Potted Partners (in painted pots)

Early May brings a few breaths of warmth to Wisconsin… warm breaths from Mother Nature are appreciated by gardeners everywhere.  Sunshine and warmer days mean we can get our gloved hands into the soil and DIG IN!

A favorite activity in early May is assembling annuals and perennials into decorative containers.  Often garden centers will have an abundance of annuals and perennials available to fulfill the container design of your choice.  Yes, perennials can be utilized in containers too—just be sure to disassemble container plantings in September and place perennials into the soil (removed from their pots) to winter over properly.

The term “potted partners” can mean a single large pot contains a few different genus and species that are compatible (sun lovers with sun lovers, drought tolerant with drought tolerant, complementary color hues.)  “Potted partners” can also mean you will choose a single variety for each pot—then group the planted pots together to form an interesting array of colorful blooms and textured foliage.  (I have seen this design technique utilized at botanical gardens, and it was quite attractive.)

My first container of “potted partners” was completed this afternoon.  A clean, painted container filled with compost and potting soil will be the perfect home for a few herbs.  Since chives and garlic chives (perennials from the Allium genus) have emerged in my garden, I transplanted a clump of each into a large pot. A clump of parsley (a biennial) partners nicely with the chives and this container can remain outdoors, even if we have a few freezing nighttime temps in May.  (During June I can add more tender herbs to the container, like sweet basil.)

Painted pots—a fun project for adults and older kids; use leftover acrylic latex indoor paint, latex primer, paint brushes, large plastic flower pots (do NOT use terra cotta or clay pots.)  First, while wearing disposable plastic gloves, wash insides of all pots with a diluted bleach solution; one tbsp bleach to one quart water.  Rinse pots thoroughly after washing; dry with an old towel.   Second, paint one coat of primer paint on OUTSIDE of each pot.  Third, using leftover acrylic latex indoor paint, I suggest painting TWO COATS once the primer has dried.  Fourth, allow to dry completely before placing soil and plants into each pot. 

(Please see my repainted plastic pot of geraniums here.)

You will be proud of how pretty your potted partners look in repurposed painted pots!

M. Lynn Schmid,   Certified Master Gardener
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture

Winter's Over? ... or Wintered Over?

In late March in Wisconsin, gardeners would love to say “Winter’s over.” But it is fairly commonplace in this state to receive a substantial early spring snowfall in late March or early April.  (One storm on April 11, 1973, was especially crippling to the Southeastern Wisconsin area… since we’re already coping with the COVID-19 crisis, let’s hope we won’t have to deal with excessive snow in the weeks ahead!)

While we cannot safely state “winter’s over,” we can enjoy plants that were wintered over!  In September/October in Wisconsin, gardeners often remove and destroy countless plants that are still lush and lovely.  We know a killing frost is coming soon, so we cut back perennials and dig out annuals and discard them into our compost piles.  While this is an appropriate action for annuals that look tired and withered, there is an alternative for annuals that are truly thriving late in the growing season

Healthy annuals often can be wintered over!  Just a few necessities…

1)     adequate light (artificial fluorescent bulb fixture with a timer set to 10 hours minimum OR a few south or west-facing windows)

2)     infrequent watering (just twice per month, thoroughly water each potted plant)

3)     clean plastic or clay pots with saucers or trays to prevent water spills

4)     fresh potting soil (commercial soil with time-release fertilizer is acceptable)

5)     insecticidal soap spray (in case a few hitchhikers travel indoors on plants)

6)     timing: most plants can winter over indoors from early OCTOBER through MAY (when moving outside, slowly acclimate plants to a part-sun environment)

 

Pictured are a few examples of plants I like to “winter over” at our house.

The succulent is in genus Echeveria. I originally purchased two single rosettes of this plant a few years ago; it has multiplied many times over, which allowed me to share with friends.  (It requires well drained soil and a pot with drain hole.)

This annual ivy is commonly called German ivy.  The genus Senecio thrives in sun or part sun, indoors or out.  This ivy makes a lovely addition to container plants and exhibits an ideal trailing habit.  

(This ivy should be sprayed with insecticidal soap before bringing indoors 

to discourage hitchhikers.)

Geraniums (genus Pelargonium) are easy to winter over; they need bright light and well drained soil. If light is adequate, the stems will NOT become leggy or spindly.  I can use these mature plants in containers during late April when I begin assembling new spring containers for outdoors.

Wintered over plants are just another form of recycling—try it!

M. Lynn Schmid,  Certified Master Gardener
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture

Resolutions for Gardeners

By late January many New Year’s resolutions and good intentions have been filed away in our minds as a distant memory.  That could be a good thing if those resolutions and intentions were too aggressive; small lifestyle changes that are embraced are more valuable than dramatic changes which aren’t realistic.  

Recently, I read approximately 50% of Americans don’t bother to make New Year’s resolutions at all.   Since it is a long-standing tradition to embrace a new year (and new decade) with an element of change, consider creating a short list of resolutions relevant to GARDENING. 

Suggestions follow:

Grow ONE plant from seed that you normally would purchase as a seedling; veggie or flower, you choose.  (some examples of plants that germinate easily and perform well from seed: marigolds, cilantro, morning glories, swiss chard)

Learn the Latin name (genus and species) for two of your favorite plants… tree, shrub, perennial.   I learned a tip in horticulture class that Googling on a plant name using the genus and species will yield more detail than using the common name. (Often typing in the common name will direct you to a website to PURCHASE the plant, when you are actually trying to learn more.)  Simply type in the Google search:  genus red maple (You will learn it is Acer rubrum, which will allow you to further search internet using those words in your search engine.)

Plant something new and different in your garden space; it might be a new cultivar—just released—OR a flower you have never tried before.  It might be a culinary herb you have not grown in years past.  You might choose a new annual, bulb or perennial.  

Be BOLD, have FUN!

Choose a PPP (Pollinator Pleasing Plant) a specimen that attracts desirable insects to your garden space.  This can be as simple as planting Italian flat leaf parsley which often attracts yellow swallowtail butterflies to lay their eggs; I’ve witnessed this twice—the female selects the TALLEST leaves and uses her ovipositor to insert eggs into each leaf.  Since the parsley patch is also used for culinary purposes, I harvest only the LOWEST leaves from each stem.   Each swallowtail caterpillar I find on these plants is a gift; I plant enough parsley so they can eat all they wish, and there is still enough for my cooking needs.

Our 2020 gardening season commences soon (depending on where you live)… embrace change, try something BOLD and BEAUTIFUL!

M. Lynn Schmid,   Certified Master Gardener
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture

Horticulture During December ?!!

At first glance the topic of horticulture may take us to flower gardens, planting seeds, and growing herbs and veggies in summer.  But the month of December is a strong contender in the annual cycle of growing and harvesting.  Living Christmas trees and freshly cut trees are all plants grown for the purpose of giving joy.

Horticulture manifests itself OUTDOORS in various ways. Christmas tree farmers harvest all trees ready for market.  During their decade of developing into the perfect trees to display treasured ornaments, those evergreens were watered and cared for, as all trees deserve.  

After harvest is completed the soil will be rejuvenated with nutrients, and young tree seedlings will be planted to begin the cycle again. (More trees to generate oxygen for our environment… always a good thing.)

During December, horticulture manifests itself INDOORS as well.  Garden centers and florists provide an array of plants to use as gifts or to enhance indoor décor.  Poinsettias, amaryllis, holly, kalanchoe and other succulents are adorned with tiny bells and bows, pine cones and brightly colored ribbons.  Pine cones (large or small, natural or painted) can become part of holiday décor, displayed in baskets.

Wreaths are often comprised of branches from a single evergreen, like boxwood (genus Buxus) while others are a mix of several species.  My favorite wreaths include a blend of branches from white pine, balsam, cedar, juniper (with blue berries) and spruce.   The addition of a large bow, sprigs of holly and sparkly ornaments will complete the wreath (although I have seen feathers and other unusual bling used.)  Non-traditional wreaths can be quite stunning!

Although it may seem unlikely, a horticulture theme permeates the month of December.  Nature surrounds us—especially after a winter storm when evergreens are covered with sparkly white blankets of fresh snow.  Enjoy the season!

M. Lynn Schmid, Certified Master Gardener

A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture

We are Thankful for YOU! Happy Thanksgiving!

Seasonal Surprises!

The word “seasonal” usually refers to some aspect of summer, fall, winter or spring.

In this context I’m referring to the GROWING SEASON—that time of year gardeners eagerly anticipate in springtime, and usually finish in October here in Wisconsin.  Let me share a few seasonal surprises encountered in GROWING SEASON 2019:

Surprise #1:  During summer I learned a destructive caterpillar infestation can destroy foliage on an American cranberry bush (Viburnum trilobum) and a redtwig dogwood (Cornus sericea ‘Isanti’) in just a few day!  I never encountered this grey and yellow caterpillar before this summer; it is evil and apparently is attacking deciduous shrubs (mainly the Viburnum genus) throughout southern Wisconsin.

Surprise #2:   Since I am fortunate to have a plethora of pollinators visiting my garden, the zucchini harvest is usually abundant.  My preference is harvesting zucchini when fruits are 4” – 8” in length.  Gardeners know that sometimes a large zucchini is lurking beneath the foliage—well camouflaged— but I never realized one fruit could grow to fourteen pounds… surprise!

Surprise #3:   A friend shared some seeds with me for an annual producing yellow and orange blooms; she did not know its name.  I grew these seeds in a full sun location and learned they are sulphur cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus.) They grew four feet tall and flowered all summer, attracting various pollinators the entire time.  As seeds formed, I collected them for next year; sulphur cosmos was a sweet surprise!

                     

Surprise #4:  

Japanese beetles are a

plague to gardeners in recent years.  Five years ago, there were NONE in my garden.  Last year I dispatched over 600 (using the soapy water method) and this season, more than 1,100 (a nasty surprise!)  These beetles lay their eggs in lush turf grass in SEPT/OCT.  Three years later, the eggs hatch as adult beetles with a voracious appetite for all the delicacies awaiting them in the garden.  They love raspberries, corn, green beans and 300 species of assorted trees, shrubs and flowers.  This growing season I found some beetles tangled in the corn silk in our small corn patch.  Sometimes the corn silk was eaten away—the surprise: When corn silk is destroyed during development, the kernels of corn WILL NOT FORM!   

Surprise #5:  Waking up this morning to an inch of fresh SNOW on the grass!  October 29 is the earliest snowfall I have witnessed in my lifetime… although it provides a bit of nitrogen for turf grass and other plants, it is not a pleasant surprise.

Planning and hoping for an interesting and fruitful GROWING SEASON in 2020…

M. Lynn Schmid,   Certified Master Gardener
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture

Falling for Fall Flowers

Spring flowering bulbs provide relief after an intense winter… summer blooms are bold and beautiful…  but by mid-September, I can’t help falling for fall flowers!  

Thriving ornamental grasses sway in gentle breezes.  Ears of corn have been harvested, but who can resist bundling their tall, dry stalks and using them for outdoor décor?

Another solid performer in autumn is Hydrangea paniculata ‘Bobo’ which consistently produces multiple creamy white blooms during summer; in early September, those creamy petals transform to rose gold.  

Hydrangea blooms can be allowed to partially dry in place, and later can be pruned off and air dried.  (These dried plumes look amazing displayed in a basket lined with burlap or lace, or as accents in a holiday bouquet.)

This season’s “star” in my backyard was the lantana shown here.  It flowered constantly, spring through summer—no deadheading needed.  An added bonus, Japanese beetles never bothered the foliage, flowers nor fruit!  

This lantana deserved to be included in my autumn décor, so I placed it in a container with German ivy, white geraniums and a white pumpkin.  

(In Wisconsin lantana is sold as an annual, but my friends in Georgia grow the perennial shrub variety—it can grow six feet tall, and it produces bushels of blooms!)

Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan) can be disease prone since it is in the Asteraceae family—am grateful the small patch of Rudbeckia in my garden seems happy. 

Foliage is clean and green, even in mid-September. The vivid yellow-gold petal color is truly compatible with autumn décor. 

Our days are a bit shorter; our night time temps, a bit cooler—fall is nearly here!

M. Lynn Schmid,   Certified Master Gardener
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture