Bolting Plants

This yellow onion from my refrigerator crisper is now in bloom. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Bolting Plants

One of my earliest gardening recollections is of a neighbor in Illinois complaining about her garden “bolting.” She had a small garden to the side of her house facing ours. I remember peeking at what she was doing when I got off the school bus. Some days she would invite me to come over to harvest - a cucumber here, a handful of tomatoes there.

One day she was fussing about her radishes and lettuce “bolting.” I couldn’t possibly imagine how rooted plants could take off so she had my full attention. What she meant was the typically spring plants we grow for their tender leaves and roots were putting their energy into reproduction. They were growing flowers that turned to seeds. She was of that gardening generation that thought they should be able to control, or at least manage, what their plants were doing.

If you don’t know what bolting is, you probably have seen it if you’ve ever grown lettuce. Those young early spring leaves are mild and tender compared to leaves grown later in the season. I have a pot of spring lettuce that kept delivering for months until it decided to try to bloom.

The spring lettuce crop is trying to produce flowers and leaf taste is now bitter. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I sampled the older lettuce leaves again last week and, sure enough, they were tough and bitter, like some people I know who are older. If you look closely, there are some young lettuce shoots on the side I can still use for salads.

The top photo is another example. That yellow onion was growing in my refrigerator crisper so I decided to pot it and let it live out it’s life naturally. The onion is now blooming, taking all of the energy from the bulb and putting it into producing the stem and flowers. I will not get another onion from this but I will get seeds.

So in my world, bolting is a good thing. I used to call this plant phase “going to seed,” which if you are growing heirloom and non-hybrid plants will provide “free” seeds for planting next year.

Good for Bees

As a beekeeper, bolting plants are also a good development. The flower production produces nectar that entices bees, which in turn move pollen from one plant to the next and increase the fruit and seed yield.

One other thought. As our weather grows increasingly unpredictable, the ability to manage plants will be more challenging. We may need to consider ways to mitigate weather fluctuations to be able to grow some of the foods we like to eat.

In the meantime, think twice about moaning and groaning about it. The plant is taking steps to survive by producing flowers and then fruit or seeds; bees get nectar they use for flight fuel and pollen for baby food, and you will benefit from being able to collect seeds and grow it again next year. It’s a win, win, win!

Charlotte

Summer Garden Watering

Sprinklers turned over will help hydrate soil. Check your hose, too for any damage. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Summer Garden Watering

I just emptied 2.5 inches of rain water from my rain gauge. We’ve had quite the two weeks of moisture but I also know this could mean another streak of hot, dry weather. Good time to think about the best way to water a summer garden.

1. First test the soil. I poke a few inches down with my finger to see how dry the soil is. I tend to check close to new plants still establishing their roots. I want the soil to be moist around their roots.

2. In hot weather, the plant tops may also die back but it’s the roots that are important. As long as we keep the roots moist, the plants should survive.

3. Best watering is in the morning. This allows water to soak in before it evaporates from heat and dry wind. It also allows the leaves time to dry out if they get splashed, and plants will have the moisture to draw from during the heat of the day. Late afternoon is second best, just be sure the foliage will dry out before nighttime. Avoid watering in the heat of the day because water will evaporate much faster and any overspray on the leaves can cause them to burn.

4. Water at the base of the plant. I use a watering wand. When I can’t find it, I stick my hose into the ground. And I’ve been known to turn over my sprinkler.

5. Check your hoses for any cuts and leaks. Don’t be in a hurry to replace, leaky hoses can help hydrate a larger soil patch.

6. Wind dries out plants quickly from moisture lost through the foliage—the larger the leaves, the more moisture lost. Protect plants with barriers, such as a structure made with a shade cloth, or locate them out of wind-prone areas.

7. Fruits and vegetables need consistent water to produce well. Don't let them go completely dry before watering them again. This can cause problems like blossom end rot or cracked tomatoes.

8. Containers dry out much faster than the ground and need more frequent watering, especially if they are placed in full sun or exposed to wind.

9. Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch, such as bark, pine needles, or shredded leaves. This will help hold moisture in the soil.

10. If water puddles, apply a small amount of water to soften the surface. Come back a few minutes later and add more to make sure it soaks in thoroughly.

11. Brown leaf edges and/or yellow leaves can signal over-watering. Make sure you're checking before adding more.

12. Plants benefit much more from a slow and deep watering than a quick splash. Make sure you’re watering deep enough to reach the root ball.

13. If summer vacation is going to keep you away for more than a day or two, setting up watering on a timer is well worth the effort.

14. Recycle plastic bottles as a deep watering system. Poke holes in the bottle and bury next to plants with the top opening exposed. Add water to the bottle through the top and the water will leach out slowly deeper into the soil.

15. Unglazed clay pots are more porous than glazed or plastic pots and allow water to evaporate faster. This may be good during wetter times of the year by allowing the soil to drain better and not get soggy, but keep an extra eye on them during drought or hotter weather.

Charlotte

July Gardening Jobs

James A. Mess daily inspects his favorite pot of herbs. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

July Gardening Jobs

Heat. It’s what drives every gardener this month, whether it’s making sure the garden gets an inch of moisture a week to stay cool or mulch to remain cool. Among the other chores for July, besides enjoying picking berries and daily checking your favorite herbs:

1.     Deadhead flowering plants. Removing spent blooms will help keep plants healthy and may even give you a second and third wave of flowers. I use sewing and quilting thread snips to quickly remove spent blooms.

2.     Remove weeds/unwanted plants. Unwanted plants take up nutrients, moisture and space away from desired plants. In this context, competition is not a good thing.

3.     Know your weeds. If you weren’t sure what it was before, whatever was growing should be showing its true identity by now. Many plants casually labeled weeds are forgotten herbs; others, like goldenrod, are blamed for what a true weed, ragweed does, which is aggravate allergies. And ragweed is a good plant, it only grows in very poor soil and adds nutrients to improve it before it dies off. Did I say know your weeds already??

4.     Give your garden one inch of water a week. When you water, use a watering wand or place the hose into the ground, no sprinkling. In hot summer weather, using sprinklers is a waste, the water just evaporates before it even hits the ground.

5.     Touch up mulch. Mulch will help keep garden beds cool. Make sure it’s aged mulch. If the mulch is steaming, it’s too young to use on flower beds.

6.     Keep your early morning dates with Japanese beetles. Catch them in soap-filled buckets to help reduce the population. Don’t try to catch them later in the day, they will just fly off.

7.     No more compost for woody plants, time for them to start hardening off and getting ready for winter.

8.     Don’t forget to water trees deeply, especially newly-planted trees and the oldest ones.

Cocktail tomatoes start to produce fruit. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

9.     Rambler roses done blooming? Prune.

10. How are your vines? My blackberries and clematis need a little help so I gauge their possible growth for the rest of this season and add support. Oh, I’m often wrong, the idea is just to give them extra support or it’s a mess trying to untangle them later. I usually wait until next year then and start with fresh growth.

11. I am starting to make new flower beds so I am hauling cardboard boxes home to get a good start. Once I line the beds with cardboard, I add mulch to start making the foundation of the bed. After the next rain, soil will be added, then another layer of mulch.

12. Start thinking about what needs to be done early next spring. I keep a list, check it twice…

13. The nearby composter will also get cleaned out. Not entirely, leave a good bucket-full as compost starter for the next batch.

14. Mowing grass? Don’t bag or rake clippings, they return Nitrogen to the soil.

15. Plant buckwheat in open areas. It’s not only a fast-growing, Nitrogen-introducing cover crop for garden spots, it also gives bees a source of food during August, when little else is in bloom.

Charlotte

Birdhouse Rentals

A flying squirrel lives in one of my bluebird houses. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Birdhouse Rentals

I tend to joke in spring as I hang birdhouses back in the garden, it’s time to put out the “for rent” signs. Although they are “bird” houses, I never know what will move into these small, hanging abodes.

One of the popular tenants are lizards. Lizards are nature’s garbage removers, consuming dead bees and other bugs.

Lizards make a home out of several of my Missouri hillside birdhouses. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

For several years, one of my favorite birdhouses was home to “Charming,” a spring peeper tree frog that would pop out and watch as I walked by. Frogs also consume bugs.

This old birdhouse is home to another Missouri tree frog. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

In 2010, when my 30-year semi-dwarf Bartlett pear tree had its first flowers, I discovered half of my birdhouses had paper wasps, very efficient fruit tree pollinators. Now I leave the wasp nests through the growing season and winter, cleaning them out in early spring so they are ready for the next pollinating tenants.

Paper wasps are excellent pollinators and often nest in birdhouses. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

One of my neighbors asked if there wasn’t a way to only allow a certain bird into a particular birdhouse.

Some birdhouses do have specific birdhouse openings that are attractive to a particular bird species. However there is no guarantee. In my certified wildlife garden, some of my “tenants” tend to make their own renovations to accommodate their needs, such as widening the bird house hole.

Some birdhouses do house birds. Birds are natural pest control. About 60% of their food in spring is focused on caterpillars and bugs that are bird baby food. Attracting birds to our gardens should decrease the need for the use of pesticides and maintain the bird population that helps keep bug numbers under control.

Of all of my birdhouse tenants, the cutest one was in an occupied bluebird house I found late summer. I was fussing over a plant I had moved near the area and was walking back and forth near the birdhouse. As I turned to leave, this little face with large eyes popped out and watched me as I stared back. A second later, it disappeared into the birdhouse, only to pop back up. It was a flying squirrel, something I didn’t even know I had living in my garden.

I put up more birdhouses this past spring, making sure they are secured to the trees in case someone unexpectedly moves in. I use wire so that I don’t have to nail into a tree. As trees grow, they will grow around the nail and could cause a hazard for someone who may need to cut it down later. Wire girdling the tree works just fine.

Did I mention rent is free?

Charlotte

State Nursery Orders

This year’s order form features a lovely tulip tree flower. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

State Nursery Orders

My favorite source for Missouri native trees and shrubs is now taking orders. The George O. White State Nursery in Licking, Missouri is once again taking online orders for delivery spring 2021.

The nursery has been a personal favorite for years. In addition to offering a nice variety of Missouri native trees and shrubs, the seedlings are well packed and arrive ready to grow. There is a growing guide in their online ordering form if you need help planting the seedlings in their right growing conditions.

There are a variety of native Missouri trees and shrubs. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I don’t immediately plant all of the tree seedlings. Some, like Paw Paws, I prefer to plant in pots to give their roots one growing season before I plant them in their final growing spot.

Seedlings can be small so potting them gives them time to develop roots and get a good start on root growth before I settle them on my limestone hillside.

Paw Paw tree ready to plant in my garden after a year growing in a pot. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

On the average, seedlings cost 90 Cents each when buying a bundle of 10. The price goes down as quantities ordered goes up so if you want to go in with another friend, it’s a good way to get native seedlings at very reasonable prices.

Charlotte

Golden Dewdrop Trees

I look forward to seeing these flowers late summer in USDA Hardiness zone 5. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Golden Dewdrop Trees

Whew, finally identified these, the flowers are considered purple and not blue.

I bought my first Golden Dewdrop potted bushes a good decade ago. They were small but they had these lovely bluish purple flowers that bloomed late summer. Since those are hard colors to find in most gardens, I kept those little shrubs growing inside through winter and then back outside in deck shade.

This year, they were finally big enough to trim into the tree shape I wanted. I have to confess it took me a couple of days to think through how I was going to do this. I didn’t want to take too much off or somehow cut the wrong branches.

After considering the shape, I trimmed these tropical plants into their tree shape and gave them a place of honor.

Golden Dewdrop trimmed trees blooming at my garage door. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

These USDA Hardiness zone 9-11 plants do not like our hot Missouri summers. I keep them in shade through summer, including in their new spot by my garage door.

In addition to their tiny flowers, Golden Dewdrop trees also have golden yellow berries, which add a very interesting texture to the plants.

Golden Dewdrop shrubs also have pretty yellow berries. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The Golden Dewdrop trees are excellent for garden decor. They now are filing the space between the ferns on the bottom and the hanging baskets.

Golden Dewdrop trees nicely fill in the space between the ferns and the hanging basket. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once inside, these purplish flowering plants make it quite well through winter. I trim them back before bringing them inside and make sure their roots get watered in dry winter house conditions.

After the danger of frost is over around May, outside they go to get ready for another blooming season. Be patient because in mid-Missouri these usually don’t put on a show until mid to late summer.

These are just so pretty, they are well worth the extra care to keep them going!

Charlotte

Tall Vinca

Swallowtail butterfly visiting blooming vinca on my deck. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Tall Vinca

Yes, Vinca can grow tall.

Annual vinca (Catharanthus roseus) also known as Madagascar periwinkle, uis a tropical perennial that is grown as an annual in most US regions. It has flowers and foliage that resemble those of impatiens. The main difference is that Vinca likes sun while impatiens prefer shade.

Vinca foliage is dark green and leathery. Depending on the variety, the plants are 6 to 18 inches tall.

Annual vinca plants bear single blooms with five petals that frequently touch or overlap from early summer until the first frost. Many varieties feature a contrasting eye.

Over the years, I tend to see Vinca used mostly in hanging pots.

This hanging pot of Vinca was recently on sale at a local garden center. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Easy to grow, I like to tuck the end of early summer plants on sale into some of my potted plants on my deck. The flowers settle in quite nicely and add color when other plants are starting to shut down.

Recent pink and purple Vinca plant additions to a deck pot. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Vinca also winter over quite nicely inside. I have several pots of Vinca that keep blooming inside through winter, then after a short break start blooming again outside.

These are now almost 2 feet tall.

This pink Vinca with white centers has wintered over in this pot for two seasons. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Vinca are favorite butterfly and bee flowers. If you are just starting to plant for pollinators, these are a good flower to add to your garden dreams list to grow next year.

In a pinch, they also can be used as cut flowers although the flower petals do make a bit of a mess when they drop.

Charlotte

September Garden Chores

Time to trim hardy hibiscus so that seeds don’t get scattered. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

September Garden Chores

Ok I’m officially still behind in some earlier chores so I need to catch up. I still have plants sitting in pots because the ground was too hard and dry to dig but they need to be finding permanent homes. I live in USDA Hardiness Zone 5 hoping that our fall will be long enough to give the plants time to settle in their roots.

1. If you have been fertilizing, it is time to stop. Plants need to start slowing down and get out of the growth they usually pursue through spring and summer, even without the boost of fertilizers. Add a last dollop of compost mixed in the soil and that should be it for this season.

2. Keep watering trees and shrubs from now through hard frost. Our first hard frost is usually mid to end of October.

 3. If you plan to start a new garden next year, this is the time to cover it with cardboard to kill off any current growth.

4. Bring some of your herbs inside including parsley, chives, rosemary , catnip and stevia. Basil can also be brought inside; sow seeds now to get new plants started for later use. Dry the herbs and store in airtight container.

A few garden projects waiting for the rain to stop so I can tackle. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

5. Good time to move peonies. I have several I buried too deep so when replanting, remember to not bury any more than an inch or two beneath the soil surface.

6. Daylilies and Iris can also be dug up and divided.

7. If you want a fall garden, this is the time to sow lettuce and spinach seeds. You may also be able to sneak in some beets.

8. Make notes in your garden diary about to dos for next year. Note what plants worked well this year, what seeds you had meant to plant but didn’t get to – whatever you want to tackle next year.

9. Have favorite annuals? I do, too, and I trim them now before bringing them inside. You can also take root cuttings and start young plants if you have good indoor light. Geraniums, coleus, wax begonias, impatiens all will winter over inside if you keep them pinched and bushy.

10. Order spring bulbs. Daffodils are toxic to deer so they won’t get munched on. Tulips are edible so buy a few for color, then plant them behind a solid wall with wire if you don’t want wildlife snacking on them in the meantime.

11. If you have planted Amaryllis bulbs, cut off the greenery and put them in a dry, dark place without water and let them rest for a couple of months. If you want to time when they bloom, pot and water them 6 weeks prior to when you want them in bloom.

12. Don’t bag and rake clippings, leave them on your lawn to return Nitrogen to the soil.

13. This is also a good time to stock up on mulch. Buy it in bulk or load up at your local recycling center before they close down for the season.

14. Start trimming plants you plan to bring inside to overwinter.

15. And in my case, I figured out how to bring fresh catnip in that won’t be disturbed by an amorous James A Mess, who loves his catnip. I have some planted in a hanging basket.

Charlotte

Garden Buddy

My old garden cart has seen better days. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Garden Buddy

This is a pitch to give the gardeners on your gift giving list a garden buddy. Garden buddies are these small rolling containers similar to garbage containers that can easily move items around the garden. Here’s the catch. If you want to give them as holiday gifts, you are going to have to buy them now. They are usually sold out by the end of the year and are not restocked until the next growing season. You would think these would b e available all four seasons but they aren’t.

Why a garden buddy?

This is my old garden buddy, purchased for $20 at a local grocery store. I had to put it together, which wasn’t a big issue, and have used it to carry mulch, compost and plant trimmings around for more than three years.

A small cart on wheels is very helpful to move supplies in a garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Last year, I tried to move a rock and took out the plastic bottom.

My old garden cart is now air conditioned with a hole in the bottom. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I keep cardboard covering that area so I can still use it to move cut plants and mulch around.

Enter this new garden buddy that I found at a local hardware store. It is actually called a “garden buddy;” cost the same amount as my old garden cart and is better built. In other words, this one doesn’t fall over as easily as my old garden cart.

My new garden buddy has a more aerodynamic design. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

It also has a handy little shovel holder along the side. Not that I keep it there, i tend to throw the small shovel on the top of whatever it is I am carrying.

This is an excellent gift idea for gardeners so get them now while you can!

Charlotte

Tomato Arbor

These two Early Girl tomatoes are now growing over arbor. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Tomato Arbor

I love the intersection of pretty and practical and this is one of my latest contributions to that category.

These are Early Girl indeterminate tomato plants, which will continue to grow until frost. In other words, they can grow as tall as trees and become ungainly. it would require very large and sturdy tomato cages or some way to keep them easy to access.

As it is, it takes large planters to give them enough soil and nutrients for healthy growth.

Early Girl tomato plants growing in pots and up an arbor. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This year I decided to let them also grow on an arbor. The arbor helps to anchor the main plant and makes access easier to the ripening tomatoes.

It also keeps the plant from falling over and breaking during rain storms.

Most arbors usually have two sections connected together on the sides. Here I am using one of the two pieces to form the arch for the plants. The tomato plants have been tied to the varies arbor sections and encouraged to grow up to the top.

Tomato cages hold up the Early Girl tomato plants at the bottom. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Each tomato plant also has a large tomato cage that is holding the bottom part of the plant in place. The arbor is providing support to the top plant section that no longer fits in the tomato cage.

Not only is this practical but it adds a vertical gardening space to the pot garden along the steps.

Charlotte

Drought Resistant Plants

Black-eye Susans are a reliable perennial to add color during a hot summer. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Drought Resistant Plants

Missouri is notorious for its hot humid summers. August in particular can be a difficult month for our garden greenery with record hot temperatures and little rain. The following are a few easy to grow, drought resistant plants that can add color to a garden.

My first recommendation is Black Eye Susan, a charming bright yellow flower that tolerates most soil conditions and can manage Missouri’s hot summers. The perennial is also a pollinator favorite, I often find butterflies visiting the flowers this time of year.

Autumn Joy Sedum requires little water and provides interest all four seasons. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you add only one plant to your garden this year, make it Autumn Joy Sedum. This succulent has a different form during the year’s four seasons, is easy to grow requiring little water and is an absolute pollinator magnet.

A few years ago I found literally dozens of Painted Ladies visiting my Autumn Joy Sedum. They were migrating for winter and had stopped in my garden. It’s still one of the most lovely memories I have from having pollinators in my garden.

Need a quick dose of green? Try a Boston fern. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

For a little pop of green, consider a Boston Fern. These dinosaur-era remnants love shade and are relatively easy to grow for covered decks and porches.

Yucca, also called Spanish bayonet, is an elegant Missouri native. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

For an elegant, dramatic addition, consider Yucca also called Spanish bayonet. Like Sedum, these natives don’t require a lot of water and offer a beautiful white flower sometime in May.

Jerusalem Artichoke also add a pretty dose of summer yellow. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

For the gourmet growing their own food, Jerusalem Artichokes are a nice choice. These tall Missouri natives have cheerful yellow flowers July-September. Their roots are edible and are offered as a specialty dish in some high end restaurants.

Rose of Sharon, a perennial hibiscus, blooms when little else does. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Last but not least, Missouri’s Rose of Sharon offer beautiful flowers at a time when some plants shut down because of hot temperatures. Missouri’s hardy hibiscus Rose Mallow is a beautiful white bloom. There are some other perennial cousins like this pink hibiscus in photo that blooms the same time as Missouri’s native pink phlox, purple coneflowers and surprise lilies. Great combination!

Charlotte

August Gardening Chores

Surprise lilies popping up in a shady part of my garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

August Gardening Chores

As surprise lilies make their delightful appearance throughout my garden, this is a good time to mark other spots to add bulbs. I try to place them along paths and in unexpected spots so that they continue to delight year after year.

The forecast is calling for several cool and dry days after almost a week of rain, which has given Missouri’s soil a welcome break from the usual record hot conditions. As hot temperatures return later this month, remember to water for summer conditions.

1.     Water plants at root level, which means no sprinklers. Use underground wands and move the wands to saturate soil. Gardens need an inch of rain a week. Don’t forget established shrubs and older trees, they also need moisture delivered to their roots to make sure they make it through the record hot August temperatures.

2.     Water potted plants daily; if temperatures are once again hitting record levels, maybe twice a day and move them into shade. Add compost to keep the potted soil healthy. Fertilize once a week, especially after a rain.

3.     If you didn’t get to planting your vegetable garden this year, at least toss a few buckwheat seeds to help improve your soil for next year. Buckwheat will sprout in about 6 weeks and will be welcome fall food for pollinators as well.

4.     There’s still time to get some favorite short-growing vegetables in the ground: beets, cucumbers, dill and zinnias can still get planted before our first hard frost.

5. If you haven’t been using your fresh herbs, this is a good time to start. Most may have flowered and lost some of their potency but they still can be added to salads and other summer dishes. Rosemary and chamomile can be harvested and used in bloom. I chop up and freeze some of mine in ice cubes for winter use in soups.

6.     My tomatoes are finally ripening. Try to keep them evenly watered to minimize cracking.

Butterflies love Jerusalem Artichoke native flowers. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

7.     Have peonies you want to divide? Wait until after a good rain but you can start dividing them now through September. Bury the root “eyes” no more than an inch or two beneath the soil; if you bury them deeper the plants won’t flower. If you have to move peonies without rain, use a hose to soak the soil around the plant before you try to dig it up.

8.     You can also dig up daylilies and iris now to divide and re-plant. Again I would wait until after a good rain. Remember to use gardening gloves so your hands don't get cracked. If you still need to move the plants, at least water the area with a hose first so you don’t rip roots when you try to dig them up.

9.     Start saving seeds for next year. Marigolds, zinnias and sunflowers have a lot of seeds than can easily be stored.

10.     I am also developing new flower beds for next year by removing starts, adding cardboard and mulching.

11. Hot temperatures can prompt trees to drop leaves early. Leave leaves on the ground to return nitrogen to the soil. If you are worried about them sitting on grass, set your mower to a higher setting and cut them up when you mow. Leaves are a wonderful source of soil amendments. They also work well as mulch, helping to retain water when leaves are underground or under mulch.

Charlotte

Growing Tomatoes

Blossom end rot can be fixed with regular and even watering. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Growing Tomatoes

Of all of the vegetables home gardeners can grow, tomatoes to me are the taste of summer. This year, record hot and humid conditions have made tomato growing challenging so here are some typical issues, and tips, on how to fix growing tomato problems.

Proper Fertilizer

Tomato plants taller than their growers usually means tomato plants may be getting too much nitrogen fertilizer. Nitrogen encourages the green growth that spurs plants to unnatural heights.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. 

Soil testing through a local University of Missouri Extension office will help determine what is missing. A test costs $15 and includes not only what is in your soil but what you need to do to amend it.

Even Watering

The other delicate part of raising tomatoes is watering. Blossom end rot, where the bottom of the tomato starts to decompose, is usually caused by calcium deficiency, Calcium is usually present in soil but without water, tomato plants can’t take it up from the soil.

The best way to prevent blossom end rot is to regularly and evenly water tomatoes,. This means watering them every day at the same time with the same amount of water.

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.

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.

Temperatures Over 86F

Another challenge to raising tomatoes is temperatures over 86F. Tomatoes go into survival mode at 86F and higher so the tomatoes will not ripen on the plant. If temperatures remain that hot, pick the tomatoes while still green and allow them ripen in your kitchen.

Remove suckers of the growth in between branches to keep tomatoes focused on growing fruit. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Remove Suckers

One last tip: remove the growth in between tomato branches to keep the plant focused on producing the fruit we all enjoy.

Charlotte

July Gardening Chores

A sure sign of July, Oriental lilies and picking blackberries. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

July Gardening Chores

Hot heat. Staying cool. Or at least trying. It’s what drives every gardener this month, whether it’s making sure the garden gets an inch of moisture a week or mulch to remain cool. I live in USDA zone 5b so among the other chores for July, besides enjoying picking blackberries:

1.     Deadhead flowering plants. Removing spent blooms will help keep plants healthy and may even give you a second and third wave of flowers.

2.     Remove weeds/unwanted plants. Unwanted plants take up nutrients, moisture and space away from desired plants. In this context, competition is not a good thing.

3.     Know your weeds. If you weren’t sure what it was before, whatever was growing should be showing its true identity by now. Many plants casually labeled weeds are forgotten herbs; others, like goldenrod, are blamed for what a true weed, ragweed does, which is aggravate allergies. And ragweed is a good plant, it only grows in very poor soil and adds nutrients to improve it before it dies off. Did I say know your weeds already??

4.     Give your garden one inch of water a week. When you water, use a watering wand or place the hose into the ground, no sprinkling. In hot summer weather, using sprinklers is a waste, the water just evaporates before it even hits the ground.

5.     Touch up mulch. Mulch will help keep garden beds cool. Make sure it’s aged mulch. If the mulch is steaming, it’s too young to use on flower beds.

6.     Keep your early morning dates with Japanese beetles. Catch them in soap-filled buckets to help reduce the population. Don’t try to catch them later in the day, they will just fly off.

7.     No more compost for woody plants, time for them to start hardening off and getting ready for winter.

8.     Water trees deeply, especially newly-planted trees and the oldest ones.

9.     Rambler roses done blooming? Prune.

10. How are your vines? My blackberries and clematis need a little help so I gauge their possible growth for the rest of this season and add support. Oh, I’m often wrong, the idea is just to give them extra support or it’s a mess trying to untangle them later. I usually wait until next year then and start with fresh growth.

11. I am starting to make new flower beds so I am hauling cardboard boxes home to get a good start. Once I line the beds with cardboard, I add mulch to start making the foundation of the bed. After the next rain, soil will be added, then another layer of mulch.

12. Start thinking about what needs to be done early next spring. I keep a list, check it twice.

13. The nearby composter will also get cleaned out. Not entirely, leave a good bucket-full as compost starter for the next batch.

14. Mowing grass? Don’t bag or rake clippings, they return Nitrogen to the soil.

15. Plant buckwheat in open areas. It’s not only a fast-growing, Nitrogen-introducing cover crop for garden spots, it also gives bees a source of food during August, when little else is in bloom.

16. Keep an eye out for garden visitors such as rabbits and deer. You may not stop them from munching but make sure the plants haven’t been pulled out of the ground to their roots. If so, replant. Squirrels have cleaned out my peach and pear trees so I am planting more trees.

Charlotte

Milk Carton Fence

This upside down milk carton is protecting sedum from munching deer. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Milk Carton Fence

This time of year carefully tended gardens become fodder for wildlife looking for food. The newest marauders are black bears now making a comeback in Missouri. Short of bears, the usual culprits mowing garden areas to the ground are deer.

Most deer deterrent suggestions talk about building a very tall fence to keep the large garden visitors at bay. Several products on the market are also focused on chasing deer off. There is one more thing gardeners can do to protect their greenery, and that is to use plastic milk cartons to protect plants.

You can find plastic milk cartons for sale at thrift shops and online sales outlets. i found several a couple of years ago to use as storage containers in my garage.

When deer started to nibble on a newly-planted Autumn Sedum Joy, pulling them out of the ground every night, I decided to use the plastic milk carton to protect the plant.

Now a good two weeks later, the plants seem to be finally settling into their new growing spot without daily deer interruptions.

The cartons would also work well to protect other newly-planted additions.

If you can’t find milk cartons, you can make something similar out of folded chicken wire.

You are basically buying your plants enough time to get themselves in the ground.

Charlotte

Homemade Wood Arbor

This wood arbor combines smooth wood with garden remnants. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Homemade Wood Arbor

February is a good month to start planning what to want to get done in this year’s garden once spring arrives. I once again have garden arbors on my list.

For inspiration, here is a homemade wood garden arbor made with a basic trellis along with other garden branches.

Pre-made lattice top finishes this easy to make garden arbor. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

As our temperatures continue to get warmer, garden arbors will be an important addition to give growing vegetables and plants a break from the heat.

This arbor is at the doorway into a vegetable patch, a nice opportunity to grow flowers that will attract pollinators to the flowering plants.

To secure the branches to the side, use long nails or an air gun with long staples.

Once plants are growing up the sides, you won’t see the design. The additional tree branches are to give the growing plants a good hand hold.

Charlotte

Saving Zinnia Seeds

A seed head from a zinnia will produce hundreds of plants. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Saving Zinnia Seeds

I didn’t get my zinnias planted this year so I plan to make up for that next year. Zinnias, my all-time favorite annual flowers. Why?

They are very easy to grow.

Colorful.

Excellent for pollinators.

Wonderful as cut flowers.

And you can save their seeds for planting the following year.

I can’t remember the last time I bought zinnia seeds because friends have passed on theirs. These lovely colorful flowers have large seed heads, making it easy to dry them for planting over the next 2-3 years. I know, we all tend to think seeds last only a year. If stored in the correct dry conditions, most seeds will last for several years after collected and dried.

One question a friend asked was did she have to separate flower petals from the seeds. I say no as long as you get both nicely dry.

Dry the whole flower head; the flower petals will dry and mix in with seeds. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

To dry the seeds, the key is to allow air to circulate through them so they can thoroughly dry.

This year, I am using a cardboard box that’s lined with brown paper. The brown paper helps to absorb and wick away any moisture. I toss the pile every time I walk by, ensuring that air gets through the pile.

I may even set up a second drying rack and distribute this stash of zinnias to ensure they are drying evenly.

A lined cardboard box I periodically toss is an excellent place to dry zinnias. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

And I already have the flower beds selected for planting these zinnia seeds next year.

This is a zinnia bouquet from last year, such a great combination of colors! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

You probably have seen zinnias growing in a variety of places, they are a garden favorite and usually covered in bees and butterflies. If I had my druthers on naming these flowers, I would have called them flutterbies.

I missed planting them this year because our midwest spring was too wet. Even if the same thing happens next year, these will be the first seeds that go out once the danger of frost is over, around Mother’s Day in May.

Looking forward to having zinnias back in my garden, and my house!

Charlotte

Water Dogwoods

One of the dogwood trees in my center island is starting to show red fruit. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Water Dogwoods

Record hot summer temperatures are back in mid-Missouri, even though it’s the beginning of September. We sometimes have hot weather in USDA Hardiness zone 5b/6a this time of year. In the past, though, it was a continuation of August hot temperatures. Now temperatures fluctuate from week to week, sometimes as much as 20 degrees from one week to the next.

As temperatures climb into the high 90s, it’s important to make sure one of my favorite tree roots are protected and hydrated. Flowering dogwoods are understory trees, which means they like shade and cooler growing conditions under the taller, towering trees such as oaks and hickory.

Although they are Missouri’s state tree, they are not easy to plant and grow. Even George O. White Nursery, which sells flowering dogwood seedlings, warns buyers that 40% may not make it.

Gardening on my limestone hillside is a test of patience. It can take trees many years to get their roots established, then a few more years before they find enough nutrition to power their growth.

This dogwood tree, which sits in my center driveway island, had been 2-feet high for more than a decade. I staked it to make sure I wasn’t stepping on it and even moved my garden path to protect it. In the last three years, it has had a nice growth spurt and is now is taller than I am.

Here is how this flowering dogwood looked this past spring:

Here is the same dogwood earlier this spring. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

To make sure the flowering dogwood trees can survive the fluctuating record hot temperatures, I am adding a bed of twigs over the base covered in dry leaves. Once watered so the twigs and leaves hold in the moisture, I cover the twigs and leaves with mulch from our local gardening center that has wintered over in my garden.

By waiting a year to use it, the mulch is safe to spread on the garden.

Adding leaves, twigs and mulch are critical to keep dogwoods happy. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The mulch topping will then keep the moisture in and help keep the dogwood roots from feeling the fluctuating temperatures.

Leaves will also help keep the soil on the acid side, which dogwoods prefer.

Here’s the same dogwood tree nicely mulched in spring. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Years ago, our rural community had a lovely residential neighborhood well known for its spring flowering dogwoods. The flowering dogwood trees were so thick, it almost looked like the trees were snow-covered.

I don’t visit the area much but someone who lives there recently told me most of the dogwoods have died. In their zeal to keep their lawns perfectly manicured, the residents removed the much-needed leaf and tree debris cover that kept the dogwoods hydrated.

They would have been better off leaving the twigs and leaves on the ground around the dogwoods. They would have kept the roots hydrated; it would have been less trouble to the homeowners and ensured that the flowering dogwoods would have survived.

Charlotte

Thwarting Squirrels

Think this will work to protect one of my last Bartlett pears? (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Thwarting Squirrels

It’s now mid-September and I can declare, with certainty, the squirrels have won.

Most people complaint about rabbits in their gardens but for me it’s these furry acrobats. I love to watch them in my garden but. At least four squirrels at a time have managed to denude my semi-dwarf Bartlett pear tree from hundreds of green pears over summer. I watched them right before dusk every day, running up the tree, pulling a pear off and sitting on my deconstructed deck to enjoy it.

One of the squirrels eating one of my green Bartlett pears earlier this summer. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I would gather the leftovers the next day into a plant saucer, only to find them gone by mid-day.

I was silly enough to say to my handyman that there are more than enough pears to go around.

Apparently not.

The pear tree now only has two pears left. Can you spot one of them in this photo?

One of the two pears still left on my Bartlett pear tree. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The other pear is on one of the lowest branches, hiding in the middle of construction materials.

My thought is the pear is not easy for squirrels to see so I hooked one of those fruit clam shells around it. The hope is that the clam shell will protect the one little pear until it can ripen enough for me to pick it.

I’m using a clam shell around one of the two pears hoping I will enjoy it. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Considering that this tree usually produces hundreds of pears every other year, I will start trimming some of the baby pears next spring and try to protect more for my use.

I have been told squirrels are very smart and will chew through fruit screens so I may need to come up with something hardier.

So far so good!

Charlotte

Dayflowers and Garlic Chives

Isn’t this a lovely flower border combination? (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Dayflowers and Garlic Chives

Just when I was beginning to think that I was getting my limestone hillside garden nicely pulled together, nature shows me up - again.

Not that I take credit for a lot of what is growing in my one acre garden. I learned a long time ago to let the plants find their happy spots and leave them there. I also embrace things that show up uninvited, and unannounced. Life is so much easier when one is not wrestling plants all of the time.

Several years ago, I decided I wanted some native pink phlox in one of the front flower beds. After painstakingly transplanting starts, I waited for the following year. The plants settled in the flower bed opposite of where I wanted them to grow. And there they stay.

So when I was invited to dig up plants at a neighbor’s home, I picked up these small tufts of greenery without knowing what they were. I used them as border plants since the greenery was a good size for marking flower beds.

When they bloomed, I identified them as garlic chives, a good bee plant although the scent may be better for keeping vampires away.

These garlic chives came from a neighbor’s house and finally bloomed this year. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

As I was taking my morning walk in my garden, I was startled to see the dayflowers growing in the middle of the garlic chives.

Originally from China, dayflowers have naturalized in Missouri and are now considered a wildflower. I like them because they are one of the few true blue flowers that grow in my garden. They also retain moisture in their stems, making them easy to grow without a lot of water through our Missouri heat.

Dayflowers are originally from China but have settled well in Missouri. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

When I pull them out of an area, I transplant them to another spot since they so nicely get along with other plants.

On this particular morning, I was struck by the blue dayflowers growing in the middle of the flower bed bordered with garlic chives. It was such a sweet combination.

Garlic chives and blue dayflowers together in one of my flower beds. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Yet another reason why I encourage dayflowers to bloom throughout my garden.

Charlotte