​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.    

Here’s my timeline and results.

• April 16 – Potted the tubers that were stored overwinter under the stairwell wrapped in newspapers.  Overall they were in healthy conditions with a few sprouts emerging. 
• April 25-27 – All sprouts emerged after potting even one that was a bit sickly.
• Early May – Pinched off about 1/3 of the plant growth when about 12” tall to promote more stalks.
• May 18 – Planted in raised bed all except for one newly purchased tuber that went into the ground.  Soil temperature was 60°.   We had very warm weather last spring.
• May 26 – Newly purchased tubers sprouted that had been directly sown in raised bed
• May 26-29 – Very cool weather, covered all with a row cover to protect from cold air.  There was a freeze warning on 5/27, our temp was a low of 36.
• May 30- Tuber planted in ground (not raised bed) sprouted

 
Now waiting to see if these different methods yield flowers at different times.  That, after all was the whole point of this experiment.

• June 28 - Buds on 2 of 4 tubers started in April.
• June 29 – First blooms (three of them!) cut for the vase.
• July 20 – All 4 of the plants started in April are producing blooms.  No buds yet on the rest that were directly planted in either the raised beds or ground.
• July 25 – Buds on 4 planted in raised bed.
• July 30 – All plants except one are producing blooms.   That one never did bloom and I did not overwinter it for 2022 planting. 

Conclusion:  Yes, the Dahlias that were started in April inside produced blooms almost a full month before those directly planted later.  They continued to produce blooms until frost ended their season.   I conclude it is worth the effort to start these inside ahead of the season. 

This PDF file outlines the Dahlias that I grow along with growing notes.
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A wonderful resource for growing Dahlias:  Discovering Dahlias by Erin Benzakein

Class # is 24553  Registration for this online course is through WITC. Register online at courses.witc.edu; Search for and choose your course; add it to your cart. Should you need assistance with registration, call the number provided on the WITC web page for the campus closest to you and leave a message. Your call will be returned.  This class is online using the free BlueJeans software. Sign up, receive your log-in information, and attend from the comfort of your space. You will need reliable internet service, a camera and microphone on your device. To learn how easy it is to use our BlueJeans software to take classes from your home or work computer, view the free video tutorial at http://learningcommons.witc.edu/bluejeans

Note:  On May 29, Noon to 2:00 pm will be another gardening program online through WITC.  You can register for both at the same time.  
​Class # 24464 Create a Potager Garden - 
Potager is a French term for a kitchen garden.  These gardens can include not only vegetables but herbs, fruit, berries and cutting flowers.  The program will cover where to site your potager, plants to include and how to maintain it through the growing season.  These gardens can be an attractive addition to your yard and provide your family with food and flowers throughout the growing season. 

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Going Native –
On April 23 – 10:30 am to Noon, the Sherman & Ruth Weiss Community Library-Hayward in partnership with the UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer program is providing an online gardening program via Zoom, as part of National Library Week, "Find your Library at your place". 
This program will cover what, when and where to cultivate native plants that provide food for butterflies, song birds, hummingbirds and beneficial insects.  Also learn about phenology: the study of the development of plants and animals as affected by our climate and weather.  By using your observations you can know the best time for planting, the blooming cycles of plants, and the emergence of insect pests.  All will help you become a more natural gardener.  The presenter will be Sue Reinardy- UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer. 
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Register in advance for this meeting: https://uwextension.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcvcO-hrTouG9YSWNKCXExwjkDrGV5XA-q4  in order to receive handout materials, the Zoom link and password.

This year I managed to bring my Rosemary plant in before it succumbed to the elements and it is now thriving.   When I’m feeling the need for the fresh smell of plants, Rosemary is there and just brushing my hand across the leaves produces that wonderful fragrance. 
 
This summer the entire nursery pot was put into the container with other herbs.  When it came time to bring it inside, I just popped the pot out and brought it in.  Rosemary doesn’t like its roots disturbed.  By keeping it in the same pot on the move from outside to inside, those roots remained happy.  I also cut back the tops by one-third before bringing it inside.  Now it is adding new growth.  

There is still time to order, receive and plant bulbs for next spring.  I doubt that how your garden looks next April or May is on your mind as the leaves begin to change color and start dropping.  However, if you take a few moments now there will be a reward next year.  

It is time to bring in your houseplants from their summer vacation outdoors.  This includes any tender plants that you plan to overwinter inside.  Many of our houseplants and tender perennials are from the tropics and get stressed when nighttime temperatures dip lower than 50°.  I used to scramble the night of the first killing frost to bring these plants inside.  It was stressful both for me and my plants. 

I now start moving houseplants and tender perennials to shadier spots in the garden around the beginning to mid-September.  This gives them time to acclimate to the lower light conditions in our homes.   ​

​My garden fence was built to deter deer from ravishing my vegetables.  The fencing is not made to turn away a small bunny and there are gaps under the gates.  After being on this property for 15 seasons, this is the first rabbit.  The wolves, coyotes, fox, and eagles may be credited for the lack of rabbits; that is until now.
 
Baptisia australis, common name False Indigo, is a native plant to the eastern U.S.  In addition to being advertised as tolerant of rabbits the plant is unappealing to deer, drought resistant, and tolerate of poor soils.  I thought it perfect for my garden since it likes full sun to part shade (my garden receives about 6 hours per day) and would provide some color between the spring ephemerals and the summer bulbs that grow alongside my raised beds.   At 3-4 feet tall, it would stand out, just what I wanted. 
 
Baptisia australis was named Perennial of the Year in 2010 by the Perennial Plant Association.  It seems appropriate because this plant is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9, has multi-season interest, is tough, and is low maintenance. According to the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder: “Over time, plants develop slowly expanding clumps with deep and extensive root systems, and should not be disturbed once established. Plants take on more of a shrubby appearance and tend to open up after bloom. Trimming or shearing foliage after bloom helps maintain rounded plant appearance and obviates a possible need for staking, but eliminates the developing seed pods which are so attractive.” 
 
In addition to this native, there are now new cultivars that come in yellow, pink, violet-blue, and creamy vanilla.  Baptisia attracts butterflies with its flowering for 3-4 weeks in June.  Both its blooms and dried seed pods can be used in floral arrangements.  The common name of False Indigo refers to the use of this plant by early Americans as a substitute, albeit an inferior one, for true indigo in making blue dyes.  I originally thought that the Latin "australis" was odd for a native North American plant and found out that it means "southern".   It can also refer to Australia.  
 
I’m putting up netting around the Baptisia and hoping for the best.  Maybe next year I’ll get some blooms? Or maybe it's time for another trip to the garden center?