TIMELY GARDEN TIPS FROM
OVER THE GARDEN FENCE

April 17, 2004

Most gardeners that I know have "revved-up-engines" and are making great progress preparing their gardens, lawns, and landscape plants for another growing season of enjoyment. April sure is an exciting time of year for green thumbers. The folks at Wedel's Garden Center are equally excited with each load of new plants that arrive from our nursery farms. This spring we are welcoming several new arrivals that are sure to arouse much interest with many plant connoisseurs.

Tinkerbell lilac was the first in the Fairytale family of dwarf lilacs. New Fairytale arrivals this spring include Prince Charming, which is lavender-pink, Sugar Plum Fairy, a magical dwarf lilac with very abundant pink flowers, and Fairy Dust, which is blush pink.

Viburnum Watanabei is a beautiful new shrub. Viburnum Watanabei has an interesting compact tiered shape with white blossoms all summer and reddish purple autumn foliage.

Endless Summer Hydrangea with blue-pink flowers will surely be the "shrub of the year." Endless Summer is the first hydrangea that blooms all summer on both old and new growth.

Bonfire Dwarf Peach will find a home on many a patio this year. A great ornamental, Bonfire Peach has pink blooms and deep burgundy foliage.

The old fashioned Bridal Wreath or Spirea VanHouttei is the one grandma enjoyed and could be an enjoyable addition to many modern landscapes.

A new willow shrub and tree join the ranks of the recently popular Dwarf Dappled Leaf Globe Willow. Flame Willow is a fast growing dense shrub with bright red winter bark and golden autumn leaves. Weeping Blue Arctic Willow's soft gray leaves are born on graceful weeping branches. This small weeping tree will be a winner in small gardens or patio areas.

Then there is Heart Throb Kousa Red, National Kousa, and Wolf Eye White Kousa that will interest dogwood fanciers.

There's also Lavender Twist Redbud and the list goes on and on. If you enjoy plants, come in for a visit.

The first shipment of water gardening plants has arrived as well as the beautiful Koi pond fish.

Well, I could go on and on, but we'll share news about more newcomers next week.

The lack of spring rains has slowed plant growth the past two weeks, but in our garden the to-do list continues to grow. Here are some garden projects that I would suggest attending to as soon as possible.

Finish cleaning up all the autumn tree leaves tangled up in shrub plantings before tender leaves appear. Finish cutting back any dead perennial stalks. Spray Grass Getter grass killer over perennial flower beds and pull out broadleaf weeds. Fertilize each perennial plant with the following mixture: one cup bone meal, five pounds Plant Tone, and ten pounds of composted cow manure. Scatter one cup of this mix around each medium size perennial plant. Next, spray Weed Impede over perennial beds. Weed Impede will prevent most weed seeds from sprouting for four months. Last, mulch flower beds with cedar wood chips. This method will assure more blossoms this summer and far fewer weeds.

We are now in the best time period for crabgrass control to be applied. Crabgrass preventers applied between April 15th and May 1st will give the best all-summer control.

Homeowners that experienced the plague of canker worm and gypsy moth larvae last year will want to take some preventative measures now. Destroy gypsy moth eggs before they hatch; most of these will be located within four feet of the ground on tree trunks, house siding, sheds, or most any other outdoor fixture. Now, put bands of Tree Tanglefoot around all trees. The sticky Tanglefoot will trap countless canker worm moths and gypsy moth larvae after they hatch and travel up the tree trunks to devour leaves. If you live in an area with high concentrations of canker worms, control with sprays of liquid Sevin. Young gypsy moth larvae can be killed easily with sprays of B.T. or Sevin.

Many vegetable plants, seeds, and tubers lend themselves to early spring planting. When nighttime temperatures are consistently above 24 degrees and day temperatures are above 34 degrees, it's time to plant. Start your garden right now with these vegetables: cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, collards, peas, carrots, beets, swiss chard, radishes, potatoes, and onions. There's no need to wait until May, you can begin your vegetable garden now!

Feeding our flowering bulbs is very important at this time. Scatter bulb fertilizer around hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, and all minor bulbs; then cultivate in to a depth of one inch. After blooms fade and foliage is still green, foliar feed with Bloom Booster water soluble fertilizer. These spring feedings will assure better flowers next year.

On Over the Garden Fence, I have often shared the benefits and services that our trees render to us. Many bear repeating today as we approach Arbor Week.

Trees help supply the oxygen we breathe, help keep our air supply fresh, provide food and shelter for birds and wild animals, slow down forceful winds, cut noise pollution, provide cooling shade, camouflage harsh scenery, hold soil and keep silt from washing into streams and lakes, increase the value of property, and beautify our surroundings with pleasing shapes and seasonal splashes of color. Trees beautify our gardens and break the monotony of endless miles of sidewalks and highways.

To honor the importance of trees to all of us, the great state of Michigan sets aside the week of April 19 through 24 as Arbor Week. God has blessed us Michiganders with a beautiful landscape. Travel almost anywhere else and you'll not find a landscape graced with as many beautiful trees as Michigan. We enjoy more tree species in Michigan than any other state. Michigan also ranks second with the most giants of the tree species. Let's all join together to keep Michigan green and the leader with the most beautiful tree-graced landscape in North America. We all can help by planting additional trees at home and in your favorite park, church, or school grounds.

Start your Arbor Week tree planting project by first visiting Wedel's Nursery where one of thirteen Michigan Certified Nursery Specialists can help you select a dogwood, beech, crab, dawn redwood, ginkgo, locust, spruce, linden, sweet gum, maple, pine, sycamore, fir, oak, redbud, cypress, shadblow, or tulip tree. Our tree selection includes over 115 types of evergreen, flowering, and deciduous trees.

To encourage children to appreciate how trees add value to our lives, Wedel's will be giving each child who visits the garden center during Arbor Week a free native Michigan White Pine seedling.

Arbor Week 2004 is a time to participate and celebrate the value of trees. Considering the value trees add to our lives, they certainly deserve to be cared for. All trees, young as well as older specimens, need yearly care if they are to reach their full potential for enhancing your landscape. Both new and older established trees should be fertilized once a year and given adequate moisture during dry spells. Fertilizing trees with Tree Tone that contains trace elements is the best feeding program you can provide.

A host of tree problems can be avoided or overcome with a good fertilizing and watering schedule. A growing tree is usually a healthy tree, so it is so important to continually encourage our trees into active growth with proper care.

This week a listener phoned with concern about ribbons tied around tree trunks. She wondered if the ribbon would damage the tree. Large, established trees won't be hurt by silk or cloth ribbons no matter how tight they are tied, although young trees could be. A good rule of thumb is to never leave anything wrapped or tied around a tree trunk or branch for more than four months. When planting a new tree, always remove all wire tags, strings, and twine. Tree wrap should be removed and replaced after six months. Support wires should always be threaded through a rubber hose and changed or removed every six months. I have seen many otherwise healthy trees weakened by growing over a wire or rope and permanently damaged.

This morning, let's discuss one of my favorite topics ­ Michigan wildflowers. For many years, only a very few gardeners were interested enough to grow native wildflowers and grasses. Other folks, though interested in wildflowers, lacked the knowledge to be successful. Fortunately, wildflower gardening has hit its stride and we now find more and more gardeners successfully growing and enjoying a patch or a field of wildflowers. Gardeners in our area are designing and planting areas of brilliant wildflowers of the field and forest. The many uses of native wildflowers include providing low-maintenance gardens, soil stabilization, and natural beauty. Native wildflowers are effective in both urban and country settings, gardens, fields, and roadsides.

The most popular way to start a sunny native wildflower area is with seed. Many different seed mixes are available, and since this type of gardening is new to most folks, a word of caution is needed. There are some less-than-desirable wildflower products on the market today, some in containers with beautiful labels. Attractive packaging has been known to mask mixtures of mainly common grass seed and fillers with few wildflower seeds. Check seed package labels and choose a seed mixture that will do best in your location. At Wedel's, we sell a Midwest wildflower mixture containing yarrow, coreopsis, coneflower, black-eyed Susan, and other native perennial flowers. Wedel's also stocks a Butterfly Flower mix and a Hummingbird Flower Mix. Be sure the wildflower seed mixture you choose is predominantly perennial. Mixes of mostly annuals seldom re-seed as one might expect. Our bulk packs of seed mixes are exclusively native flower seed of the Midwest states. These mixes will provide continuous bloom throughout the growing season. Perennial varieties planted from seed seldom bloom the first year, but become lovelier each succeeding year, in time becoming a carpet of beauty.

A walk through a Southwest Michigan woods in the spring is a treat all of us enjoy. Soft greens, pinks, whites, and yellows are an encouragement to plant lovers after a long, hard winter. Folks who wish to establish some woodland flowers in their shady landscape will find that starting from plants is the most successful method. Wedel's selection includes potted native woodland flowers like trillium, Dutchman's breeches, Jack-in-the-pulpit, ferns, Map apple, violets, wild ginger, and Virginia blue bells.

To prepare your sunny planting site, first kill out all competitive grasses and weeds. Spray Kill-Zall to completely kill weeds and grasses as soon as they begin to grow. Four days later, rototill the soil to a depth of eight inches. Wait five days, then condition soil with composted cow manure and sphagnum peat moss and rototill in to a depth of three inches. After the last rototilling, apply Plant Tone slow release organic fertilizer, rake level, sow seeds, brush in lightly, and roll with a lawn roller to firm in seeds. Prepare shady areas in a like manner just before setting potted plants.

Ample moisture should be available for wildflowers and native grass seed to germinate and establish well. Watering in dry weather will be necessary the first year. Until established, pull out competing weeds. Once your native garden or mini-meadow is established, only minimal irrigation is required. Wildflowers can add color and natural beauty to many landscape and garden schemes. With a little effort initially, over time the requirements become less and less. For many of today's busy gardeners, the appeal of low maintenance as well as the benefit of season-long beauty, is ample reason to try wildflowers.