|
|
|
|
Click on a link below to go to the article of interest.
USDA Plant Hardiness
Zone Map North-Midwest US Check the color of the section in your area of the map with the color key below. Iowa City is zone 5A. To find your correct zone, go to this website and put in your zip code. http://www.garden.org/zipzone/
USDA Hardiness Zones and Average Annual Minimum Temperature Range
Courtesy of
USDA Miscellaneous
Publication No. 1475.
Correction pronunciation of clematis: KLEM ah tiss PRUNING TECHNIQUES All the clematis I am selling this year need TYPE 2 pruning except for Sweet Autumn Clematis, which needs TYPE 3. TYPE 2. In this group all first flowering comes from last season's ripened stems. In early Spring watch for swelling leaf buds beginning to show. Cut all dead material off above these swelling buds. Be sure all growth is tied to trellis, etc. at this time. Do not tie too tightly, so growth can begin and is not hampered by tying too tight or cracking these stems. TYPE 3. This group blooms later and from new growth. This group should be pruned in February or March as new leaf buds begin to show low on the plant. All dead material above these buds should be removed at this time. Clean out any old foliage or foliage with mildew. CLEMATIS CULTURE The best time to plant clematis is spring, summer or early fall in a location of 5-6 hours of sunlight. Clematis roots are long and run deep and like it cool and damp, but not soggy. A good idea is to plant annuals around the base of the clematis, plant a low growing shrub to shade the roots, or mulch the ground around the base of the clematis plant to help keep the soil and roots cool. Loosen the soil to a depth of 2 feet. Mix this soil with peat and sand. Carefully set your clematis plant in the hole so the crown is 1 inch below the soil level when the plant was in the pot. Stake the plant and if possible wrap a piece of screen loosely around this to prevent animals from breaking or eating off the stem for the first year. The stake should be placed towards the trellis to train the plant to its permanent support. Keep your clematis well watered; do not let it dry out. In years to come, soak once a week in dry weather. Feed twice a year with a balanced granular fertilizer, or a good water soluble fertilizer. Prune your clematis the first spring after planting, back to 10-12". This is very important to get your plant off to low branching and heavier flowering over the whole clematis vine. Apply a mulch around the base of your clematis through the winter dormant months. With proper care your clematis plant will give you much enjoyment for many years. THE MANY WAYS CLEMATIS CAN BE USED • Grow on all types of fences, and even stone walls. • Train to grow up a tree trunk, tree stumps and rock piles. • Use as a ground cover. • Frame around porches and other entrances. • Grow up unsightly utility and light poles. • Screen unwanted views. • Grow along with a climbing rose. • Grow through shrubs of all kinds. • Grow clematis in a container on a trellis or other support. • Grow as a cut flower or float flowers in a bowl. Above information is courtesy of Donahue’s Greenhouse.
Information on Forever and Ever Hydrangeas Series This is not your grandmother’s hydrangea Hydrangeas are regaining their popularity with gardeners, home landscapers and breeders alike. Many people remember hydrangeas from their childhood, growing alongside the front porch of their grandmother’s house. In those days, white was the predominant color available for success in northern landscapes or gardens. Now, with the introduction of new northern-hardy varieties in many colors, hydrangeas can be enjoyed in almost any location around the country. In recent years, breeders have expanded the color range of Hydrangeas greatly. However, many of the selections do not bloom well, or at all, in northern climates. Winter injury or improper late season pruning are the major reasons for this problem. Most hydrangeas set their flower buds in the fall leaving the buds susceptible to winter kill. New introductions, such as the Forever & Ever Hydrangeas, produce their flower buds on the new growth of the plant in the spring ensuring blooms every year even for those gardeners that live in harsh northern climates. Pruning late in the fall or in early spring will remove the developed flower buds of most hydrangeas. This new breed of hydrangea, with the blooms developing on the new growth, will perform and bloom each and every year even if they were pruned at the wrong time. These new growth bloomers have a longer season of bloom and are great for mass landscape, border plantings or container plants. The large flowers can also be enjoyed as cut or dried flowers. Hydrangeas provide a tremendous colorful display in partially shaded areas. Hydrangea breeders have begun breeding new varieties that incorporate these great new features. Forever and Ever® Hydrangeas, first introduced in 2005, feature six different colors which will bloom on new growth and thrive even in northern landscapes. These mophead beauties are available in pink, double pink, red, blue, double purple, pink and white blend, and white. Depending on the pH composition of the soil in which they are grown, pinks may be replaced with shades of blue. Whether blooming as blue or pink, the result is the same—a vigorous, beautiful addition to any landscape or garden.
Information c ourtesy of Forever and Ever website
In general, gold and green varieties work better in sun than blue ones. Blue ones tend to turn green in more sun and will burn more often. The following article is from the Hosta Library:
Way back in 1992, Reinier van Elderen was tending to his crop of Hosta siebolidiana 'Elegans', when he noticed something strange - one of the plants was producing multicoloured leaves on one side. He isolated the variegated leaves by splitting the plant, and continued to grow the parts separately. The variegated plant grew well, and at the end of the season he was able to divide it again. After a couple of years and with a small number of sucessful, stable divisions, Reinier took some of these plants to the tissue culture laboratory for mass propagation. But all the plants produced by that process reverted to the original 'Elegans' colouring. Not deterred from persevering with his impressive find, Reinier continued propagation by more traditional means - root division. It therefore took 13 years to build up enough stock for commercial introduction. You can see now why tissue culture is the preferred method! The upside to this long process is that Reinier has had 13 years to observe the variety and be satisfied with its stability and health. So what are his comments about 'Golden Meadows' as it makes it way out into the world? He was initially - and still is - impressed with its golden leaf centers and the way it has light green streaks running into them, in addition to the darker edges that give this variety three colours. The image of many of these plants growing together at his nursery reminded him of surrounding fields and inspired the name, 'Golden Meadows'. In this Hosta filled plant world, a variety has to offer something more, and Reinier is delighted to report that 'Golden Meadows' shows exceptional sun tolerance for those of similar coloring. He mostly likens it to 'Great Expectations' for appearance. 'Golden Meadows' is impressive as a specimen plant. Sun has an important role to play in the appearance of 'Golden Meadows'. It actually needs to be grown in sun to bring out the golden coloring--if grown in shade the leaves will be all green. Increased light exposure will lighten the leaf centers further to a creamy white, as with many hostas, so it's a case of experimenting in the garden to bring this variety on to your personal taste. 'Golden Meadows' has a bit of a lively texture, with some leaf puckering and a twisting habit on the outer leaves. The trained eye may interpret this as indicative of the presence of virus, but the plants have been tested and are in fact virus-free. Being a mutant of H. sieboldiana 'Elegans', 'Golden Meadows' also carries many similar properties, such as a vigourous habit and thick leaf substance. Information courtesy of Plantspotters, Darwin Plants
The solution we
found that works best is Liquid Fence. You need to apply it once a week for 2
to 3 weeks until the deer are trained, and then monthly. By John Kane (Linda's husband)
Monarch Butterflies population drops by 60% March 23rd, 2010 - 2:50 am ICT by Aishwarya Bhatt Fort Worth, Mar 22
(THAINDIAN NEWS) Monarch butterflies have been reduced to their lowest
population numbers in their winter home in Mexico, due to storms. Their
numbers have decreased by around 60%, and this is said to be the lowest
population numbers in decades. They are now returning to United States
and Canada, from their winter home in Mexico. The causes of the
population decrease were attributed to the torrential rain and mudslides
in the Mexican state of Michoacan, which were so severe that they had
also killed 40 people. Prior to this calamity, the butterfly population
was already in trouble last year, because of the unfavorable weather
conditions in US and Canada.
People often ask me if I want pots back to reuse. The answer is yes and no. I would love to get my pots back, but I don’t really want any others. I don’t know what has been in these pots, and I know mine are safe to use. I also only use four sizes of pots (3", 4", quart, and gallon), so those are the only sizes I need. I can also use the plastic and cardboard trays that you get at my sales. I do appreciate getting my pots back, so thank you for taking the time to do this.
|
