Spring Gardening Events

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!