THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE SPRING INTO SUMMER

            The sunshine of summer is a perfect offering for a less than perfect spring.  use it well to make up for the past imperfections.

            Now is the time when the trees bloom and remind us of new life.  If, however, your tree is not looking too lively this spring, the problem may not be the tree, it may be you. The following is a compilation of what we do that actually hurts our trees:

•  Too Little space:

            This problem is really at the root of many tree problem (pun intended!).  You thought the space by the garage would be perfect for that little Maple tree you planted. But now it looks as if the   The best way to solve this problem is forethought.  Know about the natural growth and growth potential.  Properly planning ahead could save you and you tree a lot of hassle.
tree could push the garage aside.

•  Lawn mower blight:

            This refers to the broken bark and wounded trunks caused by a careless mower.  The    The best way to avoid this is to have a grass free ring around the tree.  Your soil moisture level will also improve because grass won’t be robbing any nutrients from your tree.
occasional accidental bump is no problem, but repeated wounds to the tree can cause a problem.

•  Bad pruning:

            Pruning should be done to enhance the health, strength, vigor and appearance of the tree as well as to prevent limbs from interfering with houses, driveway, sidewalks and wires.  If your tree has a few branch stubs after pruning, it has been badly pruned!

            The most important thing to remember about pruning is:  stubs are bad.  They leave a very short limb with nothing to do except push out a bunch of fuzzy sprouts!  Also, a stub wound cannot close, making decay sure to follow.

            When pruning, do not remove the ring collar or ridge at the branch base.  make your cuts nearly flush, but not quite.

•  Chemicals:

            Most of us use chemicals to fight weeds around our yards.  This is no problem if the directions are followed exactly.  The very chemicals which cause the weeds to die can, of course, damage your tree if used incorrectly.  Never use chemicals without reading (and following) all the instructions.

•  Bad soil:

            The contractors are building a house, they generally flip the first few layers of soil to aid their project.  This is good for the foundation of our house, but bad for our trees.  What nature had intended to be a top layer of soil is now several feet lower and so the roots of our trees are left searching for the  proper nutrients.

            You probably don’t want to flip your soil back the way it should be, but you can modify the soil to make it a better growth environment.  Soil amendments such as sand, peat, compost and proper drainage, can help your tree survive.

•  Bad watering:

            This is simple.  The tree may be getting too much water or not enough.  Newly planted trees, and trees in hot, dry, windy weather conditions, need to be watered more frequently.  Consider whether this could be ailing your tree.

•  Bad pets:

            No, I am not referring to dogs naturally “watering” your trees, here.  But if your dog is chained to  your tree, the chain could be cutting into the bark.  Also, cats have been known to damage small trees by using them as a scratching post.  Keep your eyes open for this one.

•  Bad trees:

            Okay, maybe the tree isn’t bad, but maybe it just wasn’t meant to grow in your area.  If it is a newly planted tree that is causing you a problem, maybe it was root bound from being in the container too long.  Sometimes, you just can’t fix the problem of a tree.  But at least you tried.

Mulching Mistakes:

            Spring’s unseasonably cold weather forced many to mulch when they should have waited for warmer weather.  Cold ground temperatures and early mulching of landscape plants are causing poor plant growth now.  The mulch acts as a blanket holding in the cold temperatures, keeping the plants form thriving.

When Mulch?

            Mulch is usually applied first in spring after the soil has warmed and begun to dry from winter rains and snow.  This is usually mid to late spring.  Mulching too early can delay drying of the soil and subsequent root growth which is dependent upon sufficient aeration (Oxygen in soil) and reasonably warm temperatures in the root zone.  In a spring season like this year’s mulching should be delayed until May or June.

Mulch Mayhap

            If you mulched during the colder early spring, and your plants are not looking their best, it’s not too late to help them.  Simply pull the mulch away from the base of the plant and let the soil underneath warm up and dry.  Once this is achieved, the base may be covered again with mulch.

Over Mulching:

            Don’t do a bad thing by piling 10-12” mounds of mulch around your tree .  I don’t know how this style of mulching came into being, but it is NOT correct.

            Don’t get caught up in mulch mania, two or three inches is enough.  Also, pull the mulch one or two inches away from the tree to prevent bark decay.

May your summer be “tree”mendous.

WAS GRANDMA’S GARDEN TRENDY?

            The old saying,“ What goes around, comes around”, seems to be true with gardeners.  Did Grandma know that some day gardening would be America’s #1 leisure activity and a very huge business?  Was Grandma’s gardening different than today’s Gardeners?

            Most of our garden traditions and trends today originated during the period of Grandmother’s Garden (1865 – 1915).  Just as people then were yearning for a simpler life – nostalgia for the past as they faced the new industrial revolution – so we are people looking for a simpler time during the technology and information age. 

 

   Let’s take a look at the trends summarized from a decade of studies, services and interviews with gardeners. Many of the plants and the gardening styles today are similar to a century ago, giving credence to the saying that nothing is really new, just rediscovered.

OTHER GARDENING TRENDS

Indications are that gardeners want more pleasure for less effort.  They are opting for more landscaping, less lawnscaping. Part of this trend is driven by cold, hard economics: landscaping is an investment that pays off in higher home values and less maintenance.  But the real driver here is the immediate payoff:  more comfortable and useful outdoor living space.  Gardeners are choosing easy care plants:  hydrangeas, coleus, ornamental grasses and spring flowering bulbs, which need little care once established.

SMALLER SPACE

            Going along with less maintenance, gardens are becoming more personal and intimate.  There is less dependency on classic design and more self-expression.  Gardeners are making use of all available space from patios to rooftops.  They are also taking advantage of the many dwarf perennials, trees and shrubs on the market, like container fruit trees and Gardening patio Clematis.

 

            Container gardening has been on the fast track for a decade, and home gardeners are finally realizing that the bigger the pot, the better.  Large containers have more visual impact and require less frequent watering.  Also spurring the trend to big is a new generation of inexpensive resin pots that look great and weigh less – much, much less – than traditional terracotta.

 

            The new term is “Potscaping” – clustering groups of containers and using containers within a garden border is a popular trend.  Anything goes in a container, from annuals to perennials to dwarf trees or vegetables.

            Adding another dimension – Vertical gardening is popular.  We’re no longer willing to let our plants lie down on the job.  Today, more gardeners are using trellises and arbors, combined with vines and climbers, to add a third dimension to our landscape.  Besides relieving the monotony of ground-hugging plantings, vertical accents increase privacy and create instant focal points even before their plant buddies mature.

            Using garden art is adding personality in the landscape.  Gardens are viewed as outdoor rooms as well as entertainment destinations.  We’re spending money on statues, birdbaths, gazing globes and all the traditional garden art as well as sophisticated and high end furniture.  Designed accessories manufactured specifically for outdoor use:  lighting, fireplaces, restaurant quality cooking units, and audio gear, increasingly blur the line between indoors and out.

     Colorful foliage and texture is fascinating. The use of dark purple and black foliage plants continue as a trend.  Coleus and white variegated plants also remain very popular.  Ornamental grasses and ground covers are still top sellers.

  More houseplants - ferns, snake plants and palms aren’t just for your Grandma’s parlor any longer.  Homes are being filled with houseplants.  Many houseplants do double duty:  indoors during cold weather where they add living color and clean the air; and then moved outside to decorate the deck or patio in the summer.  For many people their first introduction to gardening is tending to a houseplant in college or in their first apartment.  Plants are adorning desks in offices more than ever before and improving the beauty and reducing stress in the work place!

            Water features are one of the hottest trends, but their use is changing.  Large, high maintenance ponds are being replaced by small container water gardens and fountains, which provide the sound and ambience of water without the time demands.

            Reflecting society’s current enthusiasm for healthy eating and a desire for fresh, flavorsome fruits and vegetables, vegetable gardening is coming back in vogue.  Herbs and veggies are being grown alone or mixed in containers.  Growing your own vegetables, flowers and herbs is a new status symbol of luxury.  It is a luxury of the heart that says, “I care, and make the time to do it.”  When a child learns where his food comes from, he is better equipped to make healthy food choices.

            I wonder what Grandma would think of these trends and how things have or have not changed.  Sunflowers were popular then, as they have become once again.   Tropical plants, especially those with bold foliage, were introduced into the more formal gardens, another trend rediscovered in today’s gardens.  Roses, peonies, phlox and hollyhocks were among the perennials commonly planted in Grandma’s time.

 

            The old fashioned gardens incorporated vegetables and fruits for aesthetics, show and food.  They were located close to the house and often used as intimate living space or an outdoor room, much as we see in today’s home garden.

            We have come a long way but we are a true reflection of our own gardening heritage. Come on let’s play crochet.

Tom McNutt is a professor emeritus at The Ohio State University. and retired NBC4-TV resident green thumb

GROW TO EAT

Is it the economy or the “Green Talk”?  My mailbag has been full of questions about growing fruits and vegetables.  This type of questions indicate that many people are interested in growing them for the first time.  Many indicate it is the economy.  Others say
they hope their children and grandchildren will start eating vegetables, if they help grow them.

One person indicated she turns green with envy while admiring her neighbor’s garden.  “But I don’t think my thumb is green enough”.  My answer, “Anyone can develop a green thumb as long as they’re willing to invest a little time, patience and energy”.

Good planning is essential to successful gardening.  Start your garden off right by selecting a location that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight daily.  Check the site for good drainage by making sure water doesn’t tend to stand after a rain or irrigation.  Try to steer clear of trees and shrubs that would compete with your garden plants for water, light and nutrients.  Walnut trees in particular produce a substance called juglone that is toxic to some garden plants.


If your vegetable gardening is limited by insufficient space or an unsuitable area, consider the
possibility of raising fresh, nutritious, home-grown vegetables in containers.  A windowsill, a patio, a balcony, or a doorstep will provide sufficient space for a productive mini-garden.

Many vegetables lend themselves well to container gardening.  With some thought to selecting bush or dwarf varieties, almost any vegetable can be adapted to growing in a pot.  Vegetables that take up little space, such as carrots, radishes and lettuce, or crops that bear fruits over a long period of time, such as tomatoes and peppers, are perfect for container vegetable gardens.

What you can grow in a container vegetable garden is limited only by the size of the container and your imagination.  How about a Summer Salad container?  Plant a tomato, a cucumber and some parsley or chives all in a large container.  They grow well together and have the same water and sun requirements.

Container gardening allows you a degree of control not available to those planting in the ground.  If the plant is not getting

enough sun, it can be moved.  If it is not draining properly, add more holes to the container.  Watering is more efficient, because it must be done by hand, making a patio garden ideal in a drought situation.

So is it the economy or green?  I don’t know, it probably is a little bit of both.  I think growing your own fruit and vegetables is a fun family activity that results in fresh, healthy produce and little harm to the environment.  This rewarding chore doesn’t require a
kit if equipment, experience or expertise, nor does it even require you to own or have access to any land!  As with  most things in life, you can muddle by as a beginner and your garden may still flourish if lavished with your love and attention.  Even if you’re all thumbs, they may become green thumbs.  Good Luck!


March Gardening Tips

•  If you’d like to try your hand at growing your own plants, March is the  time to start indoor seeds of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and other warm-season veggies.  Tomatoes are best started late in the month to avoid ending up with leggy plants come May.

•  Remove mulch covers from roses, azaleas, clematis vines and other tender shrubs once nighttime temperatures rise into the 30’s (be prepared to recover if a late cold-snap hits).  Leave mulch around spring flowering bulbs and tender perennials, however, as it will provide protection to emerging shoots against cold, crying winds.

• Trim back winter-killed rose canes to one inch below blackened area and all rose canes to about six inches above ground level.  Cut back any perennials that weren’t cleaned up last fall, as well as ornamental grasses.


Tom McNutt is a professor emeritus at The Ohio State University. and retired NBC4-TV resident green thumb

LEARNING THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE AND FLOWER "The Rose Knows"

  If you say it with roses on Valentine’s Day, are you sure of what you are actually saying?  Every rose color has its own special meaning expressing many different feelings and sentiments.  To speak the language of roses, remember these color clues:

Red Roses:  “I love you.” They also stand for respect or

courage.

White Roses:  “You’re heavenly.”  They also convey reverence and humility, innocence and purity, secrecy and silence.

Red and White Roses together:  Unity.

Yellow Roses:  Joy and gladness.

Yellow and Orange Roses mixed:  Passionate thoughts.

Red and Yellow Roses combined:  “Congratulations!”

Coral or Orange Roses:  Enthusiasm or desire.

Pink Roses:  Grace and gentility.  Use them to say:  “You’re lovely.”  Deep pink roses say “Thank you;” light pink conveys admiration.

Pink and White Roses together  “I love you still and always will.”

A Single Rose:  Perpetual love.

Sweetheart Roses:  “You’re sweet,” and hybrid tea roses say, “Ill remember you always.”

Pale Colors:  Friendship.  Send peach to a tennis partner, lavender to the neighbor who keeps your spare key.

Two Roses:  Taped or wired together to form a single stem, signal an engagement or coming marriage.

         

PLANTS ARE LIKE PEOPLE

      

 Every year when we put our gardens to bed and get ready for a new year, I think of all the similarities between plants and people.  Both respond to tender loving care.  I wonder if plants make New Year’s Resolutions?  I read somewhere that each American makes 1.9 New Year’s Resolutions.  If that is true around the world, think how many millions of people resolve to improve!  I wonder how many of those resolutions deal with losing weight, exercising more and smoking less.  We all want to be healthy, do things better and become better people.  Plants would probably resolve to produce more and help clean our environment.

 

   People depend on plants for nearly everything, including food, clothing and shelter.  Plants, like people, need nurturing to flourish.  This nurturing requires attention, vision, respect, opportunities and protection.  Nurturing plants requires a good understanding of the nature and potential of different species and the purpose for which a plant is cultivated – for flowers, foliage or fruit.  This aspect of nurturing a garden reminds us of our need to nurture our own bodies by means of good food, reasonable exercise, adequate water, proper rest, cleanliness, and fulfilling our own personal goals and inner nature.  We know we must weed out the influences in our lives that sap our energy and stunt our own growth.  We know we must supply new ideas, knowledge and creative stimulation, to fertilize our minds.  We know we must prune back excessive worries, unneeded products, and old habits so that we might renew ourselves and experience vital rebirth.  We see how a neglected plant withers and dies.  As we become more skilled at nurturing plants, we begin to apply these principles to our own bodies and minds.

Nurturing Is A Year Round Chore

        

         Yes, you can garden in the winter.  Actually, it is the best time for making plans, as well as viewing your landscape and making decisions about what wonderful effects you want to create in your garden next year.  When the leaves fall and the annual flowers are gone, you can see where a nice arbor or water feature might go.

 Assess your landscape for winter interest.  Does snow cling to evergreen branches?  Do seed heads from ornamental grasses and last year’s flowers dance in the wind?  Do the birds swoop in for a cocktail of fermented berries from the trees and shrubs?

 When the landscape looks like a black and white movie, count on conifers to colorize your world.  These cone-bearing evergreens have needles and come in all sizes, shapes and colors.  Yes, colors!  Consider the popular Colorado blue spruce, the gold thread-leaf Sawara Cypress, the orange golden eastern arborvitae.  Pines and junipers boast a paint store palette of greens, plus shades of blue, yellow and hints of red.  With some, the color varies by season.  With all, the color lasts year-long.

  Some broadleaf plants also are evergreens.  Boxwoods, Hollies, Rhododendrons and Wintercreeper (Euonymus) are options for color through winter.

   Ornamental grasses provide a terrific vertical element in summer and then take center stage in fall and winter.  Grasses offer structure, style and movement in the landscape.  They also vary in height, color and plume.

     Landscape plants should be pruned to maintain or reduce their size, to remove undesirable growth, to remove dead or damaged branches and to rejuvenate older plants to produce more vigorous foliage, flowers and fruits. In some cases, pruning is necessary to prevent damage to life and property.

   Late winter or early spring, before new growth begins, is generally considered the optimum time to prune most plants.  This is when the plant wounds heal quickly, without threat of insect or disease infection.  However, plants that bloom in early spring (before June 10), such as forsythia, magnolia and crabapples, should be pruned later after their blooms fade.  These early bloomers produce their flower buds on last year’s wood, so pruning early will remove many potential blooms.

        

Plant Talk

         I have been asked many times if talking to plants increase growth.  I don’t know but I think it helps to the growth of the person doing the talking.  Over the years we have learned the language of love and plants and what works with both of them.

         A new year is a new beginning, because it is one where people evaluate their lives, plan and resolve to take actions to make the attainment of happiness more real and possible.

         This is a good time to take our values more seriously, sow those seeds and values and provide the nutrients for your life and the joy that it can and should be.

Tom McNutt is a professor emeritus at The Ohio State University and a retired TV garden expert.