OK, this Friday’s quiz is the real deal: everyone gets to play “Extension Specialist for a Day”. I am stumped on this and so are my colleagues here at MSU. I used to work for a guy who liked to say, “None of us is as smart as all of us”. Let’s put it … Continue reading Friday quiz: The case of the bumpy maples
If you’ve been following the saga of our clematis, you’ll know that first they suffered iron toxicity (from the waterlogged soil they were in) and then were dug up and replanted in containers. Last week I showed you what happens when you vigorously work wet soil – yet more waterlogging! During the transplanting process, I … Continue reading Friday quiz – yet more clematis calamity!
I wish I were more like Holly…wandering around nurseries finding pretty and unusual annuals and perennials to get excited about. Instead, I seem to gravitate to plants that annoy me. Today while looking for some trellises (for those containerized Clematis vines that I’ve been torturing) I saw pots of the Equisetum hyemale (“a tall, evergreen, … Continue reading Why do nurseries sell this plant?
Friday’s puzzle was tricky! I will preface the answer by saying I don’t do a lot of container plants except for annuals. When I plant up annuals into soilless potting mix (which is dehydrated), I work in the water thoroughly into this fluffy medium. Friday’s situation was a little different. The Clematis are more or less … Continue reading Clematis conundrum clarified
A few weeks ago I showed you photos of iron toxicity in a Clematis planted in a soggy soil (perched water table). Because this area is just not conducive to plants, we’re putting in a small deck. This necessitated the excavation of two Clematis, which were both suffering from wet feet. (Needless to say the … Continue reading Friday quiz – the tale of two clematis continues
Most gardeners that I know have tried to produce roots on stem cuttings from plants that they like. Sometimes this turns out well for them, particularly if they are working with what we call an easy-to-root species, and sometimes it turns out poorly. OK, in all honesty, it often turns out poorly. The problem is … Continue reading Propagating in the air
Long-time readers of our blog might remember my August 12 column (linked here for your convenience). You saw my giant lavender plant devolve into 5 small plants with tiny spiraled root systems that put Marge Simpson’s beehive to shame. In any case, I promised to keep you up-to-date with their progress. Transplanting in August is … Continue reading Five little lavenders – an update
Castor Bean – Ricinis communis. Folks who make their living creating fabulous color displays for public gardens, municipalities, and commercial parks love ‘em. Civilian gardeners/plant geeks love ‘em. People who get their knickers in a twist about poisonous plants do not. Pros: ridiculously rapid growth, huge leaves for that tropical look, tolerant of less-than-ideal conditions, … Continue reading Beantroversy
Seeing as this blog is called “The Garden Professors” it has been far too long since we’ve given you a lecture on a useful practice for your garden, so this week I thought I’d give you a little how-to demonstration on something called approach grafting. Approach grafting is a technique that you could use to … Continue reading The Approach Graft
As with last week, this past week and weekend were largely occupied by my role as a faculty advisor for the MSU Horticulture club. This weekend was our annual Spring Show and Plant Sale. Each year our undergraduates commandeer the Horticulture department’s conservatory, bring in a boatload of plants, pavers, turf and mulch and design … Continue reading Selling dawn redwood