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To all Gardeners:
This spring has wreaked havoc on gardens across the country. Record warm winter temperatures followed by record lows and late spring snows have many gardeners wondering what will survive. Though we can’t control the weather there are some things we can do.
First be patient. Though spring snows are disheartening they do create a layer of insulation over our spring bulbs and perennials. And you just might be surprised at how hardy and cold tolerant many plants can be. One April I witnessed pansies covered with ice in Detroit, Michigan. Over the weekend the ice melted and the pansies recovered. Then in the spring of 1995 I was tracking temperatures and bloom time in Milwaukee, WI. The temperatures dropped to 15 degrees and amazingly the glory-of-the-snow, squills and a few other early bulbs were fine. Some of the early daffodil and tulip buds were damaged, others only suffered brown tips on leaves, but all survived and returned the following spring.
Everyone should check their perennials and bulbs. The freezing and thawing soils can cause the soil to shift, frost heaving, and push plants right out of the ground. Gently tamp or reset any plants with exposed roots.
Cover new plantings or tender plants if extreme temperatures return. I like ReeMay, Harvest Guard or Grass Fast. These polypropylene fabrics let air, light and water through while trapping heat around the plants. You can leave the plants covered as long as the danger of extreme weather is present. I also use these fabrics to give my warm weather plants like tomatoes, peppers and melons a jump start for the season. They help keep the plants warm on cool nights resulting in an earlier harvest. Remove the fabric as temperatures stay consistently warm or the plants begin to flower.
Many of my warm weather friends lost blossoms on their fruit trees. Some plants just lost this year’s crop, while more tender plants suffered dieback or even death. Give the plants time and see how they recover. There will always be new plants at the garden center to replace what was lost.
As the snow recedes break out the leaf rake to prevent snow mold on your lawn. Many saw damage earlier this spring while others may find a gray or pink fuzzy covering on the lawn where the snow was slow to melt. Avoid spring fertilization and lightly rake to reduce damage.
Vole damage, trails in the lawn, and snow mold damaged lawns can be overseeded this spring. Check out the late spring Selecting Grass Seed Melinda’s Garden Moment for helpful tips. Purchase or make your own lawn patch kit. Simply take a handful of grass seed and mix it in a bucket of topsoil. Roughen the soil surface in the dead patches. Sprinkle the grass-soil mix over the area and water. As for the rest of spring - we will just have to wait and see since nature always has the last say.
Q - Elaine
Hello Melinda. I plant parsley for the caterpillars. It has grown all winter and is getting very long. Should I cut it back or leave it and let it grow. Also how and when should I harvest it if I want to use fresh parsley? How do you dry it out in order to use later? I live in zone 7/8 A – Melinda Myers
Consider leaving last season’s parsley for the caterpillars and starting fresh plants for your use. Parsley is a biennial. It grows just leaves the first season. These over winter and the plant sets flower and seed its second summer. Remove the flower stems as soon as they appear if you plan to harvest leaves from the older plants. Many gardeners (myself included) and cooks find the foliage bitter and less desirable the second season. You may even find the caterpillars prefer your fresh crop of parsley to the older plants. Harvest parsley as needed throughout the season. Remove the outer stems first discarding any of the less flavorful discolored stems. You can air dry parsley flat on trays or by hanging it in bunches or speed up the process using the oven, dehydrator or microwave. Wash the parsley thoroughly and remove any tough stems. Secure several stems together with a rubber band then hang the bundle upside down in a warm, dark dry place to dry. Or spread individual stems on a tray. Place the tray in a warm well-ventilated location out of direct sunlight. Drying can take a week or more depending on the temperature and humidity. Speed up the process using your microwave. Place 4 or 5 stems of washed parsley between a double layer of paper towel. Microwave the parsley on high for 2 to 3 minutes. Microwave for an additional 30 seconds if the parsley as needed. Fully dried parsley will be brittle and rattle when stirred. Store dried herbs in an airtight container for later use.
Q - Aaron of Oconomowoc, WI
I inherited a large clump of daffodils from the home's previous owner. Last summer I dug it up and broke the bulbs apart. I stored them in the basement and planted them again in the fall. A lot of them are flowering nicely, but some are not at all -- they look green and healthy, but have no flower. A – Melinda Myers
Several factors can prevent bulbs from blooming. In your case it is probably the immature bulblets, offshoots of the main bulb, that are not blooming. It takes several years for these to reach flowering size. Give them another season and you should see more blooms. Gardeners with early daffodils or those that sprouted prematurely may lose some blooms to cold temperatures. Overcrowding or excess nitrogen fertilizer can also impede flowering.
Q - Greg of Muskego, WI
Help! Why are all my pine trees dying? They were perfectly healthy and quite large 8 years ago. Now the two smallest are dead, and the very large ones are starting to thin out from the bottom up. What's going on? A – Melinda Myers
Several things can cause the symptoms you describe. Too much or not enough water can result in poor growth, branch dieback and thinning. Root rot diseases, usually induced by poor drainage, can also cause the problem. As evergreens age (older than yours) the bottom branches are shaded and often lost. Pine trees thin out and the overall growth habit opens up becoming more picturesque with age. Disease problems can also cause poor growth and death in plants. The first step in diagnosing a pest problem is properly identifying the plant. Evergreens are often called pines when in reality they are spruces, firs or another evergreen plant. Pines have needles in bundles while spruce and fir needles are single, one needle at each point of attachment. Fir needles are flat while spruce needles are somewhat angular. Check out the University of Wisconsin Extension X file “Conifer Diseases Quick Reference”. This fact sheet has thumb nail pictures of the disease symptoms, the scientific name of the pest (great way to search on-line) and sources for more detailed information. Also review the X file Armillaria Root Disease. These are available at http://www.uwex.edu/ces/wihort/. Consider hiring a certified arborist to come to your landscape and evaluate your trees and the growing conditions. Certified tree care professionals have experience and training to evaluate the problem and recommend a course of treatment if needed.
Q - Sandy of Oconomowoc, WI
What would you suggest for an area that is about three feet wide by 26 feet. This south-facing area is bordered by the house on one side and asphalt drive on the other. Are there any evergreens, perennials, grasses that would grow well in these conditions? A – Melinda Myers
Believe it or not there are several plants that will tolerate these conditions. Will you be piling snow in the area for winter? If so you may want to use perennials or grasses that you will cut back for winter. If not you could let them stand and enjoy their beauty or try some narrow upright juniper like skyrocket that grows 12 to 15 feet tall but only a couple feet wide. Ornamental grasses like Karl Forester feather reed and Northwind or Heavy Metal switchgrass grow tall but will fit the confines of the bed. The shorter blue fescue and blue oat grass will also tolerate these harsh conditions. Perennials like fern leaf yarrow, Walker’s low catmint, butterflyweed, calmentha, Artemisia, sedum and little spire Russian sage take it hot and dry. Minimize salt damage to this planting bed by shoveling the asphalt instead of salting. Use plant friendly deicing salts if salting is required. Then water the planting bed thoroughly in spring to help was the salt through the soil to minimize root damage.
Q - Mary W. of Brookfield, WI
Now that the snow has melted, I see that moles or mice have stripped the bark on my crab trees and golden dogwood. They've eaten all the way around the tree up to about 12" high. Is there anything I can do to help the trees? Thank you. A – Melinda Myers
Moles are usually blamed but not the culprits. They were fast asleep for winter while the voles and rabbits were busy eating the bark at the base of trees and shrubs. The yellow twig dogwood will be fine. Prune off damaged stems and wait for new shoots to sprout from the roots. You will have to wait and see what happens with the crabapple. Sometimes there is enough of the cambium (tissue that contains the vessels that carry water and nutrients between the roots and leaves) left to keep the plants alive. Some avid or desperate gardeners try grafting damaged trees. This requires great skills and even more luck. Bridge grafts can be used if the bark near the soil level is intact. Use pieces of apple trees to create a bridge over the damaged area. The goal is to create a new path to move water and nutrients between the leaves and roots. Or plant small seedlings or use suckers if there is no cambium tissue between the ground and non damaged region of the trunk. Graft the top of the seedling or sucker above the damaged area onto the main tree trunk. This is very tricky and usually not successful. Next winter prevent damage by encircling young trees, shrubs and fruits with a cylinder of hardware cloth sunk several inches into the ground and at least 4 feet high.
Q - Mary Sansing of Lago Vista, TX
I planted a Crossvine last spring. It grew nicely but has never bloomed. What do I do to make it bloom? A – Melinda Myers
Also known as Bignonia capreolata or formerly as Anisostichus capreolata this spring bloomer has orange-red often mocha fragrant flowers the hummingbirds love. Your plant, like other new plantings, of trees, shrubs, and woody vines often take a season or two to bloom. The new plantings are busy establishing roots. Once established the plants will start blooming. Crossvine gets its name from the look of a cross section of the stem flowers best in full sun to partial shade. Excess shade and nitrogen can prevent bloom.
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