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The Garden Club |
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Fragrant Viburnum
Valentine
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Garden Club Questions & Answers |
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Question: Can you recommend a ground cover to use in a large patch of Asiatic and Oriental lilies? There is full sun and somewhat heavy clay soil (that I’ve tried to lighten). If possible, I prefer something evergreen that flowers for part of the year. It is for our house in northern New Jersey. Answer: When you plant a ground cover around lily bulbs, you increase the probability that voles will move in and eat the lily bulbs. Voles like to hide amongst the foliage that a ground cover provides and voles love to eat lily bulbs. There are not many full sun ground covers that are evergreen. Vinca minor (periwinkle) is probably your best choice. It almost always has blue flowers in the spring, although there are some forms that are white flowered and some that are maroon. Because of the full sun, you should stay away from the variegated forms. Periwinkle grows quite close to the ground and the lower the growth of a ground cover, the less chance of voles. Question: I was thinking about planting some strawberries and I heard there are some ever-bearing varieties. Can I really have strawberries from spring until fall? Answer: Regular June-bearing strawberries produce berries from flowers that only come when the days are short and the temperatures are cool. You will get a luscious, bountiful crop in June from the spring flowers and occasionally some fall berries as well. Day-length neutral types are relatively new and they bear strawberries from buds that are initiated all season long. However, there is one major exception; bud formation ceases when the temperatures are high. You can decrease the impact of summer heat with a heavy straw mulch. In my experience, day-length neutral types produce their best crops in the fall. They produce a moderate crop of medium sized berries in the spring and a small crop in the summer. The two most popular day length neutral types are Tribute and Tri-star. For a maximum crop of luscious strawberries, I suggest planting a June-bearer along with a day-length neutral variety. Question: You usually recommend fertilizing around Valentine’s Day, but it looks like the snow is still going to be with us at that time. Should I fertilize on top of the snow or wait until it melts? Answer: Your early spring fertilization of lawns and garden plants should be done sometime between the middle of February and the middle of March, just as soon as the snow melts. I do not recommend fertilizing on top of the snow. For more details on lawn fertilization I suggest you refer to our web site at www.carrollgardens.com, click on the tab for Garden Club and scroll down to the newsletter from last February 21st on the Spring Lawn Care Program. Garden and plant fertilization was covered on May 29th, 2003 and November 7th, 2003. You repeat the November instructions for the early spring feeding. They are printable; so you can refer to them in the garden. Question: The evergreens around my house are turning off-color. I suspect winter damage. Is there anything I can do now? Answer: There is nothing you can do to reverse the winter damage that has already occurred—and in many cases has not yet fully shown. Once the ground unfreezes, you may be able to erect a burlap screen which will partially protect your plants from further damage. Use a double layer of burlap around, but not over, your evergreens. Question: I have a rose garden, which is not getting enough sun. I'm sure I probably should have transplanted in the fall, but I didn't, and I will have to do it in the spring. Should I clip them back in March, as I usually do, and transplant them in the spring? I am concerned about getting it finished before the cicadas come. Also, do you carry Star roses, as I will need more roses for this garden...particularly Abbaye de Cluny. Answer: In zones 6-7 roses are best transplanted around the middle of March, rather than in the fall. You prepare the soil and plant a transplanted rose exactly the same as you do for a newly planted rose. When digging a rose for transplanting try and get as much root as possible and don’t worry if it comes up bare-root with no soil clinging. You should cut back the rose to about 2 feet before you dig it. The cicadas are not expected until early May. You probably should net the newly planted roses to be sure the cicadas don’t destroy the new growth while the rose is re-establishing. Yes, we are carrying Star roses again this year and we will have the rose “Abbaye de Cluny". If you go to our web site www.carrollgardens.com and click on the tab for Garden Club, there is a newsletter dated 3-07-03, on the topic of planting bare root roses. You may find this helpful. Question: How do you get rid of bag worms on evergreens? I just lost a beautiful Douglas fir and they are now on my Blue Spruce. Thank you. Answer: The best way is to pull off all of the bags (some of which contain the eggs for next year’s generation) this winter. Some bags will be empty; only about half will have the eggs. Be sure to put the bags in a securely closed vessel and dispose of it in the trash. Do not drop them and leave them lie on the ground. Alternatively, you can spray with Orthene between mid-spring and mid-summer. After the initial spray, monitor for new damage. Spraying can occur as frequently as every 10 days. Be sure to start your spray program early; young bagworms are easier to control than older ones. On tall trees, you will probably need a tree service.
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