The Backyard Guru

Spring Fertilizing Trees and Shrubs

2012-03-06T15:42:00.000-08:00

Spring is a good time to fertilize young trees and shrubs
Trees and shrubs often are forgotten when it comes time to fertilize the yard in the spring. Young trees, especially those with a trunk diameter of less than six inches, can benefit from regular applications of fertilizer.

"When young trees soak up nitrogen fertilizer, they grow quickly, develop a dense canopy and stay green into the fall," said Ross Penhallegon, horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. "It might not be necessary, however, to fertilize large, established trees or shrubs in or near lawns or groundcovers that are fertilized regularly."

Tree root systems extend for a long distance and they absorb nutrients when the area around them is fertilized. Additionally, as trees mature, their roots develop associations with fungi called mycorrhizae. These beneficial fungi help the tree utilize minerals and elements in the soil.

Before you fertilize, take a look at your trees and ask these questions to help you decide if your trees need additional nutrients:

How much annual growth do you see? Most young trees average about 12 to 18 inches of new shoot growth each year; older trees have less.

Is your tree growing less than expected?

Has the color, size or amount of foliage changed over the past few years?

Has the tree recently had disease or insect problems?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, the tree might benefit from fertilization.

"The best time to fertilize is in the spring," Penhallegon said. "If you fertilize in the fall, you run the risk of shocking the plant into becoming metabolically active right when cold weather hits." Plus, a lot of the fertilizer will leach into the groundwater due to the excessive rain.

Most woody plants begin the new year’s growth with elements stored from the year before. An application of fertilizer in the spring gives an additional boost to this new growth.

Garden references vary about how much fertilizer to apply to trees and shrubs. Penhallegon has a general rule for fertilizing trees and shrubs — use 1/4 to 1/2 pound of nitrogen per inch of diameter for trees six inches or more in diameter at breast height. Use 1/4-pound actual nitrogen per inch on smaller trees. This is roughly two to four pounds of complete fertilizer per inch diameter on the larger trees and half that dosage on smaller trees. In most cases use the lesser amount.

"As time goes on, you will be able to tell by the condition of tree or shrub, whether or not it needs more fertilizer," Penhallegon said. "Typically, healthy trees and shrubs have 12 to 18 inches of branch growth per year. Their leaf color should be dark green, with lighter green on new growth."

Apply the fertilizer along the drip line of the tree, the area with the majority of the roots. If the fertilizer is applied to the soil surface only, much can be washed away or will not filter into the soil to the root zone. Water the fertilizer or allow the rain to keep the fertilizer from washing away.

For quicker absorption, use a punch or probe to make holes 12 to 18 inches deep, and then fill the holes with fertilizer. Then be sure to water deeply.

Another way to fertilize is to "pepper" the ground with fertilizer as you walk around the drip-line of the tree. This method should also provide an adequate amount of fertilizer. Apply fertilizer in this manner right before it rains, so it will be washed into the root zone. Or water the fertilized area for an hour after application.

Another way to determine fertilizer needs is to do a soil test.

Learn more, click HERE to connect with Cascade Gardens

Prepare for Spring with Proper Pruning of Grapes and Fruit Trees

2012-02-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

Spring chores for yuour fruit trees and grape vines.

We’re not done with winter, but we do have garden chores to do this month. Outdoor tasks center mainly around pruning fruit trees and grapevines. This is the month we prune table grapevines in the Valley and begin pruning fruit trees.

Why should you prune grapevines? If they’re left unpruned, they’ll set too many flower-fruit buds, reducing the quality of the harvested grapes. When the vine blossoms, the food (carbohydrates) available will be diluted over the length of the vine, resulting in some bunches not filling out properly, other bunches never maturing and some having an insipid or sour flavor when ripe.

If you don’t prune a grapevine, it also may delay fruit’s ripening past the first frost, which will destroy your crop and put the vine at risk for freezing damage, since it didn’t have chance to prepare for winter dormancy. Annual pruning prevents a tangled mess of vines, too.

If you have a young table grapevine, three years old or younger, leave from 10 to 20 fruiting buds per vine. If the vine is older, you may leave 40 to 60 buds. There should be twice as many bunches of grapes on the vine as the fruiting buds that are left.

June is the proper month for fertilization.http://www.cascadegardens.biz/ A good application of well-rotted compost should be sufficient, and preferable to synthetic chemical fertilizers that may attract harmful insects. If you’ve bought bulk compost, try to make sure it doesn’t contain herbicides.

Pruning fruit trees requires that you first prune out the damaged, dangling and dead limbs and twigs. Then go after crossing branches and twigs that, when wind blows, movement can damage the adjacent branches or twigs.

Prune 1/3 off the new top growth, and 2/3 of new growth on the laterals. The purpose of fruit tree pruning is to open up the crown to admit sunlight and air movement to all branches, reducing fungal infections.

Heed too her other advice: If a ladder is required, make sure a second person is at hand to call an ambulance if needed. Also have a designated caller on hand if you’re using a chain saw.

Pruning stimulates vegetative growth (more limbs) when spring and summer come around. “Water sprouts” or twigs rising vertically from limbs will appear and they should be removed. No flowers/fruit form on vertical limbs, only on horizontal limbs. The closer to horizontal, the better a limb will fruit, but unless you keep that limb cut back and fruit thinned in June, heavy fruiting will break the branch.

If a branch looks to be in danger of breaking, prop it up. Breaking large limbs tear bark from the trunk, putting the tree in danger of infection.

Want to learn more, Click HERE for Cascade Gardens web.

Leaf Curl for your Citrus Trees, Treat Now!

2012-02-07T17:53:00.000-08:00

Leaf curl is a plant disease caused by a fungus (Taphrina deformans,[1] genus Taphrina) or virus (especially genus Begomovirus of the family Geminiviridae) and characterized by curling of leaves. Although all leaf curl occurring in different plants (usually only citrus plants) is relatively the same,[clarification needed] one of the most notable types is peach leaf curl, caused by the fungus Taphrina deformans. Taphrina deformans belongs to the subclass Protoascomycetes. Leaf curl is found in America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.[2] It was first introduced in America in 1852 and has now spread all over the country.

'Leaf curl has caused a lot of damage over the years. It makes the amount of leaves and fruit produced by trees significantly lower. It has caused many trees to die. The disease also costs the United States 2.5 to 3 million dollars annually. However, it is believed that the effects of the disease are preventable. If the correct sprays (usually lime sulfur) are used correctly, a 98% yield of healthy fruit is obtained. If trees are not sprayed with specific chemicals early enough, and if the tree is treated after the host tissue is infected, treatment is ineffective.

Symptoms

Leaf Curl has characteristics that are very differentiating and easily noticeable. Diseased leaves can usually be picked out early after leaving the bud due to their reddish color and arched shape. As the leaves develop, they appear distorted and fold their tips backwards. Diseased leaves are usually thicker and softer than the normal, unharmed leaves. The colors of the leaves are also unique. Instead of the normal green spring leaves, the colors turn yellow, followed by purple, until finally a whitish bloom covers each leaf. Twigs may show signs of sickness, such as being black in color and swollen. Fruit can be affected, showing a reddish color. Infected leaves fall early. The tree may produce a second crop of leaves that is never diseased, because the fungus cannot survive at the higher temperatures in late spring and early summer. The fungus prefers the high humidity in the early spring because it permits spores to germinate. If the tree is infected for consecutive years death may occur.

Causes of Leaf Curl

When a virus is the cause of leaf curl in a plant, usually an insect will carry the virus to the plant. This is such the case in sweet potato leaf curl, carried by the sweet potato whitefly . The whitefly also has been found to transport the leaf curl virus to tomatoes. This has been seen since 1997 in Florida, and has since spread to other southern states. The virus was recently seen in South Carolina, and with the abundance of whiteflies in the state, has the potential to spread out of the southeastern United States. The Geminiviridae virus has also been seen to spread by the transport of nursery soils. The virus appears to stay in soil, and when a new crop is planted, affects the new host.

When a whitefly (and some other carriers of viruses) eats leaves on an infected plant, the virus enters its saliva and is spread when the fly eats at a healthy tree. This explains the rapid amount of trees infected in a given area.

When a fungus causes the sickness, a different process occurs. The fungus (Taphrina deformans) causes the whitish bloom that covers each leaf as infection progresses. This color is made of asci that break through the cuticle of the leaf. One asci consists of eight ascospores that create conidia, which are ejected in early summer and moved by methods of rain and wind. It is believed that this fungus survives the winter by staying on the surface of the new host plant, such as on bark or buds. In the spring, new buds are affected by the conidia as the leaves come out of the buds. The fungus produces the ascospores on the surface of the already infected leaves. Often the disease does not occur every year due to the variances in temperature and weather from year to year. The fungus has higher infection rates following cooler winters, has optimal temperatures for infection, and requires rain.

Control of the Disease

Although other methods are under investigation, spraying the leaves with fungicides is the most common and efficient control of the disease. It is important for spraying to occur well before budding. Different areas in climates depict the type of fungicide used and how often, since experiments have shown that the fungi are temperature dependent. Some fungicides commonly used include, among other things, copper based mixtures and lime sulfurs.

If a plant appears to have symptoms of leaf curl, precautions can be taken to maximize the crops for that spring. The trees are often treated with nitrogen and excess water to minimize stress on the tree. So the tree can focus on producing good peaches, thinning the tree out might also help. It would be advantageous to take away the infected leaves and fruit after they fall to the ground so that next years tree might not get infected. Fungicide might also be used before winter on the tree .

Future of the Disease

Scientists are on a mission to stop leaf curl infections. There have been observations that some crops have certain characteristics that make them not susceptible to the virus or fungus, even ones of the same species that are infected in other parts of the world. Experiments are being conducted and hopefully less susceptible crops will be able to be produced and stop the infection.

Due to millions of dollars of debt in the U.S. Agriculture Department in 1992, universities, state departments, and the USDA adopted a national plan of research and action against the silverleaf whitefly. Since then, crop damage has been somewhat reduced, but the researchers are still hard at work and the degree of debt is steadily increasing. The harm to the agriculture does not rest solely on the leaf curl disease when regarding the whitefly. It even carries the viruses to cause immature ripening in tomatoes, lettuce chlorosis, processing problems in cotton, and blotching in squash plants. In fact, every tomato field in Florida has been infected with a geminivirus.

The researchers are just trying new things and hoping that they move in the right direction. For example, breeding the lines of crops that are less affected by whiteflies would be more beneficial, but the issue of time is a problem. Another option is the introduction of wasps into environments. Researchers found that female exotic wasps deposit eggs under whitefly larva, which emerge from the eggs and destroy the larva. This is still being explored because introducing exotic species into new environments can have severe implications to the new environment and its members .

Want to learn more about when and how to treat your plants and trees, click HERE to see more from Cascade Gardens, http://www.cascadegardens.biz/

Autumn Flame Red Maple

2011-12-05T12:48:00.000-08:00

Autumn Flame Red Maple

One of the best aspects of the Autumn Flame Red Maple (Acer rubrum "Autumn Flame") is that, as a native to North America, it thrives in most continental climate zones. This means that just about everyone in the United States and Canada can enjoy this maple's amazing autumn leaves. The star-shaped leaves of the Autumn Flame maple burst into a yellowish red hue in the fall, and have a way of seemingly lighting the area around them.

Even once they've fallen, the leaves of the Autumn Flame maple manage to color the ground for several days. Since some varieties of the tree can grow to heights of 60 feet (18.3 meters) and spread as wide as 50 feet (15.2 meters), this beautiful carpet of leaves can be substantial. Even better, this type of red maple tends to hang onto its leaves longer than other maples, so you'll have more time to watch them fall [source: University of Florida]. Be sure to plant the Autumn Flame maple in a part of your yard that gets lots of rain, as these trees love water. They're worth any extra irrigation you may have to undertake.

Want to see more ideas for planting in the flall and winter, click HERE for Cascadegardens.com

Autumnalis Cherry Blossoms for Winter

2011-11-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

Autumnalis cherry blossoms. How can you be depressed with these stunners in your yard?

4. Autumnalis Cherry Tree

The Autumnalis cherry tree (Prunus subhirtella "Autumnalis") has a lot going for it. (For one thing, it's immune to the Asian ambrosia beetle -- a parasitic bug that's usually lethal to other cherry varieties.)

The Autumnalis also has the added benefit of blooming during both the spring and fall. During moderate winter temperatures in the Southern United States, these cherry trees may bloom several times [source: Wilson Bros. Nursery]. Because of the late fall and early winter, the fragile, light pink flowers of Autumnalis provide an elegant contrast against the tree's leafless limbs. Even on the gloomiest days, Autumnalis flowers pop.

Be selective where you plant an Autumnalis, as these trees can get fairly large. They grow 25 to 35 feet (7.6 to 10.7 meters) tall, with a canopy spread of the same width [source: University of Florida]. Giving an Autumnalis enough room to grow will keep you from having to prune it -- yet another check in this tree's favor

Want more information on what to plan in winter, click HERE for Cascade Gardens

The Top Fall Plants for your Landscape

2011-10-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

Top Fall Plants for your landscape
Fall can be depressing. The leaves are falling, leaving behind bare-limbed and dead-looking trees for the winter to come. Dismal, steel-gray skies create a dreary cast over everything. Some types of grass actually turn brown. It's cold and monochromatic.
The landscape doesn't stay that way, thank goodness. The spring and summer months burst with color and wonderful scents that remind you that you're alive. With some smart selection and good placement you can create a new palate of color in your yard after season's end. Some plants show their stuff in the fall and can help lighten your spirits. While your neighbors shuffle sadly and aimlessly about their homes with nothing to look at but dead leaves, you'll be feeling fine.
Follow the next five blogs to see the top five picks of plants that bring renewed vigor to a fall landscape, in no particular order.

First is the Blue Rug Juniper.

Blue rug juniper (Juniperus horizontalis "Wiltoni") is a nice, low-growing evergreen shrub. Its foliage is thick and hugs the ground, achieving a maximum height of 6 to 8 inches (15.2 to 20.3 centimeters). During the warmer months, blue rug juniper foliage is silvery blue-green; during the autumn and winter, the evergreen becomes purplish blue. It brings an unexpected splash of color to any fading landscape.
Blue rug junipers make a great, hardy addition to embankments (they hold soil and prevent erosion well) or to any sunny area. They're also highly adaptable to different soil and water conditions [source: Nature Hills Nursery]. Installing some around a tall plant or shrub like a gardenia or dwarf crape myrtle will provide colorful contrast all year [source: Wilson Bros. Nursery]. In the fall, the purple juniper will pop against dark green evergreen leaves of broadleaf plants.

Want to see the rest, check next weeks blog for #2? Click HERE to see more that Cascade Gardens has to offer.

Winterize your waterfalls!

2011-10-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

It is a misconception that running water during the winter months somehow hurts your fish. After all they are cold blooded creatures and adapt to whatever the water temperature is at any given time. Secondly running water freezes slower than still water. Therefore with some precautions you can continue to run your waterfall well into winter. Mainly you just have to be sure that the waterfall or filter outlet flow does not freeze to the point that water gets diverted out of the pond therefore draining it.

FISH:
Help them in early Fall to survive by doing the following: Add a vitamin and mineral supplement to their diet to help them build up their immune systems and add the needed stored fat to get through the hibernation cycle. Once the water temperature drops to 55 or lower only feed them when they are actively up and roaming around. If they are hanging around at the bottom do not feed. Only feed them what they will eat in a few minutes and remove as much of the uneaten food as possible. When the water temperature is below 45 do not feed at all, even on warm days where the nighttime water temperature will return to 45 or less. Ammonia is the number one fish killer. During the winter your fish will not die from the cold they actually might suffocate due to the water becoming toxic. Ammonia builds up at the bottom of the pond, the very place your fish want to spend the winter, while carbon dioxide builds up near the surface under the ice. A pond deicer (heater) may helps some with the carbon dioxide problem, but does nothing to prevent ammonia build up. Ammonia forms because of several reasons. It is part of the natural biological process, when organic matter is in the pond, dead plant life, fish waste etc., ammonia is the first thing given off during the decaying process. The bodily functions of the fish also greatly contribute to ammonia in the pond. Yes their waste is part of it, but actually some 70% or more is coming from their gill function. As they breathe they give off ammonia and carbon dioxide. During their winter hibernation their whole system slows down, but they still breathe and produce waste matter. It is very important to allow dissolved oxygen into the pond and do something to prevent the ammonia and carbon dioxide build up. A deicer (heater) just does not do the best job possible. The answer is an Aerator/Circulator Decontaminator Unit. Using one of these units and a deicer as a back up is the best solution. Use the Aerator/Circulator Decontaminator all year round as it greatly enhances the overall biological process helping to prevent algae and such, but it is very important in the winter and should be added to the pond in early Fall to provide a clean, clear and healthy environment for your fish. The explosion of bubbles will constantly add dissolved oxygen to the depths of the pond, while helping to keep a hole open in the ice. Even if your pond froze completely over the unit would continue to work bringing a fresh supply of oxygen, while absorbing toxicants. Again a deicer (heater) will only add a little surface oxygen and does nothing to prevent ammonia.

Plants:
Tropical plants are not going to make it through the winter, if left in the pond (if you live where you have a 'real' winter). They should be removed as soon as the water temperature drops below 60. Depending on the variety use them as house plants. Water hyacinth and lettuce take a lot of work and money to keep alive all winter so it is best to consider them annuals and just replace each spring. Your hardy plants need to be cut down to about an inch above the root stem and sink them a little deeper if you like. However, remember your fish, they need a place to hibernate so give the fish the top priority as far as room is concerned. Best time to cut the hardy plants back is long before there is a chance of frost. While removing the hardy plants to cut them back remove any debris and string algae from the pots and stems.

Maintenance:In you have an out of the pond biological filter, you can let it continue to run until there is the chance that the outlet water flow might freeze to the point that water could get diverted from the pond. If you shut it down let the water drain from it either via siphon effect or from the drain plug. Do not clean it other than to remove any dead plant life, leaves etc. An in the pond filter should be removed for winter. Check your pump manufacturer's instructions (yup -- you should have kept them). Remove as much debris as you can from the pond. Net out dead plant material, leaves, waste, sludge etc., but do not over do it. Try not to murk up the water too much. During the winter, check on your pond often to make sure all is going well. If the pond has completely frozen over NEVER break it, by pounding on it etc. Sometimes during the very coldest of winters the recommended Aerator/Circulator Decontaminator may not keep a hole open in the ice all the time. Do not panic, remember the unit is still working bringing in oxygen and absorbing toxicants. If this happens, now is the time to plug in the deicer, but just until the ice opens. Another thing to do is pour hot water until the hole opens again.

Need more help, call Cascade Gardens, http://www.thisismytownusa.com/cascade-gardens.php, Marc will help you with all your questions.

Deer Resistant Plants in the Sierra Foothills?

2011-08-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

When food sources dwindle for deer in late summer and Fall, they will eat to survive, but, these plants have deterred deer a“test garden” in Oakhurst-Yosemite area for the last five years. New mountain area gardeners may become discouraged when their neighbors shake their heads and say, “Oh, I can’t grow anything, but the deer eat it!” Don’t be discouraged, just try these:
(Acer palmatum, Japanese maple
Acer negundo, Box Elder
Achillea, Yarrow
Agastache, Anise hyssop, Hummingbird mint
Ajuga, Carpet bugle
Allium, Wild onion
Aquilegia formosa, Western Columbine
Artemisia
Asclepias, Butterfly weed
Asters
Berberis thunbergii, Barberry
Berlandiera lyrata, Chocolate Scented Daisy
Brachycome multifida, Rock Daisy
Buddleia, Butterfly bush
Campanula, Bellflower
Carpenteria, California anemone
Ceanothus, Wild lilac
Cerastium tomentosa, Snow-in-Summer
Centranthus ruber, Jupiter’s beard
Chamaecyparis, False Cypress
Chrysanthemum parthenium, Golden feverfew
Cercis occidentalis, California Redbud
Cistus, Rockrose
Chrysanthemum maximum, Shasta Daisy
Chrysanthemum paludosum, Ox-eye Daisy
Coreopsis, Tickseed
Cotoneaster
Dahlia
Delphinium
Diascia, Twinspur
Dicentra formosa, Western bleeding heart
Digitalis, Foxglove
Dudleya cymosa Hen & Chicks
Echinacea, Cone flower
Epilobium, California fuschia
Erigeron karvinskianus, Mexican daisy
Erysimum, Wallflower
Eschscholzia californica California Poppy
Euphorbia, Spurge
Ferns
Gaillardia grandiflora, Indian Blanket
Grass and grass-like plants
Helichrysum
Helleborus, Hellebores
Hemerocallis, Day lily
Heuchera, Coral Bells
Hypericum, St. Johnswort
Hyssopus, Hyssop
Iris
Laurentia fluviatilis, Blue Star Creeper
Lavandula, Lavender
Lilium, Asiatic Lily
Lonicera, Honeysuckle
Lupinus albifrons, Silver bush lupine
Lysimachia nummularia, Creeping Jenny
Mahonia, Oregon grape
Mentha, Mint
Miscanthus sinensis, Maiden Grass
Monarda didyma, Bee Balm
Monardella, Coyote mint
Myrtus, Myrtle
Narcissus, Daffodils
Nepeta, Catmint
Nigella damascena, Love in a Mist
Nicotiana, Flowering tobacco
Origanum, Oregano
Oxalis oregana, Redwood sorrel
Papaver, Poppy
Peony
Perovskia, Russian sage
Phlomis, Jerusalem sage
Phlox subulata, Creeping Phlox
Picea glauca, Alberta Spruce
Potentilla, Cinquefoil
Pyracantha, Firethorn
Rhododendron
Romneya coulteri, Matilija poppy
Rosmarinus, Rosemary
Rudbeckia hirta, Gloriosa Daisy
Sage
Salvia apiana, White sage
Salvia ‘Bee’s Bliss’
Salvia clevelandii, Cleveland sage
Salvia leucophylla, Gray sage
Salvia mellifera, Black sage
Salvia sonomensis, Sonoma sage
Salvia spathacea, Hummingbird sage
Santolina, Lavender cotton
Sedum
Senecio, Dusty miller
Sisyrinchium bellum, Blue-eyed grass
Solanum, Potato vine
Spiraea, Spirea
Stachys, Lamb’s ears
Syringa vulgaris, Common Lilac
Tagetes lemmonii, Mexican bush marigold
Teucrium, Germander
Thymus, Common thyme
Umbellularia californica, California bay
Want more information click here: http://www.thisismytownusa.com/cascade-gardens.php
Cascade Gardenshttp://www.thisismytownusa.com/cascade-gardens.php

Landscaping Design with Ornamental Grasses

2011-08-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

Throughout the year, your garden can offer wonderful changing patterns and colors. You can see changes as you watch your garden move through the seasons, month to month. A dynamic plant to include in your landscape design are Ornamental Grasses which offer movement, quick growth and long extending plumes or flowers.

Ornamental grasses can play an important role in your garden design, providing an anchor with which to pull all the formal and informal elements of your garden into a well planned design. Their beauty lies in their linear clusters and extending blossoms with a variety of colors that reach their peak just as the rest of your garden is slipping into dormancy.

Grasses have not only beauty and variety but also ease of cultivation. Given ordinary earth and a place in the sun, most are extraordinarily drought tolerant and need little care beyond an annual grooming.
In short, ornamental grasses would seem to be a perfect addition to your landscape design, because of their ease of care, their drought tolerance, their winter beauty and the way they augment our gardens with their color patterns.

Qualities of Grasses
Ornamental grasses can range in height from 1 foot to 14 or more feet and can be used for ground covers, erosion control, architectural features and screens. They make excellent companion plants due to the contrast they provide with traditional herbaceous perennials. Since grasses come in a variety of design forms—from tufted to upright to arching—you can certainly find a grass that will provide just the contrast you need to make your garden design come together.

It is important to recognize the different qualities of various grasses before planting them in your garden. Some grasses are rhizomatous, or “running” grasses, meaning they spread by underground stems. These grasses make excellent ground covers, provide erosion control and, due to the nature of their spreading, are naturally resistant to the invasion of weeds. But if they are heading where you don’t want them to go, rhizomatous grasses give you the added hassle of vigilant spading.

Keep in mind that not all rhizomatous grasses spread at the same rate—some advance as much as twelve feet a year in ideal circumstances. If you must have a grass with pernicious runners, you can plant it within an underground barrier, much the same way you keep varmints in check. Other types of grasses form clumps that increase in circumference every year and require division every two to three years. Distinguishing between these two types of grasses will enable you to place them in an appropriate location in your garden and help to prevent headaches in future years.

Another variance in ornamental grasses is the distinction between warm and cool season grasses. Warm season grasses will grow and thrive during warmer times of the year and remain good looking even when temperatures are high and moisture is limited. These grasses do not begin to show growth until the weather becomes stable and the soils warm, and they usually do not require as frequent division as cool season grasses. Some warm season grasses include Japanese Silver Grass (Miscanthus sp..), Hardy Pampas Grass (Erianthus) and Switch Grass (Panicum).

Cool season grass will start to grow early in the spring and may even remain semi-evergreen over the winter. These grasses also seem to do better and have better foliage quality when temperatures are cool or if they are given sufficient water during drought periods. If they are not watered during drought, they tend to go dormant resulting in brown foliage. These grasses may require more frequent division to keep them healthy-looking and vigorous. If not, they tend to die out in the center of their clumping form. Some of the more popular cool season grasses include Fescues, Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichon), Tufted Hair Grass (Deschampia), and Autumn Moor Grass (Sesleria).

Caring for Your Grasses All ornamental grasses must be trimmed at some point during the year. How and when you trim depends on the weather and the type of grasses they are. The best time to groom grasses is just after the winter, which will allow you to enjoy their beauty through those colder months. The warm season grasses will need to be cut back to within six inches of the ground, while the semi-evergreen grasses will need a trim in the spring-just snipping off the frayed ends and winter damage.

Use sharp shears to trim if you only have a few plants. A hard blade attachment on a weed whacker makes shorter work of more extensive plantings.

As a rule of thumb, grasses should be fed lightly or not at all. Over-fed grasses tend to grow out of character, falling down when they should be standing upright. Generally, 1/4 the amount of fertilizer you feed your flowering plants is adequate, with the exception of bamboos which require a much richer soil and standard fertilizing practice. It is especially important to keep nitrogen levels low so that you don’t have to be out staking your grasses when you want to be enjoying them for the low-maintenance beauties that they are. In fact, fertilizers high in nitrogen causes excess growth and weak stems so the usual neat habit is lost as the plants become floppy and unsightly.

In most gardens the biggest problem with ornamental grasses is that weed grasses may seed themselves into the crowns of desirable species. It is important to keep on top of this and not allow the weed species to become established.

Edible Landscapes: Add Leafy Garden Greens to Your Yard this Summer

2011-06-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

Some people tend to have trouble growing leafy greens throughout the hot steamy days of summer. If you're an expert or beginning gardener you can select the specific leafy greens that can stand the heat and combine them with your landscape giving your a colorful and edible garden.

Sure, most greens are more comfortable during the cool days of early spring or fall, but there are many varieties that are comfortable growing during hotter times. Here is a list of leafy summer greens that great for growing during the warmer seasons and they will keep producing nutritious leaves that can be harvested on a daily basis.

Kale

Leafy Greens for Summer Garden Production

Collards – One of the hardiest of all greens, collards can grow through the summer just as easily as it survives cold winter conditions out in the garden.
Kale – Not quite as tolerant as collard greens, kale is capable of providing summer greens from the garden. Tuscan Black Palm Kale is an especially good variety for summer production. These can expand to produce a nice light to vibrant green low growing ground plant.

Giant Red Mustard

Mustard – Not everyone’s favorite because of its spicy flavor, mustard greens will grow well during summer. Try Red Giant and pick the leaves young to add color and some kick to salads. This is a great example picture of how leafy greens can add a unique touch to your landscape.
Amaranth – These plants are very ornamental and will grow over five feet tall. In addition to the edible leaves the plant also produces a seed cluster that can be used as a grain.

Amaranth

Orach – Another attractive leafy green that is seldom seen in the vegetable garden. This beautiful plant is offered in a number of strains and is usually reddish or green in color. These are beautiful and unique even for deck potted plants.
Lambs Quarters – This one is an “edible weed” that tastes better than many of the greens cultivated in the garden. You may be trashing this wild plant without realizing it is edible.
Dandelion – Another edible weed with cultivated strains and close relatives that can all be grown for food. Dandelions won’t struggle a bit under the summer’s growing conditions.

Lambs Quarters

Malabar Spinach – This unusual leafy vegetable even thrives in the tropics and once established it can be cut to the ground and it will resprout and continue to grow.
Swiss Chard – Take care of those despicable leaf miners and your Swiss Chard will have no trouble at all in withstanding all that the summer season can throw at it. These plants have beautifully colorful stalks that can also add to the aestetic of your landscape.

Swiss Chard

Beet Greens – Don’t overlook vegetables like red beets that are typically grown for their roots or fruits, but also produce leaves that make excellent greens!

That’s just a partial list of heat tolerant summer greens but that’s enough to give you a feel for the options available to raise greens during even the hottest days of of the year. Obviously you will have to be aware of wildlife that might enjoy your edible landscape but these are also great options for those with fenced yards, deck pots and front yards that tend to be frequented less by animals.

Drainage Problems: Keeping Your Yard & Garden Above Water

2011-03-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

What can cause poor drainage in your garden?

There are several factors that can contribute to poor garden drainage. On new housing estates, it is often caused by compacted soil as a result of builders' trucks repeatedly driving and sitting on the ground. This combined with the mixing of sub-soil and topsoil when all the trenches and foundations were excavated often leads to a heavy, wet plot.

Of course, drainage problems are not always caused by human activity, the soil may, by its nature (e.g. clay soils) be water retentive or, if it is low lying, be affected by the natural water table of the area. This is often the case in our area in Northern California especially Meadow Vista with it's red clay and low water table. On clay and other water retentive soils, the flow of water though the soil is very slow, this can be exacerbated if the contours of the land form depressions in which the surface water can collect. On land which has a very shallow water table, not much can be done to avoid water logging after heavy rain as the water table can rise to the surface of the land or actually above it, in this latter case a pond will naturally form.

How to know if a garden needs better drainage?

Wet weather in the winter or spring will show how good or bad the natural drainage is. Patches of water on the surface are the most common signs of problems. To check how well the land drains, dig a hole about 24 inches deep and 12 inches square, then fill it half full with water. Leave it for 24 hours in which time it should empty on well-drained soil. On very wet land, the hole may actually fill.

What sort of drainage system should be used?

If the top-soil is very poor, it may be worth stripping off the top 6 inch and importing new topsoil. Where the topsoil is just very water retentive, the problems may be reduced by double-digging and incorporating large amounts of bulky organic materials, but where the soil is inherently heavy and waterlogged, some form of drainage will be necessary.

The type of drainage used depends largely on the extent of the problem. If the water logging is not severe and there is only excess surface water, it may be possible to overcome the problem by shaping the garden surfaces so that the water flows off into ditches. These ditches should be 3 to 4 feet deep, with sloping sides.

More extensive issues may need items such as perforated plastic pipe which is crush-resistant and the holes allow the entry of water from the surrounding soil. The pipes can be supplied in lengths of up to 50 ft which can just be laid into a trench and surrounded by gravel. With a large area to drain, the most efficient way is to lay a number of pipes in a "herring-bone" pattern.

Underground pipes should always be laid above the local water table otherwise the pipes will just be moving the groundwater instead of draining the topsoil On level ground, the pipes should be sloped underground to encourage water to drain away quickly and on sloping land, the main drain should run down the slope. Drained water obviously needs somewhere to go so all pipes should terminate in a soakaway or ditch.

It is always best to seek professional advice before attempting to extensively re-direct the drainage issues in your garden or yard to best save you time and money. Most landscape experts offer a free consultation to help assess the severity of your issue.

Winterizing Your Garden and Water Feature

2010-11-19T16:21:00.000-08:00

Winter is definitely on its way, so now is the time to plan for next spring with some simple steps in the fall.

Pick up, Clean Up. Remove fallen leaves, branches, and cones from your water feature and the garden in general. This includes spent annuals and vegetables. If any of them are diseased throw them away. otherwise, the leaves can head right for the compost pile. Large branches and cones will take too long to break down and should go to a recycling center.

Weeding is important now because you don’t want the weeds to get a head start in the spring. Invasive plants should be removed as well. Do not put weeds or invasive plants in your compost pile! They will reappear when the compost is spread.

To Prune or Not to Prune. Typically, fall and winter are not times to prune, except for evergreens and alpine perennials like Dianthus and Huechera. Remember seedheads of some perennials provide food for birds in the winter. Roses should be pruned in January, snow or shine. And for bigger blooms, apply Epson salts and compost a few inches from the stem.

Mulching Made Easy. Mulch doesn’t have to be an elaborate mixture. It can be whatever you have on hand or can easily find. Mulch with bark, shredded leaves, pine needles or rice straw. The idea is to keep the soil around the plants warm, but keep the mulch several inches away from the plant stem.

Running the Water Feature. On most Cascade Garden features, you can run them during the winter as well. Just be sure that the pump is placed so it doesn’t freeze up. And of course, if you are running it, pick up debris so it doesn’t clog the filter. If you have fish in your pond, you need to protect them and take additional steps. See the website of Flora Tropicana in Elk Grove at http://www.floratropicana.com/

Evaluate Your Garden Design. In winter? You bet. It’s a great time to plan for next year. Here are some questions to think about:

--What worked and didn’t work this past year?

--Take photos of the areas you want to address.

--What is lacking? Fall colors? Spring bulbs? A water feature to sooth the nerves?

--More space for entertaining? A veggie garden?

There are some great websites to help you think about what your goals may be:

http://www.sunset.com/garden/landscaping-design/

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/

Also, you should contact local landscaping companies for an evaluation and some suggestions. Most companies do that at no cost.

But most of all, have fun!

Marc Krupin is the owner of Cascade Gardens, a foothills-based landscaping company. With over 25 years in the business, he can help you design the garden you’ve been wishing for.

How to Protect Your Plants In a Freeze and Cold Weather

2010-11-10T09:57:00.000-08:00

Many gardeners plant trees, shrubs and flowers that can survive in their garden during typical weather. But what can a gardener do when the weather is unpredictable? Unexpected freezes can cause havoc and devastate landscapes and gardens which in turn can cost a homeowner hundred to thousands of dollars. It can leave a gardener wondering how to protect plants from freezing and what is the best way to cover and keep plants from frost damage.

At what temperature do plants freeze?

When cold weather heads into town, your first thought will focus on the lowest temperature predicted. What temperature will be low enough for plants to freeze, or how cold is too cold? There is no simple answer to this. Different plants freeze and die at different temperatures. That is why they are given a hardiness rating by experts. Some plants produce special hormones that keeps them from freezing and these plants have a lower hardiness rating (meaning they can survive colder weather) than plants who produce less of this same hormone.

That being said, there is also different definitions of survival. A plant may lose all of its foliage during a freeze but still survive. The plant can regrow from the stems or even the roots. So, while the leaves cannot survive a certain temperature, other parts of the plant will.

How to Protect Plants from Freezing?

If you are only expecting a light freeze, you may be able to protect plants in a freeze simply by covering them with a sheet or blanket. This acts like insulation, keeping warm air from the ground around the plant. Frost and ice will form on the covering instead of directly on the plant. The warmth may be enough to keep a plant from freezing during a short cold snap.

For added protection when you protect plants in a freeze, you can place plastic over the sheets or blankets to help keep warmth in. You should never cover a plant with just plastic as the plastic will damage the plant. Make sure that a cloth barrier is between the plastic and the plant. Be sure to gently remove the sheets and blanket and plastic first thing in the morning after an overnight cold snap. If you do not do so, condensation can build up and freeze again under the covering, which will damage the plant and undo your efforts.

When protecting plants in a freeze that is longer or deeper, you may have no choice but to expect to sacrifice all or part of the plant in hopes that the roots will survive. Start by heavily mulching the roots of the plant with either wood mulch or hay. For added protection, you can nestle gallon jugs of warm water into the mulch each night. This will help drive off some of the cold that can kill the roots.

If you have more time before a freeze happens, you can also create insulation barriers around a plant as a way how to protect plants from freezing. Tie up the plant as neatly as possible. Drive stakes that are as tall as the plant into the ground around the plant. Wrap the stakes in burlap so that the plant appears to be fenced in. Stuff the inside of this fence with hay or leaves. Again, you can place milk jugs of warm water on the inside, at the base of this fence each night to help supplement the heat. A string of Christmas lights wrapped around the plant can also help add additional heat. As soon as the freeze passes, remove the covering so that the plant can get the sunlight it needs. Watering the soil (not the leaves or stems of the plants) will also help the soil retain heat and can help the plant’s roots and lower branches survive.

As you can see there are 'degrees' of freeze protection so if you have any doubt you should contact a professional landscaper or plant expert in your area to get tailored advice.