Cat Hair for Birds Nests

The first cat hair offering disappeared in less than a day. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Cat Hair for Birds Nests

Do you have long-haired pets? I have one cat and, over winter, I save the hair from her daily brushings to give to birds for their spring nests.

There have been a number of suggested bird nesting materials and some are do nots: aluminum, plastic, human hair, yarn and dryer lint. Also on the do not use list are string and dog hair. The best nesting material I have found to date is the long cat hair. It lasted less than a day in the repurposed suet feeder, now refreshed with a second batch.

Suet holder has been re-filled with another batch waiting to be added. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Later this year I will check birdhouses and look for tufts of cat hair sticking out of nexts and birdhouse corners.

The cat fur is a favorite because it is very soft and warm, giving the nest extra insulation and protection.

To save your long haired cat fur, clean your brush after every brushing session. Clean your winter suet holder before filling with pet fur, then hang back on a tree.

If you can watch the suet holder, periodically check it and you may catch a bird helping themselves to the fur.

Charlotte

Apiary Cattle Panel Arbor

This double cattle panel arbor guides me into my north apiary. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Apiary Cattle Panel Arbor

If a bee skep represents beekeeping then cattle panel arbors represent Ozark backyard gardens. Over the years, I have seen many of these either spanning garden beds or forming welcoming arbors in front of farm houses.

When a friend showed me how to bend these metal structures to form the arbor shape, I started to add them to my garden. If you have shopped for garden arbors, you know they can be quite expensive so having an alternative that provides for creativity was right down my alley.

Cattle panels are popular garden arbors in the Ozarks. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once painted black, the cattle panel arbor nicely disappears into the background but I still wasn’t happy with the overall look.

The same friend who showed me how to bend the cattle panels made a lovely gate out of cedar boughs, which inspired me to add cedar boughs to the cattle panels.

Carefully cutting the boughs so I that i can weave them through the metal squares, I started to add cedar limbs from discarded trees from our local recycling center. Setting them two squares apart, they form the skeleton for the overall cedar covering.

Weaving cedar branches into the cattle panel takes time and some creativity. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I have the structure in, now to collect, clear and add more cedar boughs.

I already have grapes and blackberries growing over the cattle panels so it will be a matter of time to see who covers the cattle panel first, the plants or me!

Adding cedar branches to the arbor side. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This is an excellent way to reuse long-lasting cedar while giving the cattle panels a nice texture and finish.

Here is the first apiary cattle panel arbor I made, located at the front and entrance to my garden:

Once seated on the garden bench, the view is to my north apiary. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I like to have seating areas all around my garden, places where I can sit down and enjoy the view. Some of the areas have arbors, others now have these cattle panel arbors that will provide shade.

Each of the cattle panel arbors have plants already growing over them: blackberries and grapes. Over a couple more arbors rescued clematis vines are being encouraged to grow. Looking forward to seeing these arbors covered in green!

Close up you can see the painted cattle panel under the cedar. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Charlotte

Secret to Bare Root Plants

Bare root Itoh peonies are getting a start first in a container. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Secret to Bare Root Plants

It’s that time of year when gardeners dreams turn to buying bare root plants because they are less expensive, or something they can’t easily find locally. Or maybe you get a bare root tree for Arbor Day, or as a store giveaway at your local home and garden center. Regardless of how you get them, there is a simple secret to getting bare root plants to grow.

You need to pot them first.

That’s right, no planting directly into your garden this first year. Instead, get them in pots with potting soil and let them grow in the pot for the first year. What the plant is doing is establishing roots, which will ensure the plant survives when you transfer it into its final growing spot.

A number of friends have bought bare root plants from places like George O. White Nursery in Licking, Mo., one of my favorite places to get local native plant stock. The prices are hard to beat, the most expensive tree seedling is 90 cents per seedling, and the price goes down as you buy in larger quantities.

However, you don’t want to take those seedlings and plant them straight into your garden or landscape. The roots need a little more time developing so once you get the bare root seedling, get them into a pot. Make sure the pot is about twice the size of the current root structure to give it room to grow.

This bare root dwarf fruit tree is getting a start in a pot. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

And be patient. It can take a little time for new seedlings to get used to their new environment, which is why I use plain potting soil, not soil with added fertilizer. I can then monitor how the plant is doing and add my own fertilizer as I see fit.

How do you know if the plant is settling in?

New green growth is a sure indication the plant is settling in. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Green growth along the trunk nodes is one good sign. And don’t be discouraged if you don’t see much growth this first year above ground, with the right conditions most of the energy should be going into root development.

I leave my seedlings in pots through the growing season, then add them to my garden in fall or the next spring. I keep an area that I call my nursery and plop the plants, pot and all, in the nursery to winter over there if I haven’t moved them to their permanent location.

And don’t forget to water them. Since they are now in pots, they may need water more frequently than the established plants in your garden.

You will know they are ready to plant in the garden when the tree seedlings are looking more like the Tree of Life lap quilt.

Charlotte

My Hardy Geraniums

My favorite geraniums are these raspberry-colored ones. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

My Hardy Geraniums

As you think about what plants you want to have in pots this year, make sure you include geraniums. I have had a variety of different geranium colors in pots for many years, giving me wonderful color in the dead of a dreary winter.

Most geraniums offered on the market are annuals, and it is assumed they will be planted one year and allowed to die when cold weather sets in. Even if you have them planted in your garden, you should be able to dig them up and move them inside in pots to continue growing, and blooming, through winter.

The raspberry-colored geranium in the top photo is my favorite. The plant is now 4 foot tall and lives in my business office, keeping my printer and desk company through the year. It tends to bloom most of the year taking a short break around fall.

I do give them watered down fertilizer, 1/2 tsp per gallon of water every other month, and worm castings a couple of times a year mixed into the soil. I remove the top soil, mix in the worm castings, then replace it all back into the pot. Every three years or so I remove as much soil as I can and replace it with new soil.

This next geranium is blooming in living room pot. Its red color pops nicely against the purple leaves, a beacon among the sea of plants wintering over in the bay window. The red color compliments the red in the amaryllis blooms currently in bloom.

These red geraniums are pretty among the purple leaves. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

One more reason why you should save at least one geranium for winter. This is a tomato red geranium blooming in another pot in my dining room, brightening up the area on cloudy, gray days.

Tomato red geraniums in bloom in my living room. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Now these geraniums are different than the native, hardy geraniums. Even though they are only annuals with a little care they can bloom year after year if you keep them inside over winter.

Here’s another way to bring in these colors to your room, our Ribbon Flowers Lap Quilt will add the same colors to the back of a chair or sofa and be ready for that unplanned nap!

Charlotte

Daffodil Bouquets

Most of these daffodils where picked in bud form. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Daffodil Bouquets

There are few things that brighten up a room than a bouquet of spring-growing yellow gold daffodils, these remind me of our Yellow Gold Double Wedding Ring Quilt.

To have longer lasting inside bouquets, pick the daffodils when they are still in bud. Once exposed to the warmth of a room in a flower vase with water, the buds will open into flowers and give you a longer-lasting display.

These daffodil buds are excellent cut flower candidates. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

When cutting daffodils, leave at least one flower bud so you will know what type and colors that group of bulbs produce.

I also only pick one or two buds from each group so I can also enjoy the flowers in bloom outside as well as cut flowers inside.

Daffodils don’t play well with other flowers so don’t mix your daffodil bouquets with other flowers straight out of the garden. If you want a blend, let the cut daffodils sit in water by themselves for a good 24-48 hours. The toxins in daffodils that deter deer will drain and then you can mix them with other flowers.

Large King Alfred in the back and small Tete-A-Tete daffodils in front at Bluebird Gardens, (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Also take clippers with you when cutting daffodils out of the garden. The clippers will give you cleaner cuts and you won’t have to tug at the green stem to easily remove it. Keep the green leaves on daffodils so the leaves can collect sunlight and, through photosynthesis, translate it into energy they store in bulbs for use next year.

Finally change the water in the vase every couple of days and recut the stems to give your daffodils a long life inside.

King Alfred daffodils are the largest daffodils currently on the market. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you don’t have daffodils in your garden, or you want to plant more this fall to have enough to cut, King Alfred daffodils are the largest available on the market. Just a few make quite a statement and are hard to miss either in the garden or in a vase.

If you want something smaller, look for Tete-A-Tete daffodils, which qualify as miniatures and are long lived once cut and used in flower vases as well.

In between, there are a variety of early, mid and late blooming daffodils and jonquils, providing a nice variety of flowers to enjoy over the next few months. Happy spring!

Charlotte

Dandy Daffodils

Can you distinguish these daffodils? King Alfred in back, Tete-a-Tete in front. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Dandy Daffodils

Rain is in the forecast and I can’t wait. Every spring thunderstorm encourages yet another patch of daffodils to bloom. The old-fashioned, early daffodils have finished blooming and King Alfred is making a statement along with the Tete-A-Tete smaller splashes of yellow. I truly love seeing the daffodils in bloom, their sunny colors are a great way to celebrate spring. And since I don’t remember where I have planted them, it’s a bit of a treasure hunt to walk my paths and discover what is blooming around the corner.

According to the Daffodil Society of the US, there are 13 1/2 daffodil divisions. I added the half for the “Miniature Daffodil” category.

According tot he Daffodil Society, “there are thirteen descriptive divisions of  daffodils.  Miniatures have the same descriptive divisions as standards, only with smaller blooms, usually less than 2 inches (50mm) in diameter.

A Daffodil Society poster with the 13 different daffodil categories. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Daffodil Divisions

Division 1 – Trumpet Daffodils

One flower to a stem; corona (“trumpet”) as long as, or longer than the perianth segments (“petals”).

 Division 2 – Large-Cupped Daffodils

One flower to a stem; corona (“cup”) more than one-third, but less than equal to the length of the perianth segments (“petals”)

 Division 3 – Small-Cupped Daffodils

One flower to a stem; corona (“cup”) not more than one-third the length of the perianth segments (“petals”)

 Division 4 – Double Daffodils

One or more flowers to a stem, with doubling of the perianth segments or the corona or both.

Division 5 – Triandrus Daffodils
Characteristics of N. triandrus clearly evident: usually two or more pendent flowers to a stem; perianth segments reflexed.

 Division 6 – Cyclamineus Daffodils

Characteristics of N. cyclamineus clearly evident: one flower to a stem; perianth segments significantly reflexed; flower at an acute angle to the stem, with a very short pedicel (“neck”)

 Division 7 – Jonquilla Daffodils

Characteristics of Sections Jonquilla or Apodanthi clearly evident: one to five (rarely eight) flowers to a stem; perianth segments spreading or reflexed; corona cup-shaped, funnel-shaped or flared, usually wider than long; flowers usually fragrant.

See the frilly trumpet on these light blond daffodils? (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

 Division 8 – Tazetta Daffodils
Characteristics of Section Tazettae clearly evident: usually three to twenty flowers to a stout stem; perianth segments spreading not reflexed; flowers usually fragrant.

 Division 9 – Poeticus Daffodils
Characteristics of N. poeticus and related species clearly evident; perianth segments pure white; corona very short or disc-shaped, not more than one-fifth the length of the perianth segments; corona usually with a green and/or yellow centre and red rim, but sometimes wholly or partly of other colours; anthers usually set at two distinct levels; flowers fragrant

Division 10 – Bulbocodium Hybrids
Characteristics of Section Bulbocodium clearly evident: usually one flower to a stem; perianth segments insignificant compared with the dominant corona; anthers dorsifixed (ie attached more or less centrally to the filament); filament and style usually curved.

 Division 11a – Split-Cupped Collar Daffodils
Split-corona daffodils with the corona segments opposite the perianth segments; the corona segments usually in two whorls of three.

Division 11b – Split-Cupped PapillonDaffodils
Split-corona daffodils with the corona segments alternate to the perianth segments; the corona segments usually in a single whorl of six.

 Division 12 – Other Daffodil Cultivars
Consists of daffodils not falling into any of the previous categories. Many are inter-division hybrids.

Division 13 – Daffodils distinguished solely by Botanical Name 
Consists of the Species, Wild Variants, and Wild Hybrids found in natural daffodils.

 Miniature Daffodil
Miniatures have the same descriptive divisions as standards, only with smaller blooms, usually less than 2 inches (50mm) in diameter. My tete-a-tete daffodils are a welcome miniature daffodil welcoming visitors to my garden.

I get to enjoy blooming daffodils all four seasons with this Four Seasons Lap Quilt I use as a wall hanging off my den.

 How many of these do you have in your garden?

Charlotte

Tomato Starts

One of my tomato starts in their own pot near my kitchen. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Tomato Starts

It’s about time to start planting seeds indoors for outside growing after the danger of frost. Where I live, that is usually Mother’s Day, around May 10. But before you start, check your potted plants for any volunteers that have hitchhiked in that soil. If you replanted in previously-used soil or had plants sitting close together, you may already have plant starts growing.

Although I love having fresh, homegrown tomatoes, I don’t grow tomatoes from seed. They tend to take matters into their own seeds and sprout all by themselves and, this year ,they are right on schedule.

Over the years, I grow tomatoes in pots on my deck. The seeds end up in neighboring pots and tend to start growing on their own late winter. This year, I found the tomato starts in a potted banana tree.

Tomato starts popping up all by themselves in a banana plant. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The tomato seedlings don’t show up all at once. The first one is now sitting in its own pot, crushed eggshells in the bottom and coffee grounds mixed up in the plain potting soil, no added fertilizer. This way I can control how much fertilizer is going into the soil.

After noting the first tomato plant, I started to check the soil for any other arrivals. Sure enough, more tomato plants are showing up so I will be potting those as well.

See the little seed on the tomato start bottom left? (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I let the little seedling get established before I move it and I take a whole glob of soil around the roots so that it has the least amount of trauma making the move.

When I see these seedlings, I can’t help but think of my Vegetables Baby Quilt with talking tomatoes.

This is gardening at it’s easiest. How many of us overlook those seedlings by pulling them out or piling rocks on top of them?

Charlotte

How to Get Christmas Cactus to Bloom at, Lets Say, Christmas

How to Get Christmas Cactus to Bloom at, Lets Say, Christmas

I have a “Christmas” cactus blooming right now, the first day of spring 2019. I’m embracing the blooms and calling it my Spring cactus although there are different Schlumbergera plant relatives, one that is currently a Thanksgiving cactus called a Christmas cactus; the original Christmas cactus (in photo) no longer on the market and an Easter cactus that is not even related.

These hardy but tropical plants need a little help to bloom on cue here in North America. Back in their native habitat in Brazil, they have weather triggers to get them to bloom in December, the beginning of the South American summer. I grew up near their native habitat, Christmas without swimsuits still seems a little odd to me but now I’m happy just unwrapping them as a gift and staying bundled up in my coat and blankets.

Most cactuses sold on the market today are actually Thanksgiving cacti, which explains why they tend to bloom end of November. They are also grown in greenhouse conditions to get them to set bud for sale around Thanksgiving.

To determine what kind of cactus you have, look at the green fronds. The original Christmas cactuses (Schlumbergera bridgesii) have smooth, round edges (photo) while Thanksgiving cacti (Schlumbergera truncata) have pointy, jagged ones.

Like other succulents, cacti are well-adapted to life with little precipitation. The leaves have evolved into spines, which in addition to allowing less water to evaporate than regular leaves, defend the cactus against water-seeking animals. Photosynthesis is carried out by enlarged stems, which also store water. Unlike many other succulents, the stem is the only part of a true cactus where this takes place.

My Thanksgiving cactus started to bloom because I had it outside on my back porch earlier this fall. The cooler temperatures triggered the buds to form without my doing any adjusting to the amount of light it was getting every day.

Holiday cacti are called "short day plants" meaning in order to produce flower buds, they require fewer daylight hours and/or cool night temperatures. The shorter days and cooler nights signal the plant to produce buds. I have tried both triggers and found the cooler temperatures are the easier way to encourage blooms.

To get your holiday cactus to bloom when you want the blooms, locate holiday cacti indoors in a cool, bright location where daytime temperatures are 65-70° F and evening temperatures are 55-65° F. If plants are exposed to cooler night temperatures of 55° F, plants will bloom in approximately 5-6 weeks, sometimes regardless of the day length.

I frankly don’t mind when they bloom out of season, it reminds me of how I enjoy my “Let it Snow” Lap Quilt Throw after Christmas as well. I just love having them in bloom any time they decide the time is right.

Happy Christmas in March!

Charlotte

Fighting Japanese Beetles

Japanese beetles making a meal out of a Rose of Sharon flower in my garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Fighting Japanese Beetles

I was meandering through my garden at sunset when I spotted the beautiful iridescent green spots on a milkweed. Juvenile Japanese beetles, starting to hatch from last year’s buried grubs. For the next 6 weeks, it will be a battle between these wily bugs and I.

The 3/8th of an inch hard shell beetles are eating machines, devouring more than 200 plant species. Once they turn from grubs into beetles, they set off a scent that says "let's party" to other Japanese beetles, yet another reason why you shouldn’t crush the bugs, no matter how tempting.

If you don't see them, you'll know you have them when your plant leaves turn into lace.

Leaves turned to lace is a sure sign of Japanese beetles. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Prior to the beetle's accidental introduction into the United States, the Japanese beetle was found only on the islands of Japan, isolated by water and kept in check by its natural enemies. The beetles entered the country as grubs in soil on Japanese iris roots. By 1920, eradication programs were dropped; the beetle proved to be too prolific a breeder.

One of the popular options to eliminate these voracious bugs is Japanese beetle traps, which I don’t recommend. Those are basically pheromone-laced paper bags that attract Japanese beetles. The challenge is the bags don’t catch all of them so having more Japanese beetles in your garden means more potential grubs to hatch out next year.

If you insist on using Japanese beetle traps, make sure you place them at the edge of your property and down wind.

What has worked very well for me over the years is dropping them in a can of soapy water early morning, while they are still sluggish. I pop the soapy water-filled coffee can underneath the plant branches, then shake them. The bugs fall into the water without my touching them.

Soapy water in an old coffee can quickly dispatches Japanese beetles. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

According to University of Missouri Extension Service, Pyrethrins and Spinosad are effective and non-toxic sprays to try to manage Japanese beetles.

For a long term solution, my brother in Virginia has treated his lawn with milky spores. He has dozens of crepe myrtles, one of Japanese beetles favorite munchies. According to him, Japanese beetle grubs eat the spores; get sick; die and, in the process, release more milky spores. It can take several years to eliminate the Japanese beetles, not counting whether your

Neighbors have treated their lawns.

Believe it or not, there are plants Japanese beetles avoid. The typical kind of plant that will help to drive away Japanese beetles will be strong smelling and may taste badly to the insect. Some plants that deter Japanese beetles include many herbs such as garlic, rue, tansy, catnip and chives. Other Japanese beetle deterrent plants include white chrysanthemums, leeks, onions, marigolds, white geraniums and larkspur.

There are also plants that Japanese beetles skip or only munch on towards the end of their season. I assume these are just not tasty plants: begonias, caladiums, common lilacs, common pear, tulip tree, flowering dogwood, forsythia, hydrangea, hickory, magnolia, persimmon and most oak trees.

Ok, time to soap up and start picking off those pesky bugs!

Charlotte

The Beauty of Iris

Several friends have posted that this color iris was also their Mom's favorite. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The Beauty of Iris

I blame Mom for my fascination with Iris. These blue iris were her favorite, a North American version of the orchids that grew wild in our backyard trees in Brazil.

When we lived in southern Illinois in an old farm house, she had several beds of iris off to the side of our driveway. It was our job as kids to keep those beds weeded, something that was hit and miss some years depending on what other activities took up our after school time.

I loved weeding those Iris beds. There was something cathartic about pulling out plants that didn't belong and standing back to see my work. In those days I didn't know what the unwelcome plants were, I just knew Mom would not be happy until all of the funny green tufts of green growth were out of her precious Irises.

It's one of the reasons why I started to carry these Iris throws. The applique fabric iris are lovely against the white cotton back drop and so quickly bring a garden vibe into any room.

When a gardening friend heard about my love of iris, he brought me a few new starts last year. Another gardening friend shared a supply of white ones so now I have more than Mom's iris keeping me company in my garden.

White and yellow iris were added last year courtesy of a couple of friends. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

My peach bearded iris have bloomed in this spot for years. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This iris was a surprise bloom this year, love the color combination. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Over the years, as I moved from one house to the next, Mom's irises were dug up and moved with me. I didn't always plant them in the best conditions so it could take a couple of years before I had them in the right light and soil conditions to bloom.

It doesn't take much. They like sun but will bloom in partial shade. They don't want to be wet and need to be planted so the root rhizomes sit on top of the soil while the roots are covered.

One of Mom's irises bloomed this year along my cedar fence. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This spring, Mom's bluish/purple Irises made a lovely showing, giving me the opportunity to mark them so once blooming is over, I can group them back together in one color blocked flower bed.

The best time to move Iris is June through September. The shallow-rooted plants need a little time to settle into their new growing spot. Add a little compost to enrich the soil and mulch after planting.

Mom's irises in another spot blooming along with peonies and columbine. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Mom's irises bloomed this year, along with my peonies, on Mother's Day. Suppose that's a sign?

I like to think that's my mother, who loved my garden, saying from Heaven she approves.

Charlotte

June Gardening Chores

Blackberries ripen in June around the same time as mulberries. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

June Gardening Chores

It was a record-breaking long spring so why not a record-breaking summer. This year it seems we went straight to summer from winter with no spring in between. Anyone else have any kind of spring?

There’s still time this month to try to catch up on some chores and plant, June traditionally is our wettest month of the year.

1.         Plant a new supply of vegetables every 2 weeks to give yourself a new crop through the season. Early spring crops are done but there is still time for tomatoes, green peppers, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, pumpkins and annual herbs.

2.       Keep asparagus beds weeded and let the green top ferns grow until they go brown; do not cut.

3.        When mulching, leave 2-4 inches clear from the plant stem and the mulch ring no larger than 5 inches deep. More than that and you are smothering the plant itself.

4.        Leave spring bulb greenery to die off naturally. I gently remove the yellow leaves if they bug me and plant summer perennials to cover them in the meantime.

5.         Japanese beetles show up this month so hand pick and drop in a bucket of water with a few drops of dishwashing soap to drown them. Pick early in the morning when they are sluggish. Also treat your lawn with nematodes and milky spores, both will gradually help eliminate grubs. Add geraniums and tansies to your flower beds, they are natural Japanese beetle repellants.

6.         Trim lilacs immediately after they end flowering so growth the rest of this year will provide blooms next year.

7.         Get flower pots planted. Water the soil first, let drain, then add your flowers for better adjustment.

8.         Plant annual flower seeds such as zinnias, sunflowers, forget-me-nots, cosmos, marigolds and herbs. Some herbs can be moved inside later for winter use.

10.       When planting wildflowers, mark the beds where seeds have been added. Some wildflowers may take 2 years to germinate.

11.       For those of you with grass, don’t cut more than 1/3 of the grass down at one time.  For spots where grass doesn’t grow, plant flowers.

Native flowers such as coneflowers start to bloom this month and continue until fall frost. (Photos by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

12.       When adding perennials, focus on native plants. Once established, they will require less water and care than non-natives and they will be food for native pollinators.

13.        Pinch mums once a week to encourage them to grow bushy for fall flowering. I take the pinched off pieces, gently push them into the ground and encourage more plants to grow.

14.        Feed roses and other plants compost to give them a good source of energy. Roses should be fed once a month. A quick pick me up is to dig your banana peels, egg shells and coffee grounds in around roses.

15.         Take photos of your garden. Use the same photo spots you used in spring so you can see the changes from one season to the next.

16.         Also make sure to have a nice seating area in your garden so you can stop and smell the flowers!

Charlotte

Tomato Trouble

This tomato is definitely in trouble for several reasons! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Tomato Trouble

Several readers are having trouble getting tomato seeds started this year and for good reason. Not only has it been record cold but we have jumped from winter to summer with little spring in between.

Tomatoes are very close to my heart. I wrote a speech in high school about tomatoes first name, “love apples.” They are actually fruits re-categorized as vegetables to work around a 19th Century import tax.

There are several factors that can cause trouble with tomatoes, starting with seedlings that die off. The condition is called “damping off” and covers several possible fungi that can kill off seedlings. Start again with brand new potting soil use  a washed or new container. Add crushed egg shells in bottom before adding more soil to ward off blossom end rot, which is caused in the fruit by a calcium deficiency. Keep the pot in a window for warmth and away from drafts. Water with a spray bottle so you don’t over-water.

The second problem is flowers that drop. There are several reasons tomatoes drop their flowers, starting with the impact of record high temperatures. Tomatoes, like most flowering plants, go into survival mode if temperatures are above 90F for five or more days in a row.

Plant survival mode means most systems are shut down, including pollen production. It’s why a plant may seem to die in hot weather and yet reappear the following year. As long as the roots can pull through, most plants will survive.

Tied to temperature is high humidity. Humidity that is too high prevents pollen from sticking to the stigma once it is released. Without pollen, there are no pollinators and without pollinators, there are no flowers that produce tomatoes.

These cherry tomatoes grew over winter inside my house, the last of my winter crop. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

In addition to weather conditions, tomatoes need pollinators such as native bumblebees. These little hoodlums of the bee world literally shake the tomato plant, releasing pollen all over the stigma and themselves. When high temperatures shut down pollen production, they also put bees out of business.

As they grow, make sure tomato plants don’t get too much nitrogen fertilizer. A balanced plant meal requires nitrogen for growth, phosphorous for moving energy through the plant, and potassium for stress tolerance.  Our Ozark soil can provide nitrogen but the other two fertilizer elements usually need a boost.

The other delicate part of raising tomatoes is watering. Tomato roots in open ground can grow to 5 feet deep. Tomatoes even grown in containers prefer to be evenly moist so with temperatures, and humidity, either at record levels or varying widely, requires careful monitoring.

Plant herbs with your tomatoes. The herbs will help detract bugs. Basil is the number one herb for tomatoes, but other herbs compliment tomatoes as well: bay, chives, dill, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, savory, tarragon and thyme. 

I have sunken plastic bottles with holes in pots keeping my tomatoes company so that I can better keep the roots moist. I also use a paint stick propped into the side and moved over an inch to check how wet the soil is before I water.

And that speech about tomatoes I gave in high school?

I got an A. I suspect it would have been an A+ if I had not eaten the display.

Charlotte

Visiting New York Hostas

My sister-in-law's visiting New York hostas have established themselves well in my garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Visiting New York Hostas

I was talking to family and heard my sister-in-law say she missed seeing her New York hostas. I can understand why. These used to grace crape myrtle trees in her front yard in Virginia, the varigated leaves a nice contrast against the grey crape myrtle trunks.

Variegated hostas have white, cream or yellow in their leaves that may look like solid patterns, blotches or stripes. ‘Marginate’ variegation is when variegation occurs on the margin of the hosta’s leaves. ‘Medio variegation’ is when variegation is in the center of the hosta’s leaves.

According to the American Hosta Society members' rankings, in 2008 variegated hostas made up 8 of the top 10 and 17 of the top 25 hostas. 

Turns out the varigated hostas with white centers can be touchy to grow. Without enough sunlight, white-centered hostas lack chlorophyll in the main portion of the leaf. In more sun, the green portion of the leaf can often produce the extra food needed for the hosta to thrive.

Some white variegation hostas can tolerate full sun without burning. Generally, a hosta with thicker leaves can tolerate more intense light.  White variegated hostas with thin leaves should be restricted to partial shade, bright shade, or early morning or evening sun to look their best. Direct sun exposure is often too intense for the white variegated hostas and may cause them to burn or turn brown, which isn’t harmful but can certainly make the plant unsightly. 

I don't have all of them, I just hand-carried a dozen or so home when I flew back from a short visit. I also had daffodil bulbs and some crape myrtle starts in hand but the hostas travelled in my carry-on, their leaves waving in the airport as I hopped the flights.

When I first planted them in a shady part of my garden, they were bedraggled and looking a bit tired, somewhat akin to being munched on by deer. Deer love to eat hostas so I would not have been surprised to see my visitors nibbled on. So far only rabbits have made a little visit to the flower bed.

Here they are now, looking brand new and quite happy on their little Missouri vacation!

The varigated leaves add a lot of interest to these visiting New York hostas. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

They will remain in this lovely shady flower bed until my sister-in-law wants them back. I will only be too glad to personally deliver them!

Charlotte

Tulip Types and Varieties

Parrot tulips bloom among double pink tulips in the Bluebird Gardens retaining wall. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Tulip Types and Varieties

Did you know tulips are edible? As members of the lily family, they're also related to onions, which may explain the first part. Although I rarely hear anyone promote tulips for a meal, they do make for a lovely addition to any dish assuming no chemicals have been applied to them as they were growing.

One other interesting thing about tulips. If you have them planted in a bulb garden, watch the flowers follow the sun by literally moving in the dish. They will also do that as cut flowers in a flower vase.

According to the National Garden Bureau, tulips say “spring” like no other flowers. Their "vivid, paint-box colors are a feast for winter-weary eyes" and I couldn't agree more. Who doesn't think of spring when they see tulips in bloom??

These members of the lily family typically grow a single stem and flower from teardrop-shaped bulbs that are planted in fall for spring flowers. Tulip bulbs require a dormancy period with cool, winter-like temperatures for several weeks. During this time, the bulbs sprout roots and the embryonic leaves and flowers inside the bulb begin to develop.

Tulips are native to southern Europe, the eastern Mediterranean, North Africa and Asia. Works of art depicting their distinctive shape date back to the 10th century. They have been cultivated in earnest for at least 400 years including generating the short-lived "tulipmania" in the 1600s where collectors were spending literally fortunes to possess one tulip bulb.

By leveraging the tulip’s natural tendency toward diversity, generations of breeders and tulip collectors have produced a mind-boggling array of flower forms, heights, colors and bloom times. Today, Holland produces most of the world’s annual tulip crop, which exceeds 4 billion bulbs annually.

My garden frog is unimpressed but I love the double yellow tulips blooming. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Basic Tulip Types and Varieties

There are more than 150 species of tulips with over 3,000 different varieties and are classified into Divisions by type. The tulip names include links to a variety of suppliers so you can see the actual tulip varieties.

Division 1: Single Early. Medium size blossoms with a classic tulip shape. Short, sturdy stems with an overall height of 10-14," often fragrant. Flair, Purple Prince, Bestseller, Apricot Beauty

Division 2: Double Early. Extra petals give these flowers a full look. Shorter than most other tulips, most are about 12” tall. Lovely cut flowers. Abba, Monsella, Foxtrot, Monte Orange

Division 3: Triumph. This class offers the widest range of tulip colors. Triumphs are midseason bloomers and stand 15 to 20”. Barcelona, Bastogne, Jimmy, Princess Irene, Ronaldo

Division 4: Darwin Hybrid. Strong plants with large flowers. Bulbs often return and bloom for several years. Mid-Spring. 22” tall. Ad Rem, Apricot Impression, Banja Luka, Pink Impression

Division 5: Single Late. Tall, egg-shaped flowers are large and long-lasting. Regal presence in the landscape. Heat tolerant. 22” tall. La Courtine, Menton, Dordogne, Violet Beauty

Division 6: Lily-Flowered. Long, narrow cups with pointed petals that flare out at the top. Excellent for cutting. 12-20” tall. Elegant Lady, Marilyn, Merlot, Pieter de Leur, Sapporo

Division 7: Fringed. The top edge of each petal is whiskered and often slightly paler in color. Bloom time is mid to late spring. Overall height 20”. Carousel, Fancy Frills, Lambada, Red Wing

Division 8: Viridiflora. Streaks of green give these tulips a distinctive look. Most cultivars bloom mid to late spring. Long-lasting cut flowers. 20” tall. Groenland, Spring Green, Flaming Spring Green, Artist

Division 9: Rembrandt. Petals display exotic markings and color breaks and resemble the tulips in 17th-century paintings. 20-24” tall. Rembrandt Mix

Division 10: Parrot. Ruffled, puckered and fringed petals twist as they mature. Excellent cut flowers. Heights vary from 14-22”. Black Parrot, Estella Rijnveld, Silver Parrot, Texas Flame

Division 11: Double Late. Plush, peony-like flowers are long-lasting in the garden or in a vase. Many cultivars are fragrant. 15-22” tall. I planted several Angelique this fall because those are supposed to be very fragrant.  Angelique, Carnaval De Nice, Upstar, Yellow Pomponette

Division 12: Kaufmanniana. Early bloomers with a tall, narrow cup and pointed petals. Blossoms open out flat in the sun. 8-10” tall.  Johann Strauss, Scarlet Baby, Stresa, Heart’s Delight

Division 13: Fosteriana. Also known as Emperor tulips. Big flowers are  4-5” tall and open wide on sunny days. Early spring. 18” tall. Albert Heijn, Orange Emperor, Purissima, Red Emperor

Division 14: Greigii. Decorative foliage adds to the appeal of these flowers. Some cultivars have two to four flowers per stem. 12” tall. Mary Ann, Quebec, Red Riding Hood, Toronto

Division 15: Species. Wild or wild-like cultivars with relatively small flowers on slender stems. Good naturalizers. 4-10” tall. Lilac Wonder, Lady Jane, Peppermint Stick

Division 16: Multiflowering. Sometimes called “bouquet” tulips. Three to five flowers per stem extends bloom time and impact. 14-20” tall. Candy Club, Flaming Club, 

As members of the lily family, tulips are also relatives to onions.

Charlotte

Where to Find Missouri Gardener Magazine

Missouri Gardener Magazine now available at Walmart Garden Center check out. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins at Rolla, MO store.)

Where to Find Missouri Gardener Magazine

Every time a garden feature I've written is published in Missouri Gardener Magazine, I try to find at least one outlet where the story subject can find copies of the magazine. It was easier said that done.

For many years, the only local source for this wonderful gardening magazine was local book stores. 

Now the bi-monthly glossy magazine is available through Walmart stores in their garden center section. I stumbled upon this development as I was checking out in my regular haunt, our local garden center. There on the check out counter, taking up space for where I was placing my sale plants was a pile of the magazines.

When I queried the clerk, she said she was told the chain is now carrying the magazine, a wonderful development for gardeners looking for Missouri and regional-specific gardening information.

In addition to interesting garden features, the magazine has regional updates from University of Missouri Extension horticultural experts, something we no longer can easily access since those positions are no longer available at the county level. Although books by gardeners like Jerry Berry are interesting - he was the master gardener who made a name for himself concocting gardening mixtures from beer mixed in with other kitchen products - the advice in this magazine is more reliable.

If you don't want to buy individual magazines, you can also subscribe to have it mailed to you, an annual subscription is $19.95 per year. No, I don't get a cut on the subscriptions, I'm happy to be associated with a gardening magazine that provides good advice and pertinent information.

These were the events for fall 2017, what do you know is scheduled for this fall? (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

You don't see me listed?

Leaf back to the back, every issue features a calendar of upcoming gardening events that I collect and edit, it's a great way to get a sneak peek at what is coming up. I'm collecting September-October 2018 events so if you have something to share, email me by May 25. Thanks!

Charlotte

May Gardening Chores

f you want more daffodils, don’t cut off the fading flowers, the green round heads are full of seeds that will scatter and form more daffodil bulbs. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

May Gardening Chores

How does it feel to have lived through Missouri’s coldest spring in recorded history going back to 1893, this past spring? Or maybe I should say this attempt at spring still or whenever it finally arrives.

I had mixed feelings wondering what this meant in terms of forage for my honeybees and what gardening chores I would have to double-up on in May on my limestone hillside garden in USDA Hardiness zone 5B.

The good news is that the soil should finally be warming up enough this month for seeds to sprout, even if some crops like corn and wheat may be a few weeks behind their usual growing schedule. Where I live in mid-Missouri, the last frost date is usually Mother’s Day, which this year is May 13.

If your spring crops didn’t make it, try again; there still should be time for at least one sowing of lettuce, spinach and radish seeds.

There is always a good time to plant onions, I grow several crops throughout the growing season. Onion sets planted around roses make good bug deterrents and are fun to harvest as long as you remember to leave a couple on bug patrol.

Give tree seedlings a long drink of water before planting into their permanent garden location. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The forecast is that we will have a wet May so take the opportunity to get tree seedlings planted. This is also a good time to divide and move perennials. Be careful of disturbing newly emerging, self-sowing annuals, learn to distinguish the sprouts of bachelor buttons and other carefree annuals so you don’t disturb them.

Mark daffodils you want to dig up and move later this fall.

As daffodils and tulips continue to fade, don’t mow the leaves down with the lawn mower until they turn yellow or the bulbs will gradually become smaller and you will not have any more blooms next spring. Leave the leaves so the bulbs can recharge.

See ants on your blooming peonies? Gently shake them off if you want to bring cut flowers inside, otherwise leave them alone. The ants help the flower buds open.

If you don’t compost, this is a good month to start. Place a small grocery bag in your freezer and add kitchen scraps. When full, take outside and bury in a garden corner. As you get into the habit of saving kitchen scraps, it will be easier to then make your own compost area or buy one, then start adding leaves and grass clippings to the kitchen scraps, some water, and mix. After a few weeks, you will have black compost ready to add to your flowerbeds.

Summer plants started inside in containers can start to spend a few hours a day outside on warm, sunny days before you transplant them into your outside garden.

Shop for natives to add for mid to late summer flowers. Good choices include Purple Coneflowers, Black eyed Susan, Salvias and any plants with low water requirements.

If you don’t have grass planted, plant clover instead. If you do, consider how to minimize the golf course-look greenery and add more varieties of blooming flowers through the growing season.

Did I mention take time to enjoy the beauty of the May flowers like iris, peonies and roses??

Charlotte

Do Cotton Sheets Save Fruit Buds?

These are my dwarf fruit trees covered in fleece and cotton sheets during our last cold spell.

Do Cotton Sheets Work to Safe Fruit Buds?

This last cold spell was four days long. I didn't know at the time it was also part of the coldest spring in Missouri's recorded history. I have been trying different materials to see which ones work the best to protect my fruit tree flowers from getting nipped during this late winter freezes. 

Over the years I have tried bird seed bags, corn bags, a variety of blankets and settled on cotton - sheets, pillow cases and lightweight fleece blankets. I will cover them with plastic bags if rain is in the forecast but without a chance of precipitation its all about keeping the flowers from getting blasted.

After four days, I wasn't sure if they had been covered for too long or not so as soon as there was sunshine and temperatures in the evening over freezing, off came the sheets.

My uncovered dwarf fruit tree flowers are none worse the wear for being covered in cotton.

After giving the dwarf fruit trees a few hours to enjoy the sun, I went back to check to see how the covered flowers were doing.

These are dwarf patio peach trees.

Dwarf patio peach trees made it through this last freeze covered in cotton pillow cases.

One of my favorite spring-blooming dwarf fruit tree is the apricot, the vibrant pink color is just lovely.

My lovely dwarf apricot required two sheets to give it full coverage from the last freeze.

As I was heading back to the front of the house, I saw honeybees visiting the recently uncovered blooms.

One of my honeybees visits the dwarf patio peach tree blossoms saved by cotton sheets.

That made all of the effort to cover up the trees worthwhile!

Charlotte

The Dirt on Soil

Leaves are a good soil additive, helping to keep soil from packing too densely, especially Missouri clay. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The Dirt on Soil

Did you know there are more microorganisms in a tablespoon of soil than there are people on earth? Soil is an amazing recycling operation, a constant re-combining of minerals and decaying plants and animals.

An average soil sample is 45 percent minerals, 25 percent water, 25 percent air, and five percent organic matter. Different-sized mineral particles, such as sand, silt, and clay, give soil its texture.

How fast water interacts, or doesn’t interact with those mineral particles, determines how well different plant varieties can pull the nutrition they need. Then there are the good soil organisms and the bad ones that, once out of balance, can turn soil communities into infertile landscapes.

To find out what kind of soil you have, you can do a quick soil test at home:

1. Fill a quart jar one-third full with topsoil and add water until the jar is almost full. Screw on the lid and shake the mixture until all the clumps of soil have dissolved.

2. Set the jar on a windowsill and watch as the larger particles begin to sink to the bottom. In a minute or two, the sand portion of the soil will have settled to the jar bottom. Mark the level of sand on the jar side. A colored magic marker will work, you can wash it off later.

3. Leave the jar undisturbed for several hours. The finer silt particles will gradually settle.

4. Leave the jar overnight. The next layer above the silt will be clay. Mark the thickness of that layer. On top of the clay should be a thin layer of organic matter. Some of this organic matter may still be floating in the water. In fact, the jar should be murky and full of floating organic sediments. If not, you probably need to add organic matter to improve the soil's fertility and structure.

Not sure what you are seeing? I can understand, sometimes it all looks like a big muddy blob. Take a good look until your eyes can distinguish between colors. Give up? Ok, but don’t toss it down the sink, pour it on a flower bed, there is another way.

One of the easiest soil amendments for flower beds is to add weathered wood chips. The wood chips break down into added organic matter and, once in decomposed form, are a wonderful planting medium for many plants. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Collect about 6 scoops or 1.5 cups of soil from 6-8 points from a good 4-6 inches below ground from around your garden in a plastic bag and take it down to your local University of Missouri Extension Office. For $15, they will send the samples off to a lab. In a couple of weeks, you will get a very detailed analysis back with a detailed report of your soil including ph levels and recommendations of what you need to do, if any, to improve your soil.

The report will also help guide you in what you can plant in your soil conditions and how to amend your soil for optimum garden growing conditions.

Take your time with whatever you do, most soil amendments take time.

Charlotte

Saving Fruit Buds From Freeze

Lightweight blankets, sheets and cotton pillow cases cover my flowering fruit trees early April.

Saving Fruit Buds From Freeze

Hopefully it's the last snow of the year but the forecast was ill-timed. Some of my dwarf fruit trees were flowering, their pink buds and round little posies threatened by the below freezing temperatures.

Over the years, I have covered them with a number of different textiles to see which ones work the best against frost and freezing temperatures. As long as it doesn't rain, cotton sheets, pillow cases and lightweight fleece blankets and coats seem to protect them the best without causing damage as they are unwrapped later.

If there is wet precipitation, then adding something over to shield the cotton helps. Bird seed bags, corn bags and plastic dry cleaning bags have helped to keep the cotton from adding weight to the branches.

These dwarf fruit trees have been covered for three days against the cold. Hopefully they will get unwrapped in another day or so and the flowers will warm up enough to entice the bees with freshly-produced nectar. I'm sure the bees will be happy to be out of their hives as well!

Charlotte

April Gardening Chores

Prune lilacs immediately after blooming or you may be cutting off next year's flowers.

April Gardening Chores

There’s so much growing in mid-Missouri, where I live in USDA Hardiness zone 5b, I love taking my walks to see what’s popped up or getting ready to bloom, and what may be visiting my garden. Haven't seen rabbits yet but they will soon be checking out the greenery, too!

Clean out composters and add to flower beds and fruit trees. Mix with existing soil for now; you will mulch this later. Leave a good bucket of finished compost as starter for the next compost batch and start adding leaves, grass clippings if you have them, kitchen scraps and water. Don’t forget to mix.

Prune lilacs immediately after they bloom. If you wait until later in the season, you will be cutting off next year’s blooms.

Continue to sow lettuce, spinach and radish seeds every 10 days or so for fresh spring salads in your round foot garden. I would call it my pot garden but that leads you to believe I am growing something completely different. Call it your garden in pots, if you prefer.

If you like to grow peas, this is the last month to plant sugar snap peas and snow peas, they prefer cooler weather conditions. To keep their roots happy, mulch with cardboard to keep them cool, then add a layer of wood chips.

As daffodils and tulips continue to grow and bloom, sprinkle compost around them to keep the bulbs well fed. As the flowers fade, remove them by snipping off the flower heads. Leave the greenery until it turns yellow; the green leaves help the bulbs store energy for next season’s blooms. Don’t mow the leaves down with the lawn mower until they turn yellow or the bulbs will gradually become smaller and you will not have any more blooms next spring.

If you have a vegetable garden area, this is a good time to add cardboard to kill off any growth prior to summer planting. Don't till, the prevailing thought now is that tilling damages the soil ecosystem. Kill the plants you don’t want, make holes to plant the ones you do, or make trenches to plant seeds, and cover. Easy peasy. Who doesn’t like easy gardening??

Pot gardens work just as well to grow onions, lettuce, spinach and other spring crops.

Start your summer plants inside in containers you can transplant outside later; tomatoes, peppers, watermelons, squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchini.

Don’t forget companion plants to reduce crop damage; basil is a good bug deterrent for a lot of plants and grows easily from seed.

Plant for pollinators as well. I love zinnias and so do butterflies and bees. Native plants such as New England Asters, yarrow and purple coneflowers are good choices for pollinators because they have long blooming seasons. For another good annual, try sunflower seeds. Birds will love the seeds in the fall.

Enjoy the beauty of Missouri’s native trees, these usually bloom this month, redbuds and dogwoods. Better yet, plant a few more native trees along with compact dwarf fruit trees. Although planting native flowers is still good for pollinators, trees provide better, and more reliable, pollen sources for bees. The smaller fruit trees are good pollen sources as well and, when pollinated by bees, will also give you easily accessible fruit to pick.

Charlotte