Rose of Sharon Trees

Rose of Sharon, left, and Panicle Hydrangea, right, trimmed as trees. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“Charlotte I love your Rose of Sharon trees, where did you get them? I would like to add some to my garden….” - Lila

Rose of Sharon Trees

Hi Lila,

If you have Rose of Sharon shrubs or access to them, that’s all you need. The Rose of Sharon trees in my garden are shrubs I pruned into a tree shape. The hardest part of doing it is/was waiting!

Rose of Sharon are a cousin to tropical hibiscus. A hardy perennial usually grown as a shrub, these hibiscus are helpful to have in the garden because they bloom mid to late in the summer season when little else is in bloom.

Keeping a Rose of Sharon shaped as a tree takes persistence and patience. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The Rose of Sharon trees in my garden are lavender, pink and white. Several are double lavenders and I have a blue chiffon on my wish list for a new garden area. Until then, I check my trimmed Rose of Sharon trees to make sure they are not putting energy into sprouting side shoots.

Remove any growth along the stem to encourage a straight trunk. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If I see those side shoots, I cut them off right then and there, no guarantee I will remember to trim later during winter or early spring.

Young Rose of Sharon trees may need support for a couple of years as their stems get thicker. I use rebar pieces in various lengths to give them support. The rebar can then be re-used for other garden projects like training Eastern Redbuds to grow straight.

Rebar makes good support and can easily be reused. I will tie this gently to the trunk.(Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The other consideration is where to place the Rose of Sharon trees in your garden so they become a focal point.

If for some reason you don’t like where you’ve settled them, they can easily be moved in their first few years. They may not bloom for a year after the move but it’s better to have them in the right spot than growing where you can’t enjoy them.

Another Rose of Sharon tree that is about 5 years old. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

As I said, the most challenging part of growing Rose of Sharon trees is being patient. It can take 5-7 years before a Rose of Sharon tree trunk is strong enough to hold up the tree and bloom.

Staking the trunks and removing any side growth can help speed up the process but it’s not a quick process.

I happen to think it’s worth it because it provides our gardens with an interesting shape that helps us enjoy the mid-summer blooms.

And bumblebees love these flowers, too!

Charlotte

Soak Hard Seeds

“Charlotte I want to plant some of my mother’s morning glories but they are not sprouting. Any ideas why?” — Paul

Soak Hard Seeds

Hi Paul, how lucky that you have morning glory seeds from your mother’s garden. I myself cherish the blue irises I have from my mother’s house.

Morning glory seeds have a hard outer coat. To help them germinate, soak them in water for a day or overnight, then make sure to plant in moist soil, then water again once planted. If you are deft with a knife, you can also knick a little piece of the hard seed coating and then overnight in water.

Other seeds that benefit from soaking include nasturtiums and hyacinth beans.

Once you soak them, you will notice that the outside has some give when you gently press the seed. That should make germination easier.

Charlotte

Blooming Peonies

One of the peonies that wasn’t blooming - but now does. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“Charlotte your peonies are lovely. I have some from my mother’s garden but none have bloomed, how long does it take? Any other suggestions to get them to bloom?” - Madison

Blooming Peonies

Hi Madison,

How wonderful that you have peonies from your mother’s garden.

The biggest challenge with getting peonies to bloom is how deep you planted them. If you look at the roots, the growth comes from dark pink growth nodes, or eyes. Those should be planted no deeper than 2 inches below the top soil level. The eyes should also be pointed up.

If your peonies are planted deeper, you can dig them up either in fall or early spring and reposition the root to the 2-inch depth.

Peonies also spend their first few years growing roots, then leaves. I don’t know how long your peonies have been with you but depending on your soil type they can also take a number of years before they have enough energy to develop flowers.

To give your peonies a little help, fertilize them in early spring with a product that’s low in nitrogen so the plants spend time growing flowers. Look for fertilizers with 10-20-20, you want the phosporous and potassium levels to be higher to encourage blooms.

If you have to move them, give them a little space so prevent developing diseases. Hope this helps!

Charlotte

Planting Tomato Seeds

Tomato seedlings started in February in pot of soil in a southern exposure window. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“…I’m going to start gardening this year planting tomato seeds. How hard are tomatoes to grow?” — Nancy

Planting Tomato Seeds

Oh, my, Nancy, SO easy you should get started as soon as you’re ready.

Actually I get started even if I’m not ready. If I have a pot of soil, I will get a start on tomatoes. The ones in the photo were from a cherry-size tomato that grew inside through winter. Since I liked the plant size I popped it into the soil and kept it watered. Within days, new starts were coming up.

The ones in the top pot were about 3 weeks old. They have been growing in a southern exposure window.

Almost six weeks later and those tomato seedlings are ready to move. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Now maybe 6 weeks later, they are nicely established and need to move to individual planting containers. I made some out of toilet paper rolls.

And just to show you how easy this is, I started another little glob of tomato seedlings.

Tiny tomato seedlings will provide a second crop of tomato plants. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The tiny starts in that one spot were from a tomato I snuck under the soil. I should now separate them so they will have more room to grow.

Once temperatures are steadily over 60F, I will take them outside for a few hours to get them used to the outdoors. After may 10, our last hard frost date, they should be ready to grow in pots on my deck and in my garden.

Easy enough?

Charlotte

Garden Mum Winter Pruning

At the end of the growing season, mums fade and turn brown but there is still life. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“Charlotte, Do you prune your garden mums back in the fall or do you keep the dead tops on them all winter ?” - Lou

Garden Mum Winter Pruning

Hi Lou, I leave the dry tops on all winter to protect the new growth. Here are some examples.

This first chrysanthemum - mums for short - looks dead, doesn’t it. But the appearance of the top growth can be misleading.

Dried mum greenery helps to protect new growth below. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you gently move the dead outside growth aside, you should see new growth developing at the bottom of the plant stems.

Mums can grow tall and leggy if not pinched back as they grow. Growers produce the rounded mounds we associate with these bug-repelling plants by pinching them during their growing season.

If left to their own growth rate, they can grow quite tall and fall over from the weight of their flowers.

I have a pair of thread snips I dedicate to keeping my mums pinched back. The thread snips make the process relatively easy, if I can remember to do it on a regular schedule.

If you move the dried tops apart, you can see the new growth. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Here’s another example. This chrysanthemum is just starting to die back. Spent flowers are turning brown but some of the pinched back stems are still showing green.

If this were spring, you could cut some of those green branches and insert them into soil to start new plants.

The greenery in this mum example is easier to believe it’s still alive.

A fading mum loosing its blooms with stems that are still green. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you have a mum that is dying still in a pot, gently remove it from the pot. If the plant is still alive, you may see growth around the top and outer edges of the root ball.

You will find the new growth in the same spot as the mum that looked dead, in the center bottom.

The new growth is found at the base of the branches. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The new growth needs a little pampering during its first winter. If there isn’t precipitation, it’s a good idea to take a gallon of water out once a month or so and watering the mums. That new growth can use the moisture to keep the tiny roots alive through cold weather.

I also don’t remove the spent blooms or dead branches. Those help protect the new growth until spring, when the mum can then continue to grow and returns every year for years to come.

This honey-colored mum is probably my all time favorite mum color. I’ve had these mums in my retaining all garden beds for 3 years now, planted along the corners of the flower beds so they can be enjoyed as I walk up and down the steps.

The first year I added them I made sure to water them through winter to make sure they got established. Now that they are settled in, I try to remember to pinch them back in spring from May-July to keep their growth short.

As you can see, I didn’t do a very good job with this bunch. Frankly I wasn’t too upset with myself, the longer stems make for better cut flowers.

Lambs ears, left, keep my honey-colored mums company in the fall. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins0

Mums are a wonderfully, long-lived cut flower. If you get bouquets from florists, you will note that they often use mums in the bouquet because they last so long.

Mums are also excellent additions to your garden and not just for the pop of color. Mums are a natural bug deterrent so they can help keep your garden bug free without the use of pesticides.

Back to the cut flower use, though. Who wouldn’t want to have long lasting flowers??

Charlotte

Moving Tomato Plant Inside

A cherry tree I now have growing in a sunny den window. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“Charlotte, don’t laugh. I am very attached to a tomato plant my mother gave me last spring. It’s still going strong. Can i bring it inside. Do you think it will live?” - Melissa

Moving Tomato Plant inside

Not only will it live, Melissa, but I will chuckle with you. If you have the correct light and keep it evenly watered, it may still be giving you tomatoes next year.

In their home grounds of Peru in South America, tomatoes grow as perennials. The only reason we treat them as annuals is our temperatures in USDA zone 5 (for us) and, in general, for most of north America, it gets too cold for these tropical plants.

If we bring them inside, though, they can flourish. I have pulled tomatoes through for several years - one plant was with me continually for four years.

This year I started a cherry plant very late in the season. It’s an indeterminate tomato, which means it will keep blooming as long as it has the right nutrients and growing conditions. As opposed to determinate tomatoes, which provide a limited tomato supply and then stop producing fruit.

When temperatures started to drop, this plant kept growing. It was doing so well that I moved it into my garage until I could find a south-facing window for it.

This cherry tomato is still blooming so more tomatoes are on their way. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Tomatoes are pollinated by bumble bees. You can also artificially pollinate by using a small paint brush and moving pollen from one flower to the next. I’ve done that when the inside tomato plant was blooming in January and no bumblebees were around.

From the look of this cherry tomato plant, there should be many more tomatoes before I need to do that.

Once you have it inside, monitor the soil. Tomatoes like soil moisture level to stay even. Winter conditions in our homes can be dry so I daily check to make sure the soil is not drying out.

Now this cherry tree is a new one for me. Yes, it’s a cherry plant. I have been tying it up as it grew and it now this cherry plant is a good 7 feet tall. Don’t you think this qualifies now as a tree?

The 7-foot cherry tomato now wintering over in my den. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Tying up the tomato plant makes it easier to keep sucker branches removed. It also makes it easier to find ripe tomatoes.

I am also seriously considering adding Christmas lights. Wouldn’t this make a nice Christmas tree?

Charlotte

Elevated Pot Gardens

This is an example of a pot garden that has been elevated. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“….I loved the idea of a pot garden but want something ai can easily reach. I’ve seen raised beds but not ones with pots, is that even possible?” — Amanda

Elevated Pot Gardens

Hi Amanda, it’s easy to raise your pot garden like one would a raised bed. Measure the right height for you and then take a look at the size of the pots you plan to plant in.

You can either build, or have built, basically wood trays on legs that will hold your pots to the height you need. Or you can buy pre-made raised beds and just use pots in the beds instead of adding soil.

I personally like to have elevated working surfaces when I garden or putter. I have a gardening table my handyman helped me to make where i can stand and fill pots or do whatever I need to get done.

The important measurement here is what height will work for you. Some pre-made raised beds can be too high so before loading them up with pots, measure the raised beds and have the legs adjusted accordingly.

The elevated pot garden in the photo was at one of our local apartment buildings easily visible from a public road. I personally don’t have a pot garden elevated in raised beds but I would if that’s the only way I could grow some of my favorite foods.

The advantage of growing in pots is that you can change out the pots when the crop is done, refresh the soil and replace those pots with new ones for a fall crop. You also should not have issues with garden visitors such as rabbits. Raccoons and birds may still get into your bounty but you can secure your pots by covering them with netting.

When you get your elevated pot garden set up, would you share some photos? Would love to see how you get yours set up!

Charlotte

Battling Japanese Beetles

Soapy water in a coffee can early morning is the best time to catch Japanese beetles. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“Hi Charlotte, what are nematodes and where do I get them? I have heard that suicide beetles kill Japanese beetles also, saw two yesterday on a butterfly bush….” — Elaine

Battling Japanese Beetles

Hi Elaine,

Nematodes are microscopic parasitic roundworms that live in soil and destroy Japanese beetle grubs before they start the next growing cycle. You can find nematodes for sale at most home and garden centers. You are looking for the species that specifically targets Japanese beetles.

Your best bet for battling Japanese beetles is to remove them early morning by knocking them into a pan of water with drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid. They tend not to move as fast when the temperature is cooler.

Japanese beetles are lovely irridescent green invasive bugs. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Japanese beetles tend to show up in USDA Hardiness Zone 5 around early July. Their main purpose is to procreate during the 4-6 weeks they are in gardens consuming most edible plants from fruit trees to grape vines, Rose of Sharon to edible wildflowers.

Japanese beetles damage leaves but don’t kill plants. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If there is one consolation about these invasive bugs, their hearty appetite does not kill the plants, just disfigures them.

And most recently, assassin bugs have been noted as catching and eating Japanese beetles.

Charlotte

Grass in Iris Beds

I use vinca ground cover to hold in soil and keep iris rhizomes hydrated. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“My iris beds have become covered in grass. How can I get that removed? Do I need to use landscape fabric?” — Cynthia

Grass in Iris Beds

Hi Cynthia,

I would grab a cup of coffee, or tea, put on my gardening gloves and head out after a good rain. The best way to keep your iris beds clean of grass is to remove the grass by hand. Make sure you get the roots, not just the green tops.

Once cleared, add a shallow layer of mulch. You don’t want to cover the iris rhizomes but you want to maintain a level of moisture around the roots. The mulch will help keep the moisture in and level out the temperature so the plants are less stressed.

In terms of landscaping fabric, I am not a fan. Soil is a living, breathing ecosystem so you want to keep soil hydrated and healthy. That’s way your plants stay healthy.

I was once given a roll of landscape fabric and placed it on a couple of paths covered in mulch. I have since pulled it all up and tossed it. I would rather keep something growing on the paths cut short with my weed eater than smother what may try to grow and destroy the soil.

After removing the grass, consider planting a ground cover to keep your iris hydrated. Lamb’s Ears and Vinca are both excellent ground covers that can keep soil hydrated.

Charlotte

Leave or Cut Iris Flowers

After blooming, iris flowers form seed pods unless the dead heads are cut off. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“..my irises have died back and are now making seed pods. Should I leave them or cut off the flowers?” — Gary

Leave or Cut Iris Flowers

Hi Gary,

If you want more irises, leave the seed pods. You can cut them off after they dry and store them to plant next year.

If you don’t want more of the pod-generating iris, I would cut them off right after they bloom, that way the plant is not spending energy making the seeds.

I have a number of different gift irises from friends and family throughout my garden. This is one of the newest additions:

One of the new iris to bloom this year in my Missouri limestone hillside garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you want to move your iris, I like to do so right after they bloomed through about early fall. That way the plant roots still have time to settle in before winter. They also will bloom again next year as opposed to waiting a growing cycle or two.

Also remember to mark the fading iris so you remember what color they are. It’s helpful to minimize moves and get them established in their final flower bed so you can enjoy them for years to come.

Charlotte

Moldy Seed Starting

Zinnia seeds getting a good start in a chicken rotisserie container. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“….I have a question. I’m starting seeds in a barbecue container and it’s now growing mold. Will the seeds be ok?” — Sally

Moldy Seed Starting

Hi Sally,

I love repurposing those chicken - and other - containers to grow seeds. Your question inspired me to start my miniature zinnia seeds. We had so much moisture this spring it may be late in the season before I can get zinnia seeds planted outside. Zinnias are a favorite of butterflies and other pollinators.

I’m using these two repurposed containers to grow zinnia seeds. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

First, did you already have, or did you add, holes in the bottom of the container? That will help keep the water drained so the soil doesn’t become saturated and encourage fungal growth.

Secondly, when you see condensation on the lid, do you remove it? The clear lid should stay on just long enough to get the seeds started. Then you want to take the lid off so the seeds can start getting acclimated to your growing conditions.

Miniature zinnia seeds started 5 days after getting planted. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

When you are first planting, also use a spray bottle to moisten the soil, you don’t want to get it too wet.

Whenever planting seeds, use a spray bottle to control moisture. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I keep the spray bottle nearby and spritz the seeds daily as they are growing.

I also have them in indirect sun until their first true leaves grow. Then I will move them into direct sunlight for a couple of hours every day. Once they are growing, they will get thinned out, then moved outside for a few hours every day until it’s time to plant them in the garden.

Take the clear lid off when you see condensation on it. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I would remove your lid and let the soil dry out. A quick spray of water daily should rehydrate the soil and keep the seedlings happy but discourage any further fungus from growing.

Let me know how this works for you!

Charlotte

Peony Support

Peonies at full height getting ready to bloom. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“…my peonies fall over especially when blooming. Is there a way to keep them upright?” — Sue

Peony Support

Hi Sue, you can find peony support cages at home and garden centers designed to help hold up those flower-heavy peony stems.

The trick to using them is to have them on the plants when they first start coming out of the ground. I tried to wrestle a teenage peony plant into one a few years back; don’t recommend it.

Peony cages help hold peony leaves off the ground. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Before I found these peony cages I used tomato cages cut in half. You will need wire cutters to snip the metal but short of muscle to cut those work well, too.

I have also seen wooden stakes, 3 or 4 per plant, with twine that can hold the peony leaves and flowers off the ground.

Charlotte

Bending Daffodils

These old-fashioned double daffodils often fall over after a rain. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“Help, my daffodils won’t stand up, they are all falling over. How do I get them to stand up?” — Sally

Bending Daffodils

Hi Sally, I have some daffodils that get too lanky to stand up as well.

Most daffodils need to be planted a good 6-8 inches. On my Missouri limestone hillside, I don’t have that depth of top soil so I often have daffodils that don’t stand up, especially after a rain.

As I walk through my garden, I will often select the falling over daffodils for cut flowers.

If you have good soil and want to help your daffodils stand up, wait until after they stop blooming. Dig up the bulbs and replant them at a deeper depth.

Another option is to add top soil and mulch, thereby making the top soil level deeper. Just be careful with what is growing around the daffodils or you can kill off other plants.

When I thin out my daffodils, I do try to replant them in garden spots with more and better top soil.

Charlotte

Incoming Snow Damage?

I also have buds on my fruit trees in mid-Missouri. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“Charlotte, I’m SO worried. Groundhog said early spring. I already have budding fruit trees and snow on the way. Will it hurt the trees?” — Alison

Incoming Snow Damage?

Hi Alison,

I just checked my garden. It was 72F on Groundhog Day in mid-Missouri, sunny and calm, a perfect day to putter around the garden.

You didn’t mention where you are located but we also have snow in the forecast this week. Hard to believe until one remembers that major temperature fluctuations are part of the impact of our current rapidly changing climate emergency.

I’m not sure we’ve even had temperatures cold enough here to freeze soil, which makes our plants dormant for a period. Tulips, daffodils and other spring bulbs need that cold period to set the bulbs for blooming. I’m already seeing tulips popping up so if they bloom I will know they had enough cold.

Lower temperatures also impact trees, shrubs and flowers. Some even depend on the colder temperatures to help them get ready for a new growing season.

Here’s the good news about snow. Snow won’t hurt your plants; it may even help them by returning nutrients to the soil.

If there is something you want to do for your trees, mulch them especially after a hard frost, when you know the soil is frozen.

Even if your soil is not frozen, mulch. Mulch will not only help improve your soil but it will protect your plant roots from the heaving and freezing fluctuating temperatures cause.

Leaves keeping my strawberry plants protected from fluctuating temps. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The other thing about mulch; it will make the garden look finished.

If you live where I live, you can get free mulch at our local recycling center. If you live somewhere else, check to see if your local municipality has a recycling center with a mulch pile.

Charlotte

When to Mulch

Shredded leaves cover one of my flower beds this winter. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“…I get confused, when am I supposed to mulch? I love how the garden looks after I get it covered in mulch….” — Lilie

When to Mulch

Hi Lilie, I love the way my garden looks after I have mulched it as well, a friend in the landscaping business calls mulch his secret weapon.

Mulch, however, is more than aesthetics to a garden or, more specifically, the plants growing in the garden. Mulch helps to protect plant roots from the heaving and thawing caused by fluctuating temperatures, which is why the traditional recommendation is to mulch after the first hard frost.

By that hard frost, the ground is solid and mulching will help maintain that temperature so plants can enjoy a period of dormancy.

With our rapidly changing climate, though, our temperatures in mid-Missouri can shift from record cold to record hot in just a matter of days.

I still wait to put my garden to bed after the first hard frost, that way I know the roots are getting put to bed for the season. With these recent record warm temperatures, I have been mulching with shredded leaves from our local recycling center. I then cover the shredded leaves with the wood mulch.

You can also mulch in spring, when you want the soil to remain cool before hot temperatures move in.

Frankly if you keep your plants mulched throughout the growing season, you will be doing the roots a favor and help soil retain moisture as well.

Charlotte

Dead Mums Good?

Three of my “dead” mums on one of my flower beds. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“…what’s the big deal about mums? I do like them. It’s trouble to have to water them through winter. Dead mums look bad. What do they do in garden?” — Andy

Dead Mums Good?

Hi Andy, oh, my, where to start. They are practical, they are easy to grow, they are pretty AND they are long-lasting. And there’s a good reason why you should appreciate them when the top is dead.

First, there’s no getting around that dead chrysanthemums (also called mums) in a garden are not pretty. Unless they are covered in snow, and then they are quite sweet-looking, little mounds of white scattered throughout my hillside. The value of the dead chrysanthemums is that they are protecting new growth developing underneath, at the heart of the plant.

If you have some in your garden, go out in daylight and take a peek. These three mums in the photo were planted last fall and photographed January 9, 2020. I have been ensuring their roots were hydrated by periodically watering them, which also gave me an excuse to walk through my garden and see how things were doing.

If we had rain, or snow, I didn’t bother because nature was taking care of watering duties. In general, plants need an inch of rain a week.

Natural Bug Deterrent

My goal is to have mums scattered throughout my garden. Mums are a natural bug deterrent. Most of the “safe” garden insecticides you find currently on the market are made with pyrethrins, which is essentially essence of mums.

By having mums scattered around, you are using them for bug deterrence as well as enjoying some of the longest lasting fall flowers, when most of the color comes from deciduous tree leaves changing color.

And as an added benefit, mums are also one of the longest lasting cut flowers you can find in any garden. That’s why you will find florists using mums in flower bouquets.

Checking Mums for Growth

So what are you looking for when you peek through the dead mums? As you approach, it may seem like there is no sign of life. Be patient, and gentle. Look into the mum at the bottom of the center.

This is the first mum, bottom right in the photo. See the green growth in the center?

A mum planted last fall is showing new growth dead center. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

What still amazes me is how a little patch of green in winter can turn into a full blooming plant by the next summer.

If you were to dig up and separate this little patch of green, you will find several plants growing together.

Here is the second mum, mid level on the left of my hill. See anything?

New growth is farther along in this mum planted last fall. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This one also has new growth a little farther along than the first one photographed. If I had to guess, this will have a good half dozen plants started if they all make it until spring.

And no, I won’t cut off the dead mums from last year. Those dead stems are protecting the new growth from cold and wind, which can kill them.

One more mum to check, the top left one.

Top left mum is also showing new growth at the base. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This mum developed new growth later than the middle one, maybe about the same time as the bottom one. I thought I had planted all three about the same time but maybe not.

All three are showing good new growth so far so I will keep an eye on them as winter unfolds, making sure their roots are hydrated and growth protected with shredded leaves and wood mulch. The mulch will help keep the soil from heaving and thawing, which stresses out young plant roots.

Come spring, I will start the vigil of pinching growth when it reaches about 4 inches. I just tuck the extra growth in the ground next to the mother plant and let that piece root on its own.

By fall, this is what I should have again along my garden paths, mums in bloom.

Some of the yellow mums in bloom last fall in my garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Mums are definitely among my top 10 must have garden plants for any garden. Once established, they take very little effort to grow and they are helpful as well as pretty and long-lasting. My kind of flower!

Charlotte

Poinsettias Fading

One of my poinsettias with fading leaves. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“…saw you taking several sale poinsettias home. Mine are fading. What did I do wrong?” — Mary

Poinsettias Fading

Hi Mary,

Yes, it can be tricky buying plants on sale but that rarely stops me. If you know what you are buying, and have a little patience, you can continue to enjoy them, especially poinsettias.

Don’t know if you heard me but I insisted as I was checking out that the poinsettias be covered in plastic before I took them outside. Poinsettias are not only from a tropical zone but are raised in greenhouses. They are not acclimated to our colder mid-Missouri temperatures. At all.

When taking them outside, they need to be protected if exposed to 60F and below. I also left them in the store and pulled the car as close to them as I could, wrapping them in a blanket to move them from the store to the warm car.

If you didn’t do that, being exposed to cold can shock them and make them easily drop leaves. Keep them in a warm spot off the cold floor and they should adjust after a few days. Some of the colored bracts may be normally turning yellow and dropping so give them time to adjust.

Secondly, when choosing your poinsettia, look for the tiny yellow flowers in the center. The bracts that provide the color are actually leaves. If you find some that still have little yellow flowers in the center, that poinsettia is going to last longer than one with the center flowers faded and gone.

These are the small yellow poinsettia flowers in the center. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Nothing wrong with ones that are faded like this one, it just means the plant is farther along in its development and may loose its leaves earlier than one that is still in bloom.

This Pure Glow poinsettia no longer has tiny yellow flowers in the center. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Where you place your poinsettia once home is important. You want them in indirect light where they are warm so they can get used to their new conditions. Even close proximity to a window can be too cold for them so I place mine towards the center of a room.

Also don’t place them on the floor unless you know the spot is warm. If you can place them on a raised area like something with castors or even a container with legs, that should keep them away from cold. I moved one poinsettia from a coffee table to the center of another room on the floor and watched them drop leaves over two days. Moved back to their original spot, the leaves stopped falling and they are now growing new ones. Very sensitive to changes in temperature!

I have severals baskets of on sale poinsettias now adjusting to their new spots. I remove the dropped leaves to compost and check that their soil is moist; not too wet and not dry. Often times poinsettias get too much water and that causes them to drop leaves. Check the soil moisture before watering by placing a finger in the soil on the plant edge.

Once spring arrives and all danger of frost is over, mine will get slowly settled outside in shade and trimmed back so they will grow bushy again.

I remember them in Mexico, their native habitat where they can grow the size of small Missouri dogwood trees. Yes, I have some thought of trying to grow at least one into a larger plant.

Pink and white poinsettias keeping me company in my kitchen. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, the red bracts and pink and white poinsettia colors are fitting in quite nicely!

Charlotte

Growing Peruvian Lilies

These red Peruvian lilies just started to bloom in my inside winter garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“Seriously. Did you grow those red Peruvian Lilies ….inside??’ — Evelyn

Growing Peruvian Lilies

Hi Evelyn, absolutely! Once I found out Peruvian lilies are one of the longer, if not longest-lasting cut flowers, I plotted to add some to my inside winter garden. That’s basically my living and dining rooms turned over to tropical plants that can’t make it outside through mid-Missouri’s cold winters.

For many years I have wintered over inside tropical hibiscus, geraniums, salvia and herbs. With a little care not to forget to water them, and to provide moisture when they need it, these plants have successfully moved in and out of my house through many seasons. There is something quite nice about having a tropical jungle inside when it is cold and snowy outside.

It’s also handy to have stalwart bloomers. The red begonias in particular take a little breather when they first come inside and then pick up where they left off at the end of summer, giving me a nice flush of flowers all through winter.

Peruvian lilies (Alstroemeria spp) are used as bouquet fillers, sometimes sold as a bouquet all by themselves. I gave some to an office colleague several years ago and, after 6 weeks, she asked when the flowers were planning to die. That put them on my “I must grow some myself list” thinking of long, cold, snowy winters warmed up by a bouquet of long-lasting cut flowers.

There’s science, you know. Not that I had any doubt but there are studies that show having cut flowers lift spirits and contribute to a happier environment, which may explain why we send flower bouquets to people in hospitals and who need cheering up.

So this spring, when I spotted several Peruvian lilies growing in pots at one of our local garden centers, the stalking began. One pot of Peruvian lilies retailed for $25 so I decided to wait until the price came down. My gardening buddy Tom was also asked to patrol the sales; he would intermittently report when he saw a price reduction.

Finally late summer all of the red ones were marked down to $3 each and I took two plants home.

Potted Peruvian lilies spending winter in a sunny window. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

They were repotted into larger pots with compost at the bottom and are now in a sunny window. I will monitor the temperature to make sure it stays over 60F in their window spot and provide watered down fertilizer once a month.

I just cut a little sprig of blooms off and added them to some yellow mums and the last of my miniature yellow roses. It was snowing outside as I snipped the mums, the last ones to be blooming in my garden this year.

Now the race is on to see which ones will last the longest, mums are also long-lasting cut flowers. What do you think, which ones will last the longest in a vase?

Charlotte

Can I Still Plant Spring Bulbs

Uh-oh, ran out of warm weather before I planted my spring bulbs this year. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“Yikes, it’s snowing and I don’t have all of my spring bulbs in the ground. When is it too late to plant them?” — Ralph

Can I Still Plant Spring Bulbs

Hi Ralph, welcome to the club. I also ran out of time to get some of my spring bulbs in the ground before snow and cold weather moved into mid-Missouri. The good news is that there still is time to get them in the ground.

Tulips, daffodils and most other spring bulbs need a good 12 weeks planted in the ground to trigger growth. Considering that most of our soil starts to thaw out early March, that gives us all until the end of November and beginning of December to get these vintage flower bulbs in the ground.

The key is when does your soil freeze for winter. I’m in USDA Hardiness zone 5b/6a so our soil tends to stay workable until December. Even if you wait that late, you can still get spring bulbs in the ground so that they bloom next spring but the earlier you get them in, the better for the bulbs.

And yes, I have been seen out in my garden in full winter garb with my handy pick ax in blowing snow getting a few last spring bulbs in the ground. Especially when I find them on sale at the end of the fall season. A few bulbs may have dried up by the time they are discounted but most packages still have viable bulbs.

Remember to add a little bone meal at the bottom of the holes, the bone meal will help feed the bulbs when they are ready to grow.

And ah, bundle up!

Charlotte

Mums Dead or Alive

Mums are favorite fall flowers often tossed after they bloom. With a little care, they can get established. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“…you said something at the last lecture about Mums being natural bug deterrents. I planted several but now I can’t tell if they are dead or alive. What’s the secret?” — Lisa

Mums Dead or Alive

Hi Lisa, if you couldn’t tell, Mums are one of my favorite all time flowers. In addition to being long-lasting as cut flowers, they are a great bug deterrent and so easy to grow.

it helps to understand a little about how Mums grow. Mums, or chrysanthemums for short, are pinched during spring growth to make them bush out into the round shape we are used to seeing, and buying, in fall. I have several in my garden I miss pinching so I know how long and leggy they can grow. I don’t mind, though, because those are easier to add to a vase to bring inside and enjoy by themselves or with other cut flowers.

The round, bushy shape makes it hard to see new growth, which takes place at the base of the plant. Growth can also occur when you sneak a branch into soil and roots develop at the growing nodes, which are the bumps you feel along the plant stem.

So take a look at this Mum and tell me if you think it’s dead or alive:

Red mum covered in snow in my Missouri hillside garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

It looks dead, doesn’t it. And yes, it was cold and windy when I took this picture to show you looking at the plant is not how you determine if it’s surviving. Gently push the dead stems apart and look at the base. If the Mum is still alive, you should see tiny green growth:

New growth at the base of the dead-looking Mum. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Be careful when you move the dead branches, it’s easy to break them. If it’s too cold to move them, peer through the top and see if you spot any green at the bottom.

I’ve been known to sneak peeks at the base of my new Mums through winter as I water them. There is something magical about seeing the dead top and then spy new growth underneath at the root. Leaving the dead branches also provides the new shoots protection from winter elements.

Why bother? Besides being pretty and easy to grow, Mums are bug deterrents. Many of the “organic” and “safe” insect sprays these days are made with pyrethrins, basically essence of Mums. By adding a few Mums throughout your garden you can help deter insects and still enjoy pretty fall flowers.

Yellow fall Mums join a sprig of red Peruvian lilies, both long-lasting cut flowers. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Just remember to water them a couple of times a month through winter to help the roots get established.

if you want that fall round shape, pinch them through spring growing season once very 4 inches. When I pinch mine, I just stick the cut off portion back in the soil to grow new roots. Or move that bunch of pinched branches to another spot and push them into the ground for a new mum. It may take a couple of years in my rough hillside soil but they do grow quite nicely.

We are having our first snow of the season today. Time to start dreaming about next year’s garden!

Charlotte