Beautiful Easy Organic Gardens

Garden Consultations

2011-03-17T13:35:00.003-05:00

It is garden season for 2011 and again I am offering my garden and landscape consultations . If you have problems with your garden or landscape and you need some expert advice, call me at 518-852-9274 or send me an email at larry@beautifuleasygardens.com

I will come to you home or site, hear what you say, walk the property with you and give you advice on how you can make your garden the beautiful landscape you have always wanted. This usually takes from 60 to 90 minutes. All of my advice is organic and environmentally friendly.

2011 price for this service is $125 within 20 miles of my home. A little more if I have to drive a far distance.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Putting the Vegetable Garden to Bed

2010-10-17T09:50:00.000-05:00

I'm putting my vegetable garden to bed today. Nice day for working in the garden. From my Times Union Garden Blog.

Gardening - timesunion.com - Albany NY

Rick Bayless, Chicago Chef, Faces White House Challenge - NYTimes.com

2010-05-12T16:01:00.000-05:00

Rick Bayless, Chicago Chef, Faces White House Challenge - NYTimes.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Easy Way to Plant Grass Seed

2010-05-10T14:04:00.001-05:00

The Easy Way to Plant Grass Seed -- Repetitive Overseeding technique developed by David Chinery of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County.

Gardening - timesunion.com - Albany NY

Chives – Tasty, Colorful and Reliable - Gardening - timesunion.com - Albany NY

2010-05-04T11:12:00.000-05:00

Chives – Tasty, Colorful and Reliable - Gardening - timesunion.com - Albany NY

In my garden now… - Gardening - timesunion.com - Albany NY

2010-05-03T19:56:00.000-05:00

In my garden now… - Gardening - timesunion.com - Albany NY

Marsh marigold in bloom - Gardening - timesunion.com - Albany NY

2010-04-26T16:47:00.000-05:00

Marsh marigold in bloom - Gardening - timesunion.com - Albany NY

Small Space Garden in an Earth Box - Gardening - timesunion.com - Albany NY

2010-04-26T15:26:00.000-05:00

Small Space Garden in an Earth Box - Gardening - timesunion.com - Albany NY

Gardening Blog on the Times Union

2010-04-23T15:51:00.002-05:00

I have just started a new gardening blog with the Albany Times Union which is at www.timesunion.com/gardening/
I am sharing the blog with other gardeners so take a look and let me know what you think.
If I can work out the technology I will post my TU blogs here, too.

Beautiful Easy Organic Gardens: Hudson Valley Seed Library

2010-03-29T14:00:00.000-05:00

Beautiful Easy Organic Gardens: Hudson Valley Seed Library

Hudson Valley Seed Library

2010-03-29T13:32:00.006-05:00

Hudson Valley Seed Library is a small home grown seed company that features New York heirloom and home garden varieties that do well in the Northeast. Some of the seeds are available nowhere else including Hank's X-tra Special Baking Bean from Ghent, NY. Their online catalogue contains more than 100 varieties. I met their founder Ken Greene at his booth at the Capital District Flower show last Friday after I gave a speech there. Not only do they have a wonderful selection of seeds, they have the most beautiful seed packet art I have ever seen. I bought packets of Spotted Trout Lettuce, Costata Romanesca Zucchini and New Yorker Tomato.

Preventing Garden Pests and Predators

2010-01-22T10:04:00.003-05:00

Preventing Garden Pests and Predators links and information from my presentation at the Northeast Organic farming Association of New York (NOFA) conference on 24January2010.

Critters

Deer - best prevention: dogs, eight foot high fencing, electric fencing, hunting where legal, deer-resistant plants, repellent sprays made from egg solids, ammonium soaps and blood.
Deer Proof Gardens
Mohonk Mountain House Plant Recommendations for Deer Infested Gardens
Reducing Deer Damage to Home Gardens and Landscape Plants

Rabbits - best prevention: dogs, destroy habitat, two foot high chicken wire fence buried six inches underground, hunting where legal, repellent sprays, traps by DEC guidelines.

Woodchucks - best prevention: dogs, hunting where legal, four foot high chicken wire fence buried 12" underground, electric fence, no EPA approved repellents.

Plant Pesticides

Best way to prevent diseases on plants is to grow disease-resistant varieties.

Resource Guide for Organic Insect and Disease Management from the New York State Agriculture Experiment Station

Bt Bacillus thuringiensis - a naturally occurring bacteria in spray or powder form used to control caterpillars and larva on plants.

Neem - plant derived botanical pesticide in spray form to kill larva and insects.

Insecticidal Soaps - potassium salts of fatty acids used to kill soft bodied insects like mites.

Horticultural Oils - petroleum or vegetable-based oils used to smother insects and diseases.

Best way to prevent diseases on plants is to grow disease-resistant varieties.

Bicarbonate -- potassium and sodium fungicide used to control powdery milder. Mix once ounce of baking soda with one gallon of water to control powdery mildew on roses.

Copper - mineral fungicide used to control diseases on plants.

Good luck out there!

Tulip Bulbs Unplanted

2009-12-17T09:51:00.003-05:00

Tulip bulbs left unplanted are always a question for a lot of people. What can I do with them? Well, I have joined the club this year because I waited too long to plant a bag of Darwin hybrids. If the soil is not frozen you can plant them right now. I am hoping there will be one more day for this but don't count on it.
I am going to force my tulip bulbs. Which means I am going to plant them in pots, cover them with potting soil, water them and let them sleep in a cold room for 12 weeks. Then I will bring them out of hibernation and let them grow. this will put them into bloom in early April, which isn't too bad. they will look lovely as indoor potted plants.

Late Blight Tomato Solutions

2009-07-31T12:59:00.003-05:00

The New York Times had an article recently that noted that commercial tomato growers in the Northeast face massive economic losses this year because of the damage caused by late blight, the disease that caused the Irish potato famine. It seems the best solution to this problem is to grow tomato plants that are resistant to late blight. It turns out that there are some newer varieties that appear to resist late blight. Next year try to grow from seed the following varieties: Legend, Ferline, Juliet, Santa and Fantasio. Starting your own tomato seeds indoors is easy and fun to do, especially if you have kids. Otherwise, try to interest your local growers to start some plants for you.

Support Capital District Community Gardens

2009-05-19T09:33:00.001-05:00

Any Klein of the Capital District Community Gardens wants all of you to support her Veggie Mobile:

Capital District Community Gardens’ Veggie Mobile has been selected as one of ten finalists in a worldwide competition called “Designing for Better Health” sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Ashoka’s Changemakers.

Internet ballots will decide the three highest vote-getters by May 28^th and winners will receive a $5,000 cash award and international recognition for their project. This is a tremendous opportunity for our organization, our mobile market – The Veggie Mobile, and for New York’s Capital Region!

Now we need your help. Please use this link to vote for our program and share this link with your personal networks (email, facebook, myspace, blogs, etc.). If everyone we know gets in touch with everyone they know we will win this award.

Every vote will make a difference - thanks for helping to spread the word! Please vote by May 28^th.

http://www.changemakers.net/designingforbetterhealth/

More info on Capital District Community Gardens and The Veggie Mobile www.cdcg.org

Community Garden Awards

2009-05-05T09:51:00.002-05:00

Two Coves Community Garden in Queens, NY wins NATURE HILLS NURSERY GREEN AMERICA AWARD

Three community gardening projects from across the United States have been honored with 2009 Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards. Honored with the Grand Prize Award of $2,500 in plants was Bridging The Gap, a nonprofit environmental organization in the Kansas City area that is beautifying a vacant lot in the Ivanhoe Neighborhood. The lot has already been cleared of litter and debris, and volunteers are ready to begin creating the garden which will serve as a green space for the neighborhood complete with play areas for children and rest areas for adults.

Chosen for the First Place Award of $1,500 in plants was Two Coves Community Garden in Astoria (Queens), New York. Two Coves Community Garden is a newly established oasis in western Queens that provides fresh produce to residents of a neighborhood that has been described as “a food desert.” Honored with the Second Place Award of $1,000 in plants was Homewood Heights Community Garden in Austin, Texas. Homewood Heights is a one-year-old community garden that has sprouted from a reclaimed urban lot that was used for many years as a dump for construction debris.

Winners of the 2009 Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards were chosen from over 200 applications submitted by community groups, nonprofit organizations, and gardening programs from across the USA. Nature Hills Nursery, an Omaha-based website-only retailer that sells trees, shrubs, perennials and other plants, created the Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards as a way to give back to the communities and people who have contributed to the success of the company. For more information, visit www.naturehills.com.

Tree Planting Tips

2009-05-01T11:21:00.006-05:00

Planting your tree too deeply is the number one reason why your tree will die in anywhere from two to five years. Often times the label on the tree will tell you to plant the tree at the same depth as it was in the container. Well, there are a lot of trees that don't come in a container. They come wrapped in a burlap bag. My radio partner Fred Breglia, the arborist at the Landis Arboretum in Esperance, NY made this point so many times on WAMC/Northeast Public Radio, that I think I can say it in my sleep. Here is how to successfully plant that expensive tree you just bought at the nursery:
1. Dig a hole that is approximately the same size as the root ball of your tree. Maybe just a little bit wider, but no deeper.
2. Remove all the wire mesh and burlap surrounding the tree.
3. Look for the spot on your tree where the roots begin to flair out from the trunk. Remove any dirt that gets in your way. You must see that flair.
4. Place the tree in the whole so that the spot where the roots flair out is an inch or two above soil level. The tree is likely to settle deeper into the hole over time, so plant it an inch or two above soil level to compensate for settling.
5. Fill the hole with dirt making sure you can still see the place where the roots flair out from the trunk.
6. Water the tree at soil level at least once or twice a month for the first year or two.
Fred says he has seen many, many trees die because they were planted too deeply, but he has never seen a tree die because it was planted too shallowly. I used this technique on all my trees and shrubs that I planted last year and they all survived a fairly severe winter. Thanks, Fred.

Composted Leaves for Vegetable Garden

2009-04-28T10:27:00.002-05:00

Question: Sandy in Berlin, NY asks:
Last fall I put a thick layer of leaf mulch on my vegetable and annual flower garden. The leaves came mostly from our maple trees and they were run through the lawn mower blades then through a leaf blower/sucker blades, so the resulting mulch was quite well chopped up. My question is, do I have to remove it now, as in rake it off, or
should I simply move it away to plant the vegetables or should I work it into the soil? My husband thinks that if I work it into the soil then the roots of plants won't have a sturdy enough matrix to grow upright and will fall over. What do you think?

Answer:
Maple leaves as finely ground and partially composted as you describe will make an excellent addition to the organic content of your garden. This is especially true in a vegetable or annual flower garden where tilling is often an annual task. I would suggest tilling them in with a power tiller if possible to a depth of four to six inches. As these leaves continue to decompose, they will add organic matter to your garden which will attract beneficial microorganisms, help retain moisture and air and improve your soil. Maple leaves tend to be a little acidic, so later in the summer, you might want to get a soil pH test done to make sure your soil is in the 6.5 to 7.0 pH vicinity.

Garden FAQ: Wild and Backyard Raspberries

2009-04-23T12:10:00.003-05:00

Question:
We are planning to plant backyard red & black raspberries and some wild black raspberries which grow around our rural home. Will the plants mix up from cross pollination and will wild berries planted in same areas diminish the domestic varieties fruit size or flavor.

Answer:

Wild raspberries and should be kept 300 to 600 feet away from your new backyard red and black raspberries. Not because they might cross pollinate, but because wild berries can be a source of Verticillium or other virus diseases. It would be better to not plant the raspberry plants in the same area where tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant have been grown for the same reason. Raspberries are self-fertile, but studies have shown that cross-pollination with other backyard raspberries does increase fruit yield.

Dutchman's Breeches Wildflower in Bloom

2009-04-21T10:14:00.003-05:00

Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) is a dainty but rugged wildflower that blooms in March and April from Maine to Missouri. Here it is in bloom in my Delmar, NY garden in Patriot's Day, 2009. I've lived here for six years and I've never seen it in bloom before. My neighbor did cut down a couple tree branches last year. Maybe that gave it just the right amount of sunlight to get blooming. Dutchman's Breeches grows four to eight inches tall, likes dappled sunlight in woodlands with fertile and moist but not wet soil. I am going to transplant a couple of these to a more visible part of my garden. It is legal for me to do this because the plants are on my property. But it is illegal in New York to dig up and transplant native wildflowers on property not your own. Dicentra cucullaria is related to D. spectabilis, better known as perennial bleeding heart. Both of them are wonderful perennial plants for the woodland garden.

Perennial Herbs

2009-04-17T09:04:00.002-05:00

Chives, thyme, oregano, sage, lavender, parsley, tarragon and other perennial herbs can be planted this weekend here in eastern New York, Western New England and the Hudson Valley. It is still too cold to plant basil dill, cilantro and other tender annuals. Buy these as potted plants at your favorite lawn and garden center of farmer's market. Plant them in well-drained ordinary soil in full sun. These plants don't like too much in the way of fertilizer so just add some compost or mulch around them as the season progresses. Water them at least once a week. You can start harvesting after three weeks.

Garden Events Calendar in Our Region

2009-04-16T14:55:00.002-05:00

Project Budbreak is an interesting way for you as gardeners to get involved with learning about the effects of climate change on native plants in our area. It is a project of the Sustainable Initiatives Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station Cornell University.

Phantom Gardener in Rhinebeck, NY is offering free workshops this spring on shrubs, starting a garden journal, bloom sequence, deer resistant perennials and more.

The Master Gardeners of Putnam County (call 845-278-6738) announce their Spring Gardening School, a One-Day University on all things gardening April 18. All are invited to join this annual event, which includes classes and a presentation with digital images by Duncan Brine., principal landscape designer of Horticultural Design, Inc. The New York Times, Horticulture Magazine, Hudson Valley Magazine, and other publications have featured Brine’s work. His speech, “Structuring Nature: Whole Property Landscape Design,” focuses on his six-acre garden in Pawling, NY.

Join Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County’s Master Gardeners in their award winning Xeriscape Garden at the SUNY Ulster Campus in Stone Ridge on Thursday, May 14, to learn the nitty-gritty of dividing perennials and ornamental grasses. The workshop will be from 9:00am to 12:00pm. There is a fee of $5 to participate. You will gain hands-on experience on when to divide, what to do and what not to do when it comes to dividing plants. Participants will work in small groups guided by Master Gardeners and leave with some prize divisions from the Xeriscape Garden. Please bring pots or bags to put your divisions into, gardening gloves and tools such as pitch forks, spades and trowels are also recommended to bring along. For more information call Dona Crawford, Master Gardener Coordinator at 845-340-3990.

The Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, MA has classes upcoming on composting, raising chickens and taking garden tours.

If you have any garden announcements to make, send them along to me at lsombke@beautifuleasygardens.com

Wildflower Hepatica in Bloom

2009-04-10T10:39:00.003-05:00

Wildflowers in a native garden are one of my favorite plantscapes of all time. Hepatica acutiloba, Liverleaf, is the first to bloom in my garden and one of the most delicate. These dainty but rugged little plants are native to the Northeast and are often seen in deciduous woods. They like dry shade and fertile soil and are cold hardy in zones 5 thru 8. Your local better garden center might have these plants for sale, or they can order it for you from Behn's Best Perennials in Chatham, NY. Heronswood is a good source for them if you prefer to buy online.

Gourmet Vegetable, Herb and Heirloom Flower Seeds

2009-04-06T10:15:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite seed catalogues for gourmet lettuces and salad mixes, European and Asian varieties, herbs and heirloom flowers is Renee's Garden. Renee Shepherd has been a pioneer and leading light in the gourmet gardening movement for more than 20 years. She has a colorful and inviting online catalogue and I've seen her seeds offered in numerous garden centers, too. She has an extensive collection of fragrant sweet peas, ornamental sunflowers, baby butterhead lettuces, Asian baby leaf mesclun salad mixes, Thai and Italian basil, hot peppers, European tomatoes that are full of flavor and so much more. Now is the time to order your seeds if you haven't already.

Spring Heath Blooming on April Fool's Day

2009-04-03T09:52:00.003-05:00

Our Spring Heath, Erica carnea, 'Pink Spangles,' came into full bloom on April Fool's Day this year in my wife's rock garden. This low-growing evergreen shrub will continue to bloom for another month in its full-sun to part-shade location. Many people think heath and heather will not grow as far north as Albany, NY, but here is proof it does well as long as it has acidic and very well-drained soil. A south-facing rock garden is the perfect site. We bought this gem at Rock Spray Nursery on Cape Cod a couple years ago and it took this long to settle in and get growing. We also bought several plants of heather, Callunia vulgaris, from Rock Spray and I will post their photos to my blog as they come into bloom over the season. You can buy heath and heather at many different places, but, I would encourgae you to go to Truro this summer and ask David and Alissa to put together a collection that is right for you. For more information on these wonderful plants, visit the UConn Plant Datebase.

The New Terrarium by Tovah Martin

2009-03-25T13:32:00.002-05:00

The New Terrarium by Tovah Martin (Clarkson Potter March 2009) is a beautifully-photographed and well-written book that has opened my eyes to the possibilities of growing delicate gardens indoors under glass. I've never been one to grow a lot of plants indoors, although a lot of my friends have over the years. To me, indoor house plants have always been just a lot of waxy green leaves cascading all over the place. And terrariums seemed a throwback to the hippy 1960's and 70's.

But Tovah's new book infuses this genre with grace and charm. As she says, "You might have been all 'brown thumbs' when it came to houseplants, but this is different. With the aid of glass, terrariums are a much more forgiving venue than a windowsill." She is right. Instead of having a room full of scraggly houseplants, a terrarium gives the gardener an opportunity to focus in on one small, contained garden space. It has a whole Japanese Zen appeal to me. The terrarium might be the ideal indoor plant garden to have at your work, office or school room.

The New Terrarium gets you started with some of the basics of design, shows all the different vessels that can be used including cloches, cold frames, aquariums, apothecary jars and more, which plants will do well including begonias, ferns, mosses, orchids and more and how to take care of this miniature greenhouse garden. The photos by Kindra Clineff are superb.

Tovah Martin (http://www.tovahmartin.com/) was a guest on my Northeast Public Radio program and she is known as the queen of indoor plants. She has long been associated with Logee's Tropical Plants (http://www.logees.com/) in Danielson, CT and no one knows more about indoor plants than Tovah. This is a great new book, well worth having.

Organic Vegetable Garden at the White House

2009-03-20T15:34:00.003-05:00

An organic vegetable, herb and small fruits garden will soon be producing food on the grounds of the White House. First Lady Michelle Obama, a group of school children and staff broke ground today. According to The New York Times the Obamas’ garden will have 55 varieties of vegetables — from a wish list of the kitchen staff — grown from organic seedlings started at the Executive Mansion’s greenhouses including cilantro, tomatillos and hot peppers. Lettuces will include red romaine, green oak leaf, butterhead, red leaf and galactic. There will be spinach, chard, collards and black kale. For desserts, there will be a patch of berries. And herbs will include some more unusual varieties, like anise hyssop and Thai basil. A White House carpenter, Charlie Brandts, who is a beekeeper, will tend two hives for honey.

My Woodland Garden St. Patrick's Day 2009

2009-03-18T14:02:00.006-05:00

Here is a view of the woodland garden behind my house that I have been working to create over the past five years. The Pieris japonica and the Rhododendron maximum (rose bay) were already here, although they are much larger now than at first. I installed the arbor and planted the Buxus (boxwood) and the other large R. maximum I transplanted last fall from another part of the yard. All seem to be in good shape after the rather long and harsh winter of 2008-09. There are also some wonderful azaleas and some other great shrubs out there as well as perennials that like a part shade woodland environment. As the season progresses, I will post more photos so we can all see how well things are growing in my woodland garden.

Raspberries in the Garden

2009-03-11T12:14:00.002-05:00

This spring, I am going to plant a row of Heritage red raspberries in my backyard garden. My wife was looking at garden catalogues the other day and mentioned how great it would be to eat fresh, juicy raspberries in summer. So, why not? I ordered six Heritage raspberry plants from http://www.gurneys.com/ (I found a special they were offering in my Sunday magazine.) www.millernurseries.com is another reliable source charging $3.75 per cane plus shipping. Each plant should produce a quart of berries each year. Bare root stock should arrive in a few weeks and I will plant them in a sunny location about three feet apart. Heritage berries don't require any trellising and they are easy to take care of as long as they are planted in a well-drained area. Heritage raspberries were introduced by Cornell in 1969 and they advise growing Heritage for a single late August early September. In early spring before new growth begins, cut the old canes as low to the ground as possible to encourage buds to break from below the soil surface. Remove and discard the canes. Sounds good to me!

Garden Calendar and Events

2009-03-10T10:12:00.002-05:00

Here's a list of some of the great garden activities taking place this spring in the Hudson Valley, Berkshires and the greater Albany area. If you have an announcement you would like for me to post to my blog, send me an email at lsombke@beautifuleasygardens.com

Sunday, March 15, 2009, 10 am Successful Landscaping with Native Plants. The Phantom Gardener http://thephantomgardener.com/workshops2009.html (845) 876-8606

Monday, March 16, 2009. 6th Annual Natural Landscape Design Conference Investing in Ecology: Native Gardens and Natural Processes. Co-Sponsored by The Native Plant Center and New Directions in the American Landscape. 8:30 – 4:00 p.m. at Westchester Community College http://www.nativeplantcenter.org/

Saturday, April 11, 10:00am-1:00pm094GAR139C The Deer Resistant Landscape. http://inside.bard.edu/arboretum/events/courses.shtml

Saturday, March 21. Maple Fest: Celebrating the Wonderful World of Maple Syrup.
Time: 0:00 a.m.3:00 p.m. Cost: Free. Experience a taste of the sweet world of maple sugaring as part of the New York Maple weekend at the Agroforestry Resource Center. http://agroforestrycenter.org

Saturday March 28, Water Features in Your Garden a lecture with British water gardening specialist Anthony Archer Wills at the Berkshire Botanical Garden, at the intersection of Routes 102 & 183 in Stockbridge, MA. Anthony Archer-Wills, born in Great Britain, has made his passion, water gardening, his profession for forty years. Join him for an informative talk from 10 to noon. Registration is required. The cost is $16 for Members $21 for non-members.
To register, call the Berkshire Botanical Garden at 413-298-3926.

Geraniums Indoors Looking Great

2009-03-05T16:17:00.004-05:00

I have six pots of geraniums (Pelargonium) sitting in a south facing window that, today, with the sun shining on them, look really fantastic. After a way too long winter, these beautiful plants are making me feel like spring is on the way. All of these plants are from one pot given to me by my mother-in-law many years ago before she passed away. She started this plant from seed and it produces a lovely pink flower. Every year in the late summer I bring the pots indoors. I cut the stalks severely, let the cuttings suffer for a week or so, and then re-pot them. In winter they sit inside and endure the cold dark days of that chilly season. This year, just after Christmas, they started to look spindly and weak. So I cut them all back very severely, to the point where I feared I may have cut too much. But after a couple weeks they started showing new sprouts. Now they are looking bright green and bushy and they have a couple flowers starting to emerge. Around Mother's Day they will go back outside to their customary spots on the semi-shady front porch and on the mostly sunny back steps. I am looking forward to the joy they always bring.

Garden Speaker Available

2009-01-19T12:14:00.002-05:00

How to Have a Beautiful Garden that is Easy to Maintain Without the Use of Chemicals is my number one topic when I give garden speeches. I have delivered remarks at the Philadephia, Boston, New York, Cincinnatti, Hartford, Albany and many other flower shows. I also give speeches to local garden clubs and garden groups. I've written Beautiful Easy Flowers Gardens, Beautiful Easy Herbs, Beautiful Easy Lawns and five other books on gardening, all with the environment in mind. I am the longtime co-host of award-winning The Natural Gardener on Northeast Public Radio. I have a few dates open for 2009. If you or your group would like me to come and give a speech, contact me at lsombke@beautifuleasygardens.com.

Endless Summer Hydrangea Blooming Tips

2009-01-19T11:46:00.002-05:00

Over the last two years, Bailey Nurseries, has heard some reports of inconsistent flower production, especially in cooler climates. Although a number of factors may contribute to the consistency or inconsistency of blooms, there is no simple answer to this matter. Here are some steps consumers in cooler northern climates can take to help ensure beautiful blooms.
Location Location, location, location! Yes, that old saying is true. In Northern climates, the location of your hydrangea in the garden will have the largest impact on bloom production. The farther north you are, the more sun your plants can tolerate. In zones 4-5a we recommend planting your Hydrangeas in a location that enables them to receive at least 6 hours of sun with some dappled shade in the afternoon.

Pruning Don’t treat your Endless Summer Hydrangeas like an Annabelle Hydrangea by cutting them back in the fall or early spring. By cutting to the ground or within a few inches of the ground, most if not all of the buds on old wood are being removed. In addition, the old blooms of Endless Summer add to the winter interest of your garden. Endless Summer Hydrangeas certainly do bloom on new wood, but it may take longer for flower buds to develop on the new growth of a young plant.

Winter cover Protection for plants in the first few years is important, as is protection from spring freezes. Since Hydrangea buds emerge early in spring, late freezes may damage bud development as well as any new growth. Keeping the crown of plants covered with mulch through May helps protect these buds and any soft new growth from late spring freezes. Feeding you plant Fertilization is also an important factor in flower production of Hydrangeas. A good quality, slow-release fertilizer applied once in spring or early summer should suffice for all but the most demanding locations. Look for an NPK ratio of 10-30-10. Container plants may need an additional application of liquid fertilizer during the growing season. Remember, if you over-feed your Hydrangeas, the effect is more dark green leaf production with fewer flower buds. In the North (zone 4) we recommend no fertilization after August 15th, as plants need to slow down and acclimate for winter.

Watering The amount you water is one more factor you can regulate to ensure beautiful blooms. Although Hydrangeas are named after “Hydra”, Greek for water, your hydrangeas will form large leaves, lots of green growth and few flower buds if over- watered. Over-watering may slow the formation of flowers considerably. It’s normal for plants to wilt for a short time in the heat of the day. You’re better off to water well and less often, than giving a little all the time.

For more info on Endless Summer Hydrangea visit the Web site http://www.endlesssummerblooms.com/

Money for Community Gardens

2008-10-10T07:38:00.002-05:00

Public and Community Gardens are Invited to Apply for
Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards

The Nature Hills Nursery Green America Award, a new award program to give national recognition and $5,000 in plants to community groups and organizations who are improving their local environments, has been announced by Nature Hills Nursery. The award will be presented annually, beginning in April 2009, to groups and organizations that are literally “greening” their communities, parks, schools and public spaces by planting trees, shrubs and other plants.

The winners of the inaugural Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards will be those nonprofit groups and organizations that truly are making a difference in their local neighborhoods. The Grand Prize winning garden project will receive $2,500 in plants from Nature Hills Nursery. The First Prize winner will receive $1,500 in plants from Nature Hills Nursery, and the Second Prize winner will receive $1,000 in plants. The plant materials can contain any combination of trees, fruit trees, bushes and shrubs, perennials and vegetable seeds that Nature Hills Nursery offers.
The award winners will be chosen from those groups who submit a local community gardening or “greening” project that makes best use of the trees, bushes and shrubs that Nature Hills Nursery will award. Potential Nature Hills Nursery Green America Award winning projects could be:

· Creating or refurbishing the landscape in a community park.
· A local soil erosion control plan that utilizes plants to stabilize steep hillside slopes or river banks.
· The reclamation of an abandoned lot with the creation of a fruit orchard that will provide much needed fruit to nearby low-income residents.
· Creating a wildlife habitat for birds or animals on donated land that is (or has been) abandoned or neglected.

Based in Omaha, Nebraska, Nature Hills Nursery is a website-only retailer that sells trees, shrubs, perennials and other plants. The company created the Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards as a way to give back to the communities and people who have contributed to the success of the seven-year-old company.

Applications for the Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards will be accepted nationwide from October 15, 2008 until April 1, 2009. The winners of the 2009 Nature Hills Nursery Green America Award will be announced on April 17, 2009. To apply for the 2009 award online, visit the website at http://www.naturehills.com/green_america_awards.aspx.

Susan and Larry: Reunited and it Feels so Good

2008-09-25T13:22:00.002-05:00

Susan Arbetter and I will be reunited again this Saturday, September 27th at 11:00 a.m. at the "Come Grow with Us Day" sponsored by the Women's Club of Albany at 725 Madison Avenue in Albany. NY. Everyone is invited. We will talk about how to have a beautiful garden that is easy to maintain without the use of chemicals. As many of you know, Susan and I were radio partners on WAMC's Vox Pop for more than ten years and we were the winners of the Best Radio Personalities Golden Trowel award from the Garden Writers' Association of America.

Goodbye WAMC

2008-05-02T16:58:00.002-05:00

As of today, WAMC and I have parted ways. I will no longer be a guest on "Gardening with Larry Sombke." The station management decided that it was time to bring in some new voices. I've had a wonderful ten years and I enjoyed speaking with you the listeners, especially when I have been invited to speak at your club or event, even when you ask me questions in the supermarket aisle when you recognize my voice. It has all been great. But I won't disappear. I have a new online garden opportunity that I am pursuing and I will keep you posted on that. And you can always ask me questions here at my blog, or at my Web site www.beautifuleasygardens.com or by email at sombke@beautifuleasygardens.com.
Let's keep in touch.

Organic Lawn Weed Control

2008-04-11T14:57:00.003-05:00

Organic lawn weed control is always a challenge for the environmentally-friendly homeowner. Now there is a new product widely available at your favorite lawn and garden center that is going to make organic lawn weed control a lot easier. Concern All Natural Weed Prevention Plus is a pre-emergent herbicide plus organic fertilizer. Sounds too good to be true doesn't it? But this product is made from corn gluten meal, an animal feed by-product from the manufacture of corn starch. A scientist at Iowa State University discovered that corn gluten meal spread on your lawn will prevent the growth of dandelions, crabgrass, quackgrass, purslane, plantain and many other common lawn and garden weeds. I hope it works on ground ivy, a.k.a. creeping Charlie, too. Concern corn gluten is dry, granular and very yellow. Apply corn gluten with a drop spreader at about the same time as the daffodils or crocus are in bloom in mid-spring at the rate of 15 pounds per 1000 square feet of lawn. Apply just before a steady rain to get best results. Children and pets can play on the lawn after application, but don't inhale the light dust of the product because of potential allergic reaction. Do not use corn gluten on a newly-seeded lawn until after the first mowing. I have heard about this product for a couple years but this is the first time I am giving it a full test on my own lawn. I will keep you informed about how well it works for me. For more information about Concern Weed Prevention Plus visit www.concerngarden.com.

Garden Consultation with Free Book

2008-03-13T12:06:00.002-05:00

Anyone who books me for a garden consultation this year will receive a complimentary copy of my book Beautiful Easy Flower Gardens. A consultation consists of me coming to your home, walking the grounds with you, looking at the landscape, giving you specific ideas of how you can solve your landscape problems. I will give you suggestions of trees, shrubs, flowers and herbs you can plant so you, too, can have a beautiful easy garden. If you are interested in a consultation (fee is $150) contact me a lsombke@beautifuleasygardens.com.
Hope to hear from you!

Tulip and Daffodils Popping Up

2008-03-11T14:48:00.002-05:00

Sara from Greene County writes:
I just heard you say on Vox Pop that it is not good to have things popping up at this time of year. My snow drops are in bloom and my daffodils are over 1 1/2 inches up and the tulips are about 1 inch up. Should I be concerned?
Answer:
No you should not be concerned. This is normal. You just don't want to see a full-scale thaw at this time of year followed by below freezing temperatures that could nip the buds.

2008 Spring Speaking Schedule

2008-03-06T14:42:00.002-05:00

I will be out and about giving speeches and offering garden advice at a variety of places this spring. I hope you can drop by and say hello:

April 9 at 7 pm at the Charlton Garden Club;

April 19th 11 am at the Village of St. Johnsville Sesquicentennial;

April 26th (time TK) at the Annual Garden Day at the Ulster County Community College;

May 14th (time TK) at the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum.

I will post more details as they come in. See you there!

93 Year Old New York City Arborist

2008-03-06T12:59:00.002-05:00

Times ran a great story yesterday about 93-year-old New York City arborist Larry Borger.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/nyregion/05about.html?scp=2&sq=jim+dwyer&st=nyt

WAMC Back on the Air

2008-03-05T15:15:00.002-05:00

After a winter of waiting, I am back on the air on WAMC Northeast Public Radio starting this Friday, March 7, 2008 at 2 p.m. Joe Donohue will be the host and I will be joined by arborist Fred Breglia from the Landis Arboretum. Please tune in and have your questions ready. I can't wait!

Lawn Soil Made Better

2007-09-11T09:52:00.000-05:00

Perry from Rexford asks:
I have a question about how to improve the soil in my lawn. I moved into a new house that has sandy soil. I have been putting mulch, peat moss and compost into my garden soil, but, short of stripping off the grass, how do I improve the soil in my lawn?

A: You can improve the soil of your lawn in a number of ways. First, get a soil test done to check for a pH level that is between 6.0 and 7.0. In most cases, lawn soil here in the Northeast needs applications of lime. Next, always leave the grass clippings on the lawn because clippings are a good source of nitrogen, moisture and organic matter. Let the grass grow three inches tall. Tall grass promotes the growth of deeper roots which helps keep the soil better aerated. You can also top dress the lawn with a 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick layer of sifted compost, peat moss or dehydrated manure. Use organic fertilizer instead of chemical because organic fertilizer helps promote the growth of beneficial organisms in the soil. All of this may take a year or two before you get the improvements you want, but the work and the wait is worth it.

Endless Summer Hydrangea

2007-09-06T10:02:00.000-05:00

Many listeners are complaining that their Endless Summer hydrangea shrubs are not blooming. These are the shrubs that bloom more reliably in the north. I just spoke with Peggy Anne Montgomery, horticulturist for Bailey Nurseries in St. Paul, the company that introduced Endless Summer. Here are some of her tips:

Keep the shrubs watered for the first couple years while they get established;

Do not add any fertilizer to the new shrubs. Fertilizer will promote leaf formation at the expense of blooms;

Dump a bushel basket of leaves over the shrubs in October for winter protection for the first couple years;

Be patient, hydrangea take a couple years to get established.

Also, people want to know if they can change the color of the bloom from blue to pink by adding chemicals.

Peggy's advice is don't fight with Mother Nature. It doesn't work. But if you really must, read the instructions on the packaging carefully. Best advice. Leave the shrub alone!

For more on these wonderful shrubs, check out the Web site http://endlesssummerblooms.com/en/home

Free Book with Garden Consultation

2007-08-24T15:35:00.000-05:00

Anyone who books me for a garden consultation this fall will receive a complimentary copy of my book Beautiful Easy Flower Gardens. A consultation consists of me coming to your home, walking the grounds with you, looking at the landscape, giving you specific ideas of how you can solve your landscape problems and then suggestions of trees, shrubs, flowers and herbs you can plant so you, too, can have a beautiful easy garden. If you are interested in a consultation (fee is $150) contact me a lsombke@beautifuleasygardens.com.
Hope to hear from you!

Mole Max and Deer Stopper

2007-07-26T07:38:00.001-05:00

MoleMax is an effective organic product that I have used to control moles and chipmunks in my garden. It is an easy-to-apply granular product that is derived from castor bean oil. Castor bean oil has long been cited as a deterrent to moles, but this is the first time I have seen an easy-to-use product in my local lawn and garden center. Package says it is effective against moles, gophers, voles, armadillos, skunks, rabbits, ground squirrels and other burrowing animals. For more information see the Web site: http://www.bonideproducts.com/products/molemax.htm

Deer Stopper is an organic product that I am using to deter deer. It is derived from putrescent whole egg solids mixed with rosemary and mint oil to improve the fragrance. So far it is working for me. For more information visit the Web site: http://www.messinawildlife.com/

If you try these products, drop me an email and let me know how it is going.

White Vinegar, Poison Ivy and Weeds

2007-07-26T07:32:00.000-05:00

White vinegar straight from the bottle is an effective way to kill weeds. Simply fill a spray bottle with white vinegar right off the supermarket shelf and spray it on the offending weed. Be sure not to spray plants you want to live because vinegar will kill them, too. This is particularly effective with weeds growing in your brick sidewalk. Most of the prepared organic weed killers have white vinegar in them mixed with a citrus scent. All are effective.
To kill poison ivy, mix a gallon of white vinegar with a pound of table salt and three tablespoons of liquid dish soap. Spray that on the poison ivy. You may have to spray more than once because poison ivy is tough stuff.
If you try these remedies, send me an email and let me know how it goes.

New Side Garden at My Home

2007-06-28T11:10:00.000-05:00

My wife and I have been planning to replant a five by 20 foot half-day sun garden on the side our house all summer long. This garden has had plants in it sinced we moved here five years ago, but it was mostly a holding garden, meaning we plopped things in there until we could figure out what to do with them. This area is along the walkway people take to get to the back of our house and it is really an area that needed a solution.
Step number one was to hop in the Windstar and head to the wholesale perennial grower we like to go to in Columbia County. (We buy from Behn's in Old Chatham and you can ask your local garden center or landscaper to order your plants from him, too, if you want the same selection and quality we get)
We found some neat plants at Behn's including: Aster laterifolorus 'Lady in Black' a dark-leaved aster with red flowers; Hemerocallis 'Stella d"Oro, a short day lily with bright yellow flowers; Malva alcea fastigiata, a somewhat invasive plant but one that reminds my wife of her mother's garden; Sedum spectabile 'Frosty Morn', one can never have too many sedums.
Then I was in charge of digging up all the other daylilies that were in the bed along with the spiderwort, mums, daffodils, hosta and euphorbia. We replanted the daylilies nearby and incorporated the euphoribia, echinacea, and hosta in the garden and planted all the new perennials from Behn's. We covered the entire area with compost from the town compost center, watered the area, and by golly, it looks pretty good.
Now is an excellent time to remodel your beds. The garden centers still have good selections of perennials and shrubs and the weather will not cause any problems for planting. Just remember to keep everything watered.
Keep planting!

Natural Weed Killers

2007-06-14T10:43:00.000-05:00

I've been receiving a lot of email questions about natural weed killers. The best solution I have found, and one we used at New York State Parks, is to spray white vinegar on the weeds. Just use the white vinegar you buy at the supermarket. I used this last week on grass growing in between the bricks in my walkway and it worked just fine. The sprayed weeds were dead in one day. By the way, I've found that most of the prepared natural weed killers are based on white vinegar with clove or some other fragrance added. Not a bad idea if you don't like the smell of vinegar.
For poison ivy, make a solution of one gallon white vinegar, one pound of table salt and three tablespoons of liquid dish soap. Spray this on the leaves of poison ivy. It may take repeated applications to kill this devil, but many of my WAMC listeners say it works for them.

Cemetery Plants

2007-05-31T08:38:00.000-05:00

John in the Bronx asks:
I am looking for suggestions of plants for a cemetery plot. The conditions are full sun all day. As you might realize one cannot get to the cemetery everyday to tend to our plants. Can you suggest something that can put up with the conditions for a week at a time without any human intervention. I am interested in something flowering as well as an attractive non-flowering plant.
Answer: Planting something in a cemetery usually means you need something small that can take some challenging conditions. A small rose "The Fairy" has pink flowers all summer long, grows to no more than two feet tall and wide and is very tough. Another plant you might like is Spirea japonica with the word golden in the title. Unlike the usual Spirea that grows five feet tall and wide, these golden-leafed shrubs grow no more than two feet tall and wide and have lovely golden yellow leaves. Be sure to check with you cemetery for rules about plants on grave markers.

Grub Control

2007-05-17T09:06:00.000-05:00

It is not necessary for the anyone to spread potentially hazardous toxic chemicals on their lawn to try to stop the spread of grubs in the turf. Milky Spore (Bacillus popilliae) is an environmentally friendly alternative that is easy to apply and does not pose any harmful threat to children or pets. According to Cornell University, between 1939 and 1953, over 100 tons of spore powder was applied to turf in over 160,000 sites in the U.S. as part of a government program. Larval numbers in the turf decreased 10- to 20-fold and the population stabilized at this new low level with corresponding reductions in the levels of adult beetle damage.
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/pathogens/
bacillus_popilliae.html
According to the U.S EPA, spores of Bacillus popilliae infect larvae (grubs) of Japanese beetles, eventually killing the larvae and preventing their development into adult beetles. As a pesticide active ingredient, the spores of this bacterium are approved for use on lawns and ornamental plants around residential areas. The spores also infect larvae of some closely related beetles, but do not infect other non-target organisms, such as other insects, birds, mammals, earthworms, and plants. No harm is expected to humans or the environment from use of pesticide products containing spores of B. popilliae.
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/ingredients/
factsheets/factsheet_054502.htm
Before you jump to a potentially hazardous conclusion, I urge you to take a look at the Web site of the maker of Milky Spore, St. Gabriel Laboratories at http://www.milkyspore.com/milkyspore.htm and consider using this product.
Milky spore is widely available on the Internet and in many better-quality lawn and garden centers.

Spring Gardening Events

2007-05-14T10:57:00.000-05:00

Lots of great garden talks, plant sales and other events on tap over the next couple weeks:

A Day to Learn About and Enjoy Forests
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County, NY
On Saturday, May 19 from 9:00a.m.-3:00p.m., there will be a special opportunity to learn about the incredible value of our forests at the Agroforestry Resource Center in Acra, NY. Free. Registration is required by contacting Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County at 518-622-9820.

Plant and Book Sale, Claverack Library, Rt 9H and 23B, Claverack, NY. Saturday May 19th from 9 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Sunday May 20th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thousands of books and plants and lunch, too!

Wildflower Festival, Saturday, May 19th 10:00 - 3:30at Catskill Native Nursery, 607 Samsonville Rd., Kerhonkson, NY 12446, 845-626-2758 or http://www.catskillnativenursery.com/ Come celebrate our native wildflowers, fruits, shrubs, trees & herbs.Plants, pottery and garden art for sale. FREE TALKS & WORKSHOPS.

Fordhook Open Spring Planting Event, Burpee's Fordhook Farm, Doylestown, PA, Friday and Saturday, May 18 and 19, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. contact www.heronswood.com or 215-674-4900.

ENJOY!

Hyacinth bean WAMC call

2007-05-11T09:52:00.000-05:00

Susan from Cohoes, NY sent in this message in response to a recent call on my garden show on WAMC. (By the way, I will return to the airwaves on Thursday, May 17 th)

To the woman who called Vox Pop about something purple to cover her barn, I say Hyacinth Bean! Easy to start from seed,transplant out after all frost. I ran twine 12" apart up to the roof of our barn which was soon covered in lovely bronze foliage, lavender pea-like flowers and beans the color of eggplant. The south side of our barn was covered by August! Seed from Johnny's, Cooks Garden and others.

Deer Stopper

2007-04-30T13:37:00.001-05:00

I've come across a new organic deer repellent that seems to be working quite well. Deer Stopper from Messina Wildlife, www.messinawildlife.com, is a spray made from putrescent whole egg solids, rosemary oil and mint oil. So not only does it keep deer away, it smells nice, too. According to the manufacturer, Deer Stopper was tested by Cornell, Auburn University and by the USDA. Maybe it is a coincidence, but since I sprayed Deer Stopper, my tulips look great and they haven't been eaten by deer. The product materials I have say the company makes repellent for moles, voles, groundhogs, rabbits, chipmunks and other critters. Their Web site indicates there are quite a few retail stores in the Northeast that carry Deer Stopper, but you can also buy the product online.

Garden and Landscape Consultations

2007-04-27T10:08:00.000-05:00

As many of you already know, I offer garden and landscape consultations for a fee. Typically I come visit your home, we walk around the property and I offer advice on how to solve your landscape problems and give suggestions on trees, shrubs and other plants you can add to the landscape. I don't do the installation, that is up to you or your local landscaper. I charge $150 for a good one hour session within a short drive of my home in the greater Albany, NY media market. If you live on the outskirts of this area, contact me and we will see what we can work out. Contact me at lsombke@beautifuleasygardens.com.

Tulips and Daffodils in Windowboxes

2007-04-05T11:28:00.000-05:00

Often times listeners will write and ask if they can still plant those tulip bulbs in April they forgot to plant last fall. By now those bulbs are dry and dead. But I've come across a good idea from my friend Sally Ferguson who represents the Netherlands flower bulb growers. Buy pots of forced bulbs now available in supermarkets and garden centers and plant them in the ground or in window boxes outdoors. No one will know the difference! Sally fills in the how-to information at her Web site http://www.bulb.com/templates/dispatcher.asp?page_id=18671

Garden Classes and Events

2007-04-04T14:45:00.000-05:00

As one would expect, there are a number of garden classes and events scheduled for April and beyond:

"Stone Walls for the Garden" and "Paving with Brick and Stone" will be offered on Saturday, April 21st at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, MA. 413-298-3926 or www.berkshirebotanical.org.

Rural Life in the Catskills: A Forum on Food, Water and Wood for the Future, Saturday, April 14, 2007 in Andes, NY. Contact the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, P.O. Box 504, Arkville, NY 845-586-2611.

Heronswood Hellebore Spring Open, April 20th and 21st, Burpees Fordhook Farm, Doylestown, PA. $5 admission. Rare opportunity to buy Hellebores from the world's best hellebore nursery.
215-674-4900 x 1401. www.heronswood.com

Enjoy

Beautiful Easy Flower Gardens Winners!

2007-04-03T09:37:00.000-05:00

Congratulations. We have five winners of a copy of my book Beautiful Easy Flower Gardens for being the first five people who posted a comment on my new blog. The winners are Science, Peter Nelson, sarahsnail, DevonAnn and muddiest1. Way to go! Now, I need your email and postal address so I can send you a copy. Send this information to lsombke@beautifuleasygardens.com and I will get your books to you asap.
Thanks.
I will be back on the radio on Thursday, April 5th at 2 p.m.
See you there!

Beautiful Easy Flower Gardens

2007-03-23T13:26:00.000-05:00

Wow! More than thirty of you posted comments to my blog www.beautifuleasygardens.blogspot.com. Thanks. I will sort out who the first five post were and then get your free autographed copy of Beautiful Easy Flower Gardens to you right away.
The whole idea is to get people using the blog and it looks like you are doing it. Consider this post from me an open thread so you can post all you want and start talking about gardening again for Spring 2007.

Larry on the Road Spring 2007

2007-03-15T10:59:00.000-05:00

As always, when spring comes I accept invitations to speak at garden centers and shows and with garden and civic groups. This year is looking great. If you want me to come your group, you can email me at lsombke@beautifuleasygardens.com.

March 24 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and March 25, at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
North Country Home & Backyard EXPO at the Lake George Arena.
www.northcountryhomeexpo.com

April 24th at 7 p.m.
Galway Public Library, 5264 Sacandaga Road, Galway NY.
518-882-6385

April 25th at 7 p.m.
Gardeners on the Green, Longmeadow, MA.
(I will post the exact location when I have it)

June 10th or 17th (Not sure, yet)
Landscape Home and Garden Center
Rt 17K, Newburgh, NY

Hope to see you at one of these fine venues.

Back on the Radio

2007-03-15T10:54:00.000-05:00

On March 22, 2007 I will end my winter hiatus/hibernation and return to the airwaves at WAMC Northeast Public Radio 90.3. FM in the greater Albany, NY area. Susan Arbetter and I will be at the microphones at 2 p.m. that day taking your calls. WAMC has a large listening area from Albany north to Burlington, Vermont, west to Utica, NY, east to Springfield, Mass, and south to Newburgh NY and southeast to Hartford, CT. Also, if you can't listen live, you can always listen online or in a pod cast the station does. www.wamc.org.
Hope to hear from you!

Soil pH for Blueberries

2007-01-12T16:05:00.000-05:00

Brian of Glenville writes:
I will be planting some blueberry bushes this spring. The Cornell site says it needs to be acid soil. Can I test the soil now (January)? What's the best/cheapest way to test?
Answer:
In most cases the soil in the Northeast is acid in nature due to the lack of limestone in the ground. But there are always exceptions to the rule. You can take a soil test anytime the soil is not frozen. Simply dig down about four inches and scoop a couple tablespoons of soil into a plastic baggie. You can test the pH of the soil yourself with a soil test kit you can buy at your favorite lawn and garden center or buy online. Or, you can take your soil, even mail it in many cases, to your county cooperative extension office. In New York, that is Cornell Cooperative Extension of Albany County or Dutchess County, for instance. They will test the soil for you and probably charge a nominal fee of a few dollars. Often times they will tell you how to amend the soil in case the pH is not where it should be for what you want to plant. Call ahead to make sure they can handle your request.
Good luck with your blueberry bushes!
Larry

Bittersweet vine control

2007-01-08T16:34:00.000-05:00

A nice young person from Holyoke, MA writes:
We have an area of bittersweet, brushy growth and trees between our driveway and the neighbors' home. After we clear the area, our tree removal person says we'll have to spray continually to retard the bittersweet in order to plant a lawn. What are organic options for this sloped, part-sun site that will help us control regrowth and have an attractive, easy care planting? Thanks! (actually, I'm the organic-gardening daughter wanting my dad not to use Round-up!)
Answer: If you are interested in planting grass, here is what I suggest:
I am not clear about when you plan to get rid of the brush and I am not sure how large this area is, but, if you do the clearing in the spring, you can get rid of the lion's share of the weed seeds that are there if you are willing to let them germinate and then eradicate them. Don't plant the new grass seed until Labor Day or after. This way you can allow the weed seed to sprout and then kill them a couple times over the course of the summer. You can kill them by tilling again, spraying them with store-bought white vinegar or pulling them up by hand.
You could also spread sheets of clear plastic over the area and weight them down with stones. The plastic will allow the sun to raise the temperature underneath, (something like a greenhouse) that will kill the plants as they germinate.
Plant the grass on Labor day or anytime in September. Next spring and summer the grass should be growing well. Simple mowing, over time, should keep the brush and weeds under control.
If you are interested in planting shrubs or perennials, you can do the clearing anytime. Then, spread thick sheets of newspaper over the area and cover that with two to four inches of mulch.
Cut holes in the papers or adjust them so you can plant the shrubs or perennials in the bed. If you keep the mulch applied each year, you should be able to keep the weeds at bay.
Larry

Poison Ivy Control

2007-01-05T11:45:00.000-05:00

Alan in Catskill writes:
We moved on to a property with extensive poison ivy. I tried a little Roundup, but was concerned about doing in the flowers and shrubs. Aside from a few dead leaves, no effect seen. I pulled up a lot of plants with long runners, but plenty left. Family members extremely allergic.What do you recommend? Thanks.
Answer:
Controlling poison ivy is difficult but not impossible. If you can mow the area be sure to do that often. If not, pulling it up is a very effective means of controlling it, but be sure to wear protective clothing. The best time of year to pull the ivy is in winter when the plant has no leaves.
A concoction that a listener suggested a couple years ago (and one that many listeners have tried with success) is a mixture of one gallon ordinary white vinegar, one pound of table salt and 1 teaspoon of dish washing liquid. Spray this on the poison ivy leaves and vines. Be sure not to spray the surrounding plants. Be prepared to spray this repeatedly until the plant dies. Even with chemical sprays you have to spray more than once to kill this annoying vine.

Warm Winter Weather

2007-01-05T11:32:00.000-05:00

Eric in Saratoga County writes:
Larry, just a question: with this unseasonably warm weather, my daffodils are showing at the soil surface. Should I mulch them now to protect them from the cold that will surely come soon, or let nature take it's course? Thanks
Answer:
While we are experiencing some of the warmest weather ever recorded this winter, plants have a way of surviving these spells. I have heard about lilacs budding and other such phenomenon, but these plants will all survive.
As for your daffodils, it is useless to try to do anything to protect them from the eventual cold weather that will set in. These are just the leaves that are appearing now. As long as the flowers buds don't appear, the daffodil will return to its slumber once the cold weather hits. If it doesn't, then the daffies will bloom a little earlier this year. But don't worry, follow all of your usual daffodil care and they will return again next year.

Tipsy Paperwhite Daffodils

2006-11-02T12:44:00.000-05:00

It is often a problem finding ways to keep your forced paperwhite daffodils from growing so tall they tip over and ruin the effect. Here is a great tip from Cornell Cooperative Extension on how a little booze might do the trick.
By Susan S. Lang
Those paperwhites and other daffodils sure could use a drink -- a little whiskey, vodka gin or tequila could keep them from falling over.
A new Cornell study finds that a touch of booze is a great way to keep certain houseplants from getting too tall by stunting their growth. "Dilute solutions of alcohol -- though not beer or wine -- are a simple and effective way to reduce stem and leaf growth," said William Miller, professor of horticulture and director of the Flower Bulb Research Program at Cornell.
"When the liquor is properly used, the paperwhites we tested were stunted by 30 to 50 percent, but their flowers were as large, fragrant and long-lasting as usual," added Miller, whose new study on how alcohol inhibits houseplant growth will be published in the April issue of HortTechnology, a peer-reviewed journal of horticulture.
Miller will be working this spring to see if a little booze works for amaryllis and such vegetables as tomatoes and peppers, as well. His work with tulips so far has been promising but not yet definitive: "I think with a little jiggering -- no pun intended -- of the system, the method will work for tulips, though I think it will not be as simple as with paperwhites."
Last year, Miller received a call from The New York Times about a reader who had written to the garden editor claiming that gin had prevented some paperwhite narcissi from growing too tall and floppy and asked if it was because of some "essential oil" in the gin.
Intrigued that dilute alcohol might act as a growth retardant, Miller and former Cornell student Erin Finan '05 conducted experiments with ethanol (1, 5, 10 and 25 percent) and "Ziva" paperwhite narcissi (Narcissus tazetta), and later with about a dozen kinds of alcohol, including dry gin, unflavored vodka, whiskey, white rum, gold tequila, mint schnapps, red and white wine and pale lager beer, on paperwhites.
"While solutions greater than 10 percent alcohol were toxic, solutions between 4 and 6 percent alcohol stunted the paperwhites effectively," said Miller.
To control stem and leaf growth, he suggests waiting until paperwhites or other daffodil shoots are several inches long to drain the water and replace it with a solution of 4 to 6 percent alcohol -- hard liquor or rubbing alcohol.
To get a 5 percent solution from 80-proof liquor, which is 40 percent alcohol (such as gin, vodka, whiskey, rum or tequila), add one part liquor to seven parts water. To use rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol), which is 70 percent alcohol, dilute one part with 10-11 parts water.
Why does booze stunt plant growth? "We don't know, but we're working on this," Miller writes in a fact sheet available on the Web called "Pickling Your Paperwhites" (available at http://www.hort.cornell.edu/miller/pubs.html).
"We think it simply might be water stress, that is, the alcohol makes it more difficult for the plant to absorb water, so the plant suffers a slight lack of water, enough to reduce leaf and stem growth, but not enough to affect flower size or flower longevity."
But don't serve beer or wine to plants -- the sugars wreak havoc on their health.

Don't Buy Cypress Mulch

2006-10-13T14:30:00.000-05:00

Mulch Madness
By STEVE FLEISCHLI
TOWERING cypress once covered much of southern Louisiana — 1,000-year-old trees darkened ancient, moss-laden, water-saturated forests. These wetlands not only gave the bayou its flavor, its culture and its mystery, they also acted as critical natural “speed bumps” for major storms.
It’s been estimated that every 2.7 square miles of wetlands reduces storm surge by a foot, and yet over the last century Louisiana has stripped away 1,900 square miles of swamp, an area the size of Delaware. Evidence shows that such improper land management, reducing the cypress-tupelo swamps to a small fraction of their original grandeur, worsened flooding in New Orleans during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Yet at a time when the nation should be investing billions to restore the Gulf Coast’s wetlands for protection against future storms, these cypress swamps continue to face many challenges, including development, saltwater flowing in and rising water levels. The most dangerous threat of all, however, may be garden mulch — the stuff that gardeners usually use to protect their plants.
As they exhaust the cypress forests along Florida’s coast, mulch companies are moving into Louisiana with shady operators among them grinding up entire cypress forests, 70 percent to 80 percent of which will never grow back. This is hurricane protection lost forever — habitat and flood control converted to quick cash, one bag of mulch at a time.
The Environmental Protection Agency has finally begun to require permits for logging in southern Louisiana, which has still not stopped the wholesale clear-cutting of cypress forests.
The situation was further exacerbated by a Supreme Court ruling this summer ordering government agencies and lower courts to undertake a painstaking, case-by-case analysis of waterways, with only those wetlands determined to be of special significance afforded federal protection. It’s a move that could effectively stymie preservation efforts.
So in the meantime, the safety of our nation’s already depleted wetlands comes down to sellers and consumers of cypress mulch.
Big mulch retailers — like Lowe’s, Home Depot and Wal-Mart — have been slow to take real action about the mulch in their stores. But all three companies should put into place formal, meaningful policies that guarantee their cypress mulch comes from sustainable sources rather than the imperiled swamps of the Gulf Coast. Many retailers have done so with lumber and they can do it for cypress mulch.
Until then, consumers would do best to avoid cypress mulch altogether, switching instead to mulches made from pine bark, pine needles or straw. These work just as well and do not have the same environmental impact.
Already, several Florida municipalities, after witnessing the destruction of their wetlands, have banned the use of cypress mulches. In Louisiana, Gov. Kathleen Blanco is exploring her authority to carry out a broader moratorium.
Consumers need to remember that their mulch purchases may be leaving New Orleans and other coastal communities vulnerable. Every bag of cypress mulch for you could mean another sandbag for someone else.
Steve Fleischli is the executive director of Waterkeeper Alliance.

Great Peony Mystery

2006-06-19T15:51:00.000-05:00

Last week on Vox Pop a caller told of a "wild" peony plant that came up on its own near the peony plants she planted a few years ago. I was stumped because I've only experienced peony propagation by crown division. I searched the Web and found a great site for peony propagation by seed.
I am pretty convinced that this is what happened to the caller since her wild sprout has produced flowers of a completely different color, which makes sense since peonies by seed usually are not the same color as their host plant. Here's the site:

http://www.paeonia.com/html/about_peonies/propagation.htm

Plants to Grow Near Black Walnut Trees

2006-06-19T15:23:00.000-05:00

Black walnut trees (Juglans nigra L.) are beautiful and useful trees of the forest and often suburban neighborhoods. But the tree does give off juglone, a toxic substance that can make it difficult to grow many plants within a 50 to 60 foot radius of the trunk. Ohio State University Extension has compiled a list of plants that will grow near black walnut trees.

Plants Observed Growing Under or Near Black Walnut Trees

Trees
Japanese Maples, Acer palmatum and its cultivars
Southern Catalpa, Catalpa bignonioides
Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis
Canadian Hemlock, Tsuga canadensis

Vines and Shrubs
Clematis 'Red Cardinal'
February Daphne, Daphne mezereum
Euonymus species
Weeping Forsythia, Forsythia suspensa
Rose of Sharon, Hibiscus syriacus
Tartarian Honeysuckle, Lonicera tatarica, and most other Lonicera species
Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia
** Pinxterbloom, Rhododendron periclymenoides
**'Gibraltar' and 'Balzac', Rhododendron Exbury hybrids
Multiflora Rose, Rosa multiflora
Black Raspberry, Rubus occidentalis
Arborvitaes, Thuja species
** Koreanspice Viburnum, Viburnum carlesii, and most other Viburnum species

Annuals
Pot-marigold, Calendula officinalis 'Nonstop'
Begonia, fibrous cultivars
Morning Glory, Ipomoea 'Heavenly Blue'
Pansy Viola
Zinnia species

Vegetables
Squashes, Melons, Beans, Carrots, Corn

Fruit Trees
Peach, Nectarine, Cherry, Plum
Prunus species Pear-Pyrus species

Herbaceous Perennials
Bugleweed, Ajuga reptans
Hollyhock, Alcea rosea
American Wood Anemone, Anemone quinquefolia
Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum
European Wild Ginger, Asarum europaeum
Astilbe species
Bellflower, Campanula latifolia
**Chrysanthemum species (some)
Glory-of-the-Snow, Chionodoxa luciliae
Spring Beauty, Claytonia virginica
Crocus species
Dutchman's Breeches, Dicentra cucullaria
Leopard's-Bane, Doronicum species
Crested Wood Fern, Dryopteris cristata
Spanish Bluebell, Endymion hispanicus
Winter Aconite, Eranthis hyemalis
Snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis
Sweet Woodruff, Galium odoratum
Herb Robert, Geranium robertianum
Cranesbill, Geranium sanguineum
Grasses (most) Gramineae family
Jerusalem Artichoke, Helianthus tuberosus
Common Daylily, Hemerocallis 'Pluie de Feu'
Coral Bells, Heuchera x brizoides
Orange Hawkweed, Hieracium aurantiacum
Plantain-lily, Hosta fortunei 'Glauca'
Hosta lancifolia
Hosta marginata
Hosta undulata 'Variegata'
Common Hyacinth, Hyacinthus Orientalis 'City of Haarlem'
Virginia Waterleaf, Hydrophyllum virginianum
Siberian Iris, Iris sibirica
Balm, Monarda didyma
Wild Bergamot, M. fistulosa
Grape Hyacinth, Muscari botryoides
Sweet Cicely, Myrrhis odorata 'Yellow Cheerfulness,' 'Geranium,' 'Tete a Tete,' 'Sundial,' and 'February Gold'
Sundrops, Oenothera fruticosa
Senstitive Fern, Onoclea sensibilis
Cinnamon Fern, Osmunda cinnamomea
Peony, **Paeonia species (some)
Summer Phlox, Phlox paniculata
Mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum
Jacob's-Ladder, Polemonium reptans
Great Solomon's-Seal, Polygonatum commutatum
Polyanthus Primrose, Primula x polyantha
Lungwort, Pulmonaria species
Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis
Siberian Squill, Scilla sibirica
Goldmoss Stonecrop, Sedum acre
Showy Sedum, Sedum spectabile
Lamb's-Ear, Stachys byzantina
Spiderwort, Tradescantia virginiana
Nodding Trillium, Trillium cernuum
White Wake-Robin, Trillium grandiflorum
Tulipa Darwin 'White Valcano' and 'Cum Laude,' Parrot 'Blue Parrot,' Greigii 'Toronto'
Big Merrybells, Uvularia grandiflora
Canada Violet, Viola canadensis
Horned Violet, Viola cornuta
Woolly Blue Violet, Viola sororia

Great Northeast Fruit Trees

2006-06-02T11:57:00.000-05:00

Recently on Vox Pop on Northeast Public Radio/WAMC, a caller from New Hampshire was getting ready to plant his first fruit tree orchard and wanted some advice. Here is some information that was good for him and will be good for any of you who are thinking of doing the same thing.

Choose the cultivars that are proven to be disease resistant, cold hardy and produce an abundance of good fruit. Cornell Cooperative Extension's list of best apple trees includes Williams Pride, Sansa, Gala, Jonamac, Freedom, Priscilla, Liberty, Empire, Golden Delicious, Keepsake and Gold Rush. Most of these are resistant to the dreaded apple scab disease which produces black spots on the leaves and the fruit.

You can also grow apricots, sweet and tart cherries, nectarine, peaches, pears, and plums here in the Northeast. Remember that only peaches and sour cherries do not need a pollinator, meaning you can have one tree of each of these and still get fruit. All the others need two trees of different cultivars to get the best fruit production.

Plant the trees in spring in an area not prone to late spring frost, mulch around the trees to keep weeds at bay and keep your orchard clear of brush and leaves that can be a breeding ground for pests and diseases.

For a more complete package of information on growing all kinds of fruit, here is a link to Cornells' guide to growing fruit; http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/fruit/homefruit.html

Larry Speaking Summer 2006

2006-06-01T16:02:00.000-05:00

I will be speaking to a variety of groups this spring and summer. I would be happy if you came by to say hello.

Saturday, June 17th, 7 p.m. at the Landis Arboretum Summer Solstice Soiree Garden Party. Music, garden strolls through the Van Loveland Perennial Gardens fundraiser for the Arboretum. call 518-875-6935 for details. Esperance, NY.

Wednesday, July 12, 7:30 a.m. New Paltz Regional Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Terrace Restaurant on the SUNY New Paltz campus. call 845-255-0243 or go to www.newpaltzchamber.org.

Tuesday, July 18 12:00p.m. Germantown Garden Club. call 518-537-4868 for details.

See you there!

Planting a Salsa and Gazpacho Garden

2006-05-31T13:38:00.000-05:00

Summer is that sultry garden time when the oozingly ripe tomatoes and cucumbers are hanging on the vine, when the hot and sweet peppers are bright with color and flavor, when garlic, onions and herbs are at their peak. In short, it is time to make your own homegrown salsa and gazpacho.

But if you want all of that garden bounty in August, you have to get started now. You can grow all the ingredients for these two summer favorites right in your own backyard. You can easily grow tomatoes, cucumbers, fiery jalapeno peppers, cilantro, onions and garlic. You can even grow the exotic tomatillos if you want to make salsa verde, the green sauce popular in parts of the American southwest and Mexico. The only ingredients you cannot grow are limes and olive oil. Not too bad!

Everybody knows what salsa is because we buy more salsa than ketchup in the United States. But store-bought salsa cannot compare to home-grown and home-made. Your own salsa will be fresher and the taste of the vegetables will be much more pronounced if you grow your own.
Gazpacho is a thick soup of uncooked raw vegetables including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions and more. There are many different variations on gazpacho. In Sevilla it is more of a pureed bread soup with chopped vegetables sprinkled on top. but all gazpacho begins with garlic and olive oil spiked with vegetables. Since it is uncooked, only the freshest vegetables make the best soup.

Your salsa and gazpacho garden needs to be located in a spot that gets at least 8 hours of sunlight per day. It also needs to be a spot that is well-drained, where no water stays puddled up two to three hours after a rain storm. A 100 square foot spot (10 ft. X 10 ft.) is all the room you need to grow enough vegetables for all your salsa and gazpacho needs with some left over.
All of these vegetables need a deep fertile soil to thrive. Dig your soil to a depth of 8 inches. Spread a 2 to 4 inch thick layer of compost or other organic matter over the soil and dig that in, as well. Rake it all smooth and you are ready to plant.

Here’s a list of the vegetables for your salsa and gazpacho garden and how to grow them starting with the first to plant: Garlic. Fall is the preferred time to plant garlic here in the Northeast. But you can plant garlic this spring and you will get heads of garlic this summer. Gardeners in the Northeast grow stiff neck garlic. One to two heads of garlic separated into cloves will produce enough garlic four your small garden. Plant the cloves 2 inches deep and 4 inches apart. Green shoots will appear first followed by strong stems. Plant as soon as the ground can be worked and harvest in about 120 days.

Onion. Red, white or yellow onions are all good for salsa and gazpacho. Plant onion sets (they look like little bulbs) four inches apart with the sprouting end slightly below soil level as soon as the ground can be worked in early spring and begin harvesting in 80 to 90 days. It is very important to keep the weeds pulled where both garlic and onions are planted. They don’t like to be crowded or shaded.

Parsley. Both Italian flat leaf and curleyleaf parsley are good for these dishes. Both are biennial, which means they will produce edible leaves for two years before they die. But I plant new parsley every year because the second year never produces good leaves. Parsley seeds are way to difficult to start, so, buy parsley plants in flats and plant them about 8 inches apart in early spring.

Cilantro. Cilantro is the pungent feathery leaves of the coriander plant. They are easily grown from seed every year with seeds planted in late April till the first of June. Look for the slow bolting varieties such as “Santo” from Johnny’s Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com) to get more leaves for salsa than seeds for baking. Plant the seeds about 4 to 6 inches apart and cover with 1/4 inch of fine soil. Keep moist until germination in about 10 days. Harvest by pinching off the largest stems which will allow new stems to develop.

Tomato. Set transplants plants out in the garden in spring after all danger of frost has passed, usually between Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. There are so many good tasting and robust growing varieties on the market that if you cannot start the seeds yourself indoors, you can easily buy wonderful tomato plants at farm markets and garden centers in May and June.
Any homegrown tomato will be good in these dishes, even cherry tomatoes or plum tomatoes. Rutgers and Celebrity varieties, a.k.a. Jersey tomatoes, are quite nice as are any variety of beefsteak tomato. Marmande, Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter and other heirloom tomatoes have a particularly fine flavor. Yellow and orange tomatoes are just as flavorful as red and can give your recipe a certain accent.

Pepper. Salsa needs some type of spicy pepper to add zip to the recipe. Jalapeno is easy to grow and very productive but the smaller Serrano chile and the exceptionally hot habanero are good, too. Both salsa and gazpacho need a sweet bell pepper to add body and flavor. If you really want to make your dishes different form your friends, use chile ancho, a.k.a. chile poblano. This mildly hot green pepper has a uniquely smoky flavor that is indescribable.

Tomatillo. Sometimes called Mexican green tomatoes, these tangy little fruits do resemble tomatoes albeit they come wrapped in their own papery little husks. You grow them just like tomatoes and they will be ready for harvest 60 days after you set them out in late May. You can chop them and add their tart fruity flavor them to any tomato or fruit salsa or leave out the tomatoes and make the delicious salsa verde with them.

Plant your tomato, pepper and tomatillo plants after all danger of frost has passed, usually after Mother’s day because a frost at night will kill these tender tropical plants. Dig a hole large enough to hold the root ball of the plant. Sprinkle ½ cup of natural organic fertilizer in the hole, stir it in with some of the dirt and set the plant in the hole and cover the root ball with soil. Firmly press the soil around the plant and water. Spread mulch around the plant to keep the weeds down and water weekly.

Cucumber. This is one of the key ingredients for gazpacho. Cucumbers grow on long trailing vines that make growing them in small spaces more difficult. But not if you grow them vertically. Train your cucumber vines to grow up on a trellis, a flat fence or in a cucumber cage, a 3 to 4 foot long length of fencing wire formed into a cylinder.
Cucumber seeds will not germinate in cold soil. Plant the seeds in the ground at the base of the fence, cage or trellis between Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. Plant seeds or transplants that you know are resistant to anthracnose, wilt and other cucumber diseases.

Making your own fresh garden salsa and gazpacho is really quite easy. The very best versions of both of these dishes are made with vegetables that you finely mince by hand with a very sharp knife. This is a little more time consuming, but if you are handy with a knife and your knife is sharp, this yields a slightly chunky product that is even more authentic. The other option is to whir everything up in a blender, not a food processor if you can avoid it. A food processor beats up the vegetables too much for my liking, while the blender leaves them a little more chunky.

Fresh Garden Salsa 2 cups chopped fresh tomato 1 cup seeded and chopped red, green, yellow or orange bell pepper or poblano pepper ½ cup seeded and chopped jalapeno pepper 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 1 to 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and chopped The juice of one lime 1/4 cup washed cilantro or parsley leaves or a combination 1 teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper

Finely mince by hand or whir all the ingredients in a blender. Let the salsa sit covered in the refrigerator for two hours for the flavors to mingle. Stir every 15 minutes, taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary. To make a truly unique salsa, substitute tomatillo, watermelon, peaches or cantaloupe for all or part of the tomato. Serve as a dip for chips or spoon over broiled fish or shrimp.

Gazpacho 3 large tomatoes, peeled and seeded 2 medium sweet bell peppers, seeded and chopped 3 medium cucumbers, peeled and seeded 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 2 large cloves garlic, smashed and peeled 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley 3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar ½ teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper

Finely mince by hand all the vegetables or whir them coarsely in a blender. Add the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, Stir to blend well. Let the soup rest, covered, at room temperature for 60 minutes for the flavors to mingle. If you must refrigerate it, bring it back to room temperature before you serve.

Serve with crusty, country-style white bread that is rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil and lightly toasted on your outdoor barbecue grill. Add a glass of cold fino sherry, a bowl of olives, a platter of dry sausage and you have a complete Mediterranean feast right in your own backyard.

Gardening in Containers

2006-05-12T14:25:00.000-05:00

Containers are the city gardener's very best friend. With pots, planters and window boxes made of terra cotta, wood, plastic or metal small space gardeners can fill their outdoor surroundings with vegetables, herbs and flowers and even trees, fruits and shrubs.
Almost anything you can grow in the ground you can grow in a container, as long as the container is large enough to hold the roots firmly in place. Terraces, plazas and roof top gardens throughout the area sport trees greater than twenty feet tall growing in containers. But even if you have room for only one small widow box, you can make that your garden and make it grow with perennials, annuals and trailing vines that can give you pretty flowers and edible herbs from early spring till late in the fall.
Now is the time to buy your pots, soil and plants to make your container garden come alive. The cold weather is over and it is time to move outside. According to the National Gardening Association, container gardening is the fastest growing segment of the lawn and garden industry. A plethora of pots and boxes in all types of sizes, materials and prices are pouring into the market at garden centers, in catalogues and over the Internet.
Prices range from a few dollars for terra cotta or earth-tone plastic pots to hundreds of dollars for stone or concrete urns in classic shapes. There are self-watering containers and whole container gardening kits complete with soil and plants that can be bought for as little as $12 and as much as $130.
Choosing the Right Container
Size is your first consideration. The pot needs to be large enough to hold the plant when it is fully grown. A tomato plant seedling might look good in a one pint pot, but when it is fully grown, that plant needs to be in a two gallon pot.
Plants need drainage so make sure your pots have holes in the bottom so excess water can drain out. If there is a hole-less container you just must have, you can always drill holes in the bottom to create drainage.
Terra Cotta is beautiful and old-fashioned but it is also heavier and more prone to breakage. Moisture evaporates faster out of clay pots meaning you might have to water a little bit more often.
Plastic pots have taken on a whole new look in recent years. They've been redesigned to look just like terra cotta. They are lighter weight, hold water better and don't break as often.
Wood is a durable material for planters and window boxes, especially if you buy rot resistant cedar or redwood containers. Avoid treated wood that contains creosote or penta that may give off plant harming vapors. Ordinary wood lined with heavy plastic sheeting does a fine job.
Metal containers, especially those made from galvanized steel, make excellent containers. Be sure to drill holes in the bottom for drainage
Soil Mix and Fertilizer
Ordinary garden soil or top soil is too heavy for containers. It also gets compacted over the season making it more difficult for the roots of your plants to spread out and flourish. Instead, plant your flora in a light weight, soil-based potting mix that contains the likes of sandy loam, peat and sand. This readily available product gives your plants the right balance of drainage, organic matter and stability your plants need.
Your container plants are very dependent upon you for food. Some soil-based mixes have fertilizer already mixed in. But you can do the same by mixing a granular, slow-release organic into the soil before you plant. This dose will feed your plants for 8 to 10 weeks. After that, you may need to add a liquid fertilizer such as fish emulsion as a supplement.
Watering and Care
During the heat of the summer you may need to water your containers as often as once a day. There are several self-watering containers on the market with built in reservoir that will cut your watering duties down to once a week. Water slowly and gently until small amounts of water drain out the bottom. I place saucers under most of my potted plants that hold water the plants call on later in the day and to keep the porch cleaner and dryer.
Mulching your container gardens is both beneficial and decorative. Spread a thin layer of shredded bark or other favored mulch to help keep the soil cooler and hold in moisture.
You don't want your container plants to be constantly buffeted by wind. Build a windbreak or fence along your terrace or roof top to cut down on too much damaging wind.
All of the annuals and most of the perennials you grow in your containers will not survive the winter. Simply plan to replace them each year. Most trees and shrubs will survive if you can move them to a more protected part of your outdoor space. You can also wrap them the containers in burlap or bubble wrap to help protect the root system from extreme winter cold. Do keep the plants occasionally watered over the winter if they don't receive any rain or snow.
Never use the same soil twice. Soil borne diseases like mildew can be passed from plant to pot. Each year empty the pots and wash them out with a chlorine and water solution to kill diseases. Add a little fresh soil mix to your permanent pots of trees and shrubs each year to replenish the soil.
Good Plants for Containers
The range of plants you can grow in your container garden is limited only by your imagination and by sunlight. If you have a shady spot, you should rule out tomatoes, marigolds, roses and other sun-loving plants that need 8 to 10 hours of sunlight each day to produce flowers and food. But there are plenty of plants to choose from and one of the beauties of containers is that you can move them around, even during the day, to take advantage of what sunlight you do receive.
Basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, chives, savory and other herbs are some of the best plants you can grow in containers. In their native habitat, most herbs grow in rather difficult conditions to begin with. Plant them in individual pots or in one big one and snip off what you like to add to your favorite recipe.
Tuberous begonia, impatiens and coleus are three shade loving colorful annuals that I frequently grow in my window boxes in deep shade. Viola is another colorful annual I use in dappled shade window boxes in early spring.
Heuchera 'Palace Purple' and H. sanguinea 'Coral Bells' are perennials with richly colored foliage and delicate flowers that both grow well in containers in full sun to partial shade. Bells Foliage is another good choice for containers.
Even though you can grow plants of almost any size in containers, plants of smaller size are better best because they have smaller root systems. Smaller plants fit into containers more comfortably that larger plants.
Regular and scented geraniums, nasturtiums, marigolds, snap dragon, wax begonia, lobelia, petunia, low-growing dahlia, salvia and swan river daisies are good selections that will fill your planter with flowers in bloom in full sun for most of the summer.

Things to Do in the Garden This Week

2006-05-04T11:04:00.000-05:00

Before we get to the work list, let me tell you about what's blooming in my garden right now.
In the new woodland garden, the hellebores is blooming nicely. Two weeks ago the Hepatica was blooming. Also, the Mertensia (Virginia bluebells) is up and growing and is getting ready to bloom.
In the sunny perennial garden out front, the daffodils have almost all gone by, as have the tulips. The season for my bulbs is just way too short.
But, on the bright side, the Mertensia is in full bloom and the Pelomonium (Jacob's ladder) is just setting its lovely blue/purple flowers.
Flowers:
Time to plant dahlia, gladiolus, tuberous begonia and other tender summer bulbs. By next week if the warm weather continues, you can plant annual seeds and put out annual plants such as marigolds and wax begonia. Naturally, you can plant perennials.
Lawn Care:
Grass seeds won't germinate well until lthe weather wamrs the soil. Between Mother's Day and Flag Day, I am going to plant grass seed. This weekend, I am going to spread lime and organic fertilizer. I am seriously looking to get rid of my moles so I will look to spread an organic mole solution such as Mole Med.
Herbs and Veggies:
The snow peas and the English peas are already planted and so is the arugula, mache and mesclun mix. I am waiting for all of them to germinate. Between Mother's Day and Memorial Day I will plant tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, rosemary and leeks. I usually wait until early June to set out basil, it just doesn't seem to like cold weather at all.
By the way, my chives are up and I am eating them on everything!

Beautiful Easy Roses

2006-05-04T10:56:00.000-05:00

A lot of people don't grow roses because these beautiful blooming shrubs have a well-earned reputation for being fussy. They are attractive to insects, black spot and mildew, they require frequent fertilizing and pruning and they often die over the winter if the weather gets too cold.
All of the criticisms are valid if you are growing the wrong type of roses. Hybrid tea roses, the ones with the beautiful fragrant flower shop blossoms, the ones with names like "Princess Diana" and "Peace," are the fussy ones that need the extra tender loving care.
But the new trend in rose growing is to return to the more cold hardy, disease-resistant, low maintenance roses that are even more beautiful and often just as fragrant as any dolled-up hybrid tea.
And now is the time of year when people should be ripping out their problem roses, replacing them with easy-care varieties and pruning the good ones they already have. Early spring is the best time plop your new roses in the ground and give them a trim when they are still dormant, well before the leaves begin to form. Now is also when lawn and garden centers will have the best selections of roses and before the mail order catalogues are all sold out.
Anyone can grow a rose bush as long as they have a somewhat protected, well-drained site that receives at least six hours of sunshine each day. Roses don't grow well in windy and dry conditions, they don't like soggy soil and they don't like shade.
If you want glorious flowers for your landscape or a delicate bouquet for the table, and if you prefer to spend your time admiring your roses rather than sweating over them, I advise you to grow the newly rediscovered old-fashioned looking shrub and climbing roses that are now widely available.
Here's a list of the easy-care roses you will enjoy:
Rugosa roses are best known in many people's minds as the beach roses along coastal New England. They are cold hardy even in Canada, they are fragrant, bloom all summer long and produce rose hips for the birds in fall on shrubs that will grow four to five feet tall.
Some of the prettiest rugosa roses include 'F.J. Grootendorst,' 'Hansa,' 'Therese Bugnet,''Henry Hudson,' 'Blanc Double de Courbert,' 'Fru Dagmar Hastrop,' and many more.
'Betty Prior' is a cold-hardy floribunda rose, which mean they produce clusters of blossoms on bushy shrubs. This variety is also quite resistant to black spot and mildew. It will grow four to five feet tall and produce pink flowers all summer long. "Carefree Wonder" and "Bonica' are two reliably ever- blooming, disease-resistant shrub roses that will easily survive our coldest winters. They both produce medium-pink clusters of beautiful roses.
English roses are a new line of old-fashioned looking and often quite fragrant roses developed over the last 20 years by breeder David Austin. They have blended the voluptuous charm and old roses including damask and gallica and the vigor and repeat blooming of modern hybrids.
They are reasonably resistant to powdery mildew and black spot and they are cold hardy to all but the most mountainous locations in the New York metropolitan area.
There is no doubt they are incredibly beautiful with old- world names like ‘Cottage Rose,'‘Brother Cadfael,'‘English Elegance,' ‘Fair Bianca' and many more.
For really small garden spaces people should think about growing "The Fairy' a 2-foot-tall polyantha rose bush that is covered with small, light pink flowers from June until late September.
Climbing roses can add great dimension to a small urban garden by rambling up on flower-packed canes that can reach 20 feet long. All you need is sunlight and a sturdy support like a trellis or an arbor. Two of the very best easy care climbing roses are ‘New Dawn' and ‘Climbing Cecil Brunner,'
Once you are ready to plant your rose, be sure to dig a hole twice as wide and twice as deep as the root system of the plant. This gives you room to really spread out the roots.
You are going to plant the rose about one inch deeper in the whole than it was in the nursery for a potted rose, and for a bare root rose, deep enough so the beginning of the root system is one inch below surface level. This depth helps protect the root system from winter cold.
Place a bare root rose on a little mound of soil in the bottom of the hole, spread the roots out, set the plant so the crown is one inch below ground level.
Barely cover the roots with soil and fill the hole with water. Fill in the hole with the remaining soil and firm down with your hands to get rid of any air pockets. Water your roses once a week for the first year and as needed after that. Try not to get the leaves wet as this can promote the growth of fungal disease.
For new and existing roses, spread a handful of Epsom salts (a good source of magnesium) and a handful of natural organic fertilizer at the base of each rose bush in early June. Spread a two to four inch thick layer of compost or composted manure around the bush and the bulk of your maintenance duties are complete.
All of the roses I mentioned are resistant to the two main rose diseases of black spot and powdery mildew. If you have these diseases with your existing roses, spray them with a sulfur-based fungicide from a catalogue or garden center or with a homemade solution of one tablespoon baking soda, one tablespoon ordinary liquid dish soap and one gallon of water.
Bugs are another matter. Aphids and Japanese beetles are roses' two biggest insect enemies. Insecticidal soap and Neem, both available in garden centers and catalogues, are quite effective. Lady bugs feast on aphids and I enjoy controlling Japanese beetles by paying my kids to pick the bugs off by hand and stomping on them or dropping them into a container of soapy water.
Roses need a little pruning every year to remove dead canes, control their size and to promote good flowering. Prune in early spring when the forsythia is in bloom by cutting out any crossing branches and by snipping off up to a third of any canes length by making a cut 1/4 inch above an outward facing bud.
Good sources of roses include: The Roseraie at Bayfields, P.O. Box R, Waldoboro, ME 04572-0919, 207-832-6330, www.roseraie.com; David Austin Roses Ltd., 15393 Highway 64 West, Tyler , TX 75704, 903-526-1800 (Catalogue $5) or www.davidaustinroses.com; Wayside Gardens, 1 Garden Lane, Hodges, SC 26965, 800-845-1124, www.waysidegardens.com.
If you cannot decide which roses to grow, you should without a doubt visit two of the finest rose gardens in the world: The Cranford Rose Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at the New York Botanical Garden.

Ingrained Ignorance

2006-04-11T10:52:00.000-05:00

This may not exactly be a gardening article, but it is about turf grass and by golly it is about golf.
Reprinted with permission from Turf Magazine.

Living in a northern climate, I enjoy watching golf on television during the winter. Just seeing people in short sleeves in stunning locales like Hawaii, the coast of southern California and Scottsdale, Ariz. is heartening. But increasingly, I seem to do it with the sound turned off as the announcing just gets more trite and ludicrous with each passing year.
The number of overused meaningless clichés, the constant deference to Tiger's skills, the desire to fill up every second with commentary and the forced collegiality between announcers is almost enough to switch to an NBA game ... almost.
If the networks would spend more time miking the surf and the birds, or even just showing stunning outlooks where the trade winds blow, I think they would please a larger segment of the audience. If I hear, "he'll be lucky to get this within 20 feet," or "he's lost that one to the left," right before Vijay or Ernie muscle it out of the rough and land it softly 4 feet from the pin again, I'll scream.
However, my favorite demonstration of the announcer's ignorance is when they start talking about grain and how it ruined Phil's otherwise perfect putt. This must make superintendents want to kill, considering grain virtually disappeared from any putting surfaces the PGA Tour visits in the first Clinton administration.
Although all the big name announcers have knelt at the altar of grain, Johnnie Miller seems the most captivated by the ancient concept. Miller can apparently see grain in a marble table, because he's always telling us how it will rocket a ball off toward the ocean, or the setting moon or the halfway house by the tenth tee. Did he enter a time warp when he shot 63 at Oakmont, never to emerge in the modern era of golf course maintenance?
The GCSAA notes: "Much has been said and written about grain and how it impacts putting. Because superintendents rotate mowing patterns, a single pattern of grain generally is not established. At professional championship competition where greens are mowed to 1/8 inch, the short leaf blade exhibits no (or insignificant) grain pattern that would affect putting."
That was clearly written when greens were only being cut at 1/8 inch-today a PGA Tour green is more likely to be shaved to 1/10 inch for the final round. And to think that in a few hours the poor tortured grass plant can grow toward anything at that height is absurd.
In a November, 2005 article titled "Grain on the Brain," John Foy, director of the USGA Green Section's Florida Region nailed the problem. "Historically, grain has occurred with all putting green turfgrass, but it tends to be especially pronounced with stoloniferous turf species such as the creeping bentgrasses and bermudagrass. In the plant world, the stimuli of sunlight and gravity are the primary controlling factors affecting growth habit and bending movements. Thus, while turfgrasses are not considered to have strong phototrophic responses like sunflowers and follow the sun across the sky each day, grain formation in an east-to-west pattern can occur."
Granted that at your local course where turf on the greens is allowed to grow long enough to be healthy, there may be grain. But most of the players who frequent those courses can't get a putt on the perfect line often enough to notice the swirl of crop patterns, much less grain.
Foy goes on to write about the bermudagrass greens he grew up on that were once cut at a quarter of an inch. "There is no denying that, in the past, grain was a factor on putting greens. Beginning in the early 1980s and continuing through today, much more intensive putting green management has been employed in pursuit of faster speeds, but a reduction in grain and its influence on ball roll is a benefit of the advances that have been made in putting green management. Routinely changing the direction of mowing patterns, using grooved rollers on the mowing units, verticutting, brushing, groomer attachments and frequent, light topdressing are some of the standard practices for promoting an upright shoot growth character and in turn minimizing grain.
"There is a consensus among the Green Section staff and golf course superintendents at facilities where professional events are hosted that the biggest reason why the effect of grain is not a factor today is the extremely low heights of cut being practiced. At very low heights of cut, there is simply not enough leaf surface area in contact with the ball to affect its roll."
In light of this, will someone please tell the announcers how ridiculous they sound?
Bob Labbance is Turf's golf editor and a frequent contributor. He resides in Montpelier, Vt. He can be reached with your ideas and comments via

email.

Things to do in the Garden This Week

2006-04-07T14:19:00.000-05:00

It is early spring here in the Northeast and in my garden at least I can see tulips, and daffodils peeping through (in fact, the daffodils are beginning to bloom) More importantly for me, my hose in hose primrose are coming back. They have become my favorite spring flower. The forsythia is in bloom and a great many of my perennials are beginning to show signs of life. In the herb garden, good old reliable chives are up at least four inches and the parsley is gaining ground. Here is a list of things you might want to do in your garden over the next couple of weeks:
Perennial bed:Clean out the beds of any stalks you didn't get last year. Apply organic fertilizer. Plant shrubs and perennials as soon as the frost has left the ground.Dig and divide perennials, place the min post for an upcoming plant sale or replant them in a new place.
Herb and Vegetable garden:Add organic fertilizer and compost and till the soil when it is no longer damp.Plant peas, onions, lettuce, arugula, mache, radishes as well as thyme, chives, tarragon, lavender,winter savory, oregano and other hardy perennial herbs. It is not too late to start tomatoes, peppers and eggplant seeds indoors to plant in the garden after Mother's Day. Shrubs:Prune rose bushes and hardy hydrangea such as H. arborescens 'Annabelle' which can be cut flat to the ground if necessary and will still produce blooms this summer.Prune fall blooming clematis and butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii)Cut forsythia branches and bring them indoors as a bouquet. Trim the remaining branches for better shape.
Enjoy your garden!

Welcome to My New Garden Blog

2006-04-07T13:18:00.000-05:00

Hi.

I'm Larry Sombke, host of Northeast Public Radio's "Gardening with Larry Sombke" heard every other Thursday at 2:00 p.m. on Vox Pop with Susan Arbetter. If you are anywhere within a couple hundred miles of Albany, NY you can hear us at 90.3 FM.

If you are too far away to pick up our signal, you can grab a podcast of the show at http://www.wamc.org/voxpop.html

I have my own Web site www.beautifuleasygardens.com where I have posted tons of great information about gardening and lawn care, but I really wanted the immediate information flow of a blog so I could bang out good garden information at the drop of a hat.

If you have comments or questions about my blog or about gardening in general, contact me at my Web site.

Stay tuned and happy gardening!