Clematis vines like to climb, so aim high.
A well-grown clematis is a sight to behold. This variety blooms as the same time as the baptisia in the foreground. |
Our back garden is surrounded by a 6-foot fence. For years, I've tried to train clematis to grow up the fence with some success. Keep in mind that clematis will grow up, not horizontally. You can tease out the vines as they grow, encouraging some to spread laterally, but they will always grow vertically if left on their own.
By training the vines early in the season, I get a nice display on sections of the fence. However, I find that the vines reach the top of the fence and then tumble when they can grow no higher. If they could, they would. Indeed, I have a client who has 12-foot trellis panels and the vines always reach the top — even if they get sheared to the ground by rabbits during the winter. One guy in my neigborhood has rigged up a 15-foot trellis using two long boards to form a triangle that holds string for climbing. His design resembles a support for a suspension bridge, and when in bloom, it's a showstopper.
I've been looking for a way to create tall trellises in my backyard, and I think I've found a solution in one of our newest products: Garden Grids. These 19" x 39" panels are made of polyethylene-coated steel, and the openings are 5" — perfect for clematis. What's more, you can join the grids with these nifty coil connectors. I used the grids to create a T-shaped support for my Betty Corning clematis, a vigorous, long-blooming variety that has nodding, bell-shaped flowers. I started by mounting two panels onto two hardwood stakes. Then, I attached the stakes to the fence. To make it wider at the top, I used the coil connectors to add a panel on each side, making the whole thing about 11 feet tall and 4.75 feet wide.
I'm eager to see how it works. And I'm thinking up new ways to use these versatile panels.
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My custom-designed trellis, made with Garden Grid panels. On the fence, you can see the smaller grid pattern of my original trellis, which is made with Heavy-Duty Deer Fence. I decided to leave it in place to provide extra traction for the vines. |
A proven method for preventing peony flop.
Sarah Bernhardt is a lovely pink double, but the stems are fairly long and slender. I usually float one or two in our lotus bowl during peony season. |
The trouble with double peonies is that they're too much of a good thing. Yet everyone has them. Fluffy, white Festiva Maxima has been a favorite among gardeners for a century with no sign of decline in popularity.
The problem is, they're floppers. Diligent gardeners get their peonies trussed up early in the season with grow-through grids or peony rings. For awhile the plants stand straight and proud as the ants crawl all over the buds. Then they'll start to tease, showing just a bit of color. At last, the buds open: huge, gorgeous, unforgettably fragrant. These June beauties never fail to leave me breathless.
But then it rains. And they flop. Splayed all over the ground or snapped at the neck, they're victims of their own beauty. A garden tragedy.
What's the solution? A better support? A more prepared gardener?
This white single peony is never floppy. If I remember correctly, the variety is called Krinkled White. |
My solution is a pair of scissors. Start cutting those peonies just as soon as they start to show a hint of color. Rinse off the ants and bring them in to arrange in a vase. Your home will be filled with wonderful fragrance, and they'll never flop. Let the irises take center stage in the garden while these tragic beauties, the double peonies, star in your bouquets.
The other solution? Plant more single peonies. They're just as beautiful and a lot less likely to flop. Even the singles benefit from a little support, so get those rings or grids in place before the plants get to be more than 6 inches tall.
One more thing: If you're a busy gardener and didn't get the grids or rings positioned in time, use the Curved Link Stakes. You can set those up any time.
- David Grist, Online Content Coordinator, Gardener's Supply
Can you train a cucumber to climb like a pea?
Cucumber plants with pea fence in place. |
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Inside the enclosure. |
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Ready for chilly spring nights. |
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I’ve been using galvanized wire tomato cages for about 15 years now, and most of the originals are still in service. I prefer them over stakes or ladders (most readers of this blog agree) because they are easy to use (no pruning or tying) and I like being able to wrap them with garden fabric to create a cozy, early-season microclimate.
I use the Veggie Cages to support my peppers, too. Though pepper plants can usually get along without extra support, when they’re loaded with fruit the plants appreciate a little extra help. This year I’m growing husk tomatoes for the first time, and I’m planning to support them with Veggie Cages.
The other day, when rummaging around in my barn, I came across a couple Expandable Pea Fences. I haven’t used these hinged fences for several years, because once I started growing Sugar Snap peas (which get to be 6 or 7 feet tall), I switched to a homemade, extra-tall system of steel posts and Nearly Invisible Netting.
Within 10 minutes I’d come up with two alternate uses for them. First was as a temporary fence to keep my dog from taking a short cut through the vegetable garden. During the winter months when the garden is fallow, she gets used to walking wherever she wants. Once the vegetable garden fills out a bit, she remembers that she needs to walk around. But right now the baby onions and lettuce don’t have much of a presence and she sees no reason for extra steps. So I stretched one of the pea fences out to about 4.5 feet long, and pushed it into the garden right where she usually cuts through. It took 10 seconds to install and it works like a charm. I’ll just take it out in a couple weeks, once she’s settled on a new route.
Lots of people like our Wire Cucumber Trellis, but the 48” footprint is too wide for my beds. I grow the long, Asian style cucumbers (Suyo Long), and have found they grow best on a trellis of some kind. How about using the Expandable Pea Fence? One section of the regular height Pea Fence is about 3 feet high and 4 feet long. I set it up down the center of a row and planted four cucumber plants on each side.
Pests are rarely a problem in my vegetable garden, but I do wage a constant battle with striped cucumber beetles. The damage is most intense early in the season, so this year I decided to cover my cucumber plants with garden fabric for the first couple weeks to see if I can get them through the worst of it. With my new trellis in place, I simply wrapped a piece of Garden Quilt around the sides and secured it with rocks, clothespins and Earth Staples. (Though I don't need the extra frost protection, Garden Quilt is thicker than Garden Fabric and isn't as likely to tear when wrapped around a wire cage.) The plants seem extremely happy in their little cocoon and I hope the beetles won’t find them.
Are there some unconventional ways you’re using these galvanized supports? Two of our other galvanized supports – the Tomato Tower and the Bean Tower – started as suggestions from customers. We’d love to hear about your own creative ideas. Leave us a comment!
UPDATE: I took the fabric cover off the cucumbers this past weekend. After a little over a week under wraps, they looked miserable. I didn't see any cucumber beetles, but the plants had been nibbled and some of the leaves were misshapen and yellow (classic cucumber beetle damage). One plant was dead. So I fertilized them with liquid seaweed and then dusted them with Garden Dust (which is organic and primarily consists of Rotenone). The plants are now uncovered and look happier. I haven't given up on the idea of keeping them covered. Might take the trellis down and try the Insect Netting with Hoops -- from the reviews, it seems like people really like it.
New residents fill contact center with excitement.
One of the immature mantids. |
It was a frosty January morning when I arrived at my desk in the Gardener's Supply call center to find a small box and a note. The box contained about 15 praying mantid egg cases; the note read: "These came in unsolicited; we thought of you. —Your friends in the Merchandising Department."
Thank goodness I had a net enclosure to put the cases in: The praying mantids (Mantis religiosa) started to hatch right away, several hundred at a time. The process is dramatic, and many of the new creatures do not survive. When an egg hatches, it's like a flow of water. The babies have not expanded and they are connected by an umbilical to the sac. They must break free and open their legs up. Many do not manage this feat and become tangled in the lines or with others. The tiny creatures are extremely delicate, so many die in the process.
In doing research online, I found details on how to care for these babies, including tips from people who raise mantids as a hobby and keep them as pets. For food, I went to the pet store to get some fruit flies. I also provided a water source in the form of cotton balls soaked in water. Had I tried to use a dish the tiny insects could have fallen in and drowned. The fruit flies also used this as a source of water. I didn't even have to train any of them what to do.
When they matured, many of the mantids were were released in greenhouses to do what they do so well: pest control. I still have some at home. They love to cling to the sides of their containers and hang off the tops. The smaller ones still eat fruit flies while the larger ones have very small crickets.
It's been scary and exhilarating to watch as the babies have gone through several stages on their way to adulthood. My goal is to raise the remaining insects and release them when food is available outside. They are fierce predators and will, in fact, eat one another. During a recent workshop on pest control, one of my pets proceeded to eat the head off another — that's when I got the crickets.
To learn more about praying mantids, read the National Geographic profile. To buy your own egg cases, go to Gardener's Supply.
-Lisa Yankowski, Gardener's Supply
Lisa, also known as "the Bug Lady," works in the Customer Contact Center at Gardener's Supply. When she is not on the phone helping customers, she is out helping bugs.
Who says vegetables can't be ornamental? They can be stars of the border.
A kale and cardoon "hedge." really stands out. |
Redbor kale has gorgeous, frilled leaves. |
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The buds of the cardoon are as striking as the foliage. The flowers are about the size of a baseball. In kitchen gardens, cardoons are grown for the leaves, which have a thick midrib that's sort of like celery. |
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Every year, I try something different with the long bed that goes along our front sidewalk. Last year, I got a little wacky and used vegetables: kale and cardoons (a vegetable that's related to the artichoke). At the end of the year, I was pretty pleased with how it looked when the cardoons were putting out their tufted pink flowers and the red kale had reached 4-5 feet tall.
The idea started with cardoons, a striking plant at all stages of growth. The architectural leaves are jagged and thorny, with a sort of silvery color. The flowers — if you're lucky enough to get them — are violet-blue. They smell, too. Whether it's a good smell or a bad smell depends on your nose.
I started planting my 13-foot long bed with four cardoon plants, spaced equidistant. Between these, I added Redbor kale, which I had grown before. I knew it would give the border some height. To fill out the planting, I added flowering plants with pink or white flowers. I used white petunias to keep things interesting early on, while the kale and cardoons were getting started. In addition, I mixed in some pink-flowering agastache, which had lots of small flowers held on long stems. The airy texture was a good contrast to the bold foliage of the kale and cardoons.
The whole thing was relatively carefree through the season. Other than regular fertilizing and watering, all I had to do was trim the occasional dead leaf from the cardoon. Once the kale and cardoons were tall, I opted to stake them with bamboo poles for security against high winds. It was worth the effort because the display looked sharp right on through the first few frosts.
We live on a fairly busy street, so we got lots of comments from passersby. Most of them went something like this: "What on earth is that?"
The challenge now is to come up with something for this year. I'm not sure yet, but I'm thinking orange.
- David Grist, Online Content Coordinator, Gardener's Supply
Root-pruning technique helps plants live within their pots.
The lacecap hydrangea, so-named for the ring of larger (sterile) flowers that encircle the center cluster of fertile flowers.
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A plant that's ready for root pruning. Roots have grown to the edge of the mass. |
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Slicing off pieces of the mass with a soil knife. |
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A clump of congested roots, sliced from the bottom of the mass. |
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After root-pruning, the mass is smaller, and some of the roots have been teased out. |
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The root-pruned, repotted hydrangea. |
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There was a time when I got a little crazy for blue hydrangeas. I was just getting my start as a garden professional and I'd been reading a lot about the blue mopheads that were decidedly not hardy in my zone. I was especially obsessed with a variety called Nikko Blue, which I grew in a large pot and overwintered in my basement. The next year, I added some blue lacecaps: Blue Billow, Bluebird and Miranda. Today, the collection has grown to eight shrubs, all growing in large pots — most larger than 12" across.
All of these cultivars are hardy in southern New England, but not up here. If I planted them in the ground, they'd be killed to the ground for sure. Chances are good that they'd start growing from the roots, but they would never bloom. Reason: The flowers form on the prior season's growth, also known as "old wood." That's the reason for the pots, the lugging up and down the basement stairs.
Over the years, I've found I can contain the shrubs in their pots by pruning the roots every couple years or so. This also creates an opportunity to rejuvenate the hydrangeas with fresh soil, a bit of granular fertilizer and some garden sulphur to ensure good blue color.
Root pruning sounds pretty harsh, and it is. But the plants respond well. You can do it with many potted plants, including houseplants. I have a camellia and a crapemyrtle that get root-pruned, too. Yes, more plants that aren't hardy here, but only one of each.
I prune the roots in early spring before the plants start leafing out. The hardest part is getting the mass of soil and roots to come out of the pot. Once it's out, start shaving the rootball with a soil knife or a Japanese hori. You can use the jagged edge to saw off slices of soil and roots. It's a good idea to trim the bottom of the mass, too. I usually shave about 1 or 2 inches off the mass — more if the plant is large and root-bound. I use the tip of the knife to tease out a few of the roots.
I plant the reduced mass in the original pot with fresh soil to fill the gaps. Water well, and the plant is ready for other couple of years.
Since I began my collection more than 10 years ago, growers have discovered a blue hydrangea that blooms on old wood and new wood. It's called Endless Summer and they're being planted everywhere. Time for a new obsession. Maybe some more of those crapemyrtles ...
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- David Grist , Online Content Coordinator, Gardener's Supply
Ornamental grasses are reliable, beautiful and pretty much carefree. Just remember to divide them regularly.
With a nod to garden designer Piet Oudolf, we planted this 50-foot border of perennial grasses, mixed with rudbeckia and echinacea for extra color. If you want a dramatic, easy-care display of plants, it's hard to beat ornamental grasses. For more photos, see the slideshow of this garden. |
The doughnut-shaped growth pattern in this clump of switchgrass indicates that it's ready to be divided. |
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Sturdy boots and a sharp-bladed shovel are required equipment for dividing grass clumps. |
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A healthy division of feather reed grass (Calamagrostis), ready for re-planting. |
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Ornamental grasses are among the most carefree and graceful of perennials. They ask so little and manage to look wonderful over a long season. The only big chore is dividing. By doing it every few years, you can keep your clumps healthy and vigorous. What's more, you can share extra clumps with other gardeners.
There's no rule about when a grass clump needs dividing. I usually do it when the clump is crowding out other plants. With miscanthus cultivars, this often happens after two or three years. I usually reduce the clump by half or a third.
Some grasses will grow into a "doughnut" pattern that's especially noticeable when the grass has been cut back in spring or fall. I see this a lot in the switchgrass cultivars (Panicum). At this point, it's best to divide the grass to ensure renewed vigor. You'll notice this growth pattern in other perennials, such as Japanese irises.
You can divide grasses in the spring or fall. I prefer to do it in the spring because I like to leave the grasses standing in fall and winter. Once the soil is free of frost in early spring, I get to work because some grasses, such as calamagrostis, start pushing out new growth pretty early. In gardens with lots of ornamental grasses, a gas-powered hedge trimmer is the best tool for the job. It's especially helpful with miscanthus, which have thick, woody stems. A hand-powered hedge shears works fine, too.
Once the grasses are trimmed to the ground, I can see any "doughnuts" and start dividing. The key tool here is a sharp shovel with a sturdy handle that you can use as a lever. I like to cut a circle around the clump and then lift out pie-shaped slices. Even with a sharp shovel, it can be difficult to slice through the clumps. But, with regular division, the clumps rarely grow too large.
Choose your best clumps for replanting, and give the rest away — or find new homes in your garden. In some situations, I replace a doughnut with a trio of small clumps. That way, the grass will still have the same mass in the garden with renewed vigor.
Before you put away your tools, make sure you water your transplants. Set your hose to a trickle and let it sit at the base of each new transplant for 10 minutes or so. Don't skip this step! It gets your divisions off to a good start and eliminates large air pockets in the soil. Finish the job with a top-dressing of slow-release, granular fertilizer.
- David Grist, Online Content Coordinator, Gardener's Supply
While we wait for the USDA's new zone map, it's important to remember that it's only a guide.
I always get a surge of pride when the leaves of this maple (Acer shirasawanum) start to unfurl. It's zone 5; my backyard is zone 4. After three Vermont winters, it's not dead. |
According to an article on the Scientific American website, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will soon release a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map. This guide was last updated in 1990, so there's lots of talk about how the new map will reflect changes in our climate.
No word yet on a release date, but it will be interesting to see the new map. It may, in fact, be alarming — depending on how the zones shift. Regardless of the changes, I think it's important for gardeners to use the map as a guide. It does not by any means determine what you can and cannot grow. Most experienced gardeners take pride in the fact that they are growing a plant that's not technically hardy in the zone. It's called "zone denial". Years ago, I was determined to grow Nikko Blue hydrangeas in my Vermont backyard (zone 4). I never succeeded, and then the Endless Summer cultivar came along and I lost interest in the challenge. I still have my Nikko Blue, but it grows in a pot and gets dragged to the basement to spend the winter.
The USDA map is the one most gardeners in the eastern United States rely on, and the one that most national garden magazines, catalogs, books and garden centers currently use. This map divides North America into 11 separate zones. Each zone is 10 degrees F warmer (or colder) in an average winter than the adjacent zone. In some versions of the map, each zone is subdivided into "a" and "b" regions. It works pretty well to define the garden climates of the eastern half of North America. The region is comparatively flat, so mapping is mostly a matter of drawing lines approximately parallel to the Gulf Coast every 120 miles or so. The western half of the continent is another story.
Indeed, the map has its shortcomings. In the East, the USDA map doesn't account for the beneficial effect of snow cover, the regularity or absence of freeze-thaw cycles, or soil drainage during cold periods. And in the rest of the country (west of the 100th meridian, which runs roughly through the middle of North and South Dakota and down through Texas west of Laredo), the USDA map fails.
In the western U.S., many factors, such as elevation and precipitation, determine growing climates. Weather comes in from the Pacific Ocean and gradually becomes less humid as it moves over and around mountain range after mountain range. While cities in similar zones in the East can have similar climates and grow similar plants, in the West it varies greatly. For example, the weather and plants in low-elevation, coastal Seattle, WA, are much different than in high-elevation, inland Tucson, AZ, even though they're both in zone 8.
The challenge to the gardener is to determine what's hardy in his or her backyard. Use the zones as a starting point, but then start asking fellow gardeners in the neigborhood. They'll tell you what goes and what doesn't. Another good resource: your state cooperative extension system. After some experimentation, you might find a microclimate in your backyard that allows you to push the zone envelope, too. Come visit me in my backyard and I'll brag to you about my crape myrtle. Not dead yet.
- David Grist, Online Content Coordinator, Gardener's Supply
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