Not many guesses this week – too many Halloween parties? In any case, Hap was correct – this is a closeup of the growing edge of Euphorbia lactea ‘Cristata.’ The "candles" on the edge are tiny leaves that appear whenever water is abundant but shed quickly during dry periods:
Thanks for playing, and Happy Halloween!
I’ve been remiss in getting quizzes posted – partially a time issue, but mostly a lack of interesting photos. But I’ve got one today:
Can you identify what this plant is, and specifically what the little green candles are?
Answers on Monday!
I’m not much of an entomologist. (Okay, I’ve never had a single bug-related class.) But I do appreciate insects in all of their bewildering shapes and behaviors. And after this weekend I’ve become a little more entomologically educated.
I spent the weekend in Prescott, Arizona at the annual MG conference. Besides meeting lots of great Master Gardeners (and Extension educators) in that state, I also met Dr. Whitney Cranshaw from Colorado State University. He gave a keynote talk called “Gardening for Insects – or not!” This was a seminar that presented positive and negative aspects of gardening for butterflies, honeybees, and other favorite insects.
Here are just a few of the nifty things Whitney had us consider:
Whitney has a fantastic collection of photos of insects, up close and personal. Some of these are also in his book Garden Insects of North America (Princeton Press). It’s over 600 pages of full-color photos and engaging text. Instead of being organized by family, it’s organized by feeding habit, so you can quickly look up and identify whatever weird bug you’ve found snacking on your snapdragons. There are sections on how to manage pest insects, and a chapter dedicated to beneficial bugs.
Amazingly, this book is only $29.95. I bought one.
Finally, I have to recognize Dr. Cranshaw as one of an unusual breed of faculty. He is passionate about educating adult audiences like Master Gardeners, and indeed his book is dedicated to entomology educators and the nationwide Extension system. What a great resource for gardeners everywhere!
(Note: I’ll be doing another blog posting later today. Just want to be sure I get this out.)
I’m writing a new book on plant physiology for gardeners – a book that explains how plants work and why they sometimes do weird and unexpected things. I’d like to hear what kind of “how” or “why” questions you’d like to see answered in this type of book. Please add your comments to this post, or send them to me directly. And if there are other gardeners you know who might want to send suggestions, be sure to send them the link!
Blog reader Alan Haigh asked if we could start a discussion about tree planting recommendations. He sent along these guidelines from the Colorado State Master Gardener Program.
While I’m glad to see that the consensus now seems to be that burlap, wire, twine etc. do not belong in the planting hole, there’s still plenty of issues to contest. Here are just a few that I found on my first read:
1) Not mulching over the root ball;
2) Assuming that all B&B trees are “field grown,” which I *know* is incorrect for so very, very many B&B trees;
3) Not including the root-washing technique for B&B, which is not only research-based but is actively promoted through the International Society for Arboriculture’s workshops (see this posting for instance). This is the only way to find and correct circling and girdling woody roots, and the easiest way to find the root crown for planting at grade.
Without root washing you’d have to dig through 10″ of clay to find the root crown (the duct tape marks the top of the clay root ball prior to washing)
I’ve written about this topic before. And many people argue that it would “take too much time” and “be too expensive” to root wash specimens. But when you read this publication, note that it takes 13 pages to describe how to plant containerized and B&B trees.
It takes 1 page to describe how to plant a bare root tree.
Here it’s already Wednesday and no GP postings! My excuse is that I had a seminar to give yesterday before catching a late night flight to Pullman. Bert (who should have posted Monday) must still be lost in a mai-tai fog somewhere in Hawaii. Or maybe he’s looking for Holly, who’s been AWOL for a week. They’re supposedly at the ASHS meetings. Right.
I’m kind of liking the idea of finding fun new products for the busy gardener. Much to my delight, after Goggling the phrase “best new garden product of 2011” I was introduced to amazing water slices. Here’s the text of the announcement/sales information:
“WINNER OF BEST NEW GARDEN PRODUCT OF THE YEAR AT THE HORTICULTURE WEEK/HTA AWARDS & GARDEN RETAIL AWARDS
“A pack of four amazing water slices – so simple to use, they can retain enough water to keep your plants happy for up to 3 weeks.
“Simply soak each slice in water for 3 hours. Use inside or underneath pot plants, hanging baskets, flower pouches, etc.
“Use in layers, too: one slice=one week’s watering. So three slices will give up to 3 weeks watering.
“Cut to shape – one slice can fit two smaller pot plants.
“An extremely efficient and water-saving product – highly recommended.”
And here’s what a “water slice” looks like:
It’s a sponge.
Please tell me – am I crazy? Or just not the gardening trend-setter that I should be? Should I be spending $10 on this? Check out this excerpt from Garden Cuttings Newsletter, with the note “Please feel free to use this information in your stories and columns”:
“Instead of sending dried leaves and other yard waste to the landfill, compost it! DeComp-9 Organic Compost Booster speeds up the composting process with patented microorganisms that quickly break down leaves, grass clippings and other yard waste. When added to compost, the microorganisms in all-natural DeComp-9 will grow on organic material, feed on decaying and dead plant matter and convert this waste to nutrient-rich compost that helps build stronger and healthier plants. Just mix DeComp-9 with water according to the product label and apply on compost piles. Each 20-gram package of DeComp-9 makes 10 gallons of solution – enough to treat 27 cubic feet of compost material. DeComp-9 is available for about $10.”
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to speak to the Portland Garden Club and see some absolutely gorgeous private gardens. But alas…even in the midst of such botanical riches I still managed to find something to make me shudder.
Now I have nothing against garden remodels – or boxwood hedges (though I generally find them unimaginative). But here’s a good example of shrub salvaging gone horribly wrong:
Deadwood boxwood
And again
It will take a long time for these boxwoods to fill in. If you’re going to spend the kind of money that’s going into this remodel, why get chintzy with the hedge plants?
Maybe green spray paint is in order?
This week I’m in Charlotte, NC as a guest of Bartlett Tree Experts. In addition to providing tree services, this company also maintains the Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories and Arboretum. The latter includes over 300 acres of tree collections and ongoing research trials. Here’s a sampling of the tree research we had a chance to observe:
Demonstration espalier pruning…
…and pleaching
Comparison of root barrier materials. This area was covered with a sidewalk for a number of years and then exposed to observe tree rooting patterns. The purpose of the research was to find which barriers were most likely to prevent sidewalk lifting and cracking.
A control – no barrier, lots of roots!
Black plastic – lack of rigidity allows roots to grow over (and through) the plastic, then under the sidewalk.
18″ rigid root barrier. One of the more effective means of keeping roots out.
Removing circling roots before planting
A tree whose roots had been corrected before planting. I think this had been planted in 2007, then lifted a few weeks ago.
A tree without root correction. It didn’t grow any better than the corrected tree, and those circling roots are well on their way to becoming girdling roots.
This company employs a number of PhDs whose research is routinely published in arboricultural and horticultural journals. It was fun to finally meet these researchers whose work I’ve been following for years.
Wouldn’t it be great if more companies put this much effort towards research?
We’ve finally gotten our summer here in the Pacific NW and it’s been pretty hot for a few weeks. The plants weren’t really prepared for this, so we’ve had to irrigate quite a bit to keep all that lush foliage happy. So the topic of this podcast is Water Works – focusing on how water moves in the soil and through plants.
One of the more interesting tidbits I found this week is a recent USDA study on growing more potatoes with less water. Sound impossible? Listen to find out the one single, simple thing that increased water use efficiency by 12% and reduced fertilizer runoff as well.
I also debunk the common myth about using drainage material in container plants. Research from 100 years ago demonstrated that water won’t cross textural barriers – so putting gravel in the bottom of the pot will actually create a bathtub effect rather than helping drainage.
The interview this week is with my garden – primarily the sunny south-facing side. I thought I’d take you on a tour to see what’s happened in the last 11 years. The photos below will help you visualize the interview.
The front yard in 2003. We’ve started taking out the turf and moving around trees and shrubs.
The front yard in 2003 from another angle. We’ve removed the second driveway and covered the area in wood chips. By the garage you can see two of the roses I dug up from the shady back yard and moved to the sunny front.
The new front yard, with fencing, more plants, a pond, and no turf.
The rhody-hydrangea corner in front of the arbor vitae hedge
The new street garden, with a new retaining wall to hold back the soil that used to wash into the street. Everything not covered in plants is covered with wood chips.
This is the last podcast of the first “season” of The Informed Gardener. We’re going to take off for about a month before starting the next series. If you’ve got ideas about future topics, you can email me or post a comment here. In the meantime, you can listen to archived podcasts found on this blog; just click on “podcasts” on the right-hand menu.