Suckers waiting to be trimmed off a main branch

More correctly, suckers “sprout” every minute.

You may think your tree is filling out quite nicely, but on closer examination, most of the new branches are shooting straight towards the sun. Those are suckers, also referred to as water sprouts. You may even find suckers appearing on the lawn, some several feet away from the main trunk. And they are not good.

Suckers grow rapidly and are rather weak compared to the rest of the branches. You will find them on limbs, around the base of the tree or on the main trunk. Because of their tendency to grow quickly, they rob the rest of the tree of valuable nutrients, weakening the entire tree in the process. Water sprouts that are left to on the tree, put a great deal of weight and pressure on the limb it sprouted from. That weakens the entire limb, inviting cracked bark or breakage. The cracked bark is an open invitation to insects and disease, and a broken limb is a safety hazard. Therefore suckers and water sprouts must be removed while they are still small.

To remove suckers, simply cut them off with sharp pruners or a pruning saw at the base of the sucker. Try a cut as close to the main branch as possible without cutting into that branch. Keep the cut as straight and as small as possible. The larger the cut, the more inner bark is exposed. The more inner bark exposed, the easier it is for diseases and insects to attack your tree.

Removing suckers can actually stimulate the production of even more suckers or water sprouts. Then it becomes a something you will need to do two or three times a year. An application of pruning paste helps curb the appearance of new suckers.

Poinsettias, red in particular, are the most favoured to plant to give and receive at Christmas. How and why this Mexican native became so popular is due to a man named Joel R. Poinsett, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico in 1828. He was the first one to introduce the showy plant which bears his name, to North America.  Because poinsettias burst into full colour during the Holiday Season, and its bright red bracts resemblance to the Star of Bethlehem, it’s soared to fame as the plant to represent Christmas. In the century and a half since its first appearance on our continent, it has not lost it popularity.

When plant breeders got a hold of the poinsettia, they introduced white, pink, marbled, mottled, burgundy, and every shade of red imaginable. Not content with just offering us a variety of colours, they began playing with the foliage and we now see curly leafed and variegated leafed plants.  If you are not of big fan of red poinsettias, there is now a multitude of colours for you to choose from.

The coloured petals of the poinsettia are not really flowers, but bracts. The flower is actually the tiny yellow centre of the bract.

Poinsettias are very easy to care for. If you don’t have a green thumb or much time to fuss over a plant, then the poinsettia is for you!

-          As soon as you get the plant home, remove the protective sleeve. This prevents damaging ethylene from building up.

-           If you’ve purchased the poinsettias as gifts, but don’t intend on giving them right away, remove the sleeve until just before you deliver them.

- Place the poinsettia in a bright location, away from cold drafts. They deeply resent cold.

- Poinsettias do not like wet feet! Keep the soil on the dry side, but do not allow the plant to wilt. That just shortens its life.

- When to water? When the pot feels light. If the bracts (leaves) are beginning to wilt, you are not watering soon enough.

- Remove the decorative pot cover before you water.

- When you water, drench the pot, being careful not to splash the foliage.

- Fill the pot to the rim with water and allow the water to drain out the bottom of the pot. I usually water them in the kitchen sink to be sure they

  are well drained.

- After ten minutes or so, replace the decorative pot cover and you’re done!

- You should not need to fertilize the poinsettia over the holidays.

When the season is done, toss the poinsettia on the compost pile. If you are up to experimenting, you can attempt to keep the poinsettia over until late spring or early summer. At that point, cut back any weak growth and set it outside for the summer. Bring it indoors in early September, and you’ll be ready to force the poinsettia to show colour for your next Christmas.

Black-eyed Susans blooming under a blanket of snow

Another garden surprise.

The horticulture trades magazines are abuzz about the latest garden trend that is just beginning to emerge in the USA. It is the “GIY” trend! Grow It Yourself in other words. Apparently, this GIY Trend involves not just vegetables, but herbs, annuals, perennials and, houseplants. Yes, the seed companies are rubbing their hands together in eager anticipation of the fat profits they will glean from the increased sales this trend is going to generate. The supply companies (pots, soil mixes, fertilizers, grow lights etc) are likewise excited. Garden centres are re-thinking their sales mix and how best to cash in on this latest turn.

The reasons this trend is developing are listed as economic downturns (less disposable income available to spend on plants), high fuel prices, desire for organic foods, and an increasing wariness about the quality and safety of fresh produce available in grocery stores. Also cited is a concern for the amount of garbage being sent to landfills, so composting is about to become the norm rather than the exception.

The real good news that comes with this trend is it hopefully means the beginning of the end of the” I-want-it-now-I-want-it-big-and-I-want-it-done-for-me” attitude that has been prevalent for far too long. People will soon be tossing aside their cell phones, computers, IPods, TV’s in favour of getting outside, getting their hands and knees dirty and actually simplifying their lives. They will learn how to can and freeze their own produce, how to make jams and sauces and pickles, how to dry herbs. And, get lots of exercise and fresh air in the process. People will actually be gardening again!

For those of us that have always been GIY’ers (a.k.a. Real Gardeners), we can’t help but wonder what all the fuss is about. To us, there is nothing new about growing our own from seed and composting the waste generated from out hobby. Nor is there anything new about preserving the harvests from our own gardens.

We real gardeners are feeling a little smug right now because we’ve know all along about the benefits of growing our own. We are also a little relieved that fewer people will think we’re downright crazy (we probably are, but that’s beside the point). The GIY trend will give real gardeners more friends to share the hobby with, more seeds and plants to exchange, more tips and hints to share. We are likely to see the introduction of many new seed varieties too. It will be a great time for all!