What's Blooming: 4-24-09

Bulbs:

Dick Wilden Double Narcissi

Planted fall of 2008

This particular narcissus is my favorite of all the narcissi I have planted in the gardens because of its layered bloom. The bloom is the size of a large lemon and can be so heavy with petals that it needs staking. I have mine planted around our barn but this narcissus can be seen from the end of our driveway, 100 feet away.

Ballade (lily-flowering) tulip

Planted fall 2008

Very nice variegated pink/lavender and white tulip. Perhaps not the most showy tulip in my garden but definite one of the most feminine and fussy.

Red Georgette (bunch flowering) tulip

Planted fall 2008

Awesome tulip for multiple blooms. In this picture, there are a total of four bulbs but it definitely looks like more plants with all the red blooms. I plan to purchase many more this coming fall. The performance their first year has been spectacular.

A Simple Guide to Planting Tomatoes

Every gardener has their own tried and true method for planting tomatoes to reap the ultimate harvest. I'm no exception. And, although I'm no master gardener, our harvest was over 1,800 tomatoes from 32 plants last year. Not too shabby. So I'll share what I know and hopefully some of my suggestions will be helpful along the way.

It always starts with the dirt. We grow our vegetables in raised beds. I like raised beds for several reasons. I can work around each bed without slopping through the mud in flat ground gardening. In that respect, I can usually get in my beds earlier. We've had so much rain that our property squishes with every step across the ground. However, my raised beds allowed for water run off and weren't soup. I didn't drag out the tiller this year. Instead, I opted for using a hoeing fork that I found at an early spring estate sale. This implement allowed me to turn and work the soil without need for tilling. I then pulled the dirt into tall mounds and allowed them to sit for a week. They dried out nicely and were ready for planting.

Soil tip: With either hand turning or roto tilling, now is the time to amend the soil with compost for nutrition or sand for clay, etc. I use a lot of straw for mulching and water retention. I like to work any excess straw back into the dirt.

The first step is to make a hole in the top of each dirt mound. I dig down as deep as my bed will allow. Tomato plants will root all along the trunk if buried deeply. This induces a network of roots that allows for more water absorption and thus, healthier tomato plants. I then fill the hole with water!!! For years, I've heard gardeners insist on planting tomatoes in dry soil. I think that's fine if it works for them. Personally, I've found that tomato plants endure less shock if they are kept moist until they have taken hold. I place the tomato into the water filled hole and I bring the soil back into a mound around the tomato, leaving just the top tier of healthiest leaves above ground.

Once the tomato is planted, I sprinkle the dirt with a pelletized fertilizer. I use a slow release plant food so that the newly planted tomato will have another means of earlier stabilization. I think it boosts the recovery rate of the tomato plant. Mine seem to take less time to establish.


Since we are still experiencing cool night temperatures, I protect my plants with milk jugs. Placing a milk jug over the plant acts like a mini greenhouse. It also helps to protect the plant from wind damage. (Always remove the cap but keep it handy. If there is a late freeze, replacing the caps for the night will keep frost from damaging new and tender plants. Remove cap immediately after fear of frost is over.) The next step of protection is to add a tomato cage and then pack straw between it and the milk jug. The straw will help keep the jug in place until the tomato establishes and will keep the ground around the plant not only moist but warm as well. Within a week, the milk jug can be removed if frost is no longer an issue. The straw then acts as a mulch for the newly established tomato plant. In no time, I had seventeen plants snuggled into several layers of protection and beginning to establish.

Another good rule of thumb is to plant your tomatoes in stages. I put those first seventeen plants out on April 17th, knowing full well that we could have a frost. But, with the layers of protection, I also knew that most could survive. In a few days, I'll plant the next seventeen. And then during the first week of May, I'll plant my last dozen. Staggering plantings ensures that I'll have a constant crop of tomatoes all through the growing season.


I've been planting my tomatoes like this for the past ten years and every year, I've had a record harvest. I hope that these tip will help you to have a record harvest too!

Jackson & Perkins: Lousy Warranty/Lousy Customer Service

I previously posted about the two Jackson & Perkins Baby Blanket carpet roses (4/9/09) I lost due to no fault of my own. I bought three and two didn't make it through the winter although all three were lovely, lush, healthy rose bushes. I emailed J&P and asked what they would consider doing about it. Below is the email I received from Lynne Cody, J&P customer service representative:

From: JP CustServ
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 21:09
To: Lynne Cody
Subject: FW: Feedback Form for JacksonAndPerkins

Good morning Jennifer,

Thank you so much for contacting us here at Jackson and Perkins! We value our customers’ comments and questions highly, and we appreciate hearing from you.This is the spring season and we handle calls and e-mails from thousands of people every day. I apologize that somehow your e-mail has gotten pushed to the back. We guarantee the roses (for 60 days) to grow and bloom which yours did. I am so sorry that your plants did not do well through the winter.

Again, thank you for writing to us. If you have any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us. To help us serve you better, please use the Reply button to respond so that all previous communications will be included. Thank you for gardening with Jackson and Perkins!

LynneJackson and Perkins Customer Contact Team2
Floral AvenueHodges, South Carolina 29653
Telephone: 800-292-4769Fax: 800-242-0329
http://www.blogger.com/email: service@jacksonandperkins.com

Now I don't know about you, but that's a pretty lousy warranty. What I found even more ridiculous is the fact that this woman thinks I would ever again consider making another purchase with their brand stamped all over it. Shoot, even Home Depot, whose been in the customer service hot seat for awhile, guarantees all their plants for 1 full year.

I'll just keep buying my Weeks Roses and stay clear of any container/wrapper with the words Jackson & Perkins on it.

Hey Jackson & Perkins-----Boo! Hiss!

Robinson Crabapple: What's Blooming Now 4-16-09

Looking back through my hardcopy garden journal, I was surprised to find that we'd planted this Robinson crabapple tree in 2006. It sure didn't seem like that long ago. (Time flies when you're having fun---or getting old ! which is more my case.) Anyway, looking through the journal jogged my memory about this poor tree's history. Dave bought it on a 75% off sale at Lowe's. It was half dead when he brought it home and someone had cruelly carved the branches out of the center. We planted it in August in the midst of a drought and babied it to keep it going. In 2007, it budded and was just beginning to leaf when a late spring freeze nipped it back. Needless to say, no flowers and what branches grew were spindly. The spring of 2008 was kinder to the poor tree, no freeze but regardless, it refused to flower. The branches thickened a bit but it still looked scrabbly. After it went dormant this past fall, I gave it a good pruning. We had all but decided to move it if it didn't bloom this year. . .

Barring a killing frost to nip the flower buds, a flowering tree that refuses to flower can be coaxed. In the fall before it goes dormant, hit it with a dose of phosphate and then again around the end of February before it gets the chance to bud. I used ferti-lome Blooming & Rooting Soluble Plant Food. It's ratio is nitrogen (N) 9%, phosphate (P) 59%, and potash (K) 8%. Another method is to purchase phosphate by itself and work the powder into the dirt around the tree. High Yield makes a phosphate for just that purpose and it is also good for working into the dirt around gross feeders such as dahlias or peonies.

Weeks Roses vs J&P: How They've Played Out in My Gardens

Does this look like a perfectly healthy carpet rose to you? I'm on a tear this morning. Two days ago, I emailed Jackson & Perkins in regards to their Baby Blanket carpet rose of which I bought three last year. One of the three has leafed out but two of the three are dead. I'm really ticked about this since I tore out an established row of both daylilies and of red fox speedwell, replacing them with the Baby Blankets. As you can see in the picture, that was a lush, robust rose but, this spring its dead. I probably wouldn't be so ticked if it was just the first time one of their roses had played out on me. But its not. I paid good money for another of their roses, America, a climbing rose, that in my garden, hasn't climbed two feet. Furthermore, what really irritates me is the their slogan: The World's Finest Roses---and the Easiest to Grow. I beg to differ. And as far as customer service is concerned, well I'm still waiting to hear from them.

On the other hand, I can't say enough good things about Weeks Roses. I'm sold. I have sixteen of their beautiful rose bushes on the property and every one is alive and doing well. In fact, late last summer I bought three shrub roses, Mary Rose, Lady Elsie May, and Watercolors, and one miniature, Ruby Ruby, from Nick's GreenLeaf Gardens. I was worried they might not have enough time to get established before winter but they came through with flying colors. All have leafed and are looking robust. FYI: these were all planted well after J&P's Baby Blanket carpet roses.

To top that, I came upon a nursery sale the first week of October. I bought ten of Weeks's rugosa roses, Blanc Double de Coubert, Hansa, and Purple Pavement. They were in bad shape having grown in their nursery pots all season long and then having endured a severe shearing. At $1.99 each, it was well worth trying to save them. And, knowing how well Weeks roses have done in my garden, I wasn't worried. This spring all but two survived and are growing like crazy. That's a Weeks rose for you.

And as you can see in the second and third photos of this posting, Weeks roses put on a beautiful performance. Weeks roses are sold at many retail venues. If you are in my area and are interested in purchasing some for yourself, head over to Nick's Green Leaf Gardens and tell Nick and Loretta, I sent you!

Cameo Flowering Quince: Chaenomeles speciosa

Praise God from whom all blessings flow . . .

I cannot keep those words out of my head this afternoon. That old hymn, which I've heard and sang countless times over the years, kept coming back to me over and over as Lu and I surveyed the lack of damage from the hard freeze we endured last night. I can only say that the bare minimum of destruction was the Lord hearing my prayer and blessing me with His kindness. I had left my perennials, shrubs, and trees in His hands, not covering anything.

Usually, you could find me in a frantic race with my blankets and quilt batting and bags of mulch, trying to wrap up everything. But, when I heard that our night temps were to be in the low 20's, I knew not I alone could win that battle. That's when I turned over the grief of losing my gardens to a killing frost and gave my trepidations to the Lord.

Around one 0'clock this afternoon, I leashed Lu and we went for a walk around the property, inspecting garden beds. To my amazement, there's been very little damage. Even my most tender perennials seem to have come through with flying colors. On our walk, I discovered my Cameo Flowering Quince in bloom. Oh is it lovely! Its gorgeous, double apricot blooms against its kelly green foliage just takes my breath away.

I remember buying it from a discount table. The poor thing was barely a foot tall with four or five meager branches, just clinging to life. Of course I had to save it. What a beauty its turned out to be this spring. The botanical name of this prize is chaenomeles speciosa and it is grown for its abundant early spring flowers. Right along side forsythia, its one of the first spring shrubs to bloom and then bears green/yellow fruits. The fruits are fairly tasteless but have a high amount of pectin and when combined with blueberries, raspberries, grapes, or blackberries which are low in pectin, can actually allow one to make jelly without adding extra pectin.

Most flowering quince are hardy to zone 5. They are a great choice for growing a dense hedge. The fruits are often used as a pomander for closets because of their exceptionally strong fragrance. Plant in a sunny location in rich soil. Quince do well with a yearly spring feeding of rotted compost and bonemeal.

Further to the back of our property, Lu and I happened upon Dave's Keiffer semi-dwarf pear in bloom. He planted the Keiffer last fall along with a Summercrisp. The sad news is, Dave did this because fire blight infected our elderly pear tree. This pear tree was on the property when we bought it but I would estimate it to be close to 100 years old. At some point in the past, either lightening or disease caused this tree to die out and offshoots grew in the place of the original tree. But, having said that, it was still a magnificent specimen. We will be so sorry to lose it as half of the tree died with the fire blight. Unfortunately, I don't think this tree made it through the winter. There aren't any leaves and its bark is very black.

However, on a happier note, a sapling from the old tree grew up in our blackberry patch and it has leaves and flowers, a strong fellow! Thank you God for all your blessings!

Double Duty: Wallpaper Tray/Window Box

If you live in the Kansas City area like I do, Mother Nature has been less than kind to our area. At eight o'clock this morning, my thermometer registered 29 degrees. The forecasters predict that at the same time tomorrow morning our temps won't be much above 20. It's very frustrating for gardeners, farmers, etc, who grit their teeth at a 70 degree March, knowing frost is inevitable in April. So much for that. Since we can't get outside and garden, let's talk about indoor gardening.

Most people refrain from starting outdoor plants indoors because they lack space. I pot up so many decorative hanging baskets, urns, and planters that I have to start seedlings inside. As always, I have more trays than I have natural light and have to rely on grow lights for the majority of what I start in the house. And, my dining room and dining room table are occupied from the first of March until the first of May.

I'm always looking for another way to take advantage of the natural light coming into the house. Regular seed trays won't fit on the sill of a normal house window. They are just too wide. I set up TV trays right in front of the windows for them. But then recently, while I was looking for one thing in the garage, I happened upon another---my old wallpaper tray. I do my own wallpapering so I always have a tray stored in the garage and the minute I laid eyes on it, I knew it was meant for a dual purpose.

If your house has 2X6 walls as mine does, your window sills are probably around six inches wide. Check it out. If so, a regular wallpaper tray will fit perfectly on any sill whose window is at least 32 inches wide. The average wallpaper tray is 6 inches wide by 32 inches long. The tray has a nice depth and will collect excess water without doing any damage to wooden sills. You can fit quite a few seedling trays and/or peat pots in a wallpaper tray.

Companion Planting: A Little Planning Yields a Variety of Benefits

Did you know basil will improve the flavor of tomatoes when planted next to each other in the garden? Or that planting green beans next to eggplant will help protect the eggplant from the Colorado potato beetle? Do you have a locust tree on your property? If so, plant Lima beans. They flourish when planted near a locust. Which garden vegetable has the most companions? If you said radish, then you already know something about companion planting.




















For those who may be new to this concept, it is believed that certain plants interact with each other in a way that can double yields, provide better use of nutrients, provide pest protection, and/or improve the soil condition. For example, plant tomatoes where green beans were planted the year before. Beans put nitrogen back into the soil and tomatoes thrive on nitrogen. Planting mint near cole crops can ward off caterpillars and other pests. Plant pole beans and corn in the same row. Corn stalks provide a natural trellis on which beans can vine and they like to be next to each other in the garden.

Lots of cold weather plants benefit from their position in the planting row. Here is a list of plant companions to consider when deciding on a layout for your garden:

Cole crops: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussle sprouts, and kohlrabi all benefit from plantings with celery, dill, onions, nasturtiums, and beets but dislike tomatoes and radishes.

Radishes: like just about every body but cole crops. Carrots, spinach, beets, leaf lettuce, beans, and cucumbers are all compatible.

Lettuce: likes carrots, strawberries, cucumbers, radishes, and onions. Planting on north side of corn so that the stalks provide shade.

Onions: like tomatoes but offend peas and beans. They are also compatible with strawberries, beets, and lettuce.

Peas: are almost as friendly as radishes. They like everyone but onions, leeks, shallots, and garlic.

Later, when the warm weather vegetable go in, consider this list of companions:

Tomatoes: love basil. They are also compatible with parsley and onions. My personal favorite to plant with tomatoes are carrots. Every year I plant a row of Danver's Half Long next to my Pink Girls and they both flourish.

Cucumbers: are friends with peas, radishes, corn, and beans and interestingly enough, sunflowers. Sunflowers help to shade shy-sun cucumbers and provide a trellis upon which the cucumbers can vine.

Squash: like corn, radishes, cucumbers, and marigolds. The marigolds can help to deter the squash bug.

Beans: like cucumbers, beets, corn, and celery but really dislike onions.

Corn: likes potatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, and pumpkins but keep tomatoes a safe distance apart.

Beets: like cole crops, onions, beans, and lettuce

Carrots: like tomatoes, radishes, onions, and lettuce.

I've planted many of these combinations together and had really good luck.