Rain and Watering

If your don't rely on an automatic irrigation system you probably watch the weather closely and are concerned about when to water your landscape plants. There are some various factors to consider, but a simple approach for starters, is to give your flowers and shrubs supplemental water any week that there is less than one inch of natural rainfall.

Today is Wednesday June 5 and we've already had close to half an inch in Nashville this morning. By Thursday afternoon I would estimate at least 1.5 inches (based on NOAA projections). So all things being equal, you might not think about watering again until middle of next week.

Since all things aren't equal, remember that some plants like a little less water, some a little more, some locations in your soil and yard hold moisture longer. Most plants do not like 'wet feet' where the soil stays moist and soggy for days at a time. This can lead to water starvation and fungal diseases. Prevent these problems by watering deeply but infrequently (e.g., not daily!) and by amending your garden soil with natural materials like finely shredded pine bark, known as 'pine fines' or with compost you have made or bought. This helps the soil drain better.
If you have shrubs that have been growing successfully in place for several years, they may only need extra watering in times of drought.
Particurlarly, these shrubs and flowers are very tolerant of dry periods:
Nandina
Yew
Oak Leaf Hydrangea
most native shrubs ( Fothergilla, Itea, Ninebark, native Viburnums, Hearts A Bustin, etc)

Sedums, Coneflowers,Salvas, Columbine, Asters, Joe-Pye Weed, Sunflowers,Bee Balm, Lavendar, Lenten Rose and most understory wildflowers are drought tolerant and can rely only on natural rainfall.

Holy Roses!

Its that time again....when you go out and find your roses are chewed up pretty thoroughly....holes in the leaves, maybe even entire leaves defoliated.
It's most likely the rose sawfly doing the chewing. If you look on the underside of the leaf you may find a green crawling chewing creature that looks like a caterpillar. It's not technically a caterpillar but is the larva of a (non-stinging) wasp. Anyway, they love rose leaves.

It's not cause for too much alarm, by the time you notice them, most of the life cycle of the insect is ending. And they are almost ready to move on. They will not continue chewing all summer, so not to worry.
What to do now: If you have a few roses you can hand pick them, or spray with a strong jet of water to knock them off. They wont crawl back up, promise. You can use a spray of Neem oil or any commercial product designated for insect control on roses.
Finally, you can prune or shear the worst part of the rose, dispose of the trimmings in the trash, and anticipate lovely new foliage on your rose.

Here are some pretty accurate photos of the insect and the damage:

http://www.sactorose.org/ipm/84rosesawflies.htm

and More Spring Flowers

Purple Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum) Not a North American native, but a common winter annual.

Purple Dead Nettle at Long Hunter State Park April 2013



Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) Common eastern native wildflower. There are two other native other Erythroniums, one blooming white.

Trout Lily at Long Hunter State Park April 2013

 

http://tnps.org/   to visit the Tennessee Native Plant Society. It’s a nice resource for plant identification and to find out where to buy nursery grown native wildflowers. (Don’t disturb the wild ecology-don’t steal plants from public lands, thanks.)

 

(All images copyright Mary Boyd 2013)

Spring Wildflowers

Winter gave us some warm days in January and early February but the last several weeks have been about 10 degrees below normal for middle Tennessee. Spring wildflowers are just now popping up, emerging from beneath the leaf litter in the woods. Or in wildflower shady gardens. . Those in sunnier spots are already blooming; some are waiting for a little more warmth.

Here are some reasons to love shade: the first spring ephemerals are showing.  Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria), Trilliums,   Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica). Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum)and Ginger (Asarum) are just showing their new leaves and will bloom later.

 

Along with these you will probably find in your shade garden the full crop of winter annual weeds coming to peak. Some of them are quite beautiful, like Purple Dead Nettle and Henbit (both Lamium genus).

Many parks are hosting guided wildflower walks, great opportunities to observe and learn about our many beautiful flowers from well-informed naturalists.

Local favorites include Beamon Park , Radnor Lake, the Warner Parks, and Cedars of Lebanon. 

Trails & Trilliums is an annual event in Monteagle celebrating the South Cumberland Recreation Area and the surrounding communities with a wealth of activities about native plants.  http://www.friendsofscsra.org/trailsandtrilliums.org/ April 14-16

 

Spring 2013

This year has been an especially 'late' spring, with cool temperatures and cloudy days well into late March. Buds are slow to open, grass still doesnt need mowing, thank goodness. And just to make a finishing statement, this Spring has given us........Snow!
Not quite enough for sleddding alas, but enought to make us smile if we are looking out the window and maybe wrinkle our brow if we are heading out to our car.
Enjoy, and look forward to the flowers soon.

Azalea buds, Oak Leaf Hydrangea buds, and pansies, snow-dressed

Winter Garden Activities

Some winter garden activities:

Trim monkey grasses.
Trim ornamental grasses.
Prune shrub and hybrid tea roses.
Prune climbing roses.
Weeding.
Prune Hydrangeas, if they flower on new wood.
Begin planting your winter vegetable garden: onions, greens, beets
Begin indoor seeds for summer vegetables.
Watch your daffodils and crocuses and make a note about where to plant more in the fall.

Creepy Crawlies

 

If you have boxwoods, you probably know that now is the perfect time to prune them, during their dormancy. While I was out pruning yesterday I also ran into these fauna: boxwood leaf miners (Monarthropalpus flavus).

I have been learning about them over the last few years but am reading up again as I do most winters. There is always something to learn.   One source says that the Boxwood leaf miner is most common on American boxwoods, not seen as much on English or Korean boxwoods.

So what do we know about them? The boxwood leaf miners emerge as adults in late April to early May depending on the temperatures. The adult is a flying insect which briefly lives to deposit eggs in the newest flush of spring leaves. Then the larva grows in the leaf until next spring.

These creatures were on a series of dwarf boxwoods in a south Nashville garden. There are large boxwoods on the property, probably English, that showed no signs of leaf miners.

 

Here, note the front and back side of the leaves;  both sides look blistered. The affected leaves are only at the outer several inches of the twigs. Inside the blisters are larvae which are growing between the leaf’s front and back surface. If you carefully tear open the leaf, you may find a larva. Or two.  Maybe wiggling. Tiny yellow bits of life.These larvae will pupate this spring. And start the cycle again.

How bad is this? Depending on who you ask, not so bad, just an aesthetic buzz-kill.  Or they can weaken and kill your plant over time. I cannot give specific treatment advice,  but there’s plenty of research to be found on chemical controls. I have also heard about a wasp predator, either the Diglyphus isaea or possibly Dacnusa,  which might be worth learning more about.

Happy pruning!