Hi gardeners
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| Black snakeroot |
It’s a weird weather day here. It looked like it was going to storm, but it
went below and above us. We had dibs and
dabs of rain last week, not enough to do much good, so a good rain would be
welcome. I was digging potatoes this
week and the top inch of soil was moist but under that it was powder dry. Our county is considered to be in moderate
drought.
I got busy this week and dug up some of the long bed
I am going to abandon back to lawn. The
lilies in it had been chewed to about half height by deer and didn’t bloom this
year. They have been there a while and
the bulbs I dug out were enormous. They
are orienpets and tree lilies, hybrid lilies that get very tall. I also dug out some sedum and daylilies to
transplant. Everything went to the front
flower beds. One of my favorite lilies ‘Silk
Road’ had about 6 large bulbs to one stalk.
I am hoping to see it bloom again next year.
In the garden the toad lilies are starting to
bloom. The hardy hibiscus and anemone
are blooming as well as mums. I still have black eyed Susan’s and coneflowers
blooming as well as ligularia. The black
snakeroot, Cimicifuga, is outstanding this year. I love the soft pink
plumes of flower. I’m also pleased with
the new quill mum I planted this spring.
It’s gotten quite large for it’s first year.
The new buddleia is also huge for a first-year plant.
Too bad it turned out to be white instead
of the dark purple it was supposed to be.
I don’t think they attract as many butterflies when they are white. It was a bargain plant though so I should be
happy I guess, that it grew so well. I
am also happy with the Verbena bonariensis I planted this year. But it’s only hardy to zone 7. I don’t know whether to just save seed or try
to dig it and overwinter the plant.
I harvested one of my “special medicine” plants this
week. It was huge. I am learning to trim buds and working on it
a little at a time. You are supposed to
take off all the large leaves and trim back the smaller ones that surround the
buds. You just keep those buds for drying. It’s nothing like the pot of the 70’s
I was used to, when you smoked the leaves instead of throwing them out.
I don’t like it that the whole house now stinks
though. That resin on the plants is very
sticky and gets all over your hands and is hard to wash off. That’s the good
stuff I’m told. I am going to be
experimenting with various ways to use those buds soon. I have another huge plant of a different
variety to harvest still. I should have
plenty to experiment with.
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| All of these Silk Road lily bulbs came from one stalk. |
Tips on buying bulbs
It is getting close to the time when most gardeners should
be planting bulbs for those spring blooms.
Before you can plant bulbs, you have to buy them. If you buy good quality bulbs, you’ll have a
better chance to have a gorgeous display of flowers next spring and
summer.
I highly recommend that you buy your bulbs from a
mail order catalog- online source and here’s why. Retail stores must purchase bulbs early and
have them on display in late summer -early fall. I have heard from industry insiders that these
early shipped bulbs often have their curing time after harvest shortened so
they can meet the early order deadlines of retail stores. This can impact the quality and growing
ability of those bulbs.
Bulbs in retail stores usually sit in the store for
weeks and those storage conditions are certainly not ideal. They may be left on outside garden center
racks in sun and rain. They may sit in
boxes in hot stockrooms or be inside on brightly lit racks in warm stores. Bulbs may rot, mold, shrivel up or start growing,
all things which don’t predict good results in your garden. Retail stores have even been known to put out
bulbs that were left over from last year and stored in a stockroom somewhere.
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| Anemone and species tulips |
The bulbs in retail stores are often not as large as
bulbs purchased directly from bulb companies on-line or from catalogs and are
often a lower “grade.” Larger bulbs give
you a better show in spring. The selection of varieties is limited. Even with shipping costs from catalog and web
sellers included, the bulbs in retail stores often cost the same or more than
bulbs purchased online or from catalogs.
There are some high-end garden stores who deal
exclusively in plants and garden products who do a good job of displaying and
storing quality fall bulbs. These are
different from big box retailers and grocery stores offering bulbs for sale and
you will probably be fine buying bulbs from them. But not everyone has access
to such stores.
Not every online or catalog bulb seller has the best
quality bulbs either. Cheaper bulbs and
all those great bargain deals usually feature smaller, lower grade bulbs. But overall, you get better quality bulbs
when you purchase them from online/catalog sources. They are generally stored properly until they
are shipped to you at the right time for planting in your area. And you have a
far greater selection of bulbs to buy, including rare and heirloom bulbs.
You can buy the bulbs anytime after they go on
sale. In fact, shop early for the best
selection. But you want to plant your bulbs after the temperature of the air
and soil has cooled, yet before the ground freezes. Usually this is after a
hard frost. In zones 6 and lower this is
usually in October. In zone 7 it’s a bit
later, maybe November. In zones higher
than 7 you may need to purchase pre-chilled bulbs. Good mail order-catalog sellers generally
monitor the weather and ship bulbs to you when the time is right for planting. If you are allowed to pick a date to receive bulbs
keep your weather in mind.
Do some research before ordering bulbs for fall
planting. Check the hardiness zones of
bulb and make sure they will thrive in your planting zone. Even some varieties of the same species may
not grow well in all planting zones.
There are some bulb varieties that grow better in warm climates or that
can stand colder winters than others of their species.
Make sure the bulbs you want will grow in your light
and soil conditions. Don’t hesitate to plant sun loving early flowering bulbs
under deciduous trees. By the time the
trees leaf out the bulbs will have bloomed and completed most of their growth
cycle. But for later flowering bulbs and
for bulbs that will grow in the shade of evergreens or buildings make sure the
bulb species can perform in your lighting conditions.
Soil moisture and fertility can also be factors in bulb
selection. Most bulbs prefer to grow in well-drained
soil of average fertility. There are
only a few bulb species that grow well in damp areas.
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| Fritillaria Crown Imperial |
Bulb size
When ordering bulbs and comparing prices look at the size
of the bulbs listed. Smaller bulbs of the same variety cost less. These can be a bargain in bulbs that usually naturalize
and then get bigger each year, like daffodils and lilies. But for bulbs like
tulips, always buy the largest size offered for a good first year display. Many
of these won’t be back for a second year and if they do come back, often have
smaller flowers the second year. For a
great spring display from them buy large top-grade bulbs.
What is considered top size varies from species to
species and even by variety. Good
sellers list bulb size minimums. That means the bulb will be at least that
size. Sellers may also list the grade –
top grade or bedding grade, which are slightly smaller bulbs, are the terms
often used. In daffodils double or
triple nosed bulbs are higher quality than single nose and sell for more. This
means the bulb looks like two or three fused bulbs and will put up two or three
bloom stalks.
In standard tulips 12 cm and up is top quality. Species tulips range from 5 cm up, depending
on the species. In daffodils 16 cm, preferably
double nosed is top quality for large flowered types. Some of the smaller flowered daffodils and
narcissus have top quality bulbs of about 10 cm. Hyacinths should be 16 cm, grape hyacinths 6
cm and up. Top quality crocus range from
about 9 cm for very large flowered hybrid types to 5 cm for small flowered
early crocus or species crocus.
Snowdrops and squill should be about 8 cm. Fritillaria
imperialis (Crown Imperials) should be 20 cm or more for top quality. Large
globe allium bulbs should be 20-24 cm for top quality. The small alliums range from 5-14 cm
depending on species. There are many
other types of bulbs sold and if there are no common standards for top size you’ll
just find them listed as top size or under other terms.
Lily bulbs show some variation by both species and
variety. Asiatic top size is 14 cm and up and oriental lily bulbs should range
from 16/18 cm, but some varieties of both may have naturally smaller
bulbs. Lily bulbs can also be much, much
larger when premium size bulbs are sold. Martagon and species lilies have
smaller bulbs, 10 cm up depending on species.
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| Top size lily bulb |
CM refers to centimeters and is measured around the
bulb, (circumference). Each centimeter
equals 2.54 inches. For a visual comparison think of a 16/18 cm bulb as about
the size of a tennis ball.
It can be a red flag when bulb grade and size aren’t
listed, and the prices seem lower than other places. This often means you’ll receive
small, misshaped or damaged bulbs. If
you are willing to give them a year or two before the best show this can be a decent
deal. I would not choose tulips this way.
Bulb appearance
If you are picking out bulbs in a store, make sure
you can actually see the bulbs. It’s
risky to buy bulbs in packages you can’t see through. Some garden stores have bins of loose bulbs,
from which you pick your selection. This
is a better way to choose than picking packaged bulbs. One drawback is that when customers handle
bulbs, they don’t always get the right bulbs back in the right bin. I watched a child once having a great time
moving bulbs from bin to bin. People
buying after he left may not have gotten the varieties they expected.
Bulbs of different species are shaped a bit
differently. Tulips are usually tear
drop shaped. Daffodils have longer “necks”
and sometimes look like two bulbs fused at the bottom (double nosed). Lily
bulbs are composed of “scales” that overlap.
Crocus bulbs are flattened circles.
But all bulbs should feel firm, not soft. They should look plump, not shriveled. (There are a few exceptions to the shriveled
look, some less common bulbs may appear wrinkled.) A little mold isn’t harmful
but a blackened moldy, shriveled looking or mushy bulb should not be purchased. Many bulbs have a loose skin or papery shell. Don’t remove this but don’t be worried if
some falls off.
Bulbs should not be sprouting. They shouldn’t have cuts from shovels or
gnawed areas from pests. They shouldn’t look smashed. Some bulbs may have tiny “bulblets”
attached at the bottom, which is fine, but don’t worry if these fall off. These eventually grow into new bulbs.
Bulb color varies.
In some species such as tulips and hyacinths, you can see some color in
the flesh of the bulb that may correspond to flower color. A purple fleshed hyacinth bulb produces a
purple flower. But don’t rely on bulb color to accurately predict all flower
colors. In many species the bulbs have
white or tan flesh color regardless of what the flower color will be.
If you are tempted to buy pre-packaged bulbs in a
store check the label carefully. Look
for the words “packed in or for” the current year. If you see any signs that the package was a
holdover from another year don’t buy it.
Almost all bulbs come from the Netherlands so don’t worry if you see that
on the label. Some companies buy bulbs
in bulk from the Netherlands and repackage them so they can label them as
packed in the USA but only a few rare and heirloom species and some lilies are
actually grown here for commercial sale.
If you are ordering bulbs from a website or catalog
you won’t be able to see what you are getting.
But make sure you open and examine the bulbs as soon as you get them and
report any damaged or unhealthy looking bulbs right away. Good companies guarantee quality and will
refund your money if you aren’t satisfied.
Other considerations
When ordering also check the blooming times of bulbs,
usually listed as early, mid spring- and late spring. Make sure you have something blooming all
through spring. Keep early blooming
bulbs close to the house and paths so you get to see them.
There are bulbs that you plant in the fall that bloom
in the summer too. Lilies are a good example; you can have lilies in bloom much
of the summer if you choose varieties carefully. Lilies often do best when planted in the fall,
but some can be spring planted also. You
can even get bulbs that bloom in the fall like saffron crocus and colchicums.
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| Colchicum bloom in fall |
How many to buy
There is a disease in gardeners called “buying too
many bulbs”. (I have it.) You may get
better prices if you buy larger quantities, but can you really find places for
those bulbs and the time to plant them? Remember
fall weather may make some days unsuitable for planting. You can plant until the ground freezes but
its better to get bulbs planted a few weeks before that so they can better
establish themselves.
But don’t buy too few bulbs either. As you look at
your flower beds this fall you may think there is no room for bulbs but remember
in the spring when the bulbs bloom most perennials are still quite small. If you took pictures of your garden in early
spring, you’ll know where the bare spots are.
This also helps you avoid planting this fall’s new bulbs over bulbs from
last year that are dormant.
You can lift the leaves of hosta and other perennials
and plant bulbs under them. After the
bulbs bloom and die down in early summer the emerging leaves of the perennials will
cover the dying foliage. Ferns,
daylilies and other plants can also hide dying bulb foliage as they grow; you
just have to squeeze the bulbs in under them this fall.
Most good bulb catalogs will list how many bulbs per
square foot is ideal, but these figures are generally for beds that don’t have
other plants in them. When you are
planting in beds with perennials or previously planted bulbs you’ll need less. If you do need a lot of bulbs, a 100 or so of
the same species, look at wholesale and landscaper catalogs or websites. These may have minimum purchases. Look for wholesale catalogs that sell top
quality bulbs, not small or low-grade bulbs.
There are some companies that specialize in the very largest, top
quality bulbs for landscapers who service very fussy clients or for exhibition
gardens.
If you do buy too many bulbs you can either give them
away, sneak a few into a neighbor’s yard for a surprise or pot them in
containers. The containers must drain
well. Leave them outside in the cold
until spring or a time near spring when you bring the inside for forcing bloom.
Either bury the pots in the ground or compost pile or mulch them heavily
through the winter. In spring you can
then move the sprouting bulbs in pots to porches and patios or bare spots in
the garden.
Every gardener should consider adding bulbs to the
garden for early spring blooms. You need to plant them this fall. There’s still plenty of time to order those
bulbs so get to work. There’s a list of catalogs and on line sites below. Next
week I’ll talk about planting tips for bulbs and how to integrate them into
perennial beds.
Prostrate knotweed, Polygonum
aviculare
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| Prostrate knotweed |
My grandmother called it poverty grass, but years ago
when I tried to look up the plant under that name, I couldn’t find it. This plant forms a low, wiry groundcover that
stays green in all but the worse droughts and can be walked on. It covers hard
worn paths by midsummer and will grow almost anywhere in full sun. You can mow it without much harm, but it
stays low enough you usually don’t have to. It has tiny almost invisible
flowers that some pollinators do find, and birds love the seeds it makes.
This plant sounds like the ideal lawn replacement
doesn’t it? I think it could be,
although there are some drawbacks. I eventually found the name of the plant,
it’s officially Polygonum aviculare.
The plant is said to be polymorphic, that is there are slight regional
differences in the shape of the plants leaves and its growth habits. That has led to several subspecies being
named and some disagreements among botanists in whether there are actually
different species or subspecies. Anyway,
you may sometimes find the poverty grass of the Eastern US being referred to as
Polygonum arenastrum.
Some of the other common names this plant has are
door weed, mat grass and goose grass.
It’s a plant native to Eurasia, but it’s been in this country since the
earliest arrival of Europeans and can be found in all 50 states and in most of
the other countries in the world.
Poverty grass- that’s the name I know it by, isn’t in
the grass family. It’s a dicot related
to buckwheat and other familiar knotweeds. From a distance it may look like
grass but if you examine it up close, you’ll see the wiry stems have tiny oval
leaves with a short petiole arranged alternately on the stems. The color is a
dark blue-green. The leaf joints or
nodes are slightly swollen and its at the leaf junction that tiny greenish
white flowers develop.
The flowers each produce one dark brown cone shaped
seed with 3 sides. Poverty grass flowers all summer and produces prodigious
amounts of seeds. Most will stay in the soil until the next spring to
germinate. The tough seeds can survive
many years, perhaps decades in the soil if conditions aren’t right for
germination. They need a period of cold,
moist stratification followed by warm soil conditions for best
germination. That translates to a winter
outside with late spring germination.
Polygonum
aviculare is an annual plant although some do argue it’s a short-lived
perennial in the right conditions. It will grow almost anywhere there’s enough
sun, in almost any soil. It grows in
hard packed soil, sandy nutrient poor soil, salty soil and soil contaminated
with oil and other chemicals. It will
grow in wet or dry soil. It’s drought
resistant, staying green when lawn grass has gone brown. It will inhibit the
growth of some other weeds and chokes out lawn grasses growing where conditions
are wrong for grass. It doesn’t grow well in shade.
This hardy survivor is eaten by deer and rabbits and
will be eaten by livestock to some extent.
There have been reports that it can accumulate nitrates in some cases
and harm horses that eat it but is not considered to be poisonous in most
cases. Birds like pheasants, quail and doves seek out the seeds of the plant.
Not only do animals eat the plant, people do
too. The seeds have been ground into a
flour. Young plants are eaten as a salad
green. Leaves have been used for
tea. There are a number of minor herbal
remedies for the plant. The seeds are an
emetic and mild diuretic. The plant is
used to treat asthma, diarrhea, gingivitis and cardiovascular issues. And the
plant is used to kill and expel worms.
Parts of the plant are even used for dye, said to produce blue, green,
and yellow dyes.
Some people consider poverty grass a noxious
weed. It can reduce yields in some crop
fields and is said to carry some plant diseases. But it seems to have some good uses too. I don’t mind when it covers the hard-packed
soil on the path to the barn and areas in the back yard where the dogs have
worn trails. It keeps those areas from
being muddy in rainy periods and makes them look nicer.
 |
| Close up of prostrate knotweed |
If you want to get rid of poverty grass, you’ll find
it is resistant to many herbicides. A county Extension agent can tell you what
pesticide is effective for it in your area.
It has a short taproot and can be pulled out easily when the soil is
wet.
Since many people are looking for alternatives to
grass it seems like Polygonum aviculare should be studied and maybe bred
into a better grass substitute. There are some drawbacks. The plant is not native, but then neither is
Kentucky Bluegrass. It is an annual,
which is one drawback. When it gets
established though, it pretty much reseeds itself consistently. The biggest drawback is that it is slow to
get growing in spring, leaving bare areas for a longer time than grass. When its dry though, it stays green while
grass turns brown. It dies at the first
hard freeze. It doesn’t grow in shady
areas very well.
This could be an answer to many problem areas where
grass and other ground covers won’t grow. It will grow in contaminated soil and
can help clean up toxins. It grows in
soil that is salty from winter snow removal or salty irrigation water. It grows
in densely packed soil and helps improve it. It can help prevent erosion in
areas where other plants don’t grow well.
One of you readers should consider working with
poverty grass to see if it could be turned into the next miracle plant by selective
breeding. A good lawn substitute that’s
ecologically friendly is needed. A weed
could make you rich!
Fuzzy and painful caterpillars
It’s the time of year when a lot of people are
noticing caterpillars but if you see any that look fuzzy, hairy or woolly don’t
pick them up. I learned this lesson
early when I picked up a cute, white fuzzy caterpillar as a child and I still
remember the pain and itching that followed.
On many species of caterpillars (butterfly or moth
larvae) which look fuzzy or woolly those hairs contain a tiny bit of poison. If
handled the hollow hairs break and the poison can get into your skin or in the
mouth if a predator bites them. They can leave you with a very painful
stringing or itching sensation if you handle them. It usually doesn’t require medical attention and
will fade in a day or so. But you will
have a crying child if they aren’t warned about the danger of cute fuzzy
caterpillars.
The Puss caterpillar (Megalopyge
opercularis), is very fuzzy or furry with golden blond-reddish brown
coloring. It looks soft and cuddly. Its not.
Handling this caterpillar will probably result in an extremely painful “sting”
that will radiate pain to distant areas. In some people there is also nausea
and vomiting, headache, swollen lymph glands and even breathing
difficulty. This is one pussy you don’t
want to pet.
This caterpillar feeds on apple, elm, maple,
hackberry, oak, sycamore and other trees. It is often found feeding in groups and the
larger the caterpillar the worst the reaction will be.
 |
| Puss caterpillar entomology.ca.uky.edu |
The White Flannel Moth Caterpillar (Norape
ovina) is related to the Puss caterpillar but it’s not as hairy. It’s interesting enough it might get picked
up though. It has a bright yellow body
with a wide black stripe down the center.
At each end is a red area. In the stripe are tufts of yellow hairs with scattered
longer black hairs. It’s the short yellow hairs that sting.
This caterpillar feeds on redbud, honey locust,
hackberry, mimosa and beech. They are usually seen in late summer.
 |
| White flannel back moth Wikipedia |
Saddleback caterpillar (Acharia
stimulea) is quite interesting. It
looks like it is wearing a greenish saddle blanket on its back with a brown or
purple brown saddle outlined in white on top of that. On the rest of its orange body are clumps of
red and white bristles with two big horns at the front and back. Those bristles pack a punch. The stings are
very painful and can leave a rash that lasts for days.
This caterpillar feeds on basswood, chestnut, cherry,
oak, and plum. In some years they also
feed on corn plants.
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| Saddleback moth https://ugaurbanag.com |
Hickory tussock caterpillar (Lophocampa
caryae) is a beautiful caterpillar that recently has become more
common. It’s the silky demon from my
childhood. These caterpillars are covered in soft velvety white hairs with a
line of black spots down their back. This
one’s sting isn’t even as bad as some of the others but still leaves a stinging,
painful rash.
 |
| Hickory Tussock moth Maine.gov |
The pine processionary caterpillar (Thaumetopoea
pityocampa) has a brown head, and alternating dark and light gray bands on
its body. It’s also covered with long
white bristles. It’s not so tempting to
pick up this one since it looks prickly but beware, this caterpillar can
project or shoot its hairs if you get too close. The sting is quite painful. It’s been known to cause sores in dog’s
mouths.
The caterpillars form webs like fall webworms to
shelter in. They also make weird “trains”
of caterpillars with one caterpillars head touching the rear of another. They eat pine needles.
 |
| Pine processionary web.cortland.edu |
The io moth caterpillar (Automeris
io) looks like some kind of plastic toy.
It’s a western US species with a blue green body and clusters of yellow hairs all over it. Each hair has a
black tip. There’s a red and a white line on each side. Some people experience
extreme reactions from the sting of this one, but some only have a mild
reaction. It feeds on corn, roses,
willow, linden, elm, oak, locust, apple, beech, ash, currant, and clover and
sometimes other plants.
 |
| Io moth Wildreturn at https://flickr.com/photos/80270393@N06/42669236010 |
The white cedar moth caterpillar (Leptocneria
reducta) is covered with what looks like a coat of long blond
and brown hairs. It travels in large
groups in the evenings. The hairs can
cause a painful rash.
 |
| White cedar moth wikimedia commons |
Hag moth caterpillar (Phobetron
pithecium) looks enough like a spider that many people wouldn’t touch
it. It has 6-9 pairs of what appear to
be legs sticking out of its back and the whole caterpillar is covered in a
light brown velvety plush coat. That
plush coat makes a miserable painful rash if someone is brave enough to touch
this weirdo. This caterpillar feeds on oak, chestnut, dogwood, sassafras and
ash. It is sometimes mistaken for a piece of brown leaf.
 |
| Hag moth wikimedia |
How about the common and fuzzy Woolly Bear caterpillar (Pyrrharctia Isabella) of
weather forecasting fame? Well this one
won’t harm you even though it is fuzzy. (Some people report mild dermatitis.)
It’s black and orange with varying amounts of both. It’s a very common garden
caterpillar that overwinters in leaf litter. They eat many types of plants but
aren’t considered to be a serious pest.
Folklore says if the orange band is wide it’s going
to be a mild winter. But in reality, one
can find Woolly bear caterpillars in the same garden with different amounts of
orange. The caterpillars molt their
skins several times and each time they may have a different amount of orange. I saw one in my garden yesterday with a lot
of orange so I wish the folklore saying was true but science says otherwise.
 |
| Woolly Bear caterpillar |
“We
know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer's
wreckage. We will welcome summer's ghost.”
Heny Rollins
And So On….
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