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The Garden Club |
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Beautiful, Hardy and a
Part of History
In the
dooryard fronting an old farm-house near the white-wash'd palings, French and Dutch colonist first introduced lilacs to the United States, carrying them during their long journeys across the Atlantic Ocean. Lilacs soon found themselves all over North America, arriving by saddlebags and coach. Today there are over 2,000 named varieties of lilacs thanks to many industrious and passionate breeders all over the world. Our feature plant this week is the Dwarf Korean lilac - the most useful of all the lilacs. It is easy to grow and maintain, making a beautiful and welcome addition to your garden. The Dwarf Korean Lilac (Syringa meyeri Palibin) The Dwarf Korean Lilac's parent, Syringa meyeri, is named after Frank Meyer who discovered it in a garden in Beijing, China in 1909 and sent cuttings home to the United States. Many lilacs are offspring of the Syringa meyeri, but the palibin Dwarf Korean Lilac is the smallest and most delightful. The clean, dark green foliage provides the perfect backdrop for the exquisite powerfully fragrant, lavender pink florets that will cover the dense bush from head to toe. Expect it to bloom profusely in May-June, with lighter rebloom in late summer and fall, extending the season and allowing you to enjoy its beauty and fragrance twice during the year. Foliage turns bright yellow in autumn. Unlike other common lilacs, the Dwarf Korean Lilac blooms abundantly at an early age and is not susceptible to powdery mildew or lilac borers. It always looks good; even in winter the dark brown leafless stems are neat and handsome. Expect it to grow 4-5 feet high and wide, the perfect size for a perennial border, foundation planting or shrub border foreground - in my opinion the most versatile of deciduous flowering shrubs. No matter where the Dwarf Korean Lilac is planted in your garden, it is sure to be a standout year after year.
The Dwarf Korean Lilac is
one tough plant, a real survivor. Over 10 years ago we planted some in
wooden planter boxes that were fabricated over a black top parking lot
in full sun. These planter boxes never get any supplemental water, only
what mother nature provides. Every year the lilacs bloom profusely, hold
their leaves all summer without browning, rebloom in the fall and never
suffer any winter die back. After the drought of 2002 I expected the
lilacs to be totally dead. When I drove by in the spring of 2003 they
were in full bloom, just as they have been every year.
Our Garden Worthy Certification means that your satisfaction is guaranteed.
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Garden Club Frequently Asked
Questions Question: We have a small-leaved privet hedge in front of our property. I cut it back to the ground a few years ago. I fertilized it and it came back better than it was, but I think it is just too old to ever be really nice. I suspect it is over 50 years old. Do you have any thoughts for a good replacement? Answer: I agree with you; it seems that very old California privet loses its vigor and no amount of good care can rejuvenate it like new. If your site is in full sun and the soil is well-drained, I suggest you consider our plant of the week, the Dwarf Korean Lilac. It is relatively unusual so all of your neighbors won't already have it. If you are looking for something in the 4-5 foot range, it will never require pruning; although it could be kept pruned into a hedge as low as 30 inches. I have never known Dwarf Korean Lilac to be troubled by insects or diseases, so it is about a low-maintenance a plant as there is.Question: Every year we have a party in our house in early July. I have one big long sunny bed where I try to create a dramatic display with different bedding plants. Some years it works out nicely. Some years a really good display doesn't happen until the end of July, after the party. Can suggest something? Answer: Buying larger, more established bedding plants will certainly create an earlier display, but that gets expensive. One of the most dramatic displays I saw last year was a tapestry planting of just the relatively new sun tolerant Coleus. They were planted in different size groups, with as few as three plants and as many as a dozen, with an attempt to place contrasting foliage types next to each other. I saw this bed in early summer and then again in the autumn and it looked fabulous both times. The only maintenance that was required was removing the coleus flowers from some varieties in the late summer. (Many people find coleus flowers aren't very attractive. The new coleus have much fewer flowers than the older varieties; but some new ones still produce some flowers, particularly late in the season. Question: We have been working hard to attract birds to our yard. We planted lots of berried shrubs and flowers with seeds to attract the birds. We have a water garden with a heater that doesn't freeze over, but I rarely see the birds drinking. Do I need a bird bath? Answer: Birds rarely drink from water that is deeper than 2-3 inches. I suggest you buy a shallow bird bath and a heater. Some bird baths are manufactured too deep. If you buy one of those you can reduce the depth by putting a flat rock in the center. Incidentally, Westminster has several large Hawthorne trees along Main Street. Every fall they are loaded with a dramatic display of orange-red berries. I noticed again this year that the birds have refused to eat them. Question: We have several large ficus trees in our sunroom. I am used to the yellow leaves dropping, on and off, all winter long. This year the green leaves are also dropping and my plants are much more naked than they usually are in the winter. Answer: Dropping green leaves on ficus is usually an indicator of too much water. Question: Is it too early to fertilize my yard? A couple of years ago I thought you suggested the correct time was the middle of February for the first feeding. Last year I seem to recall that I didn't fertilize until early March. When is the correct time? Answer: If you are using products that are comprised of mostly natural organics, such as we recommend, I encourage early feeding, preferably in a warm winter period when the snow is all melted and the top of the ground is unfrozen---but hopefully before the last snow fall. Large portions of the eastern half of our country in zones 6, 7 and 8 are having a warm spell just now. Several private forecasters are forecasting a warmer than usual February and March. So this year I think early spring fertilization of the lawn, the flower beds and the trees & shrubs (everything but roses) can occur now. This weekend is not too early to fertilize in zones 6, 7 and 8. Be sure to apply Kelp Meal on everything, but the lawn, at the same time. Even if the forecasters should be wrong and the Pennsylvania groundhog was right and we have several more weeks of winter, the fertilizer will do no harm and will actually start to work its way down to the plant roots with the melting winter snow and with the freezing and thawing that naturally occurs.Question: A caller on your radio show saw a small animal in her yard and was wondering if it was a mole or a vole. Answer: I double checked my facts. In spite of advancing age, my memory didn't fail me. Moles spend most of the winter hibernating and voles, which eat plant roots, are active all winter long. So I suspect the animal was a vole. Voles can be very damaging, as they eat plant roots underground all winter. Here at the nursery we have had the best luck with Ramik poison bait to control voles.
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