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grEen News
from Smithfield Gardens
August 2009
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Dear Friends,
We hope summer is treating you well and that your gardens are surviving the weather. Around here August is one of our least busy months. Most of you do not have gardening on your minds, other than keeping things alive. Certainly you can still put in new plants; just make sure you can keep them watered. We have tried to make it a good time to plant by extending our Summer Clearance Sale. All of our trees and shrubs are 25% off until August 30th (some plants have an even greater discount).
Towards the end of the month things will be picking up for us. We start getting in some of our new fall shipments of trees and shrubs. Our first fall vegetable cell packs will be arriving as well. Late August is also a great time to start working on your lawn, and hopefully you will read Margie's article below on that very same topic. We also have available a pamphlet on lawn care with a calendar to let you know what you should be doing and when. Stop by the garden center for your copy.
One last thing we want to talk about is the fire ant quarantine. You may be aware that in June the State Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services put most of the area in a quarantine to help control the spread of fire ants to the rest of the state. We want to assure that this will not affect your ability to purchase new plants, soil or mulch, and as always we are ever vigilant making sure you do not take home any pests (ants or otherwise). This measure is mainly designed for the wholesale shipment of goods out of the area, and should not impose any restrictions on you or us. If you are concerned about fire ants, we can help you identify them and control them.
Happy gardening and we hope to see you soon!
Your friends at Smithfield Gardens |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Upcoming Events and Classes at Smithfield Gardens
We will not be having any classes for the month of August, but September's are listed below.
September 12th, Sat. 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Easy Propagating Techniques
Ann Weber will share her techniques for the easiest ways to get many plants from one.
September 19th, Sat. 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Beyond Mums - Fall Bloomers
Come discover some of the many plants that will give your garden loads of color and interest this fall. Taught by Ann Weber.
September 26th, Sat. 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Gardening in Tidewater
Many people who are new to the area and even a few who are not, find that gardening here can be a challenge. Come let JoEllen Gienger share her tips for success.
September 26th, Sat. 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Cool Season Lawn Care
This is the best time of year to spend time improving your fescue lawn. Margie Cooper will be able to give you all the advice you need to know.
September 27th, Sun. 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Basic Garden Maintenance
Les Parks will teach this beginner's class (that's not just for beginners) on some very simple things you can do in your garden that will keep the headache level low.
Other Events:
August 15th, Sat. 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. (rain date 8/22)
Photography in the Garden
Jackie Camire is a Norfolk Master Gardener and fine art photographer. She will be teach you how she does it and will also lead a hands on demonstration. The class will be taught at Freedom Park in Williamsburg, visit HERE for more information.
August 18th, Tue. 9:30 a.m.
Tomato Tasting
This two hour participatory workshop will be held at Monticello in Charlottesville. Please visit www.monticello.org for more information.
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Alocasias and Colocasias Provide Bold Textural Interest
To the average gardener these plants are plain old elephant ears. When used as scattered foundation plants, or in a solitary clump near a huge pampas grass - these tropical-looking plants often appear very out of place. However, to a plant nerd who values foliage color and texture as much as flowers, broad-leaved alocasias and colocasias can be valuable components in a summer garden. Even if your landscape style leans towards more conventional plants, the addition of elephant ears in a container combination provides a bold summer focal point. Combining these elephant ears with the right companions is the key to having them look like they belong in your garden.
Alocasias are from Borneo, Ceylon and other warm parts of Asia, and they belong to the Araceae family. Their large leaves have a tendency to point upwards, whereas colocasia leaves seem to face outwards. There are alocasias that are hardy in zone 7b, but you should be aware that should the plants survive the winter they will be very late to emerge in the spring. This can mean it's often the end of July before you see much in the way of garden impact. With this in mind you may want to consider digging and storing the tubers over the winter.
Colocasias (often called taro) are closely related to another popular tropical plant you probably have called upon for a burst of color in a shaded spot - caladiums. Well-grown colocasias get larger than caladiums, though, and their leaf colors can range from dark blackish-purple to bright lime. There are even green leaves splashed with lime ('Lime Aide') or purple ('Black Magic'). There's even a variety with bright red stems called 'Rhubarb'. I've been waiting for a grower to offer us 'Sting Ray', a plant I saw at a trade show in Maryland two years ago. I was drawn to its large shiny leaves and the pointed "business end". Again, there are varieties for zone 7-7b, and the heights can range from 30"- 72". The basic green ones (often Alocasia odora) you see at the big-box stores may be quite cheap but the "wow" factor increases when you spend a little extra money and consider overwintering them inside so that they take off faster in the spring.
Although some catalogues may tell you that these plants will grow happily in full sun, many employees advise partial sun for the best results in our area. To perform their best, hot weather, rich soil and adequate moisture are essentials. Whether you choose to lump alocasias and colocasias together into one group in your gardening mind doesn't alter the fact that the look they provide is worth investigating this summer. There are many choices available in garden centers and online. A sampling of the varieties we carry include: 'Black Magic', 'Elena', 'Illustris', 'Jack's Giant', 'Nancy's Revenge', 'Red Stem' and 'Rhubarb'. You may also want to check out Tony Avent's online catalogue at www.plantdelights.com.
 In closing I wanted to mention Xanthosomas, another member of the Araceae family that's a little more difficult to locate. The dramatic tall plant behind the daylilies (this photo was taken in our back display garden) is actually Xanthosoma sagittifolium. It is also known as arrowleaf or yautia , and it hails from tropical rainforest areas. Reaching 6'-9' tall when grown in humid areas you could even walk under this one in the garden! Since I have loved the limey Xanthosoma muffafa 'Aurea' (or 'Lime Zinger') for years I was pleased to learn about this eye-catching relation.
Ann Weber
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Agaves, Cacti and Yucca Many of us are old enough to remember the trend in the 70's for all things South-Western. People adorned themselves with turquoise jewelry and belt buckles. Navaho and Hopi inspired patterns were seen on everything from tissue boxes to couches and automobile seat covers. This trend was also seen in many area landscapes where nothing but unusual desert natives were planted among white marble chips, colorful gravel or boulders. At the time this look was trendy (and was certainly exotic), but now it just seems dated. Honestly, I think these gardens never fit in with the rest of the Tidewater landscape, and if you ever tried to keep graveled beds clean of leaf litter, you know what a pain that can be.
 Although most of these landscapes are now gone, the plants that were used in these landscapes still remain. Fortunately they are now used as part of a mixed, more balanced landscape that has hints of the exotic without hitting you in the face with it. Yucca is probably the easiest to grow of these southwestern plants, and in fact there are several species native to the southeast. Yucca does a good job of adding punctuation points to your garden, and several varieties have striking variegation. All of them have tall flower stalks covered with attractive white flowers in the late spring. Most yuccas grow in low rosettes, but there are several that will actually develop a trunk and can take on the stature of a small tree. All yuccas prefer full sun, soil with good drainage and are drought tolerant, but several can take moister conditions.
 The picture to the right is an agave, or century plant. This one has been at Smithfield Gardens longer than I have. There is an incredible number of agave species found throughout the American southwest and down into Mexico. Not all species are hardy in our winters, and the ones that are must have excellent, sharp drainage to survive our typical yearly rainfall. If you are not sure you have good drainage you can keep them in a pot and bring them inside when it gets really cold - they make excellent, easy-care container plants. Most agaves prefer full sun, but there are a few species that can take a little shade. Agaves come in many varied forms and can give your garden instant architecture. Some are known for their smoky blue foliage, others have boldly variegated leaves and some are even known for the pattern of their thorns. Although best known for their foliage, they will also produce unusual flowers after many years, usually on a very tall stalk. Unfortunately, once they bloom the mother plant dies, but not without usually producing a couple of "pups" to carry on in her place. A few gardeners and non-gardeners alike also know that agave is also the source of Tequila.
 Cactus is likely the plant most people think of when they imagine a desert scene. You would think they would not grow in Tidewater, but one variety does very well here - the prickly pear or pad cactus (Opuntia species). If you spend any time at the beach, you may have seen this species thriving in the dunes. Hopefully you did not notice them after stepping on them! They are best known for their flat stems, or pads, which are usually covered in thorns. The large thorns that look the most viscous do hurt, but actually the most troublesome thorns are the small ones that look like soft hairs. If this talk of thorns scares you, think about what a good barrier plant this would be, or look for the thornless variety. Most prickly pears have very showy flowers, which bloom in early summer. Usually they are yellow, but there are other colors occasionally available. Prickly pears are also known for their edible pear-like fruit, hence their common name. Like the other plants I have mentioned, this one also needs full sun, good drainage and is very drought tolerant. If they are happy with their location, they can be a bit aggressive, and if a pad becomes separated from the mother plant it will root in where it falls.
I use all three of these plants in my garden at home, but if you were to look at it, the garden doesn't make you feel you are in a different time zone. These plants just add a little exotic fun, while still blending well with the whole.
Les Parks |
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Preparing Your Lawn for Winter
In August it really doesn't matter what type of grass you have; several maintenance jobs need to be performed on your lawn. Most people rationalize that nothing really needs to be done since it's "between" seasons, however that makes now exactly the right time to get busy.
All lawn types should be treated in August with a pre-emergent herbicide. This will stop the fall and winter growth of henbit, chickweed, poa annua, etc. This application is particularly important because those weeds will germinate as early as September and may go unnoticed until the spring when they flower.
If you have warm season grass like Bermuda, Centipede, Zoysia or St. Augustine your maintenance list is relatively small this time of year. Since your last feeding on your warm season lawn should have been in July, no more feeding is necessary. However, if your lawn starts to yellow before fall you could put down iron, which will green up the lawn without feeding it. Other treatments for warm season lawns would be insect and disease control. Fungus could be plaguing you now due to high heat and humidity. Chinch bugs, fleas, ticks, or mosquitoes would be the most common insects infesting lawns now. Many products are available to take care of these pests but make sure you know which pest you have first.
Cool season lawns on the other hand need lots of maintenance now. Insects and disease can be problems and need to be treated after you know exactly what problem you have and what the recommended treatment is. Of course we can help you with that so you don't waste your time and money, or worse, damage your lawn using the wrong product. If your lawn has made it through the summer relatively green then good for you! If not, seeding is probably on your mind; but wait, pre-emergent herbicide needs to come first. These will last in your lawn approximately 6 to 8 weeks, which means no seeding until the beginning to middle of October. If you sow too soon after applying pre-emergent your grass will not come up, and you will have wasted time and money.
The feeding schedule for cool season lawns is as follows: if you are not seeding, feed in September and again in either November or December. If you are seeding, use an encapsulated nitrogen fertilizer in October and December.
If you missed the pre-emergent window, treating for broadleaf weeds can be done anytime the weeds are green and growing. We have a number of products that will kill them on contact without damaging your lawn. Nutgrass and Bermuda grass in Fescue lawns are particularly troublesome, and both require very specialized herbicides, expensive, but worth it. No matter what you treat your weeds with, be careful how you apply it. Most do not know the difference between a dandelion and an expensive Japanese maple.
Hopefully, we have touched on all of the important areas of pre-winter lawn maintenance. Please let us know if you have any other questions, or better yet, plan on attending my Cool Season Lawn Care class on September 26th. Thanks for reading.
Margie Cooper |
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