Autumn Perennial Garden Questions

Throughout the year I get gardening questions on my Perry’s Perennial Pages website. Here are a few gardening questions you too may have for this season.

How can I maintain a smaller rounded habit of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and Coreopsis 'Moonbeam'? They are 4-5 years old. Often plants too tall or floppy are a sign of too little light. Both of these plants in particular grow best in full sun. Even then with
age some plants, such as the Autumn Joy, may flop. Plants that bloom late in the season such as Autumn Joy, Asters, or even tall garden phlox may be cut back by one third to one half in early summer. This will result in shorter growth with more branching, and generally only slightly delayed bloom, if at all. This cutting back generally wont work with thin stems as on the Moonbeam. Make sure this one has full sun, and not too much fertilizer, or rich soil which can cause tall and floppy stems.

What do you suggest for a grass to plant along the driveway like a hedge? If you want a tall grass (four to five feet), then consider one of the Switch grass (Panicum) cultivars. Heavy Metal is bluish with reddish seed heads. There are several other
good blue cultivars, but Prairie Sky tends to flop. Shenandoah is shorter, and more red.

Another group for a great upright effect of similar height is the Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis), Karl Foerster being a popular and good cultivar. If in a warmer climate or microclimate (USDA zone 5 and warmer) you might consider Fountain Grass (Pennisetum), about three feet high. There are many good cultivars of Eulalia (Miscanthus), from four to eight feet, which with short and cooler seasons in the north do not tend to seed nor become seed invasive.

What are the most common problems I should be aware of with soils? If a soil has a problem in our area, it is often too low pH or too acid soil. This can be corrected by adding lime, according to the soil test. A soil pH that is between 6 and 7, 7 being neutral, is often best. A soil pH that is too low or too high makes nutrients unavailable to the plant. Soil test sampling bags are available from state agriculture testing labs, often at state universities, or from garden centers. If purchasing inexpensive soil testing kits you can do at home, make sure they are new, as old chemicals in such kits can give wrong results. Fall is a good time to add lime, if needed, as ground or dolomitic limestone is slow acting. Add it now and your soil will be ready for spring planting.

I have hostas with twisted, stunted, and puckered leaves. Is this normal, or a disease? It depends, some varieties show this normally, but there is a relatively newly discovered virus that could be the cause, called Hosta Virus X or HVX (a Potexvirus). Some varieties over the years such as Eternal Father, Lunacy, and Leopard Frog actually have their traits due to less virulent viruses. This virus, though, causes traits as you note, and is highly contagious through contact of infected sap from one plant with another. This is commonly spread by hands or tools such as through pruning, so make sure to wash in between with antiseptic soap. As with other viruses, there are no cures, so infected plants should be discarded. Also like many viruses, plants may carry this one yet not show symptoms, which makes diagnosis sometimes very difficult.

The cultivar Breakdance has been reported 100 percent infected, while commonly infected cultivars include Gold Standard, Striptease, and Sum and Substance. Before buying these, or in fact any hostas, get familiar with what they should look like, and don't buy them if they look otherwise. It is easiest to see symptoms on gold and gold-centered plants, which in addition to those you note, may include random green mottling, and mottling along the veins. Since this virus must be transmitted in sap and living plants, you can safely plant where an infected plant was removed as long as there are no living roots from the old plant. Considered resistant are the cultivars Blue Angle, Color Glory, and Frances Williams. Considered immune are Bressingham Blue, Frosted Jade, Love Pat, Great Expectations, Sagae, and (sieboldiana) Elegans.

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Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor University of Vermont More questions and answers can be found under the FAQs on my Perry’s Perennial Pages www.uvm.edu/~pass/perry/faq.html .

Useful Facts About Insecticides

If you garden you invariably will have pests, insects you don’t want and that may damage your indoor plants, ornamentals outside, or crops. Knowing some basic facts about the many types of insecticides now available, even organic ones, should help you garden safer and with better pest control. An extension leaflet on “How Insecticides Work” from the University of New Hampshire provides a summary of details on the most common types of products.

It is useful to know the various types or “classes” of insecticides, and which ones your pesticides are in. Insects often build up resistance to repeated use of the same insecticide, or ones from the same class, so one of the principles of pest management is to rotate products from a different class every third or fourth time they are used.

The organophosphates, such as the common malathion, act by interfering with the transmission of nerve impulses. Basically it causes the nerves to keep acting continuously, rather than stopping as normally, resulting in symptoms such as tremors, convulsions, or even paralysis. These can be some of the most toxic pesticides.

The carbamates, such as carbaryl, act similarly with similar symptoms to the organophosphates. However, unlike the former, action of this class can be reversed.

Similar action is from the former chlorinated hydrocarbons, now called organochlorines. These include such as DDT and chlordane, and because of their toxicity to humans or the environment most are no longer found in the U.S.

Pyrethroids, such as permethrin, were first made based on chemicals naturally occurring in the seeds of certain chrysanthemums. These act similarly to their natural relatives, disrupting the transmission of nerve impulses, but last longer.

Insect growth regulators include many products that only affect immature insects, not the adults. Insects go through stages in growth and development, often molting or shedding one skin and growing a new one. These products imitate the hormones that control this process in insects, causing changes when they aren’t ready. This usually results in their death. Since humans don’t have these insect hormones, these products are relatively safe for people.

Microbial insecticides actually are made from microorganisms that attack insects. Since they are so specialized, such as attacking the cuticle (covering) of insects, they pose relatively little risk to humans. These include viruses and bacteria that invade insects and multiply, or fungi that attack from the outside. The various versions of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) are in this class.

Then there are various other classes such as the horticultural oils, which smother insect eggs, or the common insecticidal soaps. The latter are chemicals, although often not thought of as such, usually being potassium salts of fatty acids. They destroy the outer covering of insects, causing body fluids to leak out, and the insects die from dehydration.

Keep in mind several points relating to your safety and that of the environment. Many insecticides are chemicals, even so-called “organic” ones, and can affect humans much as they affect pests. Read and follow all label precautions when using any insecticide product, organic or otherwise. Even if relatively safe when mixed, handling the concentrated products can be much more risky.

When reading the label, also check for the active ingredients. Look for the official common chemical name, not just the trade name which products often are known by. For example, on the product Sevin, the common name you should see is carbaryl. There are at least 300 products with this active ingredient.

You can search all the details about a specific product or active ingredient online at one of several sites, good starting points being the National Pesticide Information Center (npic.orst.edu) or a site from Cornell University (pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/index.html). There you can learn, among other details, that this product is a carbamate and that it is highly toxic to bees. As a general rule of safe use for the environment, don’t apply any pesticides where, and when, they may interfere or kill beneficial wildlife as well as your target pests.

Do some research on pesticides for specific plants and pests, assemble two or three from different classes, rotate their use, and use exactly according to label directions. The result should be good pest control with least toxic impacts on the environment. Don’t forget to explore cultural and other non-pesticide controls which may reduce your need even to use pesticides.

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Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor University of Vermont

Fall Planting For Spring Flowers

Although the gardening season will soon be coming to a close, there is still one planting activity to be done: planting bulbs for spring flowers.

While it may seem odd to plant bulbs now, the reason is that spring-flowering bulbs need time to develop a solid root system before winter sets in. For best results, wait until soil temperatures are below 60 degrees F before planting bulbs. That means waiting to plant until mid-September or October.

You can buy bulbs at most garden centers, or if you have enough time, order them through catalogs. By choosing different varieties, you can enjoy spring flowers from late winter to early summer. For an early glimpse of spring, plant crocuses and snowdrops. Daffodils bloom next, followed by tulips, squill, and grape hyacinth. Indian hyacinths (Camassia) are some of the last, along with Summer Snowflakes (Leucojum).

When purchasing bulbs, buy only top quality bulbs--ones that are large, firm, and of good color. Cheap bulbs will only produce poor, or sometimes even no, flowers.

Choose a site that has good drainage and at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. If the soil is poorly drained, consider raised beds, or planting chequered lilies (Fritillaria meleagris). To prepare planting beds, dig up six to eight inches of soil. Add peat moss or other organic matter, then mix in fertilizer containing phosphorus such as rock phosphate, superphosphate, or special bulb fertilizer. If rodents, skunks, or other small mammals are a problem, bone meal will only attract them. You can help avoid digging problems by placing a fine wire mesh over the bulb bed. Or place sharply crushed rocks or shells you can buy for this purpose around bulbs at time of planting. You can find these at complete garden or feed stores.

I like to plant bulbs in groups or clumps rather than in rows. For a nice show of color, I plant bulbs in front of evergreen shrubs or among perennials and other flowering shrubs. Formal tulips look best planted in beds in symmetrical arrangements while daffodils should be planted in "naturalized" or informal plantings. A good method for informally arranging daffodils is to throw them over your shoulder, and plant them where they land!

Plant bulbs upright, pointed ends up, at the recommended depth. As a rule of thumb, bulbs should be planted three times as deep as the bulb's greatest dimension. Use a shovel, trowel, or bulb planter, and space bulbs according to size. Large bulbs such as tulips and daffodils should be placed four to six inches apart while smaller bulbs such as crocus, snowdrops, and squill should be placed one to two inches apart.

When plants emerge in spring, fertilize lightly with bulb fertilizer at least two inches from the plant. Once flower petals fade, use scissors to remove the flower parts and stem before the plant produces seed pods. However, let the leaves remain until they have turned yellow, so the bulbs get plenty of nourishment for the following spring's display. You can camouflage the bulb foliage by carefully planting summer annuals around the bulbs once all danger of frost is past. I often interplant daffodils among my perennials. This provides color before the perennials emerge, and then the new perennial leaves hide the dying daffodil leaves.

Although most spring-flowering bulbs are perennials, you may need to replant tulips and hyacinths each year as these blooms aren't as vigorous the following bloom seasons. Daffodils, scilla, and crocus, on the other hand, are stronger and spread further with each bloom season, so are best left undisturbed.

If bulbs become overcrowded, with fewer and smaller flowers, they may need dividing. Under ideal conditions this may be every two or three years. The best time is when the foliage begins to turn yellow. Replant immediately, following the fertilizer and planting recommendations described above.

If you need to move perennial spring-flowering bulbs, it is best to do so after bloom before the foliage dies and you can’t find the bulbs! You can pot them, or “heel them in” planting in a group or in a row to allow the leaves to die back normally. To speed up the dying back of daffodil leaves, plus have them less floppy and unsightly, some gardeners double the leaves over and either tie them in a knot or with a rubber band. Just mark where the bulbs are so you can find them later.

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Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor University of Vermont

The Beauty Of Iron Arbors

A metal arbor can be used as a focal point for any garden. They can be constructed from almost any malleable metal, but the most common ones are wrought iron arbors. The intricacy of the wrought ironwork can be extremely simple, or incredibly complex. There really is one to suit any taste and pocket.

The majority of metal arbors are used to encourage climbing plants to form a shaded area. Many people install an iron arbor and plant climbing rose bushes all around the closed areas to form a wonderfully fragrant and shaded seating area. A metal arbor traditionally has only one open side, unlike a pergola or archway. That is why it is more suited for use as a shaded seating area.

Iron arbors, or any type of metal arbor, are extremely heavy constructions. They are usually set in concrete and are seldom repositioned. It is not very practical to set a metal arbor on soft ground or grass. The wrought iron arbor is likely to sink into the surface. For the same reason, metal arbors are not often moved. There is a lot of effort required in changing the position of an established iron arbor so it is worth planning its location carefully.

The variety of styles and sizes of metal arbors that are available means that the prices vary dramatically, too. The cheapest ones are under $100, but there is no limit to how much the most expensive might be. Many wrought iron arbors are handcrafted, which adds to the cost, but ensures that it is unlike any other metal arbor. The length of time that a commissioned iron arbor will take to finish also varies with the intricacy of the metalwork involved.

Caring for an iron arbor really depends on personal preference. If you want your metal arbor to be gleaming and new for life, it will need rust treatments and repainting when appropriate. However, many owners of metal arbors prefer to leave it to the elements. This produces a lovely rusted antique look to the iron arbor. Of course, if you are encouraging climbing shrubs to cover the metal arbor then you will not be able to, or want to, perform any maintenance on the iron arbor itself. It is possible to buy iron arbors that have come from other gardens and have already acquired the weathered appearance, but these are few and far between.

Creating a metal arbor is not something that the average DIY enthusiast is likely to be able to do. The skills involved are metalwork and welding, at the very least. The most ornate of wrought iron arbors can only be produced by skilled metalworkers and craftsmen. The most beautiful metal arbors are those that have been in situ for a number of years and have fragrant roses entwined in their intricate ironwork. These iron arbors can give the owner a truly calming place of refuge from the hustle and bustle of today.

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Daniel Roshard is an interior designer fascinated by outdoor architecture, currently studying outdoor design. Daniel writes articles about home improvement and landscaping. You can read his latest work on Iron Arbor here.

Chipmunks In The Garden

One form of wildlife some like to watch outdoors, but many would rather not have in our gardens, are chipmunks. Knowing a few facts about chipmunks may help prevent them from eating bulbs, damaging young plants, or causing more serious structural damage.

A wildlife publication from Penn State University provides a concise summary of chipmunk biology, as well as control methods. From this I was interested to learn that chipmunk burrows may extend 20 to 30 feet. There is no soil around the openings because chipmunks carry it away from the burrows in their cheek pouches and scatter it away from the openings. The burrows are complex, usually with chambers for nesting, food storage, side pockets and escape tunnels.

There usually are two generations of chipmunks borne a year, with two to five in early spring and again in late summer. So if your landscape seems to have many, this is why. They may range over about a half acre, but only defend about 50 feet around their burrow opening.

Chipmunks gather and store food, often seeds, throughout the year. If you have seen clumps of sunflowers coming up in flower pots or the lawn, or small bulbs blooming far away from where you planted them, you can thank a chipmunk! This is one of their purposes in natural woodlands, to sow seeds for forest regeneration. Although chipmunks mainly eat seeds, berries, nuts, insects and mushrooms on the ground, they also can climb trees to gather these or to prey on young birds and bird eggs.

Chipmunks do not hibernate during fall and winter as woodchucks do, but remain rather inactive, subsisting on their stored food. You may see them active on warm, sunny days. In addition to their damage in gardens, chipmunks can cause structural damage from burrowing under stairs, retention walls, or foundations.

Exclusion can be used to keep chipmunks from buildings and some flower beds. Fill openings at building foundations, fill and caulk openings, or use one-quarter inch mesh hardware cloth. Cover annual flower beds with this hardware cloth, at least a foot past the edges. You can cover the wire lightly with soil to hide it.

Where bulbs may be damaged, if planting a whole bed, first dig out all the soil. Then line the bed with similar hardware cloth before refilling and planting. Cover the top with the mesh cloth until spring when the bulbs emerge. If planting bulbs in individual holes, place some sharply crushed stones or shells in each hole before refilling. This will help deter their digging. Such products often can be found, just for this purpose, at feed and garden stores.

Habitat modification may lessen chipmunk damage. Try not to continuously connect, through vegetation and plantings, wooded areas with garden beds and homes. Such areas, wood piles, and debris provide protection for them, plus their openings are hard to find under such cover.

Spilled bird seed from feeders is a common attractant for chipmunks, as around my own home. Place bird feeders 15 to 30 feet from buildings or gardens. Keeping grass cut short around such areas will provide little cover for them and encourage them to burrow elsewhere.

Taste repellents, such as those for squirrels, can be used for chipmunks too. These can be used on bulbs, seeds, and foliage not meant for human consumption. These need to be reapplied, can be expensive over time, and generally don’t provide complete control even though then can lessen damage and be useful in small areas, and on specific choice plants.

Trapping is an effective means of control around homes and gardens. Common rat snap-traps are used by some, if isolated from children, pets, or non-target wildlife. If using these, place boards or a box over, with small opening for the chipmunk, to prevent birds from getting caught.

Many prefer to use a live-catch wire mesh trap, then transport them several miles away so they don’t return. Another alternative for live-trapped chipmunks is to humanely euthanize them. If transporting, first check to make sure this is legal in your community. Release them in wooded areas where they wont bother other homes, avoiding contact with them during the release.

If using live traps, a variety of baits can be used including peanut butter, seeds, raisins, or breakfast grains. Place traps in areas, and along routes, where the chipmunks are seen. You may want to wire the traps open a couple days to condition the chipmunks to them, before setting. Check traps often to remove captured chipmunks and to release non-target animals such as birds.

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Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor University of Vermont

How To Make an Empty Nester's Whimsy Garden

Chances are good, if you've ever had children, or even grandchildren, who are now grown up, that you have a mountain of plastic or metal outdoor activity toys sitting around outside. Mind you, I'm not talking about the dolls the kids left out in the rain and forgot about; I'm talking about the outdoor toys; kiddie pools and plastic picnic tables and doll carriages and riding toys and the like. Probably half of them don't work anymore (unless you're really terribly practical--but then, if you're that practical, the toys probably didn't stick around much longer than the kids). But, if you're like the rest of us, you can't bear the thought of getting rid of those childhood mementos. Maybe the grandchildren will want to play with them one day. Maybe the great grandchildren will want to play with them. Regardless of the excuse, most of us hate to let go of our kids' childhoods.

A new trend in landscaping and home decor may allow you to enjoy the best of both worlds; to keep the toys and yet not look overly sentimental about doing it. This trend, known as 'whimsy gardening', takes ordinary household objects--a bathtub, for example, or a kitchen sink--and fills them with plants, then makes them a part of the landscape. The only requirement for the object is that it be able to stand up to outdoor weather, and children's toys, providing they were designed to be used outdoors in the first place, certainly meet that requirement. We have toys in our yard that seem to have been around longer than we have.

Your first task is to select the location for the toys. Try to arrange them in ways that feel fun, fresh, and spontaneous. Get a couple of neighborhood kids to come in and play with them for a couple of hours, and have them leave the toys lying around. That always gives a nice, 'unfussy' feel to the layout. Regardless of how you end up getting them to their places, they should NOT be put in straight lines, and they should never be orderly. After all, the point here is whimsy, and when was the last time your kids put their toys away in neat, orderly rows? Mine never did.

Now, there are two ways to proceed from here. One is to plant directly into the toys, which has a more 'natural' feel, as though the toys had just been sitting there casually and plants had sprung up in them (I've had that happen a couple of times, come to think of it, when I wasn't careful with my weeding). The downside of this method is that it may rust out or otherwise damage the toys, metal more than plastic, to have the soil in direct contact with the toy. Also, it has the downside that if the plants die, they have to be replanted. If you have more than one plant in, say, a baby carriage, it can get tricky to replace it without damaging the other plants while doing it.

The second method is to plant into pots, and then set the pots into, on, or among the toys, rather than planting directly into the toys. It gives more of a structured feel to the whimsy garden (and heaven forbid we should ever be structured in our whimsy!) but it has several advantages; for starters, it doesn't rust the toys out, which planting directly into them can do. Oh, there will be some rust; these are old toys, and they've lived through a lot. But you extend the life of your whimsey garden by years if you don't plant directly into the toys. Second, if a plant dies, nothing could be more simple than changing out the pot and putting a live one in its place. The same goes for changing out plants when the seasons change, or even when you get bored with a look. And, last but not least, using this method allows you to take the pots out of the toys and set them off to the side when those grandchildren or greatgrandchildren come to call. After all, you knew there was a reason you had kept them.

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For vital information on all things concerned with snowboarding visit Outdoor Toys

Saving Dahlias and Other October Gardening Tips

Enriching the soil for next year’s garden, planting garlic, and saving dahlia tubers are some of the gardening tips for this month.

As you empty annual beds this fall, there are two main ways to enrich the soil for next year: spreading compost or planting cover crops. While this month may be a bit late to sow cover crops such as buckwheat and annual rye in your area, you can apply compost. Before you spread compost, dig or lightly till in any plants that aren't diseased to return nutrients to the soil. Spread compost, even if it's not well decomposed yet. It will protect the soil over the winter and break down by spring planting time.

Plant garlic now for harvesting next summer. Purchase garlic sold specifically for planting, or buy organic garlic. Commercial, nonorganic, supermarket garlic may have been treated to inhibit sprouting. Break the garlic head into individual cloves, keeping the largest ones for planting. (Use the small cloves for cooking.) Plant cloves about 3 inches apart with the pointy side up. Try some different varieties to see which you prefer. Mulch the bed well with straw.

When the first frost blackens the foliage of dahlias (or if a hard freeze is predicted), cut off the stems about 6 inches above the tubers. Carefully dig the clumps with a spade or fork, and rinse them off. Let them dry out of direct sun and wind for a day (not too long or they'll begin to shrivel). Store the tuber clumps whole, or carefully separate the tubers from the stem, making sure to include any "eyes" (small, raised nubs near where the tubers attach to the main stem) with each tuber. These are the future sprouts. Store tubers in ventilated plastic bags filled with peat moss, vermiculite, or sawdust. Place bags in a box and keep them in a dark, 35- to 50-degree F location.

If you test your soil and add any needed amendments now, the soil will be ready for planting when you are in the spring. Contact your local Extension Service office for a soil-testing kit, also available at many garden stores. Since your soil can vary from location to location in your yard, if you notice different characteristics of the soil in different beds, test them separately.

Keep leaves raked from lawns so they don’t smother the grass. Spread a thin topping of compost on the lawn after you rake up leaves, and rake again to settle the compost.

Other gardening tips for this month include checking and replacing faded garden labels, carving pumpkins, and potting paperwhite narcissus for holiday bloom indoors. Visit the National Gardening Association’s web site (www.garden.org) for more information on gardening and regional reports

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Charlie Nardozzi, Senior Horticulturist National Gardening Association, and Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor University of Vermont

Enhance Your Garden With Low Voltage Landscape Lighting

Have you ever gone past someone's front yard in the evening and been enchanted by the low voltage landscape lighting that has been installed? I know I have. It is amazing how lights can make a garden look majestic at night.

Of course, low voltage landscape lighting is not only used to make a yard look stunning but it is also there as a safety factor. If you come home late at night and need to navigate your way to the front door or up the pathway to the back yard then it is a great idea to have some of these lights installed to help you safely reach your destination. Not everyone likes to have bright security lights glaring into the neighbor's yard, so these types of lights are the perfect option.

You will be happy to know also that you can pick them up at reasonable prices that wont break the bank. Low voltage landscape lighting can also be a great addition to the bbq and pool areas. You can buy ones that can be blended in to the environment unobtrusively.

The installation of these lights is quite simple too. You just buy the style that you think will suit and then lay them where you want them to go. Make sure that the transformer is in an inconspicuous but easy and safe to reach position. Once you have done this then you can start digging up where you want the cable to go and then once you have positioned the cable in, cover with soil, mulch, stones or whatever you like.

It is better if you have an outside power socket to connect to but many people choose to connect through a window to an inside power socket. It depends on how far away your transformer will be from the house. The choice is yours. For safety reasons it is better to call an electrician to add a power socket outside for you. You can always get an electrician to do the whole installation job for you as well if you don't want to do it yourself.

Some people like the other option of installing solar lights to their garden, which in turn saves a lot of work. They do not give of as good a light as low voltage landscape lighting but they can be installed much easier and of course faster. However, you do have to wait about 48 hours before they work properly as they need to be charged from the sun but after that period they should work every night.

Either of these types of garden lights can be bought at most large department stores or hardware stores and they should come with simple instructions. Which ever you decide on you will still be pleased with the effect that you will get in your garden at night.

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Susan Dean is a successful webmaster and publisher of www.landscaping-secrets.info She provides lots of handy hints and advice on landscape lighting at her web site.