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Gardening

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The Catalpa tree has lots of small white flowers that resemble tiny orchids after the tree has leafed out. Photo by Ellen Barcel

By Ellen Barcel

There are two trees commonly seen on Long Island that look very much alike. They are both quick growing trees, with large heart-shaped leaves. Both have taproots. The major difference to the casual observer is that one has purple flowers in spring while the other has white flowers in early summer. The purple-flowered tree has round seedpods and the white-flowered tree has long string-bean-type seedpods.

Initially, many, many years ago, I assumed they were related, perhaps different varieties of the same tree. Wrong! What are these similar trees? The Royal Paulownia tree and the Catalpa tree.

Royal Paulownia Tree
Let’s start with the Paulownia (Paulownia tomentosa), also called the Empress tree and the Princess tree. The tree is a native of China and is extremely fast growing and a prolific producer of seeds. It is considered to be an invasive species, being brought to North America when the seeds were used as packing material for goods shipped from Asia. The seeds quickly took root and the tree has naturalized in North America. The wood of the Paulownia is used extensively in Asia for a variety of things.

Many people believe that it is an invasive plant, one that grows very quickly and therefore takes over forcing out the native species. As a result, it is listed on Suffolk County’s Management List of Invasive Species. It is recommended that it not be planted on Long Island especially near or on public land (see last week’s gardening column for details on the management list).

The purple flowers of the Paulownia tree come out before the leaves. Its bare branches and an evergreen tree can be seen in the background. Photo by Ellen Barcel
The purple flowers of the Paulownia tree come out before the leaves. Its bare branches and an evergreen tree can be seen in the background. Photo by Ellen Barcel

However, I recently came across several references to an article by Charles J. Smiley printed in the American Journal of Botany (1961) that the tree was actually native to North America as fossil leaves have been found from Washington State as far back as the Tertiary Period (66 million to 2.6 million years ago) and may have subsequently gone extinct here. Obviously, there is some disagreement among experts as the tree is still listed as invasive by a number of sources, including the New York Invasive Species Clearing House.

The American Paulownia Association can be reached at www.paulowniatrees.org. The group was “organized and developed through the joint efforts of the University of Tennessee and the University of Kentucky Extension Services” in 1991 and dedicated “to the advancement of Paulownia as a forest crop in the United States.”

The Paulownia prefers sun, grows in virtually any type of soil, is somewhat drought tolerant and does well in U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Hardiness Zones 5 to 11 (Long Island is 7). It has no significant disease or insect problems. The tree will even resprout from the root if cut down (remember that taproot), can reach heights of 70 to 100 feet and is long lived, reportedly from 60 to 100 years.

Catalpa Tree
The other tree, the Catalpa, is definitely native to North America. There are basically two varieties, northern (which grows here so well) and southern (which does well in warmer climates). Like the Paulownia, the tree is deciduous, losing its leaves in fall — quickly. In fact, it is one of the first trees to lose its leaves in fall.

The flowers of the Catalpa appear in late spring or early summer (mid-June this year) and resemble tiny orchids — white with purple throats — after the tree has leafed out. Like the Paulownia, the tree can reach a great height, easily up to 60 or more feet tall. The Catalpa grows well in hardiness zones 4 to 8. It does well in very acidic to neutral soil, pH 5.5 to 7.

The tree can be very long lived, reportedly 60 to possibly up to 100 years of age. One of mine died after about 25 years having been struck by lightning but did resprout from the root. Anthracnose (a fungal disease of some hardwood trees) can attack the leaves during very humid weather, but the tree itself usually survives quite well.

Because of its potential age, quick growth rate and hardiness, it makes a great shade tree. However, if you’re looking for autumn color, it will not provide it.

Ellen Barcel is a freelance writer and master gardener. To reach Cornell Cooperative Extension and its Master Gardener program, call 631-727-7850.

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Plants advertised as fast-growing, like the multiflora rose bush above, while pretty, are extremely invasive. Photo from Ellen Barcel

By Ellen Barcel

Every now and then, gardeners can’t find the exact information they need to successfully grow those little (or big) green things they want. When exactly, for example, should you prune your flowering shrubs? Here are a few generalities that may help in those cases. But, remember, there are always exceptions to the rules.

• If an ad for a plant says “quick-growing” or “super quick-growing,” be very wary. Frequently, quick-growing plants take over in the garden. Multiflora roses were sold as quick-growing many years ago. We know now just how invasive these pretty plants can be.  In fact they are on the list of plants which can’t be sold/propagated in Suffolk County.

• If a plant is filled with needles, chances are it’s an evergreen; it will hold its needles over the winter.  A few examples are pines, hemlocks and spruce. There are exceptions, rarely, but exceptions nonetheless, like the dawn redwood (Metasequoia). It’s sometimes called a living fossil because it is essentially the same as it was 65 million years ago. This conifer is deciduous; it loses its needles come cold weather. New needles appear in spring.

• If you need to prune a plant because it is just too big, the best time is immediately after it has flowered. That way, you will not disrupt the flowering cycle for next year. For example, if your forsythia are too big, prune them in spring after they bloom. If you prune them in very early spring before they bloom, or late in fall, while they are setting buds, you will have no flowers next season.

• “Plant it high, it won’t die. Plant it low, it won’t grow.” This rule of thumb is pretty much hard and fast. When transplanting trees, do not let them sink down below the soil level. For a whole variety of reasons, trees planted below the soil level do not do well.

Forsythia should be pruned just after the blooms fade to control height — pruning later in the season can disrupt the plant’s blooming cycle. Photo from Ellen Barcel
Forsythia should be pruned just after the blooms fade to control height — pruning later in the season can disrupt the plant’s blooming cycle. Photo from Ellen Barcel

• Rule of thumb says that evergreen trees, like conifers, evolved in an area with a short growing season. This way, with greenery still on the tree in spring, it will have a head start. How does this translate into your garden? Chances are most of the evergreen trees you’re interested in will grow well in areas with cold climates (i.e., short growing seasons).

• Evergreen trees tend to grow in acidic soil. If there are a lot of native evergreens around, chances are the soil is very acidic. Test the soil, however, just to be sure.

• Deciduous trees tend to grow in more neutral soils. Remember there are exceptions. For example, oak trees are deciduous, yet do well in very acidic soil. As a result, Long Island, with its very acidic soil, is home to native pines and oaks.

• Plants with tap roots survive drought very well. Don’t water your lawn and you get poor grass, but excellent dandelions. Everyone who has tried to get dandelions out of their lawn knows very well that with their taproots, even pulling them out, unless you get the entire taproot, they will keep growing back.

• Veggies with tap roots, like beets, kohlrabi, carrots and others, are difficult to transplant. Start them where you plan to grow them. If you must start them early, do it in a peat pot which can be planted whole in the garden when ready.

• Native plants need less care than introduced ones.

Remember, these are just rules of thumb, generalities. There are always exceptions. A gardening friend of mine transplanted a shrub with a tap root successfully without getting the entire root out, but many people who try don’t succeed.

Ellen Barcel is a freelance writer and master gardener. To reach Cornell Cooperative Extension and its Master Gardener program, call 631-727-7850.

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A closeup of the golden chain tree in bloom. Photo by Alisa Greene

By Ellen Barcel

Recently, a reader came across a beautiful tree on the campus of Suffolk County Community College in Selden in late May with absolutely gorgeous yellow flowers. What could it be, she wondered?

After a bit of quick research I was able to identify it as a golden chain tree (Laburnum).  A native of the mountains of southern Europe and Asia Minor, it is in the pea family. That, however, does not make it edible as all parts of the plant are poisonous, including the seed pods that follow the flowers in summer. If you decide to go with this plant, put it in an area where young children and pets can’t snack on it.

The golden chain tree at Suffolk County Community College in Selden. Photo by Alisa Greene
The golden chain tree at Suffolk County Community College in Selden. Photo by Alisa Greene

The pea family is a big one. Most are legumes, that is, are nitrogen-fixing plants. They contain a symbiotic bacteria in their roots that takes nitrogen from the atmosphere for the plant’s use.  Other plants in the pea family include the sweet pea, soybeans, edible peas, peanuts, carobs, the black locust tree and kudzu.

The golden chain tree (Laburnum x watereri “Vossii”) blooms in late May and early June for about three weeks with racemes that are about 10 to 20 inches long filled with gold to yellow flowers. Do not confuse the golden chain tree with the golden rain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata), a native of China and India. See my column of April 9 of this year for further information on the golden rain tree.

Some call this small (15 to 20 feet at mature height and about as wide), quick growing, deciduous tree a “Goldilocks plant” since it is very specific in its needs. It does best in hardiness zones 5 to 7. Since it evolved in a mountainous area, it’s logical that it doesn’t like extreme heat. It does best in a soil pH that is near neutral to alkaline. As so much of Long Island has very acidic soil, test your soil first and add lime to the soil if it is substantially below 6.6.

For optimum flowers, plant in a sunny or only slightly shady location. Since you will probably have to add lime to your soil for this one, and it likes sun, growing it as a small specimen tree in a lawn will provide both of these requirements — you probably lime your lawn periodically anyway. It prefers moist but well-drained soil.

The larvae of some Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) use it as food, a plus for those gardeners wishing to help wildlife. Wear long sleeves and gardening gloves when planting or pruning as some people are allergic to the tree.

Monrovia, one of the suppliers of the golden chain tree, notes that it can be espaliered. This means that it can be pruned into a flat shape to grow against a fence, wall or pergola. If you decide to espalier your tree(s), you might consider interspersing it with vines that bloom later in the season to prolong the bloom time as the flowers last just a few weeks under optimal conditions.

Ellen Barcel is a freelance writer and master gardener. To reach Cornell Cooperative Extension and its Master Gardener program, call 631-727-7850.

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Dogwood is native to Long Island and is adapted to our climate. Photo by Ellen Barcel

By Ellen Barcel

In last week’s gardening column, we looked at the frequently erratic amounts of water that Mother Nature provides to Long Island gardeners. This has been a dry spring, for example, with moderate drought conditions being reported for April and most of May. How do we deal with this?

One of the answers is by planting trees, shrubs, etc. that are native to Long Island. This way, they are plants that are already adapted to the almost pendulum-like swings between torrential rain and near drought conditions.

Native plants have other benefits, besides the amount of water they need. They are adapted in other ways, too. For example, they survive the winter cold and summer heat better than some introduced plants. Native plants need little or no fertilization. They are noninvasive (not like the English ivy, which if given an inch will take a mile).

Native trees have generally reached a balance with insect pests native to the area. You’ll notice that the insects that have caused recent problems in local trees (Asian longhorn beetle and southern pine beetle) are not from our area.

Trees
Trees that do particularly well on Long Island, and are actually native to the area, include pine and oak. Oak has a taproot, which goes deeply into the soil. This is a benefit in times of little or no rain because it’s the top layer of soil that dries out. Deep down, there’s water in the soil and the taproots reach deeply into those wet layers. The USDA Forest Service notes that pine has a vestige of a taproot and three to five other major roots that go outward and then deep into the soil. Native dogwood is another one that does well here.

Shrubs
Shrubs native to the area include northern bayberry (Morella pensylvanica), bear oak (Quercus ilicifolia) and blueberry. Blueberry in particular does well on Long Island because it prefers a soil with an acidity somewhere in the neighborhood of 4.0 to 5.0, very acidic. And, fortunately, Long Island soil can be as acidic as that. Blueberries come in a variety of heights and bloom times so they make a beautiful living hedge and can provide fruit for over a six-week period.
Note that wineberries, which grow so easily here, are not native but have been introduced and are very invasive. They are on Suffolk County’s Do Not Sell list because of their invasive nature. Another introduced, and invasive, shrub is the multifora rose. Again, banned and definitely invasive.

Flowers
Annual, biennial and perennial plants that are native to Long Island include aster (purple flowers in autumn), butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa, with its vibrant orange flowers in summer), clover and Eastern prickly pear cactus (bright yellow flowers with orange centers, also in summer). So, yes, you can have a beautiful flower garden with just native plants.
While native plants are ideal, there are also some nonnative plants that have similar characteristics. Look for plants that are drought tolerant, noninvasive and do well in USDA hardiness zone 7 or above (my preference is for 6 or above, just in case we have abnormally cold winters).
For detailed information on native plants, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden publishes “A Native Plants Reader” and “Great Natives for Tough Places.” “Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants” by C. Colston Burrewll, handbook 185, may be available as used copies. Go to www.bbg.org for details. See also the website of the Long Island Native Plant Initiative at www.linpi.org.

Ellen Barcel is a freelance writer and master gardener. To reach Cornell Cooperative Extension and its Master Gardener program, call 631-727-7850.

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Photo by Katherine Link of R.J.K. Gardens, Inc.

Picture this: the sun is setting. You’re sitting by a small waterfall that empties into a pristine pond. The campfire is roaring in the background. Someone is barbecuing up a storm.

It feels like you’ve escaped. But you’ve merely stepped outside your home.

Furnishing outdoor spaces is an increasingly popular home improvement trend on Long Island, according to Richard Kuri, president of St. James-based R.J.K Gardens Inc. Lately, homeowners are installing things like fire pits, synthetic golf greens, horseshoe pits, bocce courts and more, to create spaces to live and play in.

It’s not a new movement, but one that has gained momentum over the last five years or so. The most popular items tend to be fire pits and outdoor kitchens, said Kuri in a recent interview. Other intriguing elements include outside heaters, water-resistant couches, flat-screen TVs, waterfalls and ponds stocked with fish. The idea of creating “serenity spaces” is also big — Kuri said his company recently converted a wooded area rife with bramble that was an eyesore at a condo complex in Hauppauge into a meandering path with benches and a gazebo. “For the people who live at these condos, it’ll be a destination, a place for people to relax,” he said.

Stock photo
Stock photo

Some of these popular outdoor space furnishings can be found in do-it-yourself form at your local home improvement store. One of the simpler items, the fire pit, comes in a kit nowadays, Kuri said — easy enough for the average handy person to assemble. Do-it-yourself fire pit kits could run up to about $900, he said.

Marc Weinstein, the maintenance manager of Owens Brothers Landscape Development in Baiting Hollow, is seeing an increase in demand from clients for outdoor LED lighting, including lights that can illuminate a pathway, or shine up or down from trees. He said he thinks the reason for the increase in demand is because people want to enjoy their outdoor spaces for longer periods of time once the sun sets.

It’s also not a budget-breaking improvement. Outdoor lighting is something one could also find at a local home improvement store, Weinstein said. “I would say that places like the Home Depot and Lowe’s, I think they’re making it more, the word sexy, to have these kinds of things, and more affordable, to have these kinds of things,” Weinstein said in a recent interview.

Kuri feels the rise of outdoor living spaces stems from when the economy crashed around 2008 and 2009. That’s when outdoor-living home improvements really ramped up because people who would have normally dropped big money on vacations decided instead to pour it in to their homes and create a “staycation” getaway.

“I think that the phrase ‘getting back to nature,’ the fact that if you have nice weather or if you can enjoy nature and get outside [to] enjoy it, why not do it?” Kuri said. “It’s another destination — in your own yard.”

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Flowering quince, once established, is somewhat drought tolerant and has lovely red flowers in the spring. By planting drought-tolerant plants, you’re less likely to have to spend your time irrigating your garden. Photo by Ellen Barcel

By Ellen Barcel

The last two years have been interesting weatherwise on Long Island. The Old Farmer’s Almanac, which predicted a cold and snowy winter for 2013-14, and yes it was, also predicted a hot and rainy summer. As far as the hot part is concerned, it was one of the coolest summers in many years. So much for the hot part!

The wet part, well that’s a different story, kind of. Through early August we were below average. The average rain at Brookhaven National Lab in Upton for June, July, August and September hovered around four inches each of those months — a little above, a little below. June’s actual rainfall was just a little over two inches and July’s was about two and a half — definitely below average. Last fall and early winter, however, gave us plenty of rain. Last winter (2014-15) was incredibly cold and snowy. While the meteorologists didn’t talk “polar vortex” as they had the winter before, the almanac did predict a very cold winter, and yes, it was. But spring, so far has been relatively cool and dry.

Because rainfall on Long Island can vary so much from not only year to year but week to week, gardeners needed to keep an eye on it so that their gardens thrive. On average, it rains once every three or four days, but we can go for weeks in the summer with little or no rain or have it rain every day for a solid week or more.

Place a rain gauge strategically in your garden so you can see how much rain you’re getting each week and adjust your irrigation schedule accordingly. Above, the gauge shows that approximately four inches of rain/irrigation were received at that spot in the garden in just a few days. Photo by Ellen Barcel
Place a rain gauge strategically in your garden so you can see how much rain you’re getting each week and adjust your irrigation schedule accordingly. Above, the gauge shows that approximately four inches of rain/irrigation were received at that spot in the garden in just a few days. Photo by Ellen Barcel

Not only does rainfall vary timewise but geographically as well. August 13’s, 2014, record 13 plus inches of rain in southwestern Suffolk County (the Islip area in particular) flooded roads that tied up traffic, but the North and South forks got less than an inch of rain from that storm. So eastern Suffolk gardeners were watering their plants while western and central Suffolk gardeners were pumping out flooded basements.

So, place a rain gauge in your garden where it can accurately measure how much rain your garden has received. Make sure that the gauge is not under bushes, for example, which can cover the gauge’s opening. Check your gauge periodically. You can then adjust your added watering accordingly.

Most of us have very sandy soil. We need to be particularly concerned with weeks and weeks of no or little rain during the summer. We need to supplement what Mother Nature provides, particularly with plants such as tomatoes or hydrangeas, both of which need a steady supply of water. Tomato plants that dry out can result in blossom end rot. Grass should receive about an inch a week. Remember that since most of us have very sandy soil, even torrential rain, say two or more inches at once, drains quickly into the soil, and a few days later you may need to water. Also, containers dry out more quickly than plants in the ground.

Some of us have clay soil or live in an area where the water table is very high. For those gardeners, it’s not a question of getting enough rain; it can be controlling too much water or finding plants that do well in very wet soil.

If you have an area where lots of water drains into the soil, say from your roof top, you might want to consider a rain garden. This basically consists of a depressed area, frequently with a berm around it, which acts like a recharge basis (a sump) for the island’s water table. If you have an area where water virtually never drains, you might consider a bog garden. Plants that  enjoy “wet feet” do well here.

Using native plants is an option and will make it easier for the gardener. Native plants are adapted to Long Island’s periods of rain and drought and need little tending.

More on native plants, rain gardens and bog gardens in future weeks.

Ellen Barcel is a freelance writer and master gardener. To reach Cornell Cooperative Extension and its Master Gardener program, call 631-727-7850.

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Azaleas, above, as well as rhododendron do well in acidic soil. That means that most Long Island gardeners, who usually have very acidic soil, don’t have to spend time liming the soil. Photo by Ellen Barcel

By Ellen Barcel

Are you planning to renew your landscaping, put in new plants, or take out some old ones? As a gardener you need to know about plants, but you also need to consider your lifestyle and how much time and energy you’re willing to put in to achieve the effect you desire.

Do all the adults in the house work full-time jobs, some even with overtime? Do you frequently take trips during the warm weather? Are you away from your home on vacations? Do you spend lots of time at the beach? If so, you probably want to enjoy your garden when you’re home and not spend time working in it. If, on the other hand, you’re newly retired and just love getting out in the dirt, then gardening is not work — it’s a joy. Now, some things to consider.

A lawn needs to be mowed once a week to 10 days. An acquaintance of mine, many years ago, had two acres of property, almost all of it with a lush lawn. On more than one occasion I heard complaints about how much time he had to spend every weekend mowing his lawn. One alternative for him would have been to hire a service to do this weekly chore. Some people go this route, but it does cost more than putting a gallon of gas in your mower. In fact, if you have a service, you don’t even need to own and maintain a mower.

The best alternative, however, and definitely my preference if I had two acres of lawn, would be to cut back drastically on how much lawn I actually had. Plant trees and shrubs that need minimal maintenance. It’s better for the environment and better for wildlife, which will soon make your garden their home. And you will spend a lot less time mowing.

Another area to consider when deciding how much time you want to spend working in the garden is plants that are prone to diseases and insects. Roses, for example, are gorgeous but notorious for their problems with aphids as well as black spot and powdery mildew. If you absolutely adore roses and have the time, sure, plant them, knowing that you’ll need to spray for insects and diseases periodically. Look for disease-resistant varieties. Another consideration with roses is their thorns. This is a special problem if you have children or grandchildren who will be running around the yard and possibly tripping into them.

A third consideration is pruning. If you select lots of plants that are quick growing and need lots of pruning, then you’re going to use up your weekends with the sheers in your hands. This is especially true if you have topiary, which must be carefully and artistically pruned periodically to maintain the look you want.

Then there’s watering. If you have the average Long Island garden, you have one that periodically needs watering. If you go away a lot during the mild weather, what happens to your garden? Do you ignore it, only to come home to a disaster? Pay someone to come periodically and take care of it? Install an irrigation system? Remember, container plants dry out more quickly than plants in the ground and need more supplemental watering. Or do you plant only native plants, which need minimal maintenance and supplemental water.

If you don’t want to spend time adding lime to the soil (sweetening or raising the pH), use only plants that thrive in acidic soil such as rhodies, azaleas, blueberries etc.

There’s no right answer for everyone. But, you do need to look at your own time and energy level and decide which works best for you. If you love to be out in the garden, enjoy the sun on your face, get your hands dirty and love to see those little green sprouts grow and thrive, fine. If because of finances, time or energy you can’t spend that much time working in the garden, then simplify by putting in native plants, which need minimal maintenance, and spend your time enjoying your garden.

Ellen Barcel is a freelance writer and master gardener. To reach Cornell Cooperative Extension and its Master Gardener program, call 631-727-7850.

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By Heidi Sutton & Ernestine Franco

After a winter punctuated with one snow or ice storm after another, it’s hard to believe that spring has finally arrived. Avid gardeners hibernating in their homes for what seemed like months have been keeping their spirits high by perusing the gardening catalogs for the latest plants and products, all the while patiently waiting for the ground to thaw.

In perfect timing, All-America Selections recently announced its list of new varieties of flowers and vegetables for 2015.  Names like Emerald Fire, Butterscotch, Jolt Pink, Dolce Fresca and Tidal Wave Red Velour are enough to get any gardener excited about trying something new.

Since 1932, this nonprofit organization has annually tested new varieties of flowers and vegetables in various locations throughout the United States and Canada. Judges look for improved qualities such as disease tolerance, early bloom or harvest dates, taste, unique colors and flavors, higher yield, length of flowering or harvest, and overall performance.

Here’s what the judges had to say about some of the award winners:

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Beet Avalanche: Judges raved about the eating quality of this pure white beet, both raw and cooked. This variety has no red pigment, and the earthy taste or bitter aftertastes are gone. Photo from All-America Selections
Radish Roxanne: The pretty red radish stays firm and solid even when oversized. This plant holds up well in the garden without becoming pithy. For those small or balcony gardens, this plant can easily be grown in a pot that is at least four inches deep. Photo from All-America Selections
Pak Choi Bopak: Compact plants of this variety produce tender leaves that are flavorful in salads, sandwiches and Asian cooking. This classy plant makes an attractive thriller for patio pots and containers. Photo from All-America Selections
Pepper “Emerald Fire”: Gardeners will appreciate the prolific fruit set of this jalapeño type on compact plants that are disease-resistant. Strong plants produce extra-large, hot jalapeños that are great in chili. Photo from All-America Selections
Salvia Summer Jewel White: Judges noted how bees, butterflies and hummingbirds were attracted to the large flowers on this compact plant, making it perfect for a pollinator garden. Photo from All-America Selections
Petunia Tidal Wave Red Velour: Tidal Wave is an excellent landscape performer, covering a large area quickly and beautifully. Photo from All-America Selections
Cucumber Parisian Gherkin: The semi-vining plants are adapted for garden or staked patio containers. Disease-resistant plants produce heavy crops of pickling-type cucumbers. Photo from All-America Selections
Basil Dolce Fresca: A great basil for containers because it maintains its shape while producing quantities of tender, flavorful leaves. Photo from All-America Selections
Dianthus Jolt Pink: The most heat-tolerant Dianthus on the market, this variety sports very showy, bright pink-fringed flowers. Called the “best of the trials” by the judges, this winner is a must in any garden. Photo from All-America Selections
Broccoli “Artwork”: This long-yielding, heat-tolerant variety forms a normal head, and continues to form side shoots after the main crown is harvested. Photo from All-America Selections
Garlic Chives Geisha: The “just-right” garlic flavor is great in soups, stir-fry dishes, butters and as a garnish. This plant does well in containers and is highly ornamental. Photo from All-America Selections
Squash “Butterscotch”: Small-fruited butternut squash has an exceptionally sweet taste that is just perfect for one or two servings. Compact vines are space-saving for smaller gardens and containers. Photo from All-America Selections

The Northeast can now plant entire gardens using these AAS winning varieties, all of which have been proven to have superior performance.

For a complete list of the new plants chosen by the AAS, as well as other information about the organization, visit their website at www.all-americaselections.org.

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Change out flowering plants seasonally in a container. Here mums and decorative cabbage are used in autumn. Photo by Ellen Barcel

By Ellen Barcel

There are a lot of reasons why you might decide to grow many of your plants in containers rather than directly in the soil in your garden. Here are a few:

• If you have an area in the garden where many roots come to the surface, you can use containers to grow plants that wouldn’t survive amid the roots.

• Containers are great to control aggressive plants, for example, mints, which can take over part of the garden or cross with varieties you want to keep separate.

• If certain plants need to have a markedly different soil pH, it’s easier to control that pH in a container. Here I’m thinking of hydrangea macrophylla in particular, which needs a soil closer to neutral (7) or just slightly above that to have it turn pink.

Change out flowering plants seasonally in a container. Photo by Ellen Barcel
Change out flowering plants seasonally in a container. Photo by Heidi Sutton

• Container plants are great for decorating a bare spot in the garden, a deck or shed. They also can be used to decorate a tree stump, one that for one reason or another you decide not to remove.

• Plants that are viney, or hanging, do best planted in a hanging basket, where they can trail down.

• It’s easier to protect tender or iffy plants in containers. My fig trees are grown in containers, which I move into the garage to overwinter them. I know they’re varieties that supposedly are cold hardy in zone 7, but when I tried growing them in the soil, they didn’t make it through the winter. Remember to periodically water them over the winter, say once a month.

• Apartment dwellers who have just a small balcony or patio can enjoy a garden, albeit a small one, by growing their special plants in containers.

• Containers can be moved more easily, throughout the growing season or from year to year as conditions change.

• Containers can be moved out of areas that flood during nor’easters. Since virtually all plants, except those native to brackish, boggy water, can’t survive being submerged in saltwater, they need to be protected from it. How much time and energy you have dictates how many containers you’re willing or able to move when the meteorologist predicts flooding.

• A row of containers filled with vertical plants makes a nice privacy screen for a patio or deck. These could be tall grasses, small evergreens or even lowbush blueberries.

Remember, containers may need to be watered more frequently as they can dry out more quickly than plants in soil. Container plants that have large leaves frequently need special attention. The large leaves can act like little umbrellas that keep the rain from reaching the soil. Clay pots dry out more quickly than plastic or resin ones. Small pots dry out more quickly than large ones.

If you can’t find someone to water your containers while you are away on vacation, consider using watering gel (which holds excess water to be released as the soil dries out) or pots that are “self-watering,” that is, have a reserve of water for when the soil dries out. You can also set up a sprinkler on a timer.

Container size needs to match the plant or you won’t be satisfied with the results. For example, if you grow carrots in containers, you either need to have very deep containers or select a variety of carrot that is small and stubby.

Use a good quality potting soil rather than garden soil. Some potting soil already contains watering crystals and/or fertilizer. At some point, these will be used up and you’ll need to supplement the soil yourself. Read the package carefully.

Consider changing out container flowers throughout the growing season matching bloom time to maximize the seasonal impact.

Ellen Barcel is a freelance writer and master gardener. To reach Cornell Cooperative Extension and its Master Gardener program, call 631-727-7850.

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Pinecones on a Colorado blue spruce add color to a drab winter garden. Photo by Ellen Barcel

By Ellen Barcel

You’re probably wondering why I’m writing a column on winter interest in the garden in May, especially after the brutally cold and snowy winter we’ve just gone through. Shouldn’t I be touting spring?

Well, yes and no. If you looked at your garden this past winter and were disappointed in the overall effect, you need to think about what you are planting now to be able to look out your windows next winter and love what you see.

To create winter interest in the garden, think color, shape and texture. Let’s start with color. So much of the garden in winter is brown, so, look for plants that are not brown. That immediately brings to mind evergreens, whether you’re thinking of trees like pines, spruce, cedars etc. or shrubs like euonymous. Each of these brings beautiful green color. To make this even more spectacular, consider interspersing some evergreens with those that are tinged with gold. Now, not only do you have these beautiful green and gold colors in the garden, but, when it snows, you have a lacy, Christmas-card scene. Don’t forget holly since it holds its deep green leaves and much of its red berries throughout the snowy season.

But, there are other color possibilities. Recently, driving out on the East End, amid all the brown, bare tree trunks was a beautiful red specimen. It was a red twig dogwood, and the color stood out from blocks away.

By the way, there’s also yellow twig dogwood. Red twig dogwood has white flowers in spring, it’s drought tolerant as well as heat tolerant, so, should do well in unusually cold winters or hot summers. Yes, you can cut some of the red twigs for winter decorations in the house. The more sun, the brighter the colors will be, but it does grow in partial shade.

So, now we have green, yellow, gold and red. What about blue? Well, you could plant some Colorado blue spruce. One of its added bits of winter interest is the beautiful pinecones these, as well as other conifers, have.

For texture, look at tree bark. Sycamore trees have whitish bark that peels, creating an interesting pattern on the trunk. Oak leaf hydrangeas also have exfoliating bark as does paperbark maple. Note that the beautiful white birch (paper birch) doesn’t do too well on Long Island. A native of North America it is rated for hardiness zones 3 through 6 (Long Island is warmer at zone 7). While you will occasionally see one growing well here, it is the exception rather than the rule.

Unusual or twisted vines on a trellis or something like the twisted Harry Lauder’s walking stick create beautiful designs in the garden, especially when snow melts and refreezes, creating really cool icicles on them.

Shape is another way of bringing winter interest into the garden. Consider pruning some of your small evergreens into topiaries. They really stand out that way.

Ornamental grasses are beautiful in winter. They blow in the winter wind and become covered with not only snow but ice in the colder months.

So, as you enjoy the warm gardening days ahead, think about what will make your garden stunning next January.

Ellen Barcel is a freelance writer and master gardener. To reach Cornell Cooperative Extension and its Master Gardener program, call 631-727-7850.

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