| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
grEen News from Smithfield Gardens July 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
|
Dear Fellow Gardener,
We have noticed that a lot of gardeners are just as quick to talk about their dog or cat as they are about their daylilies or their favorite rose bush. Love of animals and love of gardening just seem to go hand in paw. However, gardening with animals can be challenging at times. When the new black lab puppy digs up your $19.99 coneflower or decides to go to sleep on top of your annuals, then the puppy is not so cute anymore. You can quickly lose patience with a cat that decides to "fertilize" your houseplants with its own special blend. Despite the trouble, most of us who share our gardens with dogs and cats, couldn't have it any other way.
Each August, we celebrate Dog Days at Smithfield Gardens, and this year it is on Saturday the 4th. You can bring your dog in on its prettiest leash and we will give you 20% off your entire purchase. This is also a day we try to help our good friends at the Isle of Wight Humane Society with their fund raising. They will be selling hot dogs and baked goods and may also have some puppies and kittens available for adoption. They will also be taking donations to help cover the many expenses of their fostering program such as vet bills, food and other costs. If you can't bring your dog in, or if you prefer the company of cats, you can still save the 20% by making a donation in any amount to the Humane Society. Just to let you know, you can help the Humane Society any time you visit, they have a donation jar on the counter, or you can purchase one of our T-shirts whose proceeds go to the same place.
Happy Gardening!
Your friends at Smithfield Gardens
|
|
Taking Dr. Seuss Trees to Jersey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
I used to work at a garden center in Virginia Beach (which will go unnamed), and every summer we would get several tourists a day pulling into the parking lot in cars with out-of-state plates. They were all on a search for a tree that they could not name, but could easily describe as having large fluffy pink blooms, sometimes white or purple, with many oddly shaped trunks. My favorite description was from a lady with "Yankee" accent gushing on about "those magenta Dr. Seuss trees". No matter how they were described, I knew before they barely got the first word out, that they were looking for the signature tree of Hampton Roads - the Crape Myrtle.
So how did something native to the Far East become the signature tree for this area? Well first of all we have a perfect climate for it, which is one having long hot summers, adequate rainfall and mild winters. The tree also sells itself because it is interesting in all four seasons. Starting in early July, the flowers bloom for two months (or more), and I know of no other tree that will bloom that long. You can now get crapes in a range of colors that include all shades of pink, lavender to purple, reds and white. In the fall you can get very colorful foliage from pure red to orange, to yellow depending on the variety and the weather. The dead of winter really shows off their muscular trunks and handsome peeling bark making them a piece of living sculpture (as long as they are not butchered by bad pruning). In spring many varieties leaf out with bronze leaves, and several new ones leaf out with stunning burgundy to red foliage.
We also can thank the late Fred Huette who was director of the Norfolk Botanical Gardens in the 1930's and 40's. He saw the potential of this tree for Hampton Roads and pushed the city of Norfolk to use them as street trees. In some of the older neighborhoods you can drive through tunnels of pink flowers in July and August. From Norfolk the popularity of this tree spread through the whole region to the point that now tourists from places where crape myrtles won't grow visit this area and stuff small trees into their cars along with their new T-shirts, salt water taffy and beach towels.
Les Parks
|
|
The Fungus is Among us
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Any person who has looked at the plants in their yard this time of year realizes the colors of summer also include white, gray, brown and black. These are the colors of fungus. Welcome to Tidewater! Hot and humid conditions can cause fungus to grow rampant in our area.
Fungus presents itself in several ways and on many types of plants. The most common forms in our area are black spot, brown patch, powdery mildew and sooty mold. Black spot can usually be found on roses, hawthorn, red tips, etc. It is unsightly and can cause defoliation and death if left untreated. Brown patch attacks lawns and can damage a whole lawn in just a week. Powdery mildew on roses and crape myrtles gives the appearance of silvery leaves. On camellias, gardenias, and hollies, sooty mold can be a problem as it is usually hidden and with the dark green color of the leaves only noticeable after very close examination. Caused by insect infestation, this fungus is dangerous because it can significantly reduce the production of chlorophyll. If you treat the insects, the fungus will cease.
There are things you can do to keep the growth of fungus down in your yard and keep your plants healthy and happy! Here's a list of some tips to start you on your way.
Some Fungus Fighting Tips for your Yard
1) Avoid watering from overhead, use soaker hoses whenever possible.
2) Water plants, flowers and lawns in the morning. This lets the plants dry off during the day, thus avoiding excess moisture on the leaves.
3) Use a good systemic fungicide at the start of the growing season. This will eliminate the fungus before it starts.
4) Keep it clean. Rake under shrubbery to get up fallen leaves. They can re-infect plants if left there.
5) If in doubt find a reputable and knowledgeable source to which you can take specimens for analyzing.
Margie Cooper |
| Gratefully Deadheading
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
For me, gardening is much more than simply selecting plants and finding the best location for them. I also enjoy deadheading, or removing spent flowers, on my annuals, perennials and even shrubs. This grooming keeps plants looking fresh, but it can also promote a second flush of bloom on certain perennials; and it prevents your annuals from wasting their energy setting seeds. Since annuals live out their entire life cycle in one season, as soon as they set seeds they decline a little because they believe their "job" is done. By removing old flowers you trick them into making new flowers. Dried seeds from annuals like marigolds, cleome and cosmos are fun to save in an envelope for next year's garden. Children will be delighted to see the entire process begin again, plus you may see some interesting variations in flower colors.
Deadheading also makes annuals and perennials bushier. Plants often exhibit something called apical dominance, where there is one straight main stem with a flower at the end of it. When that flower is removed the plant will send out blooming side shoots which will result in a bushier,more attractive plant. Is there anything sadder than those spindly salvias planted at the fast food place? Now that you know this trick to make them prettier perhaps you'll pinch off a few flowers before jumping back in the car.
The perennial pink coneflowers pictured here form seeds that are very attractive to goldfinches. So on your Echinaceas you may want to deadhead some of the flowers and let a few go to seed for a bird snack. I love to see the finches at my thistle sock feeder but it's also entertaining to watch them perch on my coneflowers and Verbena bonariensis, too. By promptly removing the spent blooms on many of your other perennials you may see a second bloom cycle. This resulting flush of flowers might not be as heavy as the initial bloom period ---but every little bit counts,right?
Remember that your long-blooming annuals and perennials will benefit from some fertilizer over the summer months. The entire Espoma line of products is very popular with our customers (many employees love Flower-Tone for their perennials and daylilies) but there are also things like earthworm castings, compost, fish emulsion and Osmocote to use also. So you can see that a little extra effort on your part can pay off in a more beautiful garden. By getting up close and personal with your plants on a regular basis you can detect potential pest problems early and employ the least toxic method of treatment.
If you have any questions about the care of a certain plant be sure to contact us.
Ann Weber |
|
