Winter landscaping.

Many wonder if it is too cold to install landscaping plants now. 

The answer is, "if you can dig, you can plant".  Just be aware that plants still need moisture, even when the ground freezes, so go ahead and dig those holes and put those evergreens, shade trees, ornamental trees, and flowering shrubs in the ground.  Give them a good drink of water and backfill with the dirt from the hole.

If you plant trees, you may need to stake the plant to prevent winter blow over from winter winds.  Drive three short wooden stakes into the ground equi-distance around the tree, about 30 to 36 inches from the tree.  Thread strong rope ( or use wire) through  pieces of rubber hose to protect the bark on the tree.  Tie one end to the wooden stake and tie the other end to itself around the tree.  Tighten to hold the tree in a straight position.

Remove the staking at the end of next year's growing season.

The guys in our nursery dug about two dozen trees and "heeled" them in along a drip line for sales next spring.  We cover them with shredded bark to hold the "freeze" in for the winter and protect them from a cycle of freezing and thawing through the winter months.

Planting now gives your plants a head start on life as roots continue to develop, even in the winter.

Plant and enjoy the benefits next spring and for many springs to come.

Winterize raspberries, blackberries, kiwis, and blueberries.

Winterizing the garden includes special care for those delicious raspberries, blackberries, kiwi, grapes, blueberries, asparagus, and other small fruits that you enjoyed during the summer.  Trim back long canes on berries to 24 to 30 inches.  Leave them a little tall because they have a tendency to freeze back if you live in a cold climate.  After cold weather sets in, throw a couple of shovels of dirt up around each plant to mulch it for the winter.  The mulch helps hold the "freeze" in the plant.  Thawing on warmer winter days, and then sudden freezing when the temps dip again kills these plants.

When spring comes and the danger of freezing temps are past, then you can remove the mulch and prune your plants to the size you like.  Work in a little 12-12-12 fertilizer and expect delicious days ahead.

Leaves, leaves, leaves, what to do with them?

Our maples and oaks provide an abundance of leaves in the fall. We put them on our vegetable garden for added humus.  Do not put walnut tree leaves on your gardens. Raking and blowing leaves into large piles is part of preparing our garden for its long winter sleep.

Dumped pot soil

Earlier in the fall, we dumped soil from plant pots (the plants didn't survive the summer) on a new part of the vegetable garden.

Yesterday, we mowed down all of the standing plants in the garden. 
Today we used a big leave blower and made big piles of leaves.  Later this fall we will cover all of our hoop houses with poly to protect the potted material through the winter.  When we remove that poly in the spring, I always save some large pieces to use for a variety of purposes.  A piece of poly makes a great "drop cloth" for dragging a pile of leaves to the garden.

My grandson taught me several years ago that I can turn my leave rake with the tines up and push large piles of leaves onto the plastic sheet.  The sheet holds nearly the entire pile of leaves, then I can grab two corners and drag it to the garden.

We dumped many loads of leaves and then scattered them over the garden.  David will work them into the soil with a large tiller on the back of the tractor and they will decompose while the garden sleeps this winter.  Next spring, we will apply 12-12-12 fertilizer and work up the soil for our spring planting.

Putting garden to bed.

Gardens in Indiana sleep in the winter.  They need attention now to prepare them for their long winter sleep.  Day before yesterday, I harvested all the red and green tomatoes and all of my sweet green peppers, everything large enough to be useful. 

Then yesterday, we pulled the tomato baskets, the steel fence posts that supported them, and then all of the tomato plants.  We put the tomato plants on the burn pile and then David mowed everything else to the ground.  We burn the tomato plant debris to help prevent the spread of any disease they may harbor.

If you rake leaves, put them on your garden to provide humus and work them in this fall.  Next spring spread a 12-12-12 fertilizer over your garden before working the soil for spring planting.  Decomposing leaves use the nitrogen in the soil and it must be replaced.

Remove debris from your plant beds, too, but leave tall plant stalks with seed heads for winter interest and food for wildlife. 

We have had about 3/4 inch of rain since July 31, so we are very dry and under drought conditions.  There is a no burn order in effect until we get rain.  A few local farmers have experienced combine fires because of dry conditions.  In an adjacent county, farmers used discs to cut up and turn under a corn field that caught fire.  So we are praying that the rain in the forecast for this weekend becomes significant.

Blessings as you prepare your gardens for a long winter sleep.

Winter Gardening. Prepare now.





Zebra Grass in foreground



Winter gardening? An oxymoron? Maybe yes, maybe no. Think about existing plants in your garden and landscape. Those coneflowers, Russian Sage, and others with strong stems can withstand winter onslaughts, if we just leave them undisturbed. They

provide architectural interest in the "winter garden" as well as food for winter birds.What can you plant now to add that architectural interest to your garden for winter enjoyment? Grasses. They sway in the winter winds, poke up from the mounds of snow, and break up unending blankets of snow. Choose some varieties that fit your specific needs and plant them now. Imagine one of these beauties in your winter garden.

 



 
 
 
 
 
 

 



Color in the Garden

Fall color in the garden adds zest.  If your garden needs refreshing think about sedums and shrub roses.  Shrub roses are still blooming their hearts out.  Sedums are in the middle of their glorious bloom cycle.  My Autumn Joy lives up to its name this year. 

The Garnet Brocades hum with the sound of honey bees from the hives at the back of the nursery.  Butterflies by the score flit back and forth over the vibrant blooms.

Choose shrub roses for low maintenance and show stopping displays.  These Red Knockout shrub roses grace a garden area at our church.

Spring has sprung, or almost.

Spring is definitely in the offing in the midwest.  My helleboros started blooming in early February and the crocuses started early March.

We had several spring like days with sunshine and warm temps last week. 

I ridded a large plant bed of winter debris and weeds.  Then I spread a pre-emergence product to help control weeds.  I know many don't like chemicals, but that is the only way I can stay on top of the weeds with the size of plant beds I have.   Other weeds I pull, hoe, and generally attack are those that grow in my vegetable garden and the thousands of potted plants in the nursery.  My days are filled with potting plants, repotting plants, weeding pots, pruning plants, checking moisture levels, etc. in the nursery, so I need all the help I can get.

Spring maintnence items to add to your gardening calendar include cutting back ornamental grasses. My   blog from last spring demonstrates an easy way to cut ornamental grasses. Check it out.

Sap Collection Day

We collected sap this afternoon from our small acreage. Jesse and his best friend, Jose, bundled up, and completed the process quickly.

They dumped the sap from the blue collection bags into their blue

buckets, and carried them back to Pa's (Grandpa) pickup truck.

Jesse held the funnel with an automotive cone filter inside, and Jose poured his bucket of sap through the filter into the waiting jug. Then they reversed jobs.

Considering our less than ideal weather conditions, we are pleased with nearly 15 gallons of sap from our 20 collection bags. If we collect at least that much more in the next few days, we should realize about a gallon of delicious maple syrup. Forty gallons of sap usually produce one gallon of syrup.

Sap rises in Indiana

Signs of spring are sparse right now, but we have enjoyed three days in a row with temps above freezing! So one of the best signs of spring for us is tree sap rising.

Jesse and his grandpa tapped 15 sugar maples on our little acreage yesterday after school and then tapped five more after school today.

This is our third February/March to boil sap. Each year, we have increased the number of taps. Our methods are a little more sophisticated each year and my husband says he plans to construct a "sugar shack" on the other side of the barn during the summer. Right now, we set up in the barn.

The boiling process takes lots of patience since we don't have the commercial equipment used by the big processors. We use two large, shallow stainless steel pans over a gas fired "stove" and boil away for about nine hours. Forty gallons of sap yield one gallon of incredibly delicious maple syrup. We usually make pancakes for supper after the boil is completed and soak them in beautiful golden syrup.

This evening, eleven year old Jesse came in and said, "Pa, I drank all of the sap out of the trees. It's the most delicious water there is and the freshest!" He had stayed outside after the tapping process and when I looked out the kitchen window, I saw him taking the bags off the trees and letting sap drip on his tongue.

His Pa (grandpa) said, "Well I guess we'll have to boil you down to get to the syrup."

Do you have a sugar maple? Boiling your own sap for syrup is fun. Just Google, "How to Make Maple Syrup" and you will find a simple set of instructions to follow. Ten gallons of sap will yield a delicious quart for you.

Give it a try.

Pileated Woodpeckers and Bald Eagle "Fly Over"

Spring? Not yet, but it is coming. In the meantime I'm still feeding the birds. They consume all the sunflower seeds and empty the feeder every day. After four more inches of snow in North Central Indiana, we settled in to another day indoors. The Lord proffered two rare treats.

At least two pileated woodpeckers live in our woods. Being the shy creatures they are, a sighting is a thing of joy. Last year we saw both at the same time. Two days ago, we saw one hammering enormous chunks of wood out of a dead tree. He chipped away at it for several minutes.

Earlier, my husband plowed the drive one more time, parked the equipment in the barn, and drove his truck up to our mailbox at the end of our very long lane. When he returned to the house he told me that he had caught a glimpse of something large as it flew over him and disappeared behind the barn. He thought it was probably a stray goose or a blue heron. Then he had talked to our son and grandson at the mailbox and Jesse was so excited he could hardly speak. Aaron said that they had just seen a bald eagle! That's what my husband had just glimpsed, too!

Exciting for all of them. I was in the wrong place. Several years ago the DNR released several pairs of eagles in the large reservoir area a few miles north of us. It's exciting when they increase their range and do a "fly over" our property.

As a result of DNR release over the years, we now enjoy seeing turkeys, coyotes, and red foxes on our property. Now we can add bald eagles to the list.

Punxsutawney Phil, prognosticator of spring.

Punxsutawney Phil, harbinger of spring in cold climates, saw his shadow on Groundhog Day. Ugh. I'm ready for spring but guess it will come again this year on March 21, like always. Of course, that doesn't imply warm weather, but I can sure start in the flower beds ridding them of winter debris.

My hellebores have been blooming for three weeks! Right now they are under four inches of snow that fell overnight.

So what's an impatient gardener to do if you live in a cold climate? Browse those catalogs. Tool around the Internet and search out sites featuring enticing plants. Draw plans to revamp a garden. Find those must have plants for that revamped garden. Then order.

Proven Winners has launched a new buddleia for spring 2009, Lo and Behold Blue Chip Buddleia. Lo and Behold promises continuous blooming, a true dwarf with an attractive habit, drought tolerance, deer resistance, and fragrance. What more could a gardener ask for?

Pruning in cold weather.

Pruning trees and shrubs during cold weather provides an opportunity to get outside for a while. Dormant plants also afford a clear view of limbs, so pruning properly is easier. Be certain to use super sharp pruners for clean, clear cuts.

We prune for several reasons. Among them are:
1. Improve spacing of the limbs and to open up the tree (Fruit trees need light "inside")
2. Remove damage
3. Increase stem and foliar density
4. Create different or unusual shapes like espaliers
5. Stimulate new growth
6. Protect people and your property

How to prune trees.
1. Trim while a tree is young to produce the kind of mature tree you want.
2. Make narrow crotch angles.
3. Create the smallest diameter wound possible.
4. Do not leave a stub.
5. Locate the branch collar where the trunk stops and the limb starts. It is a slight bulge. Make
your cut at the outer edge of the collar (limb side).
6. Use a double cut method to prevent tearing the bark.
7. Make your first cut about 12 inches from the tree trunk.
8. Make an under cut first, and then a cut on top t remove the limb to reduce the weight of the limb. This method prevents stripping bark from the tree when the limb falls.
9. Place the blade of your pruners next to the trunk or remaining branch.
10.The hook part of your pruners is next to the limb being removed.
11.Then make your final cut.

2. Rejuvenation
Trim 1/3 of the oldest stems each year at ground level. Do this every year and after three years you have a new plant. It improves the shape and density of the plant.

3. Renewal
Cut the plant off about two inches above the ground.
a. Bloom time determines when you complete this pruning job.
b. If the plant blooms on new growth, then cut in early spring before new growth appears.
c. If the plant blooms on old wood, then cut it after the bloom fades. The plant will put out new growth before dormancy and it will be ready for bloom in the next season.

What about topping trees?
Besides embarrassing trees, why top?
The problem in topping trees is a little botanical issue called Apical Dominance (the actively growing and dividing tissue at the tip of a root or shoot). When we cut, we remove the apical bud and the growth hormone that prevents growth in the lateral buds.

Those lateral buds produce growth and our topped trees look like fat limbs with many skinny shoots popping out the top and around the cut. Growth at this point is weak and susceptible to damage from storms. Hold your hand up with your fingers and thumb upright. That is a decent visual of what topped trees look like, Topping creates ugly trees.

If power lines or some other obstacle requires topping, just take the trees out and start over. Plant good trees in spaces that allow them to grow naturally and train them while they are young. Then they can grow to maturity naturally.

When should we prune evergreens?
Prune evergreens when new growth extends and matures before freezing temperatures.
Prune pines well before Labor Day. Pruning after Labor Day removes next year's buds. If you prune after Labor Day and go far enough back into 3/4 year old wood, they will never put out new buds again.

The best choice is to choose the right tree for the right place and let it grow.

So, if you must prune, don warm duds, sharpen your tools, and reshape some plants today.