​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 is the line-up: 

• February 11, 10:00 am - Intensive Gardening    This course highlights a variety of methods, some old and some new, to produce a large harvest in the smallest space possible.  Some of the techniques covered include: vertical landscaping, using trellises, raised beds and walls for both ornamental plants and vegetables.  Lasagna, straw bale and square foot gardening are explained along with some that are not as well known.  You will get in-depth information on both time-tested methods and new techniques in this class.  
  
  
• March 4, 10:00 am - Gardening – Mixing It Up  This class will describe how to mix up borders with a variety of plant materials.  No longer are gardeners restricted to only one type per plant bed or keeping the beds tiered with small in front and tall in back.  Mixed borders combine annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees and hardscape.   Learn a few tricks on sizing, designing, and planning four seasons for your garden. A full list of plants and how to grow them will be included. 
• March 25, 10:00 am - Gardening with Ornamental Edibles  Learn how to have a good looking landscape that you can eat.  Many plants have berries, foliage, or flowers that are good looking and tasty.  This course will identify the many ornamental edible plants for our area and how you can grow them in containers or add to a perennial garden.  We’ll even identify some weeds that are edible providing you with even more motivation for weeding. 

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. 

​A few weeks ago, I received a gift from a neighbor of a bonsai plant that she passed along from her brother's collection.  I looked over the seven she had, and picked one that I found out later is a Ficus benjamina.  Good choice because it is considered one of the best for a novice.  It was like taking home a puppy – love the cute little guy -- but don’t know the first thing about how to take care of it.  

Above:  Ficus benjaminia that is now mine!

​We once had a three-season porch that overlooked a pond and my backyard gardens.  It was furnished with typical rattan porch furniture.  We never used it.  Why?  I would guess we weren’t comfortable. 
 
I refurnished the room with cushy sofas, chairs, and a small table for meals.  Outside I added a Pagoda Dogwood and Japanese Maple (both small understory trees growing about 8-10 feet) that provided screening from our neighbors.  It made all the difference and we enjoyed the room and used it frequently.  Can a similar redo of a garden increase the use of an outdoor room? 

The pictures above are just two of many snapshots taken by our Mom in front of the Bridal Wreath Spirea (Spiraea prunifolia).  Every time I pass one in full bloom a flood of memories race through my mind.  Our Bridal Wreath was the go-to backdrop for confirmation, graduation and just plain nice-day pictures.   It is helpful that this shrub blooms when these events are happening.

In looking through old family photo albums I see each generation had a favorite shrub.  Lilacs and arborvitae appear to be the winners for earlier times.  Before we moved to the house with the Spirea, a lilac bush figured predominately in our outdoor posed pictures. 

The old-fashioned Bridal Wreath Spirea (botanical name: Spiraea prunifolia) is a non-native in the Rose family.  Reliably hardy to 30 below (zone 4), it grows best in full sun but will tolerate part shade as long as it gets 4-6 hours of daily sunshine.  Leave it room to grow to its mature size of 4-8 feet tall and wide and the flowers will fill its arching branches.  The flowers attract butterflies and pollinators in the spring. 

No need to prune this shrub, but if you must, do so right after it is done blooming so it has enough time to set flower buds for next spring.  According to Melinda Myers in her Gardening in Wisconsin, removing the flower tips as the blooms fade can improve next year's bloom.  Renewal pruning of this suckering shrub can be done by removing one-third of the oldest stems to the ground.  
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I've planted a Golden Bridalwreath Spirea (Spiraea x vanhouttei 'Levgold') in my Zone 3 garden that gets about 4 hours of sunshine daily with success.  It is rated a Zone 4 plant so the test will be this spring since we had 33 below temperatures this winter.  I've got my fingers crossed on this one.

Do you have a favorite backdrop for your family photos?  If not, maybe this is one you will consider planting. 

Oh how I wish all things would be this easy!  The picture above left is a fresh flower arrangement that I put together on October 1 just before our first frost.  The one on the right is what I have on my kitchen island today.  What do they have in common?  

Aralia cordata 'Sun King', common name is Golden Japanese Spikenard, is bright chartreuse, stands about 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide plant.  It brightens up any area it might be in, one could say it dominates, or putting it nicer it is a focal plant.  
 
I added this to the front of my vegetable garden for all these reasons.  My vegetables are fenced in and are the first things visitors see when entering our property.  This showy plant keeps the area from looking too utilitarian.  It is placed in a challenging area, since it is right next to a black-topped drive in a 3 foot by 10-foot bed.  I needed a plant that would die completely back in the winter so it does not interfere with snow piles from the drive. 
 
It produces clusters of star-shaped flowers in late summer that add to late flower bouquets.  It does well for me in an area that gets about 6 hours of sun and is advertised as doing well in full sun to full shade.  In other words, it is not picky except that it does not do well if allowed to dry out.  I also have had no trouble with deer nibbling on this one.
 
The University of Arkansas Extension named it the plant of the week in September 2015, a link to their write-up is shown below.  The University of Tennessee named it the plant of the month in May 2016.  Since its introduction in 2000, it has received a lot of positive press. 
 
The downside of this plant is that it suckers, although I have not had a problem with that yet after two years.  The chartreuse color may overwhelm a garden of native plants; this would seem out-of-place.  It is non-native, the common name gives you a clue on that, although there are native Spikenards. 
 
This plant has does its job for the place I had to fill.  I enjoy its brightness and low maintenance requirements.  In the right place, I can recommend this as a plant to try. 
  
For more information:
University of Arkansas Extension 
Missouri Botanical Garden
University of Tennessee
 

​The Elderberry bushes are in full bloom and there is a buzz about them.  I originally planted the shrubs to harvest the berries that are reported to be an excellent immune booster to prevent colds and flu.  I have discovered that the flowers are pollinator attractors, both flowers and berries look great in bouquets (they can also be used to make a liqueur or wine) and the berries provide food for people and birds.  As a result of all the additional benefits of elderberries, it turns out that I have made only one batch of elderberry syrup.