Category Archives: Horticulture Reports

May Horticulture Report: Peony Month!

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Peony report
By Gena Goddard
I think that May should be Peony month. The glorious peony is already known as the Memorial Day flower.  Why not celebrate it all month? My first peonies have already started blooming. The first to bloom is always the tenuifolia, fern leaf peony and probably one of the original flowers which was bred into the myriad of varieties we have today, the most common being the full double. The hybridizers of the 19th and 20th centuries started with average sized flowers with many yellow stamens and turned the stamens into staminoids which they were able to turn into petals. Sometimes science is a bit magical and hybridizers capitalized on that petal formation to make a huge fully petaled blossom sometimes 6” across.
                The next to bloom are the tree peonies (paeoniasuffruticosa).  I stuck two bushes together which bloom at the same time The first bush to bloom has dark magenta flowers, then a taller bush with large white flowers bloom above a week later. These blooms are large and the texture reminds me of crepe paper flowers made in Mexico. Then the yellow tree bush blooms.  It is an older bush at least 10 years old, but retains its small stature of only about 3 feet tall.
                After the tree peonies are done there is a little lull of about a week or two and then the herbaceous peonies (Paeonialactiflora)start.  I have the old standard, ‘festiva maxima’ white double with red flecks which blooms early and then my favorite pink Mrs. F.D.R.  It is so delicate with its longer petals. Then finally the reds like Karl Rosenfeld. By that time the month of May is over and so I fertilize with an all-purpose 5-5-5 and relax and let all my plants have a leisurely summer storing energy for next year.
When fall arrives the leaves turn a dark red and just before the first frost I cut them back to a couple of inches above ground so that I know where they are for next spring.  This fall I plan on digging up many of my plants and dividing them because the grass has invaded the whole bed and needs to be eradicated before I replant them back. When dividing dig up root, wash off most of the dirt so you can see the eyes for next year’s growth. Saw the root so that you have 3-5 eyes per root.  I am not looking forward to this task. When I replant I will make larger holes about 2’ diameter and in depth. I will also put lots of compost mixed with the native soil into the hole so that the eye is no deeper than 2” below the ground level.
                There isn’t a peony that I have seen that I don’t like.  I saw a native peony at Hyatt Lake and it’s little brown blossom was demurely hidden under the leaves.
Places I recommend for herbaceous peonies are Adelman’s Peonies in Salem, Oregon and Deason’s Peonies in Ashland, Oregon . For tree peonies, I recommend Brothers Herbs and Peonies in Wilsonville, Oregon.

Plant Resources:
Deason’s Peonies:     http://www.deasonpeonies.com/
Adelman’s Peonies:   http://peonyparadise.com/
Brothers Herbs and Peonies:  http://www.treony.com/

Growing Shiitake Mushrooms

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An article in the Medford Mail Tribune’s January’s HOMELIFE magazine inspired me to order shittake mushroom spawn from www.mushroompeople.com.I called several tree pruners before I could obtain five white oak logs for growing the mushrooms, each logs was about 4-5 feet long and 4″-6″ inches in diameter. My husband drilled holes in them every 6″ and then we hammered in the pegs with the shiitake spawn. I didn’t use any wax to seal the holes as suggested, I just hammered the pegs in and called it good. Like the article says, all the work is done in a day, and then you just lean the logs in the shade, water them when it gets really hot and wait to see what happens.

by Melody Jones

Read the Homelife article here: http://www.mailtribune.com/HOMELIFE/mushrooms

Planting: FEBRUARY & MARCH

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FEBRUARY AND MARCH Planting: from Crockett’s Victory Garden

Vegetables:
You can start your seeds of: BROCCOLI, CABBAGE AND CAULIFLOWER
Sow seeds in potting soil; 18 seeds will give you plenty!
Set trays, or 4″ pots, in the bright warmth of your greenhouse or hotbed.
When seedlings are 1″, transfer to individual pots.
Towards the END of the March, move them into a cold frame or protected area to harden off where they will grow more slowly. They will be ready for the open garden in APRIL.As soon as your ground can be worked, plant peas and radishes directly into the garden.Beets are one of the few root vegetables that can be successfully transplanted, so plant them in your greenhouses now. They can be transplanted into the garden in APRIL.

Flowers:
Group1:
Impatiens, Lobelia, Petunias, Scarlet Sage, Verbena, Fibrous-rooted Begonia, Ice Plant, need 7-9 weeks from seeding indoors to planting in the garden.

Group 2:
Ageratum, Sweet Alyssum, Globe Amaranth, China Asters, Bells of Ireland, Blue Lace Flower, Cosmos (yellow and orange type), Dusty Miller, Lupine, Flowering Tobacco, China Pink, Portulaca, annual Phlox, Snapdragon, Stocks and Strawflowern, require a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks indoors before to planting in the garden.

Group 3:
Sweet Alyssum, Globe Amaranth, Balloon Vine, Calendula, Celosia, annual Chrysanthemum, Clarkia, Cornflowers, Cosmos, Chinese Forget-me-not, Godetia, Marigold, Pincushion Flowers, Zinnia and Sunflowers, need 4-6 weeks from starting indoors to planting in the garden.

I’m sure there’s more…..
Happy Planting
Melody Jones

Horticulture Report- Feb 2012 Part II

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Deer Proof Plants: The following are summaries of perennials from the book
50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants: The Prettiest Annuals, Perennials, bulbs and shrubs that Deer Don’t Eat
by Ruth Clausen( May 31, 2011)

Perennials Part 2

LADY’S MANTLE (Alchemilla mollis) This plant has a softly hairy scalloped leaf which looks good all season.The hairy leaves deter the deer.Lady’s Mantle thrives in part sun or light shade and tolerate heat if kept moist.It enhances plants like grape hyacinths, daffodils and other deer resistant spring bulbs. The sprays of yellowish green flowers are good fillers for garden arrangements and can also be used later for dried arrangements.

LENTEN ROSE(Helleborus orientalis) Part of the popularity of this plant is due to its deer resistance but also because of its enchanting early blooms which make long lasting cut flowers.The flowers are cup shaped in white, pink or purple.It is great with spring bulbs like narcissus, snowdrops and the white Mt. Hood daffodil. Plant helleborus in light shade about 15-18 inches apart in humus rich, slightly acid soil and keep well watered.The plants bulk up but do not spread.They are greedy feeders so in the fall mulch with decomposed leaves or compost.

LONGSPUR BARRENWORT(Epimedium grandiflorum) Barrenwort or Bishops hat was used medicinally and contain some anthocyanins as the related berberis have so the deer do not touch it.They do best in acid humus rich soil in shaded woodlands but theycan be colonized under the shade of deciduous trees and shrubs..It only grows 8-15 inches high.

PEONY (paeonia officinalis) These plants are very tough and easy to grow when given full sun and lots of moisture retaining organic material. The cultivars abound in all colors except blue and have different bloom time flower shapes and sizes. Plant the crowns 2-3 feet apart and no more than 2 inches below the soil surface since deep planting inhibits blooming. They are usually planted bare- root in the fall.

SIBERIAN BUGLOSS (Brunnera macrophylla) This plant also known as perennial forget me not comes from Siberia and is perfect for gardens exposed to cold winters It has airy sprays of blue forget me not flowers which fade in the summer and then the heart shaped emerald leaves become 6-8- wide and thrive in light shade with moist soils. It grows to 1-2 feet tall and as wide. The deer do not like its rough texture.

YARROW (Achillea millefolium) Yarrow has many cultivars with butterfly attracting flowers in shades of pink. crimson ,lilac, orange, yellow, and red. Deer find the acrid aroma of the foliage distasteful. Yarrow does best in poor soil with good drainage. ( spreads)

 

SWEET BOX (Sarcococca hookeriana humilis) Native to China this evergreen shrub thrives in the shade. Low growing about 1-2 feet high, it has dark green narrow pointed leaves with tiny fragrant white flowers in the spring followed by glossy blue-black fruit. It is an easy care plant that spreads by underground runners to 8 feet or more.

By Mary Ann Wallace and Gena Goddard

Horticulture Report: February 2011

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Deer Proof Plants: The following are summaries of perennials from the book:
50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants: Thee Prettiest Annuals,
Perennials, bulbs and shrubs that Deer Don’t Eat
by Ruth Clausen
(May 30, 2011)

Perennials Part 1 –AZURE MONKSHOOD (Aconitum carmichaelii)

All parts of this plant especially the roots are poisonous. Monkshhood grow 2 to 3 feet tall and have deeply cut leaves and dark blue spikes of flowers. It grows in the sun or light shade in zones 3-7 and the tuberous roots can be divided in the fall. Be very careful not to get the sap on your skin. This plant is also known as wolfs bane, tiger bane and leopard’s bane.

BIGROOT CRANESBILL GERANIUM (Geranium macrorrhizum)

This plant is a low maintenance ground cover covered with 1-2 inch flowers.The leaves are a light fuzzy light green.It has a scent when any part of the plant is bruised which the deer hate but which in Europe is used in skin care products.

BLUE FALSE INDIGO (Baptisia australis)
Blue false indigo is drought tolerant and almost totally pest and disease free.Plant it in a sunny area in well drained not too rich soil.It grows 3-4 feet tall in zones 3-9.It is a good mixture with yarrow or salvias butterfly bush and Russian sage The seeds are poisonous to deer.

CUSHION SPURGE (euphorbia polychroma) The genus Euphorbia has some 2,000 or more plants all of which are more or less avoided by deer.When working around Euphorbias wear long sleeves and gloves and avoid contact with the skin as it can cause dermatitis. Do not get sap in the eyes. Cushion Spurge makes neat rounded mounds of light green leafy stems topped in the spring by chartreuse flowers which are surrounded byyellow bracts.Plant it in light shade and cut back after flowering.It tolerates drought conditions very well.

FRINGED BLEEDING HEART (Dicentra eximia) The fringed bleeding heartis similar to the common bleeding heart but the plants are lower growing and bloom repeatedly through the season.Their fernlike foliage remains good-looking through hot days.It likes shady gardens and does well with astilbes, wild geraniums and fernsespecially Japanese painted fern.They are completely deer resistant due to their poisonous sap.

ASTILBE (Astilbe arendsii) Astilbes are wonderful when massed together and grown in part shade moist soil which is high in humus.Deer apparently don not like the fern like texture of astilbe leaves.The colors range from white to red to all shades of pink.They make good, long lasting flowers {cut when half open) for arrangements.After the flowers have faded on the plantyou can let them stay on to provide decorative value.

HYBRID SAGE Salvia sylvestris) Sages include both ornamental as well as culinary herbs} Butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers whereas deer are repelled by their smell. Sage is best grown in well-drained soil in full sun. ‘May Night’ Sage which has spikes of violet blue flowers was named the Perennial Plant in 1997.

JAPANESE SPURGE (Pachysandra terminalis) Japanese Spurge is a ground cover just called Pachysandra.As a ground cover plant it 6-12 inches apart in light or full shade in humus rich, well drained but moist soil.It has no equal as a ground cover in full shade under tall trees (even black walnut)However do not plant spring bulbs with it as it is a greedy plant.

By Mary Ann Wallace and Gena Goddard