June 25, 2008

Check out our demonstration gardens

Next time you are visiting the Lake County office of University of Illinois Extension, check out our demonstration gardens. They can give you great ideas about things you can do in your own garden. This year, the gardens include a garden to feed the birds and a tropical garden.

What is really unique about our gardens is that they are just like yours. We suffer the same weather problems and set backs that the average gardener experiences. We don't have a full time staff of horticulturists maintaining the gardens in pristine form.

Our gardens are real. The cool weather held us back and we planted later than usual, so things are getting a slow start. The heavy rains made it hard to get into the garden on one of our planting days. The strong winds have tattered the leaves on one of our banana plants. You will even find a weed or two in our gardens.

Stop by anytime. We keep a map and list of the plants in a mailbox at the corner of the building, so you can take a self-guided tour. If you need more information, stop in and talk to the Master Gardeners. Please don't pick plants to bring in to the Master Gardeners. They will be happy to step outside and look at the plant with you.

Posted by Sharon Yiesla at 3:15 PM | Permalink |

May 5, 2008

Come to the Perennial Plant Sale

Well, it seems that spring might really be here finally. How do I know that? Because it is time for the Master Gardeners' annual perennial plant sale. The sale will be held on Friday, May 16 starting at 10 a.m. At 9:30 we will begin handing out entry numbers (a little crowd control helps make the sale more enjoyable for all).

The sale is called "From Our Garden to Yours" because the plants have all been donated by the Master Gardeners from their private gardens. This means you can expect very high quality plants, but some may be available in limited quantities. We do not have a plant list for you to peruse as we are still in the process of finalizing our lists and getting the plants collected and labeled. However, I can tell you that we expect to have a nice selection of plant species.

When you come to the sale, be sure to check out our collection of premium plants. Last year these included difficult to find wildflowers and some one-of-a-kind plants. Occasionally a interesting vine or shrub shows up in the premium selection.

We hope to see you at the sale on May 16, 10 a.m.

Posted by Sharon Yiesla at 4:36 PM | Permalink |

March 20, 2008

Are You Thinking About Crabgrass

Well you shouldn't be; at least not just yet. Just because you can buy crabgrass preventer in the store right now, does not mean it is time to use it yet. Crabgrass actually arrives much later than most people think. Crabgrass seeds will not germinate until the soil temperature is greater than 55-60 degrees for 7 consecutive days. We won't even have air temperatures in that range for a while and even when we do, the soil temperatures take much longer to get into that range. So wait on crabgrass preventer until late April or the first part of May.

Posted by Sharon Yiesla at 7:48 AM | Permalink |

March 4, 2008

The Seasons are Changing

Finally, some of the snow is melting and we can actually believe that there will be a spring. That snow melt will bring some problems of course, in the form of flooding. Luckily for the plants, flooding during the dormant season does far less damage than flooding in summer. This means that we may not see a lot of damage from the floods resulting from snow melt. The damage level will depend on how long water stands, how healthy the plants were before the flooding and which plants get flooded. Some plants tolerate flooding better than other.

The changes in the weather have also awakened the boxelder bugs. I am noticing them walking through my house on a regular basis. They have come out of their hiding spots in reaction to that warm weather we had last Sunday. These insects are merely annoying so just sweep them up as you see them. Do not crush them as they will leave a stain.

If you like to grow caladiums from bulbs (actually tubers) get started now. They can be extremely slow to start. To encourage them, put them in small pots and them put the pots on a heat mat (made for seed starting, available at garden centers). These are tropical plants that like some heat, so the bottom heat provided by the mat will help them get going. Don't keep the tubers too wet or they will rot (rotting caladiums do not smell good).

Posted by Sharon Yiesla at 2:00 PM | Permalink |

February 26, 2008

When the Snow Melts...

When the snow melts (and it will!), shrubs and small trees will need to be inspected for damage. The heavy snows we have had this winter may have done damage to the lower portions of larger shrubs and small trees. Smaller shrubs, some of which were completely covered with snow, may show damage on any part.

Any branches that are broken should be removed completely. Make a clean cut with a pruning tool to insure good healing. Ragged, torn wood will not heal well and may serve as an entry point for disease and insect problems later in the season.

Evergreen shrubs that have been covered with snow have had their branches bent down for a long time. These may have trouble snapping back into shape. There are a couple of techniques to try that may be helpful. Tie or prop branches into their normal orientation for a few weeks. This may allow some of them to return to normalcy. For large, heavy branches, consider shortening the branch to remove some of the weight and then tie or prop it into place. Some branches will respond while others, most likely, will not.

Posted by Sharon Yiesla at 1:47 PM | Permalink |

February 14, 2008

Need More Info on Ornamental Grasses

Need to know more about ornamental grasses? I will be teaching a class at the Lake County office of University of Illinois Extension on Feb 26 from 7-9 p.m. Call (847) 223-8627 to register or register online by going to the homepage of this website and clicking on the "Upcoming Events" section.

Posted by Sharon Yiesla at 1:30 PM | Permalink |

February 13, 2008

Get Ready to Cut Back Ornamental Grasses

It seems like spring will never get here. The big mounds of snow really inhibit thoughts of gardening. Eventually the weather will warm and the snow mounds will recede. At that time, you should be ready to cut back ornamental grasses. Usually late February into mid-March is a good time to do this.

Cool season grasses will show growth first and will need attention first. With the good snow cover we have had this winter, many of the cool season grasses may emerge from the snow looking fairly good and may need relatively little cutting. Some of them however, may have been mashed down by the snow load and may need to be tidied up.

Warm season grasses will be slower to start growing, so you won't have to get cutting on them quite as early. When it is time cut them (just as new growth begins to peek out of the soil), cut them all the way to the ground and get rid of all the old growth.

Posted by Sharon Yiesla at 2:06 PM | Permalink |

January 22, 2008

Gardening classes

For those of you who want to look ahead to the 2008 gardening season, I have posted some of our late winter-early spring gardening classes on-line. Go to the home page of this website and check out the full calendar under the upcoming events. You can even register now if you want. Classes will remain posted up to 2 days before the program date or until the class fills. Classes for February and March are posted now. April classes will be added later.

Posted by Sharon Yiesla at 2:41 PM | Permalink |

January 22, 2008

Check your house plants

Have you looked at your house plants lately? If you look, you may soon see new growth on some of them. House plants respond to longer days (and the days are already getting longer) and may be putting on new growth soon. If they are growing again, think about giving them some fertilizer. Many people think about fertilizing in summer, but a time of new growth is a time that the house plant can use fertilizer.

Don't overdo it. Be sure to follow the directions on the fertilizer package. Most house plants need to be fertilized monthly when they are actively growing. If you are using a liquid fertilizer, remember that fertilizer should not take the place of water. If your plant is dry, water it first, then give it some fertilizer. Also remember that fertilizer won't fix problems like too little light or too dry a room. Fertilizer only helps a plant when it needs nutrients.

Posted by Sharon Yiesla at 2:30 PM | Permalink |

January 14, 2008

A New (Gardening) Year is Coming

Happy New Year all. Sorry to leave you blogless for so long, but I was called out of town unexpectedly. Be looking for more regular blogging now.

As I look out the window and see a new coat of snow falling, it really is hard to imagine spring. But spring will be here before we know it. The garden catalogs are multiplying in the mail box and it really is time to make out your seed order if you want to insure that you get the varietiesyou want.

You can also start learning more about gardening by attending gardening classes held at the Lake County Extension office. The first class will be on pruning and that is something that sometimes sneeks up on us. Be prepared this year by signing up to learn more about pruning. The class will be held on Feb 13 at 7 p.m. Check out the home page of this site to see the whole schedule of classes (more will be added later).

Posted by Sharon Yiesla at 4:22 PM | Permalink |