Articles

There is a natural progression. We build houses. As we landscape we plant trees. Over time the trees grow and our appetite for shade loving plants naturally increases.

Frequently people want to add the grass look to their shade landscapes. Unfortunately, the common ornamental grasses are mostly sun lovers, that when thrust into much shade become leggy and floppy.

The few that will thrive in shade are not too vigorous and thus are usually pricey and somewhat exacting in their site needs.

Besides, some of the 'natives' purists in the industry fault a few of the common ornamental grasses as being an invasive threat. I think they overstate their point but we must not totally dismiss their concerns.

This group has worked to introduce selections of some of our native grasses. They have succeeded with lots of good ones. One of newest group of plants starting to gain popularity is the family of carex.

Carex is a grass like plant that will thrive in shady spots. It is a native that frequently grows in moist shade. My observation is that it will be happy in most shade situations. For those that want to be taxonomically correct the carexes are sedges and not grasses. For the rest of us that really doesn't matter.

Sedges range in height from several inches tall to a bit over two feet. Their flower is a bit non descript. I know that is a bit short for some requests and the flower isn't as bombast as the sun loving grasses but it is still a good plant that will continue in find increased use.

Plant carex for the grass-like look and varying foliage. There is a variety of leaf colors covering the greens and blues. Some are variegated. There is even one with brown foliage all year long. A living plant that looks dead all year may sound dumb but I am hearing it praised when planted against some of the blues that are available.

Leaf width also varies from quite narrow to maybe a half inch wide. Some also have smooth leaves, others are a bit ruffled.

Although I am aware of at least a dozen different selections of carex now in the marketplace, this one won't be an instant hit in the gardens of southern Lancaster County. However, I suspect that eventually it will gain a favorable spot in many shade gardens. >

The last time my mower and I raced around the ex-pasture that we now call yard we found the soggy spot. We knew where it was but it just hasn't been soggy for several years. I was waiting for wet mower wheels on a sunny day before I declared the drought over.

In all honesty it wasn't a sunny day but it was as close to sunny as we have seen in recent weeks. With the drought over I will feel comfortable to plant this season whenever the spirit moves me and time permits.

That brings me to one of my often repeated theories about being both lazy and successful in the garden at the same time. Lazy may be the wrong word. Simple or easy might be a better choice.

When the weather is with us (moisture) as it appears to be this year you can successfully establish plants from early spring through fall including during the summer months. My theory is that the easiest way to establish a perennial flower bed that blooms all season is to visit your favorite greenhouse or garden center monthly during the summer and add a few plants each time.

We are all attracted to the plants in bloom so if we add the bloomers each moth we will soon have a perennial bed that blooms all season.

I have heard some recent complaints about the slow growth of some of the heat loving plants like peppers. That is not to be unexpected. On the plus side I accidentily unearthed a transplant from several weeks ago. The top growth was quite modest but the rood system was at least triple what it had been when planted.

My guess is that the roots are developing and that many plants will race to catch up when the sun and warmer temperatures arrive.

Another guess, based on totally unscientific methods, is that there are plenty of plants at the area greenhouses and garden centers just hoping that you will take them home. As I said, that is totally unscientific but I do read the newspaper ads and briefly glance at parking lots when I am routinely driving past a greenhouse.

One of my projects for later today is to plant some grass seed. That may be stupid but in this strange season it may work. If the weather continues for a few more days as it is it will work. If the sun and drier conditions appear I'll be equally happy and I will reseed in the fall. Either way I will be a winner.

May is gone. It has left many people muttering but perhaps it was still a good month in the garden. Besides my wife was on the other mower when we found the soggy spot and I was able to lap her twice.

Early last summer I planted a tree peony in Mom's long flower bed. It got a bit of extra water but not much during the drought. To my surprise it survived and rewarded us with two large flowers that opened this week. I'll also admit that it didn't add much new growth but this is a slow grower in the best of times.

Tree peonies result when woody stems of a species originally found in Asia or hybrids thereof are grafted unto the vigorous roots of the common garden peony. For the sophisticated or specialist there are now Japanese, Chinese, European and American hybrids hiding somewhere in the marketplace.

They were known in China since the seventh century. They got to Europe several hundred years ago. The wealthy were adding them to their gardens in this country early in the twentieth century. As I said, Mom got one last summer and I have hopes for the near future.

This is a plant that takes several years to develop. It is even reported that juvenile flowers are not necessarily representative of the future flowers. Mom's first year bloom looked pretty good.

They are quite tough and not picky about soil as long as they don't have wet feet. They will grow in the sun and are quite happy in a bit of shade. I would guess that if they are protected from the hottest afternoon sun that the flowers will last longer. Also avoid windy spots, as the flowers are quite heavy.

When planting, I would strongly recommend an exception from the rules of horticulture that we generally follow. Think tomato. The deeper you plant them the better.

As I said, they are grafted. The graft should be planted several inches below ground level. This strengthens the stem, reduces the suckers from the regular root and, if the graft develops roots, provides a more vigorous plant.

If you are reading between the lines this will be one of your more expensive additions to your garden. When planted with the graft exposed you may risk the graft breaking when pets, children or the wind visits your garden. If the graft breaks you have just paid a premium for a common peony.

Apparently there are a huge number of cultivars that spread a bloom season from now into late June. Thinking about that is still beyond me. I'd be happy with any of them.

One final point. If your are interested, the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College has a collection of well over 100 varieties that is now showy and will remain so well into June. In all honesty that is a good visit any time of the year.

Several weeks ago I wrote that the best place to learn about gardening is in your garden. One plant that has become much more popular in the last few years is the crape myrtle. Is it a plant that benefited from our recent mild winters or is its march north going to be successful?

I offer the following observations based on the dozen or more plants that have found their way into my gardens over the last ten years. Most came in the last several.

Within the last several days I am seeing new growth on all but one plant. More about that one later. The ten-year-old specimen that is a large bush approaching six feet in height and width appears to have little or no die back.

Recently I planted several of the dwarfs. They have died back to the ground this winter but they also died back to the ground during the previous mild winter. Otherwise they seem quite happy and produce a small blooming machine late in the summer.

Younger plants of the larger cultivars also have survived with significant die back. Not to the ground but rather significant. They, too, will grow back enough to provide a great late summer show.

Two three-year-old plants near my front door had little damage. They are protected by the house. Their problem is that crape myrtles bloom on accumulated light over the season. In this location, with only morning sun, the bloom appears to be limited by the light.

Back to the one that I am questioning its survival. It was near a long strip of plastic that unfortunately was attached at one end. The other end spent the winter clubbing the plant in question.

In summary, older plants will fair better than younger ones. Plant crape myrtles in full sun or the bloom will suffer. Expect significant die back during an average winter. If you admire the crape myrtle trees of North Carolina and want that look, move there. In nearly 25 years I have yet to lose a plant. They grow rapidly and bloom on new growth so they will at least be a mid-sized shrub when they bloom in the late summer.

For centuries they were considered poisonous and thus avoided. Today they are the mainstay of most vegetable gardens. Perhaps it was the invention of the sandwich and the realization that most sandwiches could be improved with a slice of tomato that turned the tide; but I doubt it.

Regardless, the seed catalogs offer an almost endless selection of tomato varieties and many of us have already identified our own favorite. I suggest trying a new one every now and then.

Heirloom varieties have regained popularity with many people. They come in many colors and shapes for that matter. These varieties have existed for a century or so and long before hybridization became a factor in plant breeding. Of these my favorite heirlooms is Brandywine.

Many attribute superior flavor to the old varieties, but my tastes aren't that refined I guess. I'm too modern in my expectations. Somehow a slice of many of these don't look like what I expect a tomato to look like. Perhaps my enthusiasm is further diminished by their problems. They have little or no disease resistance.

As a small child I remember dad growing tomatoes by the acre. I also remember a year before chemicals that blight totally destroyed an eight acre field. I read a recent article on heirlooms that suggested planting a few of the new hybrids as insurance.

Today's tomatoes come in lots of sizes and colors from cherries to large juicy selections. The midsized varieties are generally firmer. Yellow and pink varieties are generally lower in acid. Plum or Italian types are generally very meaty and most often used for sauces.

If you want a large one, look for the word beef or boy in its name. I suggest three that I have planted regularly in the midsized range. They are Jet Setter, Supersonic and a relatively new one called Celebrity. Grape tomatoes have become popular for salads.

By now many of us have added at least one large plant and several smaller ones to our garden. We may stake the big one to hurry the season. My guess is that staking and sucker removal will advance the season but slightly reduce the total yield from that plant.

With today's disease resistance the chief problem we often face is deformity on the bottom or blossom end of the tomato. This is often a combination of calcium or moisture imbalances. Tomatoes like a mid range Ph. between 6.5 and 7.0 and a regular supply of moisture. Mulching with grass clippings can help here.

Another point is to behave yourself with the fertilizer bucket. Plants that receive excessive nitrogen often make worthy additions to a jungle environment but offer very few if any fruits.

If you get many plants, tell your neighbors to get ready. A few plants, a little care and you will soon have tomatoes for the whole neighborhood.