May 6: Saving Easter lilies, Jap iris and wisteria, Forsythia, Moving iris, Gall on red oak tree
Gall on oak tree
Q: One of the red oaks in my backyard has two bulges growing out if the trunk. They are about the size of half of a soccer ball and are not at all smooth. Smaller bulges are growing on the surface and sometimes can be broken off. Last summer I sprayed them with a general insect killer. I don't clearly remember what they were. I think small, crawling under the wood I uncovered when I broke off a piece of the bulge. They did not fly. I feel I killed many of them. I don't think I saw them again last year. So far this season the insects have not reappeared. The tree appears otherwise healthy. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks, J.F.
A: Your oak probably has a gall, caused by whatever kind of insect that chooses to nest in your tree - very unsightly but will not harm the tree.
Do continue to spray the gall - but only if you know what you are spraying for. Galls can be colonized by several types of wasps or ants (or their larva) among other insects!
Don't continue to chip at the growth - besides getting insect bites, you could injure the tree bark!
Forsythia
Q: I have a forsythia bush in my back yard. Most of the blossoms are on the bottom half of the bush. I noticed that in the last few weeks there were many birds in the bush - do you think this may have anything to do with this?
A: I assume you have checked to make sure these top branches of the forsythia are live -
-Try pruning some of the top growth immediately after the rest of the brush blooms this year - it won't bloom on these branches this year: - you'll have to wait till next year to see if pruning cures it.
The birds may have found a juicy bug or two on the bush....check to be sure! Otherwise, I think the birds are just a coincidence and of no consequence.
Moving iris
Q: I would like to move some irises because they are being crowded by other plants. When is the best time to do this?
I really enjoy your column. Hope you can help me.
V.C.
A: Move the iris within a month after they finish blooming. I know a lot of gardeners like to cut the leaves back to a neat v-shape - but this is for the gardener's convenience. Leave as much of the leaf as possible during transplant - the strength of the leaf helps to maintain the plant for next year. Trim leaves only after they have turned brown.
Japanese iris and wisteria
Q: Last year you suggested the right fertilizer to urge my iris to bloom. Could you please tell me again? Also I have a new wisteria shrub that I planted last year. What are my spring duties with this?
Thank you. M.A.P.
A: Japanese iris are heavy feeders - use a 10-10-10 fertilizer in the spring before bloom - then follow that by an occasional feed and foliar application with a liquid like MiracleGro. If you have access to well-rotted manure and compost, a top dressing is useful in the fall.
The wisteria you planted last fall should begin to really thrive and grow this year - and maybe even bloom!
Are you ready for it? Do you have a support plan? A strong trellis or arbor or rustproof wires fastened firmly against a wall for support should be put into in place this year. This vine develops tremendous weight as it grows, so plan ahead: make the support strong – how strong is strong? A support that's strong enough to support your own weight isn't extreme or excessive!
Do pruning of unwanted or untrainable shoots very early in spring or after bloom in fall - and don't be timid! If planted in a sunny or partially sunny area, in good soil with plenty of moisture, this vine can easily grow many feet each year...
Saving Easter lilies
Q: I’ve got two leftover lilies from before Easter – one was white, and one was sort of rose and white with freckles (and smelled wonderful when it was alive!). Now the flowers are gone, and the stems and leaves are beginning to get yellow, even though I’ve been very careful to water them well. What can I do with them now? Or should I just toss them out?
A: Don’t you dare toss them out! The white one is a classic Easter lily, and the other one sounds like an Oriental lily named “Stargazer”, or one of its offspring - and they do smell heavenly! Surely you want to save them both!
First of all, it’s probably not your fault that they’re turning yellow. After a few weeks in the house, no matter how good your care has been all lilies will begin to look ratty. Remove the dead flowers and any seed pod that are forming. But no matter how bad they look, DON'T CUT THE STEM OFF! –you must let it yellow and fall off naturally. You ARE, however, allowed to move the ratty plant to a less conspicuous place - somewhere in the sun, maybe on the porch, until it is time to plant them outdoors. Water them – but never allow them to stand them in water.
These lilies will grow in the garden next summer – this year, the trick, as with any flowering bulb, is to allow the leaves and stem to grow and nourish the bulb. Don’t remove them until they separate themselves from the bulb – and no fair cheating! I realize how unsightly the dead foliage is – but find a corner of the garden, a bright corner where the plant can nourish itself to produce next year’s flowers.
Lilies can be put into the garden when weather permits. After the lily is finished blooming indoors, and the weather turns warm, tuck the plant, yellowing stem, dead leaves and all into a sunny, well-drained spot in your garden. Be sure to mark the spot where the bulb is planted, so you don’t damage the hidden bulb with a pitchfork or shovel– they can be late to sprout, and you don’t want to damage the bulb. Potted lilies are forced for holiday bloom, but will revert to their normal summer bloom by the next year.
No lily bulbs should be tossed into the garbage! If you don't have the space or place, give the resting bulbs to a neighbor to enjoy in their garden. Take care of your lily bulbs. They're worth the trouble
This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
When thinning those crowded seedling this month, don’t pull them out – cut them out with a pair of tiny sewing scissors or manicure scissors – that way you won’t disturb the tiny roots.
Transplant into larger individual pots since most of these plants still have nearly another month to spend indoors.
A warm day – and it’s time to take those seedlings out to enjoy the sun – but do it gradually! Protect the plants!
The first days out, stay in the shade - and after a few days, slowly advance to more sun. Don’t leave them out in wind or heavy rain! And at this time in spring, watch for rapidly falling temperature especially in late afternoon – and bring them in to a warmer protected place.- This way, your plants will be ready for a permanent place in the garden later this month!
May 13: De-bud peonies, Moving pachysandra, Pruning older apple tree, Pruning lavender and Rembrandt tulips, Hummers
De-budding
Q: There was something mentioned in one of my gardening books about dis-budding a plant – what is it? – I think it has to do with removing flower buds, but why would you do that?
A: De-budding a flower means removing all the side buds from the stem, leaving one dominate bud in order to allow all the growth to go into that one bud , which then produces a larger flower. This is often done on chrysanthemums, dahlias, roses, and camellias – and right now, in mid-May, on peonies. It is sometimes used on fruits, like grapes and apples and plums and peaches.
There is a theory that a peony if debudded, develops a huge flower and a stronger stem and “lean over” less – but I don’t see how this is possible since the flower head is much heavier. I don’t debud peonies – I want all the peonies I can get, no matter the size!
Older apple tree pruning
Q: I wonder if you can answer a question-
I did not prune my apple blossom tree (of 30+years) last year. What is the best time to prune and shape this tree?
A: I'm so glad you mentioned that this is an older tree - it makes a difference in pruning.
You missed the time for pruning for this year - next year, prune before tree begins new growth in the late winter or early spring - a good marker is to do it about President's Day in February.
Remove all dead, diseased or poorly placed or crossed branches, and water shoots or growth from below the graft. Never remove more than 30% of total growth at a time - if tree needs a lot of pruning, do it gradually, over the next two-three years or so. Branches should not be crowded - try to allow branches to angle out from the main trunk at about 30-40 degrees - this allows better air circulation and sunlight.
No wound dressing or paint is necessary on the cut ends....in the last few decades, arborists have found that trees heal just as fast without the traditional “paint”. I sometimes rub a bit of charcoal into the cut end if the fresh cut is unsightly.
Pachysandra planting
Q: I am hoping to replant (due to a problem that has since been treated) a lot of pachysandra beds this spring - any tips?
A: Pachysandra can be easily transplanted - but it's going to be a lot of work! Get a friend to help!
Prepare the new area well by adding compost -when the new bed is empty, it's the only chance you'll get to do this! Be sure that the area is in shade - hot sun, even in patches will burn the pachysandra leaves.
Pachysandra is the best ground cover you can use for a shady area - it spreads slowly and is easily containable - and remains evergreen through our hard winters.
The plant spreads by an underground root system - carefully cut and separate the plants if needed - otherwise, just dig - and plant the runner at the same depth. Mulch lightly when finished - and water well - and you’re done!
Any stems which break off can be rooted in water or in soil and used for future planting.
It will take a few years to completely fill in a new area.
There's an old saying about some of our favorite plants:
First year, they sleep.....
Second year, they creep.....
And third year, they LEAP!!
That's certainly true of pachysandra!
Pruning lavender and Rembrandt tulips
Q: I took a walk out to my planting bed and, of course, I began wondering about
things. Two questions:
1. I planted 25 Rembrandt tulip bulbs last fall. Fortunately, they've all come up, but I just realized last weekend while I was going over my plans for this year that some of the bulbs are where I was planning to transplant some lavender plants. Should I transplant the lavender around the bulbs, or can I move the bulbs when they're finished and the foliage has died? Or, would I simply be better off by removing those few bulbs (maybe about 3 or 4 tops). Also, would you recommend trying to get another year out of these
bulbs, or should I get new ones this autumn?
2. About those lavender plants. They're one year old and looking a wee bit worse for the wear after the winter (they're about six to twelve inches high). Should I prune them before spring growth kicks in? Also, I really do need to move some of them, so if I do end up pruning, should I do that before or after, or not bother and hope a lot?
A: Don't worry about the lavender - new lavender plants take about 3 years to fully mature. Prune about the time that you see new growth beginning to appear near the base of the plant. Once the lavender is mature, you may find that simply harvesting your lavender each summer will be enough pruning......This year, move the plants, then prune them very lightly.
Your Rembrandt tulips will reappear for many years - there is no need to replace them now - but you may want to buy more when you see the gorgeous stripes and feathering! These are relatives of the tulips that caused "Tulipmania" in Europe in the 1600's and inspired the painting of several of the Dutch Masters!
I think I'd carefully move the ones you planted where you now plan to grow lavender - they're so beautiful without the competition of the lavender. If you move them, do it after they bloom, being very careful not to damage the bulbs as you dig them up.
Hummers response:
-Earlier last month, we asked readers whether they were seeing humming birds in Danvers - or whether there were truly “hummer free” zones around the area – We had a terrific response, all very positive: There are no hummer-free zones anywhere in the area!
Here’s one of the letters – and a picture that’s proof!
We thank everyone who responded! We all love our hummers!
Response from Danvers:
You had asked in a response to a reader’s inquiry (4/29/09) regarding “Is Danvers a hummingbird-free area? We’ve lived in Danvers for over 15 years and have had hummingbirds at our feeders yearly (I’ve attached a couple of pictures of a female at one of our feeders in 2007). They are like clockwork; they arrive by mid-April, and stay well into September. Because they are so territorial, we separate the hummingbird feeders from any of our other bird feeders as well as the hummingbird feeders themselves. What we do is hang fuchsia plants on every other post of our fence, and hang the hummingbird feeder on the posts that don’t have plants. We watch for hours as they go from the feeder to the plants. They are amazing. They can be hard to see, as they are so small & fast, so some people may not even be aware that they are there. I make my own “nectar” of 4 parts of water to 1 part sugar & change the food weekly, sooner in the heat of summer. So to answer your question, No, Danvers is not a hummingbird-free Zone!
Thank you for your North Shore Gardener Column, my husband and I enjoy reading it.
Beverly Ledoux
This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
If you have a well- designed garden border or a special planter or window box full of annuals ---buy extra plants and grow them on the side – you’ll continue to have a plant to fill in for the one the dog rolls on and breaks, or the rain knocks down - and you can keep your plantings intact and lovely for the whole season.
These annuals will be the first to disappear from the market in mid-summer – just when you need them most!
May 20 : Tomatoes in container and BER, (Jetta’s) Christmas cactus, Avocado leaves browning, Bittersweet, Free pallets for compost bins
Free pallets available for making compost bins
Q: Once last year you had an article about compost bins made from pallets. Well, I have an excess of pallets at my work and would love to give them away to someone they wants to use them for making their own compost bins. Some are even made of solid oak.
Just stop by the yard and pick them up!
Cindy Modugno
Clint Sales
117 Elliott St #2 (Across from Dunkin Donuts)
Beverly
Bittersweet propagation
Q: What is the best way to propagate bittersweet? Don’t know if it’s Asiatic or American bittersweet. It has grown up from under a foundation, so it may be considered invasive by some, but we love it.
A: The reason I asked is it American bittersweet - or Oriental bittersweet (also called Asiatic, or Chinese bittersweet) is that Oriental bittersweet is an invasive species and we don't recommend propagating!
You can quickly tell them apart by the way they produce the attractive berries:
American bittersweet produces berries at the end of the stem....
Oriental bittersweet produces loads of berries all along the twining stem - this more attractive bittersweet is the variety that is invasive - and selling, propagating or moving the plants is forbidden, although it's often the bittersweet used in decorations.
(But technically, no one can tell you what to do with bittersweet - unless the plants leave your property.)
Bittersweet is propagated by seeds or by cuttings:
Take softwood cuttings in summer with at lease two leaf nodes - (these will be new growth, not older, woody growth.) Use a rooting hormone like Rootone, strip back leaves to a leave a leaf node exposed and dip each stem in the rooting hormone -root in sand or peat - they're may take five weeks or more to root.
Seeds are collected in September - November - and must be exposed to cold for 3 months - put them in a sealed plastic bag with moist sand or peat, and place in the refrigerator - then plant. Keep seeds warm - seeds are very slow to germinate!
I'm sure you know that leaves, bark and seeds are toxic to kids and animals - but not to birds!
Tomatoes in container and BER
Q: I had bottom end rot on my tomatoes last year. I use pots to grow them on my deck. Should I use the same dirt this year? If I do use it, how can I avoid the bottom end rot?
A: We seldom recommend using old soil from year to year in your pots - especially not when growing veggies. But since BER (blossom end rot) is thought to be caused by a chemical imbalance in the soil, not a disease, you might want to supplement the missing calcium - and chance using the old soil for one more year. Since you grow in containers, you have a certain amount of control - but for a more dependable crop, I'd buy a bag of a good potting soil each year- and start fresh.
Blossom end rot (BER) is caused by a lack of calcium - AND a lack of a constant water supply in the soil to carry the calcium to the plant. A good quality, purchased potting soil should have sufficient calcium in the mixture for this season's growth.
If you are using garden soil, or planting directly in the garden and experiencing BER, you'll probably need to add some calcium: try adding either a calcium soil supplement, or calcium in the form of eggshells, dry powdered milk, or gypsum (a type of plaster) to the soil - and keep the moisture levels even all season, never letting the plants dry out!
All potted plants are more difficult to keep evenly watered than a garden - set a strict watering schedule and try to keep to it. Never allow plants to dry to a point of wilting, but at the same time, never overwatering. Water the plant at the soil line, keeping water off the leaves – any natural rainfall will take care of the leaves! And be sure not to miss a pot when watering!
Avocado leaves browning
Q: I have started many avocado plants and after potting and growing leaves, the leaves are fine for a while and then they all turn brown starting at the tips and dry up to the point that they crumble. What is causing this problem?
Thank you for your help.
B.
A: The leaf problem may be due to several problems, all relatively simple to correct. Try this:
Increase the humidity in the growing area - avocados are tropical plants. Humidity can be increased with a room humidifier or by double-potting the plant by wrapping the pot with damp sphagnum moss and placing it inside another pot. Or simply use damp pebble trays underneath the pots or mist the plant daily.
If the avocados have been potted for several seasons, try repotting! Excess salts from water and fertilizers accumulate in the soil and can cause leaf burning.
And do try using bottled water - I'm using bottled water on a desk plant, a small Norfolk pine, on which the needles were browning at the branch ends - and it has shown great improvement!
Let me know how it goes!
Christmas cactus dropping pieces
Q: My Christmas cactus is over a dozen years old – it bloomed beautifully this year but now it is dropping whole branches – just dropping off and falling to the floor. I’m afraid I might lose the plant, which I don’t want to happen. What can I do?
A: There could be several reasons for dropping:
Keep temperatures even - no drafts or blasts from a heating or air conditioning vent -
Keep out of direct sunlight - they need good light, but direct sun will burn the plant.
Keep evenly moist - although they're called "cactus", they're not desert cactus, they're jungle cactus - and live high in the tree canopy, where they're shaded, where air circulation is good and humidity is high - and they get a daily shower and never dry out!
I've found that sometimes an old plant will have compacted soil in the center of the pot - and water never gets through to it - try poking holes in the soil with a pencil-thin stick or screwdriver to allow the water to reach the center of the plant. Once in a while, poking several holes before watering should solve the problem!
From spring, after bloom and until the end of summer, feed the plant once a month with an all-purpose houseplant fertilizer like Miracle-Gro
Some branch drop after bloom is normal - it seems to be a response the effort the plant has put forth during the blooming period -
Don't waste these pieces and throw them out! You can root these pieces - simply in water or soil - they root quickly and easily, and then you can pot them up and give all of your
friends a little piece of your beautiful plant!!
This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
Be patient! Watch night temperatures – and don’t plant too early! Some nights are still in the 40’s – and that’s too cold for tender plants!
This week, my pre-school age grandsons will be descending on the house and garden. We have several projects in mind to do with these apartment-dwelling, urban – dwelling kids:
The boys are bringing jellybeans to plant! Someone told them that if you plant a jellybean, it will grow into a lollipop! So the jellybeans will into the ground – and Mommy will slip out after bedtime and “plant” lollipops! I expect the green jellybeans will grow lime lollipops….but how should I know?!?
If this works, I think we’ll plant some Cheerios – after all, wouldn’t they produce a doughnut bush?
And we have a real project: I have planted peas so the kids can learn that peas grow on a vine, in a peapod, not in a plastic freezer bag or a square box…and I have a patio tomato plant in a pot that already has tomatoes on it. My goal is to make veggie –eaters out of them. Have a happy week in the garden!
May 27 : Compost bin, Humus and manure mulch, Browning rhodys, Needs substitute for expensive New Guinea hybrids
Cheaper planting needed to replace New Guineas hybrids
I’ve written to you a few times and appreciate the advice that you have provided me. Attached are a couple of photos of my front yard and as you’ll be able to see is that I usually use New Guinea Impatience, about 35 of them. As you know, they are very expensive and are now costing about $4 a plant. I was wondering if you have any suggestions what I might use in the window boxes as well as around my light and mailbox poles. The area gets sun from about 10AM for the rest of the day.
Thanks for any advice you can give me.
S.S.,
Gloucester MA
A: The New Guinea hybrids are lovely – and are getting expensive - but so are a lot of other plants. Your current cost is about $140. for plants, based on your price of $4.00 each.
A very good substitute would be the "New Wave" petunia - it grows in a spectacular mound, heavily covered with flowers , loves the sun, and doesn’t require deadheading. Plants are available from Burpee for 12/$21.95 plus shipping in many shades, including white, pinks and purple and blues - no yellow yet! I'm sure the plants are also available locally from garden centers. And it's not too late to add white or purple sweet alyssum from seed to border the beds, if you wanted.
Promise that you'll send me pictures of whatever you do this year!
Thank you for your note - and the pictures!
BB
Rhody browning
Q: I have enjoyed your column each week and hope you can help me out. We have had harsher winters in the past and my rhododendrons have survived for many years. However, this past winter has left them with brownish leaves on many of the branches. It is not only confined to my yard but also my neighbors and a few friends in Ipswich. Would you happen to have an answer to the problem? I've attached several pictures of my rhodys.
Thank You, Janet Hanson
Middleton MA
A: This is difficult: there can be many reasons, or combination of reasons for leaf browning on rhodys:
Rhododendrons will shed leaves - a few each year when the leaves get to be about
3-4 years old.....
You mention no bug damage: but there is a borer, which is impossible to get rid of. It would be evident by a hollow structure in the stems.....if this borer is present, the affected stems will have to be pruned and destroyed, not composted....
It could be a loss of moisture in this part of the plant: Perhaps it was partially covered by snow during a sub-freezing period and was subjected to wind burn.....
Or if the plant was subjected to salt - either from the spray of a snowplow
plowing a salted driveway or road.....
But the most likely cause is fertilizer (maybe used on a near-by grassy area) - feeding a fertilizer with too much boron, a trace element , perhaps on a lawn area close to the rhody bushes, could cause browning of the rhodys leaves. Feed them with an acid fertilizer meant for rhodys, such as MirAcid, when needed -
-As soon as you can, drench and flood the plants with water - do this several times with the hope the water will flush out excess boron....Bloom should remain normal on the rest of the plant - but it may take until next season to see if you've solved the problem completely.
Humus and manure mulch
Especially enjoy the tips for this COLD spring gardening.
My ? A lecture I attended said to spread & work in, or just leave on top and rain will wk it into the soil. Humus/Manure I'm speaking of. I started to do this, but was uneasy as my perennials are up as you know. Bags say to wk in at least 2" to a depth of 6". Where all my areas are established, what is the best way to do this? Do I need to do it at all?
I feed my plants on reg basis. Have never amended the soil with the above products. I mulch and use soaker hoses. I have stopped awaiting your ans. Thanks, Jude
A:I assume this is well-rotted manure and humus - yes, you can just lay in on top of your perennial beds - and scratch it in lightly, being sure not to disturb the delicate feeder roots that are close to the surface. -Also, keep the mulch a few inches away from the crowns of perennials you can see emerging.
-Think of the way Mother Nature does it: layers of leaves drop to the ground every year - and if they don't get raked (by who? The squirrels??) or blow away, the leaves stay in place all winter and rot, forming a great layer of compost! Same as on your lawn, when a layer of grass clippings rots - and "feeds" the lawn! And if it's a finely chopped layer, and not applied too deeply, it won't smother anything except some weed seeds.
Your soaker hose should soak right through a well-composted mulch - if you should notice any wilting, you might have to pull the mulch back from the base of the plants...in particular, watch the tomato plants for wilting!
Good compost is the best way to amend the soil of your garden - have you tried composting instead of buying it? Then compost is free!
Composter – location and heat
Q: Greetings, Guru ~~ Got a Q for You ........... a gazillion years ago I bought a big (55 gal.?) black plastic composter from a city-sponsored program -- it's the one with a twist lid and a lower door to shovel dirt out. I set it up in the farthest most part of my yard to hide it, so I never used the compost it and I made (too much of a pain). It's in the shade of maples, and when I used to open it I saw Horror Movie earthworms, they were so huge. I want to move it right into my veggie garden. Will that work? It would seriously bake in the sun ...
thanks for your help,
Emerson.
A: So you've started a worm farm as wells a garden? I would remove the worms from the compost barrel and put them in any garden before you move the container to it's new home in the sunny vegetable garden (so they don't broil!) - but what a gift to the garden those live worms will be!
The container will be fine in the sunlight - the heat will speed the compost! Being black, it will absorb the sun and heat it up very quickly!
-Be aware that some plastic deteriorate in time with exposure to UVA-UVB rays - so watch - and expect this to eventually happen to your barrel....
The worms - or worm eggs - probably got into the bin along with some soil - and may reoccur - but consider them a gift to the garden! This time, in the new location, if the barrel gets too hot, they will die in infancy - and you may never see them!
-Having the compost bin in or near the garden will encourage you to use it - and it will be a big help as you weed and prune every day - it's a good move! You can just throw garden clippings in instead of having to collect them and lug them to another area!
-Thanks for your note! I always enjoy hearing from you!
This week’s dirt…………………………………………………………
-Avoid using a string trimmer or a weed whacker, as it is commonly called, around trees! The slicing action of the string will damage tree bark and kill a tree or specimen planting.
Instead, use a thick layer of mulch – it will help prevent weeds from emerging, and eliminate the need for a weed trimmer altogether. -Just keep mulch about 6 inches away from the trunk to avoid rot and rodents!
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