Calendar - Connecticut Gardener

Transcription

Vol. 19, No. 4
www.conngardener.com
September/October 2013
Connecticut
Gardener
Serving gardeners in Zones 5, 6 and 7 since 1995
❦ Smart Lawns
❦ Unusual Conifers
❦ Making Meadows
❦ Pervious Paving ❦ Q&A
❦ Soil Testing ❦ In the Garden
❦ Reducing Chemicals ❦ Calendar
$6
Unusual & Exceptional Conifers — see story on opposite page
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Unusual & Exceptional Conifers
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By Adam Wheeler
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Photos / Broken Arrow Nursery
1) Pinus thunbergii ‘Thunderhead’
2) Picea orientalis ‘Skylands’
3) Pinus parviflora ‘Tani Mano Uki’
4) Thuja orientalis ‘Morgan’
5) Picea glauca
‘Pendula’
6) Pinus bungeana
‘Silver Ghost’
7) Chamaecyparis
obtusa ‘Chirimen’
8) Picea glauca
‘Daisy White’
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Connecticut Gardener
ost of us are reasonably
familiar with the diversity
of conifers that grace our
native lands yet, all too frequently, we
fail to appreciate the value these conebearing curiosities can add to our
landscapes. If ever there was a group
of plants that gardeners consistently
fail to maximize ornamentally, it
would be conifers.
Many of us have chosen to limit
our conifer use to a predictable pair
of token dwarf Alberta spruce by the
entry stoop or a series of highly manicured, labor intensive, cube-shaped
yews on the foundation. On occasion,
we combine the two in some otherworldly design scheme by alternating
a dwarf Alberta with a spherical yew
at the edge of the property line.
With the current diversity of
unique conifers now available, these
limited applications are unacceptable
and should fall to the wayside. It is
my hope that gardeners everywhere
will begin to recognize the untapped
potential the group holds. Those
willing to explore the diversity will be
rewarded with an incredible range of
colors, forms and textures capable of
enhancing our ornamental landscapes
in new dimensions.
A major reason many shy away
from the use of conifers is that they
lack the flamboyant flowers of many
deciduous shrubs and herbaceous
perennials. While this is certainly true,
when used creatively, conifers can add
a strong sense of structure and yearround interest to the landscape that
their flowering cousins cannot.
Furthermore, they enhance their
display during the growing season,
often adding color and substance to
the garden throughout the dormant
season, a time when deciduous plants
fall short but when our gardening
souls desire it the most.
Well-designed gardens that integrate a balance of conifers become
true year-round displays with interest
that carries from season to season and
year to year.
There are thousands of options
available with plants to fit the majority
of garden spaces. As a general rule,
conifers prefer full sun to bright shade
with reasonably well-drained soils.
That said, Mother Nature accommodates and options exist for sites with
shade and moisture. A few of my
favorite conifers for use in Connecticut gardens are as follow:
Weeping Alaskan Cedar –
Chamaecyparis nootkatensis
‘Pendula’
A classy, moderate-sized selection
of Alaskan cedar that develops into
conical specimen trees. Plants develop
an upright central leader and sweeping
secondary branches with strongly pendulous branchlets. Makes a dramatic
specimen topping 25 feet in height
and 10 feet in width at maturity.
Chirimen Hinoki Cypress –
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Chirimen’
A downright cool hinoki cypress
that always draws comments. The
distinctively upright specimen sports
short, greenish-black foliage that
is compressed into thick, spire-like
columns. Plants are quite slow growing, adding only 1-2 inches of growth
annually. Excellent for texture and
vertical accent in the garden. About
3 feet tall.
Gold Cone Common Juniper –
Juniperus communis ‘Gold Cone’
A prized selection of a highly variable species that ranges throughout
much of the temperate world. This
vibrant “wow” plant develops a tight
upright habit with striking goldflushed needles. A mature plant is very
formal in structure reaching perhaps
10 feet tall and only 18 inches wide.
Brilliant for vertical accent in any
well-drained, sun-drenched location.
continued on next page
CONTENTS
3
6
9
11
14
17
20
22
Pervious Paving
The Scoop on Soil Testing
Making Wildflower Meadows
Get Smart About Lawns
Calendar
Q&A
Designer’s Forum:
Reducing Chemical Use
25
In the Fall Garden
COVER
A meadow in Salisbury designed by
Larry Weaner Landscape Associates.
See page 13 for more photos.
Photo / Larry Weaner
Printed in Connecticut on recycled paper
using vegetable-based inks .
Publishers
Anne & Will Rowlands
Contributing Photographers
Karen Bussolini, Rich Pomerantz
& Steve Silk
Connecticut Gardener is published
four times a year: March/April,
May/June, July/August and
September/October.
Subscriptions: $20 one year,
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Reproduction in whole or in part,
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is forbidden without prior permission.
Copyright 2013
P.O. Box 248
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ISSN 1080-8396
Tech Consultant – Graham Rowlands
Founder – Pamela Weil
4
Unusual & Exceptional Conifers — continued from previous page
Pusch Norway Spruce –
Picea abies ‘Pusch’
A far cry from the classic Norway
spruce that form imposing spires to
60 feet or more. This cute, dwarf
mounding specimen sports mediumgreen needles and masses of wellproportioned cones. New cones are
rich red in color maturing to tanbrown with age. All are prominently
displayed at the tips of the wiry 3-inch
stems. Certainly unique in the garden
and a must for the conifer enthusiast.
18 inches high by 3 feet wide.
Daisy’s White Spruce –
Picea glauca ‘Daisy’s White’
The true dwarf Alberta spruce is
probably one of the most overused
conifers found in gardens today. Plants
literally pop up at just about every
cemetery and gas station from here
to Florida. ‘Daisy’s White’ looks similar
in form but is certainly not your run
of the mill dwarf Alberta spruce!
‘Daisy’s White’ will knock your socks
off in spring when the new growth
emerges brilliant creamy-white. These
dwarf, conical evergreens are a striking
sight at this time of the year and are
sure to impress. As the new growth
hardens, the needles transition back
to the standard green we associate
with the classic dwarf Alberta.
About 4 feet high.
Weeping White Spruce –
Picea glauca ‘Pendula’
A prominent white spruce selection
with a misleading name. Plants are
actually upright and narrow rather
than weeping as the name would
suggest. ‘Pendula’ develops a strong,
ascending central leader with strongly
pendulous secondary branches that
lay tightly against the main framework. Mature plants create an outstanding formal presence and will
top out around 30 feet in height
while staying less than 8 feet wide.
Skylands Oriental Spruce –
Picea orientalis ‘Skylands’
A fantastic spruce with eyecatching, bright, golden-yellow needles
that remain colorful all year long.
Spring’s new growth is especially
vibrant and is accented with unexpected red cones when plants reach
maturity. Plants are slow to moderate
growers and assume a graceful conical
form with horizontal branches that
sweep skyward at the tips. 20 feet tall
by 8 feet wide.
Spring Blast Colorado Spruce –
Picea pungens ‘Spring Blast’
A fabulous new spruce selection
that seems to have everything going
for it! In spring, the initial flush of
growth emerges in shades of creamywhite. The show lasts for up to six
weeks and is truly dazzling, especially
when set off by the pewter-blue older
foliage. Plants are consistent garden
performers with a “classic” Christmas
tree form and reach 8 feet tall and
4 feet wide in 10 years. Ultimate size
will approach 25 feet at maturity.
Silver Ghost Lacebark Pine –
Pinus bungeana ‘Silver Ghost’
An outstanding and fast-growing
pine that will quickly develop into a
medium-sized specimen. Plants are
valued for their ghostly bark that
exfoliates in patches and develops a
silvery-white mottled appearance.
Creates a striking display in all
seasons, especially when set off
by the deep green needles! I was lucky
enough to see the original 30-foot
plant on the grounds of the Dawes
Arboretum and nearly drove my golf
cart into a mass shrub planting as I
gawked at the beauty of this plant.
Chief Joseph Lodgepole Pine –
Pinus contorta ‘Chief Joseph’
Looking to add a little shock and
awe to your winter garden? Look no
further, ‘Chief Joseph’ is your guy.
This premier lodgepole pine is sure
to impress with its amazing golden
foliage coloration that enlightens the
dormant landscape. The coloration
is certainly among the brightest I’ve
witnessed in the world of conifers and
a must-have for enthusiasts. During
the warmer spring and summer
months the color fades, becoming a
less prominent lime-green. Plants are
slow growing adding 3 inches of new
growth annually and reaching 4 feet
tall and 2 feet wide over a 10-year
period. Ultimate size will approach
10 feet in height in our region.
Tani Mano Uki
Japanese White Pine –
Pinus parviflora ‘Tani Mano Uki’
A colorful Japanese white pine with
unique, pink-blushed buds that elongate to reveal white needles which add
varied amounts of bluish-green to the
mix throughout the season. The slowgrowing plants develop a charming,
irregular habit with age and provide
constant color throughout the year.
BROKEN ARROW NURSERY
Growers of Rare and Unusual Plants – Retail and Mail Order
www.brokenarrownursery.com
13 Broken Arrow Road, Hamden, CT 06518 • 203-288-1026
Excellent for use in the rock garden
or for integrating into a Japanese-style
planting. 4 feet by 4 feet.
Mini Twists Eastern White Pine –
Pinus strobus ‘Mini Twists’
An excellent, slow-growing eastern
white pine with unique twisted and
contorted needles that add a texture
unmatched by other conifers. Discovered as a chance seedling by famed
conifer guru Greg Williams in his
northern Vermont nursery. Plants
grow 3-4 inches annually developing
a globose, rounded form at maturity.
5 feet.
Thunderhead Japanese Black Pine –
Pinus thunbergii ‘Thunderhead’
These compact plants are moderate
growers and showcase long, heavy
textured, forest-green needles. In
spring, the emerging new growth
initially elongates in a white candleshaped structure that provides a
remarkable contrast with the darkgreen surroundings. Prominent snowwhite buds are present throughout the
rest of the year. Averages 6-8 inches
of growth each season and will mature
into a shapely, 5-10 foot mound that
is easily integrated into numerous
garden settings.
Japanese Umbrella Pine –
Sciadopitys verticillata
A remarkable conifer native to a
restricted region in Japan. The dark-
green needles have a thick, rubbery
texture and are arranged in whorls
along the branches. Plants are slow
growing and perform best in acidic
soils in full sun or high canopy shade.
In the garden plants generally top out
around 20-30 feet in height though
they can reach as much as 60 feet over
several generations! One of those
plants that everyone wants because
it is so distinct.
Morgan Oriental Arborvitae –
Thuja orientalis ‘Morgan’
A dazzling little shrub forming a
handsome, well-behaved oval framework of vertically aligned branches.
In summer, the leaf coloration is an
average pale green but the plants come
alive in winter when they take on
intense bronze-orange tones. Simply
brilliant at this time of year. Excellent
for use in the rock garden or at the
front of a mixed border.
Whip Cord Western Red Cedar –
Thuja plicata ‘Whip Cord’
A unique dwarf rounded conifer
that draws attention with its rich green
foliage that is held in unique lacy,
whip-like branchlets. Picture Medusa
on a really bad hair day and you’ll get
the idea. One of those plants that people quickly fall in love with and an excellent option for texture and structure
in the garden. Plants are slow growers,
forming 3-4 foot irregular mounds
with arching and cascading stems.
5
Moon Frost Eastern Hemlock –
Tsuga canadensis ‘Moon Frost’
An exciting, slow-growing eastern
hemlock with showy white new
growth said to resemble the “glow of
frost on a moonlit night.” Plants are
reliable growers performing best in
part shade. As an added bonus the
needles pick up attractive pink tones
in winter. 5-6 feet.
Hopefully, this sampling of evergreen conifers will pique your interest
and encourage exploration of this
diverse group. With today’s availability, there’s no reason to settle for the
generic spruce or pine in those classic
spaces. Adventurous gardeners who
are up to the task will be rewarded
for years to come. 짮
Adam Wheeler is the propagation
and plant development manager at
Broken Arrow
Nursery in Hamden where he
manages plant
propagation and
the acquisition
and development
of new plants. In
Adam Wheeler
his spare time he
enjoys collecting rare and unusual
plants and competitive giant pumpkin
growing. He has a BS in Urban Forestry
and Landscape Horticulture from the
University of Vermont.
NURSERY & GREENHOUSES
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Wide Selection of Beautiful Plants

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6
Pervious Paving
By David Verespy & Barbara Wilson
W
hen is solid not solid?
When what you’re walking
on is considered pervious
or permeable.
Pervious or permeable paving
systems can be one of the answers
to run-off problems.
Cities and towns across the country
are dealing with increased flooding
due to unusual weather patterns and
increased levels of development. Development has resulted in more water
flowing into older drainage systems
not designed to meet the capacity.
Increased development has also
resulted in more water going directly
into streams and rivers and less infiltrating into the ground. In many
communities, this has resulted in the
regular flooding of low-lying downstream areas.
Municipalities have responded to
this increased flooding by limiting the
amount of impervious area on newly
developed sites.
The green industry has responded
to the problem by creating more innovative and sustainable permeable
paving systems that allow water to
filter through them directly into the
soil below.
Depending on the design, location,
soil and type of pavement, permeable
pavements can infiltrate as much as
70 to 80% of annual rainfall. These
systems allow for increased onsite
infiltration, reduced pollution and
reduced impervious coverage on
projects, with less run-off.
Several types of permeable pavements are available, including pervious
concrete, pervious asphalt, concrete
and brick pavers, open cell grid pavers
in plastic and concrete, and resin
coated gravel.
Most permeable paving systems
have 25% voids in the surface, allowing the water to seep through. Each of
these green types of permeable pavements has its own benefits, recommended uses and best applications.
When designed and installed properly,
Pervious Paving
pervious pavements may eliminate the
need for a traditional drainage system.
Any added cost of base preparation,
product cost or labor can often be offset with the savings of not having a
traditional drainage system.
For these systems to work best, they
must be designed and installed properly. The underlying soils will play
a critical role in determining and
designing the right system and the
installation details.
Editor’s Note: Infiltrating describes
the process by which water
is absorbed into the ground.
Permeable, pervious and porous
are used interchangeably.
Soils that do not infiltrate well
require a deeper reservoir beneath the
paving system to hold water. Freely
draining soils only need a minimal
base and almost no capacity to
hold water.
The base under the pavement is
essential to the success of the overall
system. The base needs to be designed
to allow for some storage capacity of
water and needs to be free draining
to allow the water to quickly move
through the system.
Typically, clean crushed stone
works the best. Most pervious pavements work best when placed on flat
areas or on slopes of less than 5%. This
allows the water to seep into the soil
before running off and also prevents
subsurface erosion from undermining
the pavement.
Other Benefits
The benefits of pervious paving
systems beyond reduced runoff
are numerous.
• A reduction in erosion, siltation,
high water volumes and high velocities
common in point discharge systems.
• Reduced turbidity and temperature of the run-off.
• Reduced heavy metals and
pollutant loads by naturally filtering
them out through the soil profile and
neutralization by natural processes.
• Reduced heat island effects due
to lighter pavements and insulating
air pockets in the pavement.
• Providing more porous surface
near tree roots allows air and water
into the root zone to create healthier
more vibrant trees and plantings
Give Wells a Wide Berth
Permeable pavements should not
be placed too close to a well. If there
is insufficient distance between the
well and the pavement to allow for the
water to seep into the ground and be
purified through the soil profile, it is
possible for contaminants to get into
the well.
aggregate, so more voids are created
that allow the water to flow through
unobstructed. It is used mostly in the
construction of parking areas, lightly
traveled drives, pedestrian walkways
and greenhouses.
Pervious concrete requires special
equipment to install, is more difficult
to work with, requires more curing
time and more is labor intensive than
traditional concrete.
However the durability of the system, the light color and readily available nature of the material can make
it a great solution to use on the
right project.
7
Pervious Asphalt
Pervious asphalt looks similar to
traditional asphalt but water can flow
right through it.
It’s mixed at conventional asphalt
plants and can be installed using the
same equipment and techniques.
It differs from regular asphalt in
that the smallest aggregates are omitted from the mixture and replaced
with a cellulose binder additive. The
remaining larger aggregate particles
leave open voids giving the material
high porosity and permeability
without sacrificing strength.
Pervious asphalt can replace con-
Contributed photo
Permeable pavers (3¼” x 18”) by Hanover Architectural Products.
Pervious Concrete
Pervious concrete is a special type
of concrete that looks similar to traditional concrete but has high porosity.
It resembles rice crispy treats and is
placed all at once as a giant slab. It is
best used on flat surfaces that allow
water to percolate through.
This product has little or no fine
Those seeking the most distinctive designs for
outdoor living, engage Rock Spring Design
Group’s team of Landscape Architects to
design their outdoor living spaces.
David W. Verespy, ASLA and Barbara Wilson, ASLA
55 Corporate Drive Trumbull, CT 06611
Tel: 203.268.6979 Fax: 203. 261.2170
email: [email protected] web: www.rockspringdesign.com
Find us and Like us on Facebook at RockSpringDesign
ventional asphalt in most pedestrian
and vehicular applications and is
generally recommended for lowvolume and low-speed areas, such as
driveways, parking areas, sidewalks
and walkways.
One of the benefits of pervious
asphalt is that, due to the well-draining
base layer, it tends to develop fewer
cracks and potholes than conventional
asphalt, and never gets icy.
In addition, its life-span in the
northern climates is twice as long as
conventional asphalt. However, due
the specialty binder additive, many
asphalt plants will not mix small
batches or will limit the availability
to select times.
Pervious Pavers
Pervious or permeable pavers allow
water to infiltrate through the joints
between the pavers into the underlying base and soil.
Municipal, corporate, private
developments and even residences
can utilize these green paving systems
to reduce run-off.
One of the advantages of pervious
pavers is that they can appear to be
indistinguishable from non-porous
pavers. They are an attractive option
for use on paths, terraces, driveways,
parking areas or low-speed, lowvolume roadways.
They come in a wide variety of
styles, shapes and colors that can
enhance a site and are as attractive
as other styles of precast pavers.
Using pervious or permeable pavers
is an important design element in lowimpact development.
Pervious pavers are installed the
same way as traditional pavers, are
readily available, and can be installed
by most masons without specialized
tools or equipment. However, the cost
of the pavers can be much higher than
some other systems and they are not
ideal for large installations.
Contributed photo
Pervious asphalt. Note that there is no melt water crossing the parking lot
and, consequently, no icing.
8
The Scoop on Soil Testing
Pervious Paving — continued from previous page
Plastic and Concrete Grid Pavers
These are modular systems that
create a strong interlocking framework
that is filled with either gravel or soil to
provide a high load bearing stabilized
surface with the highest percentage
of void areas.
This is a cost effective alternative
to asphalt or concrete for infrequently
used areas such as overflow parking
lots, seasonal roadways, golf cart paths
and fire truck lanes.
These systems will require some
maintenance over time to refill the soil,
repair any damaged areas and fix burned out areas of lawn. When grass is used,
an irrigation system will be required
and more maintenance will be needed
to keep the grass looking healthy.
These is a great system to create a
stable surface for infrequent use that
is easy to install and readily available
from a variety of vendors.
Resin Coated Gravel
Relatively new to market are
resinous binders that are added to a
soil or gravel mixture to create a solid
surface that is stable to walk on, allows
water to flow through but won’t erode.
The benefit is that you can have a
gravel look with similar permeability
without the problems of loose or lost
stones, weeds and discoloration.
There are no ponding or erosion
concerns as with other gravel applications, the water just flows through the
surface. It does not require any additional maintenance and is easily repaired. It is best used for pedestrian
walkways, trails and limited vehicular
applications.
Maintenance
Permeable pavements require some
maintenance to maintain optimal
performance. Grit or gravel can block
the open pores so it is important to remove these deposits on a semi-annual
basis to maintain the proper infiltration. This is accomplished by the use
of vacuums and wind rakes.
In cold climates, road sand may
plug pores and reduce infiltration. It
is recommended to use straight salt
in areas over the permeable pavements
if icy conditions are found, rather than
using sand. Often, pervious systems
will require little to no salt, due to the
fact that water does not flow across
the surface.
An Attractive Alternative
Permeable pavements are an attractive solution to stormwater issues that
allow you to have an attractive, welldesigned project that is also green.
A landscape architect can determine and design the best pervious
pavement application for your project
and budget. 짮
David Verespy, LLA ASLA LEED
AP BD+C is the principal and founder
of Rock Spring Design Group, LLC
(www.rockspringdesign.com). A lifelong Connecticut resident, with more
than 20 years of professional experience, he has a
deep respect for
and understanding of the New
England landscape. His designs
fulfill each client’s
needs while
honoring the land
and enhancing
David Verespy
the human
experience.
DEEP Looking for Marsh Pinks & Indian Paintbrush
Spread the word – DEEP is looking for two rare flowers in Connecticut.
Indian paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea) is a native wildflower which once
grew in at least 40 towns in Connecticut. Today, this species is known from
only a couple of locations within the state. Indian paintbrush typically grows in
open meadows and fields and may be threatened by natural succession, habitat
conversion and competition from invasive plant species. It usually blooms
between early-May and mid-June, though the timing and duration of flowering
can vary depending on weather conditions.
Marsh pink (Sabatia stellaris) is a native wildflower which once grew along
the coastline from Stamford to Groton. Today, only one population is known
in Connecticut. Marsh pink typically grows at the upper edges of salt or brackish
marshes where it can be found among low-growing grasses or in open spaces
between taller plants such as switchgrass, hightide bush and Phragmites.
Despite its name, marsh pink flowers can either be pink or white with a yellow
center. Plants usually bloom from July to October, though peak bloom typically
occurs between late July and mid-August.
If you’ve seen either of these plants in Connecticut, please contact Nelson
DeBarros ([email protected]) with the Connecticut Natural Diversity
Data Base. For color photos, go to www.conngardener.com/breaking.html
Woodland Trails Native Plant Nursery
By Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Soil
Nutrient Analysis Laboratory
A
ccording to Vern Grubinger,
extension professor at the
University of Vermont, “Growing crops without soil tests is like flying
a plane without radar. Sure, you can do
it but if you don’t know where you’re
going, you’ll probably never get there.”
I can appreciate that, as my first husband was loathe to ask for directions
and, this being back in the days before
GPS, it would often take us
a while to reach our destination.
Soil testing is a valuable tool to
home gardeners and commercial
growers alike. Conditions for plant
growth can be optimized once the
current soil pH and available nutrient
levels are determined. This will maximize the return on your investment
in fertilizers, limestone and other soil
amendments, and sometimes save
money if no additions are needed.
Another compelling reason for soil
testing is environmental stewardship.
Soil Testing Labs in Connecticut
CT Agricultural Experiment Station
www.ct.gov/caes
• Slate Laboratory
123 Huntington St. (PO Box 1106)
New Haven, CT 06504-1106
(203) 974-8521
• Valley Laboratory
153 Cook Hill Road (PO Box 248)
Windsor, CT 06095-0248
(860) 683-4977
Harrington’s Organic Land Care
70 Highland Park Drive
Bloomfield, CT 06002
(860) 243-8733
www.harringtonsorganic.com
University of Connecticut
Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory
6 Sherman Place U-5102
Storrs, CT 06269
(860) 486-4274
www.soiltest.uconn.edu
Specializing in North American Native Plants
32 Ashford Road, Eastford, CT
860-974-2300
Call for directions and times or visit us at
www.WoodlandTrailsWildflowers.com
CAES’ test is free for Connecticut
residents. UConn charges $8 for a
Standard Nutrient Analysis. Harrington’s Basic Chemistry test is $45.
Refer to the websites for details.
Fall is for planting!
Both nitrogen and phosphorus, if not
properly managed, can enter our water
bodies causing degradation. In fact,
the pollution of fresh water systems in
Connecticut has prompted legislation
regulating the application of phosphorus to established lawns. The legislation was previously covered in the
March/April 2013 edition of Connecticut Gardener. The bottom line is that
no phosphorus can be applied to established lawns unless a soil test taken
within the past two years recommends
doing so.
Collection
Four separate activities are involved
in soil testing. The first is collecting
the sample. While this may seem simple, it can be the source of much error.
Soils are both heterogeneous and stratified so it is important to submit a representative sample of the appropriate
depth. To do so, decide on the area to
be sampled. Soils that look different,
have been treated differently in terms
of limestone, fertilizer or amendment
additions, or soils that contain plants
exhibiting drastic differences in plant
performance unaccountable by cultural methods or pest problems,
should be sampled separately.
Lawn soils are typically sampled
from the surface to a depth of 4 inches
while, for vegetables and flowers, a
depth of 6 or 8 inches is recommended.
It is important that soils be sampled
to a uniform depth. As the table below
demonstrates, sampling depth can
influence both results and recommendations.
UMass
Sampling Morgan Recommended
Depth Soil Test P
P205
(inches)
(ppm)
(lbs/1000 sf)
Site
Farmingdale
0–1
0–2
0–6
13
5
2
0
.5 – 1
1–2
Soil test phosphorus values and recommendations
by sampling depth. From: Soldat et al. 2009
Use a sharp spade to make a Vshaped hole in the soil to the proper
depth and take a uniform slice off one
side of the hole. Collect about a dozen
9
of these subsamples from the area you
want tested, placing them in a clean
bucket. Mix them thoroughly and remove one cup of soil for testing, place
it in a plastic sandwich bag and seal.
Analysis
The second activity is the actual
analysis once a laboratory receives the
soil. In New England, the land grant
university labs all follow The Recommended Soil Testing Procedures for the
Northeastern United States, a method
guide posted on the University of
Delaware’s soil lab website. Most soil
testing laboratories in the Northeast
use a Morgan or modified Morgan
extracting solution which was developed by Dr. M.F. Morgan from The
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment
Station during the 1930s and 1940s.
The Theory
The theory behind using this “Universal” soil extracting solution is that
it has the ability to remove a similar
amount of elements from the soil as
plant roots can, so “extractable” nutrients are often referred to as “plant
available” nutrients. Note that soil
fertility labs do not measure TOTAL
nutrients but EXTRACTABLE
amounts. Your plants do not care how
much total phosphorus is in the soil,
only what is available to them. If not
enough, you would fertilize.
The Morgan and modified Morgan
are weak-acid extractants developed
for use on our relatively sandy,
glacially derived, low pH, organic
matter and phosphorus native soils.
They may not be appropriate for nonNew England soils that have different
physical and chemical properties.
Typically soils are analyzed for pH
and macronutrients, including phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Some labs, including UConn’s,
analyze for micronutrients and also
scan routine samples for lead. Elevated
lead levels are found in almost 20% of
the samples the lab receives. Backyard
vegetable gardeners plus those with
10
Wildflower Meadows? Let’s Get Real
The Scoop on Soil Testing — continued from previous page
young children benefit from this
screening.
What’s the Deal with Nitrogen?
It is often questioned why nitrogen
is not measured by a routine soil test.
The reason is that nitrogen fluctuates
so widely in the environment depending on weather and biological reactions that readings would, for the most
part, not be useful to make recommendations. Instead, nitrogen recommendations are based on field studies
that involve growing different crops at
different rates of nitrogen and measuring yields. So, for instance, tomatoes
were found to require about 2 pounds
of nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. annually,
and that is our recommendation.
Interpretation & Recommendation
In order to make recommendations,
the values determined by the analysis
must be interpreted. Interpretation
and recommendation are the last two
soil-testing activities. Soil test values
have no meaning unless they are
Editor’s Note: If you want to grow
organically, make sure you ask
for organic recommendations.
General Response Curve
for Soil Test Categories
related to both a plant response to
the addition of a particular nutrient
(correlation) and also a known soil test
value at which that response will occur
(calibration). To develop these correlations and calibrations, regional research is performed on representative
soils ranging from deficient to adequate for a particular nutrient. Typically these studies have been
performed by land grant universities.
For making recommendations, the
UConn Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory uses both the Sufficiency Level
of Available Nutrients (SLAN) and the
Buildup and Maintenance Approach.
For home lawns and gardens, we ad-
vise that enough nutrients be applied
to fulfill the needs of the current year’s
crop. For commercial growers, whose
livelihoods depend on crop production, soil levels are increased to an
optimum level and then maintained.
Fertilizer recommendations for both
these approaches will be made until
the soil test values reach a point in the
optimum range determined by field
studies. Ideally, all nutrients should be
in the optimum range.
Soil testing is more complex and
involved than many think, but it is
the best way to evaluate your plant’s
nutritional needs. Can your soil pass
the test? 짮
Dawn Pettinelli is an assistant
cooperative extension educator in
the Department of Plant Science
at UConn. She
manages and
coordinates the
activities of the
UConn Home &
Garden Education
Center and the
UConn Soil
Nutrient Analysis
Dawn Pettinelli
Laboratory.
Emerald Ash Borer Found in Fairfield County
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES)
announced that the emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis) has been detected in another Connecticut county –
Fairfield – in the town of Sherman on July 19, 2013. This
invasive insect has now been found in two Connecticut
counties and 12 towns. This new county detection, like
that of the initial New Haven County detection in 2012,
was made through the Experiment Station’s Cerceris wasp
biosurveillance program.
In Connecticut, a quarantine has previously been established that regulates the movement of ash logs, ash materials, ash nursery stock, and hardwood firewood from within
New Haven County to any area outside of that county. The
New Haven County quarantine mirrors a federal quarantine
also imposed on New Haven County. The Fairfield County
detection will result in the expansion of the state and federal
quarantines in Connecticut.
The emerald ash borer is responsible for the death and
decline of tens of millions of ash trees and has been detected
in 20 states from Kansas and Michigan to New Hampshire
and south to North Carolina. Ash makes up about 4 to 15%
of Connecticut's forests and is a common urban tree.
In Connecticut, the insects were previously confirmed in
11 towns in New Haven County.
“Now that EAB has been detected in another Connecticut
county, it is more important than ever to curb its spread and
the most effective way to do that is preventing the movement of wood products out of affected areas,” said DEEP
Commissioner Daniel C. Esty.
In addition to the established quarantine, regulations are
in effect regulating the movement of firewood from out-ofstate into Connecticut or within Connecticut, including the
requirement of a permit to bring out-of-state firewood into
Connecticut. These regulations were put in place to ensure
that EAB and other invasive insects are not carried into
Connecticut, or spread throughout New England, through
the movement of firewood.
Detailed information about the quarantine, including
its expansion, and the firewood regulations can be found
at www.ct.gov/deep/eab or www.ct.gov/caes
The emerald ash borer is a regulated plant pest under
federal and state regulations. For more information about
the EAB, please visit the following website: www.emerald
ashborer.info. A fact sheet providing guidelines on the
treatment of ash trees to protect them from EAB is also
available at www.ct.gov/caes
By Larry Weaner
A
mericans use enormous
quantities of water, fuel, fertilizers and pesticides to make
lawns grow vigorously, only to then
spend time and money weekly to keep
it short. So why, even amidst growing
ecological awareness, do lawns continue to dominate our landscapes?
Some reasons make sense, but a lack of
practical alternatives may be a major
cause. If we’re ever to be weaned from
over-reliance on lawns, dependable,
cost-effective solutions must be
available.
Wildflower meadows have existed
for years, and claims about their lowmaintenance carpet of flowers would
seem to make them ideal. Yet they
have not proliferated because, too
often, they have failed. Deficient seed
mixes and poor planning have meant
many meadow projects are one-year
shows of colorful annuals followed
by massive weed invasion.
Yet, if properly planned, installed,
and managed, wildflower meadows
can transform a residential property
into a beautiful, stimulating environment that vastly reduces time spent
with a noisy mower. Corporations can
dramatically decrease maintenance
costs, as documented on numerous
projects, and public highways and
parks can enhance our spectacular
native landscape visually and ecologically. Unlike large expanses of sterile
lawn, native meadows also prevent
stormwater runoff, offer educational
opportunities, and provide important
habitat for wildlife, including many
beloved butterflies and songbirds.
A well-designed native wildflower
meadow incorporates the compositions, patterns and processes of naturally occurring meadows, making it a
functional plant community first and a
flower garden second. Does this mean
aesthetics must be sacrificed for sustainability? Not at all. Expectations
need not be lowered, only changed.
A visual foundation of native grasses
swaying in the breeze with graceful
drifts of wildflowers provides a truly
spectacular scene, changing from
season to season, year to year. This is
arguably more inspiring, and certainly
more sustainable, than waiting in
dread to see what emerges after a mix
of annuals expires. The necessary steps
for achieving a successful meadow are
discussed below.
Site Analysis
First, analyze the site. Full sun is
critical as insufficient sun will favor
woody species and increase maintenance. Knowing soil type (sand, loam,
clay, etc.) is relevant to selecting plants
that will grow well. High soil nutrient
levels are less important than in traditional plantings as most native species
are generally adapted to poor soils.
Many notorious weeds favor richer
soils while there are numerous native
flowers and grasses that thrive in poor
conditions. Plants with strong ornamental characteristics such as Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) and
L A R R Y
WEANER
landscape
associates
Award-winning
native gardens,
meadows, and
natural areas.
(215) 886-9740 [email protected]
lweanerassociates.com
n associates.com
11
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) will grow well in dry sand while
Pink Turtlehead (Chelone lyonii) and
New England Aster (Symphotrichum
novae-angliae) will thrive in clay.
Topography affects design and
planning decisions as well. If the site is
low-lying and remains wet after rains,
plants adapted to these conditions
should be selected. Topography micro
variations should also be considered in
order to further match plants to existing conditions. A sloped site may also
benefit from a spring rather than a fall
seeding to avoid washing of ungerminated dormant seed during the winter.
Analyzing existing vegetation on
site and nearby can yield valuable
information about what plants will
grow well and what weeds could prove
problematic. If a challenging weed
exists, eradicating it beforehand is
recommended so as to avoid future
infestations.
Design
When designing the seed mix or
selecting plants to install in live form,
draw from your site analysis. Native
species that can thrive in existing
site conditions will invariably afford
longer-term success than attempting
to alter the site. Native grasses like
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Indian Grass (Sorghastrum
nutans) should also be a major component (usually 40-60%) as they stabilize
the meadow functionally and visually.
It’s important to understand the
spatial niches available in the planting,
too. Like a woodland, a mature prairie
contains canopy-level vegetation, mid
layers and a creeping understory.
Similarly, mat-forming root systems
occupy upper soil layers while fibrous
and taproots occupy lower soil layers.
If planted species occupy all above and
belowground niches, weeds have no
room in which to grow.
Niches in time must be filled as
well. First is seasonal time. Some
plants are active in warm weather
12
Wildflower Meadows — continued from previous page
while others are most vigorous during
cool seasons, particularly spring. Including both types means no seasonal
opening exists for weed invasion. A
second temporal niche is measured
in years. Some plants establish cover
during the first year, others during the
first few years, and some long-lived
plants may not have a noticeable presence for three or four years. All need
to be present to avoid a weak stage
in the meadow’s development.
A nurse crop of fast germinating,
clump-forming grasses such as Oats or
Canada Rye should be included to prevent erosion and weed invasion during
the first season. This is very important.
The initial phase is the most volatile
as longer-lived perennials and grasses
will not be well enough established
at this point to control the site.
Most commercial seed mixes have
little or no basis in these functional
considerations, consisting of nonregionally specific annuals, biennials,
and short-lived perennials selected for
quick results at a cheap price. Unfortunately, Flax, Poppies and Cosmos
cannot outcompete vigorous weeds
like Canada Thistle and Oriental Bittersweet over the long term. Even preprepared all-perennial mixes are rarely
site-specific enough to make the planting competitive year in and year out.
Seed mixes are best specified individually by species. A growing number
of suppliers offer native perennials and
grasses this way, and their expert advice can be an added bonus. Selection
by individual species also enables
greater design flexibility with flower
color and form, foliage texture and
succession of bloom as in any wellplanned garden.
Installation
Seeding meadows in the Northeast
can occur in spring or as a dormant
seeding in late fall. Existing undesirable vegetation, including turf, must be
eliminated using herbicides, smothering or physical removal. Soil should
be scarified to approximately ¼-inch
deep to create a seedbed. Tilling
should be avoided as it will encourage
germination of dormant weed seeds
and leave the site prone to erosion.
Seeds can be distributed by hand or by
mechanical seeders that accommodate
the varying seed sizes of native species.
Due to the small seeding rates of many
native species, seed should be bulked
up with an inert carrier (sawdust, kitty
litter, etc.) before spreading. Once seed
is broadcast, it should be lightly raked
in and rolled for good seed-to-soil
contact. Rainfall is usually sufficient
for germination.
Arrangement of seed mixes and live
plants is best done by combining creativity with patterns that exist in nature. Naturally occurring meadows
rarely have evenly scattered species.
An individual plant or plant group,
usually including grasses, dominates
with smaller colonies of plants occurring in drifts in response to a change
in site conditions. Drifts can be created
using live plants or seed mix overlays
on the main mix. Replicating this natural phenomenon yields an appealing
meadow that relies more on form and
textures of grasses interplaying with
subtle touches of color than a constant
explosion of bloom that is difficult
to obtain.
Post-Planting Maintenance
An established meadow requires
substantially less maintenance than
turf, but there are a few critical management procedures, particularly in
the first two years, when the planting
requires guidance. In the first season,
the meadow should be mowed
monthly to 4-6 inches or whenever
growth reaches 12-14 inches in height.
This prevents the cover crop and
weeds from forming seed and maximizes light reaching developing
seedlings, which will emerge stronger
the following year than if they had
been buried under four feet of foliage
in their first year. This is why including annual wildflowers can be detrimental to the planting’s long-term
Wildflower Meadows
health. In order to appreciate the
annuals blooming, you will be prohibited from mowing; weeds can then
go unchecked and deprive emerging
perennials of light needed for
optimal growth.
If live plants are used, they are
best installed in the fall after the last
mowing of the first season’s growth,
enabling them to establish their roots
and be competitive with seeded
species in the next season.
In the second year, the first flowers
will appear, including Black Eyed
Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) and other
fast-establishing species. From this
point on, the meadow is mowed once
annually in late winter to cut back
the previous year’s growth.
Monitoring and control for weeds
should be performed twice during
the growing season or conducted
as needed. Weeds can be controlled
through spot herbicide application,
manual weeding or an additional
mowing immediately following the
most active growth period of the problem species. Only pernicious weeds
must be actively controlled since most
garden weeds (dandelion, plantain,
etc.) will be outcompeted over time.
By the third year, seeded species
should be fairly dominant and
resistant to weed invasion.
vibrant meadow landscapes that
are rich, alluring and unforgettable
in their complexity and beauty. 짮
Larry Weaner has more than 30
years of landscape design and installation experience, combining expertise
in horticulture, environmental science,
and the traditions of garden design.
In 1982, he founded Larry Weaner
Landscape Associates (http://lweaner
associates.com), a nationally recognized firm providing landscape design
and restoration services for private
residences and public facilities in more
than 10 states. His award-winning work
has been profiled in such publications
as The New York Times, The Wall
Street Journal and Garden Design.
In 1990, Larry developed New Directions in the American Landscape
(www.ndal.org), a conference and
workshop series
dedicated to
advancing the
art and science
of natural landscape design.
A version of
this article was
Larry Weaner
published in
Landscape Design (Jan. 1996).
A Meadow
in Salisbury...
1
●
2
●
Photos / Larry Weaner
1) Spring 2) Late Summer
3) Fall 4) Winter
Conclusion
Once established, a native meadow
serves as an easily managed, ecologically beneficial and visually dynamic
planting that can be enjoyed for years
to come. But it is perhaps how meadows can make us feel that may be most
lasting and transformative. Widespread adoption of meadow plantings
across properties and regions could
enable a re-engagement with our landscapes and a cultural shift toward our
understanding of, and appreciation for,
how nature works. Instead of routine,
rigid control of massive expanses of
visually static, ecologically sterile lawn,
we have the opportunity to partner
with nature to create open, colorful,
13
3
●
4
●
14
By Tom Christopher
W
ho, really, would want
to have a “stupid” lawn?
Yet that is what most of us
cultivate. And the fault (to misquote
Shakespeare) is not in the turf, but
in ourselves. If we thought about our
lawns the way we think about the rest
of our gardens, we could have lawns
that are attractive, require much less
effort to maintain and contribute to
the health of our environment rather
than filling it with pollutants. All you
have to do is change your attitude.
Sustainability
My own transformation came
about 5 years ago when I began thinking seriously about the sustainability of
the gardens I planted and maintained.
As a horticulturist, I had trained at the
New York Botanical Garden; broad
expanses of that 250-acre urban oasis
were planted to turf but the horticultural students, myself included, ignored
it. We were focused on the flower,
shrub and tree plantings; their backdrop, the turf we left to laborers who
crisscrossed it weekly on their mowers,
using the usual array of chemicals and
synthetic fertilizers to keep the grass
weed-free and lushly green.
For a long time that remained my
professional habit. When I designed
a planting of other plants, I would
analyze the soil and site, then select
species that were suited to those conditions, that were mutually compatible,
and that I knew were well-adapted
to the local climate.
What About Lawns?
However, the surrounding expanse,
the lawn (which almost always was
much greater in extent than my garden), I left to a landscaper who typically
planted either an off-the-shelf “sunny
mix” or “shady mix” and began the
standardized routine of weed and feed.
Eventually, though, concerns about
our environmental future spurred me
to start attending workshops on sustainability. I was impressed by the
ingenuity of the presenters, engineers
and architects who used all sorts of
innovative materials and strategies to
make the fabric and interior of their
buildings more energy efficient and
less environmentally costly. Then,
at the end of each session, we would
step outside, usually into the midst
of a lawn, which, in its basics, hadn’t
changed since Eisenhower was in
the White House.
When I read a NASA-funded study
whose author discovered, by using
photographs taken from satellites, that
lawns now cover some 50,000 square
miles of the U.S., I realized that this
was a horticulturist’s greatest opportunity for enhancing landscape sustainability. Even a modest improvement,
if extended over all those acres, could
make a huge impact.
Case-by-Case Analysis
I began applying the same thinking
to lawns that I used for other plantings. When, for example, a friend
came to me for help with her backyard
where the family’s two dogs had killed
most of the turf, I began by identifying
the challenges.
We mapped the path that the dogs
took when they ran to the fence to
greet the neighbor’s dog, and we
covered that with a wood-chip mulch.
Then I began looking for turf grasses
that were tolerant to the salts in dog
urine and that were able to withstand
heavy traffic. I selected a mix of turftype tall fescues and combined its seed
with that of “microclover,” a strain of
white clover that has been bred for
finer-textured foliage and reduced
flowering. I added the clover because
not only is it salt-tolerant, it has the
ability to convert nitrogen from the
air into nitrates that the turf needs
to flourish. The result was a lawn that
has successfully withstood the dogs
and which has flourished without
fertilization.
About the same time, another
friend contacted me to help with the
sale of his house. He had planted his
whole small yard to flowers, creating
a tousled, somewhat unruly thicket of
bloom that I had always admired but
which, according to the realtor, was
turning off prospective buyers. A landscaper had quoted a price of $6,000 to
remove the vegetation and install turf,
though because it was now early summer he wouldn’t guarantee the grass
he planted would survive.
For less than half that price, I
mowed and killed the existing vegetation, planting right through its remains
a heat-tolerant, turf-type perennial
ryegrass which, with careful irrigation
for the first few weeks, thrived. Soon
thereafter, the house did sell.
The president of a board that manages historic cemeteries in my central
Connecticut hometown contacted me
when a conservator told him that mowers were responsible for most of the
damage to the fragile old brownstone
monuments in the town’s original burial
ground, the resting place of the town’s
17th and early 18th century founders.
Expert Advice
By this point, I had been in touch
with turf specialists at the University
of Connecticut, Cornell and Rutgers,
and had toured Rutger’s turf experiment station where the staff cultivates
some 30,000 plots of grasses, searching, among other things, for types
that flourish with less maintenance.
On the advice of these experts, I
had begun to explore mixtures of fine
fescues, grasses that traditionally have
been an element of “shady mix” turf,
but which will also flourish in sunny
spots as well. These are naturally slow
growing, so that when planted by
themselves they create a turf that needs
cutting no more than 3-4 times a year.
In fact, there are a couple of companies
15
that market fine fescue seed mixes for
a “no-mow lawn,” and their seed mixes
produce a turf that, if you can tolerate
a shaggy look, can get by with just a
single mowing in June to remove the
grasses straggling seed heads.
I had planted fine fescue mixtures
I created myself into a number of residential settings and in the process
developed a routine that allowed me
convert a conventional lawn to this
reduced-mowing mix with minimal
labor and in just a few weeks in early
fall. I’d learned that the fine fescues,
because of their slow growth, are vulnerable to weed invasion during the
first spring after planting. With careful
targeting and timing to maximize the
effectiveness of the sprays, and the use
of tess-toxic products such as concentrated vinegar whenever possible, I
was able to minimize the environmental impact of these treatments. Once
the new grasses had knitted together,
usually by June, they produced a
remarkably weed resistant turf that
flourished with much less fertilization
and without summertime irrigation
here in Connecticut.
The cemetery planting, however,
proved especially challenging because
there was limited access to water for
watering the grass seed while it was
Photo / Tom Christopher
An 8-month-old fine fescue mix. The photo was taken in June and the lawn
had been mowed just twice. Fine fescue can take on an attractive tousled
look when not mowed short.
Close-up of a fine fescue lawn.
A dog-friendly lawn of turf-type tall
fescues and microclover.
germinating. What’s more, the spring
following planting began with a 5-week
drought, with only one significant
rain storm during the whole month
of April, and this killed much of the
over-wintered seedling grass in drier,
south-facing areas of the planting.
Learn from Setbacks
But like most setbacks, this one
offered a lesson. In the seed mix that
I had applied to the cemetery I had
included some seed of an improved,
turf-type strain of blue fescue (Festuca
ovina), and this had survived where
the other grasses had died. I have overseeded the drought-prone areas with
more of the blue fescue and white
clover seed, and the cemetery lawn
is on the way to complete coverage.
One lesson I have learned from
my experiences with turf is that biodiversity is key to creating a resilient,
disease- and pest-resistant lawn.
Currently, I am identifying lowgrowing, not-too-aggressive perennials
besides clover that I can incorporate
into lawns, such as violets, ajuga, wild
strawberries and, on dry sites, wild
thyme.
In my fine fescue lawns, I like to incorporate early spring flowering bulbs
such as crocuses and snowdrops. The
early bulbs turn the lawn into a carpet
16
CALENDAR
Get Smart About Lawns — continued from previous page
of bloom in March and April and they
go dormant, their foliage withering,
by the time the fine fescues need their
first mowing in late spring.
I have also learned, as in other areas
of the garden, not to impose. If you
plant perennials that require good
drainage into a heavy, water-retaining
soil, they will grow poorly, attracting
insect pests and diseases. Early on, I
disregarded a warning that fine fescues
don’t adapt well to wet spots, and have
paid for that mistake with extra work
– I had to aerate the soil, top-dress
with compost and reseed twice before
the grass finally took.
The New American Lawn?
Over time, I have come to a new
vision of what an American lawn
should be. Critics of lawns claim that
they are something we Americans
inherited from aristocratic English
gardeners who surrounded their mansions with closely clipped deer parks.
According to the critics, this heritage
makes lawns intrinsically unsustainable. I prefer to think, however, of the
photographs that Edward S. Curtis
took at the beginning of the 20th century of Native American encampments
on the western plains. In particular,
I admire a Curtis photograph from
1900 of a Piegan village on the short
grass prairie of Montana. A cluster of
painted teepees sits on a seemingly
endless expanse of neat, short turf.
This turf grew without care and it
dominated the landscape by withstanding conditions too difficult for
other types of vegetation. That’s the
model for the lawns I am planting. 짮
Founder of Smart Lawn LLC, Tom
Christopher has worked in the field of
horticulture for 40 years, always with a
special interest in the environmental
aspects of his craft.
He has been a regular contributor to
Martha Stewart
Living and House
& Garden, and
served as editor
and contributor to
The New AmeriTom Christopher
can Landscape.
W
elcome to the best garden
events calendar in Connecticut. To avoid potential disappointment, please call ahead to confirm
details. This calendar is a free service
to the gardening community.
Sept. 6-8 (Fri-Sun) 10 AM to 5 PM
Secret Garden Tours of Newport, R.I.
Rain/shine. www.secretgardentours.org
Sept. 7 & 8 (Sat & Sun) 10 AM
Apple Festival at St Peter’s Episcopal
Church in Monroe. Rain or shine.
Includes a mum and aster sale. Free.
www.stpetersonthegreen.com
tion and home garden to a homestead
designed according to permaculture
principles. www.connsoil.com and
www.ctnofa.org
Sept. 14 (Sat) 2 to 6 PM
Wild Mushrooms with Andrew Janjigian
at Aton Forest HQ in Norfolk. Learn to ID
and differentiate safe and unsafe mushrooms and the proper conservation
etiquette when collecting. Classroom
instruction and field work, followed
by a wild mushroom tasting. Dress
appropriately. $30. Call (860) 542-5125 or
go to http://afworkshops.blogspot.com
Sept. 7 (Sat) 9 AM to noon
In & Around the Rhode Island Desert
in West Greenwich, R.I. A large patch of
sugary sand that resembles natural sand
dunes. It is, however, a former borrow pit
that’s remained virtually unchanged for
more than 50 years. The poor, unfertile
soil makes for some unusual habitats.
Another interesting habitat is in the
adjacent Pitch Pine woodland. Rain date
Sept. 8. $5/$10. Pre-registration required.
www.riwps.org
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Edward S. Curtis Collection
A Piegan prairie village in Montana circa 1900. A cluster of teepees sits
on a seemingly endless expanse of neat, short turf. According to Purdue
University, there are a number grasses, such as Buffalo Grass, that are
native to Western North America and germplasm is available in relic sites.
Unfortunately, we don’t have as many options here in the East.
Fall Garden Day at New London County
Extension Center in Norwich. Features
displays, a plant sale of perennials from
Master Gardener, free gardening advice,
walks to various planting sites at the
Extension Center. www.extension.
uconn.edu
Sept. 9 (Mon) 5 to 8 PM
On-Farm Workshop: Permaculture at
The Hidden Garden & Connsoil in Bethlehem. Join business Cynthia & Stuart
Rabinowitz, where they are transitioning
from a conventional greenhouse opera-
Gardeners and growers should be
on the lookout for Tomato Late
Blight (Phytophthora infestans).
Tomato samples taken on Long
Island July 25 tested positive.
The disease had already been
confirmed in Massachusetts and
New Jersey. The spores can spread
on the wind for 30 miles or more.
For more information, go to www.
ct.gov/caes/ and select Plant
Disease Information Office (PDIO).
You can also check out our 2010
story on Late Blight online at www.
conngardener.com/lateblight.html
Sept. 21 (Sat)
Orange Country Fair. Master Gardener
table and garden club demos. www.
orangectfair.com
Sept. 21 (Sat) 10 AM to 4 PM
Second annual Farmstead Fair at the
Tolland Agricultural Fair grounds in
Vernon. Greenhouse tours, animals,
artisans, demonstrations, music, food
vendors and more. www.creativeliving
communityofct.org
Introduction to the Asters of Rhode
Island with Arieh Tal in South Kingston,
R.I. They’re an important food source for
insects. This workshop will focus on identifying 15 of the most common species.
The workshop will consist of a brief indoor presentation followed by a field trip
to a nearby natural area. An ID key and
handouts will be provided. Bring a bag
lunch, hand lens, field guide and camera.
$40/$50. Co-sponsored by NEWFS. Preregistration required. www.riwps.org
Sept. 21 (Sat) 1 to 4 PM &
Sept. 22 (Sun) 10 AM to 3 PM
Sept. 19 (Thurs) 8 PM
“Not Your Grandmother’s Roses,” with
Lorraine Ballato at a meeting of the
Naugatuck Garden Club at St. Michael’s
Church Hall, 210 Church St. The club
welcomes walk-in guests for a recommended $5 fee.
Sept. 21 & 22 (Sat & Sun)
Ganim’s Garden Center & Florist in
Smart Lawn LLC
Sustainable lawns custom-designed for
your site and your needs
biodiverse & environmentally sound
SmartLawn.biz
860-754-6880
A turf-type strain of blue fescue (Festuca ovina).
Fairfield is celebrating 75 years with
an Anniversary Weekend featuring
lectures, sales, book signings, food,
raffles, demonstrations, live music and
more. www.ganimsgardencenter.com
Sept. 21 (Sat) 10 AM to 2:30 PM
TOMATO LATE BLIGHT
17
Sixth annual Dazzling Dahlia Show of the
Greenwich Dahlia Society at the Garden
Education Center of Greenwich. Free
admission.
Sept. 24-26
The Federated Garden Club’s Gardening
Study School Course IV will be held at
the Kellogg Environmental Center in
Derby. www.ctgardenclubs.org
Sept. 28 (Sat) 1 to 3 PM
Touisset Marsh Wildlife Refuge in Warren,
R.I., with Garry Plunkett. This property
has a variety of habitats, including woodland, salt marsh, maritime shrubland and
upland meadow. It’s an excellent place to
see the plant diversity of open habitats
and edges, and to learn about the changing nature of successional communities.
Rain date Sept. 29. $5/$10. Pre-registration required. www.riwps.org
18
Calendar — continued from previous page
Oct. 5 (Sat) 2 to 6 PM
Wild Mushrooms with Andrew Janjigian
at Aton Forest HQ in Norfolk. Learn to ID
and differentiate safe and unsafe mushrooms and the proper conservation
etiquette when collecting. Includes classroom instruction and field work, followed by a wild mushroom tasting.
Dress appropriately for conditions. $30.
Call (860) 542-5125 or go to http://
afworkshops.blogspot.com
Oct. 5 (Sat) 9 to 11 AM
Meadows & Birds: Fall with Nancy & Dave
Clayton at Avondale Preserve in Westerly,
R.I. Seed-eating birds can find plenty of
food and shelter in old fields and meadows. Join this walk to consider the interdependencies between wildlife and
plants. $5/$10. Pre-registration required.
www.riwps.org
Oct. 7, 14, 21 & 28 (Mon)
9:45 to 11:45 AM
Landscape & Garden Tour of The Glass
House in New Canaan. Discuss the history, design, flora and fauna of Philip
Johnson’s 47-acre curated landscape.
Learn to identify the English and French
landscape influences, Johnson’s Midwestern farming roots and his relationship with the historic New England
countryside and stonewalls. View the
trees the National Trust has deemed
landmark-worthy and learn about David
Whitney’s succulent and peony gardens.
$45. For info, call (203) 594-9884, email
[email protected] or go to http://
philipjohnsonglasshouse.org. For tickets
call (866) 811-4111 or go to http://
philipjohnsonglasshouse.org
Oct. 18-20 (Fri-Sun)
Orchid Harvest 2013 – Annual Show &
Sale of the Connecticut Orchid Society at
Van Wilgen’s in North Branford. Lectures
on Saturday and Sunday. Parking and
food available. www.ctorchids.org
Calendar
5060 or visit www.conncoll.edu/
the-arboretum
Nov. 6-8 (Wed-Fri)
The Federated Garden Club’s Environmental SS Course III will be held at the
Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby.
www.ctgardenclubs.org
Nov. 15-18 (Fri-Mon)
Annual Meeting & Expo of the American
Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) in
Boston. More than 6,000 attendees from
across the U.S. and around the world will
gather to earn professional development
hours, enjoy fellowship and reconnect
with the fundamental elements of
design. www.asla.org/ 2013meeting
Dec. 16 (Mon) 11:30 AM
Houseplants for the Four Exposures with
Karla Dalley at Simsbury Garden Club,
Apple Barn, West Simsbury. Free.
www.simsburygardenclub.org
Jan. 9 & 10, 2014 (Thurs & Fri)
8:30 AM to 5 PM
Jan. 18, 2014 (Sat)
Feb. 20-23, 2014 (Thurs-Sun) 10 AM
Getting Started in Organic Farming at
Goodwin College in East Hartford.
www.ctnofa.org
New England Grows! at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. One of the
largest and most popular horticultural
and green industry events in North
America. www.newenglandgrows.org
Feb. 1, 2014 (Sat) 8 AM to 4 PM
Connecticut Horticultural Society’s
Spring Into the Garden Symposium at
Portland Middle/High School. The theme
is sustainable gardening. Colston Burrell
will give two talks: “The Sustainable
Garden: Magic or Myth” and “Finishing
Touches: The Power of Detail in the
Garden.” Other speakers include Kevin
Wilcox – “A New Twist: Native Trees and
Shrubs for Fragrance and Form” and
Jenny Rose Carey – “Dry Gardening:
A Garden Without Water.” Morning refreshments, lunch, coffee breaks, silent
auction, diverse vendors and access to
master gardeners. $75 for members, $85
for non-members. Add $10 after Dec. 19.
www.cthort.org
Feb. 10, 2014 (Mon) 11:30 AM
25th annual New Directions in the American Landscape at Connecticut College in
New London. A landscape design conference featuring speakers who represent a
wide range of fields and provide handson, practical information rarely found in
landscape programs. CEUs are offered for
landscape architects, landscape designers, horticulturists, arborists and other
landscape professionals. More info at
http://lweanerassociates.com and
www.ndal.org
Jan. 13, 2014 (Mon) 11:30 AM
The Past, the Present and the Future of
Our Community Farm at Simsbury Garden Club, Apple Barn, West Simsbury.
Free. www.simsburygardenclub.org
Butterfly Gardens Are for the Birds with
Margery Winters at Simsbury Garden
Club, Apple Barn, West Simsbury. Free.
www.simsburygardenclub.org
Accreditation Course in Organic Land
Care at Three Rivers Community College
in Norwich. www.ctnofa.org
Feb. 20-23, 2014 (Thurs-Sun) 10 AM
Connecticut Flower & Garden Show at
the Connecticut Convention Center in
Hartford. Exhibits, design and horticulture competitions, seminars, info booths
and vendors. $16 ($14 advance and seniors 62). Advance tickets available until
Feb. 16. www.ctflowershow.com
March 1, 2014 (Sat)
Hardy Plant Symposium – An all-day
affair featuring two speakers and a lunch
of soups and breads. For more information, call (860) 747-8175 or visit www.
cthardyplantsociety.org
March 8, 2014 (Sat)
CT NOFA Winter Conference at Wilton
High School. The keynote speaker is
Frederick Kirschenmann, Leopold Center
for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State.
www.ctnofa.org
VENUES WITH MULTIPLE EVENTS
Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens
151 Brookdale Road, Stamford, CT 06903
For more information, visit www.bartlett
arboretum.org or call (203) 322-6791.
Tours not recommended for children
8 and under.
• Sept. 8 (Sun) 11 AM to noon
Guided Tour – Cottage, Perennial &
Sundial Gardens. Tour begins at the
Silver Educational Center and lasts about
an hour. Not recommended for children
8 and under.
Red Maple wetlands and wildflower
meadow tour with Todd Dupont.
Guided Tour – Learn how to harvest
herbs and put an herb garden to bed.
% &! ! ' (
• Oct. 13 (Sun) 11 AM to noon
Fall Wildflower & Tree ID tour with
Carol Levine.
Nov. 2 (Sat) 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM
Smaller American Lawns Today (SALT)
conference at Connecticut College in
New London. Rick Darke and Bill Duesing
are two of the speakers. Call (860) 439-
Vintage Gardens – The Rhode Island
Spring Flower & Garden Show, Rhode
Island Convention Center, Providence.
The show combines America’s passion
for gardening with our love affair for
classic cars. Vintage autos will be the
centerpieces for unique gardens.
www.flowershow.com
Feb. 10-13, 2014 (Mon-Thurs)
Oct. 21 (Mon) 6:30 PM
Simplifying Your Garden with Nancy
DuBrule-Clemente at Simsbury Garden
Club, Eno Hall, Simsbury. Free. www.
simsburygardenclub.org
Feb. 20-23, 2014 (Thurs-Sun) 10 AM
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###
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• Oct. 20 (Sun) 11 AM to noon
Tour of Champion and Notable
Tree Collection.
19
Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West
Stockbridge Rd, Stockbridge, MA 01262
Call (413) 298-3926, email info@
berkshire botanical.org or visit www.
berkshire botanical.org
• Oct. 5 & 6 (Sat & Sun) 10 AM to 5 PM
Harvest Festival. Live music, crafts, food,
rides, silent auction, plant sale, tag sale,
farmers market and more. $5
• Oct. 19 (Sat) 10 AM
Sissinghurst: Portrait of a Garden –
Join former Sissinghurst head gardener
Alexa Datta for a first-hand look at the
gardening year at Britain’s fabled garden
at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent, England.
$30/$35
Sam Bridge Nursery & Greenhouses,
437 North St., Greenwich, CT 06830
Dress appropriately for the weather.
Some classes will be held outside. Reservations required. Call (203) 869-3418 or
visit www.sambridge.com for changes
and sign up. Classes are free unless
stated otherwise.
Broken Arrow Nursery, 13 Broken
Arrow Road, Hamden, CT 06518
Call (203) 288-1026 or visit www.
brokenarrownursery.com
• Sept. 8 (Sunday) 1 to 3 PM
East Meets West. Nursery Manager Andy
Brand and Sales Manager Chris Koppel
go 12 rounds to decide the undisputed
champion; USA or Japan. Learn about
the difference within individual plant
genera that are shared by these two
countries of horticultural prominence.
$15. Pre-registration required.
• Oct. 6 (Sunday) 1 to 3 PM
Shade Gardening. David Culp will share
design ideas and the mechanics of shade
gardening. He’ll also share his favorite
plants for a four-season shade garden.
$20. Pre-registration required.
The Center for Sustainable Living,
90 Cabbage Lane, Bethlehem, CT 06751
Email [email protected] or call
(203) 982-1884 with questions. A registration form is available at www.
connsoil.com
Comstock, Ferre & Co.
263 Main St., Wethersfield
Classes are free unless stated otherwise.
Autumn
At Ballek’s . . .
September is a time for reflection
in the garden ...
Fall-blooming anemones
sway in the wind ...
Heirloom chrysanthemums
begin their October herald
Fall berries delight wildlife
and humans alike
We dream of winter aconites,
snowdrops, and narcissus
with our October bulb planting
Plans for amaryllis
paperwhites, and winter greens
find their way on the calendar
That special garden statue
calls to you ...
And garden gifts for family
and friends are treasured
for the holidays ...
Let us help you fulfill
some garden dreams ...
We’re open year-round
with inspiration and information
Ballek’s ...
one of those special places ...
Ballek’s Garden Center
90 Maple Avenue
East Haddam, CT
860.873.8878
www.balleksgardencenter.com
Ballek’s is an equal opportunity
employer and provider.
20
Calendar — continued from previous page
Register in advance by calling at (860)
571-6590 or emailing sales@comstock
ferre.com and providing your name and
contact information. www.comstock
ferre.com
Connecticut Botanical Society,
P.O. Box 9004, New Haven, CT 06532
www.ct-botanical-society.org
The society conducts a number
of field trips which non-members are
welcome to join.
• Sept. 8 (Sun) 10 AM
Algonquin State Forest, Winchester
• Sept. 21 (Sat) 10 AM
Castle Craig, Hubbard Park, Meriden
• Oct. 13 (Sun) 10 AM
Waxman Conifer Collection,
UConn, Storrs
Connecticut College Arboretum, 270
Mohegan Ave., New London, CT 06320
conncoll.edu/the-arboretum
Free public tours every Sunday afternoon at 2 PM through Oct. 27. Start shooting now for the upcoming “Capturing the
Beauty of Nature – 2014” photo contest.
Capture the beauty of the arboretum in
all seasons.
• Sept. 21 (Sat) – What is an Herbarium:
The Art & Science of Preserving
Plant Specimens
• Sept. 28 (Sat) – Tree ID Workshop
• Oct. 5 (Sat) – A Taste of Honey:
Honey Bee Workshop
• Oct. 19 (Sat) – A Ravine Walk
• Nov. 9 (Sat) – Nature’s Edible Art
from the Sea: A Seaweed Workshop
Connecticut Daylilly Society,
www.ctdaylily.com/CDS.html or
http://ctdaylilysociety.wordpress.com
Meetings at the Avon Senior Center
are free and open to the public. A social
hour begins at noon.
• Sept. 7 (Sat) 1:30 PM
Mike Grossman will present his northern
hardy zone 4 hybridizing program.
• Nov. 2 (Sat) 1:30 PM
Paul Owen will be the guest hybridizer.
• Jan. 18, 2014 (Sat) 1:30 PM
Soup’s On meeting with Local Hybridizer
Photo Show.
Calendar
Q&A
Q
I love verbascums but have
no luck growing them. Is there some
kind of special process? I do have
the wild version, yellow mullein,
growing just fine.
– Linda B – Ellington
A
There are many types of
verbascum. Most are biennial, which
means the plant that blooms this
year will die but will reseed for
bloom next season. You must be
careful when weeding and mulching
not to disturb the new seedlings.
There are some perennial
varieties, such as ‘Plum Smokey’
or ‘Summer Sorbet.’ In general,
verbascums require full sun (6 or
more hours) and, most importantly,
good drainage. They do not tolerate
wet feet.
– Sam Bridge III,
Sam Bridge Nursery & Greenhouses
Connecticut Horticultural Society,
2433 Main St., Rocky Hill, CT 06067
For information call (860) 529-8713,
email [email protected] or go to
www.cthort.org
Regular meetings are held at Emanuel
Synagogue, 160 Mohegan Drive, West
Hartford. Non-members are welcome.
A $10 donation is suggested.
• Sept. 17 (Tues) 7:30 PM
“The Layered Garden” with David Culp.
• Oct. 8 (Tues) 7 PM
“Trees and Shrubs for Fall and Winter
Interest” with Kevin Wilcox, founder of
Silver Spring Nursery in Bloomfield. This
program will be held at the CHS office
in Rocky Hill. $10 for members, $15 for
non-members. Call the office to register.
• Oct. 17 (Thurs) 7:30 PM
“Creating a Garden That’s Sustainable”
with Carl Salsedo.
• Nov. 21 (Thurs) 7:30 PM
”Fruitful Shrubs for Autumn’s Beauty”
with Adam Wheeler from Broken Arrow
Nursery in Hamden.
Q
What should be done to
the soil after a season of growing
vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini,
eggplant, peppers, green beans, etc.)?
– Moira M – Glastonbury
A
After the growing season,
be sure to remove plant debris.
This will prevent overwintering
pests and/or diseases.
You can plant a cover crop,
such as annual rye, this should
be worked into the garden early
in the spring.
It’s a good
time to assess
how everything
grew. Add compost if needed.
– Sam Bridge III,
Sam Bridge
Nursery &
SamBridge III
Greenhouses
• Jan. 16, 2014 (Thurs) 7:30 PM
“Tricks for Getting Kids into the Garden”
with Dave Daly from the Brooklyn
Botanic Garden.
• Jan. 18, 2014 (Sat) 9:30 AM
Terrarium Workshop with Pat Cannon at
Woodland Gardens in Manchester. The
workshop will include a brief history of
terrariums. You’ll leave the workshop
with a terrarium and info on how to take
care of it. The cost of the workshop will
include all necessary items to complete
a terrarium. $40 for members, $50 for
non-members.
• Feb. 20, 2014 (Thurs) 7:30 PM
“Insect Drama in Your Garden” with
Michael Singer from Wesleyan University.
Connecticut Rose Society
Meetings are GENERALLY held at
2:30 PM on the first Sunday of the month,
September through June, at the Pond
House in Elizabeth Park, West Hartford.
Meetings are free and open to the public.
www.ctrose.org
21
Elizabeth Park, Prospect Avenue &
Asylum Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06119
elizabethparkct.org
Meetings start at 7 PM. Programs start
at 7:30 PM. The public is welcome. Admission is free for members. Suggested
donation for non-members is $5.
• Sept. 19 (Thurs) 7 PM
Full Moon Tour. Rain date Sept. 20
• Sept. 25 (Wed)
Feng Shui in the Garden with
Anita Brucker
• Oct. 16 (Wed) 9 AM to noon
Garden Workshop –
Closing the Perennial Garden
• Nov. 9 (Sat) 10 to 11 AM
Garden Workshop –
Closing the Iris Garden
• Nov. 16 (Sat) 9 AM to noon
Garden Workshop –
Closing the Rose Garden
Garden Education Ctr of Greenwich,
130 Bible St., Cos Cob, CT 06807
gecgreenwich.org
• Sept. 21 (Sat) 1 to 4 PM &
Greenwich Dahlia Society’s annual
Dazzling Dahlias Show. Free admission.
Gilbertie’s Herb Gardens, 7 Sylvan Lane,
Westport, CT 06880
Visit www.gilbertiesherbs.com or
call (203) 227-4175
Hardy Plant Society, Conn. Chapter,
Solomon Welles House, 220 Hartford
Ave., Wethersfield, CT
For more information, call (860) 7478175 or visit www.cthardyplantsociety.org
• Oct. 23 (Wed)
Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Plants
with Ed Gregan
Nov. 20 (Wed)
Beatrix Farrand, Rediscovered with
Colleen Plimpton
Dec. 18 (Wed)
Exceptional Conifers for the Adventurous
Gardener with Adam Wheeler
Hollister House Garden, 300 Nettleton
Hollow Road, Washington, CT 06793
Visit www.hollisterhousegarden.org,
email [email protected] or
call (860) 868-2200. Open to the public
every Saturday from May 4 through
Sept. 28. Visitors step through time into
a romantic English garden situated on
a sloping hillside behind a rambling
18th Century farmhouse. Hours vary with
the season. There is a requested $5 donation. Group visits by appointment.
• Sept. 7 (Sat) 10 AM to 4 PM
Garden Fair & Autumn Plant Sale. Rare
and unusual plants and artifacts. Show
& Tells hourly.
The Garden Conservancy’s
Open Days Program
Self-guided tours of hundreds of private gardens. Many are rarely, if ever,
open to the public. Open Days in Connecticut run until Sept. 22. Admission is
$5 per person; children 12 and under free. Open Days are rain or shine events.
No reservations are required.
The online schedule can be searched by garden, state or city. Keep in mind
that there are Open Days at gardens in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island
that are close by.
We’ve listed Connecticut dates below. Please check the Garden Conservancy
website to confirm dates and times. For more information, call 1.888.842.2442
or visit www.gardenconservancy.org
Sunday, Sept. 8
Sunday, Sept. 22
New Haven County Open Day
George Trecina, Meriden, 10-2
Fairfield County Open Day
In Situ, Redding, 10-4
Clapboard Ridge, Greenwich, 10-4
Frances Palmer, Weston, 10-4
Manchester Garden Club,
Center Congregational Church,
41 Center St., Manchester
Meetings begin at 7, speakers
follow at 7:30. New members are
welcome and the public is invited.
A donation of $5 is suggested.
www.ManchesterGardenClubs.org
• Oct. 21 (Mon) 7 PM
All Season Color in the Garden with
Colleen Plimpton. Easy, colorful plants
that bloom from March til November,
with an emphasis on deer-resistance.
• Jan. 13 (Mon) 7 PM
Pruning Bushes and Trees for Form and
Health with Kevin Wilcox of Silver Spring
Nursery.
Natureworks, 518 Forest Road (Rte 22),
Northford, CT 06472
Call (203) 484-2748, email nature@
iconn.net or go to www.naturework.com
Saturdays in the fall, Natureworks
offers Back to Basics Garden Walks and
Special Topic Workshops from 9:30 to
10:30 AM. Call or visit the website
for details.
• Oct. 5 & 6 (Sat & Sun)
Bulbs for Breast Cancer – A weekend of
events to celebrate life and the beauty
of bulbs.
New Canaan Nature Center,
144 Oeneke Rd, New Canaan, CT 06840
newcanaannature.org
Classes coded with * are cosponsored by the New York Botanical
Garden (NYBG). To register for NYBG
courses at the New Canaan Nature
Center, call (718) 817-8747 or (800) 3226924 and ask for Continuing Education.
New England Wildflower Society, 180
Hemenway Rd, Framingham, MA 01701
Call (508) 877-7630 or visit
www.newfs.org
A variety of classes, courses and field
trips are offered for adults throughout
New England. Pre-registration required
for most courses. Contact the registrar
at ext. 3303 for more details.
• Sept. 8 (Sun) 1 to 3 PM
Go Botany: Even Bigger, Even Better! with
Elizabeth Farnsworth at Nasami Farm,
Whately, Mass. NEWFS’ Go Botany web
continued on page 24
Chemical
herbicides
and
pesticides
Healthy Alternatives
you
only treat
treat symptoms. When
Did
that
homeowners
you know
symptoms,
you don’t cure the undertoday use 50% more herbicides
than That’s
whether
lying problem.
true
ago? A recent study
they
did
20 years
exposure
of pesticide
of children
living
health
or
we’re
talking about human
the health
garden.
Consider
of
your
in a major
U.S.
metropolitan
area
of garden
of chemical
found
traces
chemicals
the
amount
Diazinon
spread
to
kill
on lawns for years
grubs.
in
99%
of the 110
children tested.
frequently choose toxic
Gardeners
It
may
kill the grubs
but
does not
Reducing Chemical Use
22
chemical pesticides because they
are unaware that there are healthier,
natural alternatives.
our chemical
How do we reduce
dependence in our gardens? First,
make sure there’s really a problem.
Seeing a bug or a weed does not mean
you
have a “pest
problem.
” Second,
use the least toxic pest control choice
available.
Physical,
non-toxic methods
include plucking, washing or vacuuming bugs off plants. Hand pull weeds
before they set seed. Use mulch.
If you can’t hand pull weeds, kill
them with boiling water or with a 5:1
solution of household vinegar and
table salt applied with a paint brush on
a sunny day. Consider using vegetablebased horticultural oil spray to control
aphids, mites, scale insects, whiteflies
and other pests. Insecticidal soaps
are effective against most soft-bodied
pests. Look for products with the
OMRI seal on the label. It’s the
organic seal of approval.
Not only are these methods
healthier for you, your children and
the planet, but they are often have the
benefit of being less expensive as well.
Mary Ellen Pirozzoli is a NOFAaccredited organic land care professional and the principal of Verdesign
LLC in Ridgefield.
Cure the Problem,
Don’t Treat the Symptoms
You hear the pros and cons of using
chemicals in your garden everywhere;
organics don’t work, chemicals are
dangerous, and on and on and on.
Allow me to add my two cents to the
discussion, the more chemicals you use
in your garden the more chemicals you
will need to use in your garden. Sound
confusing? Allow me to explain.
Great Gardens begin with Great Designs www.apldct.org
Designer Forum
Synthetic fertilizers supply plants
with exactly the nutrients they need.
This sounds good but it creates lazy
plants that don’t grow the comprehensive root system needed to fight off
drought stress, disease and pests. Remember the grubs we talked about before? Now it’s necessary to continually
feed and water to avoid plant death.
So, without even mentioning the
environmental and health concerns of
using chemical and synthetics, doesn’t
it make sense to choose a program
that cures your plants problems and
makes them strong enough to fend
for themselves? The choice is simple,
go organic and think compost!
Scott Hokunson is a garden writer,
speaker and the principal of Blue Heron
Landscape Design, LLC, in Granby.
He is also the co-host of “The Ultimate
Backyard Makeover” on WTIC Fox61
in Hartford.
IPM is a holistic, sustainable
approach to managing garden pests
and diseases by treating your garden
as an ecosystem. IPM is a proactive
system that relies on several commonsense strategies, including proper plant
selection (choose disease resistant
cultivars when possible), sound maintenance methods, encouraging beneficial insects and, when all else fails,
selective use of pesticides. IPM advocates starting with the least toxic
option available.
Scout your garden regularly and be
on the lookout for pests and diseases.
Clean up and discard infected plant
parts, water properly, apply compost
and space plants properly. Take notes
on what works and what doesn’t for
future use.
Keep in mind, IPM is about managing pests, not eliminating them. Be
patient, it can take several years to
build up the level of beneficial insects
in your garden so they can control
the pests on their own. To encourage
beneficials, plant coneflower, cosmos,
dill, fennel, marigold, milkweed and
yarrow, to name just a few.
For more information about IPM,
visit UConn’s IPM website at www.
ipm.uconn.edu. If you’re not sure if an
insect in your garden is beneficial or
not, identify it at www.bugguide.net
Debbie Roberts is a NOFA accredited organic land care professional,
garden coach, and principal of Roberts
& Roberts Landscape and Garden
Design in Stamford. She blogs about
gardening in Connecticut at www.
gardenofpossibilities.com
nod
d hill ssoap
sooap
12i
address the problem that allows the
grubs
to grow in the first place.
Become a UConn Master Gardener
Integrated Pest Management
Whether you’re creating a wildlifefriendly garden, or just becoming
more aware of what you use in your
garden, practicing integrated pest
management (IPM) is a great way to
reduce your dependence on chemicals.
fine handcrafted soaps
s
bath & body
wilton, CT
www.nodhillsoap.com
S
tarting in September, the
University of Connecticut’s
Cooperative Extension System
will accept applications for its 2014
Master Gardener Program. Applications will be available in early September online at www.ladybug.uconn.edu
and at all County Extension Center
offices and the Bartlett Arboretum &
Gardens in Stamford.
The program consists of 16 classroom sessions (one full day per week,
9 AM to 4 PM) beginning in early
January. An open-book test, diagnostic
session, final practicum and treeshrub-vine identification project are
also required. To graduate, you’ll need
to do 30 hours of in-service training
at one of nine office locations and
30 hours of volunteer outreach.
Upon completion of the program
you’ll receive a certificate and name
badge designating you as a UConncertified Master Gardener.
Master Gardeners are eligible to
attend training programs and workshops to work toward obtaining Advanced Master Gardener certification.
They also qualify to join the Connecticut Master Gardener Association.
The charge for the program is $415,
which includes the training manual.
Scholarships may be available based
on demonstrated financial hardship.
For more information, or an
application, call your local Coopera-
tive Extension Center or visit the
Home & Garden Education Center’s
website at www.ladybug.uconn.edu
to download the application form.
By Friday, Nov. 1, a completed
application must be submitted to
the location where you wish to take
classes; at one of four County Cooperative Extension Centers or the
Bartlett Arboretum. See the list below.
EAST REGION
Friday classes begin in January
at the Tolland County Cooperative
Extension Center, 24 Hyde Road,
Vernon, CT 06066-4599
Coordinators
• Tolland County – Deborah Prior
(860) 870-6934, deborah.prior@
uconn.edu
• Windham County – Deborah Lee
(860) 774-9600, deborah.2.lee@
uconn.edu
NORTH REGION
Wednesday classes begin in January
at the Litchfield County Cooperative
Extension Center, 843 University
Drive, Torrington, CT 06790
Coordinators
• Hartford County – Sarah Bailey
(860) 570-9023, sarah.bailey@
uconn.edu
• Litchfield County –
Patricia Eldredge (860) 626-6240,
[email protected]
23
SOUTH REGION
Tuesday classes begin in January
at the New London County Cooperative Extension Center, 562 New
London Turnpike, Norwich, CT
06360-6599
Coordinators
• Middlesex County –
Victoria McCarthy (860) 345-5234,
[email protected]
• New London County –
Susan Munger (860) 885-2823,
[email protected]
SOUTHWEST REGION
Monday classes begin in January
at The Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens,
151 Brookdale Road, Stamford, CT
06903-4199
Coordinator
Regina Campfield (203) 322-6971,
mastergardener@bartlett
arboretum.org
WEST REGION
Thursday classes begin in January
at the New Haven County Cooperative
Extension Center, 305 Skiff St., North
Haven, CT 06473-4451
Coordinators
• Fairfield County –
Jacqueline Algon (203) 207-3261,
[email protected]
• New Haven County –
Judith Hsiang (203) 407-3167,
[email protected]
UConn Master Composter Program Starts in October
The purpose of the UConn Master Composter Program
is to provide local compost enthusiasts with the tools and
information necessary to educate and teach interested
community members about composting and reducing
the amount of solid waste sent to the state’s landfills.
Participants would attend classroom sessions at the New
Haven County Extension Center, 305 Skiff St., North Haven,
CT 06473 on Oct. 8, 10, 22 & 24, from 6 to 9 PM. Worm Day will
be held Saturday, Oct. 12 at the Tolland Agricultural Center
in Vernon from 11 to 3 PM. Two field trips will also be held
Oct. 26 and a Saturday to be determined in November.
Car pooling may be necessary. Dawn Pettinelli and
Gregory Mooney will be facilitating the program.
A Master Composter Certificate will be awarded to those
who have attended all program sessions, demonstrated a
solid understanding of composting principles and practices,
and engaged in a minimum of two outreach activities within
a year of their entrance into the program.
Those enrolled in the Advanced Master Gardener Program
will receive 2 AMG credits upon completion. It is not necessary to be a Master Gardener to enroll in this program.
A brochure with registration information is posted on the
UConn Home & Garden Education Center home page at
www.ladybug.uconn.edu
The program fee is $75 payable to University of Connecticut. The suggested textbook is The Rodale Book of Composting by Grace Gershuny and Deborah Martin. Class size will
be limited to 25 participants.
24
In the Fall Garden
Calendar — continued from page 21
tool represents the new, cutting edge
in plant ID for our region and beyond.
Learn to ID all 3,500 taxa in our region.
See how to integrate Go Botany’s many
resources into your botanizing, landscape design, teaching and other activities. Discover all of the new features,
Bring your computer, tablet or iPhone.
Free, preregistration required.
Support CAES – Join the Experiment Station Associates
Interested in supporting the work of The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment
Station (CAES)? Considering joining the Experiment Station Associates. Members
are invited to Station events and the annual meeting features speakers from
CAES. They also organize field trips and produce a news bulletin covering the
Station’s scientific activities. To find out more go to www.ct.gov/caes and click on
“Experiment Station Associates.”
• Sept. 27-29 (Fri-Sun) 10 AM to 5 PM
Unique Conifers for the Winter Garden
The New York Botanical Garden,
2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY 10458
Call Adult Education at (800) 322NYBG, email [email protected] or visit
www.nybg.org/AdultEd
• Oct. 11-13 (Fri-Sun) 10 AM to 5 PM
End of the Season Sale
UConn – Master Gardener classes are
open to the public for a fee. For info,
call (877) 486-6271 or visit www.ladybug.
uconn.edu and check out the course
catalog. The fall course catalog will be
available in late August.
O’Brien Nurserymen, 40 Wells Road,
Granby, CT 06035
Hours 10-5 on the days listed or
by appointment. Call (860) 653-0163
or visit www.obrienhosta.com
See page 23 for details.
White Flower Farm, 167 Litchfield Rd,
Morris, CT 06763
To register, call (860) 567-8789 or go
to www.whiteflowerfarm.com
Woodland Gardens, 168 Woodland St.,
Manchester, CT 06042
Call (860) 643-8474, email Woodland
[email protected] to register.
• Sept. 7 (Saturday only) 10 AM to 5 PM
Dividing demos at 10:30 and 1:30.
Tour of the nursery display gardens at 3.
Part of Granby Open Farm Day.
• Oct. 8 (Tues)
Master Composter certification program
begins in New Haven. $75. See page 23.
Visit www.woodlandgardensct.com for a
schedule. Learning seminars are free unless otherwise indicated. Advance registration is required only where noted.
• Sept. 13-15 (Fri-Sun) 10 AM to 5 PM
New Hosta varieties available
• Nov. 1 (Friday)
Deadline for application to the Master
Gardener certification program. $415.
Calendar listings are free of charge
and may be emailed to ctgardener@
optonline.net
앻
야
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S
eptember again? Already? The
perfect time of year to take stock
of your perennial gardens and
correct mistakes, dig up, rearrange and
divide, add new perennials and shrubs,
and plant spring blooming bulbs.
As fall winds down and this work is
completed, you can turn to the task of
putting your garden to bed. Start this
gradual process around mid-October,
and continue until the ground freezes.
Keep materials on hand to toss over
tender plants when frost threatens.
The first light frost can be followed by
weeks of moderate temperatures, so
enjoy your tender plants until the final
plunge into the 20s.
Perennials
Don’t feed perennials again until
spring. Plant and transplant peonies
and oriental poppies – they prefer
a fall move.
Feed Woodies
Plants with woody stems, such
as shrubs, trees and some “woody”
perennials that do not die down to
the ground in winter, can be fed when
they are dormant (after their leaves
have fallen). Their roots remain active
and nutrient uptake continues as long
as the soil temperature is above 40.
Prepare Your Garden for Winter
Let perennial leaves remain to feed
the roots as long as they are green.
Cut back when flowers fade and leaves
turn yellow and brown. Leave plenty
of seed heads of natives such as rudbeckia, sunflower, and echinacea for
the birds. If you want to fill in areas
with plants that are prolific self-sowers, scatter a bunch of seed heads of
your choice on the spot and crunch
underfoot. Deb Lee of Woodland
Trails Native Plant Nursery says she
delivers seed heads to her driveway or
patio for the birds, thereby avoiding
putting them in the compost or leaving in place, where they will happily
self-sow.
Sculpt your vistas, selectively cutting back for winter interest. Grasses
can be left to sway in the winter winds.
Keep deadheading, watering, staking and weeding. Keeping the ground
clean is a major requirement in gardens where voles will spend the winter
eating and multiplying, safe under
leaves and other garden debris. Any
diseased leaves should be burned or
discarded in the trash.
We hope for a gentle autumn after
two stormy years.
New Plantings
Fall is a great time to divide and
plant. Allow 4-6 weeks for roots to
establish before the big freeze (finish
up by Nov. 1 in Zone 5, Nov. 15 in
Zone 6, and Nov. 30 in Zone 7). Keep
the plant watered until the ground is
frozen. If the winter turns out to be
warm and dry, get the hose out in
mid-winter and water.
Fall Care of Evergreens
Trees and shrubs that keep their
foliage over the winter need deep
watering before the ground freezes.
If it doesn’t rain at least one inch each
week, provide supplemental watering
until the ground freezes.
Rhodies and azaleas should go into
winter with a layer of mulch protecting their shallow roots.
Evergreens (hollies, rhodies, yews
and others) exposed to the wind need
their needles/leaves protected with
an anti-desiccant spray such as WiltPruf.® Apply once in fall when there is
still moisture in the ground, and again
6 to 8 weeks later. Follow the directions on the label and don’t apply
when the ground is dry and the plants
are water stressed. If you miss the fall
application and there’s a warm stretch
25
in January, you can do it then.
Fall Lawn Care
Fall lawn feeding can take place
anytime between Labor Day and Oct.
15. Choose an organic or slow-release
fertilizer. Research conducted at
UConn has shown that 60% or more
of the nitrogen in fertilizer applied
after Oct. 15 will not be picked up by
grass roots. Instead, it will leach into
groundwater or surface waters. Unless
you’re renovating your lawn, or phosphorus is called for by a soil test, use a
fertilizer with no phosphorus or a very
small amount of organically derived
phosphorus.
In early to mid-fall, test the soil
to determine the pH level (ideal lawn
pH is 6.5 to 6.7). If necessary, apply
lime to reduce acidity.
Rake in late fall to remove leaves
and lower your mower’s cutting height
to 2 inches or so for the last cuts of
the season.
Core aeration, which is best done
in late summer or early fall, promotes
root development and general plant
health. It helps open compacted soil,
allowing water and air to penetrate.
The practice also brings weed seeds to
the surface, so it’s best to perform this
task when there is light weed pressure
on your lawn.
Winter Protect Hydrangeas
Many hydrangeas flower on old
wood (last year’s stems). When these
stems are killed by winter cold there
will be no blooms the following spring.
You can apply an anti-desiccant, such
as Wilt-Pruf,® in late fall to help protect stems from cold winds. Or, protect
the plant with a burlap cover over a
wire frame. Alternatively, buy varieties
that flower on new wood, or on old
and new wood.
Lime Lovers
Apply a large handful of ground
limestone around the crowns of plants
that grow best in a sweet soil, such
as baby’s breath, bellflower, clematis,
26
In the Fall Garden — continued from previous page
CONNECTICUT COLLEGE ARBORETUM
presents
delphinium, dianthus, candytuft,
German or bearded iris, lavender, lilac
and scabiosa.
Winter Mulch
Once the ground freezes, apply
a winter mulch to keep plants from
heaving out of the ground during
freeze-thaw cycles.
Mulch evens out temperature
swings by keeping the ground from
thawing or freezing too rapidly. One or
two inches of a loose mulch material
or three inches of pine straw or leaves
is fine. Evergreen boughs also work.
Mulching is especially important for
plants that were planted in the fall.
Leaves are the perfect winter mulch,
so why send them off to the landfill
when they can be composted or used
as a protective insulating layer?
Deer
Everyone wants to know what
plants deer will leave alone. Unfortunately, deer don’t read lists and they’ll
eat just about anything if they’re
hungry enough.
Try to minimize the damage before
they establish their winter feeding
patterns by applying deer repellents.
Repellents reduce, but do not prevent,
browse damage from deer.
Choosing a repellent is a trade-off
between effectiveness, cost, ability or
willingness to follow reapplication
recommendations, and the crop/plant
to be protected. Generally, repellents
applied more frequently have more
effectiveness, and – because deer
become used to scents and tastes –
multiple repellents can be used on
an alternating schedule. Labels on
repellents should be read carefully.
Shiny and/or moving objects meant
to discourage deer visually should also
be alternated since the deer become
accustomed to them over time.
A 3-foot high wire mesh cylinder
helps protect young, smooth-barked
trees from antler rubbing damage.
Voles
Voles are active and reportedly
easiest to kill during the short window
of time between leaf fall and the first
snow. The theory is that there is less
live food for them to eat and they’re
more attracted to bait. Try baiting a
mousetrap with peanut butter and
place the trap near a vole hole. Cover
the trap with an overturned flowerpot,
anchored by a rock. The overturned
pot simulates the vole’s dark under-
USDA Seeking Samples of Five Pathogens
The USDA, in cooperation with some university pathology labs, is trying
to collect samples of plant material infected with five important pathogens.
If you have a sample of any of them, please send as directed at this website:
ground den, the rock keeps the pot
in place, and the peanut butter is a
great lure.
Another alternative to control the
vole population is to fastidiously clean
up the garden and dispense with a
winter mulch, depriving the critters
of cover before the snow flies. Unfortunately, you then deprive your plants
of the winter protection the mulch
provides.
Some gardeners have had success
using a barrier of rough material,
such as sharp rocks, that discourage
vole movement. Cats help, too.
Soil Testing
If you haven’t had your soil tested
for a few years, or if you’ve never had
it tested, now’s a great time to do it.
The test will tell you what nutrients
you need to add to get ready for spring
plantings. If you’re interested in
organic gardening, make sure you
ask for organic recommendations.
See our story on soil testing on page 9
for more information.
“The Joy of Creating a Beautiful & Bountiful Garden”
at
11th Annual SALT* Seminar for Homeowners
(* SMALLER AMERICAN LAWNS TODAY)
on
Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013 • 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM
Blaustein Humanities Center, Room 210
Connecticut College, New London
Speakers
“Time and the Garden: Lessons from a Quarter Century of Gardening” – Rick Darke
“Working with Nature: Ecosystems & Organic Principles” – Bill Duesing
“Naturalistic Landscape Design: Breaking Rules on Principle” – Duncan Brine
“The Bountiful Garden” – Cathy Beauregard
Registration by Oct. 25 is essential.
Arboretum/Wild Ones Members - $80 • General Public - $90
Early Bird Special! Register by Oct. 9 and deduct $10.
Registration fee includes continental breakfast, lunch and breaks.
For more information, or to register, call 860-439-5060.
Visit our website at http://arboretum.conncoll.edu
MasterCard, Visa, check and cash accepted.
Prepare New Beds
Shrinking your lawn? Fall is a
great time to break ground for a new
garden bed. For more on preparing
new garden beds, go to www.ladybug.
uconn.edu/NewGardenBeds.htm
A Good Resource
Natureworks has a great factsheet,
Putting Your Garden to Bed, that can
help you with the process: http://
naturework.com/handouts/
49 Years and Still Growing!
•
www.ornamentalpathology.com/#!samples/component_14113
The five diseases are 1) impatiens downy mildew, 2) Rudbeckia downy mildew,
3) sunflower downy mildew, 4) chrysanthemum brown rust, and 5) boxwood
blight (boxwood blight is regulated in Connecticut so please contact The
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station before processing any possible
samples of that).
If you’re not sure whether a plant has one of the above diseases, samples
can be sent to Joan Allen at the UConn Plant Diagnostic Lab for confirmation
and she can then send them on to the USDA lab if they are positive.
Joan Allen, Assistant Extension Educator
UConn Home & Garden Education Center
1380 Storrs Road, Unit 4115
Storrs, CT 06269-4115
Phone: (860) 486-6740, Fax: (860) 486-6338, Email: [email protected]
Receive a Damaged Issue?
We’ve received a few reports
from subscribers about issues
arriving in the mail with torn covers
or other damage.
We haven’t been able to pinpoint
the source, unfortunately, but will
keep trying to solve the mystery.
Be sure to contact us right
away for a free replacement if yours
is damaged or missing: info@
conngardener. com or 203-292-0711
•
Largest Garden Center
in Fairfield County
Nursery
Gift, Garden & Home
hollandianurseries.com
“A Gift Certificate from Hollandia is
always appreciated”
July/August 2013 2013
P.O. Box 248 • Greens Farms, CT 06838-0248
203.292.0711 • www.conngardener.com
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