North Shore Gardener August 2008

Photo: B. Jones

August 6: Kalanchoe, Celosia plants, Black spot on roses, Yucca, Planting gift hydrangea

Kalanchoe
Q: A few months ago a friend gave me a lovely kalanchoe when my sister passed away. It has done well in the house and now I wonder if I could put it outside. When I do this, will it need full or partial sun?? I really would appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks, L.R.

A: First, may I express my sincere sympathy on the recent death of your sister - I have just one sister and I know how terrible her death would make me feel....
What a lovely gift! Yes, the kalanchoe can be put outdoors in semi-shade when the weather is warm - but you'll have to bring it in each fall - they're only hardy year-round outside in Zones 10-11, which certainly isn't our area! Water only when soil becomes dry on the surface. Carefully remove the spent flowers and any other dead or dying leaves. To prevent powdery mildew on leaves, make sure to provide constant air circulation indoors and out.

Did you know that kalanchoe are photoperiodic, just like poinsettias - and require 6 weeks of 14 hour nights every fall to bloom?
When you bring the kalanchoe in as the temperatures begin to drop in September, keep it on a windowsill in bright light during the day, and put a box or bag over the plant for 14 hours of darkness each evening. Remove covering and return the plant to the sunny window each morning, watering as usual. Feed with an all-purpose fertilizer when it's NOT in bloom - and watch carefully for mealy bugs and scale.
Kalanchoe is poisonous when eaten by dogs, cats, and kids and can cause heart problems, as well as vomiting and diarrhea, so keep out of reach. It is a succulent, with waxy, water-retaining leaves and is related to the houseplant jade and our garden plants, hen and chickens and many others.

Celosia plants
Q: Why are the leaves on my celosia plants turning yellow, curling and drying?
Flowers are lovely....I haven't found any insects...Any suggestions?
Thank you.
M.S., Andover, Ma

A: Could it be it's because of too little water? Until we got those downpours this past week, we hadn't had rain for weeks! Continue to water well - the plants may not recover their leaves, but if you strip off the leaves, the flower heads should still be quite usable in summer arrangements and as dried flowers this fall....

Black spot on roses
Q: This year I am having a serious problem with black spots on the rose bushes. In the past I have been able to handle this by removing the affected leaves, making sure they don't stay on the ground, and spraying with Fungoil. This year nothing is working; I have big beautiful roses on top of naked stems, which I will cut when the roses die because the canes also have black spots now. Is there anything I can do to rescue the bushes this year, and is there anything I can do to prevent this next year?
Thanks for any help you can give.
J.E.

A: You are not alone! With this heat and high humidity, EVERYONE who grows roses, and many other plants as well, has black spot fungus!
You are doing all the basics: keep the roses clean by removing all affected parts and burning and bagging it - do not compost! Try to improve air circulation by cutting or removing nearby plants, if this is possible.

In addition, try using a product called "Bayer Advanced Disease Control for Roses, Flowers, and Shrubs Concentrate" (it may now also come in a ready-to-use formula) This kills and controls plant diseases - and is reasonably waterproof so it forms a barrier on the plant. It doesn't need to be applied every shower AND it is said to offer protection against future disease outbreaks as well. Follow directions on container. It's available at major garden centers.

Yucca
Q: I have two questions:
When can I cut the dead flower stalks off my yuccas?
When can I transplant some of the shoots?
Thank you, J.

A: You didn't say whether these are indoor potted or outdoor garden grown yuccas: For either, the stalks of your yucca can be cut after flowering and fruiting - I assume you are NOT looking to produce seed for further propagating....
Side shoots of yuccas are called "pups". Yucca pups are usually separated and planted in the fall in more moderate climates. When they are large enough to grow on their own, they are cut away with a knife and relocated or potted. It takes several weeks, even months, to re-establish the root system of a pup, so if you separate ground-grown yuccas in this climate, I would grow the pups in pots indoors over this winter, and relocate them next spring.
If your yuccas are houseplants, separate in the fall and pot as needed.
Stay cool! - your yuccas will enjoy this weather!

Planting gift hydrangea
Q: I received for Mother's Day a beautiful pink hydrangea in a pot. It's still healthy looking but the color has changed to an ugly greenish brown. Can I plant it outside and get the pretty pink color back? Is it a sun or shade plant? Is it a perennial? What's the best way to take care of it? Thank you for all your advice to the uneducated gardeners like me.

A: What a nice present!
Yes, your hydrangea is a perennial shrub - and a long-lasting one, at that. The flowers it has now, after almost three months, are dying - that is the reason for that color change.
Carefully remove them to prevent seed formation from sapping the strength from the plant.

Plant it outside now in an area that gets some sun daily and plenty of water - (but you may have guessed that from the Greek word for water, which is hydra)
Amend the soil when planting with plenty of compost. Eventually, your little pot plant could grow about 6 feet tall, so keep this in mind when you choose a place to plant. Mulch around the base to retain moisture - and give it some protection this winter!

The color of a pink or blue hydrangea can be somewhat controlled and intensified: - Add aluminum sulfate to acidify the soil, and produce a blue cast to the flower or apply lime or superphosphate to make the soil more alkaline and produce a pinker flower - this must be done before the buds form, not after!

Since hydrangeas bloom only on the past year’s wood, your plant will be producing buds for next year while it is growing through the summer - so forget pruning this year. Prune next year immediately after it blooms, if necessary.
Enjoy your lovely gift! Write me any time you need advice - as you may have guessed, I love talking about plants!
Stay cool this week! - and water the hydrangeas!

This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
August adages:
Number of winter snows can be predicted by number of morning fogs you see in August.
A sunshiny shower won't last half an hour.

The petals of the Morning Glory predict the weather:
Wide open blooms indicate fine weather….
Shut petals predict rain and bad weather.

"August rushes by like desert rainfall, A flood of frenzied upheaval,
Expected, But still catching me unprepared.
One wishes for more, but it suddenly turns to leave,
Dragging summer away."

AUGUST
"Fairest of the months!
Ripe summer's queen,
The hey-day of the year,
With robes that gleam with sunny sheen
Sweet August doth appear."
-R. Combe Miller

August 13: Rabbit into broccoli, Marigolds and rabbit, Something is eating my Brussels sprouts!, Bunny Juice, Trapping garden pests, Red Lily beetles

Someone once said, “We are the official gardeners and zookeepers of the planet…….”
But does it sometimes seem like we spend more time zoo keeping than gardening? It certainly does this year! Beside flowers and veggies in the garden, there are critters!
This summer, there are wabbits, wabbits everywhere! Now, there is nothing cuter than a family a wild rabbits – until they start mowing down your prized plants!
It’s truly a zoo out there!!

Rabbit into broccoli
Q: We need help and advice. Something is eating my broccoli, one leaf at a time. We have been soaking cotton balls in ammonia and putting them inside plastic containers. This has been working the last few years, but now the critters are becoming immune! Any ideas?
L.

A: Sounds like it might be a rabbit!
Try ShakeAway for small critters - or a pepper spray for plants - both are safe for use on eatables (follow directions carefully!) but must be re-applied after every rain. The idea is to make them as unpalatable as possible....Both products are available at garden centers.

Marigolds and rabbit
Q: For years I have planted over 100 marigolds around my property and they look lovely from May to November. This year DISASTER! – The flower tops have been eaten as soon as they bloom in the ground.
We see a large rabbit and three little ones around my property and my neighbor sees them on their property as well.
About 5:30 this morning the large rabbit was sitting on my front lawn Also the flowers in bloom yesterday in my pots on my front steps were gone. What can I do?
Thank you very much
T.K.P. Peabody, MA

A: -Sounds like you’ve been adopted by the whole rabbit family! Get some ShakeAway for small animals! It’s a great and very safe repellant for small critters in the garden. How does it work?
Rabbits (and deer) will eat anything – so you want to make any garden plants less palatable and less attractive to any critter.
Some gardeners have had excellent results with a hot pepper spray, either a commercial or home made – no matter what you choose to use, re-apply it after every rain or watering to keep the cute little varmints away.

Something is eating my Brussels sprouts!
Q: Help! I've had a vegetable garden for years and never used any kind of pesticide - but this year I thought I'd try to grow Brussels sprouts, and something is going to town on them! Please offer any advice you might have - preferably non-chemical, if there is something.

A: First of all, applause for not using chemicals!
I can't identify the critter or bug without a picture or further information - but I can make an educated guess!!
If it's a critter doing damage, it's probably Peter Rabbit - apparently this has been a very good year for rabbit breeding - there are whole families hopping up in gardens everywhere! The will usually nibble as high as they can reach – and usually leave nothing behind on the ground - they're neat eaters!
Or it could be one of many bugs and beetles, especially if you're finding most of the damage in the morning, after they've had an all-night feast on your delicious garden. They usually leave uneaten but damaged leaves and pieces behind. In either case, you can make the garden less palatable for beast or bug:
Try a pepper spray: - you can make a home-made brew in the blender of water, hot jalapeño peppers, with a little garlic and soap added. Re-apply after every rain or watering. Test any product on a leaf or two before spraying the whole plant. There are plenty of commercially made pepper sprays at garden centers, too - just be very careful with pepper spray around pets and kids -and watch your eyes as well.
O if you think it’s a critter, try a product called ShakeAway for Small Critters - it does basically the same thing by making the garden taste bad. (Available at garden centers)

-Sounds like it’s time to repeat the recipe for Bunny Juice:
It’s a natural taste repellant for bunnies (this is not a salad dressing!)

How to make Bunny Juice:
Mash - and let 4 cloves of garlic and 1 oz of mineral oil soak for 24 hours.
In a separate container mix:
16 ounces of water,
1 tsp. fish emulsion
1 tbsp. of vegetable-based soap
(This recipe is not for human consumption!)

Combine all ingredients, straining the garlic cloves out and store in a glass container with a good seal. The mixture should last a few months. Use by mixing 2 tbsp of Bunny Juice with 1 pint of water and spray on all plants that bunnies tend to nibble. Repeat after rain or after watering foliage.

Trapping garden pests
Q: I've got rodent issues and need to know the best bait to use in my trap for the following. I’m particularly worried because I have a new baby:
The woodchuck, ate a huge chunk of transplanted black eyed Susan’s and something else that was going to bloom in the next month or so, I'll have to wait until next year to see what it actually was.
The chipmunks, we've relocated two so far but there's a few more that are being very sneaky. We're using have a Havahart traps and relocating.

A: -So glad you're using traps for your pests, not poisons! (Of course, with the baby around it's the only way!)
I can't advise you on relocating through this column – did you know that relocating wildlife off any property without a license is illegal in MA, because of the danger of spreading serious diseases like rabies. (You can relocate an animal only to another part of your property - all critters in the area would have to be relocated beyond this range so as not to return to your garden, so you can see this is near- impossible.
Consider getting a dog, the bigger, the better! Don’t want a dog permanently? "Borrow" a dog! Invite all of your friends with dogs to visit - and encourage the owners to brush their dogs and leave the combings in your garden in areas where the critters are seen...
(.if the doggie leaves his calling card, so much the better.)
If it makes you feel any better, I want you to know that I've had what we think is a groundhog attack on three of my hubby's prize heirloom tomato plants! As soon as we find the burrows, we will fill them with dirty kitty litter -and then pour in some water to reconstitute the smell! That seemed to do the trick a few years back! But I guess our garden is a very attractive feeding ground - and Mr. Groundhog (or his relatives) has returned! If you can find the burrow (there may be several!), ask a cat-owning friend to give you her dirty litter for this use!!

If you feed birds, you probably should stop for the summer - or get a feeder that catches the excess feed that the birds would otherwise scatter around the yard. Chipmunks love seeds from your birdfeeder, especially sunflower seeds.
If the food disappears the critters will eventually seek another place to feed. The solution is to make your area undesirable to the critters – and ShakeAway is an excellent repellent product (see above) and is available at garden centers.

Red Lily beetles
- I just thought that I'd mention that after picking only three of the dreaded red lily beetles off my Asian lilies over a month ago, I haven't seen ANY more! Not one! The past several years I'd be picking them off by hand at least twice a day. Not that I'm disappointed, but I wonder what's going on! I don't treat them with any pesticides, either. I can't wait for them to bloom.
Thanks for your help - I love your column.
G.

You're right! I haven't had many letters about Red Lily beetles - normally,
we've had dozens by this time - I'm hoping, with you, that maybe they're finally
leaving the area -- or at least, slowing down. I want my lilies back! But let's not give
up just yet - the season is young!

This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
If you don’t have anything to do, you can turn the compost pile! It’s probably getting big now, and will provide lots of good fiber and food for your plants next year, after a winter of rotting.
Turning compost pile mixes the moisture from all the rain we’ve been having – if this rainy spell finally quits, add more water with a hose all fall...
Dish in top of pile to hold rain/moisture. Both summer and winter….

August 20: Floppy daylilies, Pesticides and Fungicides, Dividing lilies - and peony mildew, Epsom salt – a clarification!

Floppy daylilies
Q: I have some pretty apricot colored day lilies that are frustrating me because they seem to be top heavy and are lying on the ground instead of standing up straight. They are in two locations in my yard. The ones that get lots of sun are less floppy than the ones that get only half sun. Any suggestions?
Thank You
S.D., Beverly, MA

A: Day lilies are best if grown in full sun - but I don't think that is your “flopping problem”. Are the scapes merely carrying too much weight? Heavy and prolific blooming varieties, such as the double and ruffled types carry a lot of weight, particularly when wet or when several of the large blooms are opening at the same time -
You could lighten the weight load by removing some of the buds - but how could you bear to do that? Just stake them!
If your lilies are in large clumps, you simply may have a plant with genetically thinner scapes than neighboring lilies - and there is nothing you can do about that, unless you would want to remove the weaker plant from each clump.
The lilies love this summer heat and water!

Pesticides and Fungicides
Q:- In past summers, I have had problems with Early Blight on my tomatoes and cucumber beetles and have sprayed with "Soap Shield" and Pyola from Gardens Alive. My tomatoes and cucumbers look very healthy so far and I hate to use pesticides unnecessarily. Should I start to spray now or wait until I see signs of problems?
Thank you so much for all the help you have given me.
A.C.,
N. Andover

A: I never like to see a pesticide used before you know what you are using it for -Keep an eagle eye for any sign of problems - and have the sprays on hand to use at the first sign of trouble!
The products from Gardens Alive are among the safest you can be use for many problems, but be sure that you follow directions carefully! (We tend to forget the concentration from one season to the next!)
Good luck with your veggie crops! This year more than ever, gardeners are certainly seeing the huge safety advantage in growing their own eatables and being able to control the environment!

Dividing lilies - and peony mildew
Q: Last summer I wrote to you about powdery mildew on my peonies. I am very happy to report that this year, not only were the blooms spectacular because of all the rain, but so far so good...no evidence of mildew whatsoever! I am thrilled, but will transplant them in the fall just the same.
I will take your advice and MARK my calendar this time!
Now I have a question for you about Stella D'Oro lilies. What were four small clumps that I divided two years ago have now become four huge plants! Two of the clumps are crowding my flower bed, and again because of all the rain, they are just loaded with flowers this year. My question to you is can I take apart some of the plant and plant some of the lilies elsewhere, or is it not possible right now because the plant is in bloom? I also would like to give some lilies to my children so they can start some in their gardens, but I surely do not want to kill the plants I have which are so pretty.

A: I hate to put the damper on your enthusiasm, but I fear we're not out of the woods yet with the powdery mildew! With all the again hot and damp weather, keep your eyes open for it! At least we're through blooming and it won't make bouquets so unsightly.....
Your Stella D'Oro lilies are very hardy daylilies - and as you have found, they do spread and multiply like crazy! Divide after they finish blooming in the early fall - just cut the clumps apart with a spade or pull them apart with pitchforks - and replant. -A few crowns in each clump should provide a nice start for each of your children - and just think, in a few years, they'll be passing them on to their friends, too!
Isn't that the fun of gardening? I love being able to point at a plant and say that plant came from a special friend so many years ago.......!

Epsom salt – a clarification!
Q: I read an article about Epsom salts used in the garden – but I'm somewhat confused about how to apply it. Do you dilute it or put it directly into the ground? What if you already have plants growing? How do you apply it then? Do I dig a hole next to the plant and put it in the hole? Your help will be greatly appreciated. I planted a lot of new plants this year due to having a new home.
Everything seems to be growing somewhat slow due to all the rain. Thank you again.

A: Here are the basic facts - Keep the list for future use: I think you’ll use it again!
You sprinkle the Epsom salt crystals around the plants in the amounts given - or you can mix with water - check the houseplant and garden directions below and apply- but don’t expect Epsom salt be a cure-all for the lack of sunshine and tropical rain we’ve had this summer…

The Epsom Salts Industry Council (and I'll bet you never knew there was an Epsom Salts Industry Council!) recommends using the following amounts of Epsom salts in the garden:
In the garden: most times, Epsom salts are used dry - it's so easy!
If the plants are already planted, scratch the suggested amount of Epsom salts into the soil around the plant - and water well...
If it's a new garden, dig in Epsom salts before planting...
But there is no reason that you couldn't mix the suggested amount of Epsom salts with water (as suggested below for houseplants) - then apply to the ground around plants.

Garden starter: 1 cup per 100 sq. ft (10'x10') - mix well in soil before planting
Roses: 1 tsp. per foot of height of each plant, every two weeks
Lawns: 3 pounds per 1250 square feet
Tomatoes: 1 Tbs. per foot of height of each plant every two weeks.
Houseplants: 1 tsp. in one-gallon water, use every 2-4 weeks.
-And for your aches and pains: dissolve 2 cupsful in a gallon of warm water - soak or
apply as a compress with a wet towel!

Good luck with your garden - I think we're all in the same boat this year - (no pun intended!)
Now we need more sun to ripen the tomatoes!

This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
To increase bloom on your annuals through the fall – keep fertilizing!
-Continue to fertilize annuals to insure bloom through the coming warm, fall months. There is no harm in fertilizing this late because these plants won’t be with us after the frost – so they can be pushed for a last, great, glorious month of bloom.
You will stop fertilizing perennials at the end of the month to prevent an immediate surge of tender, lush new growth that won’t harden–off before winter.

And you’re going to hear this lot:
–Keep deadheading the flowering plants No only will they look neater – they won’t waste a lot of energy making seed when we want to see at least a few more flowers instead. Remove whole dead flower head, not just the drooping petals.

August 27: Iris and peonies didn’t bloom, Pruning and deadheading, Holly and poppy

Iris and peonies didn’t bloom
Q: I don't know what I did wrong this year, but both my irises and peonies did not bloom. The irises now have some leaves turning brown. Should I cut them into the fan shape, which I do every year or just let them go? I had one peony bush that did bloom but the other one had the buds just turn brown and wither into a brown bud. I did check to make sure the tubas were just below the surface and they seemed OK. Any advice? Thanks

A: Both of your problem plants might have the same solution:
Is there enough sunlight? Trees and shrubs around the peonies and iris grow bigger every year - and eventually, block the much-needed sunlight both of these plants crave to bloom well.
You're right - make sure the plants are not planted too deeply - especially the iris.
When did you last transplant either of these plants? Moving them will set back bloom one to two years....
And when did you fertilize? Since they remain in one place for a prolonged period of time, they deplete the soil, so fertilize regularly.
And water when the growing season is dry-
Good luck for next year! There is nothing more you can do this season except to keep the remaining foliage healthy. Cut the iris later this fall - and meticulously clean the peony beds this fall, just in case there is an unseen bug or virus which might want to over-winter in the soil.

Pruning and deadheading
Q: One of the biggest problems I have, and I think most fledgling gardeners have, is when and if to cut spent blooms. On the Stella d'Oro lilies, should I cut the long stems and dead blossoms off? Will this cause the lilies to continue to bloom all summer, or will I be removing the seed pods that are forming for next year?
Maybe some day you could do part of your weekly column on the fine art of pruning. I know my children ask me all the time where to cut spent blossoms and when to do it. Sometimes I'm right....and when I'm wrong...I say "ah, too bad, maybe you should have fertilized!" hehehe
Thanks as always for your help and advice. Happy Gardening!
D.B.,Hampstead

A:"Deadheading" (don’t you love the term?!) is almost always useful for blooming plants, to prevent energy from being wasted in making seed: deadhead your perennials, and certainly your annuals to promote another flush of blooming as the seasons go on.
But some annuals are "self cleaning", i.e. they shed their own dead flowers - (these include the New Wave petunias, great, because petunias are sticky to pinch off. Most impatience are also self-cleaning. Be sure when you are deadheading that you remove the whole developing seed pod, not just the dead petals of the flower.
Many perennials benefit from deadheading but as they grow larger and taller, who has the time and energy? It's not imperative - but nice if you have the time and patience: this includes lilacs and rhodys...
Hydrangeas take special care since they produce new buds for next years blooms very close to the base of the old flower immediately following bloom - so it you chop off more than the current flower, you may be losing flowers for next year!

Daylilies can certainly be cut after bloom - you probably aren't going to need the seed, so save the strength of the plant and carefully remove a completely finished stem - the lilies will look a lot neater! (The seeds pods have nothing to do with next year's bloom, so you will lose nothing…. And if you do plan to plant the seeds, they should be “ripe” in just a few weeks, when they turn brown.)

Pruning, which is understood to mean reshaping of the plant, and severe cutting of branches, is very different from deadheading and will require specific instructions for each species.
But the most general rules are:

Do major pruning immediately after blooming. (For instance, it's too late to severely prune forsythia now - you won't kill the plant, but you will get fewer flowers next year.)

Don't prune too late in the season! Pruning tends to stimulate growth and you don't want to stimulate growth as you go into the cold winter months.

These are only the very basics - (some plants, and only some varieties, are pruned in the spring - or not at all!) I could go on for hours! Plants like roses and clematis have some pretty definite rules - That's why we usually prefer to answer pruning problems for a specific species - then we can be more exact!
Your kids are lucky to have you to go to with garden questions - and they obviously got their love and knowledge of gardening from you! - and you can always come to me with questions!

Holly and poppy
Q: I have two holly bushes in my yard that haven't been trimmed back in about 2 years. Can I trim them now (the berries are green)? When is the ideal time to trim them? I use a hedge trimmer, is this OK? What tool is the ideal tool? What is the recommended amount that should be trimmed?
Also, I have a plant that has orange, paper like flower, with black center, > of which a neighbor thought it to be an Oriental poppy of sort. It has been the victim of a groundhog for the last 2 years, along with the
milkweeds (which I don't mind). What are the chances this orange flower plant surviving and maybe flowering again when the groundhog has gone on to greener pastures?
Thank you!

A: Do you really want to prune the holly? They are very slow growing!
If you must, prune in the late winter/very early spring before new growth appears - and do it gently, please, just a few inches! Some gardener's do their pruning at Christmastime, when they can use the trimmings for holiday decorations - a great idea!
You can maintain a more natural shape if you can prune with hand clippers. A hedge trimmer will give a more uniform shape.

It does sound like an Oriental poppy - which if it's the case, probably will survive the onslaught of the groundhog. Poppies have a long, deep central root and seem to survive anything! But if it is being completely defoliated, it will certainly lose strength this year.
Next, it’s time to get rid of the groundhog!! Try a product called "ShakeAway" formulated for critters of several sizes, from mice to deer! It's available at garden centers. It comes in granular form and is just sprinkled around the plants you need to protect. Or, if you know where the burrow is and can locate all of the openings, try my old cure of pouring old, very smelly used kitty litter down the burrow openings, followed by about a quart of water - the smell seems to drive them out without using chemicals.

This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
It’s always a temptation to buy a young tree to plant in the fall - fall is a great time to plant trees, if you do it early enough in the season to allow time to get roots settled before a hard freeze. Trees are often offered at bargain prices now because only a very few nurseries have the facilities to properly hold them over till next spring.–
But be careful when buying trees in late summer/ fall: burlapped or potted roots are often dry and even dead – due to improper care over summer in nursery yard – remember these trees were probably dug last year for sale last spring and summer…

-Got too many zucchini in your garden? Don’t let them go to waste! Donate any surplus to your local food bank – they’d love to have any of your fresh garden crops.

Keep deadheading those annuals – and don’t forget annuals in hanging baskets and other containers. Deadheading and fertilizing can give you weeks of extra bloom.