Quack Grass - Ugh!

I finally was able to get out into some of the gardens this past weekend.  I couldn't do any transplanting or planting yet because when I attempted to dig into the soil, my shovel encountered ice.   So, I concentrated on cleaning dead foliage and other minor sprucing up in those areas where it wasn't too muddy to work.

Quackgrass in strawberry bed

I had some welcome surprises.  I found four nice, baby juniper trees that the birds must have brought with them as a thank you gift.  Those will be dug out and transplanted to a more suitable location.  But, then I found a not so welcome visitor:  Quack Grass!  Scientifically known as Agropyron repens, quack grass is a pest that grows nearly everywhere in the United States.  It especially seems to like the Burleigh County desert where I live. 

Quack grass spreads by both root and seed.  The creamy white, three to eight inch long seed spikes appear in August.  Each spike contains 20 to 30 seeds, that once in the soil, can remain viable for up to five years.  And, that isn't the worst that quack grass has to offer.  Within two to three months of germination, the plant begins to form rhizomes which can spread up to 300 feet from the parent plant.  That's a lot of territory that can be covered by one quack grass seed.  But, wait, it gets even worse.  Once those rhizomes are developed, if you damage them with a spade or rototiller, every piece of rhizome that you cut off becomes another plant, with another 300 feet of rhizomes or thereabouts.  It doesn't take very long for quack grass to take over the world.

The key to controlling its spread by seed is to cut the grass down before seed heads have a chance to develop.  The key to controlling the spread by rhizomes is glyphosate, marketed most commonly as Round-up.  The problem with glyphosate is that it is non-selective - it will kill anything green that it comes in contact with.  If the quack grass is in an isolated area, you can spray the glyphosate.  Quack grass, however, is smart, and it rarely grows in locations where it is that vulnerable.  Instead, it likes to twine its rhizomes around the roots of other plants,  nestle itself amongst the branches of the shrubs and extends its roots 50 feet beyond the last topside evidence of it, fooling you into thinking you've gotten it all, when it is really just lying in wait for its next assault on your gardens.

But, I digress.  Back to controlling the nasty stuff.  In locations where I can't spray, I've found a couple ways to still get at it.  I mix glyphosate about one-fourth stronger than the recommended mixture (quack grass is tough and I've found a little more strength in the glyphosate knocks it down a little better) and pour it into a small bucket.  I dip a  very small paint brush into the glyphosate and dab it onto the blades of the quack grass.  Any kind of paint brush will do, but I prefer the foam ones.  They drip less while holding more solution to dab onto the grass blades.  If there is other foliage around that I don't want to take a chance of dripping the glyphosate onto, I cover those with plastic, which I can carefully move from plant to plant as I attack the quack grass. 

You can also wear a heavy, chemically resistant rubber glove and just dip your fingers into the solution and wipe them along the blade of grass.  You need to take the same precautions from dripping on desirable plants using this method as you do with the paint brush method.  I think I have better control with the foam brush, so that is my method of choice.

Quack grass will generally need multiple applications of glyphosate.  Glyphosate works on actively growing plant tissue.  Only a small percentage of the quack grass rhizome is actively growing at any one time.  The application of glyphosate will kill that part of the rhizome, but within a few days, a previously dormant part of the rhizome will send up shoots of grass and start spreading in the garden.

Fluzifop is another chemical means of controlling grasses in perennial plantings.  It is marketed as "Grass-B-Gon" and can be used in most perennial plantings to kill grass infestations without harming favorable plants.  The exception to this is "monocot" plants or those plants with grass-like leaves, like daylilies, iris, and lilies.  Grass-B-Gon will damage and may actually kill these plants.  Grass-B-Gon can be used on edibles, like asparagus and rhubarb, but the produce should not be used for one year after the application.  As with glyphosate, you will need multiple applications of fluzifop to completely eradicate quack grass.

You can also dig the quack grass out of the garden, but you really do have to be careful to remove every tiny piece of the fleshy rhizome.  Even the tiniest piece will start an abundance of new quack grass plants.  The rhizomes are a yellowish white color, about 1/8 inch around and they have joints every inch or so.  They are so tough, they can actually grow up through asphalt.

All plants, even ugly ones like quack grass, require photosynthesis to survive.  Cutting all evidence of green growth back to the ground as soon as it appears will weaken the root system over time.  This requires diligent monitoring and quick death to the green growth to prevent it from providing any nutrition to the rhizomes, to eventually kill them.

I will be employing a combination of all these techniques to rid my gardens of this monster.  And I will be doing it next year.  And the year after...  until the quack grass realizes that I am more stubborn than it is.

Hardy Hydrangea Care

Wiese Acres hydrangea

There are different schools of thought on the best places to plant your hardy hydrangeas.  Some sources say in northern climates, they need full sun to bloom. Others say morning and / or late afternoon sun, but shade in the hottest part of the day.

My experience is that in most full sun locations in North Dakota, there is also full wind.  The two together are a little much for the hydrangeas in my yard.  I plant mine in nice loamy, well-drained soil in part shade, namely where they are shaded from the hottest midday sun.  I’ve had some in full sun and find that they tend to sunburn and wilt during the heat of the day.  I end up with a plant that is chronically stressed and can’t do its best.  Most of my hydrangeas are planted in a location where they receive either dappled sun all day long; direct sun from morning until early afternoon; or morning and late afternoon / evening sun.  The exception is my Limelight.  That one thrives in full sun, but in a location where it is somewhat sheltered from strong winds. 

I’ve learned by trial and error where the various hydrangeas do their best.  Hydrangeas are one of the rare shrubs that has a small, compact root ball and is very forgiving of being moved from one location to another.  I start mine in sheltered, part shade, rather than in the full sun they supposedly tolerate. If a mature hydrangea doesn’t bloom well, they may be a bit too shaded and need to be moved to a slightly sunnier, but still protected location.   

 

Transplanting is best done when the shrub is dormant, either early spring or late fall.  If transplanting is done in the fall, allow at least six weeks of time with soil temps above freezing to allow roots to establish themselves, and then mulch it heavily the first year.

All hydrangeas like to be planted in well-drained, fertile, loamy soil.   Whether planting new shrubs or transplanting existing shrubs, they should be planted to the same depth they were planted, either in the container or in their previous location.  The hole should be about twice the diameter of the root ball, and should have a good amount of rich, organic matter, such as compost, mixed into the planting hole.  As a rule of thumb, I replace about 1/3 of our clay soil with rich organic matter (compost)when planting shrubs, trees, or perennials that like a good, loamy soil.

 I add a couple inches of compost around the base of my hydrangeas each spring to give them that rich, organic matter they need to do their best.  This also works as mulch and helps keep weeds at bay.  Hydrangeas may also need some supplemental fertilizer to bloom their best.  A balanced liquid fertilizer can be fed in early spring and then about mid-July, or you can work an extended release fertilizer into the soil in spring and leave them be after that.  It is important in northern climates to stop feeding hydrangeas by August.  Too much fertilizer later in the summer will encourage a flush of new growth which will not have time to mature and harden off before freezing temperatures.  Young growth is very vulnerable to frost damage and death. 

 

 Hydrangeas like to be kept evenly moist, but not soggy.  When watered, they should be watered deeply and less frequently rather than a little bit more often.  I use drip irrigation and give the hydrangeas about one inch of water one time each week.  In very hot, windy weather, I may need to increase the rate or the amount to keep that even moisture, but I never go to smaller amounts of water more frequently.  Because hydrangeas tend to have shallower, more compact roots to begin with, I don’t want to encourage even shallower root development by frequent, shallow watering.

Hydrangeas rarely need any more extensive pruning than trimming out dead wood in the spring.  They can be pruned to maintain a shorter, smaller stature, if you wish.  Paniculatas and arborescens bloom on new wood, so pruning can be done pretty much anytime except when the flower heads are forming in the spring.  Rather than pruning for size, it is better to not plant a hydrangea that will want to grow to 10 feet tall in a location that will only support a six foot tall shrub.  Choose a more suitably sized hydrangea to start with, rather than having to commit severe pruning against your shrub every year.

Hydrangeas are relatively disease free.  If moisture is allowed to stand on the foliage, there may be some problems with powdery mildew or rust.  Mild cases can be treated with just good hygiene around the plant and pruning back overgrown areas to allow for better air circulation.  Severe cases may need treatment with a fungicide.

Choosing the right hydrangea for the right location and giving it the right amount of water and fertilizer will re-pay you with a gorgeous, relatively care-free, dramatically flowering shrub.

Hardy Hydrangeas



Pink Diamond Hydrangea

Hydrangeas are great flowering shrubs, if you choose the right variety for your growing conditions.  If not, both you and the hydrangea could be in for life of misery.  There are two species that do well in zones 3 and 4:  Hydrangea arborescens and Hydrangea paniculata. 

A lot of Hydrangea macrophylla or "big leaf hydrangeas" are marketed as hardy to zone 4, but in truth, they are really only reliably bloom hardy to zone 5.  These are the Endless Summer, Forever and Ever, and similar cultivars.  These lines are bred in Minnesota, which seems like it should be close enough to North Dakota to make it work here.  But, we get just enough colder actual temps that these don't always bloom well for us.  The big leaf hydrangeas are those that have the large "mophead" flowers that change color depending on the pH of the soil.  We see these in the garden centers covered with beautiful flowers, usually blue because everyone wants a blue flower.  We take them home and plant them and after the flowers we bought are spent, we never see the same plant again.  Most big leaf hydrangeas marketed for northern climates bloom on a combination of old and new wood and they set their buds on the old wood the summer before they actually bloom.  The problem is that these buds are very sensitive to extreme cold and often freeze off, unless they are heavily mulched.  In the spring, the plant will begin to grow new wood and you'll likely end up trimming the old wood off because of winter kill.  Later in the summer, you might get a few blooms on the new wood, but it won't likely won't produce like it did when it was raised in those perfect nursery conditions before it came to live with you.  In just the right spot, and with just the right growing conditions, you might have luck with the big leaf hydrangeas in zone 4.  But, then there's that rule about a plant not requiring more care than your children...

You can have beautiful hydrangeas without all the work and worry that I've found to be associated with the big leaf varieties.  Hydrangea arborescens or the smooth leaf hydrangeas are some of the hardiest, doing well even into zone 3.  There are varieties that grow from three to five feet tall and bloom reliably and profusely from June through September.  The flowers are round and come in a cream color.  The flowers stay on the stems and dry to a tan that will stay on the shrub throughout the winter.  They can also be cut and used in dry flower arrangements.  "Annabelle" is the most common cultivar and is seen in many yards throughout the northern part of the United States.  "Radiata" is very similar in growth to "Annabelle" but has a lacier appearing flower cluster.  Characteristic of these shrubs are the huge, heavy flowers that actually weigh the stems down, giving the entire shrub a weeping or draping effect. 

Hydrangea paniculata blooms later than h. arborescens, generally beginning its bloom season in July, but then persisting throughout the fall.  This species has large cone-shaped flowers that will also dry and stay on the stems throughout the winter.  There are over 30 cultivars of h. paniculata rated for zone 4 or colder. 

The oldest and most common is the "Peegee", also known as "Grandiflora".  Peegee blooms a little later, generally beginning towards the end of July or early August in my garden.  The blossoms open with  a greenish-white color, but progress from this to a creamy white to a pink tinge as they age.  These conical flowers can be as long a foot each on mature, well-established shrubs.

"Pink Diamond" is another cultivar that is reliably hardy and a good bloom producer for me.  The petals have a lacier look than those of Peegee, opening the greenish white but age through to a beautiful rich "diamond dusted" pink.

"Limelight" is another great producer in the Wiese Acres gardens.  It is a very hardy shrub that lives in a location that receives almost full sun without getting sunburned or wilting in the heat of day.  It produces dramatic cones of creamy yellow- green tinged flowers that stay that color until they are quite mature, when they turn to a more pinkish color.  Limelight grows to about six feet tall and four to six feet wide.  "Little Limelight", also sometimes marketed as "Little Lime"  has similar habits but stays a much smaller three to four feet.

"Pinky Winky" is a descendant of "Pink Diamond" but has bi-colored pink and white flowers that are held on strong stems so they stay upright, even with a full sized flower.  It is a tough, reliable bloomer and has a deeper green foliage for a striking contrast with its two-toned flowers.

"Little Lamb" is a cultivar that is marketed as a "compact" shrub.  That may be just a bit deceiving.  Little Lamb can grow to six feet tall, but generally stays within about four feet spread.  What is compact about it is the flower clusters.  Each flower is smaller, making for a much denser and more compact appearing umbel.

"Quick Fire" is a nice addition because it blooms a full month earlier than most of the other paniculatas and then blooms right through fall with white flowers that turn to a deep rose as they age.    "Invincibelle Spirit" blooms all season long with a large, deep pink blossom.  "Incrediball" is similar to Annabelle in growth but sports even larger blossoms.

One relatively new variety I tried last year is "Vanilla Strawberry" which is supposed to produce three colored blossoms of white, pink and rose through much of the summer.  The jury is still out on this one.  In spite of adequate moisture and protection from hot afternoon sun, I'd come home to find it severely wilted just about everyday.  I'm going to give it a chance to clean up its act this year, but if it doesn't do better, I think it will not be a long term addition to Wiese Acres. 

There are many other cultivars of h. paniculata and most of them are worth a try in your garden, if you have space.

Thursday, I'll discuss care of hydrangeas to give you the best results in your northern gardens.

Pre-emergent Herbicides and Mulch

Wiese Acres perennial alyssum

Even though temperatures have been 20 to 25 degrees below normal, most of my gardens still have about 18 inches of snow on them from the massive blizzard of April 14 and 15, and what isn't covered with snow is still the winter brown, the calendar says it is spring.  I am confident that at some point Mother Nature will look at her calendar and say "Oh, shoot, I missed spring.  I better get busy."

So, anticipating spring work right around the corner, I will begin to publish the Wiese Acres blog on Tuesdays and Thursdays of each week.  The beginning of spring is the beginning of a season of mostly outdoor work.

As soon as I can get in the gardens, I will be cleaning the old foliage off, sprucing up the mulch a bit, and spreading some Preen.  Preen is a pre-emergent herbicide that works quite well to keep those pesky elm and maple tree seeds, as well as wild lettuce, pigeon grass, dandelions, and other weeds from germinating in the mulch.  It doesn't keep them all down, but it sure helps. 

I also use Preen in some of the beds, but I wait until after the perennials and any favorable self-seeders have gotten started. That means I don't suppress as much of the spring flush of weeds in those beds, but it keeps the later population in check.  It's a price I gladly pay to have some self-seeded Bells of Ireland, rose mallow, poppies, snow on the mountain, and a few other annuals that add so much to the perennial beds.   If you want seedlings to be safe from the pre-emergent herbicide, you need to wait until they have at least one set of "true" leaves - leaves that really look like the plant rather than the rounded leaves that emerge first when the seed germinates.

I don't use the combination pre-emergent herbicide combined with fertilizer.  Most perennials beds, in our clay soil, don't appreciate extra fertilizer.  They get all they need from the nutrient rich clay and the composting foliage and mulch they get each year.  In sandy soil, they tolerate additional fertilizing better, but even then, they prefer to get it from additional organic matter such as compost, decaying foliage or mulch.

There are brands of pre-emergent herbicides other than Preen, but I prefer Preen because it is easy to apply and stays where you put it quite well.  I also like that I can buy it in large containers at a lower price at some of the warehouse selling clubs, like Costco and Sam's Club. 

Preen does market a corn gluten based product that is safe for use on vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens.  I find that it isn't nearly as effective as the Preen I use on the mulch, so I save my money and just pull weeds in the edibles gardens.

Happy Spring (whenever it gets here).

Container Gardens - Keeping Them Looking Good

Wiese Acres Petunias

Even with the right soil, the right plants, proper watering, and fertilizing, container plants need grooming to continue to look their best.  Grooming consists of pinching, deadheading, and general clean-up activities to keep only the healthiest parts of the plant on display.

Pinching is the process of cutting or pinching off the growing tip of a plant.  This process is used when a plant becomes too tall and leggy;  anytime you want to encourage a plant to become fuller and bushier; of if you want to maintain a specific shape with your plant.  Pinching will also help keep in check the growth of any of those plants that want to take over your container world.

To "pinch", you simply grasp the small portion of the plant you wish to remove between your fingers and snip it off, either with your fingernails or a small shears.  For soft stemmed plants, your fingernails will work just fine, although that is why my fingernails seem to have developed a permanent green tinge by the end of the summer.  If you don't like the idea of green fingernails, or for woodier stemmed plants, like vines, a small pruning shears works great.  If you want to create a bushy plant, you might need to do this on several stem ends.  Pinching does not need to be done daily - only when the plant starts to look like it could benefit from being shortened and fattened up a bit.

Deadheading is the process of removing old flower heads from your plants.  These spent heads are not only less beautiful than the flower itself, but they can also harbor diseases and undesirable insects.  In addition, as the spent flower head remains on the plant, it begins to develop seeds.  When the plant begins to put its energy into seed development, it has less to nourish new and existing flowers so your plant may stop blooming.  Deadheading can also be done either with your fingers or with a grooming shears.  The entire flower stalk should be removed, though, so for many plants, this is most easily accomplished with a shears. 

Geraniums are one frequently used container plant that it is best to snap the spent flower stalk off with your fingers, rather than using a shears.  The geranium has a thick, fleshy stem that is easily damaged by shears and the flower stalk is attached to the stem in a way that it easily snaps off with just a little tug.



Wiese Acres Begonias

There are some plants which are considered "self-cleaning" and don't require deadheading.  Million bells, begonias, vincas and impatiens fall into this category.  Now, even though they are self-cleaing,  the spent flower actually falls off the stem and should be removed from the area to avoid harboring diseases.

Other than pinching and deadheading, checking for pests and diseases and removing the occasional damaged leaf or flower should keep your containers looking great. 

Grooming your container plants is relatively easy to do and doesn't require much time.  Whenever I walk by my containers, I snip or tug a few less than beautiful spots.  I often will carry a small bag or pail with me when I am walking the yard with my morning coffee and just pinch and drop.

Starting with the right type of container, using the right soil mix, choosing the right plants, then watering, fertilizing, and grooming appropriately will help you build containers that will provide beauty and enjoyment all season long.

Container Gardens - Proper Fertilizing

Wiese Acres

Container gardens require frequent watering and have a limited amount of soil, so they require regular fertilizing to keep the plants healthy and performing well the entire season.  Fertilizing can be accomplished in a number of ways.

Liquid fertilizers mixed with water according to label instructions should be applied during watering at least every two weeks, or with a half strength fertilizer solution every week.  Fertilzing is best done when the soil in the container is somewhat moist to avoid damaging vulnerable plant roots.  I like to use a fertilizer that has a higher content of phosphorus, the "P" component of the N-P-K formulas, for containers of blooming plants.  Phosphorus is what promotes blooming and I want my container gardens to bloom profusely.  A higher phosphorus content fertlizer is also preferred for vegetable container gardens to promote more energy for fruit and vegetable production.  Higher nitrogen (N) formulas promote foliar growth, so they are best for herb and other foliage gardens.  For my shade containers where I use hostas, coral bells, and ferns, I also use a higher N formulation.

As an alternative to fertilzing every week or two, slow -release fertilizers can be worked into the soil when the container is planted or anytime after.  Slow-release products contain water soluble fertilizer enclosed in a semi-permeable resin coating, either in pellet or stick forms.  When the coated pellets or sticks come in contact with water, small amounts of the nutrients are released into the soil and made available for the plant's use.  Whenever the container is watered, it is fertilized at the same time.  Most of these products are designed to release nutrients for your plants for three to four months, which in North Dakota will take you through an entire growing season. 

Remember I told you I sometimes use hybrid tea roses for the "thriller" in some of my containers?  I discovered a very effective, easy way to fertilize because of that.  I use slow release rose fertilizer spikes with a 9-12-9 formulation for the roses planted in my gardens.  One year, I had an extra spike, so I broke it into two pieces and placed them on either side of the hybrid tea rose in one of my large containers.  The million bells that I used for the "filler" in that container outgrew and outbloomed anything else I had in containers by at least two to one.  And the best part was, I didn't have to do a thing more to feed that plant for the entire season.  That's my kind of container gardening!

If you use liquid fertilizer, you should occasionally use plain water and soak the root mass to the point where water runs freely from the drainage holes.  This process, called "leaching" will flush out excess fertlizer salts and keep them from burning the leaf edges or roots of your plants.

Some potting mixes come with fertilizer already mixed in with the soil.  These are slow-release fertilizers so it is important not to add more slow-release fertilizers to the mix until after the three to four month period of effectiveness.  Too much of a good thing is too much for your plants to handle.  I do find that these don't always promote the level of blooming I want in my flowering containers, so I will add a high P liquid fertilizer to my watering routine about once a month or so. 

When fertilizing, it is always important to follow the dosing instructions on your particular fertilizer.  Over-fertilizing will burn the plant roots and render them unable to draw nutrients into the plant.  Under-fertilizing will keep you from enjoying your plants to their maximum.  If you have to err on one side or the other, you are much better off under-fertilizing.  That can be corrected by simply adding a little more.   Over-fertilizing is difficult to correct.  Once the leaf edges or roots are burned, you can't do anything to fix that.  You can help prevent further damage by leaching the excess fertilizer out of the soil.

Proper fertilizing will help keep your containers lush and beautiful for the entire season.

Container Gardens - Watering Properly

 

Fairhope, Alabama (Wiese Acres photo)

Even very large containers have more limited soil volume than garden beds, so proper watering and fertilizing are critical to maintaining a successful planting throughout the season.

The frequency and amount of water containers require depends on many factors, including the temperature, wind, type of container, type and number of plants. The length of time the plant has been growing also effects the amount of water necessary to maintain a healthy plant.  As the root ball enlarges, the soil becomes "crowded" and the water holding mass is decreased.  The more mature your container garden, the more likely it is to need watering more frequently to maintain the same moisture levels.

There is no set rule about when to water containers, other than to water what is necessary to satisfy the needs of the plants  It is important to watch closely and water whenever they feel dry according to the dictates of your plants.  If you have plants that prefer to be on the dry side, you'll probably want to allow the top inch or so of soil to dry out before watering again.  If you have plants that like consistent moisture, it's best to water them as soon as the surface of the potting soil looks and feels dry.

Plants should not be allowed to show signs of wilt before watering.  Wilting is a sign of stress and the health and vitality of the plant can be affected if wilting becomes severe.  When the root mass has become dry enough to cause wilting of the plant, it is also likely that the potting mix has pulled away from the sides of the pot.  When that happens, it is very difficult to re-moisten the potting soil.  Water tends to run right through the dried out soil mass and run out the bottom without being absorbed by the soil or the roots, or if the water can't escape through the drainage holes quickly enough, the entire root mass tries to float away.  Repeated, frequent, generous watering or placing the container in a larger bucket of water and allowing the soil mix to draw water in through the drainage holes until it is finished absorbing is the best way to "re-constitute" your soil.  When you see moisture on the surface of the planting mix, you'll know that it is sufficiently re-hydrated.

Each watering should be deep, adding water until it begins to run out the drainage holes at the bottom of the container.  This assures that you have moistened the whole soil mass.  It also allows for leaching of some of the fertilizer salts out of the soil.  Leaching is the process of washing away any soluble salts from the water and fertilizer so that they don't build up to the point where they cause damage to the plants, like burned leaf margins or burned roots.


Single emitter drip irrigation system

Watering can be done using a hand waterer or the garden hose, whichever is most convenient.  Certainly, if you can collect rain water and use that for all your containers, they will be happier than they will be with treated water, but that isn't always feasible.  If you have a location where your containers can be grouped together in close proximity, you can set them up with a drip irrigation system that can be purchased at any garden center.  These drip systems often are on a timer and water for a set period of time, whether the plants need it or not.  If you can find one that has a water sensor that tells it when to turn on and off, that will be much more efficient and will keep your plants much happier.

Simple drip watering system

A simple way to set up a type of drip irrigation is to cut the bottom out of a plastic water or soda bottle, stick the bottom end a few inches down in the potting mix, fill the bottle through the drinking opening, replace the cap and let the water slowly drain out into the soil.  This is helpful for those times when the hot, drying winds of summer try hard to suck the life out of your plants unless you water them multiple times during the day, or if you are going to be gone for a long weekend and don't want your containers to get too dry. 

There are moisture retaining gels available on the market, either already mixed into the "moisture-control" type potting mixes or sold separately to be mixed in by the gardener.  It is a polymer based product that looks like tiny pebbles or cystals in the potting mix when dry.  They are mixed into the potting soil when it is dry, according to label directions.  When wet, the crystals expand and take on the consistency of jello.  In their expanded state, they act as water reservoirs, slowly releasing water when the plant or the soil itself becomes dry.  These polymers don't eliminate the need for watering, but they do provide a little bit of a cushion for gardeners who might have things to do other than standing and watching for just the right time that their container gardens needs watering.

There is some evidence pointing to a downside of the moisture gels.  It appears they might tie up the fertilizer in the gel substance, making it less available to your plants.  As long as you are aware of this and increase the frequency of your fertilizing accordingly, the benefits probably outweigh the risks.

We'll talk more about fertilizing tomorrow.

Container Gardens - Vines

Using vines in containers can help you achieve either the height (thriller) or the draping (spiller) components of a container garden.  They can also be used as a lovely specimen plant.  Used for height, they will require a triangular or trellis type support.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas (Wiese Acres photo)

You can use as fancy or as simple a support as you like.  Purchased obelisks can be found in sizes for just about every container.  Simple supports made from three twigs or bamboo stakes and tied together at the top are very simple and inexpensive to make.  You can also form shapes, like topiaries or hearts, and train the vines around them.  Most annual vines support themselves either by twining themselves around the support, like morning glories, or by sending out tendrils that wrap themselves around the structure to hold the main vine in place, like sweet peas.  They do much better on a support that has a bit of roughness to the surface to allow for better gripping by the vine or tendrils.

Regardless of the type of support you choose, it should be inserted in the container before you plant the vine.  This will protect the roots from damage that is likely to occur if you try to insert it after the vine begins to grow.  It also has the support ready for the vine to begin to climb as soon as it reaches climbing height.  Make sure the support is firmly anchored and of sufficient size for the type of vine you intend to grow in the container. 

Thunbergia

Annual vines which perform well in containers for me include morning glories; moonflower vine; thunbergia, also known as black-eyed susan vine; cypress vine; hyacinth bean vine; cardinal climber, and sweet peas.

I like to combine morning glory and moonflower on the same support structure.  That way I have the beautiful morning glories in full bloom early in the day, while the moonflowers bloom in all their glory in the evening.  Placing a container of sweet peas near walkways or the front door brings an inviting fragrance to you and your guests.  The light, airy foliage of the cypress vine leaves a nice, soft impression.  Last year, I planted thunbergia in the center of my raised bed with the swiss chard, lettuce, and radishes.  By the time the lettuce and radishes were done for the season, the thunbergia and brightly colored swiss chard became a nice, ornamental garden.

Regardless of the type of vine you choose, or how you decide to use it, vines are a beautiful addition to your container garden.

Container Gardens - Growing Vegetables and Herbs

Wiese Acres Mint containers

I'm fortunate enough to have plenty of garden space for my herbs and vegetables, but for those who don't, there are many herbs and vegetables that can be successfully grown in containers.   In fact, even though I have space, there are some herbs I grow in containers.

I grow mints in containers so that I can keep them in check.  I made the mistake of planting a hardy perennial mint in the garden one time, many years back.  I'm still pulling mint out of places where it isn't wanted.  Mint plants are pretty cheap, so I'd rather replant them in pots each year than let them loose in my gardens.  I can plant a variety of mints, such as ginger mint, pineapple mint, apple mint, and orange mint, which make a wonderful addition to ice tea, without worrying about them running roughshod over my other plants.

I also plant rosemary in a container so that I can bring it indoors in the fall and have fresh rosemary throughout the winter.  My bay laurel tree lives in a pot for the same reason.  You can also overwinter chives, parsley and cilantro for fresh use, if you wish.  Basil is another herb that does well in containers.  Thyme makes a nice ground cover plant in drought tolerant containers, however, it can become a little aggressive and crowd out the other plants.



There are many vegetables that are suitable for growing in containers.  Tomatoes grown in containers should be "determinate" tomatoes, meaning they grow to a "determined" size and then stop growing, usually remaining in a compact, bushy form.  Determinate tomatoes rarely require staking, which also makes them easier to grow in a container, and they bloom and produce fruit at the same time, so they produce over a much longer time frame.  Some of the more popular determinate tomato varieties that are suitable for containers are Early Wonder, Early Girl Bush, Rutgers (heirloom variety), Roma, Celebrity, and all the "patio" tomatoes.  Containers for tomatoes should hold four to five gallons of soil per plant.

Cucumbers can also be grown in a container, using a trellis to train the vines.  Trellises make the cukes very easy to pick and allow you to grow a pretty substantial vine in a very small space.  Picklebush, Salad Bush Hybrid, Spacemaster and Midget Bush Hybrid are recommended varieties for containers, but almost any bush type cuke will work fine.  Cucumbers also need soil volume of four to five gallons of soil per plant.

Peppers are great container plants and almost any variety will do just fine in a nice sized container.  Provider green beans do well in containers.  Peppers and beans need approximately 2 gallons of soil per plant.

Leafy vegetables, such as lettuce, spinach, and even cabbage can be grown in containers.  If you like red cabbage, it actually can make a nice addition to a combination flower and vegetable container.  Swiss chard is a leafy green that comes in some very colorful varieties, which can be used as the "thriller" in a mixed container. 

Root crops, such as radishes, beets, carrots and onions can also be grown in containers, however, they do best in broad, deep containers.  Most radish varieties can be grown in containers.  Red Ace F1 Hybrid  and Bull's Blood are good container beet varieties.  Scarlet Nantes is a good carrot variety.  Bunching type onions are most suited for container growing. 

Leafy vegetables and root crops all need containers that hold approximately 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 gallons of soil per plant.

Even squash can be grown in containers.  Black magic zucchini is a good choice for containers.  Acorn, Sugar Dumpling, and Delicata are winter squash that have more of a bush type growth habit so they can be grown in containers, using a trellis to support them.  Squash need a similar sized container as tomatoes and cucumbers.

Most vegetables require full sun, although leafy, non-blooming vegetables, such as lettuce and spinach, can tolerate part shade.  Most herbs tolerate some shade as well.

Virtually any type of vegetable can be grown in containers, as long as the container size is large enough to support the root mass necessary for the plant to produce vegetables.  So everyone can enjoy the taste of a sun-warmed tomato picked fresh off the vine or find themselves sneaking around trying to dispose of an excess of zucchini.

Container Gardening - Choosing The Plants, part 2

Wiese Acres containers

Containers can offer four seasons of beauty and interest.  This is accomplished by choosing durable, long-lasting plants that will take you from spring through fall.  In order to have winter interest, it usually requires replacement arrangements after killing frosts.   If you have favorite plants that won't quite last the other three seasons, you can change all or part of the plantings when your favorites wear out.

For me, nothing says "spring" like pansies and primroses and I always find I can't resist bringing some of them home.  Unfortunately, they don't tolerate summer's heat, especially in containers.  So, I limit myself to one or two smaller containers right in front of the door.  This also makes it easier to bring them into the garage when spring's frigid overnight temperatures threaten them.   They do well for several weeks, and then I either shear them back and plant them in a shady spot in the garden or just toss them.

By that time, I'm ready to refill those and all my other containers with the plants I'll plan to use for the summer.   I don't want the work or the expense of changing plants  midway through the season to keep my containers looking good, so I try to find durable, long-blooming plants that will work hard right up until frost. 

For shade planters, coleus are hard to beat for color and durability.  They do require some grooming, mainly removal of the flower stalks as soon as they appear, to remain looking their best.  They also need even moisture.  Coleus come in many different colors and sizes, so you accomplish the "thriller, spiller, chiller" effect using different varieties, creating an arrangement with lots of color and textural variety using just one kind of plant.


Wiese Acres containers

I don't particularly care to deadhead, so another option I use for shade planters is perennial foliage plants.  Heuchera (coral bells) come in a wide variety of colors and have an interesting foliage shape that works very well as the "spiller" for shade containers.  I use hosta and fern as my "thrillers" and "fillers".  It makes a beautiful, virtually carefree container.  In the fall, I plant the perennials in one of the gardens, or give them to someone who has space for them.  Smaller perennials are not much more expensive than premium annuals and they are much more carefree and long-lived.

I am always looking for ways to get out of work, so last fall, I thought I would try to overwinter the perennial containers indoors, in hopes that I could simply set them outside rather than plant the perennials in the garden and then have to buy new ones to fill this year's containers.  I cut the foliage back and stored them in a cool, dark spot.  About six weeks ago, I brought them out into the light and warmth and started watering them.  The hostas and the ferns are doing very well, but it appears the coral bells didn't appreciate my efforts.  I haven't given up entirely on them, but if they aren't showing signs of growth by the time I'm ready to move them outdoors, I'll replace them.  It will still simplify my work this year, though, since I will only have to replace a few of the plants rather than the entire container.

We have a two-story, west facing deck that gets hotter than blazes when the sun shines, plus it gets hit pretty hard by wind.  Finding low-maintenance plants that do well in those conditions is a challenge.  Spikes are a good standard for the height.  I have also used smaller dahlias with pretty good results.  The dahlias need to be kept deadheaded but do add a nice splash of colorful height.  In larger containers, I have also used purple fountain grass, but it does get beat up by wind.  For a "spiller" Calibrachoa (Million bells) is hard to beat for a long- blooming, easy-care annual for containers.   They require no deadheading and bloom all season long.  Moss roses are another good choice for a draping habit.  For fillers, Scaveola, or Fan flower, is a great workhorse in hot, windy conditions.  Verbena, dusty miller, gazanias, celosia and salvia also tolerate hot, dry, and windy locations quite well. 

Petunias are always great container plants in full sun and they provide a heavenly fragrance. They require diligent deadheading to continue blooming and they do tend to get a little straggly by mid-summer.  If you shear them back hard, within a few weeks, they will reward you with another several weeks of beautiful blooms.

In sunny but protected areas, I sometimes use hybrid tea roses as my "thriller", surround them with Million bells as my "filler" and the silver falls of dichondra to make a beautiful "spiller".  This makes a relatively low-maintenance, long-blooming, and fragrant container garden.  I buy the "cheap" bare root hybrid teas and plant them indoors about six to eight weeks before last frost to give them a head start. 

Other sun-loving plants that will work for height in a container garden are cannas, perilla, purple fountain grass, and cordyline.  Sun-loving fillers are zinnias, pentas, angelonia, rudbeckia, heliotrope, and lantana.  Of course, geraniums are an old time favorite.  They require vigilant deadheading to continue blooming, so I am more likely to pass them by.

Sweet potato vine is a good old standby for draping, but I also love the variegated leaves of vinca and the silvery foliage of licorice vine. 

In the winter, most of my containers are emptied and stacked away for the next spring.  I do leave a few by the front door and fill them with flowering cabbage or asters for the fall and spruce trimmings and silk poinsettias for the winter.

You really can try almost any plant that you love in a container as long as you can give it the soil, light, water, and space it needs. And with just a little creativity, you can keep those containers looking beautiful all year long.

Container Gardening - Choosing The Plants

Wiese Acres Container Gardens

I'm having a bit of trouble getting motivated to write about gardening this morning.  As I look out the window, I see nothing but white.  Oh, wait, there is a tiny slice of brown just off the edge of the driveway - I think it's the ski rack on top of the van.  After a foot and a half of snow, blown into six and seven foot piles yesterday, it will be a while before I get to spring's work in the garden.

So, I might as well do some more planning for container gardens.  What to put in those containers is always a challenge.  I want something that looks good, lasts well, and doesn't require continuous grooming and maintenance.

First of all, looking good.  A container is really a living floral arrangement.  Conventional wisdom says that your containers should contain a "thriller, filler, and spiller".  The thriller is the tall, centerpiece of your container; the filler is what will provide the bulk of the color; and the spiller will drape over the edge of the container.  That said, if you want a container that only has one plant in it, that's just fine.  If you want a jungle of plants in your container, that's ok, too.

If you opt for the jungle, there are some rules you need to follow.  You need to select plants that like the same soil, light, and water conditions and that will thrive in the size container in which you want them to grow.  Those are the "must follow" rules.  Once you've followed those rules, though, the texture, proportion, and color is entirely flexible.

Choosing the right plants for your soil, light, and water conditions is very similar to what you look for in your garden beds.  A soil mix that contains more peat is best for moisture loving plants and one with a small amount of sand might be better for succulents. 

A plant that requires full sun needs to be placed in a spot that receives at least six to eight hours of bright, direct sun each day.  Plants that require part sun / part shade require four to six hours of direct, morning or late afternoon sun, or dappled sun all day.  Full shade plants want to be placed in a location where they are never touched by direct sunlight.

Water loving plants need to be kept continuously moist and may need watering two or three times a day during hot, windy spells, so shouldn't be selected for locations that are a long ways from your water source.  More drought tolerant plants may only need watering once a day or even every other day, depending on the size of the container.

The size of your container needs to allow room for the roots of all the plants.  It is best not to combine aggressive growers with more fragile plants, as the more fragile ones will probably suffer.  One year, I decided that rather than purchasing spikes for my "thriller", I was going to dig up small pieces of an ornamental grass and use that in my pots.  It was beautiful - until the grass roots hogged all the soil, space and water, while everything else started to fizzle out.  And, getting those grass roots out of the pot required emptying the entire container and starting over.  That's a mistake I won't make again!

For appearance's sake, it's best to have at least some tall plants in tall containers.  Short plants look nice in large, wide containers but they may look lost in the tall pots.   Ideally, there should be at least one plant in your container that is one to one and a half times as tall as the container is deep.  That will give you the proportions most pleasing the human eye.

I also like to combine textures in my containers, with some fine, feathery foliage and some spikey, more substantial blades.  Certain textures can look very nice all by themselves, but a combination creates a great deal of interest in your pots, and will draw the eye to them.

I also want to make sure that the colors I use in the flowers do not clash with the container in which it is growing.  I use many neutral color planters, because I really want the focal point to be the plants, not what they are planted in.  However, there are some of those brightly colored, cheerful looking containers that I just can't resist.  If I have a bright orange container, I'm probably going to stay away from the red tones and use more greens, yellows, or even purples.  Or, if I have a lime green container, I might opt for fewer greens and use more brightly colored flowers.

If you have pots that you aren't sure of the best color combinations to make the most of your container and your plantings, if it is a small enough container, you can take it with you to the garden center and place the various plants in the container to see how they look.  If the container is too large to carry with you, go to the paint aisle in the local home center and find a paint chip that either has the same color as the container or at least the same color tones, and take that to the garden center with you.  That will give you an idea of what will work versus what will clash.

Tomorrow, I'll talk about some plants that I've had good luck with in my containers.

Dakota Garden Expo "Gardening North Dakota Style" Handout