The Garden Club October 14, 2005

October 14, 2005

A Soft-yellow Fragrant Shrub to Announce the Arrival of Spring
Tired of harsh yellow flowers like forsythia and King Alfred daffodils in the early spring? Not as common is another shrub that not only blooms at the same time as the forsythia, but has a profusion of pastel yellow, fragrant blooms that will brighten up your garden as winter turns to spring - Corylopsis spicata or Winterhazel.

Corylopsis spicata
Corylopsis spicata is by far the most handsome of all the Corylopsis and the earliest to bloom. Beginning in March, pendulous 2 inch chains of lemon-yellow blooms appear on the bare branches. They are somewhat reminiscent of wisteria blooms in shape, but on a much smaller scale. The fragrance is spicy and sweet, similar to that of witchhazel to which winterhazel is closely related. New foliage will soon appear, unfurling a dark purple and maturing to a deep blue-green with lightly felted undersides. Corylopsis spicata will slowly develop into an attractive, broad mass of horizontal branches, reaching 6 to 8 feet tall and wide. It is a prefect accent in front of a dark backdrop, such as a dark wall or evergreens, and is ideal for border or mass plantings. Corylopsis spicata works well when planted as a mid border planting dressed down with Rhododendron PJM, Azalea poukahanese or Crocus tomasinianus in the foreground - all of which bloom at the same time as the winterhazel.

Planting and Care

For best results, plant in the fall (except in zone 5 where spring is the desired time to plant) In zone 6, 2 inches of shredded hardwood mulch and a burlap screen is recommended for winter protection the first year.

Does best in light shade, but will tolerate full sun or up to half shade. Choose a site protected from the worst of the winter winds.

Prefers moist, well-drained acid soil. Add peat moss and sand at planting.

Water regularly until established, will not tolerate drought.

Fertilize with Kelp Meal and Cottonseed Meal in late fall and early spring.

Hardy in Zones 5-8.

We have in stock 2 and 3 gallon plants. Priced $28.85 and $38.85, respectively.

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Peonies 'Krinkled White' and 'Vivid Rose'

Messages from Alan:

1. Now that the drought has ended along the east coast, we are finding a lot of what was presumed to be drought damage is really grub damage. If your lawn has brown patches that are not greening up with the rain, it would be a good idea to check several areas of your lawn for grubs. If you have grubs it is not too late to apply Dylox.

2. Now is the ideal time to lime your lawn. The best PH level for most grasses is 6.5.

3. I am afraid a lot of people are over-applying aluminum sulphate in an attempt to turn hydrangeas blue. Be aware that hydrangea roots are especially subject to aluminum toxicity. A light sprinkling of aluminum sulphate after blooming is okay. However more than one application, or even one heavy application, may be too much. Hydrangeas need both an acid soil and at least some aluminum to turn dark blue. There are several ways to achieve the acidity without applying excess aluminum at the same time. Instead, use iron sulphate or garden sulphur.

Garden Club Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What can I put in compost? I have leaves, scraps of food and grass. Can I use any thing like lime or anything to help? Enjoy your e-mails & radio programs.

Answer: Leaves and grass are fine in a mixture of about half and half. Vegetable trimmings are also fine - no meat or anything that contained meat by-products. These attract rodents. Lime will not help a compost pile, but a bit of straight fertilizer will - anything you have on hand that does not contain pesticides like weed and insect killers or preventers. If you are going to buy something, Espoma makes a bioaccelerator; you can use Plant-Tone, or even some Turf Trust. To speed up decomposition, add yeast or beer. Be sure to keep your compost pile adequately moist. Covering the pile with black plastic will hasten decomposition over the winter.

Question: After the rain this weekend something dug up my lawn and made a real mess of it. What could have done this and how do I prevent?

Answer: Undoubtedly you have grubs. Animals, probably skunks, raccoons or foxes, dug up your lawn looking for grubs
to eat. Apply Dylox now to eliminate this food source.

Question: I have several butterfly bushes in my yard. I went to a friend's house and I saw a shrub that was much neater than my butterfly bush. The leaves were more silver and much smaller. She said her butterfly bush has lavender blue blossoms in June; whereas mine blooms in summer and fall. Does she really have a butterfly bush? Is there more than one type of butterfly bush?

Answer: There are several hardy species of butterfly bushes and even more tropical ones. I believe your friend has the fountain butterfly bush (Buddleia alternifolia), so called because of the fountain-like pendulous habit of the branches. It is indeed the most refined in growth habit of all of the butterfly bushes and like the more common Buddleia davidii, Buddleia alternifolia seems to be deer proof. Buddleia alternifolia is unusually long lived for a butterfly bush. I know several specimens that are over 20 years old. Fountain butterfly bush is a good plant and if you have room in your garden for a 6-8 foot tall shrub, in a sunny very well-drained site, I encourage you to try one.

Question: A bright yellow thread-like something has attacked several plants in my garden and appears to have killed them by covering and twining around the stems.

Answer: You have Dodder, a leafless, parasitic, morning glory relative. Dodder is an annual; new plants germinate from seed each spring. If they germinate near a host plant, they will attach themselves to it and extract the carbohydrates from the host. Dodder will bloom with little white blooms and drop seeds for next year's crop. It will sometimes kill the host plant totally.

Every thread of Dodder should be pulled off of the host plant and removed as soon as discovered, preferably before it sets seeds. Once fallen, ripe seed can remain viable in the soil for many years, so it is important to check broadly for several years in areas where Dodder has attacked plants previously. Two inches of shredded hardwood mulch spread upon fallen Dodder seeds will prevent them from germinating.

Question: This past spring I purchased four Knock Out Roses and planted them in large pots on my patio. They have been beautiful all summer and fall. My question is can I leave them in the pots for the winter? The patio is on the south side of the house and there is a wall that will protect them from the west wind.

Answer: Knockout Roses are relatively easy to winter over. The containers must be large, at least 10 gallons; the larger the better. They must have drainage holes. Wooden whiskey barrels are ideal. Careful attention to watering, even in winter, is critical. For the winter, place the pots up against the wall of a building, protected from the winter winds. Wrap the pots in bubble wrap for the winter and pile the roses up with as high a cone of shredded hardwood mulch as is practical from November 30th until early March.

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