Month: November 2010

Written by Adam Latham

Each year at this time of rapidly diminishing daylight, there’s a rush to get it all done before winter — to finish collecting the fallen leaves, clean gutters, cut the lawn for the final time, and cut back perennials, among other tasks. Remember that when winter arrives, your plants will be exposed to extreme environmental stresses like nor’easter winds, snow and ice loading, and arctic temperatures. Injury to plants caused by people using snow removal equipment and de-icing chemicals and by animals feeding on tender bark and shoots is also a cold weather concern. By instituting protection measures this fall, you may save yourself from added work and the disappointment of replacing dead plants or nursing an injured plant back to health next spring.

Environmental Injuries

To help avoid winter-burned leaves on broadleaf evergreens like hollies and rhododendrons, which are exposed to drying winter winds or are in full sun, apply an anti-desiccant when the temperatures are still in the 50s or wrap the plants in burlap. Several years ago I planted a small hedge of inkberry along the street in front of my house. Here in full sun, they bravely face an open windswept cornfield to the west. Each year I have applied an anti-desiccant to them via a small ready-to-use bottle. Last year it seemed like I pulled the trigger on that spray bottle a few hundred times. So this year, I’ll mix a larger batch in a two-gallon spray tank and avoid cramping my hand on the small bottle’s trigger.

If your mophead or lacecap hydrangea failed to bloom this year, it could be that the flower buds were killed by single digit temperatures last winter. This year, install a burlap barrier or wire fence around the plant and fill it with leaves or other natural insulating material to protect next year’s flower buds, which lie at the tips of the branches. This method obviously works best on younger, smaller plants.

Trees, shrubs, and perennials planted this year will benefit from an insulating layer of mulch over their fragile young root systems. If you didn’t mulch at planting time, it’s still not too late to get it done. At this point in the fall, don’t be too concerned about having to use mulch that’s coordinated with the rest of the mulch you’ve been using; you can do that in the spring. For mulching only a few plants, use whatever is available: shredded leaves, straw from a bale left over from fall decorating, or compost that’s bagged or from the bin.

Plant injuries from animals and people

The deer have begun seeking out alternative sources of food now that the leaves are gone, and the plants in your suburban landscape might be their next meal. Fortunately for me I’ve seen very little damage to my plants from these four-legged hedge shears, only some munching on a few young bottlebrush buckeye (which deer aren’t supposed to favor). The cemetery two lots down is the favorite place in my neighborhood for the deer to dine on a fine selection of arborvitaes and yews.

If winter browsing by deer is a problem for you, there are a couple of things you can do to protect your plants, including using physical barriers and deterrent sprays. For their favorites, such as arborvitaes and upright yews, installing seven-foot-high deer netting around the plants is the most effective method, although not the most attractive option. Set the fence a couple of feet away from the damaged plant and secure the netting to 2”x2” wood posts with cable ties. Deer netting can be draped over lower growing shrubs to deter browsing, but the deer will eat any plant material sticking through the net.

My wintertime skirmish is with the rabbits. Many rabbits live under the large and gangly multiflora rose hedge along one of my property lines. Here they gnaw the bark off the canes throughout the cold weather, to which I pay no mind. Unfortunately, they also savor the flavor of young blueberry bushes.  Two years ago, I planted three bushes. The first winter they were nearly chewed to bits. With the added benefit of deep snow, the rabbits were able to nibble the branches down from the tips, leaving nothing but stubby twigs about a foot tall. Last fall I encircled the bushes with wire fencing and they escaped injury. I’ll do the same each fall until the plants are large enough to fair for themselves.

The field mouse is another winter nibbling rodent. They’re tiny, but can be effective plant killers. In addition to your garden shed, they will find refuge under a deep layer of bark mulch or under a canopy of low-hanging evergreen boughs. Under these mouse-cozy covers, they will gnaw the bark off trees and shrubs. If the mice remove the bark all the way around a tree, called girdling, the tree will die. You can help to prevent this problem by pulling mulch away from the trunks of trees, especially young ones, and removing very low-hanging branches on evergreens such as spruces and firs.

If you have your driveway plowed, set out stakes to protect your lawn and adjacent plants before the ground freezes. Take some advice from this snowplow operator — in the middle of the night it’s very difficult to locate an unmarked driveway under a foot of new fallen snow.

In late winter or early spring, take note of the browned foliage on evergreen trees and shrubs adjacent to our roads. It is particularly evident on arborvitae and white pines that are planted close to the street.  The dead needles are the result of applying salt on our roadways. The fine mist that is generated by passing traffic accumulates on the foliage and desiccates it. On young plants, this often results in the death of the plant. There really isn’t anything practical that can be done to prevent the damage during the winter; just be more careful next time in choosing more salt-tolerant species to plant adjacent to roads.

www.rhodeislandhomedesign.com

Written by Barbara Gee

The following is excerpted with permission from Barbara’s upcoming book, The Rhode Island Gardener’s Companion: An Insider’s Guide to Gardening in the Ocean State, to be published by Globe Pequot Press in January 2008. Barbara will be presenting at the RI Flower Show in February, and signing her books.

All folks who garden by the sea face similar challenges—salt and wind. And given that there are 400 miles of coastline in RI it’s no surprise that there are many seaside gardeners in the state. There are islands, moraines, salt marshes, rocky shores, wetlands, beaches, cliffs, dunes, salt ponds – you name it and most Rhode Islanders are probably close to it. Doug Hoyt out on Block Island, for instance, gardens at his home high on a hill which has a great view but receives battering wind. He also maintains gardens in town too but still finds “drying wind and salt,” to be his main problems.

Anne Wilson suffers similarly at the seaside garden she has maintained in Newport for 18 years. Just off Ocean Drive it is very exposed and on a rock ledge which causes big drainage problems, she says. But the biggest challenge for her too is the wind – “coming from the west it’s not too bad but from north, northeast or south it’s bad.”  They have planted living barriers in the form of privet hedges which you can shape and, she says “is dense enough that it does help block the wind and hardy enough to cope with the salt brought in on the wind.”

Rhode Islanders are blessed to call Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum their own. In Bristol, overlooking the Naragansett Bay, it is one of only two arboreta in the country situated on salt water. Visitors can explore 33-acres of plants that survive and thrive in those conditions. In particular the rock garden down close to the water gets battered by wind, salt and drenched with water every so often so anything growing there is an example of a great seaside plant.

Heather Driscoll is head gardener at Carnegie Abbey Club, a private sporting estate in Portsmouth on the Bay, directly across from Blithewold. She experiences similar problems “Gardening by the water has always been a challenge for me. Dealing with the elements of wind, salt air and microclimates are key factors in plant choices.”

Designing a Seaside Garden
How can seaside gardeners cope with their intrinsic challenges? “In a garden without the wind buffer of a house or even a shed,” says Driscoll, “sturdy plants like hydrangea and shorter varieties of ornamental grasses are at the top of my list. Add some Stella D’oro daylilies and hardy pink geraniums and you have a simple but classic seaside garden.” She also chooses perennials with strong root systems to withstand coastal winds. “Rudbekia Goldstrum and Bee Balm have been proven winners,” she says.

Right Plant, Right Site
A terrific book by two Rhode Islanders is Coastal Plants: from Cape Cod to Cape Canaveral by the late Irene H. Stuckey and Lisa Lofland Gould (who also founded the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society). It describes in detail the different habitats you encounter by the sea. They stress that knowing what kind of place a plant wants to be in – and then putting it there – goes a long way towards that plant’s happiness. And a happy plant needs less maintenance

Julie Morris and the staff at Blithewold deal constantly with gardens drenched by salt water and hit by drying winds… “Choosing plants that do well in our conditions is key,” she says.

Perfect Seaside Plants
June Halliday manages the perennials nursery at Chaves’ Gardens & Florist in Middletown. She gets daily requests from customers looking for plants that thrive by the sea. Her own garden in Jamestown has become a laboratory for these kinds of plants. And, as a bonus, she maintains that most of the following plants are not bothered by the deer that roam around her property. 

Shade & Part Shade
Pulmonaria ‘Benediction’
Ligularia ‘The Rocket’, ‘Brit Marie Crawford’
Heleborus ‘Foetidus’
Hakonechloa ‘Aureola’
Dicentra Formosa ‘Luxuriant’, Spectabilis
Fern – Anthyrium ‘Bramford Beauty’ Woodland
Spigelia Marilandica ‘Indian Pink’
Mertensia ‘Virginia Blue Bells’
Asarum canadensis ‘Wild Ginger’
Cornus canadensis ‘Bunch Berry’
Phlox divaricata ‘London Grove Blue’
Sun (very long blooming)
Cranesbill Geranium ‘Rozanne’
Salvia ‘May Night’
Dianthus ‘Rosish One’
Rudbeckia ‘Herbstonne’
Veronicastrum ‘Fascination’

Gene Rinker’s garden on Prudence Island is a testament to having the right plant in the right place. He could not be any closer to the water which is just across the street. Anything you see growing in his garden can definitely withstand being drenched, blown, battered and salt sprayed. He inherited the garden from his uncle who created it almost 60 years ago. Rinker highly recommends annuals and biennials like cosmos, cleomies, nasturtiums and hollyhocks, while his friend Anna Levesque just down the road prefers what she calls trouble-free perennials like shasta daisy, rudbeckia, daylilies, asters…

Wilson reels off a list of perennials that do well for her on the Newport ledge – “alchemilla everywhere – irises, japanese iris, thalictrum (lots of different ones) – cimcifuga, toad lily, hostas of any sort, differant hydrangea, niko blue – massive, ajuga, pachysandra does well in summer but dries out in winter depending on location – old standby, Hakonechloa, Houttuynia ground cover, ginger, solomon seal variegated…”

Driscoll finds from experience that plants with gray foliage like santolina or artemesia perform well by the sea. “Of course Rosa Rugosa is synonomous with seaside gardens,” she says, “but I have found that even hybrid teas and landscape roses do well with the salt air acting as a natural insecticide.”

 These are some of my favorite seashore plants:
• Panic grass (Panicum amarum ‘Dewey Blue’)
• Black fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Moudry’)
• Miscanthus (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’)
• Leatherleaf sedge (Carex buccchanii)
• Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
• Coneflower (Rudbeckia sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’)
• Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum ‘Sheffield Pink’)
• Daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Happy Returns’)
• Stonecrop (Sedum spurium ‘Dragon’s Blood’)
• Mugwort or sagebrush (Artemesia stelleriana ‘Silver Brocade’)
• Pine (Pinus thumbergii ‘Thunderhead’)
• Spruce (Picea pungens glauca ‘Montgomery Blue’)

www.rhodeislandhomedesign.com

The following is excerpted with permission from Barbara’s upcoming book, The Rhode Island Gardener’s Companion: An Insider’s Guide to Gardening in the Ocean State, to be published by Globe Pequot Press in January 2008. Barbara will be presenting at the RI Flower Show in February, and signing her books.

All folks who garden by the sea face similar challenges—salt and wind. And given that there are 400 miles of coastline in RI it’s no surprise that there are many seaside gardeners in the state. There are islands, moraines, salt marshes, rocky shores, wetlands, beaches, cliffs, dunes, salt ponds – you name it and most Rhode Islanders are probably close to it. Doug Hoyt out on Block Island, for instance, gardens at his home high on a hill which has a great view but receives battering wind. He also maintains gardens in town too but still finds “drying wind and salt,” to be his main problems.

Anne Wilson suffers similarly at the seaside garden she has maintained in Newport for 18 years. Just off Ocean Drive it is very exposed and on a rock ledge which causes big drainage problems, she says. But the biggest challenge for her too is the wind – “coming from the west it’s not too bad but from north, northeast or south it’s bad.”  They have planted living barriers in the form of privet hedges which you can shape and, she says “is dense enough that it does help block the wind and hardy enough to cope with the salt brought in on the wind.”

Rhode Islanders are blessed to call Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum their own. In Bristol, overlooking the Naragansett Bay, it is one of only two arboreta in the country situated on salt water. Visitors can explore 33-acres of plants that survive and thrive in those conditions. In particular the rock garden down close to the water gets battered by wind, salt and drenched with water every so often so anything growing there is an example of a great seaside plant.

Heather Driscoll is head gardener at Carnegie Abbey Club, a private sporting estate in Portsmouth on the Bay, directly across from Blithewold. She experiences similar problems “Gardening by the water has always been a challenge for me. Dealing with the elements of wind, salt air and microclimates are key factors in plant choices.”

Designing a Seaside Garden
How can seaside gardeners cope with their intrinsic challenges? “In a garden without the wind buffer of a house or even a shed,” says Driscoll, “sturdy plants like hydrangea and shorter varieties of ornamental grasses are at the top of my list. Add some Stella D’oro daylilies and hardy pink geraniums and you have a simple but classic seaside garden.” She also chooses perennials with strong root systems to withstand coastal winds. “Rudbekia Goldstrum and Bee Balm have been proven winners,” she says.

Right Plant, Right Site
A terrific book by two Rhode Islanders is Coastal Plants: from Cape Cod to Cape Canaveral by the late Irene H. Stuckey and Lisa Lofland Gould (who also founded the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society). It describes in detail the different habitats you encounter by the sea. They stress that knowing what kind of place a plant wants to be in – and then putting it there – goes a long way towards that plant’s happiness. And a happy plant needs less maintenance

Julie Morris and the staff at Blithewold deal constantly with gardens drenched by salt water and hit by drying winds… “Choosing plants that do well in our conditions is key,” she says.

Perfect Seaside Plants
June Halliday manages the perennials nursery at Chaves’ Gardens & Florist in Middletown. She gets daily requests from customers looking for plants that thrive by the sea. Her own garden in Jamestown has become a laboratory for these kinds of plants. And, as a bonus, she maintains that most of the following plants are not bothered by the deer that roam around her property. 

Shade & Part Shade
Pulmonaria ‘Benediction’
Ligularia ‘The Rocket’, ‘Brit Marie Crawford’
Heleborus ‘Foetidus’
Hakonechloa ‘Aureola’
Dicentra Formosa ‘Luxuriant’, Spectabilis
Fern – Anthyrium ‘Bramford Beauty’ Woodland
Spigelia Marilandica ‘Indian Pink’
Mertensia ‘Virginia Blue Bells’
Asarum canadensis ‘Wild Ginger’
Cornus canadensis ‘Bunch Berry’
Phlox divaricata ‘London Grove Blue’
Sun (very long blooming)
Cranesbill Geranium ‘Rozanne’
Salvia ‘May Night’
Dianthus ‘Rosish One’
Rudbeckia ‘Herbstonne’
Veronicastrum ‘Fascination’

Gene Rinker’s garden on Prudence Island is a testament to having the right plant in the right place. He could not be any closer to the water which is just across the street. Anything you see growing in his garden can definitely withstand being drenched, blown, battered and salt sprayed. He inherited the garden from his uncle who created it almost 60 years ago. Rinker highly recommends annuals and biennials like cosmos, cleomies, nasturtiums and hollyhocks, while his friend Anna Levesque just down the road prefers what she calls trouble-free perennials like shasta daisy, rudbeckia, daylilies, asters…

Wilson reels off a list of perennials that do well for her on the Newport ledge – “alchemilla everywhere – irises, japanese iris, thalictrum (lots of different ones) – cimcifuga, toad lily, hostas of any sort, differant hydrangea, niko blue – massive, ajuga, pachysandra does well in summer but dries out in winter depending on location – old standby, Hakonechloa, Houttuynia ground cover, ginger, solomon seal variegated…”

Driscoll finds from experience that plants with gray foliage like santolina or artemesia perform well by the sea. “Of course Rosa Rugosa is synonomous with seaside gardens,” she says, “but I have found that even hybrid teas and landscape roses do well with the salt air acting as a natural insecticide.”

 These are some of my favorite seashore plants:
• Panic grass (Panicum amarum ‘Dewey Blue’)
• Black fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Moudry’)
• Miscanthus (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’)
• Leatherleaf sedge (Carex buccchanii)
• Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
• Coneflower (Rudbeckia sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’)
• Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum ‘Sheffield Pink’)
• Daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Happy Returns’)
• Stonecrop (Sedum spurium ‘Dragon’s Blood’)
• Mugwort or sagebrush (Artemesia stelleriana ‘Silver Brocade’)
• Pine (Pinus thumbergii ‘Thunderhead’)
• Spruce (Picea pungens glauca ‘Montgomery Blue’)

www.rhodeislandhomedesign.com

 

 

Written by Adam Latham

The height of planting season is upon us. How do you select the ideal plant for a particular location? It doesn’t matter if you desire an annual, perennial, shrub, or tree, the basics of proper plant selection start with a green-industry standard phrase: “right plant, right place.”

Many people have made the mistake of selecting a pretty plant first and then plopping it in the ground wherever it fits, usually one foot off the foundation of a home, wall, or fence with little regard for the light, space, soil, or moisture requirements the plant needs to flourish. But before you start lamenting the mistakes you’ve made in the past, don’t worry, even people in the green business don’t heed our own advice. A good place to start the selection process is by going to URI Extension’s online database of Sustainable Trees & Shrubs at http://www.uri.edu/research/sustland. There is a useful search feature to help narrow your choices by checking criteria such as pH, sun, shade, natives, coastal environments, and deer resistance.

Probably the most common mistake I’ve seen is selecting a plant species that is too large for the available space. You’ve seen homes that suffer from it. It’s that place down the street were the foundation plants block the windows or threaten to engulf the house. I’ve always wanted to call the shrub police to come and ticket the offender, cut down the shrubs, and reveal a beautiful home.

Be sure to read the plant tag or ask a knowledgeable horticulturalist about the growth characteristics of the plant you’re interested in. Unless you’re planting a hedge or mass planting, give your plants enough space to fully develop without having to use looping shears to keep them under control.

Soils
Moist, well-drained soil is the ideal soil condition you find on a lot of plant labels. I don’t know if that soil exists. I don’t see it often, perhaps in the floodplain soils of the Connecticut River or the turf farms of South County. My garden soil is dry, gravelly, and doughty with a good dose of full sun, too. I’ve also developed planting schemes for my clients on poor draining, clay-based soils. The only way to find out what soils you have at your site is to put a shovel in the ground. It’s very important to do this before you purchase your plant material. You might be surprised to find an underlying, unexpected condition.  

I had a client who had purchased a new home and had spent additional money on improving the landscaping over and above the typical builder’s package. I was called in after the fact to assess the newly installed rhododendrons that were rapidly declining in health. The first thing I did was to dig around the rootball to see if the plants were properly installed. I found that the underlying subgrade was compacted so densely that the irrigation water could not drain through and was pooling around the rootball. The plants were literally drowning. Virtually all broadleaf rhododendrons abhor wet soils. This was clearly a situation where the plant was not matched with the soil conditions.

I’ve made errors too. The word hydrangea starts with the root word hydra, for water loving. Remember, my garden has droughty soils and my landscape is not irrigated. But I just had to try some Nikko Blue Hydrangeas. I suppose I really wanted to see just how little water these plants require. After all, hydrangeas flourish and bloom all over the Cape in sandy soils, so why not mine? Out of the four I’ve planted, one has been removed for being near death and three others have barely limped along for four or five years. Every summer the leaves on these poor plants shrivel, wilt, and scorch. Not a single flower has bloomed. No wonder these plants are barely alive. What was I thinking?

Pushing the Hardiness Zone
Our region ranges from zone 5b in the northwest corner of Rhode Island to the southern coastal areas of Massachusetts in zone 7. I’ve been trying to use the native American Holly on my plant lists for quite some time. Hampered by a lack of supply of selected cultivars, I’ve inquired as to the scarcity and have been told by nurseries that the plant is marginally hardy in my area. And with the popularity of the blue hollies and Nellie Stevens Holly, nurseries are reluctant to grow another, less-popular species. But they grow here in the wild; with the historically milder winters and earlier blooming times of trees and shrubs recorded by the Arnold Arboretum you just might be able to successfully grow plant material with more mid-Atlantic or southern “roots” such as American Holly. 

You probably have an area in your landscape that catches the winter rays of the sun, or maybe a place with morning sun protected from the drying winter winds. Perhaps there is a slight slope to the south. These areas are referred to as microclimates. Did you know that here in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts the intensity of the sun and day length in winter is actually comparable to northern Portugal and Spain?  It’s true: we’re all on or near 42° latitude.  By protecting plants from the cold and drying winter winds, creating places that take advantage of the winter sun’s rays, and using south-facing slopes, you might be able to grow plants you never expected would grow here. I know of a nurseryman in South Dartmouth who has been experimenting with growing southern magnolias that he brought back from a trip to the Deep South. I wouldn’t recommend having plants shipped here from the far south, but you may want to experiment with pushing the plant hardiness envelope by one zone in these warmer or sheltered locations.

Read plant labels, research before buying, dig a few holes in the ground, and observe the microclimate in your home landscape. You’ll be rewarded with healthier, lower maintenance plantings.

www.rhodeislandhomedesign.com

The height of planting season is upon us. How do you select the ideal plant for a particular location? It doesn’t matter if you desire an annual, perennial, shrub, or tree, the basics of proper plant selection start with a green-industry standard phrase: “right plant, right place.”

 

Many people have made the mistake of selecting a pretty plant first and then plopping it in the ground wherever it fits, usually one foot off the foundation of a home, wall, or fence with little regard for the light, space, soil, or moisture requirements the plant needs to flourish. But before you start lamenting the mistakes you’ve made in the past, don’t worry, even people in the green business don’t heed our own advice. A good place to start the selection process is by going to URI Extension’s online database of Sustainable Trees & Shrubs at http://www.uri.edu/research/sustland. There is a useful search feature to help narrow your choices by checking criteria such as pH, sun, shade, natives, coastal environments, and deer resistance.

Probably the most common mistake I’ve seen is selecting a plant species that is too large for the available space. You’ve seen homes that suffer from it. It’s that place down the street were the foundation plants block the windows or threaten to engulf the house. I’ve always wanted to call the shrub police to come and ticket the offender, cut down the shrubs, and reveal a beautiful home.

Be sure to read the plant tag or ask a knowledgeable horticulturalist about the growth characteristics of the plant you’re interested in. Unless you’re planting a hedge or mass planting, give your plants enough space to fully develop without having to use looping shears to keep them under control.

Soils
Moist, well-drained soil is the ideal soil condition you find on a lot of plant labels. I don’t know if that soil exists. I don’t see it often, perhaps in the floodplain soils of the Connecticut River or the turf farms of South County. My garden soil is dry, gravelly, and doughty with a good dose of full sun, too. I’ve also developed planting schemes for my clients on poor draining, clay-based soils. The only way to find out what soils you have at your site is to put a shovel in the ground. It’s very important to do this before you purchase your plant material. You might be surprised to find an underlying, unexpected condition.  

I had a client who had purchased a new home and had spent additional money on improving the landscaping over and above the typical builder’s package. I was called in after the fact to assess the newly installed rhododendrons that were rapidly declining in health. The first thing I did was to dig around the rootball to see if the plants were properly installed. I found that the underlying subgrade was compacted so densely that the irrigation water could not drain through and was pooling around the rootball. The plants were literally drowning. Virtually all broadleaf rhododendrons abhor wet soils. This was clearly a situation where the plant was not matched with the soil conditions.

I’ve made errors too. The word hydrangea starts with the root word hydra, for water loving. Remember, my garden has droughty soils and my landscape is not irrigated. But I just had to try some Nikko Blue Hydrangeas. I suppose I really wanted to see just how little water these plants require. After all, hydrangeas flourish and bloom all over the Cape in sandy soils, so why not mine? Out of the four I’ve planted, one has been removed for being near death and three others have barely limped along for four or five years. Every summer the leaves on these poor plants shrivel, wilt, and scorch. Not a single flower has bloomed. No wonder these plants are barely alive. What was I thinking?

Pushing the Hardiness Zone
Our region ranges from zone 5b in the northwest corner of Rhode Island to the southern coastal areas of Massachusetts in zone 7. I’ve been trying to use the native American Holly on my plant lists for quite some time. Hampered by a lack of supply of selected cultivars, I’ve inquired as to the scarcity and have been told by nurseries that the plant is marginally hardy in my area. And with the popularity of the blue hollies and Nellie Stevens Holly, nurseries are reluctant to grow another, less-popular species. But they grow here in the wild; with the historically milder winters and earlier blooming times of trees and shrubs recorded by the Arnold Arboretum you just might be able to successfully grow plant material with more mid-Atlantic or southern “roots” such as American Holly. 

You probably have an area in your landscape that catches the winter rays of the sun, or maybe a place with morning sun protected from the drying winter winds. Perhaps there is a slight slope to the south. These areas are referred to as microclimates. Did you know that here in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts the intensity of the sun and day length in winter is actually comparable to northern Portugal and Spain?  It’s true: we’re all on or near 42° latitude.  By protecting plants from the cold and drying winter winds, creating places that take advantage of the winter sun’s rays, and using south-facing slopes, you might be able to grow plants you never expected would grow here. I know of a nurseryman in South Dartmouth who has been experimenting with growing southern magnolias that he brought back from a trip to the Deep South. I wouldn’t recommend having plants shipped here from the far south, but you may want to experiment with pushing the plant hardiness envelope by one zone in these warmer or sheltered locations.

Read plant labels, research before buying, dig a few holes in the ground, and observe the microclimate in your home landscape. You’ll be rewarded with healthier, lower maintenance plantings.

www.rhodeislandhomedesign.com

 

Written by Adam Latham

Full-fledged gardening season is just around the corner. You can feel the first warm rays of the sun and green now means more than evergreen. The bulbs are ending their winter dormancy and sending up their long-awaited blossoms. Rain has replaced snow. Packages have arrived, fulfilling orders placed this winter after looking through enticing plant and seed catalogs. The Rhode Island and Boston Flower Shows have passed. I always feel like spring is here after I get my first sowing of peas in the ground. With so many outdoor chores, how do you start to think about ways to improve your outdoor experience? How about making a list of the issues you had to deal with last year? 

Competitors vs. The Freedom Lawn
Let’s start with the lawn; since it does or doesn’t green up this time of year, it gets the most attention. First, you need to decide how much time, energy, and money you want to spend. Those who care for their own lawns fall somewhere on the spectrum from most intensive maintenance, the “Competitors,” to the least intensive, the freedom-lawn advocates.

Competitors follow a strict regimen of fertilizer, lime, and weed- and insect-control applications, are advocates of a well-maintained irrigation system, and are likely to attempt striped mowing patterns.

If, on the other hand, you’re an advocate of a freedom lawn, then you’re grateful for whatever plants are green in your lawn in the summer. To you, fewer activities you have to perform means more free time you can spend doing other things. You may also view reduced pesticide and fertilizer use as good for the environment and yourself.

Regardless of where you fall on the lawn-care spectrum, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the pH and nutrient levels in your soil. Many problems with plants, including the thousands of grass plants that make up your lawn, can be addressed with basic soil analysis. Many local nurseries and garden centers offer free or low-cost soil-testing services. The University of Massachusetts Extension Service’s Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory will test your soil. To find out more visit their website at http://www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest/. Follow the test-result recommendations. Remember that limestone can be applied at any time of the year although it’s best done in the fall, and that fertilizers, especially those containing higher levels of nitrogen, have more specific application timing. 

Managing Weeds and Pests
The first step in managing weeds and pests in your lawn is to identify if the level of weed or insect infestation is high enough to warrant attention. There is probably more money wasted on needless uses of these products than there is spent on needed applications. If there are only a few broadleaf weeds in your lawn there is no need to apply weed killer everywhere; a spot treatment of the problem would be the best approach.

The same approach works for insects. Simple observation can be used to determine if insects are at thresholds that warrant the use of control methods. Check the web or visit the library or your favorite bookstore for information on these methods. 

 Here are a few simple steps to increase the health of your lawn, which translates to saving money:

Adjust the height of your mower to 2.5 inches to allow the grass to shade out weeds.

Don’t bag the clippings. Returning clippings to the soil with a mulching mower or leaving them in place with a non-mulching mower is the equivalent of one nitrogen application.

Aerate. Aeration reduces soil compaction. Compact soil reduces oxygen levels in the soil, injuring turf and encouraging weed growth. By loosening the soil, more oxygen reaches the root zone, encouraging a healthy stand of turf.

Landscape Design
Now that you’ve decided on a lawn-management plan, let’s begin with the basics of designing your landscape. It’s difficult to plan improvements to any garden space without a plan-view drawing. Begin by making a scaled sketch of your garden space. Don’t be too concerned with precision; you’re not a land surveyor. Close enough is fine.

Many books can show you the tools you’ll need and how to measure and draw to scale. Make sure to include a north arrow and notes on the slope of the land, favorable or unfavorable views, poor drainage areas, the hottest summer locations, and the last place snow melts. Even if you aren’t sure of the names of plants, note the flower color, size of plant, fall color, and form. With this information and a photograph, someone knowledgeable in plants can help you identify a plant without visiting your home. While they’re blooming, take note of where spring-flowering bulbs are located and indicate them on the plan. Bring the sketch along with photos to your local garden center or nursery for recommendations to fill your planting needs. Many garden centers offer specific dates and times in the spring for this service, so it’s smart to call ahead.

Another way to get a good idea of the areas that need to be addressed in your landscape is to select and analyze photographic views of your garden. Use your camera to focus attention on a specific area of your garden. What’s missing from the image? Is there a bare patch of mulch? Is there an opportunity to add a contrasting leaf texture against a particular plant? What are the limits of the plantings needed to screen an objectionable view? By focusing your attention to one or two details at a time, the task of improving the design of your garden space may not seem so daunting. For seasoned experts, it’s also a good way to see if you’ve been missing something.

Putting together a simple plan now for improving your lawn, landscape, or garden is the best way to ensure long-term results. Next thing you know, you’ll be too busy mowing the lawn, installing plants, and doing all the other items on your spring to-do-list to properly plan.   

www.rhodeislandhomedesign.com

Full-fledged gardening season is just around the corner. You can feel the first warm rays of the sun and green now means more than evergreen. The bulbs are ending their winter dormancy and sending up their long-awaited blossoms. Rain has replaced snow. Packages have arrived, fulfilling orders placed this winter after looking through enticing plant and seed catalogs. The Rhode Island and Boston Flower Shows have passed. I always feel like spring is here after I get my first sowing of peas in the ground. With so many outdoor chores, how do you start to think about ways to improve your outdoor experience? How about making a list of the issues you had to deal with last year? 

Competitors vs. The Freedom Lawn
Let’s start with the lawn; since it does or doesn’t green up this time of year, it gets the most attention. First, you need to decide how much time, energy, and money you want to spend. Those who care for their own lawns fall somewhere on the spectrum from most intensive maintenance, the “Competitors,” to the least intensive, the freedom-lawn advocates.

Competitors follow a strict regimen of fertilizer, lime, and weed- and insect-control applications, are advocates of a well-maintained irrigation system, and are likely to attempt striped mowing patterns.

If, on the other hand, you’re an advocate of a freedom lawn, then you’re grateful for whatever plants are green in your lawn in the summer. To you, fewer activities you have to perform means more free time you can spend doing other things. You may also view reduced pesticide and fertilizer use as good for the environment and yourself.

Regardless of where you fall on the lawn-care spectrum, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the pH and nutrient levels in your soil. Many problems with plants, including the thousands of grass plants that make up your lawn, can be addressed with basic soil analysis. Many local nurseries and garden centers offer free or low-cost soil-testing services. The University of Massachusetts Extension Service’s Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory will test your soil. To find out more visit their website at http://www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest/. Follow the test-result recommendations. Remember that limestone can be applied at any time of the year although it’s best done in the fall, and that fertilizers, especially those containing higher levels of nitrogen, have more specific application timing. 

Managing Weeds and Pests
The first step in managing weeds and pests in your lawn is to identify if the level of weed or insect infestation is high enough to warrant attention. There is probably more money wasted on needless uses of these products than there is spent on needed applications. If there are only a few broadleaf weeds in your lawn there is no need to apply weed killer everywhere; a spot treatment of the problem would be the best approach.

The same approach works for insects. Simple observation can be used to determine if insects are at thresholds that warrant the use of control methods. Check the web or visit the library or your favorite bookstore for information on these methods. 

 Here are a few simple steps to increase the health of your lawn, which translates to saving money:

Adjust the height of your mower to 2.5 inches to allow the grass to shade out weeds.

Don’t bag the clippings. Returning clippings to the soil with a mulching mower or leaving them in place with a non-mulching mower is the equivalent of one nitrogen application.

Aerate. Aeration reduces soil compaction. Compact soil reduces oxygen levels in the soil, injuring turf and encouraging weed growth. By loosening the soil, more oxygen reaches the root zone, encouraging a healthy stand of turf.

Landscape Design
Now that you’ve decided on a lawn-management plan, let’s begin with the basics of designing your landscape. It’s difficult to plan improvements to any garden space without a plan-view drawing. Begin by making a scaled sketch of your garden space. Don’t be too concerned with precision; you’re not a land surveyor. Close enough is fine.

Many books can show you the tools you’ll need and how to measure and draw to scale. Make sure to include a north arrow and notes on the slope of the land, favorable or unfavorable views, poor drainage areas, the hottest summer locations, and the last place snow melts. Even if you aren’t sure of the names of plants, note the flower color, size of plant, fall color, and form. With this information and a photograph, someone knowledgeable in plants can help you identify a plant without visiting your home. While they’re blooming, take note of where spring-flowering bulbs are located and indicate them on the plan. Bring the sketch along with photos to your local garden center or nursery for recommendations to fill your planting needs. Many garden centers offer specific dates and times in the spring for this service, so it’s smart to call ahead.

Another way to get a good idea of the areas that need to be addressed in your landscape is to select and analyze photographic views of your garden. Use your camera to focus attention on a specific area of your garden. What’s missing from the image? Is there a bare patch of mulch? Is there an opportunity to add a contrasting leaf texture against a particular plant? What are the limits of the plantings needed to screen an objectionable view? By focusing your attention to one or two details at a time, the task of improving the design of your garden space may not seem so daunting. For seasoned experts, it’s also a good way to see if you’ve been missing something.

Putting together a simple plan now for improving your lawn, landscape, or garden is the best way to ensure long-term results. Next thing you know, you’ll be too busy mowing the lawn, installing plants, and doing all the other items on your spring to-do-list to properly plan. 

www.rhodeislandhomedesign.com

 

Written by Adam Latham

You’ve spent money, time, and energy locating, selecting, and then finally determining the proper placement of the perfect plants for your home. Now you’ll want to do all you can to help them survive the upcoming summer. Perhaps the primary factor in determining plant survival is the supply of adequate soil moisture in the root zone. If a plant doesn’t survive, you can assume it was either loved to death or abandoned to fend for itself.

To survive after planting, a plant needs to either:
Replace the root system lost in transplanting if it was dug out of the ground (whether bare root or Balled and Burlapped, also called B&B), or

Extend its root system out into the surrounding soil in the case of containerized plants.

An estimated 90% of the plant’s root system is cut away when it is dug at the nursery. The plant needs to recover from transplant shock and replace the fine, fibrous roots it used for the uptake of water and nutrients. Likewise, plants raised in containers have a significantly smaller root system than the same-sized established plant growing in the landscape. Although they generally have a more extensive root mass than B&B plants, containerized plants still need to be encouraged to send roots out of the growing media and into the surrounding soil.  

Water, Water, Water
To help a plant replace or extend its root system, you need supply the proper amount of water to prevent the plant drying out. Keeping average garden soil adequately moist requires about an inch of water per week. An inch of water will percolate through the soil to a depth of eighteen inches. However, the amount of water required by a plant can vary widely depending on the type of soil, season, temperature, humidity, and the amount of exposure to the sun and wind in your garden.

Observe your newly installed plants, they may be telling you something. Are the leaves wilting or is the leaf color not quite right? Before you water a plant that appears to be wilting, it’s best to check the soil. Sometimes a plant’s physical appearance to overwatering is the same as underwatering. Fine textured soils such as clay and silt require less watering than coarse or gravely soils. Be careful not to drown your plants with love — more water is not always better. Applying more water than the soil can adequately drain or the plant can take up spells disaster. Too much water in the soil displaces the tiny air spaces in the soil that allow oxygen, needed for respiration, to reach the roots. Not enough oxygen in the root zone equals a dead plant.

Don’t assume that because you watered them when they were installed, have an irrigation system, or that it has rained recently that your plants have enough water. Water trees weekly with three to five gallons of water per inch of trunk caliper (the diameter of the trunk six inches above the soil line). The root systems of containerized shrubs and perennials may need to be thoroughly soaked two or more times per week for several weeks, as these plants tend to dry out quickly.

As the season progresses, remember to care for your investment. Extended periods of high summer temperatures, wind, or drought warrant supplemental watering of landscape plants. And don’t forget about them next year either. Continue to monitor their health and apply adequate amounts of water when necessary. 

Mulch
Applying mulch around newly installed trees and shrubs is essential to their survival. The use of mulch conserves soil moisture, suppresses the growth of weeds, and adds organic matter to the soil. A two-to-three-inch-deep layer of aged, shredded bark, composted yard waste, pine needles, or similar organic material substantially increases the rate of survival. Buckwheat hulls work very well for mulching perennials and annual beds. They are lightweight, easy to spread, and won’t scorch or smother tender plants like shredded bark mulch can. You can buy buckwheat hulls as a bagged product at your local garden center. Before applying mulch around newly installed trees or shrubs, form a ring of soil two to three inches high outside the limits of the rootball, forming a saucer to hold water. Be sure the mulch covers the entire area of the saucer and that the mulch is not piled against the trunk or stem.

“Mulch Volcanoes,” as stacks piled against the tree are called, are detrimental to the health of trees. Piling mulch in this way creates a moist environment at the base of the trunk that can cause the bark to rot and invite disease-causing organisms to infect the tree. In the winter, mice looking for a home or a bite to eat can tunnel into the mulch pile and gnaw the bark off the base of the tree, killing it. The correct thing to do is to remove the excess mulch and install a mulch ring three inches deep.

Tools for the Job               
Soaker hoses, drip bags and pans, watering cans, hose timers, and garden hoses with soft-spray nozzles are the best methods to apply water to newly installed trees, shrubs, and perennials. You can also use a hose turned on at low pressure without a spray nozzle. All of these methods will permit the maximum amount of water to go to the place the plant needs it most, instead of running off across adjacent surfaces.

How about installing a rain barrel if the plantings are adjacent a downspout? If you live in a village or urban area, the use of rain barrels has the added benefit of reducing the amount of runoff entering the street stormwater system. If you have an irrigation system, don’t assume that it will do the job. Often, the coverage of the spray heads is inadequate to apply water in the proper amounts and locations. If you’ve had a drip system installed, water may not be reaching the root systems of newly installed plants. Again, it is important to check the condition of your plants as well as probe the soil to observe the depth of water percolation.

It’s not rocket science, but properly caring for your newly installed plantings does require time, energy, close observation, and dirty fingernails. But in time you will be rewarded with flowers, fruit, and foliage for many seasons to come.

www.rhodeislandhomedesign.com

You’ve spent money, time, and energy locating, selecting, and then finally determining the proper placement of the perfect plants for your home. Now you’ll want to do all you can to help them survive the upcoming summer. Perhaps the primary factor in determining plant survival is the supply of adequate soil moisture in the root zone. If a plant doesn’t survive, you can assume it was either loved to death or abandoned to fend for itself.

To survive after planting, a plant needs to either:
Replace the root system lost in transplanting if it was dug out of the ground (whether bare root or Balled and Burlapped, also called B&B), or

Extend its root system out into the surrounding soil in the case of containerized plants.

An estimated 90% of the plant’s root system is cut away when it is dug at the nursery. The plant needs to recover from transplant shock and replace the fine, fibrous roots it used for the uptake of water and nutrients. Likewise, plants raised in containers have a significantly smaller root system than the same-sized established plant growing in the landscape. Although they generally have a more extensive root mass than B&B plants, containerized plants still need to be encouraged to send roots out of the growing media and into the surrounding soil.  

Water, Water, Water
To help a plant replace or extend its root system, you need supply the proper amount of water to prevent the plant drying out. Keeping average garden soil adequately moist requires about an inch of water per week. An inch of water will percolate through the soil to a depth of eighteen inches. However, the amount of water required by a plant can vary widely depending on the type of soil, season, temperature, humidity, and the amount of exposure to the sun and wind in your garden.

Observe your newly installed plants, they may be telling you something. Are the leaves wilting or is the leaf color not quite right? Before you water a plant that appears to be wilting, it’s best to check the soil. Sometimes a plant’s physical appearance to overwatering is the same as underwatering. Fine textured soils such as clay and silt require less watering than coarse or gravely soils. Be careful not to drown your plants with love — more water is not always better. Applying more water than the soil can adequately drain or the plant can take up spells disaster. Too much water in the soil displaces the tiny air spaces in the soil that allow oxygen, needed for respiration, to reach the roots. Not enough oxygen in the root zone equals a dead plant.

Don’t assume that because you watered them when they were installed, have an irrigation system, or that it has rained recently that your plants have enough water. Water trees weekly with three to five gallons of water per inch of trunk caliper (the diameter of the trunk six inches above the soil line). The root systems of containerized shrubs and perennials may need to be thoroughly soaked two or more times per week for several weeks, as these plants tend to dry out quickly.

As the season progresses, remember to care for your investment. Extended periods of high summer temperatures, wind, or drought warrant supplemental watering of landscape plants. And don’t forget about them next year either. Continue to monitor their health and apply adequate amounts of water when necessary. 

Mulch
Applying mulch around newly installed trees and shrubs is essential to their survival. The use of mulch conserves soil moisture, suppresses the growth of weeds, and adds organic matter to the soil. A two-to-three-inch-deep layer of aged, shredded bark, composted yard waste, pine needles, or similar organic material substantially increases the rate of survival. Buckwheat hulls work very well for mulching perennials and annual beds. They are lightweight, easy to spread, and won’t scorch or smother tender plants like shredded bark mulch can. You can buy buckwheat hulls as a bagged product at your local garden center. Before applying mulch around newly installed trees or shrubs, form a ring of soil two to three inches high outside the limits of the rootball, forming a saucer to hold water. Be sure the mulch covers the entire area of the saucer and that the mulch is not piled against the trunk or stem.

“Mulch Volcanoes,” as stacks piled against the tree are called, are detrimental to the health of trees. Piling mulch in this way creates a moist environment at the base of the trunk that can cause the bark to rot and invite disease-causing organisms to infect the tree. In the winter, mice looking for a home or a bite to eat can tunnel into the mulch pile and gnaw the bark off the base of the tree, killing it. The correct thing to do is to remove the excess mulch and install a mulch ring three inches deep.

Tools for the Job               
Soaker hoses, drip bags and pans, watering cans, hose timers, and garden hoses with soft-spray nozzles are the best methods to apply water to newly installed trees, shrubs, and perennials. You can also use a hose turned on at low pressure without a spray nozzle. All of these methods will permit the maximum amount of water to go to the place the plant needs it most, instead of running off across adjacent surfaces.

How about installing a rain barrel if the plantings are adjacent a downspout? If you live in a village or urban area, the use of rain barrels has the added benefit of reducing the amount of runoff entering the street stormwater system. If you have an irrigation system, don’t assume that it will do the job. Often, the coverage of the spray heads is inadequate to apply water in the proper amounts and locations. If you’ve had a drip system installed, water may not be reaching the root systems of newly installed plants. Again, it is important to check the condition of your plants as well as probe the soil to observe the depth of water percolation.

It’s not rocket science, but properly caring for your newly installed plantings does require time, energy, close observation, and dirty fingernails. But in time you will be rewarded with flowers, fruit, and foliage for many seasons to come.

www.rhodeislandhomedesign.com

 

Written by Barbara Gee

If you’re anything like me your “house plants” are simply the plants you’ve had outside on your deck that need to come inside for the winter. Unfortunately mine are huge and I bemoan this fact every time I have to haul in these mini-shrubs and find a place for them somewhere in the house. I have a Clivia, for instance, that has to be carried in by two people! But they bring me joy indoors and out so in they come. I think there are plants that are perhaps better sized for your home year-round.

In the northeast, house plants are simply those that might easily live outside in warmer parts of the country. Many tropical plants such as orchids couldn’t possibly survive outside in a Rhode Island winter.

We like to grow plants indoors because they literally bring life into the home – energy, bright color, gorgeous foliage, interesting shapes, fragrance… We decorate with plants trailing them up around windows or stairways, gracing a corner of the living room, making a statement in the entrance hallway or simply being there in the kitchen when you come down in the morning – greeting you with their beauty. They are living artwork. Tending and caring for these plants is therapeutic in so many ways, particularly through the winter months when you can’t garden outside.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PLANTS
Find plants that suit you and your home. If you don’t like spending a lot of time caring for them then get easy, no-care plants like a Chinese Jade Plant (Crassula arborescens), remembering, of course, that there is no such thing as a “no-care plant.” If indoor horticulture is what gets you up in the morning then you can go for more finicky plants like a Camellia. It’s a bit like choosing a dog in that you have to choose one that fits your lifestyle. If you like to go away and aren’t around to water then cactus and other succulents might be your plants of choice.

What it really comes down to is choosing a plant that pleases you, in whatever way that may be. I have tried and failed at orchids but I keep on trying because they please me. 

CARING FOR PLANTS INDOORS
Your indoor plants are totally, 100% dependent on you for their survival. Plants that live in pots their entire lives get nothing if you don’t give it to them. They need you to feed them, water them, mist them, prune them and heal them. Keeping them clean is important because dusty plants can’t breathe (transpire) and look awful. I had a Rubber plant (Ficus) in my office for years that I would wash regularly to ensure its health and because it looked so good afterwards. I have also put plants in the bathtub and turned on the shower to simulate rain, taking care to make the “rain” gentle. 

 Place plants in an area where they will get the correct amount of light. This is the same whether you plant outside or inside. Try to find areas that simulate the kind of light they like naturally. If you know a plant’s native origin you will have some sense of what that plant needs to survive. In a sense you’re trying to recreate their homeland. Orchids, for instance, hail from tropical areas with moist warmth and filtered light – that’s what they best like so that’s what you try to give them. And don’t put cyclamen in a bright, sunny window because they like a lower light – put a cactus on that windowsill – they are used to bright desert light. Regular incandescent lightbulbs will not give a plant what it needs – only sunlight or grow-lights can do that and unless you are raising plants you probably don’t want the aesthetics of grow lights in your living space. 

 Correct light is a very important. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve gone into an office and seen a dried-out, half-dead Spider plant (Chlorophytum commosum) hung in a dark corner. They look dreadful and I itch to coddle them. The intent to have a live plant is there but maybe the time to care for it is not? Spider plants need bright light, plenty of moisture and frequent feeding. And often they are hung over a central heat duct. These plants like warmth but not too much heat.  

 Fertilizing a potted plant is essential. Most will benefit from a regular feeding of dilute fish emulsion like Neptune’s Harvest or, if you want to encourage blossoms you could use a fertilizer formulated for this purpose. I favor non-chemical gardening and recommend top-dressing any potted plant with some good home-made compost. The nutrients filter down each time you water. 

 When watering make sure there is drainage at the bottom of the pot and that the plant does not sit in water, or at least not for long. I always “overwater” my Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum Wallisii) but it drinks “like a fish” so rarely is it left sitting in that water.

If you give a plant what it needs it will give back to you ten-fold in terms of happiness.  

PLANT PROBLEMS
Plants inside the house are susceptible to dust, drying out, over-heating, poor light and, of course bugs. The one that seems to be oh-so-common is the fleshy white mealybug – you’ll see a white, waxy, wooly blob in the crotch of the leaves. If you catch it in time you can hand remove it, but if you miss it early then more drastic measures are required – even a systemic insecticide. But, as I said, I go for non-chemical and prefer to take alcohol on an ear bud and “hit” them with that.  

It’s not a bad idea to open a window briefly to let in fresh air, or turn on a fan to get the air moving. Stale air harbors pests and if plants are in close quarters they will easily transfer from one to the other.

A book that I like is the Reader’s Digest, Indoor Plants: The Essential Guide to Choosing and Caring for Houseplants by Jane Courtier & Graham Clarke. I don’t agree with their chemical approach to problems but it is chock full of good information, the plant directory is easy to read and the photographs illustrate most of the problems.  

“Indoor plants” do not have to live only indoors. If conditions are right you can certainly put them outside – that’s where they would naturally be, but bring them in when conditions get harsher and threaten them.

I grew up surrounded by my mother’s house plants. When she died my father felt compelled to continue to care for them even though he knew nothing about plants. It was emotionally healing for him and brought him closer to her memory. Whenever I see a Zygocactus I think of her.

www.rhodeislandhomedesign.com

If you’re anything like me your “house plants” are simply the plants you’ve had outside on your deck that need to come inside for the winter. Unfortunately mine are huge and I bemoan this fact every time I have to haul in these mini-shrubs and find a place for them somewhere in the house. I have a Clivia, for instance, that has to be carried in by two people! But they bring me joy indoors and out so in they come. I think there are plants that are perhaps better sized for your home year-round.

In the northeast, house plants are simply those that might easily live outside in warmer parts of the country. Many tropical plants such as orchids couldn’t possibly survive outside in a Rhode Island winter.

We like to grow plants indoors because they literally bring life into the home – energy, bright color, gorgeous foliage, interesting shapes, fragrance… We decorate with plants trailing them up around windows or stairways, gracing a corner of the living room, making a statement in the entrance hallway or simply being there in the kitchen when you come down in the morning – greeting you with their beauty. They are living artwork. Tending and caring for these plants is therapeutic in so many ways, particularly through the winter months when you can’t garden outside.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PLANTS
Find plants that suit you and your home. If you don’t like spending a lot of time caring for them then get easy, no-care plants like a Chinese Jade Plant (Crassula arborescens), remembering, of course, that there is no such thing as a “no-care plant.” If indoor horticulture is what gets you up in the morning then you can go for more finicky plants like a Camellia. It’s a bit like choosing a dog in that you have to choose one that fits your lifestyle. If you like to go away and aren’t around to water then cactus and other succulents might be your plants of choice.

What it really comes down to is choosing a plant that pleases you, in whatever way that may be. I have tried and failed at orchids but I keep on trying because they please me. 

CARING FOR PLANTS INDOORS
Your indoor plants are totally, 100% dependent on you for their survival. Plants that live in pots their entire lives get nothing if you don’t give it to them. They need you to feed them, water them, mist them, prune them and heal them. Keeping them clean is important because dusty plants can’t breathe (transpire) and look awful. I had a Rubber plant (Ficus) in my office for years that I would wash regularly to ensure its health and because it looked so good afterwards. I have also put plants in the bathtub and turned on the shower to simulate rain, taking care to make the “rain” gentle. 

 Place plants in an area where they will get the correct amount of light. This is the same whether you plant outside or inside. Try to find areas that simulate the kind of light they like naturally. If you know a plant’s native origin you will have some sense of what that plant needs to survive. In a sense you’re trying to recreate their homeland. Orchids, for instance, hail from tropical areas with moist warmth and filtered light – that’s what they best like so that’s what you try to give them. And don’t put cyclamen in a bright, sunny window because they like a lower light – put a cactus on that windowsill – they are used to bright desert light. Regular incandescent lightbulbs will not give a plant what it needs – only sunlight or grow-lights can do that and unless you are raising plants you probably don’t want the aesthetics of grow lights in your living space. 

 Correct light is a very important. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve gone into an office and seen a dried-out, half-dead Spider plant (Chlorophytum commosum) hung in a dark corner. They look dreadful and I itch to coddle them. The intent to have a live plant is there but maybe the time to care for it is not? Spider plants need bright light, plenty of moisture and frequent feeding. And often they are hung over a central heat duct. These plants like warmth but not too much heat.  

 Fertilizing a potted plant is essential. Most will benefit from a regular feeding of dilute fish emulsion like Neptune’s Harvest or, if you want to encourage blossoms you could use a fertilizer formulated for this purpose. I favor non-chemical gardening and recommend top-dressing any potted plant with some good home-made compost. The nutrients filter down each time you water. 

 When watering make sure there is drainage at the bottom of the pot and that the plant does not sit in water, or at least not for long. I always “overwater” my Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum Wallisii) but it drinks “like a fish” so rarely is it left sitting in that water.

If you give a plant what it needs it will give back to you ten-fold in terms of happiness.

PLANT PROBLEMS
Plants inside the house are susceptible to dust, drying out, over-heating, poor light and, of course bugs. The one that seems to be oh-so-common is the fleshy white mealybug – you’ll see a white, waxy, wooly blob in the crotch of the leaves. If you catch it in time you can hand remove it, but if you miss it early then more drastic measures are required – even a systemic insecticide. But, as I said, I go for non-chemical and prefer to take alcohol on an ear bud and “hit” them with that.

It’s not a bad idea to open a window briefly to let in fresh air, or turn on a fan to get the air moving. Stale air harbors pests and if plants are in close quarters they will easily transfer from one to the other.

A book that I like is the Reader’s Digest, Indoor Plants: The Essential Guide to Choosing and Caring for Houseplants by Jane Courtier & Graham Clarke. I don’t agree with their chemical approach to problems but it is chock full of good information, the plant directory is easy to read and the photographs illustrate most of the problems.  

“Indoor plants” do not have to live only indoors. If conditions are right you can certainly put them outside – that’s where they would naturally be, but bring them in when conditions get harsher and threaten them.

I grew up surrounded by my mother’s house plants. When she died my father felt compelled to continue to care for them even though he knew nothing about plants. It was emotionally healing for him and brought him closer to her memory. Whenever I see a Zygocactus I think of her.

www.rhodeislandhomedesign.com

 

Written by Barbara Gee

Your newest Fritillaria tulips have been planted as have your favorite Thalia daffodils. The garden is cut back and put to bed, the leaves are raked, shredded and on your compost pile – so what do you do now? You dream, read and plan for next year. Perhaps the event to get you jump-started on your dreaming and planning is The Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show (www.flowershow.com) which, in 2008, will be held February 21-24 at the Convention Center in Providence. It’s an inspiring, educational and very fun event – not to be missed.

My upcoming book, The Rhode Island Gardeners Companion: An Insider’s Guide to Gardening in the Ocean State*, which is chock full of information for Rhode Island gardeners, has a very detailed chapter on gardening resources for RI gardeners. There is a wealth of information in Little Rhody – fabulous garden centers, plant societies, public gardens… and I detail them all, but here are a few to get you started (you’ll find the contact information at the end of the article).

I have found some of my best advice comes from my local garden centers. Knowledgeable staff really do enjoy helping with gardening questions so don’t be timid about asking. A favorite story involves the Island Garden Shop on Bristol Ferry Road in Portsmouth. The owner, Martin Van Hof is a very busy man and yet when I walked in one day with a sickly plant he took time out of his day to find an answer for me. It was a challenge for him and he rallied, with pleasure. Which is why I’m a loyal customer. 

Local garden clubs and horticultural societies are also wonderful resources as is our own University of Rhode Island in Kingston. URI has a terrific environmental sciences, plant sciences and horticulture program, one of the best in New England, not to mention a fabulous botanical garden which is open to the public. There are multiple resources at URI – the Cooperative Extension (CE) and the Education Center (CEEC), the GreenShare program, Home*A*Syst water program, sustainable landscaping… 

The URI Cooperative Extension Master Gardener program is known to be one of the best in the country. The mission of this program is education and master gardeners are trained volunteers who help the public with their gardening problems. URI has also partnered with the new Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Providence so many of the education programs there are created by URI Extension Master Gardeners. URI and RWP have also partnered with various Rhode Island plant societies such as the New England Carnivorous Plant Society, the RI Rose Society, the RI Orchid Society, and more…

URI’s lovely Dr. Marion Gold, an entomologist and Director of the Cooperative Extension Education Center, is also The Plant Pro on NBC/Channel 10. This is a very popular gardening segment that is broadcast from the URI greenhouses and airs frequently.

Garden books and magazines are, of course, a fabulous way of learning more about gardening. My all-time favorite book about gardening is A Gentle Plea for Chaos by Mirabel Osler. She has captured my attitude to gardening perfectly. But the first book I ever read on gardening, and one that I constantly return to, is The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch. She and her husband Eliot Coleman are both organic gardeners, farmers and writers. Coleman has published a number of books one of which is The Four Season Harvest. I should add here that anything I read is about organic or biodynamic gardening. I have moved completely away from anything synthetic in my garden.

I list over 40 good garden books in the resources chapter of my book but I’ll include a few here that have a northeast if not Rhode Island focus: 

The Adventurous Gardener – Where to Buy the Best Plants in New England by Ruah Donnelly

Coastal Plants: from Cape Cod to Cape Canaveral by Irene H. Stuckey & Lisa Lofland Gould

A Guide to Rhode Island’s Natural Places by Elizabeth Gibbs, Tony Corey, Malia Schwartz, Deborah Grossman-Garber, Carole Jaworski, Margaret Bucheit

Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines by William Cullina

The New England Gardener’s Book of Lists by Karan Davis Cutler

The New York Times 1000 Gardening Questions & Answers

A Northeast Gardener’s Year by Lee Reich

The Practical Gardener by Roger Swain

Seascape Gardening: from New England to the Carolinas by Anne Halpin and Roger Foley

Trees of Newport: on the estates of the Preservation Society of Newport County by Richard L. Champlin

Weeds of the Northeast by Richard H. Uva, Joseph C. Neal, and Joseph M. DiTomaso 

A few other resources for you:
Apeiron Institute for Environmental Living, www.apeiron.org, a Rhode Island organization that promotes sustainable living and agriculture.

Toxics Information Project, www.toxicsinfo.org. I can’t resist this one – a Rhode Island based organization, TIP publishes the Less Toxic Landscaping Resource Directory.

Save the Bay, www.savebay.org. They have published a great brochure Yard Care Guide for the Homeowner. 

Farm Fresh Rhode Island, www.farmfreshri.org, links Rhode Islanders with local and organic foods, farm stands, community supported agriculture and much more…

Gardening for Good, www.gardening4good.org, founded by Rhode Islander Mary Beth Miller, educates the public in ways for older and incapacitated folks continue to garden.

New England Carnivorous Plant Society, www.necps.org, was founded by Rhode Islander John Phillip, Jr. 

Rhode Island Federation of Garden Clubs, www.gardencentral.org/rigardenclubs. There are 32 clubs in Rhode Island. 

Rhode Island Orchid Society, www.riorchidsociety.org. 

Rhode Island Rose Society, www.rirs.org.

Rhode Island Tree Council, www.ritree.org. 

Rhode Island Wild Plant Society, www.riwps.org. 

Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, www.providenceri/botanical-center.com. 

University of Rhode Island, www.uri.edu

URI Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners Association, www.urimga.org

The Providential Gardener is a website created by Rhode Islander Susan Korté to “link the Growing Community” – fabulous resource: www.providentialgardener.typepad.com.

Garden Guys radio show, www.garden-guys.com. Sam Jeffries and Fred Jackson – airs on Sundays from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. on WHJJ 920 AM. 

People, Places & Plants, www.ppplants.com, a magazine for northeast gardeners, with a calendar of events and listing of other resources and public gardens.

Happy dreaming and planning for 2008.

*The Rhode Island Gardener’s Companion: An Insider’s Guide to Gardening in the Ocean State, published by Globe Pequot Press, will be available in January. The Massachusetts Gardener’s Companion: An Insider’s Guide to Gardening from the Berkshires to the Islands, was published in 2007.

www.rhodeislandhomedesign.com

Your newest Fritillaria tulips have been planted as have your favorite Thalia daffodils. The garden is cut back and put to bed, the leaves are raked, shredded and on your compost pile – so what do you do now? You dream, read and plan for next year. Perhaps the event to get you jump-started on your dreaming and planning is The Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show (www.flowershow.com) which, in 2008, will be held February 21-24 at the Convention Center in Providence. It’s an inspiring, educational and very fun event – not to be missed.

My upcoming book, The Rhode Island Gardeners Companion: An Insider’s Guide to Gardening in the Ocean State*, which is chock full of information for Rhode Island gardeners, has a very detailed chapter on gardening resources for RI gardeners. There is a wealth of information in Little Rhody – fabulous garden centers, plant societies, public gardens… and I detail them all, but here are a few to get you started (you’ll find the contact information at the end of the article).

I have found some of my best advice comes from my local garden centers. Knowledgeable staff really do enjoy helping with gardening questions so don’t be timid about asking. A favorite story involves the Island Garden Shop on Bristol Ferry Road in Portsmouth. The owner, Martin Van Hof is a very busy man and yet when I walked in one day with a sickly plant he took time out of his day to find an answer for me. It was a challenge for him and he rallied, with pleasure. Which is why I’m a loyal customer. 

Local garden clubs and horticultural societies are also wonderful resources as is our own University of Rhode Island in Kingston. URI has a terrific environmental sciences, plant sciences and horticulture program, one of the best in New England, not to mention a fabulous botanical garden which is open to the public. There are multiple resources at URI – the Cooperative Extension (CE) and the Education Center (CEEC), the GreenShare program, Home*A*Syst water program, sustainable landscaping… 

The URI Cooperative Extension Master Gardener program is known to be one of the best in the country. The mission of this program is education and master gardeners are trained volunteers who help the public with their gardening problems. URI has also partnered with the new Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Providence so many of the education programs there are created by URI Extension Master Gardeners. URI and RWP have also partnered with various Rhode Island plant societies such as the New England Carnivorous Plant Society, the RI Rose Society, the RI Orchid Society, and more…

URI’s lovely Dr. Marion Gold, an entomologist and Director of the Cooperative Extension Education Center, is also The Plant Pro on NBC/Channel 10. This is a very popular gardening segment that is broadcast from the URI greenhouses and airs frequently.

Garden books and magazines are, of course, a fabulous way of learning more about gardening. My all-time favorite book about gardening is A Gentle Plea for Chaos by Mirabel Osler. She has captured my attitude to gardening perfectly. But the first book I ever read on gardening, and one that I constantly return to, is The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch. She and her husband Eliot Coleman are both organic gardeners, farmers and writers. Coleman has published a number of books one of which is The Four Season Harvest. I should add here that anything I read is about organic or biodynamic gardening. I have moved completely away from anything synthetic in my garden.

I list over 40 good garden books in the resources chapter of my book but I’ll include a few here that have a northeast if not Rhode Island focus: 

The Adventurous Gardener – Where to Buy the Best Plants in New England by Ruah Donnelly

Coastal Plants: from Cape Cod to Cape Canaveral by Irene H. Stuckey & Lisa Lofland Gould

A Guide to Rhode Island’s Natural Places by Elizabeth Gibbs, Tony Corey, Malia Schwartz, Deborah Grossman-Garber, Carole Jaworski, Margaret Bucheit

Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines by William Cullina

The New England Gardener’s Book of Lists by Karan Davis Cutler

The New York Times 1000 Gardening Questions & Answers

A Northeast Gardener’s Year by Lee Reich

The Practical Gardener by Roger Swain

Seascape Gardening: from New England to the Carolinas by Anne Halpin and Roger Foley

Trees of Newport: on the estates of the Preservation Society of Newport County by Richard L. Champlin

Weeds of the Northeast by Richard H. Uva, Joseph C. Neal, and Joseph M. DiTomaso 

 A few other resources for you:
Apeiron Institute for Environmental Living, www.apeiron.org, a Rhode Island organization that promotes sustainable living and agriculture.

Toxics Information Project, www.toxicsinfo.org. I can’t resist this one – a Rhode Island based organization, TIP publishes the Less Toxic Landscaping Resource Directory.

Save the Bay, www.savebay.org. They have published a great brochure Yard Care Guide for the Homeowner. 

Farm Fresh Rhode Island, www.farmfreshri.org, links Rhode Islanders with local and organic foods, farm stands, community supported agriculture and much more…

Gardening for Good, www.gardening4good.org, founded by Rhode Islander Mary Beth Miller, educates the public in ways for older and incapacitated folks continue to garden.

New England Carnivorous Plant Society, www.necps.org, was founded by Rhode Islander John Phillip, Jr. 

Rhode Island Federation of Garden Clubs, www.gardencentral.org/rigardenclubs. There are 32 clubs in Rhode Island. 

Rhode Island Orchid Society, www.riorchidsociety.org. 

Rhode Island Rose Society, www.rirs.org.

Rhode Island Tree Council, www.ritree.org. 

Rhode Island Wild Plant Society, www.riwps.org. 

Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, www.providenceri/botanical-center.com. 

University of Rhode Island, www.uri.edu

URI Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners Association, www.urimga.org

The Providential Gardener is a website created by Rhode Islander Susan Korté to “link the Growing Community” – fabulous resource: www.providentialgardener.typepad.com.

Garden Guys radio show, www.garden-guys.com. Sam Jeffries and Fred Jackson – airs on Sundays from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. on WHJJ 920 AM. 

People, Places & Plants, www.ppplants.com, a magazine for northeast gardeners, with a calendar of events and listing of other resources and public gardens.

Happy dreaming and planning for 2008.

*The Rhode Island Gardener’s Companion: An Insider’s Guide to Gardening in the Ocean State, published by Globe Pequot Press, will be available in January. The Massachusetts Gardener’s Companion: An Insider’s Guide to Gardening from the Berkshires to the Islands, was published in 2007.

www.rhodeislandhomedesign.com

 

Written by Barbara Gee

The word Autumn evokes a sense of slow, undulating pleasure as the season unfolds its beauty. Fall on the other hand seems to conjure images of swift, abrupt movement and does not do the season justice. Both terms are used in the U.S. but for me it will always be Autumn – a season of vibrant color with the garden in its full flush of growth. And the light at this time of year is exquisite, particularly in Rhode Island for some reason. Autumn is a season that you must enjoy for all its worth because it is all too soon gone and with it the color and growth. A signal to slow down in the garden as you head into a winter of hibernation, relaxation and regeneration – or skiing!

But you can’t simply walk away from your garden. Yes, you can do that but you’ll probably regret it in the spring. Autumn is a gorgeous time to work out in the garden – it’s not too hot, the birds are creating a racket and you’re outside – what could be better.

 

Cutting back and cleaning up

You can have a lovely lazy time in the garden, enjoying the seed heads and changing forms only to be faced with a mind-blowing amount of clean-up in the spring. Or you can scalp your garden to the ground, feverishly denuding it to ensure a “clean palette” in the spring. A lot depends on what you want to look at, and think about through the winter. There are, of course, issues of hygiene versus animal habitats. If you clean up too much you may exile some poor mouse family out of your garden, or deny the birds their nest-making materials for the spring. But, if your garden is too much of a mess you may also be encouraging unhealthy fungi and parasites. Somewhere in between spartan and cluttered probably works best.

Cut back those plants that are truly ugly when they have passed and leave the ones that still have some form and structure. This adds to the texture of the garden in the winter, particularly when snow settles. Take care when putting the cut back debris on the compost pile – too any seed heads will add seeds to the pile and they may be plants you don’t want popping up everywhere the following year when you spread the compost.

Pruning

An arborist I know said that the best time to prune is after your Christmas lunch. Another said to prune “whenever you have the time.” Two very different ways of looking at the timing of pruning. So – whether to prune in the autumn, or not, seems to depend a lot on your schedule. This philosophy, of course, totally ignores the necessity for pruning to ensure spring blooms. You don’t want to prune your lilacs, viburnums or forsythias in the autumn because you will then have just cut off all of the next spring season’s waiting blooms that have already set. But, if that’s the only time you have to do it you’ll just have to live one season without blooms – it won’t kill the plant. Any good pruning book will specify when you should prune a specific plant, but you need also to temper this information with the growth of that particular plant and the growing area in which you live. Go by the plant’s growth not the book’s text.

 

Transplanting

Transplanting in the autumn, early enough in the autumn, gives plants a leg-up on establishing themselves before the winter sets in. Autumn is the time when most plants are in die-back mode so it is a wonderful time to transplant because the focus is on what’s underground and not what’s above – roots not blooms. You don’t care if the foliage collapses on you because that’s what happening to the plant anyway.  And, pretty soon you’ll cut it back. What you care about is making sure the roots take hold, and that the plant is well-watered in, minimally fertilized, and happily mulched for the winter. If you don’t have time to transplant in the autumn just make sure you do it early enough in the spring that you don’t affect the plant’s growth patterns.

Fertilizing

Fertilizing is usually thought to be a spring task because you want to encourage growth at that time. Fertilizing in the autumn can be a little tricky because it is growth that you don’t really want to encourage. However, if done with care autumn fertilizing is a wonderful way of amending the soil and helping continued healthy winter growth of roots. What fertilizer you use matters rather more than whether or not to fertilize.

Nitrogen is more important for stem and leaf development whereas Phosphorous is for root enlargement and expansion so less of the former and more of the latter.  Autumn is also a great time to test your soil to see if it needs improvement. Take a sample and send it to your local extension office. If the results show that your soil needs improvement autumn is the time to do it because you don’t have to be quite so careful when working the soil. You’re not working around new growth so you can turn the soil and work in the amendments with less worry about damaging something.

The Lawn

Autumn is a good time to aerate the lawn. This involves running a machine over the entire lawn that removes plugs of soil. The plugs when left on the lawn decompose and filter nutrients back down into the soil. The open holes allow moisture, air and nutrients to find their way more deeply into the soil.

 

Tools

Cleaning your tools before putting them away for the season is an excellent way of emotionally finishing up. I like to clean my smaller tools during the winter when I’m inside anyway. I spread a tarp out in front of the fire and bring in my tool carrier. I clean, sharpen and oil them. At the same time I empty my carrier of all accumulated junk. When I put everything back into the garage I know they’re ready to go the moment I see an opportunity to head out into the garden in the spring. Clean tools last longer too!

Recommended Reading:

The Complete Gardener’s Almanac: A Month by Month Guide to Successful Gardening by Marjorie Willison

People, Places & Plants: the Magazine for Northeast gardeners – always has a calendar of tasks in each issue.

Barbara is a business and creative writer who has published two books and many articles in local and national magazines. She is a URI Cooperative Extension Master Gardener and likes to write about anything green.

www.rhodeislandhomedesign.com

The word Autumn evokes a sense of slow, undulating pleasure as the season unfolds its beauty. Fall on the other hand seems to conjure images of swift, abrupt movement and does not do the season justice. Both terms are used in the U.S. but for me it will always be Autumn – a season of vibrant color with the garden in its full flush of growth. And the light at this time of year is exquisite, particularly in Rhode Island for some reason. Autumn is a season that you must enjoy for all its worth because it is all too soon gone and with it the color and growth. A signal to slow down in the garden as you head into a winter of hibernation, relaxation and regeneration – or skiing!

 

But you can’t simply walk away from your garden. Yes, you can do that but you’ll probably regret it in the spring. Autumn is a gorgeous time to work out in the garden – it’s not too hot, the birds are creating a racket and you’re outside – what could be better.

 

Cutting back and cleaning up

You can have a lovely lazy time in the garden, enjoying the seed heads and changing forms only to be faced with a mind-blowing amount of clean-up in the spring. Or you can scalp your garden to the ground, feverishly denuding it to ensure a “clean palette” in the spring. A lot depends on what you want to look at, and think about through the winter. There are, of course, issues of hygiene versus animal habitats. If you clean up too much you may exile some poor mouse family out of your garden, or deny the birds their nest-making materials for the spring. But, if your garden is too much of a mess you may also be encouraging unhealthy fungi and parasites. Somewhere in between spartan and cluttered probably works best.

 

Cut back those plants that are truly ugly when they have passed and leave the ones that still have some form and structure. This adds to the texture of the garden in the winter, particularly when snow settles. Take care when putting the cut back debris on the compost pile – too any seed heads will add seeds to the pile and they may be plants you don’t want popping up everywhere the following year when you spread the compost.

Pruning

 

An arborist I know said that the best time to prune is after your Christmas lunch. Another said to prune “whenever you have the time.” Two very different ways of looking at the timing of pruning. So – whether to prune in the autumn, or not, seems to depend a lot on your schedule. This philosophy, of course, totally ignores the necessity for pruning to ensure spring blooms. You don’t want to prune your lilacs, viburnums or forsythias in the autumn because you will then have just cut off all of the next spring season’s waiting blooms that have already set. But, if that’s the only time you have to do it you’ll just have to live one season without blooms – it won’t kill the plant. Any good pruning book will specify when you should prune a specific plant, but you need also to temper this information with the growth of that particular plant and the growing area in which you live. Go by the plant’s growth not the book’s text.

 

Transplanting

Transplanting in the autumn, early enough in the autumn, gives plants a leg-up on establishing themselves before the winter sets in. Autumn is the time when most plants are in die-back mode so it is a wonderful time to transplant because the focus is on what’s underground and not what’s above – roots not blooms. You don’t care if the foliage collapses on you because that’s what happening to the plant anyway.  And, pretty soon you’ll cut it back. What you care about is making sure the roots take hold, and that the plant is well-watered in, minimally fertilized, and happily mulched for the winter. If you don’t have time to transplant in the autumn just make sure you do it early enough in the spring that you don’t affect the plant’s growth patterns.

 

Fertilizing

Fertilizing is usually thought to be a spring task because you want to encourage growth at that time. Fertilizing in the autumn can be a little tricky because it is growth that you don’t really want to encourage. However, if done with care autumn fertilizing is a wonderful way of amending the soil and helping continued healthy winter growth of roots. What fertilizer you use matters rather more than whether or not to fertilize.

 

Nitrogen is more important for stem and leaf development whereas Phosphorous is for root enlargement and expansion so less of the former and more of the latter.  Autumn is also a great time to test your soil to see if it needs improvement. Take a sample and send it to your local extension office. If the results show that your soil needs improvement autumn is the time to do it because you don’t have to be quite so careful when working the soil. You’re not working around new growth so you can turn the soil and work in the amendments with less worry about damaging something.

 

The Lawn

Autumn is a good time to aerate the lawn. This involves running a machine over the entire lawn that removes plugs of soil. The plugs when left on the lawn decompose and filter nutrients back down into the soil. The open holes allow moisture, air and nutrients to find their way more deeply into the soil.

 

Tools

Cleaning your tools before putting them away for the season is an excellent way of emotionally finishing up. I like to clean my smaller tools during the winter when I’m inside anyway. I spread a tarp out in front of the fire and bring in my tool carrier. I clean, sharpen and oil them. At the same time I empty my carrier of all accumulated junk. When I put everything back into the garage I know they’re ready to go the moment I see an opportunity to head out into the garden in the spring. Clean tools last longer too!

 

Recommended Reading:

The Complete Gardener’s Almanac: A Month by Month Guide to Successful Gardening by Marjorie Willison

People, Places & Plants: the Magazine for Northeast gardeners – always has a calendar of tasks in each issue.

 

Barbara is a business and creative writer who has published two books and many articles in local and national magazines. She is a URI Cooperative Extension Master Gardener and likes to write about anything green.

www.rhodeislandhomedesign.com