What size plants should I buy?



Nursery's (me included) usually offer a variety of sizes of perennial plants.

• price range to fit different budgets
• not everyone can dig a hole for a 2 gallon plant

I recommend different sizes based on the following:

• how close is the plant to the house - more instant gratification
• how large will the neighboring plants be (if any) try to maintain size balance, and a tiny plant next to mature one could become too shaded & would lose in the fight for water & nutrients
• what time of year is it? In the spring you can get by with smaller plants as they have all season to establish themselves. Late August and beyond, I would recommended a gallon size or large as time is running out to get established before winter.
• how much care will you give the new plant? The less reliable you are for watering at least once a week, the bigger more established plants you should get. A smaller plant will have a lesser chance of survival when neglect is involved. 

Plants that are in containers can be installed in the garden/landscape ANYTIME the soil is workable. "Workable soil" would be not frozen or to muddy. So for our zone 4, that should mean anytime from April (this year) to late October. Digging and dividing needs to stop for most plants late August. The difference? A potted or containerized plant has a root system that is in tact. After removing the pot, you should gently tickle out the roots, maintaining as much of the root ball as possible. The root hairs, that bring the water to the plant, are attached to the soil particles. If you remove the soil, you temporarily cut off the plants ability to get water. So even though you water the plant, it can't 'take it up' yet. Digging and dividing plants is more extreme to the plant, as it involves separating of cutting through the root system. Obviously taking longer to recover and reestablish itself. Dividing a potted plant like a daylily, would be the same as 'diggng & dividing,' Not after August! On your late fall perennials, it is also beneficial to apply a few inches of mulch material around the base of the plant.
It helps to keep moisture more even, keeps soil temps more even and warmer longer as it acts like an insulater. Sometimes plants just need an extra week or 2 to get established.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to my new follower/members.....looks like 3 this week. Hope you enjoy my blog and find at least a few ramblings useful. I encourage everyone to add comments or questions, don't be shy...remember there are no dumb questions!

Rainy Days........

I hate how it puts the stop on my outdoor work! We do need rain, and lots more of it. So this is a photo out of my office, a view I see more than any......I spend a lot of time here. If we don't get ample rain soon, I would not hesitate to water trees and shrubs, especially ones planted in the last 2-3 years.

This weekend putting the plastic on the little hoophouse on my flowershop was on the list. This wind might make it impossible. If you wake up on Sunday and a huge sheet of plastic is covering your house, it's mine, so give me a call!

Tilling, that was on the list too, may have to wait........hurry up, get ready & wait. Drats.

I took this photo with my new camera, or should I say this years camera. Every year I get a new camera. Only because I have to. Because I am a real farmer gal, I always have dirt in my pockets (only during my work hours!) You know how the camera has that lens thing that goes in and out? Well, after the camera bounces around in my pocket for the season, the dirt gets into all the moving parts of the camera, making them 'non-moving.'  Get a sock. I think I will try carrying it around in a thin sock in my pocket. Yes, I know they make camera cases, but they are too big and would not comfortably fit in my pockets. No, clips would not work either. I'll let you know how my sock works. I have about 100 so single socks in my closet so I won't run out.

Sunscald aka sunburn on plants.

 Indoor plants first; Indoor plants are accustomed to very steady conditions, temp always about the same, little to no breeze/wind, humidity a little changing...very steady. If you put them outside, you have made an immediate drastic environmental change. IF you MUST take them out, I would suggest acclimating them outdoors a few hours a day for a week if possible. Above is sunscald on a Jade plant. I recommend leaving your indoor plants indoors, and here is why:

• indoor plants will take several weeks to adjust to the new environment -stressing them
• often leaves get sunburned, they can't move out of the wrong location, you need to place them correctly, bright light thru a window does not compare to direct sun
• often, insects set-up housekeeping and you bring the critters in the house to spread around to all the other plants
• plants can become introduced to diseases outdoors
• when they come back indoors, they will have another adjust/transition period and will likely lose leaves and struggle a while

 Above is sunscald on a hosta. This plant needs to be moved to a location with more shade. Hosta, like daylilies are tough plants, and in our climate can be dug, divided and moved up until late Aug.
Cut the foliage back to about 1-2" from the crown, and as soon as the roots get established, new top growth will start! A plant like this may survive, but certainly not thrive.

Even fruit can get sunscalded. (yes, a pepper is a fruit, botanically speaking) 

• can occur when unneeded pruning took place on tomatoes, peppers etc. (quit doing that)
• leaves protect the fruit, and leaves make food for the plant
• consecutive scorching days will promote this disorder
• when you start to harvest, choose the more exposed peppers first

While your protecting your plants, don't forget about your own sunscreen!

Frost on Plants.

 I think I was spared last night. If you weren't, you should know by the end of the day how much damage was done. Minor damage in some plants, could take a few days before you can visually see the damage, some may be immediate. Frosted perennials are really not much of a problem. If some of the tissue has died back, using a scissors, cut it back to healthy tissue. Like some other garden equations, it's a temperature x duration factor as to the amount of damage you may have. perennials are tough and will re-grow. Tomatoes, peppers or other warm weather crops, not so lucky. Warm weather plants will not survive frosts. According to the zone 4 climate, which is here in southern MN, we can have frost into mid May. That's the problem with an unusual season, folks get over confident.

You can cover plants like shown above. You can also use pails or buckets. You want to make sure you bucket is large enough that it is not touching the plant. Frost only happens on calm nights, not windy, so you shouldn't have to worry about pails blowing into the neighbors yard. Lightweight fabrics are okay, and some 'frost blankets' are designed just for this purpose. Rugs and heavy stuff should be avoided as they will likely crush small plants. Frost in predicted here for tonight again. Brrr.

Cutworms.....watch out.

Cutworms, don't you hate them. Plants are here one day and gone the next! Their life cycle is shown above. Folks....there is no good moth in the garden, no good cocoon.  Often times people have a difficult time deciding what the menace is in the garden. We do have a lot of issues to choose from:

1. Diseases
2. Disorders
3. Plant injury
4. Insect damage
5. Animal damage
6. Gardener error

 Today's topic......the dreaded cutworm. This year may be bad for gardeners due to the warm winter. Many of the cutworm that winter over here survived, verses a really cold winter when many may have froze out. Also, the warm spring will contribute to the adult cutworm moths that come in on the southerly winds. Not all of our foes spend the winters here.

Above is the cutworm damage, very obvious. If you find a plant cut off and laying there, likely cutworms. If the plant is completely gone, likely rabbits. If you suspect a cutworm, gently dig in the soil around the most freshly killed plant if you have more than one to choose from. The cutworms are night feeders and are just below the soil surface during the day. Often when just digging around you will find them......stab & jab! Some cutworms actually defoliate large plants too. You can always go out at night with a flashlight to find these guys. Don't worry about looking silly! How to avoid this happening;

• Place a tiny twig directly next to the plant stem of a pepper/tomato etc. when planting.
• you can use nails also or foil, but a twig can just get tilled in
• late fall tilling, like November, will help expose cocoons to the surface to freeze