In this issue, as in the last issue, look for 'green thoughts' in some of the articles to help you go green in the garden.
If you have shrubs that flower in spring, get ready to prune. These plants should be pruned within two weeks after the flowering ends. For some shrubs that time is already here (they finished flowering already) and for others it is coming soon (they are in flower right now).
The shrubs that flower in spring need to be pruned soon after flowering ends, because they will start making buds for next year in early summer. So if you wait until fall to prune, you will prune off flower buds. Most shrubs need to be pruned annually, so don't miss this opportunity. Too often the spring flowering shrubs get pruned at the wrong time and fail to produce flowers the next year.
This has been a slow season due to cool temperatures. Many people are noticing that leave are expanding very slowly on some plants. As soon as the warm weather really gets here, these plants will catch up.
A Few "To-do" Items for June-July
June
- Plant annual flowers and warm season vegetables like tomato.
- Start putting summer bulbs like gladiolus and dahlia outside for the summer.
July
- Cut back 'tired' looking perennials and give them water to encourage new growth.
- Tomato growers: be looking for tomato hormworm, a huge green caterpillar. Hand pick them; no pesticide needed.
Plan for Winter as You Plant for Summer
As you select plants for your garden this summer, stop and think about choosing some plants that will provide beauty for the garden in winter. Too often winter gardens rely solely on evergreens for their beauty. Selecting a variety of plants with different winter features can keep the garden interesting throughout the year.
There are a number of plants that produce colorful "berries" that persist into winter. These include hollies (both evergreen and deciduous species), some crabapples, some of the hawthorns, beautyberry (Callicarpa species), and some viburnums.
Other plants have persistent seed heads or pods that are not as colorful as the berries, but still interesting. These include some hydrangeas, showy sedum, many ornamental grasses, astilbe, baptisia and purple coneflower.
A variety of shrubs offer colorful bark or stems for winter. These include Japanese kerria, some of the shrub dogwoods, some willows, and paperbark maple.
Some plants offer structure to the garden. These include a number of ornamental grasses, hawthorn trees (horizontal branching), bald cypress and kousa dogwood (horizontal branching.
As you plan for a winter garden, remember that the beauty of winter is often subtle. Shades of tan and buff may dominate, with bright spots of color coming from berries and colored stems.
In order for plants to provide winter beauty, they must be cared for properly during the growing season. If these plants are neglected during the growing season, it is unlikely they will look good in the fall and winter.
A practical consideration to remember is that winter may undermine our best efforts. A heavy snow or ice storm in the early part of winter may knock down some of the plants which give the garden structure (like ornamental grasses). That point of interest may be lost for the rest of the winter. It is wise to select a variety of plants that provide different types of winter interest. If the garden contains plants with bright berries, the loss of the ornamental grasses under the heavy snow load may be easier to accept.
As you select plants this summer, think about how that plant might help your garden next winter.
More Choices for the Shade
In the last issue we talked about shrubs for the shade garden. Now let's look at some perennials that do well in shade.
Columbine (Aquilegia hybrids) grows 1-3 feet tall and has a wide range of flower colors. It blooms in spring and tolerates light or medium shade.
Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) is a native woodland plants that grows 1-2 feet tall. It has an unusual green (sometimes striped with purple) flower. It tolerates wet sites and deep shade.
Astilbe (Astilbe species and hybrids) grows 2-3 feet tall and has upright plumes of flowers in shades of white, pink, mauve and red. Many culitvars are available. It tolerates light and medium shade.
Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla) grows 12-18 inches tall and has tiny blue, forget-me-not—like flowers in early spring. It tolerates light to full shade.
Yellow Corydalis (Corydalis lutea) grows 6-12 inches tall and has bright yellow flowers throughout the growing season. The foliage is fern-like in appearance. It tolerates light to medium shade.
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) grows 2-4 feet tall. This is a native wildflower for the late season garden. It blooms bright red, starting in August. Let this one go to seed as the mother plant may be short lived. It tolerates light to medium shade.
Foam Flower (Tiarella cordifolia) grows 6-12 inches tall and has white flowers from late spring into early summer. It tolerates full shade.
Green thought: Shade plants often grow more slowly than sun plants and thus need less fertilizer. Fertilize according to the needs of the plant. This will keep excess fertilizer out of the environment.
