop mowing your lawn to help fireflies. In fact, since the females lay their eggs in the soil shorter vegetation is probably better, especially a well-watered lawn. Firefly larvae feed on slugs and snails and where do you find a lot of these? In a garden among your hosta and other plants not in a tall weedy lawn.

Of course, fireflies benefit from some native vegetation that attracts the insects and slugs they like to eat, and that might be native plants in your garden.  But they don’t eat plants and don’t really care about what plant species are there as long as they can find snails and slugs and certain other insects. Any type of garden is fine except desert conditions.   

If your lawn isn’t treated with pesticides and you allow things like clover and dandelions to mix with grass, then mowing it to 3-4 inches in height will not harm fireflies. If this lawn is ringed or dotted with gardens then it’s probably perfect habitat, especially if it’s watered when dry. I don’t usually encourage watering lawns but if you are concerned about fireflies it will help.

Another thing that will really help fireflies is turning off lights at night. Those big pole lights are especially bad.  Research has found that lights at night disrupt firefly mating behavior. Light from windows, and solar lights that come on at night should also be eliminated where possible.

Using mulch and allowing leaf litter to remain in gardens also helps fireflies because it encourages slugs and snails. And of course, you will never put out slug and snail bait if you are concerned about fireflies.  Rain gardens, ponds and water features are garden features that help fireflies.  By the way you can use a Bt product in water to control mosquitoes without harming fireflies. They do not use water for reproductive purposes.

Firefly

I’ve explained before that having a mowed area around homes is usually more beneficial than bad if it isn’t sprayed with pesticides or confined exclusively to grass. Mowed areas reduce pest problems like mice, rats, ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes. They may be firebreaks in some areas. They are a place for kids to play and adults to relax.  And you may get tickets in some places if you don’t mow.

People who have a lot of property may mow too much area. Let some distant areas go wild. There’s nothing wrong with reducing your lawn with more flower beds or veggie gardens either. If you don’t want lawn, fine, but manage the area around your home, just don’t stop mowing.

The idea you are virtuous or a wildlife savior just because you stop mowing around your home for a month is a corny idea that should be popped. Mow in July without feeling a bit guilty. Let’s see what is proposed as a reason for not mowing in August and September.

How summer solstice can help you

Want to feel younger and more beautiful?  Wreaths of flowers and herbs are included in many summer solstice celebrations. Rue, fennel, roses, rosemary, foxglove, lemon verbena, calendula, mallow, elderberry, St. John's Wort, vervain and trefoil are plants associated with these wreaths and summer solstice.  The wreaths are worn on the head and hung on doors and are said to bring good luck.  The flowers or wreaths were left outside to gather the dew on the night of the solstice. Washing your face with the dew collected on the night of the solstice was supposed to make you beautiful and delay aging. 

Want to have a baby? Most women in the northern hemisphere are at their most fertile time in June. A baby is born in March from such a conception and would have optimal survival chances in most areas, so nature favors this fertile time.  Food supplies would be more plentiful as the baby began to require more milk, the weather more moderate, and the wife would be recovered enough to help with spring planting.

Common summer solstice traditions include a couple jumping over a bonfire together to make it known they were committed to each other.  (Make sure you are not drinking if you try this.) Even today June is the month most favored for marriage.

And of course, summer solstice can give you a good excuse to gather around a bonfire after a day at the beach to celebrate your holiday.

 

“What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade.” – Gertrude Jekyll

 

Kim Willis

No part of this blog may be reproduced without permission.

Contact Kim at kimwillis151@gmail.com

May 14, 2022 Do Mow This May

 

Hi Gardeners

Fritillaria 

It’s a busy time for me as I’m sure it is for all of you.  We went from too cold and wet to work outside to too hot and dry in too short of time.  Thankfully it looks like spring is going to moderate a bit in the coming weeks. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself just because it’s been hot for a few days. In zones 5 and lower, frost and even a freeze could still happen. In these zones I’d hold off on planting tomatoes and peppers and bringing the houseplants outside for a week or two.

I am eager to get my houseplants outside. I have so many in the windows I can’t get most of the windows open in this heat until they are all moved. But I will be patient at least a week longer. I haven’t even started my veggie garden yet- things have been too hectic, but I hope to get lettuce planted this week and maybe a grow bag of potatoes.

Most of the spring flowering bulbs have burst into bloom here, only some alliums and late tulips (the few the deer left) have yet to bloom. The daffodils and hyacinths are actually fading away. My trilliums are blooming. The magnolia, redbud, flowering quince and clove current are in bloom. My lilacs are beginning to bloom. Apple trees are in bloom. The akebia and paw paw have big buds.

I haven’t bought any annuals yet, except the pansies, which aren’t liking this heat. I did do some on line shopping for plants on clearance- there’s some good prices out there now and many places are waiving shipping fees. I bought some nice fuchsias from Select Seed, and some salvias. Both of those are favorite plants of mine. (They have potted plants as well as seed.) I’m hoping I can get to the greenhouses this week some time for bedding plants and baskets. I’ll slowly plant them, keeping an eye on the weather.

All of the birds are back, and they are going through feed like crazy. I noticed that the rose breasted grosbeaks and the purple house finches are helping the orioles eat the grape jelly this year. The crows already have fledglings because I hear their noisy calls all around. The sand hill cranes have also been noisy, they must be in mating season.  The Canada geese have goslings already. I saw an immature Bald Eagle the other day, he makes that loud eagle scream that draws your attention.

I love this time of year and I’m trying to enjoy as much of it as I can, and I hope you are too.

Please MOW IN MAY

My lawn, 6 days after mowing

This No Mow May thing is truly silly.  It’s obvious some well-meaning but horticulturally- ecologically naïve people started this. Look at this picture of my lawn. It’s an unimproved lawn- it doesn’t get “weeded” it only gets mowed. And it was mowed just 6 days ago. It’s getting mowed today too.  Look how many flowers are down in that grass for pollinators. Dandelions, violets, selfheal, ground ivy, and a number of other lawn weeds are making a feast for pollinators. I mow so the lawn is never shorter than 3 inches, but I try to mow before it gets to 5 inches.

After I mow, many flowers are still visible. The plants will replace any flowers cut off in just a day or two. The birds will be right down there on the lawn after I mow looking for bugs I’ve stirred up. Everybody’s happy.

The flowering weeds in your lawn are able to bloom even after mowing providing you observe the 3-inch rule.  If fact if you let the grass get longer than about 4-5 inches those flowering weeds the pollinators love will be smothered and quit blooming. In the average May, a lawn could grow to 6-8 inches high easily, many will be a foot deep.  The longer the grass gets the fewer flowering weeds will be available to pollinators. Lawn weeds are adapted to mowing and mowing keeps them in bloom longer.

Yes, there are a few weeds that might bloom at a greater height but many of them you don’t want to encourage by giving them a good head start.  Thistles, burdock, stinging nettles, quickly come to mind.  If you give them the month of May without cutting them down, you are going to regret it. They are going to be very hard to control through summer.

Sapling trees, spreading plants like bamboo, mint, comfrey, Virginia creeper, trumpet vine, wild grapes and other aggressive weeds need early and frequent mowing to keep them in check. They will take over your lawn and soon any remaining grass and those smaller flowering weeds that pollinators love will be gone.

Most of you who started the month happily going along with the social media driven NO MOW MAY fad are probably looking at your lawn with a bit of anxiety right now. May is the month when lawns grow the fastest. It may look lush and full of flowers now but how long before the mower is going to have a hard time cutting through all that?  Just wait until the end of the month when you are cutting hay so to speak. It’s going to be a hard, slow go, and some mowers won’t handle it.

When you do cut that lawn and most of you will- it’s going to look very yellow and ugly for a week or so. The green chlorophyll laden parts of the blade are at the end- in the sun- and way down the blade near the ground you are going to have the yellowish, stem part of the grass. Eventually the plant will green up those cut stems, but it won’t be pretty for a while. And this is much harder on the grass than frequent mowing is.

Overly long lawns are good hiding places for adult mosquitoes, ticks, mice, voles, rats, rabbits and snakes. Many songbirds do not like really long grass as it hides predators and makes seeing insects and worms harder. They’ll move on to better edge habitat.

If you want to get rid of your lawn, and you legally can have a meadow instead of a lawn, do it. Just stop mowing. But if the leniency from your local government about cutting your lawn ends when June begins, you are better off with a weekly mowing in May. Plant beds of flowers for pollinators or leave an un-mowed strip near the lawn edge if you must.

Keeping your lawn about 3 inches long in May is actually better for the flowering lawn weeds pollinators love, and your grass, than letting it go all month without mowing. (And of course, you won’t use weed killers on your lawn if you like wildlife.) But I’m thinking most smart “lawn tenders” are soon going to realize that the NO MOW MAY movement is not so good for pollinators and people. It was a dumb idea that wasn’t thought through and didn’t have the input of horticultural experts.

 So get that mower out and cut your lawn. We’ve all seen what a lawn looks like when no one mows it for a month, and it isn’t pretty. And it certainly isn’t better for pollinators either.  Sometimes things that seem like a good idea just aren’t.

 

“I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day. When it’s cold outside, I’ve got the month of May.” – Smokey Robinson

 

Kim Willis

Contact me at kimwillis151@gmail.com

No parts of this blog may be reproduced without permission.

 

 

 

April 15, 2021, Are lawns bad?

Hi gardeners

Spring flower collage 

Here I am sitting here writing, listening to the wind roar outside.  I should be doing spring housecleaning- or cleaning out my mom’s house we are going to sell, instead my next chore planned is to pot up some dahlia tubers that are beginning to shrivel. This time of year, gardening takes preference over most other things.

I was outside this week during one of the rare sunny days watching the bees swarming the row of crocus by the deck. There were literally hundreds of honeybees there for a few days, must be a hive nearby. Some native bees were among them. I have a thick bed of various crocus about 8 feet long by my deck. There were some iris reticulata and Glory of the Snow nearby in bloom too.

I would have hyacinths in bloom soon, but the deer surprised me this year by deciding that hyacinths are not that bad after all. I have never had deer eat my hyacinths before.  It just goes to show that "deer resistant" is not a thing you can count on.

It occurred to me that these pollinators would be having a tough time if my nonnative, blooming plants were not here for them. There are some trees blooming, but the ones blooming now don’t do much for bees, as they are wind pollinated. Even dandelions aren’t blooming very well yet, they aren’t native but may as well be.

I also saw several butterflies this week, which surprised me. They were not on the crocus, just flying by. A few species of butterflies overwinter as adults and emerge when temps are above 60 degrees. Some butterflies sip tree sap this time of year, but others are looking for early blooming flowers. Here in Michigan’s thumb few native plants are blooming now.  Skunk cabbage in swampy areas, pussy willows, witch hazel, and maples, are some I know of.

Climate change has disrupted the coordination of when insects emerge and when food is available for them. That’s why it’s important to use nonnative plants in the garden as well as native ones. Spring flowering bulbs and hellebores, forsythia, and pansies, are a few early bloomers that can keep early emerging pollinators alive.

As climate change alters the environment, having plants that are suitable for the environment, regardless of where they originate from, is going to become more and more important. Please don’t assume that the only good plants for your garden are native ones.

Glory of the Snow

Gardeners in zones 6 and lower- it’s still time to use patience. It’s a rare April that we don’t have snow and freezing temps a few times in Michigan. It looks like this year is running about a week behind recent years as far as bloom times go. Be very cautious planting outside. Dormant trees, shrubs, and perennials can be planted. Pansies and violas can be planted.  You can sow leaf lettuce, peas, kale, radish, and onion sets in the ground if the ground isn’t too wet. Grass seed can be sown.

I would hold off planting most perennials that are already leafed out, annuals, all those pretty hanging baskets should be inside still and don’t move any houseplants outside yet. In two weeks, things should be a bit safer in zones 5-6, and by the end of May most things can be planted outside.

Don’t prune dead areas off plants like roses too soon either. The dead areas protect living tissue beyond them. When the plants have tiny leaves on surviving areas you can carefully remove all dead stems. And when you are removing stems from last years plants mark the location of slow to emerge plants like hardy hibiscus and buddleia, so you won’t damage or plant over them.

I have not seen any hummingbirds yet – usually they come back in this area around the end of April. But I’m cleaning my feeders and getting them ready.  Orioles usually come back around the same time.

iris reticulata

Let’s talk about lawns

Lawns are once again a hot topic here in the US with many people calling for their elimination. The Kentucky blue grass, heavily fertilized, irrigated and sprayed for insects, lawn is certainly not the best use of land. Do we have too much land devoted to lawn in the US? Maybe. But before you dig up the lawn and plant “native species” or just stop mowing, you need to consider many things.

A lawn has many definitions. You don’t have to have a plush carpet of bluegrass, you can let ground ivy, clover, violets, dandelions and other short weeds mix into the grass. But do keep your lawn mowed to 3 - 3 ½ inches high. This height allows many “weeds” to bloom and provide food for pollinators yet doesn’t look messy. You could call this a natural lawn. In this article, that’s the lawn I am talking about. It’s the type of lawn many of us have anyway.

Three to 3½ inches is a good height for most grasses too. It keeps them healthy because they have enough leaf surface to produce food. When you let grass get longer and then mow it, it goes into shock for a few days as this eliminates most of the green, food producing part of the plant at the end of the grass blade.

Good reasons for lawns

Keeping an area mowed around your home and important outbuildings does several things. Mowed areas create a fire break, and if you are in a wildfire prone area you may even want to irrigate that mowed area to keep it green. Experts suggest a minimum of 50 feet of mowed area around homes if wildfires frequent your area.

Mowed areas help keep ticks and mosquitoes at bay. Ticks are brought into unmowed areas by animals like rabbits, mice, and deer. They climb on those long strands of weeds and grass and wait to hop on you. Once they get into your “native species” or wild area you are going to have a hard time eliminating them.  Adult mosquitoes rest in tall vegetation during the day.

Mowed areas help eliminate hiding places for rats and mice (and the snakes that hunt them, if you dislike snakes). Public health officials are correct when they state that unmowed areas around homes often create a rat problem. You may be fine with rats, but rats travel long distances for food and water and your neighbors probably don’t want them around.

Mowed areas create spaces for entertaining and playing. If you have kids and pets, you want them to have a safe place to play near your home. You want to be able to see what’s growing there to avoid poison ivy and other poisonous plants popping up. Burs and other sticky seeds are unpleasant to remove from kids’ clothes and your pet’s fur and can even have health consequences.

Just stopping mowing or trying to start a wildflower meadow or “native habitat” around your home often doesn’t end well. You may get a ticket since many places have laws about controlling vegetation around dwellings. And quite frankly, most of these experiments make your home look like it has been abandoned, to put it kindly.

It doesn’t mean you can’t use the front yard for gardens if your municipality allows it. You can plant native plants if that is your thing. Just keep it neat and tidy, put the plants in “beds” and have paths and defined borders. Your backyard and other areas can be more informal, but a mowed area close to the back of the home is a wise plan too.

What will be tolerated depends on the area. In densely populated areas if it looks “weedy” and unkempt officials/neighbors aren’t going to care if you call it native habitat. But with a little planning, careful tending, and some mowed areas you can have those patches of native plants and no one will notice.

Be a good neighbor and keep truly noxious weeds like ragweed and stinging nettles cut down. Their pollen tortures the neighbors, and those plants are not beneficial to pollinators. Don’t plant aggressively spreading plants, native or not, close to lot lines.

Remember that many nonnative plants are attractive, suit your conditions and can also be beneficial to pollinators and wildlife. Including them in gardens often makes the garden more pleasing and familiar to neighbors and makes them less likely to complain about the landscaping.

Mowed areas are called edge habitat, when surrounded by trees and shrubs and taller vegetation. Rabbits, frogs and toads, and even deer like to spend some of their time in areas with short vegetation. Many species of birds that are found in urban and suburban environments prefer areas with mowed lawns. Mown areas help them spot predators and find insects on the ground.

Robins, song sparrows, chipping sparrows, killdeer, juncos, brown thrashers, gray catbirds, flickers, grackles, indigo buntings, bluebirds, cardinals, meadowlarks and red-tailed hawks are just some of the bird species that like edge habitat, with short vegetation. Even butterflies seem to prefer plants at the edges of mowed areas.

If you have lots of property, it’s fine to stop mowing or encourage native plants in areas more distant from your home. No one needs more than an acre of mowed area (unless you are really concerned about fire).  

It’s what you do to your lawn that matters

You don’t need to fertilize or weed the lawn. Let birds eat the grubs and other insects. There’s no need for pesticides unless you do get a severe insect problem, such as fire ants. Don’t rake clippings, mulch them back into the lawn. Mowing will take care of most tall weeds.

Don’t water large areas of lawn. You may want to water 50-75 feet around your home, enough to keep things green, if you live in a wildfire prone area. Or you may want to keep an area green that you use for entertaining or as a playground. Otherwise let your lawn go dormant in dry weather, except for “mercy” watering if there is an exceptionally long drought.

I hear a lot about the folly of American lawns, but mowed areas are better than paved areas, and even a monoculture of nonnative bluegrass is better than pavement. It absorbs carbon and water and cools the area. Lawns are not just vanity or a waste, there are practical purposes for keeping mowed areas around homes.

It’s not the mowed area that’s the problem, it’s how we care for that mowed area. If we get away from the “perfect” lawn concept and allow lawns to consist of a variety of plant species that are kept mowed, then there is nothing wrong with those lawns and you should not feel bad for having one.

 

Gardening simply does not allow one to be mentally old, because too many hopes and dreams are yet to be realized. – Allan Armitage

 

Kim Willis

 

No parts of this blog may be reproduced without permission.

March 18, 2022 Patience gardeners, patience

 Hi gardeners

Winter aconite should be blooming soon

It’s March and here in Michigan we’ve just had a few really nice days. The redwing blackbirds, the sandhill cranes, the killdeer, the robins and the bees are all back. The snowdrops are blooming, and in some places, crocus. I found it odd that the honeybees on my porch were swarming some cracked corn I put out for the birds.  There were snowdrops in bloom just below them and only a few bees were on them. I don’t know what they were getting from the corn.

And with a little warm weather people in Michigan are literally trying to plant their gardens outside. In March. In Michigan. We still have snowstorms in March. Heck, we sometimes have snowstorms in April.  Anyway, it’s not about how warm the air temperature is that determines when to plant, it’s about the soil temperature and soil condition. (For more about soil temps and planting click on the link at the bottom of this blog post.)

The very first thing you should learn if you are gardening outside is what planting zone you are in, and when your average first and last frosts are. So much about good gardening practices revolves around that information. You can ask other gardeners, a local garden store, your County Extension office or look up this information. There’s a link to an interactive planting zone map below the blog.

Patience is a flower every gardener should cultivate. If you are a gardener in zone 7 or higher, your time to plant might be here.  But all of you in planting zones 6 and lower, you need to be patient.

So let’s talk about March Gardening- zone 6 and lower

March is a tricky month for gardeners, especially in zones 5 and 6. The gardener is outside, walking the grounds, maybe seeing some early crocus in bloom in sheltered areas and hearing the robins sing. The urge is to get out there and do something in the yard.

Its amazing how anxious we are this time of year to jump into gardening. There are things gardeners can be doing but some things you do now cause more harm than good. Here are some safe things to do in your garden this month.

Seed starting

Late March is a great time to start things like tomatoes and peppers, which need a long time to grow into large transplants. Perennial flower seeds and herbs are also good to start early. In zone 6 and lower most other garden seeds shouldn’t be started inside until April. (If you are zone 7 or higher – some seeds can be planted outside now.)

And here’s a tip. Don’t start seeds inside if you can’t properly care for them. Most new gardeners start way too many seeds way too early in way too little light.  You need grow lights if you don’t have a greenhouse or cold frame. Even sunny southern windowsills won’t be enough light if your seedlings are more than 2 inches from the window, which doesn’t give you a lot of space. (See the link below about cold frames.)

Almost any plant you want for your garden can be bought at a local greenhouse or even at big box stores. Unless you set up a greenhouse or a grow light unit, keep your seed starting to a few heirloom plants or unusual things you might not find locally. You’ll be happier with the results and the plants will probably be healthier.

When you do start seeds inside- READ THE SEED PACKET DIRECTIONS. It will tell you
when to start the seeds indoors or if you should start them indoors. The directions will tell you how many weeks from your average last frost, counting backwards, to start seeds inside or for your planting zone when to start outside. If you don’t have a seed packet look the information up.

The only garden seeds that can be safely planted outside in March are garden peas. They can be planted as soon as the soil is thawed. Even snow won’t hurt them.

You can sow grass seed- yes even if it still snows.  Just make sure that your ground is dry enough you don’t leave large footprints or spreader ruts in the soil. The ground should not be frozen when you apply the seed. But you can sprinkle grass seed on top of a light cover of snow without problems. For zone 5-6 gardeners late March and early April are ideal times for seeding lawns.

You can shop for plants and supplies- good companies will ship plants at the right time to plant.  Some retail stores may get perennials in or bareroot roses and shrubs. Many perennials are shipped in from the south and are much more advanced than local plants. If you plant these outside now, you’ll probably get a lot of cold die back, which may or may not kill the plant.  Let the store care for them a while longer, mid-April is a safer time to plant these in zone 6 and lower.

Dormant bareroot plants can be planted as soon as the soil has thawed. Do not let bareroot plants start growing without being planted in soil. Keep them cool and dark and remove any shoots that sprout until you can plant them. Don’t buy bareroot plants that have long sprouts or lots of leaves. These plants have used up a lot of reserves and have a much-reduced chance of survival.

Winter damage check up

Check for damage from rodents, rabbits and deer. Look at the bottoms of trees and shrubs to see if the bark has been chewed. If a tree or shrub is totally girdled, (the bark is eaten off all around the tree), it may die. Some shrubs and even trees may return from the roots.

You’ll want to give damaged shrubs and trees extra water and fertilizer as new growth begins to help them recover. Grafted trees, such as most fruit trees, come back from rootstock that is generally undesirable for fruiting. You’ll want to remove those trees if they are girdled.

Pruning and clean up

Pruning fruit trees and grape vines can still be done. Get a good pruning manual and follow the directions. You may be able to get pruning information at your County Extension office. Don’t prune fruit trees that are kept just for spring flowers, such as ornamental cherries and crabapples now as you will reduce the bloom.

It’s a good time to prune many ornamental trees.  Don’t prune maples, birch, beech, or walnuts if the temperature is above freezing as it will cause heavy sap loss. Do not prune pines. Do not prune trees you want spring flowers from, like redbuds and magnolias.

Don’t prune off dead areas on semi-woody shrubs, clematis and roses for a bit longer. The dead area protects living tissue below it. If a cold snap comes and you have already pruned back to living tissue the cold may kill additional areas of the plant. You can prune buddleia right to the ground now but mark where it is as it is slow to start growing in the spring.

Some plants like arborvitae have darkened or reddish foliage right now from winter cold. Don’t prune that off. New buds will develop on those stems, or the plants will green up. Check later in May after deciduous trees have leaved out to see if there are dead areas to prune out.

Some clean up can be done now. Go cautiously here. Don’t remove protective mulches too early. Trim off dead leaves and stems carefully. Some of it is protecting the crowns of the plants. Mums for example, need to be budded out before all the old stems are removed. You may want to leave stems a few inches above ground for now. Stems also show you where plants are located.

You can cut back, or if you like drama, burn off, the old leaves of ornamental grasses now. Be careful with fire in early spring when things may be dry and there’s a lot of debris to burn. You may need a permit to burn grasses, leaves, or burn off ditches.

Don’t worry about overwintering beneficial insects too much as you clean up. If you compost what you remove or take your debris off to a far corner to sit, they will be fine. But if you don’t mind a messy look, don’t even clean up most of the left-over leaves and stems, they will quickly rot away with warm weather. Do remove thick matted layers of leaves down to a light layer though.

Other garden chores

You can apply dormant oil sprays.  A dormant oil spray is part of the good pest management program for fruit trees.  It is also used for some insect problems in ornamental trees. It can be applied when the weather is above 40 degrees but below 80 degrees.

Build new beds.  If your ground is dry enough to walk on and use equipment without making deep imprints and ruts, you can start new garden beds. Mix your soil and amendments and get everything ready to plant.

Apply manure and compost. If you use manure now is the time to apply it generously to empty beds, go lightly on occupied ones.  Compost is good for all beds but don’t add it until the ground is thoroughly thawed and don’t make it too deep over existing plants.

Turn the compost pile or start a new one. Turning the pile will help it warm faster and get it cooking again after winter.  If you don’t have a compost pile, find a good spot to start one and get going.

Clean and sharpen garden tools. Check mowers for any needed parts and sharpen the blades or replace with new ones. Clean out your garden shed.  Check your garden hoses.  Stock up on potting soil and buy your seeds while the selection is good. Better to spend a day shopping for garden supplies while it is still brisk and wet outside, rather than a warm sunny one when you would rather be working outside!

Clean out, repair, and replace bird houses. The birds are returning from the south and looking for nesting spots. Keep your feeders full, there’s not much native food left this time of year. It’s too early for hummingbird feeders (zone 6 and lower), the fluid may freeze and crack the feeder, and the hummers probably aren’t coming back until mid April at the minimum.  If you do see a stray one, put up the feeder, and bring it in on cold nights.  Orioles probably won’t be back until April either, but if you see them, grape jelly in a dish is a good alternative to nectar.

Remember to stay off your soil if it is too wet. You will compact it and cause a lot of damage to soil structure. It’s too wet if you pick up a handful of soil, squeeze it, open your hand and it stays in a clump. That’s too wet to walk on or plant.

One of the things you can do is plan. That may mean sitting in the sun and daydreaming or walking around measuring and drawing plans. Good plans make great gardens. Spring is coming. But a good gardener knows how to satisfy the urges without damaging the plants.

 

Snowdrops

I grow plants for many reasons: to please my eye or to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow. – David Hobson

  

So, enjoy the nice weather but take it slow

Kim

 

 No part of this blog may be reproduced or published without permission.

  

Links you might enjoy

 Planting zones

 

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/know-your-garden-zone.html

Growing snowdrops

 https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/snowdropsa-shy-and-secretive-beauty.html

Soil temperature and planting

https://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/soil-temperature-and-planting.html

 Interactive zone map

https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/