Tag Archives: gardening

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Popular Houseplants for 2021

Note: This article originally appeared in the Frederick News-Post January 7, 2021, as a column for the Frederick County Master Gardeners. It is reprinted with permission of the Features Editor. Some details from the original column may have been edited slightly or deleted here if they are no longer relevant.

As we continue to sequester ourselves at home, many of us are adding more houseplants to our homes or apartments and planning for expansion of outdoor flower and vegetable gardens later this spring. Houseplants have many advantages; not only do they add beauty and color to a room, but they can help make the room healthier. Studies have shown that some plants may help to remove air pollutants, and if nothing else, can help you feel less stressed and more creative. A few of these helpful plants include certain species of palms (Rhapsis excelsa and Chrysalidocarpus lutescens), rubber plant (Ficus spp.), English ivy (Hedera helix), Boston fern (Nephrolepsis exaltata), Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema), philodendron vines, and Snake plant (Sanseveiria).

The most popular houseplants for 2021 are expected to be those with patterned or textured foliage, those that are edible (i.e., herbs, edible flowers/foliage, and “mini” vegetables), and those that do well in low light. And of course, many of us would add easy maintenance to that list. With those criteria in mind, we scoured the University of Maryland Extension Service and several other web sites for a few of the most often recommended plants.

Patterned/textured foliage

This past year, the fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) has been quite popular, but plant prognosticator and long-time columnist Joyce Mast predicts that Ficus altissima (the omnipresent rubber tree) will take over in 2021 because it is easier to care for and has “velvety variegated leaves” (https://www.treehugger.com/top-houseplant-trends). F. altissima grows to be quite large, can survive low light, and is well known for its ability to remove toxins from the air, and for its low maintenance. In fact, it has long been a very popular office plant, probably because of that last reason.

Other plants Mast recommends for their foliage include Anthurium hookeri, A. crystallinum, and several species of Alocasia (A. black velvet, polly, regal shield, and frydek). Alocasias like moist but not overly saturated soil and bright to medium indirect light. Although they all have long, deeply heart-shaped leaves with prominent white veins, individual species vary. For example, A. polly’s leaves are sharply scalloped, almost like holly leaves; A. regal shield, also known as Elephant Ears, has rather broad leaves and may grow quite large or tall indoors.

Edible plants

You may have potted up some of your herbs last fall for continued use in the kitchen this winter. Basil, rosemary, sage, chervil, and thyme grow well inside to use for cooking—or just grow them indoors for their unique scents. Mint is another that does well inside; it can be quite a thug and very invasive in the garden outside. Next fall, you’ll want to check the University of Maryland Extension Service (https://extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/_docs/programs/hgic/HGIC_Pubs/houseplants_seasonal/HG%20105OverwinteringTropicalPlants_2018.pdf) to see other herbs or other edible plants you can bring inside, and what kind of light, moisture levels, etc., they’ll need.

Low-light plants

If you brought in tropical plants from outdoors last fall, you’ve probably already treated them for pests and dealt with leaves yellowing and dropping before they became accustomed to the changes in light and atmosphere. Once inside last October, my Brugemania initially lost all of its leaves, although the coleus at its base has maintained color and leaves. I sequestered Brugemania in a spare room and watered it regularly. Despite the low light of the room, leaves are once more beginning to grow from the Brugemania stalk.

The University of Maryland Extension Service web site says that “Supplemental lighting with cool white florescent lights can improve survival [of tropical plants]. Don’t expect the plants to grow much, if at all, during the winter months because the light conditions are simply too low. When plants receive reduced light, their need for water also declines. It is very important not to overwater them, especially during the initial adjustment period. Water only when the soil is dry. Remember, the larger the pot, the longer it takes for the soil to dry.”

Plants that do well indoors in medium to low light include various species of Snake plant (Sansevieria), philodendron vine, pothos vine (Scindapsus; related to philodendron), Peace lily (Spathiphyllum), Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema), and Dracaena. Beware: While most plants grow very little in low-light conditions, others can grow several feet.

For further information about houseplants, you may want to review the following web sites:

  • https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/herbs
  • https://www.treehugger.com/top-houseplant-trends-4858425
  • https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/hpgen/acclimate-plants-indoors-winter.htm
  • https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/bloomscape-top-plant-trends-2021-36852168

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Welcome, Fall!

Gardening, , , ,

Note: This article originally appeared in the Frederick News-Post on October 3, 2020, as a column for the Frederick County Master Gardeners. It is reprinted with permission of the Features Editor. Some details from the original column may have been edited slightly or deleted here if they are no longer relevant.

September has ended with perfect gardening weather as we welcome fall; gather pumpkins, gourds, and colorful leaves to decorate inside and outside; and continue our gardening “to-do” lists.

Pruning and planting: If you’re doing some outdoor pruning, remember not to trim those spring-flowering shrubs and trees until after they bloom next year. You can, however, plant trees, shrubs, and transplant irises and bulbs. Always carry the plant by its ball or in the container, never by the trunk. Cut away any twine and burlap from the root ball before planting. And make sure no roots are wrapped around the trunk (girdling), as that eventually chokes the life out of the plant. Now’s the time to finish storing flower seeds, tender bulbs, roots, tubers, or corms to replant next spring. Pot up other plants you want to overwinter, such as begonias, geraniums, coleus, and sweet potato vine cuttings.

Garden waste: If you haven’t already done so, consider starting a compost pile in a bin you build yourself or buy readymade. Check You Tube or other Internet sites for DIY demonstrations and directions, or go to your local University of Maryland extension service web site, <https://extension.umd.edu/mg/locations/composting>. Basically, you’ll want to keep your bin about 3 feet by 3 feet, and under five feet high. Shred your plant materials with a lawnmower to speed up the composting. Layer plants, vegetable kitchen scraps, fallen leaves, old mulch, and grass clippings. Water between layers. Keep diseased plants, twigs, branches, and other woody materials out of the pile.

Whether you’re making your own compost pile or putting yard waste in yard waste bags, make sure you put diseased plants in containers headed for municipal waste, not municipal compost. Only spent plants or those infected with common pathogens like powdery mildew and early blight should be hot-composted (at least 140° F). “Some very destructive diseases, such as boxwood blight and late blight of tomatoes/potatoes, should not be composted at home or at municipal compost operations. These infected plants should be bagged up with household trash and sent to the landfill,” notes Dr. Jon Traunfeldt, UMD Extension Service.

Fellow Master Gardener Pat Strawder also explains that “Not everything needs to be cleared and chopped to the ground.” She recommends planting ground covers, such as Daikon radishes, pink clover, hairy vetch or buckwheat. These help to bind nitrogen to the soil and enrich it when the garden is tilled in the spring.

And, she says, even though you are cleaning up garden beds, you’ll want to leave some plants standing until spring. It may seem contradictory, but birds and insects will thank you. While insects make their home in soil and in the debris of leaf litter, birds forage all winter long for those same insects and eggs to eat; in addition, they eat from the seed heads of cone flowers, black-eyed Susans, spearmint, and other plants.

Vegetables: Did you plant carrots this summer? You’re in luck. Cover their beds/rows with a deep straw or leaf mulch, and you can continue to harvest them throughout the winter. We mentioned in our August column that you could start some late plantings, such as spinach, arugula, and kale, through the middle of October. You’ll need to use a cold frame or floating row cover (FRC) to keep the soil moist and protect seedlings from pests. The young plants will go dormant and re-grow in spring.

For other information about gardening, watch for the Master Gardeners’ column in the Frederick News-Post on the first Thursday of each month… explore the University of Maryland’s extension service web site, http://extension.umd.edu/frederick-county/home-gardening; or call us at 301-600-1596.

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Autumn Gardening Tasks: A Labor of Love

Gardening, ,

Note: This article originally appeared in the Frederick News-Post on September 3, 2020, as a column for the Frederick County Master Gardeners. It is reprinted with permission of the Features Editor. Some details from the original column may have been edited slightly or deleted here if they are no longer relevant.

Ahhh. September. Warm days, cool nights. Hopefully, you are reading this column, sitting outside, enjoying the fruits (and sights) of your hard labor. Once you’ve figured out what to do with all of those zucchinis and cucumbers, here are a few early fall tasks on which to focus. I say “tasks,” but they’re really a labor of love.

Relax and—

  • Don’t fertilize, as new growth may just be killed off when the frost hits next month.
  • Don’t deadhead—first, because you’re likely to find a few alyssum, zinnia, impatiens, and petunia volunteers peeping up from the mulch or in flower pots next spring. Second, because some plants, such as coneflowers, clematis, brown-eyed Susans, spearmint, sedum, and grasses, offer a winter habitat and food for birds and insects.

Keep on with—

  • Weeding—yes, weeding! The more unwanted or invasive plants you can dig up, the fewer weeds you’ll have to pull next spring.
  • Cleaning up detritus from the garden. Compost those plants that are fading away, or put in yard waste bags those that are mildewed or diseased.
  • Dividing and replanting your spring-flowering plants, summer and fall perennials and bulbs. September and October are even better months than late August was for this task. According to the University of Maryland extension service, perennials planted in the fall often grow larger than when planted at other times of the year, and often bloom the first season. Plus, bulbs especially need that cold overwintering period to bloom well in the spring.
  • Keep an eye on those fall flowers, too. Chrysanthemums, fall anemones, and asters may have begun blooming now. Milkweed, the only plant that monarchs use to lay their eggs (look for a single, pinhead sized white egg on the underside of the leaf), may fall prey to tiny aphids. Try to wash the aphids off, or better, remove aphids with alcohol on a Q-tip, while avoiding any caterpillars or eggs.

Begin winter preparations by—

  • Preserving bulbs and rhizomes for spring planting. By October, you’ll be racing against the frost (more on that next month). Will you let tender perennials die down and buy fresh bulbs/rhizomes in the spring? Here on our little plot of earth, we dig them up in September and October, before frost, carefully searching the soil for the “baby” gladiola bulbs and dahlia and canna rhizomes formed over the summer. Dried for a few days, then dirt shaken from their roots, glads and dahlias go into labeled paper bags and are tucked into a plastic bin in the garage or basement. Cannas are wrapped in newspapers, layered in a cardboard box, and stored in a cold basement corner. Seeds gathered from zinnias, morning glories (but not the purple ones, which are very invasive), and marigolds, are dried, labeled, and stored in Ziplock sandwich bags.
  • Gathering seeds to dry, an easy task. I used to spread the seeds on paper towels. Now, thanks to a family gift, I have a lovely, wide, two-tiered net drying bag that I hang out of the way in an upstairs room. I place the labeled seeds on aluminum pie pans inside the drying bag. Whatever method you choose, once you’re sure the seeds are dry, label and store them in plastic or paper bags (I like Ziplock plastic bags to keep out insects) in a cool place. Check our columns next spring for planting seeds, hardening off seedlings, and planting them in permanent locations.
  • Cleaning, conditioning and repairing your tools, a task that is both ongoing throughout the year but also a special preparation for winter. You want them to be clean so that they don’t spread disease next spring; you want them to be well-conditioned and repaired so that you can use them right away. So, replace worn parts; oil or scrub away dirt and rust, as needed. Remember to pay attention to wooden handles, too.

[…W]atch for the Master Gardeners’ column in the Frederick News-Post on the first Thursday of each month; explore the University of Maryland’s extension service web site, http://extension.umd.edu/frederick-county/home-gardening; or call us at 301-600-1596.

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Planning for the Fall Harvest

Gardening

Note: This article originally appeared in the Frederick News-Post on July 2, 2020, as a column for the Frederick County Master Gardeners. It is reprinted with permission of the Features Editor. Some details from the original column may have been edited slightly or deleted here if they are no longer relevant.

Yes, it’s summer, the pool beckons, books and hammocks send their siren song of kick back and relax, air conditioning feels so good, and still the garden keeps us busy. But even as we pull weeds, divide perennials, cut back chrysanthemums until mid-July, doggedly dig up invasives, and prepare for planting vegetables for fall harvest, we just have to pause and appreciate Mother Nature’s handiwork this summer.

Whether I look east or west, north or south, the gardens surrounding our house and those of many of our neighbors have never looked better than this year, often making me wish I had the skill with a paintbrush and canvas that my sister-in-law, Rita, has.

In the east, early morning sun touches the tips of the white pine and Norway spruce, making them almost luminous. The deep shadows of cherry laurels and junipers stretching across the east side of our yard gradually disappear as the sun rises higher. More subdued, the Ostrich ferns in a wooded area—our “secret” garden, as my friend Ann calls that area—fill the understory with shades of pale green. By mid-afternoon the hot sun paints the lacey, feathery branches of arborvitae on our west border a brilliant green. In northern and other shady sections of the yard, caladium leaves with delicate pink veining are enormous; impatiens and begonias brighten the darkness. Petunias are full and lush everywhere we have full sun.

I’m not quite sure whom or what to thank for Mother Nature’s generous, loving touch this year. Is the growth of plants due to all the rain we’ve had the past few weeks? Or are my husband and I being more attentive to our gardening tasks because of the pandemic? After all, we’ve sharply curtailed shopping, avoid eating out, cancelled a June vacation and many of the one-day or weekend trips we normally take to attend summer festivals. As my husband, who has a dominant wanderlust gene, remarked the other day, “What else is there to do but garden?”

Whatever the reason, it’s a joy to see so much growth and bloom. And it makes me look forward to the plants yet to come—Will the seeds and seedlings planted in the next two months grow as lushly for a fall bounty of vegetables and salad greens?

Even if you don’t do a lot of gardening, you might consider planting a few seeds now to harvest in early fall. It might be a solace to know no one has handled those vegetables but you when it comes time to harvest your crops and feed your family, or freeze/can for winter meals.

Admittedly, one drawback to spring and fall harvests is that you have to take into account the expected heavy frost dates, as well as the number of days between planting and harvesting, since varieties differ even within the same kind of plant. May 15/October 15 are traditional dates for frost, but check the weather stations for more targeted dates. Count back from the predicted frost date to determine just when to plant seeds for harvesting; most seed packets will tell you the number of days from planting to harvesting.

For example, most tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants require about 100 days to harvest. So, using October 15 as a harvest date, you would need to get those plants in as soon as possible. In the next week or two, you’ll want to directly sow into the ground, hot weather veggies, such as cowpeas, corn, pumpkin, watermelon, gourds, and sunflowers. You can sow squash, beans, and cucumbers directly into your vegetable garden right now through the end of July. By the end of July, sow other fall vegetables, such as broccoli, kale, turnips, and cauliflower, in flats now or directly in the garden by August 20. Peas should be sown directly into the garden by August 15.

The National Gardening Association (https://garden.org/apps/calendar/?q=Dalecarlia+Rsvr%2C+MD) suggests that because of the heat in July and August, you should start lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage indoors in trays in early July and transfer them to the garden in mid-August. The NGA posts a fall frost date of October 29, just about two weeks later than tradition.

Plant now for fall harvest

Below are suggested guidelines for planting seeds/seedlings to harvest this fall [2020]. Check with your local weather forecasters for best guesses as to the first heavy frost in our area. Our thanks to the National Gardening Association (https://garden.org/apps/calendar/?q=Dalecarlia+Rsvr%2C+MD) for the following information. Check its website for a more complete list of vegetable planting dates.

CropSow seeds indoorsTransplant seedlings into the gardenDirect-sow seeds
Beansn/an/aJuly 16–Aug 15
Beetsn/an/aAug 15–Sept 29
BroccoliJune 4–July 19July 16–Aug 30n/a
Brussel SproutsJune 4–July 19July 16–Aug 30n/a
CabbageJune 4–July 19July 16–Aug 30n/a
Cantaloupen/an/aJuly 1–July 16
Carrotsn/an/aJuly 31–Sept 29
CauliflowerJune 4–July 19July 16–Aug 30n/a
Chardn/an/aJuly 16–Sept 29
CollardsJuly 1–Aug 15July 31–Sept 14n/a
Cornn/an/aJuly 16–July 31
Cucumbersn/an/aJuly 16–July 31
EggplantsMay 20–June 4July 1–July 16n/a
Garlicn/an/aAug 15–Sept 29
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkinsn/an/aJun 16 – Jul 16
KaleJune 4–July 19July 16–Aug 30n/a
KohlrabiJun 4–July 19July 16–Aug 30n/a
LettuceJulye 31–Aug 30Aug 30–Sept 29Aug 30–Sept 29
Mustardn/an/aAug 30–Sept 29
Okran/an/aJune 16–July 16
Onionsn/an/aSept 29–Oct 9
ParsleyJune 16–July 31July 31–Sept 14n/a
Peas (English)n/an/aJuly 31–Aug 30
Peas (Southern)n/an/aJune 16–July 16
Peas (Sugar Snap)n/an/aJuly 31–Aug 30
PeppersMay 25–June 9Jul 6–July 21n/a
Potatoesn/an/aJuly 31–Aug 30
Radishesn/an/aAug 30–Sept 29
SpinachJuly 16–Aug 30Aug 15–Sept 29Aug 15–Sept 29
TomatoesMay 25–June 9July 6–July 21n/a
Turnipsn/an/aSept 14–Oct 14
Watermelonn/an/aJune 16–July 16
CropSow seeds indoorsTransplant seedlings into the gardenDirect sow seeds
Beansn/an/aJuly 16–Aug 15
Beetsn/an/aAug 15–Sept 29
BroccoliJune 4–July 19July 16–Aug 30n/a
Brussel SproutsJune 4–July 19July 16–Aug 30n/a
CabbageJune 4–July 19July 16–Aug 30n/a
Cantaloupen/an/aJuly 1–July 16
Carrotsn/an/aJuly 31–Sept 29
CauliflowerJune 4–July 19July 16–Aug 30n/a
Chardn/an/aJuly 16–Sept 29
CollardsJuly 1–-Aug 15July 31–Sept 14n/a
Cornn/an/aJul 16–July 31
Cucumbersn/an/aJul 16–July 31
EggplantsMay 20–June 4July 1–July 16n/a
Garlicn/an/aAug 15–Sept 29
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkinsn/an/aJune 16–July 16
KaleJune 4–July 19July 16–Aug 30n/a
KohlrabiJune 4–July 19July 16–Aug 30n/a
LettuceJul 31–Aug 30Aug 30–Sept 29Aug 30–Sept 29
Mustardn/an/aAug 30–Sept 29
Okran/an/aJune 16–July 16
Onionsn/an/aSept 29–Oct 9
ParsleyJune 16–July 31July 31–Sept 14n/a
Peas (English)n/an/aJuly 31–Aug 30
Peas (Southern)n/an/aJune 16–July 16
Peas (Sugar Snap)n/an/aJuly 31–Aug 30
PeppersMay 25 – Jun 9Jul 6 – Jul 21n/a
Potatoesn/an/aJuly 31–Aug 30
Radishesn/an/aAug 30–Sept 29
SpinachJuly 16–Aug 30Aug 15–Sept 29Aug 15–Sept 29
TomatoesMay 25–June 9July 6–July 21n/a
Turnipsn/an/aSept 14–Oct 14
Watermelonn/an/aJune 16–July 16

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Integrated Pest Management: A Best Practice for Gardeners

Gardening, , , ,

Note: This article originally appeared in the Frederick News-Post on June, 2020, as a column for the Frederick County Master Gardeners. It is reprinted with permission of the Features Editor. Some details from the original column have been edited slightly or deleted here if they are no longer relevant.

One of the best practices you can add to your gardening repertoire is IPM, “a research-based holistic approach to pest management that emphasizes biological (e.g., attracting natural enemies, cultural (e.g., planting disease-resistant varieties), and physical (e.g., hand removal of insect pests) approaches to prevent problems and control pests and diseases at acceptable levels….Monitoring and using organic or other low-risk pesticides only when pest or disease levels are unacceptable are also part of this management approach” (https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/how-id-prevent-and-manage-plant-problems).

Many predators and parasitoids are your friends: they pollinate your plants and attack destructive pests, whether larvae or adult. For example, ladybugs will eat aphids, white flies, potato beetles, mites, and other bugs. According to Chris McLaughlin’s “Predatory Insects in the Garden” in the magazine Fine Gardening (https://www.finegardening.com/article/predatory-insects-in-the-garden), the Green Lacewing insect is the “Aphid lion” of the garden, its larvae eating as many as 60 aphids in one hour. Lacewings also eat mealybugs, spider mites, scale, and thrips, etc. Tiny Trichogramma wasps “lay eggs inside the larvae of garden pests such as cabbage worms, cutworms, and borers,” McLaughlin notes. As the eggs hatch, they eat the larvae from the inside.

As I’ve advised before, take at least a weekly walk around your garden to spot problems early on: Closely study visible plant parts, including undersides of leaves. Where you see a pest, are you looking at an egg, a larva, an adult? Once you’ve identified the pest or plant problem, try using physical and cultural methods first to resolve the problem. You may pick off destructive pests by hand, wash them off with a hose, or wipe them away with a cloth. Remove dead, diseased, and infested plant parts as needed (be sure to clean/disinfect your tools afterward). Of course, avoiding all-kill sprays means that your flowers, vegetables, and fruits may not look perfect. Learn to live with that. When I find a big yellow and black-striped caterpillar munching a milkweed leaf, I’m happy—that means a monarch butterfly will eventually emerge.

So when should you use a pesticide? When you’ve tried everything else to eradicate the problem. For example, one IPM control for bagworms is handpicking. Next, you may opt to lop off the branch to which the bag is attached. However, if the worms are crawling around on branches, and you can’t get them all, you may need to spray. The University of Maryland Extension Service (https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/bagworms-trees-and-shrubs) recommends using the microbial insecticide, B.t. (Bacillus thuringiensis), against bagworms between now and mid-July, as it works well only on immature bagworms.

As reassurance, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/treecare/forest_health/spraying/bt_insecticide.html) states that studies show that “In general, Bt is very safe for use. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found no hazards to human health associated with the use of Bt…. The EPA has exempted it from food residue tolerances, groundwater restrictions, endangered species labeling and special review requirements. Bt has no known effect on … bees, fish, birds, and wildlife. It is the pesticide of choice for use near lakes, rivers, and dwellings.”

Another effective IPM tool is knowing whether the plant is right for your zone, for the soil, for the amount of water, sun/shade that it gets. According to the UMD extension service, “The best management method is prevention. When you focus your time, attention, and efforts on growing ‘the right plant, in the right place, in the right way,’ you can greatly reduce plant problems.”

Biodiversity is also an important part of IPM. With a variety of plants, you will attract a greater variety of insects. Using companion plantings helps, too. Much like using predator insects and parasitoids, planting different crops near one another makes IPM easier, helps with pollination, and provides habitat for those beneficial insects mentioned above. Amy Grant, https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/tomato-plant-companions.htm, notes that all types of onions and peppers, as well as spinach, lettuce, carrots, asparagus, and arugula, can be planted alongside tomatoes. A number of herbs and flowers are also good at deterring pests from tomatoes—for example, borage, parsley, mint, marigolds, and nasturtiums.

However, some plants don’t do well together. For example, the Brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, etc.) should not be planted with tomatoes; nor should corn, as corn tends to attract the tomato fruit worm. Having potatoes near tomatoes increases the chance of potato blight disease. 

All of these elements will affect how well the plant grows and how susceptible it is to disease and pests.

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Bring Nature Inside

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Bring Nature Inside

Note: This article, excerpted from December 2019, originally appeared in the Frederick News-Post as a column for the Frederick County Master Gardeners. It is reprinted with permission of the Features Editor. Some details from the original column have been deleted here as they are no longer relevant.

You may think that since your annuals and perennials are shriveled, dry, or nonexistent with the beginning of winter, that you have to rely on hothouse flowers or artificial ones to keep nature inside with you.

Not so.

As the snows pile up (well, as I write, the weather prognosticators are promising at least a couple of deep snows), you can be snug and warm, surrounded by lovely greens and other natural materials in your home.

Don’t throw out those dried arrangements you made for fall—just change out orange and brown accents for reds, greens, gold, silver and add some live greens. Junipers and yews can be lovely, as they so often have little berries (blue, juniper; red, yews) that add interest (but keep the poisonous berries away from pets). Jan Magill, a fellow master gardener who often presents seminars on holiday greenery at this time of year, suggests that you use bare branches, dried flowers, pods, and even bark to produce a natural effect in your holiday arrangements.

You’ll be amazed at the wealth of decorative possibilities when you poke around in your garden. I’ve brought in dogwood branches, some bare, some with berries; upright stiff, brown Ostrich fern fronds; grapevines for wreaths; grasses; even weeds—all for winter decorations.

Matt Ory and Steven Jeweler, owners of Ory Custom Floral Design in New Market, recommend either bold or feathery greens, trimming them to fit the shape and size you want, whether a traditional high or low pyramid, something horizontal, or a more contemporary or Asian design.

Matt often adds 10 or more OLD pennies (he says they have more copper than the newer ones) to a vase of fresh greens. He usually makes the tallest plant, whether dried or fresh, two times the height of the vase. Remember though, if the arrangement is going to be on a dining room table, it should be low enough that it doesn’t interrupt the sight line or conversation of people sitting across from one another.

Junipers and arborvitae tend to have curving, sometimes spreading branches, while yews and hollies have stiffer, more upright configurations. Magnolias and rhododendrons can add a broad, bold touch to your arrangement. You could also add bare branches or those with berries. If you’re into glitz, spray paint branches with gold, silver, or white; add a few ornaments, and weave tinsel, ribbon, or tiny fairy lights among the branches. Spritz a little spray “snow” here and there.

But even unadorned evergreens and bare branches are beautiful. Curly branches, available in craft stores if not in your back yard, can be used for decorations, too. Weight them in a vase filled with stones, marbles, or other material, and hang a collection of ornaments from the branches. Some years, I hang nothing but birds on the branches; other years, it might be Santas, snowmen, or polar bears. If you make a Christmas village on the mantel or under your tree, put twigs, small branches, or greens in Styrofoam squares and secure them in place with rubber cement or spackling paste. We’ve even used bits of coral from summer beach vacations as trees in our Christmas villages.

And don’t stop with the greenery you’re adding to your own surroundings. Consider using greenery or dried materials as gifts for friends and family during the upcoming holidays. (1) Fill a large seashell (or several smaller ones) with a well-drained potting mixture, then add some succulents appropriate for growing indoors, a small ornament or two, and a few sprigs of evergreen. (2) Create dried/green arrangements in odd-shaped jars, spray-painted cans, or other unusual containers. Add those bits of glitz and/or fairy lights for some sparkle. (3) Tie or hot glue greenery decorated with gilded or natural acorns or tiny pinecones (such as those from hemlocks) onto Hannakah or Christmas presents.

Bring nature inside!

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Have Your Cake and…Enjoy the Garden

Gardening

Note: This article originally appeared in the Frederick News-Post in May 2019 as a column for the Frederick County Master Gardeners. It is reprinted with permission of the Features Editor. Some details from the original column have been deleted here as they are no longer relevant or have been edited slightly.

Now that it’s nearly June, deciduous trees and shrubs have dropped their spring show and donned their summer leaves, helping to create an oasis of green around our homes. Along with those trees, flowers, shrubs, and other plants, come the birds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, providing our own “Animal Planet” show.

Numerous health experts agree that gardening is not only a place of peace and mental calm, but is physically healthy for us, helping us remain mobile and flexible for much later in our lives than we might otherwise be. WebMD.com points out that gardening promotes your body’s endurance, flexibility, and strength. On WebMD.com, author Jeff Restuccio says to alternate the gardening activities—light and heavy chores—over a 30- to 60-minute span, then rest a while. Yardshare.com also notes that gardening improves “our endurance and strength…reduces stress and promotes relaxation…provides a sense of a job well done…”

Sounds encouraging, but I have to admit that my mobility and flexibility are still not what I’d like. These days it’s hard to kneel down and even harder to get up from my little bench; gardening chores take a lot longer now than when I was in my thirties; and allergies and heat intolerances are having their way with me. So how do I find time to relax in the garden with a glass of wine or cup of tea when I have never-ending weeding, trimming, pruning, and other chores to do?

One answer my husband and I have found is to adapt our gardens to our abilities. So our 20 or so gardens surrounding the house and yard perimeters are gradually becoming smaller, more narrow, or have been eliminated altogether.

You may also be contemplating changes to your own yard, whether it’s because the needs of the garden have changed, or because your needs and your endurance have changed. Consider cutting back, cutting out, and refreshing this summer—and give yourself more time to enjoy your garden.

One of the things I love about a garden is that it is ever-changing—plants die or grow too big for their spot, once-small trees loom over sun-loving plants. You begin to think of changes—what should replace the dead plant? Where should we move that too-big perennial or shrub? Should we change out the sun-loving plants for shade-loving ones under that big tree, or should we cut down the tree?

Are you putting a new garden in once barren land, or replacing plants? Look for low-maintenance (minimal pruning or trimming) natives. Keep in mind the eventual mature size of any trees or shrubs you want to plant.

Have you been learning about the importance of pollinators in the life cycle of plants and insects? Attract pollinators with perennials and annuals. Use shrubs and plants that bloom at different times of the season and that don’t require a lot of dead-heading.

Looking for something different, something to have an impact? Plant vegetables and herbs, such as cabbages, rosemary, and lavender, in places you usually reserve for annuals. Or go for tropicals, such as banana plants or canna lilies—just remember, you will need to dig up tropicals in the fall.

If you’re cutting back on garden beds, could you place raised beds or containers for vegetables or flowers on a patio, deck, or porch for easier access? Would weaving irrigation hoses through the garden or installing a water-conservation system help ease your work in the garden?

Finally, please don’t make mulch “volcanoes” around the trunks of trees—the mulch piled high around trunks and then flattening out beyond the trunks prevents rain water from soaking into the roots and is an open invitation to damaging insects and diseases to invade your trees. Instead, keep the mulch a couple inches away from the tree trunk; spread it evenly out to the dripline of the branches, then mound a ring of mulch along the edge, which helps to keep water in the root area, where it needs to be.

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The Dead of Winter

Gardening,

Note: This article, excerpted from February 2019, originally appeared in the Frederick News-Post as a column for the Frederick County Master Gardeners. It is reprinted with permission of the Features Editor. Some details from the original column have been deleted here as they are no longer relevant.

Is February the “dead of winter”? Maybe. According to several web sites, the “dead of” anything doesn’t mean lack of life, as I had always thought, but rather, being in the middle of whatever it is—winter, night, etc. 

“In the middle of” winter makes much more sense to me than dead, as in lack of life, ever did. After all, if we look closely, we see signs of life all winter long, whether it’s December or February. Last fall’s leaves, slumped-over pampas grass, Russian sage, and flattened hostas all contribute to the life cycle of your garden—they provide shelter and food in the form of insects, larvae, seeds, for winter birds and other creatures, as well as the spring and summer guests on their way.

Look up at your garden’s vertical structures. On those bare, sculpted branches, in the evergreens whose tall, jagged silhouettes pierce the sky is life. Buds are breaking dormancy on branches. Pine cones are fattening in the high branches of pines, junipers, hemlocks.

Now look down. On your garden’s floor, you see dead, shriveled, collapsed stems and leaves. Yet, snow drops, crocuses and other early spring flowers are popping out of the soil. Scratch away a little bit of the surface detritus and you will see more itty-bitty tendrils peeping out of the soil and dead leaves.

But I know what you’re thinking—Looking at all that dead stuff, you’re getting itchy garden fingers. Go ahead—start pruning, spading, cleaning up (a little). However, a word of caution—know which plants will be happy with your grooming efforts and which ones want to hold onto their winter scruffiness just a little longer.

Prune: Master Gardeners recommend that you prune both to improve the shape of the plant and to open up the center of the plant for better air circulation. You can find lots of advice in gardening magazines and on websites. For example, the Garden Helper (http://www.thegardenhelper.com/) recommends that you first remove all dead, decayed, or broken branches. From there, the method of pruning depends on the type of plant.

Most important with pruning is that you know when the plant blooms. If it’s a springtime bloomer, such as rhododendron, azalea, forsythia, don’t prune until AFTER the blooming season. However, if it’s a summer bloomer, such as many crepe myrtles, it can be pruned now before buds form.

Make sure your pruners or clippers are sharp, and disinfect them between usage. Jessica Damiano of NewsDay.com recommends using “a 10-percent bleach/90 percent water solution, or disinfectant spray.”

Take a look at your hollies, roses, grapevines, and honeysuckle (plant native American honeysuckle, not the invasive Japanese varieties). Do they look a bit ragged and rough around the edges? February is a good time to make them happy with careful pruning, cutting out diseased canes and branches. 

Damiano also suggests that you prune deciduous trees (those that drop their leaves in the fall) now, except for those she calls “bleeders”: maple, beech, dogwood, elm, and sycamore. She notes that those trees should be in full leaf before you prune. Now would also be a good time to mark with bright paint the branches you want to prune later.

Replant, water, dig: As you make your garden rounds, you’ll find that Mother Nature has given the heave-ho to some bulbs, tubers and plant crowns. Gently press them back into the ground. We had so much rain and snow this past fall and in the early part of winter that you probably don’t need to water evergreens, but if the ground isn’t frozen, check to see how dry it is; water as needed. Turn the compost pile, Damiano commands.

Check trees and shrubs for damaging insects. You might see small, cottony masses on evergreens that could be woolly adelgid egg sacs. Make sure the wrappings on tree trunks are still secure to keep some larvae from inching their way up to burrow under tender bark. Treat woody plants with dormant oil spray to destroy overwintering aphids, mites, and scale.

If you’re unsure what kind of insect or disease is causing a problem, help is available by way of the University of Maryland Frederick Extension website http://extension.umd.edu/frederick-county/home-gardening/mg/happenings-seminars-plant-sale-wcwdfy. On the lower right portion of the page is a link to “Ask an Expert.” This will connect you to professionally trained horticulturists who will help identify the problem to the best of their ability.

Fertilize: You can also fertilize shrubs, trees, evergreens, and spring-flowering bulbs now. Use an acidic fertilizer for plants such as rhododendron, azaleas, conifers, evergreens, etc. For deciduous trees and shrubs, and roses, use an all-purpose fertilizer.

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What’s That in the Tree?

Uncategorized, , ,


By Maritta Perry Grau


They were just thinking…as they looked out the window of their family room…

What is it? PopPop and Gigi stare at the gleaming object caught on a high branch of their plum tree.

“A piece of trash?” Gigi guesses.

Gigi imagines the fierce wind blowing and the tree reaching out to grasp the shiny object.

“A bird,” says PopPop.

PopPop imagines a bird is sleeping with its head tucked under its wing, there on the branch.

“But it’s not moving at all. And it’s been in one position for a long time.” Gigi is doubtful. “That’s a very thin, fragile branch for a bird to choose for a nap. And it’s ten in the morning. They don’t usually sleep now.”

Indeed, as they speak, they see other birds flitting back and forth among the trees and bushes.

PopPop scoops up the binoculars and focuses on the oval, gleaming thing in the tree. “Or could it possibly be…?”

“What? Could it be what?” Gig looks outside, trying to see some detail on the object PopPop sees through the binoculars.

He hands her the binoculars. “You look. Tell me what you think.”

Gigi finds the object in the binoculars. “Why, it looks like…” She moves closer to the window, looks again. She studies the object carefully.

Is that an eye? Part of a mouth? Shiny skin? She checks her mental list of creatures it could be. “It looks like a fish!”

“That’s what I thought,” PopPop answers. “But how could a fish be up in the tree?”

Gigi pictures a hawk or a heron swooping down on the nearby pond and grabbing a succulent fish for his dinner.

“Did the bird catch the fish and fly off with it? And then drop it? Maybe it’s not really a fish.” She is doubtful again.

“Only one way to find out,” PopPop says.

So they go outside, their dog Maxie with them, and walk to the tree.

Looking up, closer now, they study the object again.

“Oh, it’s not a fish.” Gigi sighs in relief.

“No, it’s a seedpod,” PopPop says.

“Yes, a milkweed pod that has broken open. What I thought were the eyes and part of a mouth were just seeds near the top edge. The gleaming fish scales I thought I saw—those were just the sun shining on the silky strands of the open milkweed pod and on the inside of the open pod.”

The fish are safe for another day.