Garden Stories
Garden.True.North is about gardening in Zone 4,
sharing thoughts, ideas and tips for all northern gardeners.
sharing thoughts, ideas and tips for all northern gardeners.
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Late summer is the ideal time to plan for your early spring forcing. Most of us are familiar with forcing springs bulbs such as paper whites, tulips, and daffodils. But what about forcing rhubarb, foam flower, and forsythia? Enjoy the joys of gardening before the snow melts next March…or April…or May! Spring Bulbs Most spring bulbs need a 12-15 week chilling period. Try dwarf species or hybrids for the best results. I plant mine in potting soil in nursery pots and put them in the vegetable crisper and covered with plastic to keep in the moisture. Be sure to label with the date and species. Paper whites are the exception needing no chilling period. I keep those bulbs in the fridge unpotted. When you are ready for some blooms, bring them out. You can repot in an attractive container and water. Don’t water again until growth begins. I water with 7 parts water and 1 part alcohol (I use an old bottle of vodka) to keep them from flopping. Rhubarb You can freeze stems for use during the fall and winter. But if you forgot and need to divide your rhubarb now is an excellent time to not only divide but get rhubarb next spring weeks before it is ready in the garden. According to Rhubarb-Central.Com ( http://www.rhubarb-central.com/forcing-rhubarb.html) “the cultivation methods for forcing rhubarb was developed as early as the 1800's. Commercial growers of rhubarb use special forcing sheds, or hot houses, but the home gardener can successfully force rhubarb in a home cellar, a garage, or another outbuilding. Forcing rhubarb can also be done outdoors, in the garden.” The process is a bit involved and I recommend that you do some research before proceeding. Perennials According to Tovah Martin in The Unexpected Houseplant, “Foam flowers (Tiarella cordifolia) are disarmingly easy to grow indoors. They often blossom a month or more before their leaves begin to emerge outside and they stay in bloom for a long duration of fulfillment.” Now is the time to dig up and pot some to bring indoors. They like indirect light and just enough moisture so they don’t dry out. Other perennials that make good winter houseplants are Coral Bells (Heuchera) and Sea thrift (Armeria maritime). If you plan to travel south this winter, plan to stop at a nursery on your way home and pick up a perennial that you can enjoy in the house early and then plant in the garden later. Try Bleeding heart (Dicentra Spectablis), and Lenten Rose (Helleborus) for a good-looking plant that blooms and makes a fine temporary houseplant.
Trees and Shrubs We are familiar with gathering pussy willows in the spring and watch them bloom. You can do the same with a number of spring blooming shrubs and trees. Many ornamental trees and shrubs set their flower buds during the previous growing season and need a period of dormancy of about six weeks. The buds usually open about 2-3 weeks after being exposed to warmth and moisture. If you are pruning in later winter, pick a day when the temperature is above freezing to help the branch make the transition to indoor temperatures. If you force a branch without success, try again a few weeks later. Forsythias, Witch hazels, cherries, lilacs, Rhododendron, Serviceberries, Birches, Red Maple, and Willows can all be forced. Just some quick notes from this growing season that I've been hearing from fellow gardeners:
Early spring is the time to check out catalogs, place seed orders and start seeds. Learn about several seed starting techniques, how to decipher catalog and seed package jargon, and proper planting conditions in this program.
GRANDMA MINNIE'S BOWL: Every year I bring out a wood bowl for the start of the garden season. Looks homemade with a tomato motif on the inside. It's off kilter and well worn. I love to pile up the seasonal garden treats in it. Now is at the absolute end of the season. I had my last BLT. The garden shed has been turned over and is now the snowmobile garage. So the bowl is officially put away until next season.
Here’s my timeline and results.
Now waiting to see if these different methods yield flowers at different times. That, after all was the whole point of this experiment.
My Dahlia Collection This PDF file outlines the Dahlias that I grow along with growing notes.
A wonderful resource for growing Dahlias: Discovering Dahlias by Erin Benzakein Late summer garden chaos. There are times I am a green-eyed gardener, jealous of others picture-perfect gardens. I know from my own photography that it is easy to move the perspective of the lens to avoid the messiness. I define my garden as natural, with weeds, untrimmed shrubs, and plants helter-skelter. I am comfortable with that style of gardening. It is also true that I am in awe of perfect layouts. Just as a model in a fashion magazine looks more like an average person without make-up and good lighting; I know the flawlessness shown in the garden magazines may not be so real either. Anyway, here goes with my garden envy list.
The first leaves of our common lilac have emerged. According to phenology in Wisconsin - this is a good time to plant beets, carrots, cole crops, lettuce and spinach. Wait to plant beans, cucumbers, and squash seeds until lilacs are in full bloom. I tested my soil temperature and it was consistently around 45 degrees in the garden. That's just above the minimum for those seeds to germinate. Let the gardening begin!
Check out this UW-Extension Horticulture article "Phenology". Do you enjoy gardening or want to start gardening? Have you watched the TV show Escape to the Chateau? If you have, then you would recognize the term “potager garden”. Join us on how to Create a Potager Garden presented by Sue Reinardy, UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer, virtually on Zoom on Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 10 am to Noon as part of a celebration of National Library Week at the Sherman & Ruth Weiss Community Library. Attendees will have a chance to win a special Library T-shirt!
Potager is a French term for a kitchen garden. These gardens can include not only vegetables but herbs, fruit, berries and cutting flowers. During the presentation you will learn where to site your potager, what plants to include and how to maintain it through the growing season. For the first 15 people who sign up, we will offer them a Take ‘N Make Kit of a Potager Starter Garden. The kit consists of a container, donated by Marketplace Foods, and seeds and a planting medium donated by Sue Reinardy. You can register for the event by going to the following link – https://bit.ly/3rtyZq9 or by calling the library to register and to receive the link for the Zoom event. We suggest that if you don’t have the free Zoom app, download it before the program begins and go to the presentation at least 5 minutes before it starts. If you have any questions, please call the library at 715-634-2161 or email [email protected] Gardeners are getting their seed starting supplies put together and in early to mid-April will begin the process. I don't have the room or patience to start seeds indoors so I have embraced an outdoor seed starting method.
I originally became aware of this method reading about the Winter Sown method. But even that proved to be too much for me since I can never get around to putting my containers together until right about now, early March. Since those seeds sit around doing nothing until the temperature is about right - no need to rush into this method. How does it work?
Websites to learn how: http://wintersown.org/ http://getbusygardening.com/winter-sowing-seeds/ http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2012/11/winter-sowing-101-6/ |
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