A 2011 “Summery” of My Garden and Other Random Observations by Gardener Dave

Sometimes a summary report is useful only to the one who writes it. I hope this one is a bit more informative and even somewhat entertaining. I have used common plant names in most cases. Here goes…

Calibrachoa

Annuals:  I like bright color all summer. It’s not that I look for more work to do – I let the perennials show their stuff, each in their own short season. But when it comes to providing color and consistent bloom, annuals still are the way to go. In addition to choosing bright colors, I go for the ones that require less maintenance.


Deadheading definitely extends the blooming period – some annuals don’t require any deadheading and some are easier to keep trimmed than others. Those that I have indicated with an asterisk (*) are not hard to deadhead, but they do need it very frequently.

No Deadheading Required    Easy to Deadhead            “A Pain” to
                                                                                         Deadhead

Wax begonia                         Salvia                                 Petunias
                                                                                        (get “rangy”)
Calibrachoa                           Marigold                           Cosmos*
Vinca                                     Snapdragon                       Calendula*           
Nemesia                                 Canna lily                         Coreopsis*
Scaevola (Fan Flower)          Dahlia                              Carnation relatives*
Moss rose                               Zinnia                             Blanket Flower*

Scaevola

  I have a lot of respect for the annuals listed in the “No Deadheading…” column above. Most are also prolific bloomers, so I plant them every year. Give them regular watering, good drainage and a bi-weekly fertilizing and they will perform. The little Wax Begonia with brown leaves is a favorite of mine. They will do well in full sun, part sun or light shade. The “Callies” (Calibrachoa) are also called “Million Bells”. If you don’t let them go dry or sit with wet roots, you will see why!  They do well in my large pots. I no longer plant petunias because I like the Callies much better. A favorite Nemesia of mine is Sunsatia “Cranberry Red”, try it in a pot, it will overflow with small red flowers all summer. Scaevola (Scaevola aemula) is also great in pots, flowering and expanding all summer even in extreme heat. Their five-petaled flowers are fan shaped, thus their alternate name, “Fan Flower”.

Perennials: I find myself growing lazy as my years accumulate, ergo: I have added quite a few perennials to my garden. Some show off quite early, such as spring bulbs.  Most “do their stuff” in the May-June or June-July time period and then are done for the year. I have tried to add several which bloom in August-October when others are done.  Some observations from my garden, good and bad: 

"AVA"

Aagastache "Ava"

  Agastache “Ava” – that seeded itself in my gravel garden path – did better than the same plants in the regular perennial bed.  I have always suspected that a certain amount of neglect is “beneficial”, or at least that plants that grow from seed often do better than those purchased as nursery stock and given loving and tender care!

Northern Sea Oats – An attractive plant that resembles bamboo – has interesting flattened seed heads that appear in late summer. I have had a couple of these over the years.  A word of warning however, if you don’t want them springing up all over your beds, trim off the seed heads in late fall. They re-seed with a vengeance!

Red Birds in a Tree (Scrophularia macrantha)  – These were a 2008 Plant Select item. I planted these in three different spots in different beds. One did not receive enough sun due to a linden tree that did very well this year. Another did not seem to like the soil I put it in (too wet?). A third one was in a spot next to my agastache which gets all morning sun with perhaps too-high temperatures? All had improved soil at planting time. None have done well. I believe these are penstemon relatives. Perhaps too little neglect?  Any suggestions?  :o(

Joe Pye Weed – I planted two of these toward the back of my garden this year. I have a neighbour who has  a large specimen that seems to “bloom” most of the summer into autumn. They make a good background.

Torch Lily (Kniphofia) – I planted these years ago in a spot not far from a fire hydrant on the corner of my front landscape. It now tries to overwhelm the hydrant, so I cut it back and will probably be moving it next spring.

Large mushrooms – sprang up in several spots in my flower beds after rains in the early summer. I didn’t consult anyone about their edibility, I just got rid of them before the spores matured (I hope).  I’m sure Jeffco Master Gardener (and Mushroom Expert) Tom Taggert could have told me exactly what they were.

California Fuschsia

   Zauschneria (Epilobium) – Now called “California Fuchsia” (don’t ask me why) has made a very good ground cover on a hot southwest-facing slope in my rock garden. No other ground covers that I know of have such attractive red trumpet-shaped blooms that last from July thru September. I want more of it next year!

Wildlife:
Fox – I have a “foxhole” passageway under my back fence. There have been fox in my neighborhood for many years. A pair used to sun themselves on the roof of my neighbor’s tool shed. About 4 years ago I observed three little ones chasing each other around a tree and fountain in the back corner of my yard. They are cute and entertaining, never seem to do mischief in my yard, other than digging that one hole, apparently to allow the little ones through for their training exercises. The adults leap the fence with very little effort. I once saw an adult fox sitting in the middle of my street, regarding a young human mother who was walking with her baby in a stroller. The baby was sucking on a bottle. I assume the fox wasn’t thinking about “a meal on wheels”, but he might have been thinking “Why doesn’t the mother teach her kid how to hunt, as I have to do with my own youngsters?”

Squirrels – The squirrels use the cables and utility wires that span my back yard as “Interstate Highways”. It’s fun to watch them zoom across singly and in small groups. One day I saw two groups meet, headed in opposite directions. I wondered if they would fight, but one (submissive?) group got around the other by hanging upside down and traversing the wire beneath the other group very quickly. No road rage at all! We drivers can’t pass beneath other traffic, but maybe we could learn something from this episode?

Deer – Three or four years ago, I couldn’t raise tulips in my front yard. The deer would eat them down to the ground.  So – the only bulbs I planted were Daffodils, which they don’t eat. The tulip bulbs are still in the soil and this spring they somehow did very well. The deer were nowhere to be seen. Did they have an abundance of things to eat in the wild this year without having to visit the suburbs?

Anyway… some things to think about over the winter season!

Happy Autumn, and Cheers!

Gardener Dave

British Parakeet Explosion: a Gardener's Concern? by Carol King

I was reading an article about the rose-ringed parakeet which is taking over parts of Britian.  The parakeets escaped or were intentionally released from cages and have survived and begun to thrive. "So what does this have to do with a gardening blog?", you might ask. I saw this one statement speculating about why they are procreating at such a phenominal rate:
"Is it that gardeners are planting more exotic ornamental plants, effectively providing imported food to match an imported bird species?"
So speculate on that, dear gardener.  Another argument for native species!
Heres the whole article.

Planting a Butterfly Garden by Stan Ames

A Vanessa atalanta a.k.a. “Red Admiral”on a Purple Coneflower

Planning a butterfly garden this season?  These techniques will help you plant a successful garden.

Before you invest you time and money in constructing a butterfly garden it is important to know what butterflies are common to your area. Identification of your guest is very important, as each butterfly has preferences for their “Caterpillar Host Plants” and their favorite flowers for a nectar source.

Attracting butterflies then becomes relatively easy. In addition to a place for their eggs and a good source of nectar, butterflies like flowers for some of the same reasons that we do, bright colors with sweet fragrance.


The websites, below have useful photographs to help you identify your visitors and charts that will show you which plants are “irresistible” to which butterfly.
http://coloradofrontrangebutterflies.com/frontrange-checklist - has listings of over 100 varieties with links to photographs and details about most.
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/gallery - pictures for identification.
http://butterflywebsite.com/butterflygardening.cfm - chart of plants that attract, by specific butterfly.

In addition to the right choice of flowers you should incorporate a small source of water (a decorative dish) and perhaps a stepping stone or two for warmth.

Your site does not have to be very large, maybe only six to eight feet in diameter but it needs to be protected from wind and receive between four to six hours of sunlight a day.

Could that be a Monarch calling?
Too many look-a-likes to be sure.

In my garden, I used : Blanket flower), Butterfly bush) Tickseed (Coreopsis) – “Early Sunrise”, Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Sedum spectabile, Zinnias (Zinnia laageana), Petunias and Snowdrift alyssum (Lobularia maritima, but also have Honeysuckle close by. This year I may add Cosmos and Joe Pye Weed.

 Finding a “Butterfly House” ready for use is a challenge, but they are relatively easy to construct.
Use a good quality 3/8” plywood and protect the house with paint or varnish.

Construction is simple and the dimensions are not critical beyond having the height about four times the width. Just use a good quality 3/8” plywood and protect the house with paint or varnish. There is no need to teach your visitors they need to fold up their wings to get in the house. They will know it is just for decoration.

The size and shape of the garden does not need to be large, mine is only five by six feet with a butterfly house in the middle to add a little decoration. The flowers in my garden are indicated below and work relatively well, just keep the flowers bright and base the selection on the specific butterflies you have identified in your area. Again, make sure the garden is protected from the wind!

Peaches and Squirrels by Heirloom Fan

I know this sounds like an odd combination, but this year I had an unusual “crop” of persistent squirrels visiting my trees and garden. Some people consider them cute and some are annoyed by them but however you feel about them, squirrels can do significant damage to your landscape and garden.
While squirrels are all part of our ecosystem, knowing how to safely control them is a must. Last year, my big challenge was that I had major damage to my garden due to the July hailstorm of 2009. This year I was looking forward to a big recovery and I was very happy to see that we had abundant peaches and apples, and that my vegetable garden was also doing well with producing tomatoes and other favorites. But it seemed as soon as the plants and trees became full of ripe fruit and vegetables, the number of visits to my yard by the squirrels also became “abundant”.

Squirrels are protected by law, so trapping and other methods of control may be prohibited in your area. To try to find a solution, we made a visit to our local hardware store and found a spray on repellent that was safe to the environment. But even with this effort, the applications need to be refreshed often to keep the squirrels repelled.  Bird netting and other barriers can also help protect your plants from being raided but also must be carefully placed to ensure that the squirrels don’t find ways to push them aside to access the fruit or vegetable.

In my garden, I have found that few things are beyond their interest in sampling. Often, they can take one bite and leave it to rot which then leaves the whole fruit damaged and not safe to eat.  They seem particularly fond of sunflower heads, pumpkins, tree fruits, tomatoes and even green beans. I plan to continue to grow all of these so in addition to other challenges like protecting from hail damage, I will now have to plan to keep the squirrels at bay too!

The following audio Planttalk bulletin will give you a few tips on squirrel protection - http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/audio2300.html

Building a Backyard Bird Habitat

This morning as my husband and I had breakfast, I heard a horrible noise from the front yard.  When I looked out the window, I saw a hawk that had pinned a flicker to the ground.  We watched in horror as the hawk waited until the flicker died and then flew off to enjoy his dinner.  I felt guilty as  I feed the birds and might have brought this on myself.  My son says "Mom, you fatten the flickers for the hawks."  Oh my goodness, what do you think?  Do I feed the flickers and I feed the hawks?

Anyway, here's an article about turning your yard into a bird habitat. And be prepared, it's bewildering and you might feel like a murderer enabler.

When leaves are down, it's time to assemble backyard bird habitat | coloradoan.com | The Coloradoan,

Early Fall Review by Heirloom Fan

This summer certainly posed its challenges in my garden and for many of you as well. We had the cold, wet spring. Then things warmed up and the flea beetles and aphids began chewing on everything. And of course the devastating hailstorm in July.




After the storm, I took time to prune what I could and found that most of my heirloom tomatoes sprung back. I did what I could to help them along – kept them under walls of water and fed them at least once a week. Right now, my tomatoes are still blooming and setting fruit but most are still small, green and I wonder if I can squeeze out enough mild weather from Mother Nature to even see one of them become ripe.

I did replant some things and was surprised that even at the relatively late stage of the growing season, so many of these restarts came up quickly. It did teach me that it is probably worth it to get some things going early and do a second planting later on. I had one surviving pumpkin plant for example and planted a couple more pumpkin seeds and they all are now at about the same stage. Like the tomatoes, they are blooming and producing little pumpkins and I know that in order to get one to even the small and ripe stage is going to take some dedication to protection from the frosts and other weather conditions.

I also planted some nasturtiums and Thai Basil in a planter box, and they are doing great. I had wondered if I would see any flowers because it seemed the nasturtiums were spending a lot of time growing and producing big plants but within the past week or two there is finally there is a burst of bright orange and red orange flowers.

My purple asters recovered from the hailstorm and are now blooming to the delight of the visiting bees. As I took the picture of them this morning, I noticed a praying mantis quietly waiting on the bush above the asters. Hopefully he is out hunting for any pests in the area.

I did notice that the squirrels are very aggressive this year and several gardening friends have told me that they are having the same problem. It is probably due to some of their food source being damaged or destroyed in the hailstorm, but I have so far lost several things in the garden including green tomatoes, small pumpkins and sunflowers. The corn that came up under our birdfeeder was also recently robbed of all its small ears. So after all of this replanting and recovery, it seems that one of my efforts as the growing season winds down is to try to keep what I have left in the garden protected from the raiding squirrels. This has been a challenging and an educational growing season to say the least

Don't Eat Like a Bird by Carol King

Did you know, dear gardener, that February is National Bird Feeding Month? Yes, and it has been since January, 1994, when Congress passed a resolution making it so. And did you know that 1/3 of the adult population feeds wild birds in their yards? I hope you will join me in celebrating this event by putting out a feeder or two for our feathered friends. Wild birds are a very important component to our natural environment and if we don’t do something, a quarter of the world's bird species will likely be extinct or critically endangered by the end of the century, according to a new study by U.S. researchers.

The Wild Bird Center asks us to consider that:
- A typical backyard bird doesn't weigh as much as two nickels.
- Birds spend most of their waking hours searching for food -- without the help of "hands" and "fingers".
- They may consume 15% of their body weight overnight just keeping warm enough to survive.
- Like mail carriers, they're outside in sleet, snow, wind and cold.

Birds eat ALL THE TIME.

Birds are very important in the ecosystem: they eat weed seeds and harmful insects. They help in the pollination of plants, spread seeds around, and help dispose of dead animal carcasses. They also have great entertainment value. Human activities and habits have destroyed many of their natural sources of food so by providing food, water and shelter, we are helping them to survive.
Birds not only help to keep our world safe from plagues of insects and but perhaps actual plagues themselves. There is speculation that the increase in Lyme disease is a direct result of the demise of the passenger pigeon. Passenger pigeons used to occur in flocks of hundreds of millions of birds. They ate acorns. Deer mice, which harbor Lyme disease bacteria, eat acorns. Ticks get the disease from mice and infect humans. The pigeons would have limited the number by not leaving enough acorns to support a large population of deer mice thus keeping Lyme disease in check. The pigeons are all gone and the deer mice are thriving and humans get Lyme disease. See how this all works?

Feed your birds, dear gardener. But don’t eat like one.