Innholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2019 i Horticulture

EARLY BLOOMERS 1. ‘February Gold’ Among the first daffodils to bloom in spring, this heirloom dates to the 1920s. It is solid yellow with reflexed petals. USDA Zones 4–9. 2. ‘Ice Follies’ This favorite is beloved for its vigor as well as it frilled yellow crown that shifts to white over time. Slightly fragrant. Zones 3–8. 3. ‘Avalanche’ This tazetta type makes a rounded head of up to 20 small, pale flowers on a single stem. Fragrant. Zones 6–9. MIDDLE BLOOMERS 4. ‘Red Devon’ The deep orange cup centering bold yellow petals is certain to draw attention. It has won multiple awards since debuting more than 75 years ago. Zones 3–8. 5. ‘Salome’ A tall cup that begins yellow and deepens in color to peachy pink is the icing for…

In the fall, the lush greenness of summer will give way to the drab brown of winter as annual plants die off and deciduous perennials lose their leaves. But for many trees and even some shrubs, summer will end with a burst of color. For these trees and shrubs, the warmth and abundant sunshine of summer is the time to be productive. Leaves come out in the spring with the job of absorbing sunlight. They use the sun’s energy to produce food, glucose sugar. But these leaves are relatively fragile. They could never withstand the below-freezing temperatures of winter, so the plant “knows” to shed them in the fall. Evergreens, on the other hand, have stronger leaves, even with their own antifreeze inside, so they can withstand the winter cold.…

NOT LONG AGO, I was driving to Home Depot to buy a toilet seat. I was feeling fat and kind of depressed, because I had just broken a toilet seat. But soon enough I turned my mental state around. Talked myself up, saying, “Hey, you can lose weight. Just a few small changes, and you’ll be looking good and feeling better.” Buying in, I was soon smiling and rocking out to some music. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something. What? Sure enough. They were building a new Krispy Kreme! Thank you, Lord! Practically in my back yard! One step forward. Two steps back. This is the lack of control I have over my life, and why I play God in my garden. Nothing else…

AS THE GROWING season begins to taper, you may be starting to select some tender or tropical garden plants to bring indoors for the winter. Perhaps you’re looking ahead to starting seeds inside come the New Year. You may be tempted to dig up some garden soil to use for these purposes. Isn’t it close enough to potting soil to serve as a substitute? The simple answer is no. The soil in your back yard is most likely a dynamic mixture of sand, silt and clay, depending on where you live. Most potting soils sold at garden stores aren’t soils at all, but a mix of ingredients. Together, these ingredients can smooth the road to good plant growth. (Topsoil sold at garden centers, however, is more similar to the soil…

WILDFIRES SCOURGED our part of northern California in 2017 and 2018. Whole neighborhoods—hell, whole towns—went up in flames. Fields, meadows and woodlands, tinder-dry from five successive years of drought, burned as hurricane-force winds drove fires into frenzies of devastation. Hundreds of people and thousands of animals died. The mountains were left looking like WWI battlefields, with naked tree trunks jutting up from barren land turned gray with ash. But from December of 2018 to April of 2019, nature smiled. It rained. Wonderful, gentle soaking rains went on for weeks and then months, seeping deep into the parched earth, filling the dry creeks, replenishing the aquifers. Snow piled higher than tall trees in the Sierra Nevada mountains. And still the rains and snows came. A huge panoply of annual and perennial…

IF YOU LIVE in the eastern United States, you’ve probably seen spicebush (Lindera benzoin; USDA Zones 4–9). Its native range is wide, from Michigan and Vermont in the north to Florida and Texas in the south. To human eyes, it’s quiet for much of the year, a large shrub or small tree with ovoid, matte-green leaves. Crush a leaf in your fingers and you’ll understand the common name. In winter, its light, twiggy structure blends into the gray-browns of the woodlands it prefers. Yet there are several times of year when you’ll notice spicebush from across the garden. Its first show-stopper moment? Early spring, when its fuzzy yellow flowers emerge on its bare branches. Small bees and other early pollinators will flock to its abundant flowering. It makes an excellent…

When rainfall and temperatures begin to moderate at the end of summer, it’s time to start thinking about fall planting. Fall is a good time to plant many different kinds of trees and shrubs and even perennials. Fall-planted specimens often settle into their new homes more easily than those planted in spring, because they usually don’t have to contend with a period of hot, dry weather the way the latter do. Timing of fall planting has much to do with soil temperature. Many plants can grow roots when the earth is as cool as 45˚F. At planting time, the soil temperature at 6 inches deep should be about 55˚F to give plants ample time to start getting established. Conifers prefer a soil temperature closer to 65˚F, so they should be…

I’VE BEEN A COLD-FRAME gardener for more than 15 years, using my simple polycarbonate-topped wood frames to harvest a variety of vegetables all winter long. A cold frame is just a box with a clear, sloped top, which should face south to capture as much solar energy as possible. You can buy frames that are made with polycarbonate sides as well as tops, but they’re far less insulating than a wooden cold frame. I use polycarbonate-sided ones only for spring and autumn harvesting. Depending on the crop and the local climate, cold-frame vegetables can be sown in midsummer, late summer or early autumn. Use the “days to maturity” indicated on seed packets and in seed catalogs to determine your planting dates. Here are five excellent vegetables to grow in a…

THE WORLDgrows ever more complex and its pace becomes more hurried, but there is a spot in central Florida where time stands still and a sense of peace and tranquility prevail. Approximately 55 miles southwest of Orlando and 60 miles east of Tampa, near Lake Wales, Fla., is Bok Tower Gardens, a National Historic Landmark and one of the United States’ finest gardens. Bok Tower Gardens dates to 1921, when writer, philanthropist and humanitarian Edward Bok purchased the land with the intent of creating a garden that would please both people and wildlife. Bok hired Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. to design the garden. Olmsted specified a mix of native and exotic species that create a tropical ambiance while supporting local wildlife and migrating birds. Meanwhile Bok worked with craftsmen to…

PLANNING FOR the Alaska Botanical Garden started in 1983, as members of the Alaska Horticultural Association considered the creation of an arboretum and the idea grew. The organization was officially incorporated as an Alaskan nonprofit in 1986, and there began the process of developing a master plan to guide the creation of gardens and infrastructure elements. Today, the Alaska Botanical Garden occupies about 110 acres in Anchorage. Gardens cover about eight acres of the property, and much of the land will remain in a natural state. The individual themed “gardens-within-the-Garden” are interconnected by trails through the boreal forest. The Garden also includes a Horticultural Work Center, a paved loop trail and a one-acre research and demonstration plot, all showcasing the value of plants. The gardens and natural areas showcase more…

“MISCELLANEA” sounds so much more professional than “ramblings,” though I do have a tendency toward the latter. With seven decades of gardening behind me, I find I have good tips that don’t always fit into neat categories, yet nonetheless they are worth relating to the readers of Horticulture. BULBS AND LAWN I noticed one recent spring that some of my crocus plants were not coming up where I was positive that I had planted them. I could have blamed the marauding squirrels, who have been known to dig up crocus bulbs in the past. But after the crocus-blooming season passed I saw that the plants were actually still alive where I’d put them, albeit in an almost vestigial condition. It didn’t make any sense to me, because plants just three…

When you’re purchasing bulbs to plant this fall, pick up a few bare-root peonies, too. Peonies can be planted in fall or spring, but there are a few reasons why fall is the better choice for these long-lived perennials. Fall planting of peonies can occur in September and October in northern climates (or even into November in a mild fall), and in November and into December in southern regions. Fall-planted peonies tend to establish themselves more quickly than those planted in the spring, and they will flower sooner. Spring-planted peonies seem to run about a year behind fall-planted peonies in terms of maturity, growth and flowering. When planting peonies, choose a site in full sun. Peonies need good drainage; this can be improved by adding compost or other organic matter…