Annette

Gardeners Give Thanks for a Garden’s Gifts

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Gardeners are a grateful lot.  Why? We toss a handful of seeds in the soil and up come all manner of flowers and food. The sticks we plant turn into roses. Acorns become oak trees. It’s all quite miraculous. Granted, in between there’s a bit of work. We water and weed, hoe and mulch, and spend an inordinate amount of time on our knees. Perhaps it’s that prayerful stance that graces our harvests.

Perhaps it also helps us to accept the vagaries of wind and weather, rain and frost that would make lesser humans weep. We know, somehow, not to toss in the trowel when things go wrong. It’s character building, I’m told. Tomorrow the sun will shine.  The frost will nip only the outer buds.  The torrential rains eventually end.  When disaster departs and we are left with dew-dazzled leaves, the warmth of the sun, and the smell of musty earth, we are grateful.  It could have been worse. 

A close-up image of a bee on a sunflower flower feeding on nectar and covered with pollen grains.
A bee dusts itself with pollen as it feeds on nectar in a sunflower
Photo credit:  Joan Willoughby

So, we celebrate the first handful of fresh peas, the juicy tang of a tomato. We savor the wine-tinged nectar of a grape and the heavenly scent and squish of the first strawberry. My, but there is so much to give thanks for that feeds both body and soul. Beauty abounds in a garden. It stirs the breeze with a butterfly’s wing. It hums with a pollen-dusted honeybee.  It sings in birdsong and glows in a lemon-yellow tulip. As gardeners, we are front row center to all this loveliness.

A close-up of a monarch butterfly feeding on the nectar of a milkweed plant.
A monarch butterfly sips on a native plant at the Boonsboro Library pollinator planting. 
Photo credit:  Jackie Schwab

And we appreciate the mental and physical workout that gardening provides. Bending and stretching to pull weeds, tie up vines, and turn compost is good exercise. No gym can compete with the fresh air and sunshine we get in tending our plots. We also value the lessons learned. What’s that bug? What caused those spots?  What tree would work best there?  What shrub?  We look it up, phone a friend, or Ask Extension. We never stop learning.

A smiling woman working in a garden.
UME Master Gardener Tracy Barlup helps with a restoration planting at Kiwanis Park’s Monarch Waystation. Photo credit:  Ann Aldrich

Gardening friends are a godsend.  They bring a sympathetic ear, a scrap of advice, a tender cutting, and abundant camaraderie. Most of my closest friends are gardeners, and I value them dearly. Together we live the seasons. Spring brings rain. Summer brings heat. And fall brings the avalanche of harvest.  Bushels of potatoes, tomatoes, beans, and squash fill our larders and set our canners boiling. We gladly share our bounty with friends and family. 

A carton of chicken eggs and harvested vegetables, including carrots, tomatoes, and butternut squash, on a table outdoors.
A celebrated harvest at the Master Gardener
demonstration garden. Photo credit: Ann Aldrich

Who among us is able to get through a holiday season without giving a few gifts from the garden? Jars of jam, tins of lavender cookies, homemade applesauce, and herbal liquors are wrapped with care. We give of ourselves and our gardens. So, in this season of thankfulness, we gardeners are especially grateful.  For we touch the earth and it gives back so much.  Food.  Beauty.  Knowledge.  The fellowship of gardening friends.  We grow with our gardens and count ourselves richly blessed. 

By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension.  Read more by Annette.

Itchy, Witchy, Hexing, Vexing Plants

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Scary plants earn Halloween points. Some plants are downright scary. Since Halloween is around the corner, I thought it might be fun to discuss a few. 

Raise your hand if you love weeds.  Okay, weeds are my nemesis. Yours too, I bet. If you’ve ever wrangled with mile-a-minute you’ve probably dreamed of this vine engulfing your house, your car, your dog.  Ditto with bindweed, bermudagrass, and other brats. But armed with a little knowledge and persistence, you can get the upper hand.  There’s a good weed ID guide on our website with photos and management tips. 

Mile-a-minute vine with blue berries.
Mile-a-minute weed spreads aggressively by seeds spread by birds. Photo credit:
Leslie Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut; Bugwood.org

Much scarier are invasive plants.  These plants are obnoxious spreaders that threaten ecosystems. English ivy, garlic mustard, and others bully out native plants that we – and wildlife – need. Lest you think I’m exaggerating, look at photos of garlic mustard blanketing forest floors or trees smothered in English ivy.  These plants are a serious threat and need to be banished.  Learn more at our invasive plants page.

Garlic mustard plants with white blooms growing beneath pine trees.
Garlic mustard sneaking under a pine tree.
English ivy vines growing up on and covering forest trees.
An infestation of English ivy in a forest. Photo credit: Leslie Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut; Bugwood.org

Have you ever noticed a garden center plant labeled as “vigorous?”  Beware.  That could be nursery-speak for “spreads like wildfire.”  These vigorous plants are often beautiful and can be tamed, but it’s best to go into any relationship informed.  I call them my beautiful monsters, plants I can’t be without but need to manage carefully.

Mint will spread like mad so always, always contain it in a pot.  Brazilian verbena (Verbena bonariensis) will drop seed like crazy.  Deadhead it – or at least some of it – before it goes to seed. Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) is anything but obedient.  Dig out its sneaky underground rhizomes where you don’t want it or enjoy it in others’ gardens.  Yes, it’s a native, but it is a serious spreader.  Forewarned is forearmed.

Obedient plant with purple flowers.
Obedient plant is anything but obedient, spreading quickly. 

Another scary plant is poison ivy.  I itch at the mention of its name.  The merest brush of a leaf is enough to make me blister. First things first when tackling poison ivy.  Cover any part of you that might come into contact with the plant.  And consider having on hand a product that neutralizes the oils that cause itching. Remove small seedlings by hand.  Sever vines growing up trees.  Treat when you must, following the guidelines in our fact sheet. Ironically, we’re the only species for whom poison ivy is a problem.  It’s a native plant with berries that form late to feed many forms of wildlife. It only irritates our skin and sensibilities.

Poison ivy vine growing up a tree trunk.
Poison ivy deserves respect…and distance. Phot credit:
Betty Marose

Less scary are the plants in our gardens with a white latex sap such as milkweed, balloon flower (Platycodon grandifloras), and spurge (Euphorbia species).  The sap can cause minor skin irritations, more of an annoyance than a threat. The same is true with juniper rash, the red dots you get from pruning junipers.  Wear gloves to protect your hands from itchy spots and dots.

I hope I haven’t scared you too much.  Most plants are quite harmless and a delight to both tend and behold.  Into every garden a few itches, weed witches and vexing plants must grow. 

By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension.  Read more by Annette.

“Garden Smart” to Protect You and Your Garden

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If the dog days of summer are making you want to howl at the heat, humidity and lack of rain, you are not alone. Take steps to protect yourself and your plants as you tackle your to-do list.

Your plants are depending on you, so self-care is important.  Drink plenty of water.  Wear sunscreen and a hat.  Work in the early morning if you can and certainly not for too long. Garden in the shade when you can.  I’m a human sundial, working around the patches of shade in my yard.  And I take frequent breaks to stand, stretch, and hydrate.

I’m mastering the 15-minute garden raid.  Water!  Weed!  Harvest!  Deadhead! Your plants need water, too. I can’t say enough about the benefits of good, deep soaks rather than sprinkles.  Did you know a mature tomato plant needs 2 to 3 gallons of water weekly?  Enough said.

What else needs doing in your garden?  Regular harvesting keeps plants productive and avoids the dreaded five-pound zucchini. Harvest tomatoes when they first change color and let them finish ripening indoors to avoid cracking, splitting, and insect and disease problems. Herbs are best harvested before they bloom.  My basil is starting to flower, so I’ve begun my annual pesto-making frenzy. 

Mature, healthy, multi-branched basil plant with several new flower spikes and some open flowers.
Basil flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and other beneficial insects. Removing flower heads and pinching off stems above a leaf node stimulates new tender stems and leaves. Gardening is full of tradeoffs! Photo-credit: Jon Traunfeld

There is still time to plant crops like kale, collards, and leafy greens.  Use our planting calendar to guide your timing.  As you remove crops, consider planting cover crops to cover and improve the soil.  Crimson clover, winter rye, and spring oats can be planted from late summer to early fall. Order now to get the best bulbs for fall planting and beat the rush.  That also goes for garlic and all those spring flowers we love for their color and cheer.

Mature, healthy collard plant. Also known as collard greens.
Mature collard greens in mid-summer. Plants seeds now for a light fall harvest.
Protect plants with a row cover over winter and they will re-grow in spring.
Photo credit: UME, HGIC

Tidy your plants for appearance and health.  Look for browning from drought or disease or the inevitable fungal leaf spots caused by high heat and humidity. Remove affected leaves to reduce the amount of fungal spores.  This slows the progression of diseases and reduces the chance of diseases returning next year. Keep removing fallen fruits from under your trees, vines, bushes and vegetables. They can harbor disease and insect pests.

Did you know compost can help suppress soilborne diseases while building healthy soil and helping it hold water? It truly is a five-star soil amendment. To keep your compost pile cooking, add both juicy greens and dry browns. Pile on nitrogen-rich, untreated grass clippings and garden trimmings. Then toss in the carbon-rich leaves falling prematurely in all this heat. Take all the gifts nature gives and recycle them into your soil. 

Garden smart in the heat.  Be good to yourself.  Keep harvesting, watering, planting, tidying, composting, and learning.  Then pour something tall and cool and enjoy. 

By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension.  Read more by Annette.

The Joys of Garden Surprises

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I celebrate the surprises my garden serves up.  Serendipity is one of the most joyful aspects of gardening.  You just never know what secrets your garden will reveal.

Last fall, I dug and divided a large clump of great blue lobelia because it needed more shade. When I lifted the clump, it collapsed into 13 pieces with barely there, weeny roots. I dutifully planted each, watered, and prayed. 

Closeup of a lobelia stem with open purple flowers.
Great blue lobelia is a lovely native plant.

Nothing came up this spring.  Ah well, I tried.  But I noticed some distinct sprouts last week.  Lobelia!  Four had survived the move, so I did a little happy dance. Never had I had a transplant take that long to emerge.  Never.  It just goes to show you that nature has her own plans – and timeline.  Gardeners need pocketfuls of patience.

I love clustered bellflowers.  Deep purple globes of tiny blooms wave atop 2 foot stems, guaranteeing oohs and aahs.  I finally got my hands on one, planted it and waited with anticipation.  It just sat there.  Refused to bloom.  For two years I waited, watching leaves unfurl but no blessed blossoms.  The third year it bloomed.  I nearly threw it a party. 

But not all surprises are good.  I now know that rhizomatous plants like bellflowers can be beasts, spreading aggressively by sneaky underground stems.  Some are invasive and should be evicted.   So proceed with caution and do your research.  The word “vigorous” on any plant tag should give you pause. 

Sometimes it isn’t the garden that surprises us, but its unexpected guests. One year I was filling a small water bowl in a container garden when I had a sense of being watched. A frog was nestled in the shallow bowl looking smug.  I smiled, said “howdy,” and watered around him. Now that container was four feet up on an elevated deck so getting there took some effort.  Did he use the steps?  Climb the coral honeysuckle?  He never said.  But I do know that frogs drink through their skin so he needed that water. So every day for two weeks I added water to his bowl as he shuffled a bit to the side for his daily refill.  Every day I grinned, grateful for the whimsical start to my day.

Ever have an alligator on your computer?  Last week I noticed a flash of orange on my keyboard.  A quarter-inch-long spiky ladybug larva was looking for lunch.  These orange and black beneficial insects eat thousands of aphids, scales, thrips and mites.  I gently relocated him from my fingertip to the garden and wished him happy hunting.

Close-up top-view of a ladybug larva consuming an aphid.
Alligator-like ladybug larva eating aphids.

Sometimes our brush with nature is a literal brush. I was reading on my patio yesterday and spied a squirrel peeking out at me from a drape of spiderwort.  A friendly fellow, he walked right under my chair, brushing my leg with his fluffy tail on his way to some hickory nuts. 

Close-up of an Eastern grey squirrel on a branch.
Eastern grey squirrels can both vex and charm.  

Whether you call these God-winks or close encounters of the natural kind, they are gifts, the most delightful of surprises.  They keep us watching, noticing, learning and reveling in the wondrous world around us.

By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension.  Read more by Annette.

It’s Too Darn Hot: Garden Schemes for Sweltering Days

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Sticky.  Sticky.  Sticky.  When the temps soar into the 90s, my garden game plan changes. I set my alarm a little earlier to water newly planted plants or those suffering in the heat.  Thank you, rain barrel. I water early so the leaves don’t go to sleep wet at night, a red banner invitation for fungal issues. I’ve snaked a soaker hose through my boxwoods, shallow-rooted plants that stress out in drought.  So I turn on the water and set a timer to give them a good weekly deep soak. As I’m on my watering rounds, I look for interlopers.  In the cool of the morning, my trusty trowel and I are rogueing out sneaky chameleon plant and other weeds.  

Water droplets on the surface of a soaker hose.
Soaker hoses put water right where plants need it.
Photo credit: Annie Lemarie
Leaves and one flower of the chameleon plant.
Chameleon plant is a sneaky weed that requires vigilance.
Photo credit:  Kristen Bell

Where, where, where did that dogbane come from?  I really thought I had it all.  A sneaky mimic of young common milkweed, I sometimes miss it.  “Off with its head,” I say with glee. I’m a “while I’m here” gardener.  So if I see ground ivy lurking at the base of boxwood, I nab it.  The same goes for vinca resprouts in my woodland bed.  Begone!

If I notice tomato leaves touching my straw and newspaper mulch, I snip them off.  Rain can splash fungal spores from the soil onto leaves which is why most tomato troubles start from the bottom up. I cut off the lower branches of my tomato plants a month ago, but I try to stay vigilant with a trim here and there. It’s amazing what you can get done in a half hour in the garden.  Even 15 minutes.  And it’s oh-so-much more pleasant in the cool of the morning. 

Irregular brown lesions on tomato leaves caused by early blight disease.
Snipping off lower tomato leaves decreases the chance of early blight. 
Photo credit:  Gerald Holmes, Strawberry Center, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Bugwood.org

When the heat drives me indoors, I catch up on my garden journal.  A binder with a page for each plant, it’s my garden diary.  I note care basics when I add new plants, and add updates and photos as the seasons pass. I also update my garden maps, rough diagrams of my beds. Maps help me find plants in my densely planted beds and see opportunities to add new plants. As I look out my window, I see a lot of green, but few flowers in a native plant bed. I’m happy with the contrasting forms and textures, but there’s just not enough color.  So I’m making a note to add more late June-July blooms.

Today’s high heat also inspired me to organize all the garden stuff in my sun porch.  I tend to drop and go as I come and go and it’s looking a little rough. So, I’ve organized my pots and tags, tools and twine in my repurposed cabinet and storage bench. So that’s where that was!

I hope I’ve given you a few ideas for keeping your green thumb—and your plants—happy as we enter the heat of summer.    

By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension. This article was previously published by Herald-Mail Media. Read more by Annette.

How to Pick a Healthy Plant

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Woo hoo!  It’s time to go to the garden center.  It’s hard to curb our excitement, isn’t it?  All that color and beauty is overwhelming, and I always feel like a kid in a candy store. I know you are oh-so-ready – me, too – but let’s take a moment and talk about how to pick really good plants.  After all, you deserve the best, right?  

Healthy plants look better, last longer, grow more vigorously, and allow you to pat yourself on the back for being such a savvy plant shopper. So, whether you’re buying vegetables, annuals, herbs or perennials, take the time to really look at the plants you’re considering.  Use these tips to pick the best of the bunch. 

Photo of a tray of healthy tomato transplants each in their own individual 4 inch containers. The plants are dark green and stocky.
Green, healthy tomato seedlings just the right size to transplant. 
Photo credit:  Elizabeth Jones, Washington County Master Gardener

First, think green.  A healthy plant has dark green leaves.  So if a plant looks pale or yellow, walk away.   It’s probably stressed and growing slowly.  Of course, this excludes plants bred to have red, purple, chartreuse, or variegated leaves. 

Bigger isn’t always better.  Yes, you want a healthy plant, but smaller plants with healthy root systems often adapt better than large plants when planted in your garden. When I see someone wrestling a 3-foot tall tomato plant out a garden center door now, I cringe. Too early! Too big!  I look for 8-inch tall tomato plants in 4-inch pots and prefer perennials in quart pots. Steer clear of tall, skinny plants. Opt for thick bushy ones instead. Skinny plants have often been grown in poor light or overgrown their pots. You want lush compact growth.

Basil plants with off-color leaves with spots caused by basil downy mildew.
Look for plant problems such as this downy mildew on basil plants.
Photo credit:  Home & Garden Information Center

Next, check for signs and symptoms of insect pests and diseases. Don’t accept any hitchhikers. If you see insects, nibbled leaves, spots, webbing, or fuzz, put down the pot. Now, check out the roots.  Yes, it’s okay to hold a plant horizontally and gently wiggle it out of its pot to look at the roots. Healthy roots are white, not yellow or brown.  They should be solid, not mushy.  And they should not be encircling the pot or growing out of the bottom. That’s the sign of a plant that’s been in its pot too long. Beware of pots with unknown sprouts.  Weeds can hitch a ride on desirable plants, bringing untold problems into your garden.  Tiny seedlings you can remove, but if a pot is overrun, steer clear.

Beware of pot-bound plants with circling roots such as the one on the left.

Know your garden center.  Look around. Do all the plants look healthy?  Are staff members watering and inspecting the plants and providing good care?  Can they answer your questions?  Good nurseries grow good plants. Beware the deep discount.  Yes, that flat of begonias is half price, but what’s the real cost?  If they are overgrown, potbound, infested, or diseased, they are no bargain.   The real deal is a plant that is full, green, problem-free, and well-tended.

You can find good plants at local nurseries and garden centers and plant sales run by schools and nonprofit groups. Many Master Gardener programs have spring sales, as do arboretums, native plant societies, and other conservation groups. Get connected. I hope you’ll use these tips to enjoy gardens brimming with beautiful, healthy, productive plants.

By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension. This article was previously published by Herald-Mail Media. Read more by Annette.


How to Save Money in the Garden

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Confession time. I’m a career tightwad. I love saving money. I want quality but I don’t want to pay more for it. Gardening is no exception. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to save on everything from plants to tools.

First, know that gardeners are generous souls. We love to share seeds, cuttings, divisions and more. So tap your gardening friends to see what you can snag or swap. Look for seed swaps. National Seed Swap Day is in late January. Many organizations including Master Gardener groups organize swaps. But you can find seed swaps throughout the year or organize your own.

Seven colorful vegetable and flower seed packets on a table.
Swap and share seeds with friends and neighbors. Photo credit: Erica Smith

Make your own compost. Use free pallets, chicken wire or recycled wood to make the frame. Toss in leaves, grass, straw, food scraps and other organic materials, all free. Grow plants you can divide in a few years to get free plants to use or share. Most perennials and bulbs should be divided every three years. Growing plants from seeds can save money, too. I direct seed some plants like basil and squash. Others nurture seedlings under grow lights which involves an initial investment but saves a good bit of money in the long run.

aA three bin compost system made from re-purposed wooden pa;llates. The first pallet on the left is half-filled with tree leaves. Two-ft. high wooden lattice fencing is placed in front of the pallets to hold in the bins' contents.
Make low-cost compost bins from re-purposed pallets. Photo credit: Jon Traunfeld

Potting soil prices have gone up, up, up so everyone’s looking for deals. Save by buying broken bags at a discount, hitting end-of-the-season sales or sharing the cost of a big bale with friends. Tap the buddy system to save in other ways. Split a flat of flowers or the cost of rented equipment like an lawn aerator.

Use what you have. Make pea stakes – trellises for the vines to climb – from tree and shrub trimmings. Turn chopped leaves and untreated grass trimmings into mulch. Become a rabid recycler. Use plastic salad boxes as seed starting trays. Convert old dresser drawers into grow boxes for salad greens. Repurpose everyday containers to grow vegetables. Five-gallon buckets and crates can become affordable small-space gardens.

Mature pepper plants growing in five-gallon, food-grade plastic buckets. There is one mature plant per bucket. One of the plants is the variety 'Gypsy.' It has large,, elongated yellow fruits. Each bucket garden is made of two buckets, one inserted into the other to create a self-watering garden. Plans are on the website.
Pepper plants growing in self-watering containers made from re-purposed food-grade
buckets. Photo credit: Kent Phillips

Save seeds. Unless you have a hybrid plant that won’t come back true to type, save seeds to use next year. Seeds even a few years old will often deliver good germination. Market your muscle. Some CSAs will give you a share of the crop or seedlings if you work in their gardens. Some gardeners I know have the same arrangement. Seek out sales. Garden groups often hold spring plant sales, offering significant discounts. Check with your local Master Gardener group to find out if they have a sale. Some public gardens also have plant sales.

Shop off season. Look for bargain plants and supplies at garden centers in late fall. Buy leftover amaryllis bulbs after Christmas. Book an arborist in the off-season to get a discount on tree pruning. Don’t overlook yard sales, thrift shops, and estate sales for discounted tools, pots, and other finds. Older tools often have plenty of life left.

Tap tech and barter. One garden writer found a woman on Craigslist too pregnant to dig her iris and strawberry beds. She did the digging in exchange for some rhizomes and runners. Check construction sites for free bricks and stones for paths and borders. One friend got a massive boulder by asking nicely. Another scored handsome old bricks, free for the hauling. Need free gardening advice? Call or e-mail your local Extension office with questions or send your questions and photos through our Ask Extension service. We’re here to help.

The garden savings go on and on. Take advantage, and don’t forget to pay it forward. Consider donating some of your seeds, harvest, and time to those who have helped you.

By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension.

This article was previously published by Herald-Mail Media. Read more by Annette.