Greetings!
A reader sent in a couple of questions. One was how late can you transplant perennials and the other was about planting spring bulbs. Spring bulbs is addressed below.
Try to get your planting and transplating done by the middle of October. This allows 4-6 weeks for the plants to "get settled in" before the ground freezes. Apply a layer of mulch to stabilize soil temperatures. Late August through September is the ideal time to divide and transplant.
If there is nothing on your weekend calendar, consider visiting the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum's Treeology exhibition which runs until October 12.
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| The First Signs of Spring |
 When you see those first leaves and petals creeping out of the melting snow and soggy beds, you can't help but feel joyful. To enjoy those first hints of spring, plant spring bulbs now. Spring perennial bulbs of crocus, daffodils, dwarf crested iris, snowdrops, and hyacinths, as well as tulips, can be planted as individual masses or layered for a bouquet effect from mid-September through October.
Look for firm bulbs that do not smell musty or show signs of rot. For spring bulbs it is best if there is no green growth showing. When buying spring bulbs, in particular tulip bulbs, you often get what you pay for. For the best showing bulbs, expect to pay more.
Dig individual holes or a planting area 3-4 times deeper than the diameter of the bulb. Scratch bulb food into the bottom. Place bulbs in the hole with points up. When the ground freezes cover with a mulch to prevent abrupt soil temperature changes.
To achieve a layering effect dig the hole as deep as needed for your largest bulb. Scratch bulb food into hole. Place bulb roots down, points up. Cover the first layer of bulbs, leaving the tips of bulbs exposed. Repeat process using the next larger size bulb until you've planted the smallest bulb.
To protect your bulbs from being dug up, eaten or moved by rodents and other garden pests, there are several approaches to try. You can line the planting area in chicken wire or garden baskets sold at garden centers. Bulb foliage can grow through the wire. Cover the beds with fine mesh wire to prevent rodents from digging out the bulbs. Or place a small handful of sharp, finely crushed shells or rocks in holes, around the bulb, to discourage digging. Also try dipping the bulb into a deterrent before planting. To keep the deer and other pests from eating your flowers and leaves once spring arrives, you can spray plants with a deterrent. One source says avoid bloodmeal as this will attract certain pests like skunks.
If you do not want to go to extreme measures to protect your bulbs, you will need to plant rodent-resistant types. Daffodils, iris and grape hyacinth are your best options.
Let the foliage turn yellow and die back before cutting the plant back so your perennial plants can recharge their nutrients for the next year. For a wonderful display of tulips year after year, you will have to plant bulbs annually. |
| What's Blooming? |
 Viburnums are one of my favorite species of shrubs. The shrub provides a multi-season of ornamental characteristics with its flowers, fruit clusters and fall color. The flat-topped flower blooms appear around late April into May depending on the cultivar. Viburnum sargentii 'Onondaga' has a striking flower cluster of pink buds in the center opening to white inflorences. By late summer fruit clusters are developing. Fruit colors range from reddish/orange to red to blue and black. The striking blue berries and smaller stature of Viburnum dentatum 'Blue Muffin' make it a great choice for residential plantings.
The maple-like leaves transform into spectacular fall colors. Again depending on the species, a homeowner could see leaves turn red, purple/red, yellow/red to orange/red. Overall, viburnums are medium to large shrubs with heights and widths ranging from 4-5' to 12-15'. Use them as screens, as a hedge to define property lines, or in the back or middle of a mixed bed or foundation planting.
Many of the varieties sold in the market are hardy in zones 2 and 3 and are relatively disease and pest free plants. The Viburnum trilobum, commonly known as American highbush cranberry, is native to Minnesota. Common varieties of this shrub are 'Wentworth', 'Hahs', and 'Bailey Compact'
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I welcome your feedback on the newsletter. If there are topics you want to learn more about, please email me at nancy.dahl@integra.net.
Sincerely,
Nancy Thorman Dahl, CLP
Cattail Design LLC
Creative Designs for Land and Lakeshore | |
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| Eco-friendly Tip |
Cancel unwanted catalogs and save 53 million trees. |
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Save a tree and reduce unwanted mail. Each year 19 billion catalogs are mailed to American consumers, and 95 percent are unwanted. About 53 million trees are used making these catalogs. The 7.2 billion pounds of paper requires 38 trillion BTUs to produce (enough energy to power 1.2 million homes for one year). Catalog production uses 53 billion gallons of water (81,000 Olympic sized swimming pools) and creates 10.4 billion pounds of carbon dioxide (equivalent to the emissions of 2 million cars), contributing to climate change.
Stop the damage by canceling your unwanted catalogs, junk mail, and credit card offers.
For free, Catalog Choice will contact the catalog provider you've identified and ask them to remove you from their mail list. Expect results within 10 weeks. Households can significantly reduce their advertising mail by registering with the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service. It's easy to do, and you'll be reaching some of the biggest direct marketers in the country with a single letter. Your registration will remain in effect for 5 years. This service now costs $1 to register, and the process has moved entirely online.
The nation's major consumer credit bureaus have cooperated to offer services to help consumers get off lists for pre-approved credit card solicitations. The services allow you to opt out for two years or permanently. The process will ask for your social security number, full name, address, and telephone number. Find Out More:
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