Archive for the ‘Plants, Trees and Shrubs’ Category

Harvesting Christmas Greenery

November 18th, 2009

Harevested greenery in waiting

Harevested greenery in waiting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s time to begin decorating. At our house the Christmas decorating begins outside around the middle of November. I like to use fresh evergreens and grapevines outdoors. Because I’m rather “thrifty” shall we say, I refuse to purchase evergreen boughs. Instead, I harvest my own.

I start by making note of which evergreens are looking well enough to harvest, and which can be pruned without affecting the appearance and future shape of the evergreen.
 
Using a variety of evergreens provides more depth, texture and interest to an arrangement than using one or two varieties.

Tools needed are: hand pruners, loppers and a pail of water.

Harvest with an eye to shaping the tree and/or shrub rather than cutting willy nilly.
 
A straight cut is made to remove the branch from the plant.

Next cut the stem you’ve just harvested at a sharp angle.

Place the stem of the harvested branch into the pail of water.

Continue harvesting until you have enough materials to make your wreath, swag or planters.

When you do have enough materials, change the water in the pail, and add Christmas tree preservative.

Re-cut each of the stems (angled cut) and put them in the fresh water.

Set the pail in a cool, shaded location (garage or unheated shed) until you are ready to begin creating your decorations.

Suggested evergreens:
 

Boxwood

Cedar

Euonymus (variegated for colour)

Juniper (be sure to get stems with berries on them!)

Spruce

Yew (berries don’t last long on cut stems)

 

Suggested deciduous:

 

Redtwig dogwood

Yellow dogwood

Curly willow

Grape vine

Tree branches with interesting shapes

NOTE: do not place these stems in water

 
Accents:
 

Evergreen cones

Rose hips

Teasel

*Hydrangea blooms

*Silver dollar seed casings

NOTE: do not place these in water

* Use only where arrangement will be protected from wind, rain and snow.

Posted in Christmas Plants, Container Gardens, Crafts, Garden Decorating | Comments (0)

Over Wintering Potted Plants

October 11th, 2009

A few of the new shrubs waiting to be heeled in

A few of the new shrubs waiting to be heeled in

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        Though the 2009 gardening season is quickly winding down, there is still a lot of gardening to be enjoyed.

         For instance, fall has become one of my favourite times of year not because of the colours and cooler temperatures, but because of the deals to be had at the local greenhouses and nurseries!

         We have one local grower that is offering all, yes, all, four inch pots of perennials for $.99! Even those regularly priced at $5.99 and $6.99!! Makes resisting the urge to squeeze more plants into an already overflowing bed very difficult. And of you have decided to renovate your perennial gardens, you can do so without spending a fortune. Check out your local growers for awesome bargains in late fall.

         Trees and shrubs are also dirt cheap these days. Matter of fact, yesterday I succumbed to the lure of a great deal on several shrubs that have long been on my wish list. What is a great deal? Less than wholesale! And they were purchased from a grower not a reseller, so I know I’m getting quality plants, not the beaten up ones that they couldn’t sell during the height of the season.

         Will I (we) get all these plants into the ground before freeze-up? No, especially now that my other half has decided to get in on the landscape design. So what will happen to the plants over winter? We’ll heel them in and hold them over until next spring. That will give “himself” and me time to hash out a compromise over the winter.

         For new gardeners that have never attempted to heel-in plants, here’s how we do it:

 Dig a trench in a protected area of your yard as wide and deep as the plants’ pots. If you have several different sized pots, put all the same sized together. Yes, you may end up digging a few trenches, but just think of the work out you’ll be getting!

 Set the plant, pot and all in the trench leaving a few inches between the pots.

 Backfill around the pots with soil to the top of the pot.(Do not bury the stem of the plant.)

 Cover the entire trench including the tops of the pots with at least two inches of mulch.

 Water them in and keep them watered until they are covered with a blanket of snow. Top up the mulch as it settles.   

Next spring as them temperature begins to warm up, slowly remove the mulch. 

Water regularly once the snow is gone until you are ready to plant them in beds.

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Posted in Garden Maintenance, HOW TO GARDEN, Trees and Shrubs | Comments (0)

Amaryllis belladonna

August 30th, 2009

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An interesting late summer flowering bulb that is not a common sight is Amaryllis belladonna a.k.a. Naked Lady.

Its tall stem is crowned with a ring of pale pink trumpet shaped blooms similar in to the indoor Amaryllis, but the flowers are smaller and finer looking.

An oddity of Amaryllis belladonna is its habit of producing leaves in the spring which then die off before the flower stems form.

If you are looking for height, late summer flowers and something out of the ordinary, consider putting a Naked Lady in your garden!

Bulb

Hardy in zones 5 – 9

Height 24” – 30”

Flowers – 6 – 10 pale pink cluster of 3” wide trumpets in mid to late summer

Leaves – lance shaped medium green

Light – full sun to part sun

Planting Season – late summer or early fall

Soil – well drained soiled amended with compost or manure

Depth – plant at least 9” deep in northern areas

Fertilizer – use a water soluble 15-30-15 when the leaves appear or top dress the bed with compost or manure

Propagation – remove bulblets from larger bulbs

Other – do not disturb the bulbs unless you intend to propagate them. Amaryllis belladonna resents being disturbed
May also be grown in containers

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