Upcoming events in January and February
Cheekwood 5oth Anniversary (50 Cent admission to Cheekwood during the month of January!!) CONTACT: http://www.cheekwood.org/Home.aspx
Forest Landowner Workshop (for landowners or prospective landowners with forest cover; sustainable forestry; management) Saturday February 6, 2010 8:30-2:00 $10. CONTACT: Davidson County UT Extension 862-5995
The Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville "20 years of bringing renowned international and national experts in antiques, gardening, the various fields of design, and art to Nashville" March 4-7, 2010 CONTACT : http://www.antiquesandgardenshow.com/
“Photographing our gardens and spaces” with J. Paul Moore, a presentation by the Perennial Plant Society of Middle Tennessee Tuesday February 16th, 2010 7:30PM Free and open to the public CONTACT: http://www.ppsmt.com/Programs_%26_Events/
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
BRRRRRRRRR Part 2
It was cold...it was colder...it was really cold.... it stayed cold...it snowed...we had a nice day or two...it got rainy..and then.... it was cold.
So is this weather bad for our plants?
Although plants can be sensitive to extremes of weather or disease and physical injury, they operate differently than we do.
Most of our plants will be fine for 3 reasons: The right plant is sited in the right place; because plants go dormant in winter; and because they are wearing insulation.
Site: Grow plants that are well suited for our winters and summers. See the USDA cold hardiness map link for an explanation of Zones. Know what kind of sunlight and shade and soil cultures they prosper in. Most importantly, give them good soil with proper pH.
Dormancy: Most shrubs and perennials go dormant in winter which means they slow their rates of metabolisms and have less water content in their cells. They feed little and transpire much less. Many of them lose their vegetation (trees let go of their leaves) or the vegetation is essentially dead (like cone flowers and sedum stalks and iris leaves).So most of the living part is below ground….
which is well insulated. Even though the top few inches of ground is frozen the temperatures deeper are moderate, protecting the root system. A nice layer of mulch will help most of our plants. (There are exceptions e.g., iris don’t need a lot of mulch but borderline zone plants need extra mulch.)
What about the spring flowers? Some shrubs have set blooms for the coming year. The plant itself is already protecting the inner flower with a tight layer of bud scales. The danger isn’t in this cold weather. The danger is when the temperatures warm, the buds start to open, and start sending fluids to the tips of the plant. The bloom is partly open and then we get a freezing spell after the tender flower is exposed. This is when many folks are attentive to covering azaleas and rhododendron buds with sheets in early spring. The late Easter freeze of 2007 is an extreme incident of this weather cycle.
Pansy (Viola × wittrockiana) is an annual for sun to light shade. They like average to rich soil and can benefit from all purpose fertilizer or a little extra Nitrogen. They tolerate cooler temperatures, so in the Southern region they are often put in flower beds in the Autumn to have color through the winter. Here in Nashville they typically survive the winter, and bloom well into May. They tend to suffer from more heat after that.
I’m focusing on these pansies just because they are the most available model right now in the middle of winter and I have some free time to play with my new camera!
So here’s my journal of Winter Flowers ...
Start by taking a glance at my blog from Dec.26. It SEEMED cold then. And that little flower looked great. Pansies were planted around November 1. They always go in a small spot in front of some perennials and a few in this steel sculpture/planter.
Then came early January with many days and nights of bitter cold.
1/4/10 Really cold for days. Highs in 20s, lows in teens or colder.Yeah they are looking puny.
1/08/2010 at 1:30 in the afternoon, light snow. 18 degrees F. Cloudy.
If I had been outside 24/7 for the last week with only a light jacket I would look a lot worse than this.
1/20/10
Warming up, thunderstorms and high 50s.
These yellow flowering pansies are already forming good looking new blooms.They live in the ground just in front of the planter. The blue/purple pansies in the planter are slow to recover. They are suffering because they are in very tight space and didn't get to spread their roots around and because they have no protection (insulation) from the cold.
(Bonus: http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/17C.html While surfing around sites about pansies, I ended up at this very cool page which illustrates patterns on flowers that only certain insects can see. More questions on the science of plants and gardening…but that’s for another day.)
So is this weather bad for our plants?
Although plants can be sensitive to extremes of weather or disease and physical injury, they operate differently than we do.
Most of our plants will be fine for 3 reasons: The right plant is sited in the right place; because plants go dormant in winter; and because they are wearing insulation.
Site: Grow plants that are well suited for our winters and summers. See the USDA cold hardiness map link for an explanation of Zones. Know what kind of sunlight and shade and soil cultures they prosper in. Most importantly, give them good soil with proper pH.
Dormancy: Most shrubs and perennials go dormant in winter which means they slow their rates of metabolisms and have less water content in their cells. They feed little and transpire much less. Many of them lose their vegetation (trees let go of their leaves) or the vegetation is essentially dead (like cone flowers and sedum stalks and iris leaves).So most of the living part is below ground….
which is well insulated. Even though the top few inches of ground is frozen the temperatures deeper are moderate, protecting the root system. A nice layer of mulch will help most of our plants. (There are exceptions e.g., iris don’t need a lot of mulch but borderline zone plants need extra mulch.)
What about the spring flowers? Some shrubs have set blooms for the coming year. The plant itself is already protecting the inner flower with a tight layer of bud scales. The danger isn’t in this cold weather. The danger is when the temperatures warm, the buds start to open, and start sending fluids to the tips of the plant. The bloom is partly open and then we get a freezing spell after the tender flower is exposed. This is when many folks are attentive to covering azaleas and rhododendron buds with sheets in early spring. The late Easter freeze of 2007 is an extreme incident of this weather cycle.
Pansy (Viola × wittrockiana) is an annual for sun to light shade. They like average to rich soil and can benefit from all purpose fertilizer or a little extra Nitrogen. They tolerate cooler temperatures, so in the Southern region they are often put in flower beds in the Autumn to have color through the winter. Here in Nashville they typically survive the winter, and bloom well into May. They tend to suffer from more heat after that.
I’m focusing on these pansies just because they are the most available model right now in the middle of winter and I have some free time to play with my new camera!
So here’s my journal of Winter Flowers ...
Start by taking a glance at my blog from Dec.26. It SEEMED cold then. And that little flower looked great. Pansies were planted around November 1. They always go in a small spot in front of some perennials and a few in this steel sculpture/planter.
Then came early January with many days and nights of bitter cold.
1/4/10 Really cold for days. Highs in 20s, lows in teens or colder.Yeah they are looking puny.
1/08/2010 at 1:30 in the afternoon, light snow. 18 degrees F. Cloudy.
If I had been outside 24/7 for the last week with only a light jacket I would look a lot worse than this.
1/20/10
Warming up, thunderstorms and high 50s.
These yellow flowering pansies are already forming good looking new blooms.They live in the ground just in front of the planter. The blue/purple pansies in the planter are slow to recover. They are suffering because they are in very tight space and didn't get to spread their roots around and because they have no protection (insulation) from the cold.
(Bonus: http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/17C.html While surfing around sites about pansies, I ended up at this very cool page which illustrates patterns on flowers that only certain insects can see. More questions on the science of plants and gardening…but that’s for another day.)
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Zone Detour - HAITI
Hey Just a quick post regarding how to help in Haiti with earthquake recovery. Following is a list organizations working in Haiti. It was compiled by John Charping and Betty Larsen. There are phone numbers listed, but many of these organizations facilitate donations via their websites. And naturally if you are so inclined, many of these groups will direct your donation to general help in needy areas of the United States.
Haiti earthquake: How to help
A list of charitable organizations active in Haiti (listed below)
(Directions….just go to this website and click on the organization to which you would like to give. You can give directly on-line with a credit card. Or call the organization to give over the phone.)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34835478/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake/
* Action Against Hunger 1-877-777-1420
* American Red Cross 1-800-733-2767
* American Jewish World Service 1-800-889-7146
* AmeriCares 1-800-486-4357
* Beyond Borders 1-866-424-8403
* CARE 1-800-521-2273
* Catholic Relief Services 1-800-736-3467
* Childcare Worldwide 1-800-553-2328
* Direct Relief International 1-805-964-4767
* Doctors Without Borders 1-888-392-0392
* Feed My Starving Children https://www.fmsc.org/
* Food for the Poor 1-954-427-2222
* Friends of WFP 1-202-530-1694
* Haitian Health Foundation 1-860 886-4357
* Hope for Haiti 1-239-434-7183
* International Medical Corps 1-310-826-7800
* International Relief Teams 1-619-284-7979
* Medical Teams International 1-800-959.4325
* Meds and Food for Kids 1-314-420-1634
* Mennonite Central Committee 1-215-535-3624
* Mercy Corps 1-888-256-1900
* Operation USA 1-800-678-7255
* Oxfam 1-800-776-9326
* Partners in Health 1-617-432-5256
* The Salvation Army 1-800-725-2769
* Samaritan's Purse 1-828-262-1980
* Save the Children 1-800-728-3843
* UNICEF 1-800-367-5437
* World Concern 1-800-755-5022
* World Vision 1-888-511-6593
* Yele Haiti http://www.yele.org/
(Yele Haiti is Wyclef Jean's grassroots organization. Give on-line or text Yele to 501 501 to donate $5 via your cellphone.)
Haiti earthquake: How to help
A list of charitable organizations active in Haiti (listed below)
(Directions….just go to this website and click on the organization to which you would like to give. You can give directly on-line with a credit card. Or call the organization to give over the phone.)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34835478/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake/
* Action Against Hunger 1-877-777-1420
* American Red Cross 1-800-733-2767
* American Jewish World Service 1-800-889-7146
* AmeriCares 1-800-486-4357
* Beyond Borders 1-866-424-8403
* CARE 1-800-521-2273
* Catholic Relief Services 1-800-736-3467
* Childcare Worldwide 1-800-553-2328
* Direct Relief International 1-805-964-4767
* Doctors Without Borders 1-888-392-0392
* Feed My Starving Children https://www.fmsc.org/
* Food for the Poor 1-954-427-2222
* Friends of WFP 1-202-530-1694
* Haitian Health Foundation 1-860 886-4357
* Hope for Haiti 1-239-434-7183
* International Medical Corps 1-310-826-7800
* International Relief Teams 1-619-284-7979
* Medical Teams International 1-800-959.4325
* Meds and Food for Kids 1-314-420-1634
* Mennonite Central Committee 1-215-535-3624
* Mercy Corps 1-888-256-1900
* Operation USA 1-800-678-7255
* Oxfam 1-800-776-9326
* Partners in Health 1-617-432-5256
* The Salvation Army 1-800-725-2769
* Samaritan's Purse 1-828-262-1980
* Save the Children 1-800-728-3843
* UNICEF 1-800-367-5437
* World Concern 1-800-755-5022
* World Vision 1-888-511-6593
* Yele Haiti http://www.yele.org/
(Yele Haiti is Wyclef Jean's grassroots organization. Give on-line or text Yele to 501 501 to donate $5 via your cellphone.)
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