Pests

Good Morning! The warmer it gets here in Chicago after our cool wet Spring,  the more pests I see.  There hasn't been a garden I have been in yet this year that doesn't have some pest eating something.  There are simply too many to list.  Be on the alert in your garden and look for signs of trouble.  When you find a pest the first step is to identify it so you know how to treat it.  When I was a youngster the best source of garden pest information was an absolutely HUGE Othro Problem Solver.  Our local Hardware store had a copy that got a lot of use. Sometimes there would be a line to look at it!  Ortho still has these books and you can buy one on line if you are so inclined.  It's still my favorite source for information. There is also the internet for the more tech savvy gardener. These days answers are only a mouse click away.  The internet is a great source of information for gardeners.  There are multiple garden forums where you can chat amongst other gardeners and get useful tips and information.   That said, it's good to have a reliable source of identification available to you so look fora good book.  I still think the Ortho Problem Solver is the best, but I'm old school like that.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!

Plant Doctor

Good Morning!  I have been blogging lately ad nauseum about pant diseases, and pests in gardens this year.  So today I thought I would post some pictures of some of the diseases I am seeing everyday out in gardens in the Chicago area.

The boxwood hedge pictured to the left is showing signs of phtophyora root & crown rot.  This Springs weather is perfect for these diseases.  Phytophthora cinnamomi and P. parasitica are water mold, fungus-like microorganisms favored by waterlogged conditions and warm weather.  Irrigation scheduling that promotes prolonged soil saturation can encourage disease development. fair warning, the disease can be can be carried in recycled irrigation water.  Sypmtoms include, foliage wilting and turning gray-green to bronze to a dry brown color. Whole sections of the plant may dry and brown as the disease progresses. Roots become brown and water soaked. The cortex is rotted and falls off all but the larger roots. A chocolate-brown to black color develops from roots into the root crown and may extend a few centimeters above the soil. Infected plants generally die.   There is no chemical solution.  Fungicides can help prevent the disease.  The best thing you can do to help prevent this disease is to control your irrigation.    Should you lose boxwood to this disease DO NOT replant boxwood in that area as the fungus will remain in the soil.

The daylilly pictured next has classic crown rot.   Crown rot in generally caused by a fungus.  When plants are stressed by the combination of the stress of blooming and high heat and humidity the can be susceptible to crown rot.  Our weather in Chicago has been perfect for this disease.  Be on the look out for perennials that are yellowing and flopping over.  They may also be soft/slimy and they will smell like they are rotting.  Try sprays that have an anti-bacterial and/or fungicide.

Powdery mildew is another common plant disease that favors hot humid conditions and is exacerbated by planting plants in tight clusters.  Spacing plants and keeping plants properly pruned can help keep the disease under control.  As can good garden hygiene. Clean up any fallen diseased leaves in the garden to help keep it from spreading. Fungicides are helpful in managing the disease.  Fair warning, not all fungicides will work universally.  Read the label to make sure you are buying the right fungicide for the right plant.

The next picture is of Black spot, a disease commonly found on roses.  To help prevent and control black spot water your roses from below and in the early morning hours.  Cleanup any fallen leaves from under your roses.  Remove already diseased leaves to prevent it from spreading.  Use Ortho rose spray to help control it during the growing season.  Sulfur powder will also help keep it from spreading.  A dormant oil applied in Winter will also help.

The rose pictured next has Bortrytis.  These

infections are favored by cool, rainy spring and summer weather usually around 60 degrees.  Gray mold can be particularly damaging when rainy, drizzly weather continues over several days.   Again keeping the garden clean is your best form of prevention.  Should you see this disease dispose of any infected petals or leaves and treat with a fungicide.

Yep, 2010 the year of the garden plagues....

Good Luck my friend and Happy Gardening!

Biennials

Good Morning!  A lot of people ask me why they can't seem to grow Hollyhocks.  " They never come back in my yard!"  is a lament I often hear.  Well, the reason they don't come back every year is that they are not perennials but biennials.  That means that they have a two year life cycle.  The first year they put on vegetative growth only.  Meaning they only grow leaves and don't flower the first year.  The second year they will flower and put out seed.  So here's your tip of the day.  To grow biennials successfully purchase a plant in flower and a plant not in flowers.  Here in Chicago,  most nursery's will grow one gallon pots that are second year plants and four inch potted containers that are first year plants.  Buy a couple of each as well as a packet of seeds.  Plant them all in the same area and it will give the appearance of your Hollyhocks being perennials.   This is true of course of other biennials such as Sweet William and Dame's Rocket. 
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!

poison ivy & posion oak

Good Morning!  I think perhaps 2010 may be the year of garden plagues.  I have previously blogged about this being a bad year for diseases and insects.  Well, it seems like it's also going to be the year of poison ivy & poison oak. 

It seems like everyday I am finding poison ivy & poison oak in suburban back yards.  Both are native plants commonly found in our woodlands.  Both can grow as vines,groundcovers and even form shrub like clumps.  Those of you that live near wooded areas need to be extra vigilant.  Take some time to go on line and look at pictures to help you identify the plants. They tend to grow in or underneath existing shrubs or up large trees as a vine. Poison ivy vines tend to look hairy where as grape vine looks shaggy like a shag bark hickory.In the event that you find some I would recommend Ortho Brush Be Gone or try a combination of Roundup and vinegar. 

Good Luck & Happy Gardening!

Be on the look out!

Good Morning!  Well, herein Chicago we have launched right into Summer with some serious heat & humidity.  That means that you need to be extra vigilant for signs of plant diseases, leaf mold and insect infestations! As soon as you see it try and treat it.  The best products to use are systemic and treat the whole plant from the inside.  So hit your local Garden Center or Hardware Store.  I mentioned earlier that this was going to be one of those years for plant diseases and pests...sometimes I hate when I am right!  Good Luck & Happy Gardening!

Sharing Perennials

Good Morning! I am going gardening at a friend's house today and I am bringing her perennial divisions from My Gardener's garden.  It made me think I should give some fair warning to some less experienced gardeners about what freebies you should accept for your perennial gardens and which ones you should avoid like the plagues that they are.  I've posted pictures of two notoriously invasive perennials, Aegepodium podagrarium 'Variegatum' a.k.a,  'Snow in the Mountain' and Lysimachia clethroides a.k.a 'Goose Neck Loosestrife' .  Before you accept any freebies, ask some questions and do some research.  Ask the common name and Google it or ask My Gardener or you could wind up with a perennial that will overrun your gardens!

Good Luck & Happy Gardening!

Garden Dog

Good Morning!  I am frequently asked how I keep my garden looking good when I have a dog that is  very active in the garden.   Earl, pictured at left, is a garden dog.  He goes into the garden to get to the fence to visit with neighbors. He will give chase to the bunnies that come to feed and go crashing through the beds and yet my garden never looks like he's been in it.   How do I do it? 
The answer is plant selection and placement.  When my husband and I bought are house ten years ago there was no garden.  Out back yard was a big green square.  We had two dogs at the time. Banjo has since passed, but when she was alive she was very much a garden dog herself.  So as we started developing our garden I consciously choose plants that I knew could take some abuse.  I have Lamb's Ear( Stachys byzantia 'Helen Von Stein'), Golden Creeping Money Wort( Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'), Bloody Cranesbill(Geranium sanguinuem 'Max Frei') and Lady's Mantle( Alchemilla mollis), just to name a few, at the garden border.  They all handle the dog traffic.  I have Siberian Iris( Iris siberica 'Caesar'sBrother), Maiden Hair Grass( Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus'), Spiderwort( Tradescantia x. 'Concorde Grape') deeper in the beds.  The other thing I did was to watch where my dogs liked to enter and exit the garden.  They both had their own little paths they liked to take into the garden, through the garden and back out.  They both made little doggie wallows in the garden in the shady areas where they could lie in the cool black dirt when it was hot.  So I left spaces for them  along their paths and where they each liked to lie.  Because their paths and preferred resting spots were open, they kept to them so we all won.  The dogs got to go into the garden and make their rounds and I managed to create a perennial border that always looks full and lush despite my garden dogs running through it. 
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!

Let it Grow!

Good Morning!  This May has been a cool and rainy one here in Chicago.  One of the benefits of this cool May is that Spring perennials have really thrived and grown.   During the last two weeks my own garden has exploded!  So much so that I need to get out in my own garden and thin out my Buttercup( Ranunculus repens 'Flora Pleno') and my Golden Creeping Money Wort( Lysimachia numularia 'Aurea') as they have started to take over in this cool weather.  A lot of people can  get a little overwhelmed or nervous about thinning out plants.  I promise it's not difficult.  Here's some tips for taking control of your wayward perennials. When you go out into your garden, identify the plants that are running a muck.  Any perennials that are growing into or on top of other perennials should be taken out.  For example, in my garden pictured to the left, the yellow flower is my Creeping  Buttercup.  You can see in the picture that it running a muck through my Hosta x. 'Dark Star' and my Iris siberica 'Caesar's Brother', My Tradescntia x. 'Concorde Grape'( Spiderwort is the common name) and my Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'.  I will start by pulling the Buttercup that is growing into and on top of these perennials. I will leave any that is in it's own space.  By thinning out the Buttercup I will create some more space and depth in that area of my garden so that it doesn't appear flat from a distance.   Don't let unruly perennials intimidate you into letting them take over your garden.  Get out there and thin them out!   Good Luck & Happy Gardening!

Thurday is the best day to shop

Good Morning gardeners of the world!  Today is Thursday and that means that garden centers everywhere are getting in fresh shipments of Summer annuals & perennials for the weekend.  Here in Chicago today is suppose to be nice and then we will get rain overnight into tomorrow.  Saturday & Sunday were are suppose to finally heat up into the 80's!  My advice to you is to get your chores done this morning and head out to your garden center of choice and get some Summer annuals,perennials, herbs & veggies.
 Remember, if you can't find any helpful sales staff, the tag on the plant will tell you all you need to know.   Keep in mind that when a tags says Sun/part shade, it really means morning Sun.   And if a tag says part shade/shade it means it can handle some morning light which means you shouldn't put in dense shade.  Only plants labeled shade can handle full shade.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!!!

Where to shop

Good Morning!  I am often asked where I shop for perennials, annuals etc.  The answer  is it largely depends on what I am looking for.  For perennials & ornamental grasses out here in the South Western suburbs, my favorite place to shop is The Planter's Palette in Winfield IL.  I love this place!!!  I have bought plants from there professionally as a plant buyer and I use to work there.  So I can tell you the have the best and biggest selection of perennials in Chicago, over 2000 varieties of perennials!   I also love that they grow all their own plants.  A lot of retail garden centers are just re-sellers of plants. 

For those of you in the Chicago area that live up on the North Shore-Home Sweet Home-  the best place to go is Pasquesi's Home & Garden. Full disclosure, I also use to work at Pasquesi's many years ago.  And I went to high school with the Pasquesi's, a good family with a great business.  

My friends in the city should check out Gethsemane Garden Center, Sprout Home, City Escape Garden Center & Fertile Gardens.

These are the places that I go for plants. 

Good Luck & Happy Gardening!

Rainy Days & Mondays

It's a rainy Monday morning here in Chicago.  This May has been rather rain filled and cool.  April was nicer weather wise this year!    Hopefully all the rain will give us a good Peony show this Spring.  The buds on Peonies have been swelling and waiting for enough warmth to pop!  Peonies are a great,classic garden plant.  One word of advice,plant them away from your house as the sweet smell of the nectar attracts ants.  Good Luck  & Happy Gardening!

Poppies, Alliums and Daisies Oh My!

Good Morning!  I am often asked about Poppies.  Everyone loves them but here in the Midwest they can be difficult to get established.  Poppies need REALLY good drainage.  Our native soils are a heavy black dirt and if you live in a recent development, you have that lovey clay fill that the builders stick you with because it's free, after they've scraped your lot and sold the nice dirt.  Because they do that ya know.  So the best thing you can do to ensure success with your Poppies is to amend the soil.  When you plant your Poppies dig your hole a little larger and add some play sand to the mix.  This will help improve the drainage and make your Poppy flourish.  My favotitearestill the Orange cutivars like 'Prince of Orange' , 'Beauty of Livermore' or ' Allegro'.  There are other colors available as well including white, pink,red & purple for those of you with an aversion to orange.

I am often asked about the 'Purple Flowering Balls' at this time of year as well.  They are Alliums, essentially Ornamental Onions.   They are sold as bulbs in the Fall.  There are many different varieties with different sized flower heads and colors ranging from purple to violet to blue.   My favorite is 'Purple Sensation'.

Try pairing  a purple Alliumwith an orange Poppy for an extra Spring pop.  There is also an early Season daisy I like to add to the mix called 'May Queen'

Good Luck & Happy Gardening!!!

Shopping for Summer Annuals

Good Morning!  It's a beautiful day here in Chicago and it's finally time to go get the Summer Annuals you've been dreaming about all Spring. 

My advice to you is to take a little time before you run out and go shopping.  Pick up the early edition of your Sunday Paper and look at the fliers for the big box stores.  Home Depot, Lowes, Meijer, K-Mart, Walmart etc.   They have slashed their perennial, annual, veggies, herbs, trees & shrub prices trying to get people to come in and buy some of their inventory.  I have worked as a plant buyer and I can tell you that the big box stores are selling their plants at just a fraction over wholesale prices.  You just need to take your time when picking out plants and these stores.   The big box stores get nice plant material in but they are really awful about taking care of them once they've been delivered.  I have NEVER seen any of the big box store garden centers look how they are presented in their commercials.  I have also NEVER met a friendly, knowledgeable sales associates they claim to have.  Which is fine for me because I obviously know what I am doing, but can be frustrating for people looking for guidance.   When I shop at these places I look for overall plant health, not just what's blooming now.  I look for plants that are full and a lush green. you don't want a plant that's already getting leggy.  I also will pop the plant out of the pot and check to see that it is well rooted but not pot bound. So here's another tip.  Read the tags.  Seriously. The informational tag on a plant will tell you more than any of their sales associates ever will.   Keep this is mind when a plant tag says Sun/part shade.  It means it can take the morning Sun.  Only plants labeled as full Sun can handle the hot afternoon Sun.    

So consider yourselves armed and dangerous with shopping knowledge and go get yourselves some plants!

Good Luck & Happy Gardening!

I gotta guy for ya

Well Pardon this Gardener as I take a moment to talk about custom playhouses, decks,etc.   My dear friend Mike is an excellent craftsman and does incredible work.  So if you are looking at putting in a playhouse/fort a deck or enclosed porch and happen to be in the West Suburban Chicago area , in Chicago parlance, I gotta guy for ya. 

And now for something completely different.  We had a lot of rain pass through the area yesterday.  Established perennials, trees and shrubs can cope with some heavy rain and standing water so they should be fine. However, if you planted any annuals in pots or in the ground, chances are your annuals have been swamped with more water than there new root systems can handle.  If you have annuals in pots and the water hasn't drained through, tilt the pots and drain them as well as you can.  If you have some play sand or vermiculite handy try mixing some in the top 2" inches of the soil to help pull some of the excessive moisture from the roots.  You can do the same for any bedding annuals you may have planted.  Good Luck & Happy Gardening!

That's not a Purple Phlox,, it's a Dame's Rocket

Good Morning!  It's that time of year where a lot of my friend's and client's ask me " What is that purple phlox I see blooming everywhere and where can I get some???"  Well, it's not phlox.  It's a Dame's Rocket( Hesperis matronalis)  a biennial flower( biennial means it blooms every other year).  Dame's Rocket spreads by seeding, so it is not a plant that will stay where you put it.  Keep that in mind before you plant it.  Check at  your local garden center for Dame's Rocket.  Happy Gardening! 

Your Plants Need Health Care Too

My Gardener has Health Care on the brain this morning.  Mostly because my daughter  woke up with an ear ache, but your garden needs Health Care too.  Plant disease and pests have always existed but  with Global Trade and the way that the Nursery & Landscape Industries have changed we are seeing more new pests and diseases than ever before.  The Japanese Beetle & it's larvae a.k.a Grubs in your lawn have caused millions of dollars in damage since they came to America in the 80's from Japan.  Then there's the Asian Longhorn Beetle that cost many cities their mature hardwood trees that lined the streets.  The Emerald Ash Borer which has led to states destroying acres and acres of trees just to try and contain the infestation.   And that's just the pests....

Plant disease has begun to travel as well.  It use to be that Landscape Architects  would use locally grown plant material.  As the Landscape Industry expanded rapidly throughout the late '80's and '90's local supply couldn't keep up with demand as the housing boom sucked up material to landscape all the new developments.  This led to more plant material being grown out of state and shipped.  And you know what shipped with them????  That's right plant diseases and pests!   Voutella Blight on Boxwood and Pachysandra are a good example.

Be vigilant in your yard and garden.  Look for signs of trouble. Leaf discoloration, plants dropping excessive needles or leaves.  Leaves that are being eaten, damage to the bark on your trees and shrubs.  Homeowners with a lot of trees and shrubs should seek out a local Arborist and get a consultation and health assessment of their trees & shrubs.  Get your trees & shrubs on a good maintenance program. It is worth the expense my friends. You can't replace mature trees! 


Call your local gardener or seek advice at your local retail garden center and of course online for problems in your perennial & veggie gardens.  The Ortho Books on plant diseases and pests are still the best in this gardeners opinion. Don't wait to act when you see problems emerge!  Take care of your gardens my friends!

Good Luck & Happy Gardening.

Structure

Good Morning!  Everyone wants their gardens to have flowers.  Big, bright, colorful blooms, My Gardener included.  But  every good garden needs some structure and not just from garden art, trellis' etc.  Perennials can give add a lot color and structure to your garden with just their growing habits and leaf color.  Some of my favorite perennialstoadd forstructure and leaf color include: Variegated Japanese Solomon's Seal( Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum'), Heuchera micrantha ' Molly Bush', Heuchera x. ' Lime Rickey',  Cimicifuga racemosa 'Atropurpurea'( Snakeroot), Stachys byzantia ( Lamb's Ears), Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'. 
I use these plants to break up the green of leaves and add some dramatic punctuation to my gardens.  Check at your local garden center.  Happy Gardening!

Happy Mother's Day

Well Pardon this Gardener for taking a break from Garden posts to celebrate her Mom.  Pictured at left is My Gardener's Mom, a.k.a GobieWan Kenobie.  Yes, my Mom is so awesome she is a Jedi.  Her power is that awesome.

Here are the great and powerful Gobie Wan Kenobie's stats if you will.  41 years of marriage to my Father-no small task in and of itself as my Father is an ex-Marine Corp Sergeant-  Five children over the course of 11 years.  All five sent to college.  All five graduated in four years. All of us are blessed enough to have jobs.  Four out the five are married and have given her five grandchildren and counting-there are two more on the way!!!   She has so much love for children that while still raising the five of us she taught pre-school and has recenty retired after 25 years of dedication to young children.  She has touched all of the children she has taught and so deeply imprinted  their 3 yr old brains that she gets stopped all over town by her former students all of whom STILL remember her and how much they love her!!!!

So today I celebrate my Mom, the seeds she has sown have impressively grown if I do say so myself!  You're the best Mom! 

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!!!!!!!

Plant Disease and Insect Infestations

Well Pardon this Gardener,but I have been noticing a lot plant disease and insect infestations early this year.  Boxwood with psyllids infestation( pictured at left), Ninebarks with leaves emerging with Powdery Mildew, Roses with black spot.  Be vigilant my fellow gardeners for signs of trouble early in your gardens.  I think it's going to be one of those years....Keep an eye on your plants.  Good luck & Happy Gardening!

Catmint

Good Morning!  I have Catmint( Nepeta mussinii) on the brain this morning. Catmints in the Chicago area are starting to bloom.  I love Catmint.  It flowers it heart out all season if you cut it back throughout the Summer. It's gray foliage breaks up all the green in the garden and Deer & Bunnies don't like it because it has a strong mint scent. 

This week I have seen a lot of Catmint that are falling apart at the center.  This means you need to divide your Catmint.  When you divide a perennial, the best way to get a successful division is to first cutback all the existing foliage.  Then take your spade-make sure it's sharp, and split it.  The reason you want to cut the plant back is that you don't want the divided perennial to try and maintain the existing foliage, which is what it will try to do if you don't cut it back.  Cutting it back lets the perennial put it's energy into growing new roots to get established after division.  So if your Catmint is falling apart from the center get out there and divide it!   And don't forget to water it everyday!  Remember it has no roots set because you just split it!
Good Luck and Happy Gardening

Spring Gardens

I love a Spring Garden.  As the perennials emerge and start to fill out...it's just filled with so much promise.  There's still some space between the plants as the Spring perennials fill out & the Summer perennials are just starting to grow.  It's like a reunion and you're just waiting to see who's going to show up and how they look this year.   Get out and enjoy your reunion!  Happy Gardening!

Lilacs!

Good Morning!  I'm back from a great trip to Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains.  I went on a great hike that was this plant geeks dream!  I will upload pictures later.  This morning I have Lilacs on the brain!  They are blooming their hearts out here in Chicago and it smells like Heaven!!!  Cut some and bring them inside and enjoy!