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The good news is that this rain that ended our drought is
coming after the drought. The soil is dry in most places and can hold a lot of
water. Flooding should quickly recede, if we don’t get too much more rain. If
your plants are flooded see the tips at the bottom of the blog for assessing
and caring for them.
I went out Saturday during a lull in the rain and slugs were
everywhere, big yellow slugs. They were all over the grass, and on trees and
shrubs as high as my head. Ugh. And
Sunday mushrooms had popped up everywhere in the lawn, little brown ones and
slightly bigger white ones- you couldn’t walk without stepping on them. I have never saw that after a rain. Monday,
we mowed over them.
We got just about 3 inches of rain Friday through Saturday
night. We had no rain Sunday in the daytime and the large puddle at the end of
the drive quickly shrank to nothing. That was the worst of our flooding. Monday
evening we had a ¼ inch of rain. Had this been a normal year there probably
would have been mushy, soft, flooded areas in the yard. But I was able to mow
Monday morning and didn’t find any.
The plants look great. But our catalpa tree “rained” down a
blizzard of white flowers- they are everywhere- and they quickly turn brown and
slimy. The leaves of the hosta catch them, and they turn into a slime ball in
the pocket of the leaves, which can’t be good for them. So, I am going around trying to dump them
out.
In the garden the Asiatic lilies are starting to bloom,
which will add some color. So are the fancier daylilies. I have mums opening-
can you believe that? – I thought they bloomed early last year but it’s even
earlier this year. Roses, lavender, echinacea, Maltese cross, evening primrose,
harebells, a few clustered bellflowers, native geraniums, beebalm, are some perennials
in bloom in the garden.
I have a baby pumpkin on my pumpkin vines. Some of the patio tomatoes are starting to
ripen. My pot plant is looking nice and bushy. I am slightly disappointed in my cuke plants,
they are growing but not blooming yet. Wild raspberries are ripening.
Humid, hot, wet weather can cause a number of fungal
diseases in the garden. Keep a close eye on plants susceptible to fungal
infections such as tomatoes.
Have a nice 4th of July holiday everyone.
My mystery plant
This cute little plant popped up in a pot of orange geraniums (Pelargoniums) and it’s funny because I know by the developing seedpods that it is a true geranium. The Pelargonium had been overwintered in the house and was taken outside and planted in a pot that had a mixture of recycled potting soil added to it. The true geranium began growing shortly after I planted the Pelargonium. I’ve never seen this plant growing in the yard and I don’t know how it got here.
The mystery comes because I can’t identify exactly what species of true geranium this is. Cranesbill, Geranium carolinianum, has leaves a lot like this but its flowers are quite pale lilac, and this plant has rather vivid mauve pink flowers. That color is more common to Geranium dissectum, or cut leaf geranium, but the leaves don’t seem as finely dissected. Cranesbill is native, but cut leaf is not.
The flowers are very tiny, but pretty. The plant is growing
as a low spreader, running over the sides of the pot. There are many other species
of true geraniums, but none match close enough that I can see. Geraniums are
identified partly from their seed pods which feature a long “bill” growing out
of them, leading to the name Cranesbill, which is actually given to a number of
the species.
The cute little plant will get to stay. If any of you have knowledge
of wildflowers and an opinion on whether this is Cut leaf geranium or common
cranesbill let me know.
A new plant I know the name of
Every year I try a new species of plant (new to me), just
for the fun of it. This one I got from Select Seed and started inside before
transplanting to the butterfly garden. It’s a plant called Anoda cristata
alba or snowcups. Its native to the southwest US and Mexico, where it is
considered a weed and normally has lilac-colored flowers. This is a white variant
that has been selected for slightly larger flowers. It is related to Malvas.
The flowers are unusual for their pure white pollen. They
remind me of small silky hibiscus flowers. They are said to be attractive to
butterflies and bees, we’ll see. The flowers on mine have just begun to open. Snowcups
is an annual that likes full sun and grows to about 3 feet tall. It forms a
bush shape, with flowers clustered at the top. The leaves are broad triangles.
In Mexico and South America Anoda may be known as Alache and
is made into a thick soup. There are herbal uses for the plant, mainly for
various digestive problems and its being studied for blood sugar control.
This isn’t a common garden plant yet. Besides Select Seed, I saw it offered at Plant Lust. It does well in heat and humidity and mine is growing like gangbusters. They say it reseeds freely, but maybe I won’t mind, maybe I’ll even save the seeds. I’ll review it more fully for its garden qualities after the season is over.
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| Snow cups |
Tips for
flooded areas
In Michigan and many other places in the US this past week
or so, many gardens have been flooded. Here the soil was dry and is quickly
absorbing excess water but in many places it has been a wet spring/summer and
water isn’t receding quickly.
If your plants are submerged or even if they just have their
feet in water after 12 hours, you need to act. If some part of the plant remains above water
chances are better than if they are totally submerged, but root damage will
begin in soaked soil soon after flooding.
Try to drain the water away from your lawn, trees and ornamental
plants if it’s possible. You may have to dig a trench to a roadside ditch or
another place to let water flow off. If you have a place to safely pump it you
can also use a sump pump, irrigation pump or even a fountain or pond pump to
remove water. Pay attention to where the water will flow as you pump or trench
it off. It’s not fair to send it to a neighbor’s property unless the neighbor
agrees to allow it.
Even if there is no water visible on the surface of the
ground, soil that is totally saturated will cause root damage to plants. Roots need air spaces in soil, or they simply
drown. If you dig a shallow hole in the soil and water pools there, your soil
is saturated and needs draining. Sometimes a simple trench can allow water to
drain away.
Of course, there are cases when there is nothing you can do
to get rid of the water but wait and hope.
In some cases, the plants will make it through, in other cases be
prepared to replace some of your landscape. If you have flood insurance, check
with your policy holder to see if landscape damage is covered.
Perennials and
annuals
There are of course some perennials that like wet
conditions. But most common garden
perennials and annual bedding plants don’t like waterlogged soil or being
submerged. If you cannot drain water away from them, you stand to lose many of
them in just a few days. You may want to wade into the water and lift your
favorites right out of the ground. Pot them somewhere drier and wait for better
soil conditions to re-plant them.
Many plants are going to look yellow after a flood. Many
nutrients, especially nitrogen, have probably been washed away. Fertilize them
with a good balanced fertilizer following label directions.
If you suspect that flooding may occur again you may want to
replace the dead perennials with plants better suited to wet conditions or
install a drainage system. Plants that are called “rain garden” plants usually
survive short periods of flooding or saturated soil.
Potted plants
If they are submerged, move the pots out of the water. But
the biggest problem after heavy rains is pots that are not draining. You must
act quickly to drain them. If they have drain holes you may need to elevate the
bottom off the surface they sit on, so they drain faster. Stick some pebbles or
small pieces off wood under the pot corners. If they don’t have drain holes you
must give them some or remove the plants. Having rocks or something in the
bottom of a pot without drainage does not work in this case. (It isn’t a good idea anytime.)
An electric drill can make holes in most pots. You can put
the holes down near the ground in the sides of the pot, you probably can’t turn
them over to drill holes in the bottom.
Like other plants, potted plants that have been subject to
heavy rain may need some fertilization. And things like hanging baskets will
dry out if you don’t get any more rain for a couple of days. Don’t forget about them because everything
else is still wet. They’ll need
watering.
Vegetables and small
fruit
If your garden was
covered with silt (mud) or debris in a flood you will probably need to start over.
If covered with mostly water you may be able to salvage things.
Perennial vegetables like rhubarb and asparagus may need to
be replaced if they were submerged in water for more than 48 hours or if there
is standing water or waterlogged soil for more than 3 days. Do not eat any parts submerged in flood
water.
Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and
grapes that are flooded for more than 48 hours will probably die and need to be
replaced. As with perennials if you can
get the fruit plants out of the ground and hold them somewhere until the water
drains you may save them.
After a flood any food plants that were in contact with
flood water should not be eaten as they may be contaminated with dangerous
bacteria and possible other contaminants in flood water. Water that overflows
from storm drains, or runs off roads and parking lots may have gas and other
contaminants. If you are close to manure holding ponds, sewage treatment ponds,
chemical treatment areas, factories and so on, flood water may also be
contaminated.
DO NOT eat carrots, potatoes, radishes or other roots soon
after they were flooded. DO NOT eat leafy greens, beans, cukes, melons,
tomatoes and so on, that were covered by flood water. If the consumable parts of the plant were
above any flood water, you can eat them after washing them.
If your plants survive, you can eat tomatoes and peppers,
beans and so on that develop on plants after flood waters are gone. Whether to
eat things like potatoes or carrots, even after flood water has receded, is a
judgement call. If they were not developed very much before the flood, the
water was just rainwater and not overflow from sewers and drains or water
running off streets and parking lots, they might be safe to eat when mature
later in the season.
After removing flood water, stay out of the garden until the
soil has dried out to avoid compacting the soil. Like other plants, vegetables
and fruits may need fertilization after a flood, especially if they are expected
to produce fruit-or other edible parts, in the future.
Grass
Grass that is totally under water for greater than 48 hours
will probably die. Warm, sunny
conditions, while beginning to dry the ground, will hasten grass death if water
can’t be removed. Grass only partially submerged will last longer but totally
saturated soil leads to rotting of the grass roots and if the condition lasts a
week or so the lawn may die.
Bluegrass, the most common Midwestern lawn grass, has some
tolerance to flooding while perennial and annual rye is less tolerant. Bentgrass,
common on golf courses is pretty tolerant.
After you can get to the grass dig a small clump to check on it. If you see firm white roots and bases of the
leaf stems, (crowns) the grass may make it.
Black or brown mushy looking roots and crowns mean the grass is dead.
If silt and debris were deposited on the lawn during the
flooding the chances of lawn grass surviving may be less. A small layer, less than an inch, may not
impact the lawn much unless it is heavily contaminated with harmful substances
such as salt, oil and gas, but a deep layer of mud or debris will kill the
grass. If it cannot be removed with raking or shallow shoveling you will
probably want to re-seed the lawn.
If your grass seemed to make it through the flood it will
benefit from fertilizing with nitrogen, especially if it is looking yellow or
pale green. Use a lawn fertilizer
without any weed killers or insecticides for this. Follow the label directions
or use about 3 pounds per 1000 square feet. Unless your soil has really dried
out, don’t water the fertilizer into the soil as is normally done, it should
dissolve in contact with wet soil.
As long as the soil is wet, limit traffic on the lawn so
that the soil doesn’t get compacted or rutted. You may even have to let it get
a little longer than usual before mowing. If you do, only take off a third of
the grass blade on the first mowing. If
it needs to be shortened further wait a few days, then mow again. Keep the grass blades about 3 inches. Never use a weighted roller on the lawn when
it’s wet to “flatten” it. This will
cause serious soil compaction and limit the growth of grass roots.
Trees and shrubs
Most trees and shrubs will take a few days of flooding, as
long as they are not totally submerged, without problems. Shrubs and small
trees that are covered by water will probably die if the water doesn’t recede
in 2-3 days. Some species may be harmed
after 24 hours of submergence. Species of trees that typically grow in wet or
bottom land areas such as willows, river birch, black gum, red maple, black
ash, cottonwood, swamp oak and so on will generally have few problems with
flooding.
Some species of trees will not do well if the ground remains
saturated or the roots remain in standing water for more than a few days. Redbuds, flowering dogwood (Cornus florida),
sugar maple, white oak, hickory, pine, spruce, cedar, junipers, and most fruit
trees are examples of trees which really suffer from wet feet. If you cannot
drain off the water around them, you may expect a weakened or dead tree.
Trees that have had their roots too wet for too long will
often begin to wilt. The symptoms are similar to being too dry, because the
rotted roots cannot transport water to the rest of the tree. Trees that survive
may appear yellow or pale green. Give trees and shrubs a little time to recover
before deciding they are dead.
Fertilizing surviving trees may help them recover. Many
nutrients are washed out of flooded areas and damaged roots have a difficult
time efficiently collecting nutrients that are left. And this seems like its
counterintuitive, but if the weather turns dry later in the season, water the
trees and shrubs because their damaged root systems may make them more
susceptible to death from drought conditions.
After a flood gardeners should assess their landscape to see
how likely a future flood will be. Drain tiles, ditches to carry off water,
pump systems, raised beds, or moving gardens to higher ground should be
considered. Too much water is usually just as bad for plants as too little. Planning
ahead is your best insurance.
"When all else fails, take a
vacation."
—Betty Williams
Kim Willis
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