Spring Observations

Some posts ago I spoke about a scale disease I had on my Euyonmous Wintercreeper and Rhus Aromatica.  I had used an oil spray several years ago with my Hudson Sprayer on some flowering crab apples.  It was a pain to use, had to be above 50 degrees, no flowers visible and not above a certain temperature..  I did find a hand held spray bottle All Seasons Oil Spray made by Bonide.  It is easy to use on shrubs and small trees can be used above 40 degrees but not above 90 degrees. 

Take a look at Itzim Daffodil still blooming almost three weeks, not affected by the heavy rains or frost, certainly outlasted Jetfire and Tete-A-Tete.  It did say in the description "long blooming."  I will certainly dedicate more space to this one next year.

I have posted a mystery daffodil.  I cannot find it on my purchase orders from Van Engelen or Scheepers.  If you know what it is I would appreciate the name.  The trumpet is whiteish with a little yellow frill. 

Those Hyacinths (City of Harlem) and Daffodils (Sagitta) are into the flops, but I keep propping them up by putting one behind the other.  I ordered a mixed grouping of Hyacinths and got Pink Pearl and City of Harlem and I had some Gypsy from last year. 

I also lamented about my rhododendrons some posts ago that my husband wanted to fill in with a cement front porch.  We had replaced them all and I had asked for a reprieve by turning off the sprinkler in that area.  Well I guess they told him where they belonged!

The mixed Emperor Tulips are beginning to bloom peeking out of my Green Velvet Boxwoods bordering the patio.  Orange Emperor and Sweetheart Emperor are a good combination this year.  Tulips in zone 5 need to be treated as annuals.  If they come back it is a bonus, and the Emperors are more likely to return.

Just look at that Chanticleer Pear!  It is much tougher than the Bradford because it's branches grow upright and are not suseptible to the winds or ice.

May I Borrow That View Please?

We many times spend a lot of time and money blocking out the views from our garden, garbage cans, messy yards, ugly buildings, alleys, etc.  I know, I put up a fence so I could have a frame for my garden and put in all of the beautiful plants I loved without distraction.

So, here I am with this six foot fence, many lovely plantings but, I have only one tree in my back garden. There was only room for my Pagoda Dogwood which sits back in the corner of my yard.  I feel it may even be a struggle to keep this smaller tree within bounds. 

Early on in this home I realized that I had a room with a view!  As I stroll through the patio door on a Spring morning I have not only a Dogwood, but a beautiful Bradford Pear that peeks over my fence in the background.  I used to have many farm lilacs in my old old house but now I just have one that frames the left side of my patio.  The scent is as wonderful in my yard as it is in my neighbor's.  As I walk around to the north side of my home there are beautifully healthy arborvitaes reminding me of my last home.

None of these trees are mine but they all impact the look of my garden.  Thankfully, they are desirable.  If you have a view next to your garden that you would like to borrow, you don't even have to ask.  Just say, thank you!

What Fertilizer Do You Use?

Do you use the same fertilizer for everything?  Do you use different fertilizers for different types of plants, i.e., perennials, annuals, vegetables, shrubs, evergreens, trees, containers,etc.?  I do not have room for a compost pile or container so I use an organic granular (Espoma) 5-3-3 and an organic granular for acid loving plants such as hydrangeas, azaleas, dogwoods and evergreens.  I am sure there are some I am missing, but these are the varieties in my garden.

I do use super bloom liquid formulas in my containers which are produced by Peter's and Schultz's with a high middle number.  When you have containers that are really putting out blooms, you need to pinch and cut back every once in awhile to keep them going until fall.

Carolyn Gail of Sweet Home and Garden Chicago had some very good advice in regard to fertilizer.  Her first recommendation is to do a soil test.  I must admit I am negligent in this area having purchased a kit many years ago that I believe is still in my garage.  Carolyn also informed me that I can purchase some very good compost mixes, "Nature's Finest," and "Back to Nature," are two of the brands on the market.

I have heard from some bloggers regarding their favorites (many like the time-release products).  Let me know if you have something that works well for you because we all seem to spend a lot of money and time on fertilizers.

Vegetable Garden Memories

My vegetable garden is doing great.  It has really loved all of the rain we have had, and just about everything is up except the parsley.  It is not time yet to put in the tomatoes or peppers so I am sure the cold crops will be lush by May 1.

The radishes need to be thinned and this is always traumatic to have to throw away living plants.  But, if you do not thin them out you will not get useable radishes.  I am growing Red Emperor this year - can't remember if I have grown this variety before.  I am not always successful with radishes, sometimes pithy, eaten by insects, etc.  But, I keep trying because they are so quick to germinate and so tasty when a success.

All of my weird lettuces are up and it is a good thing that I have put down markers or I would never remember their names.  My set onions are up, no seed onions yet, spinach looks great and carrots are peeking through the soil.  It is such a small garden but it still gives me a thrill every year to see the seeds sprouting. 

Plant a garden with your children or grandchildren even if they seem disinterested.  It will make a lifetime impression!

A Quick Game of Pick Up Around The Garden

I always seem to be picking up twigs, grass, leaves, etc., around the garden.  It does give me a chance to see what is going on and fertilize as I make my rounds.

As I spoke with one of my garden center gurus last week, he explained to me that the liquids are fine but they last only two weeks.  They are not as effective as a granular which goes into the soil over a much long period of time.  This made sense to me, so I am going to try a different approach this year, granular and a quick shot of liquid fertilizer mostly for my acid loving plants.  I have already done the granular around my Magnolia, Hydrangeas, Rhododendrums, Dogwood. and Yews.  I will also mix up a potion of the liquid acid fertilizer and give them a shot of this.  I hope I am not over medicating!

I think my soil is pretty good, being over 100 years old, I am still seeing old bulbs pop up every so often.  In fact I just saw a plant that I cannot identify.  My neighbor tells me that a real gardener used to live on this property.  I feel her presence when one of these unplanted specimens appears. 

I have a newer home that was built on this old property.  It's is kind of spooky isn't it?  Every so often I pull violets out of the front garden, but I don't think much about it since my old old house had thousands of violets.  My former neighbor and I would put out garbage cans of violets and actually sell them at a garage sale.  We were always surprised that people would buy something that would take over their life!