Thursday, February 2, 2012

USDA Hardiness Map- we are zone 6B!!


Very Important New Garden Info!

We have a new USDA Hardiness map! This is big news for gardeners. Why, you ask? Because gardeners base their plant choices on zone hardiness. (Oh, that magnolia is only hardy to zone 6b and I’m in zone 5b. It’ll never last the winter!)

Why are zones important?
It determines what plants we, the avid gardeners and professionals, can use and where.


Why did this map change? Global warming?
Actually, it’s not reflecting global climate change. The last revision was 1990. Since 1990, the amount of new information and technology available is staggering. The USDA is very adamant that this is a new set of data, with new parameters, that is more accurate than the “long term predictions” in the old map. Huh?   “The increase in our computing power today allows the research team to build into their algorithms things they knew were important factors in 1990, but couldn’t include,” said Catherine Woteki, Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics for the USDA.

Also, they've now taken into account how close an area might be to bodies of water, the slope and elevation of areas and other microclimates that occur. This may not sound like much- but it is staggering! We have suddenly been rated as Zone 6B. For the past 20 some years, we've been mostly rated as Zone 5B. That's a major temperature change. They've taken into accounts all the valleys (Clinton Lake, the hills of the Wakarusa Valley and other factors I'm sure). Follow this link to get to the new interactive site: USDA map. You can find the Kansas map here. If you enter your zip code, you will get to see close up all the little microclimate deviations within our state! I love this.




How will this change how you garden?
We still need to be cognizant that many/ most of our plant issues happen with exposure to wind (in Kansas) and freeze/ thaw issues. This will not even begin to address those issues. It just gives you the median lowest winter temperatures. So for me, while I will try to place my delicate, sensitive plants in protected areas, I will worry less about winter freeze temperatures. I think the thing that may kill those delicate Magnolia, cute Japanese Maple and the like are the rapid temperature fluctuations. These allow the plant to thaw out, come to life and begin to grow (the cambium begin to generate and grow). Then the temperature rapidly drops and freezes the new growth. I think this very mild winter will see more winterkill than normal for just that reason.



Galanthus or Snow Drop
Also, Punxsatwney Phil just saw his shadow. This incredibly decisive, fact-based predictor AND the predictions of the Farmer's Almanac confirm, for me, that we will be getting three big ice/ snow events this month and March. Whaddya think of that?


Lawrence Landscape and Midwest Custom Pools will be making an appearance at the Lawrence Home Show, Feb 10-12. It is being held at Crown Toyota this year! Leave a comment on our blog or on our Facebook page for free tickets. Include your name, email and any preferred way to contact you.  Good Luck!


Wednesday, January 25, 2012

A butterfly garden- from seed, from transplant


Continuing with Seeds….
January 21, 2012
Winter is a great time to plan out your garden. While things are bare, you can really get a feel for what works and what doesn’t. Continuing with the theme of seeds, because it’s seed buying and seed starting time (nearly so), I give you a simple nativizing Butterfly garden bed.
It features annuals that can be grown from seed and re-seed themselves, perennials that (if not native exactly) will become very comfortable in your KS garden and a few shrubs for structure and year-round interest. 
-Full Sun
-Garden Soil
-Low Maintenance (no fancy pruning required)
-Xeric or simple water requirements (would like regular water until established, please!)
 -Butterfly gardens need a place for butterflies to get water. This could be a rock that holds water but some sources say that a shallow bowl, filled with moist soil works better for the insects.
-They also need protection from wind, so place the whole bed in a protected place (or plant butterfly bush around one edge to form a wind block).

Plant List

Shrubs to ground the bed:
Buddleia- a white variety
Buddleia, ‘Black Knight’ (wonderful dark purple butterfly bush- 5-6’H) (from plant)
Rhus typhina (Sumac), ‘Tigers Eye’ (from plant)







Perennial Flowers from plant:
Achillea (Yarrow), ‘Paprika’ (plant)  
Coreopsis gradniflora, ‘Zegreb’, ‘Early Sunrise’ (plant)
Echinacea purpurea, ‘Magnus’ (seed or plant)
Lavendula, ‘Hidcote’ (plant)

 Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly weed) (plant) food source

Monarda (Bee Balm), ‘Raspberry Wine’ (plant)
Sedum, ‘Vera Jameson’ (shorter and less likely to topple over) (plant)
  
Monarda, Yarrow in the background
From Seed:
Bronze Fennel (direct sow) - food source
Echinacea purpurea, ‘Magnus’ (direct sow or plant)
Larkspur (direct sow) - nectar
Liatris (Gayfeather) (plant, from seed) – nectar






Winter Weather Reminder:
-It’s always a good time to prune out dead and broken limbs (from trees and shrubs). These can affect the future growth of the tree and promote infection (later on when it’s time to come out of dormancy).
-Water your new trees and shrubs. Remember, deep infrequent waterings save the day. Your plant is using much much less water in the cold weather. But still, a watering every month will help new trees and plants stay alive in bitter cold weather. 
 
 Frank says: water at every major holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day). I like to throw in a watering in January. Right now, wait until one of our 40 degree days and water in the afternoon. Don’t water the leaves and try to minimize water on the bark! 

Friday, January 6, 2012

Seed Catalogs... in spades!


Seed Catalogs- January 5, 2012
It is seed catalog time folks! If you are like me, you will begin to be inundated with tons of catalogs, seducing you with pictures and tips and ideas for this next season’s garden. Be careful! Needless to say, my eyes are bigger than my “plate”. To save you money and frustration, let me give you some rules to follow.

            
  • How many seeds do you have left over from last year? If they have gotten too warm, wet or are really older than a year, they are probably not viable. Feel free to do a germination test!
  • Be honest about how many plants you can fit in your space! How many square feet do you really have in full sun where the soil drains well? BE HONEST.
    • All vegetables and many annual cutting flowers require the same full sun site. I include them with my seed buying (zinnias, marigolds, nasturtiums, bachelor buttons, cosmos, etc.).
    • All of that space has to be water accessible. It’s nice that you have a broad sunny strip of easement. But can your hose or drip system reach out there?? Vegetables require deep, regular soaking for highest yield.
    • Also, follow the spacing/ mature sizing listed for each plant you will put in. I mean, do not crowd your broccoli or your squash- it will wreck your yield and/ or promote fungal growth!  If the seed packet says it needs to be planted 36” apart, plan on that spacing. Base your spacing on the mature size of your plant. I often shove in some smaller annuals or herbs around larger vegetables to beautify my plot. But I do not crowd out my major producers.  (Example: I love summer squash and zucchini but it is a huge space hog. Do I have the space for it?)
  • What do you eat most of and is really expensive locally?? Tomatoes? Basil? Eggplant? Zucchini? For me, I must have and eat an enormous amount of greens (lettuce, spinach, chard), beets, tomatoes, basil (I pesto it up), zucchini. However, what of my favorites is very affordable locally? Squash and zucchini, regular bell peppers and green beans. Potatoes, onions are inexpensive for me locally.  I also love to grow all my own herbs because they are too, too much to buy- I use a bunch of herbs! THIS IS YOUR MASTER LIST.
Not all of this will you want to start from seed.
  • What grows best directly seeded (or needs repeat sowing)? Lettuce, greens, beans and peas, roots like carrots and beets, dill, basil, cilantro. For me: beans, lettuce, greens, beets, herbs.  Also, many old fashioned cutting flower varieties are only available from seed. If you are having a cutting garden, make sure you consult your MASTER PLAN! Do you have room?
  • What do I need LEAST of (that do great from transplant)? Examples include: cherry tomatoes, Thai hot peppers (amazing but who needs 18 plants of this??) or any exceptional “one off”, eggplant (for me personally). I also don’t need 18 thyme plants. I buy these from my favorite farmer’s market booths! 

Laurel’s Master list- based on four 4’ x 10’ raised beds (and a little cheating with some pots)
Tomatoes- paste tomatoes (8) (S), slicing tomatoes (4) (N)
Basil- one long row (8-16 plants) (S)
Beans- pole beans (Blue Lake or some other long bean) 1 long rows (DS)
Beets- 1 long row (DS)
Chard- 1 row (DS)
Lettuce- 2 rows Buttercrunch, 2 rows leaf (interplanted with Bean and Peppers) (DS)
Spinach-2 rows (DS)
Cilantro- interplanted with other hot season veg. (N)
Peppers- bell (4), jalapeno (4) (N)
Arugula- 2 rows (DS)
Zucchini- 1 long row on a trellis (DS)
(DS)- direct sow, (S)- from seed, plant start, (N)- buy start from nursery



What did I forget??? Herbs.
Thyme (S)
Basil (S) already mentioned: Purple Ruffles, Boxwood Basil and Genovese
Rosemary (N)
Lemon Balm (S)
Yarrow (S)
Italian Parsley and Cilantro (N)

Thursday, December 22, 2011

December gardening: fresh cut christmas trees, etc

A Foster's Holly, doing its berry thing
Did you think I had forgotten you, whoever you are out there that reads landscape/ garden blogs in December? No, I haven't forgotten anyone. Our sister company, Midwest Custom Pools, is having a website migration/ facelift (not in looks, but in function). And THAT is what this landscape designer does in the off season!
To get a handle on all the areas we work on, during the seasons, check out our website.











I spend a few Saturdays a month talking on the radio to Jeremy, the Brit, about gardening things. When American football season ends, we go back to a regular Saturday schedule. Here is his site! Recently I talked about this stuff:


December 15, 2011 Saturday Radio time

Courtesy of Kansas City Wildlands
How to Keep Your Fresh Christmas Tree Alive

Two items to have: a fresh cut on the bottom (within the last ½ hour is best)
Hot, boiling water. 

When you buy your tree, most places offer to saw the tree bottom for you (this is its callous). ONLY DO THIS IF YOU WILL BE HOME within an hour!! It is important that water be taken up directly into the xylem and phloem of the tree (its veins and arteries) and it will callous over in an hour or less.These are sappy, sappy beasts, these trees. Really, the sap will just close up that fresh cut if you are not careful.
Upon getting home, immediately boil water and add it to the tree and bucket. Don’t dawdle and let it sit on your porch without water while you put up the stand, have lunch, etc. etc. etc. Keep hot to warm water in it for the first 24 hours. The extremists among us have been known to get up at 3 am and add hot water to the tree.  It really extends the life and beauty of your tree.  The tree will continue to take up lots of water in the first hour or three.
Never let it dry out. Make sure the water reservoir can hold a gallon of water.


How to keep your Christmas plants alive:
                Poinsettia- like warm, not drafty area. Less water than most- only when dry! Mist leaves to help with indoor lack of humidity. The bloom is actually just colored leaves- very hard to get to rebloom next year! They will require darkness and hibernation.
                Amaryllis- evenly moist, medium light. Bloom will last 6-8 weeks.
                Cyclamen- cool area (front door is good), dry and north facing window. Moist soil but deadhead.  Plant will go dormant in summer (so decrease watering). As new growth starts in fall, resume watering.

Monday, November 21, 2011

November Garden


Why clean tools??
If you clean after every use, you prevent diseases, fungi, insect larva, weed seeds from spreading around your garden.  You also extend the lifespan when you remove soil after every use- soil encourages rust (through moisture) and will eat the sharp edge off of your tools! The sharper the edge of your spade, trowel, hoe, edger, the easier they cut. The easier they cut, the less muscle you have to put into the project!
How do I clean them?
Hose off any tool that comes in contact with soil after every use. Use a garden hose set on maximum pressure or, with heavy clay soil, scrub with a bristle brush. DRY YOUR TOOLS- just like that nice sharp knife in your kitchen!
For cutting tools with sharpened edges that don’t come in contact with soil (like loppers, clippers, axes, pruning shears, knives), wipe them down with a rough cotton cloth. The idea is to remove sap and gum from the blades. Use a little paint thinner on a cloth to remove really sticky stuff…. Again, dry the tool after cleaning!
Prevent Future Damage
Steel tools are still susceptible to rust, even after cleaning and drying. Note: the higher the grade of steel, the more vulnerable to rust. Use oil to repel dirt, dust and erosion. Interestingly, motor oil is touted as a great inexpensive rust preventer! They say, mix motor oil and kerosene in a 2:1 ratio (two part oil to one part kerosene). Put it in a sprayer for easy use. [Please dispose of it as you would motor oil and store in a safe way, away from heat sources]
Sharpen Tools
Sharpening is a bit more complex, but shovels, axes, trowels and hoes are easily sharpened by hand. Get an 8" long mill file with a bastard cut (that's straight dudes, not curved).  Mine cost $8.99 at the hardware store. Get one with a handle- you'll need it.
OMG- it's ma file! With a handle!
 
RULE OF FILE: Only draw the teeth one direction over the edge being filed. Sawing back and forth? Never. Ever.
Hold the tool to be sharpened in a vise or some other bracing system, so you can use both hands. You must maintain the same angle to the edge as you push the file across it.
To sharpen shears and knives, you need a vise and an oil stone. Like sharpening the good kitchen knife, go one direction and follow the instructions that your oil stone comes with!







Hang Your Tools
Really, fancy systems to organize your tools aren’t necessary, unless you want them! Use a two-by-four with 10-penny nails as your holder. Put the business end of your tool down, so as not to hit yourself or something else when you take it down. With wooden handled tools, just drill a ¼” hole in the handle of your tools (axes, rakes, shovels, etc.). Put a piece of leather through the end and Voila!

Random questions about tree care in cold months:

Tree Bags? Try a tree bag ( brand name Treegator) to help water correctly. It provides deep, root zone watering with no run off or evaporation. So if you choose to ignore my directions about how to water, you can use this device! This is a good safety for newly planted trees and folks who have “brown thumbs”. Our opinion around here: they should be one on every tree in every median, City of Lawrence.
Frank Male, our lovely production manager also reminds me of this: water every holiday through the winter. Water on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick ’s Day. This cold weather watering can really minimize winter damage and help trees survive and thrive in the spring.
Bark Wrap? Trees and shrubs can be damaged by sudden fluctuations of temperature (hello, Kansas!), prolonged periods of low temperature with no insulating snow and unexpected early/ late season cold snaps. Sun scald happens on the south, southwest side of an immature tree. It can heat up on a cold winter day, initiating cambial activity. (This means it starts to grow) Suddenly, the temperature drops and it kills the tissue. This means a big old wound, dead place and scar on your delicate new tree.  Put commercial bark wrap on your tree to insulate and maintain a more even temperature. Paper or plastic work fine, as long as it’s put on in the early fall and removed in spring. Trees with thin bark who need this special attention: cherry, crabapple, honey locust, linden, maple, ash, plum.
Since bark is much like skin, the wound can also heal. Take a sharp knife and cut out the wound in the same shape. Wrap in future winters to prevent more damage. Do no dress the wound. 

Look at the picture at right-- This is a downtown Lawrence tree (awesome lights!). Notice the bark wrap? Yup. But also, look at the stakes. It is really important to stake young trees. Most nursery men agree that stakes are very important for the first year. If you are planting a tree on a windy, exposed site, leave the stakes on two or three years. Please note that trees in their 2nd or 3rd year in the ground can really grow exponentially. Watch that any cables or ties are not cutting into the bark (cambium). 








 
 Winter Kill of Evergreens
  1. Winter sun and wind cause excessive transpiration (foliage water loss) while the roots are in frozen soil and unable to replace lost water. This results in desiccation and browning of the plant tissue.
  2. Bright sunny days during the winter also cause warming of the tissue above ambient temperature which in turn initiates cellular activity. Then, when the sun is quickly shaded, foliage temperature drops to injurious levels and the foliage is injured or killed.
  3. During bright, cold winter days, chlorophyll in the foliage is destroyed (photo-oxidized) and is not resynthesized when temperatures are below 28° F. This results in a bleaching of the foliage.
  4. Cold temperatures early in the fall before plants have hardened off completely or late spring after new growth has occurred can result in injury or death of this nonacclimated tissue.
Foliar damage normally occurs on the south, southwest, and windward sides of the plant, but in severe cases the whole plant may be affected. Yew, arborvitae, and hemlock are most susceptible, but winter browning can affect all evergreens. New transplants or plants with succulent, late season growth are particularly sensitive.
There are several ways to minimize winter injury to evergreens. The first is proper placement of evergreens in the landscape. Yew, hemlock, and arborvitae should not be planted on south or southwest sides of buildings or in highly exposed (windy, sunny) places. A second way to reduce damage is to prop pine boughs or Christmas tree greens against or over evergreens to protect them from wind and sun and to catch more snow for natural protection.
(thanks university of minnesota extension for the great winter kill info)

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Replacing a crumbling retaining wall...



I get so many questions from homeowners who have crumbling, native limestone retaining walls. Usually we call this "the crumbling, yellow crap rock" (sorry about the technical jargon)! Many of these walls are about 20 years old and were constructed by the contractors who built the house. The rock was probably the ledge rock that was dug up from the excavation of the house site. The walls vary in size and scale, but usually the worst ones are large block- approximately 3' H and 6-8' W, 3-4' D. The blocks tend to be very large and the stone has gotten crumbly over the years, endangering the yard, perhaps a patio or a slope that was retained.
Some examples of the walls I'm talking about:
Wall #1
Wall #2

Wall #3
As you can see, these are various sizes and conditions. But they all pose issues. Many homeowners want the walls removed completely. We've found that this actually takes more labor and isn't as efficient. In all these cases above, we opted to remove as much rock as we could (without dislodging the retained soil above it or that FENCE in #2) and simply build in front of the wall. It may surprise people to know that the existing wall is almost totally covered up and the new wall can have a dramatically more pleasing shape.  Here are some shots of these walls after they were "replaced" with wall block (Versa-lok in these cases):

Wall #1 replacement

Wall #2 replacement, view A
Wall #2 replacement, view b

Wall #3- see other walls in background

Let me say again: the crumbling limestone rock is still back there; pared down but still there!
Walls 2 and 3 are the same backyard/ homeowner. She had three deteriorating walls in her back yard and we replaced all of them. Derek, our supervisor on this job, does a great job of creating softly curving walls that are just beautiful to look at (as well as being very, very sturdy). Derek and his crew got under the porch with a power drill and chisel to chisel out some of the existing stone and get it down below grade so that the wall would totally cover up the old rock. On top of the lower two walls, we put soil and seeded. On the upper, with the fence, we added weed mat and river rock. This way she doesn't have to weed up there! She chose Versa-lok Flint Hills Tan as her color choice. The block is the most cost effective, sturdy, good looking type to use.

Now, this is a big investment for a homeowner. Here are some questions to ask your contractor: what type of block are your bidding out to use? Can I make changes to the block/ choose color and does that affect price? Are you putting in drain tile so that water can move through? (See the wall #2, view b)? What are you putting back on top (soil, grass seed, sod, rock, etc)? Is this figured in to the estimate? Have you included fixing the damage to the sod in the estimate/, and/or any changes to the sprinklers that might be needed? (This is so important to ask!) As with all walls, there is a fair amount of gravel that is put underneath and behind the wall to stabilize it and allow freeze/thaw and water to move through. You might double check that the contractor is including this! Any reputable company will. But you want to weed out the fly by night characters!! Call us if you have any questions.




Wednesday, October 26, 2011

deer resistant?

Hmmm. It's more honest than saying "deer proof"! Deer are crazy- let me say that first. If they are hungry, nothing in your yard is safe! In normal years, when food is available, many deer won't stray into your yard. On the other hand, if you live in a housing development that has lured you in because of its natural setting, you are in THEIR yard. So, we have to make peace somehow. 
As a designer, I am a realist. If you live in a highly populated deer area, do not plant hostas and then complain when they get eaten again and again! There are lots of plants that are just not as appetizing to deer and are great landscape plants. Let's talk about them!
A great landscape starts with great structure. That means trees and shrubs. Here are some trees I like for our Midwestern Kansas landscapes:

-American Holly Tree (like a Foster's Holly)- Ilex opaca is best but not as beautiful as a Foster's Holly. 
Black Gum in full color
-Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
-Birches- River birch, etc
-Buckeye (Aeschelus paviflora)











Black Gum
-Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica)- Under utilized, gorgeous native.
-Dogwood- Kousa, Red Osier (shrub red twig dogwood)
-Hawthorn
-Sweetbay Magnolia- Another multi-stemmed tree for semi-shady spots, loves wet too.
-Pines
-Spruce: White, Colorado Blue, Norway
-Sweet Gum
-Sycamore
-Tulip Tree (Liriodendron)-  largest native tree, can reach 70' and up!
--Witch Hazel- Under utilized! 12-15' multi-stemmed, loves shady spots, blooms in February/ March.












Trees that I've marked as under utilized means they are hardy, gorgeous and unique. Many are woodland natives. They add something special to the landscape- it's like the girl who has the perfect hair and perfect outfit. You can't quite figure out why she looks so good and like she's not even trying! Well, that's what these plants do: they look natural, yet are interesting, unique and rich looking.

Beautybush
Shrubs:
-Beautybush- Under utilized! Can grow to 8' H x W. Arching and lovely.
-Barberry- over utilized but useful.
-Boxwood
-Butterfly Bush
-Forsythia





Fothergilla



-Fothergilla- under utilized and my favorite!


















-Grape Holly (Mahonia)- Also under utilized around here.
-Holly (Blue Holly and Inkberry Holly)
-Juniper (Blue and Green)
-Leucothoe- under utilized, shade loving. watery rich sites. Shiny leaves and is actually EVERGREEN. Uh huh.
Leucothoe
-Lilac- the common variety has more deer resistance.
-Nandina- oh the lovely Firepower! 2' H x W
Nandina

















-Pyracantha- oh the color, oh the thorns.

A rule of thumb for deer and rabbits: they don't like thorns or especially fragrant plants (essential oils, etc). Also, please don't yell at me when these don't work and get chomped. What works for one may not work for others. It is worth a try!