|
|
|
The Garden Club |
|
|
|
|
||
 |
|||
|
Unusual Bell-Shaped Blooms and Disease Resistant Clematis have quite the reputation - they have been called the “queen of climbers” and are also thought by many to be difficult to grow. These somewhat conflicting ideas about the clematis are respectively true and false - they are exceptional vigorous climbers and, despite popular belief, there are many varieties that can be grown by even the beginner gardener. This week Carroll Gardens is featuring one of these easy to grow clematis, ‘Betty Corning.’ Clematis are grouped according to their flowering time and pruning requirements. ‘Betty Corning’ is part of the strong-growing viticella group of late-bloomers that benefit from heavy pruning every two or three years. This group also shows excellent resistance to the worst of the clematis problems: “clematis wilt”, a debilitating condition that causes whole or part of the clematis to collapse. Beautiful Blooms and Rapid Growth ‘Betty Corning’ will reach ten to twelve feet tall and will get very full, so be sure you leave it plenty of space to grow. In midsummer ‘Betty Corning’ will be covered in copious, nodding one and one half-inch bells of smoky-blue, with centers of creamy stamens that emit a light, sweet fragrance. It will have several cycles of light rebloom into autumn, followed by attractive fluffy seed heads. These beautiful blooms look delicate, but ‘Betty Corning’ is anything but. It is vigorous and will grow at such a rapid rate that you can almost watch it grow. Although clematis are known for being climbers, they also do very well in containers or as scrambling ground covers. If you prefer to use ‘Betty Corning’ as a vine, it will need support to grow upwards, making it perfect for softening a fence, climbing up a tree, or covering a trellis. The origin of Clematis 'Betty Corning' is somewhat mysterious. 'Betty Corning' (a.k.a. Mrs. Erastus Corning III) is of the Corning glass family. It is believed that she spotted a spectacular late-blooming display of bell shaped flowers on an old house in Corning, New York. The bells turned out to be a viticella clematis, unlike any other know to exist. Mrs. Corning recognized its uniqueness and beauty. For years, she had it propagated, but restricted distribution almost exclusively to charities for resale. Eventually through her generosity, this mystery clematis came to be known as 'Betty Corning.' I have never been able to check out the veracity of this story, but it came from a reliable source and I believe it to be true. Planting and Care
Our Garden Worthy Certification means that your satisfaction is guaranteed. |
|||
|
|
|||
|
New Pink Rose
Just In!
Carroll Gardens is pleased to now
carry a brand new introduction from Conard-Pyle/Star Plants, the
Pink Knockout Rose.
This latest addition to the
Knockout family
has all of the characteristics that they are known for in a rich pink color. |
|||
|
|
|||
|
Garden
Club Questions & Answers
Question: I have a couple of questions: 2. We had an order for a dwarf willow from another nursery and it was cancelled. I am now looking for a tree with similar growth habits (10 or so feet high with a 4-6 foot spread, flowering or non-flowering is ok). Do you have any recommendations? It's for a foundation bed that receives only 1-2 hours of full sun per day and we were going to plant hostas underneath the tree. Any guidance would be much appreciated! Answer: 1. It is too late for a systemic drench for these current insects. I suggest you spray with Orthene. A systemic drench applied now will control some summer insects. Applying both at the same time is okay. Bonemeal is an inappropriate fertilizer for birches, and Kelp Meal is a bio-stimulator, not a fertilizer. If you haven't already fertilized, you can apply Cottonseed Meal fertilizer and Kelp Meal now. 2. Good thing the willow was cancelled. It won't thrive with only one to two hours of sun. I suggest you consider a Pee Gee hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora). It can be trained as a small tree and will thrive in shade. Question: Approximately 3 years ago, I was given a Schefflera plant. It was in a pot that was about 10 inches in diameter. I have replanted it in a larger pot and it is on the screened in porch during the warm weather. It has become very tall and sparse, especially the lower part. It is, however, putting out new growth and looks pretty healthy. I just fed it with some Plant-tone when I repotted it. Can you tell me how to prune it to have it fill out more? I would like it more compact. Answer: Cut the tallest stems back by one third to one half. Then, it will fill in from the base. Feed with SeaMate every time you water. You can root the trimmings. Remove the bottom leaves. Apply rooting hormone. Plant the cuttings in a large pot filled with Fafard professional potting soil. Cover with a clear plastic bag with a few small holes punched into it. Keep the soil barely moist and place the pot out of the direct sun. By next fall, you should have another nice full Schefflera plant. Question: Snakes are in my garden. I don't want to kill them, but I would like to chase them away. Is there any kind of animal repellent I can use? Answer: I have never tried it myself, but I have heard that moth balls and tobacco dust (available in your local garden center) will repel snakes. I understand that the two products are more effective if used in combination. Question: Weeds are terrible in my flower beds this year. I thought last year was bad, but this year is the absolute worst. Every time I spray Round-up, I kill off a few of my plants. I have heard you talk about Weed Screen to prevent weeds. After I weed out my beds, is it too late to apply Weed Screen? Answer: I agree weeds are very bad this year because of last year's moist and ideal growing conditions. Last years bumper crop of weeds left loads of seeds in the soil waiting to germinate. And, this year in many parts of our country, the soil has been ideal for these seeds to germinate. Remember that Weed Screen is a weed preventer; it kills the weed seeds as they germinate. It does nothing for the weeds that have already sprouted and nothing for weeds that are regenerating from severed roots. To answer your question specifically, once an area is cleaned it is not too late too sprinkle Weed Screen granules. It works best if it is applied under the mulch, but it does an okay job if sprinkled on top of the mulch. Incidentally, the fact that you are having so much trouble with weeds may be an indication that you are mulching too thinly. It takes about 2 inches of mulch to do a good job of weed prevention. Applying Round-up in a flower garden is a two-person job. One to spray; one to hold a board-like protector against the desirable plants. Question: In the early spring my hollies looked so bad, I thought they were dead. I e-mailed you and you told me to wait to see what sprouted. And you said you thought that more would sprout than seemed to be alive. Well, you were right! Most of my hollies sprouted out and have filled in decently. I cut away the wood that had not sprouted. I have a couple of hollies that I planted late last fall and I thought they were dead. Yesterday when I went to pull them out I noticed little green shoots coming out from the base on one of them. Will this ever amount to anything? Is it too early to pull out the others that haven't started to sprout? Answer: Unlike most other evergreens, hollies that have suffered from transplanting or winter damage sometimes sprout very late. They can look dead in August and be loaded with green shoots in September. In general they tend to sprout out all over (as much as they are going to) at the same time. So once the holly has sprouted out it is safe to cut away the branches that haven't sprouted. However, it is too early to pull out those that have no sprouts. There is still some hope until at least mid-August. Those that sprouted with at least several strong shoots should mature into nice plants. However, small, late-sprouting hollies will require extra winter protection. If they get clobbered again this winter, the chances that they will resprout next spring are very slim indeed. Question: I heard you mention on your radio show about Pink Knockout Rose. I bought the Red Knockout a few years ago and it has been the best rose I ever grew. It thrives on neglect. It has been the best rose I ever grew. It thrives on neglect. You sent me the Blushing Knockout with my internet order this spring. It's already in bloom and it's beautiful. I could not wait to get the pink one and I was afraid you would be sold out, so I drove all the way to to your Garden Center. I have never planted a rose outside that was in a small pot. Will this rose bloom this year? What special care should I give it? Answer: I think you will enjoy your Pink Knockout Rose most of all. Many people feel it's going to be the most popular of the three. What you bought in the small pot was a pre-release plant. Introduction of Pink Knockout is scheduled for 2005. The good news is this "starter" plant costs about two-thirds less than the adult plants that will be available next spring. The only difference in growing a starter rose, such as you purchased, and a fully developed one is that the starter rose will require a little bit of extra care compared to your adult rose. Prepare the soil in the same way (with compost and Kelp Meal), fertilize until mid-August with a gentle fertilizer like SeaMate, and I'll bet you will have blooms in August -- if not late July. It is imperative that you not let the rose dry out this summer. Your rose does not have a fully developed root system, so it is particularly sensitive to drought. Although the Knockout family of roses is super hardy, give the young rose a little extra protection this winter-just to be sure. Question: Now that I have pinched back my mums, what about Asters? When I planted them early this spring it said they benefit from pinching back as well. They are only about 7 or 8" tall right now. Thanks. Answer: Prune back your Asters once (halfway) in mid-June.
|
|||
|
|
|||
