Going Native In Your Garden

Gardening with native plants - that is, with species that grew here before the first settlers arrived from Europe - has always had its supporters, Landscaping Services but it’s a trend that’s getting stronger as part of the eco-friendly movement. Advocates argue that because native species have adapted to local conditions, they’re easier to grow, less likely to invade other parts of the garden, and require less water, pesticides and fertilizers. They also maintain that native plants are the best choice to attract birds, butterflies and other wildlife.

Does this mean we should dig up our non-native perennials and shrubs and replace them with ferns, trilliums, and maples? Not according to two Ottawa garden experts. They say that while native plants do offer advantages, the most practical approach — and sometimes the most eco-friendly — is to integrate them with non-native species, finding the best location for each plant.

“There are a lot of generalizations about native plants, but these aren’t always true,” says Eva Schmitz, owner of Artistic Landscape Design. Take the statement that native plants are hardier. “A species from a country like Russia may be just as hardy as a Canadian native, perhaps hardier,” she says. Nor are native plants necessarily less invasive.

“Some natives spread very quickly,” says Adele Courville, design centre manager at Rockcliffe Landscaping. “An aggressive, self-seeding native may be fine for a woodland area, but not for an urban garden. You can try to stop a plant from spreading by creating a barrier below the soil surface, but in time, it will over-root and won’t survive.” While she believes that native plants are the best for wildlife,

Ms. Schmitz considers this to be a generalization, too. “Birds and bees are attracted by colour and shape. They don’t avoid a plant because it’s originally from Europe or Asia.”

Rather than focusing on whether it’s native or not, both women stress the importance of picking plants that will suit their location in the garden. How well any plant does, they say, depends on whether you have the light, moisture, soil and other conditions it needs. Native white spruce, for example, flourishes

in the forest, but can’t take city pollution; red lobelia thrives in water, but will die in a dry location. “Many native Ontario plants grow in woodlands with rich,

organic soil and plenty of water and shade,” Ms. Courville notes. “They won’t succeed in dry, full sun environment.You must provide similar conditions or a native species can wind up being high maintenance.”

In the wrong space, natives may be as susceptible to disease as other plants. “If you have a native, upright phlox in an area with poor circulation, it will get mildew,” Eva Schmitz says. “Again, it’s about putting the right plant in the right location and keeping it healthy. That’s also the best way to eliminate the use of toxins such as pesticides. I don’t spray any plant.”

Besides being a practical solution for many gardens, integrating native plants with other species boosts can boost variety and visual appeal. Natives can be straggly and inconspicous-looking, and depending on the plant, may take as long as five years to bloom. “Natives that have been hybridized often provide bigger blooms,” Ms. Schmitz observes. “They may also be taller, more compact, and have stronger stems and healthier leaves. In fact, native plants can be made richer with hybridized versions.”

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Friday, May 9th, 2008

Landscaping No Comments

Master Gardener Minimize runoff for healthier creeks

Q: I know that storm water can wash from our gardens into street gutters and then into creeks. What can home gardeners do to help keep our local creeks clean?

%26#8212;Bobbi Hunter, Santa Ynez

A: Gardening practices throughout a watershed can indeed affect the health of local creeks as runoff

from gardens, rooftops, driveways, walkways and patios washes into streets, gutters and storm drain systems. Ultimately these lead into our creeks. This water can carry excess fertilizers and pesticides, as Master Gardener Lee Oliphant explained in December, and it can also carry additional toxic materials, soil and exotic plant seeds.

Gardeners, by helping control the quality and quantity of water washing from the many gardens in a watershed, can play a vital role in controlling this source of water pollution. Note the following suggestions:

%26#8226; Use a flat shovel and a broom to remove soil and garden debris from walkways, driveways, patios, and gutters before rain. If washing with water is necessary, wash back into the garden, rather than into the gutter.

%26#8226; Cover as much soil surface as possible with plants, mulch or other materials suitable to help minimize erosion.

%26#8226;Maintain irrigation systems to avoid leaks and gushers that can wash soil from the garden.

%26#8226; Use permeable paving materials that allow water to move through them and into the soil.

%26#8226; Loosen the surface of hard-packed soil to increase water penetration and decrease surface runoff.

%26#8226; Use plants with root systems sufficient to hold soil in place on embankments, and mulch to lessen the impact of water striking the soil surface. Irrigate in time periods of short duration to minimize runoff.

%26#8226; Carefully follow directions on pesticides and fertilizers to minimize excess application.

Remember that gardening and installation of structures such as steps, fences, planters and retaining walls on or near creek banks should trigger special consideration of bank stability, erosion control, habitat conservation, exotic plants and water quality. The California Department of Fish and Game can provide relevant guidance and information.

MORE ONLINE

Additional related information may be found on the following Web sites created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service and UC Davis:

www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/WATER/U/wcufre.ucdavis.edu/products /CUFR_182_UFfactsheet4.pdf

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Friday, February 1st, 2008

Landscaping Stone No Comments

Keep holiday plants alive


I was just given a bamboo plant and do not know how to take care of it. Your help would be greatly appreciated.


Bamboo, also known as lucky bamboo, is a popular houseplant often given as a gift to bestow good fortune, according to Chinese tradition. It’s also a component of feng shui principles.

Technically, these houseplants usually several stalks tied together with string or ribbon aren’t bamboos at all. They’re Dracaena sanderiana, relatives of the lily and native to West Africa. They go by the common name bamboo for reasons unknown.

Bamboo is an easy houseplant to grow, and it requires little care.

Just remove the string to keep it from choking the plant as it grows and be sure it gets plenty of indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight can cause yellowing of the stalks.

If your plant came in a pot filled with tiny pebbles, simply replenish the water as it evaporates, keeping it at about an inch from the base of the stalks. Change the water completely from time to time to keep it clean. If it’s planted in soil, water it when the soil surface becomes dry. Using chlorinated, fluorinated tap water might cause the stalks to turn yellow, so let the water sit in a cup overnight at room temperature before watering.

This will allow the chemicals to dissipate. You can use spring water instead, if you prefer. And keep the bamboo away from pets; it’s toxic.

I have a Christmas cactus. Can you tell me how to care for this plant from January to April? I get maybe two buds in fact, right now there are only two buds on the plant.

The plant is resting during those months, so it doesn’t require much care at all aside from some infrequent watering to keep it from drying out completely. It would be best to house it at about 55 degrees during this period, starting when the blossoms fade in January until April, when you should pick up the watering again.

Tags: , , ,
0

Sunday, January 27th, 2008

Landscaping Stone No Comments

Keep holiday plants alive


I was just given a bamboo plant and do not know how to take care of it. Your help would be greatly appreciated.


Bamboo, also known as lucky bamboo, is a popular houseplant often given as a gift to bestow good fortune, according to Chinese tradition. It’s also a component of feng shui principles.

Technically, these houseplants usually several stalks tied together with string or ribbon aren’t bamboos at all. They’re Dracaena sanderiana, relatives of the lily and native to West Africa. They go by the common name bamboo for reasons unknown.

Bamboo is an easy houseplant to grow, and it requires little care.

Just remove the string to keep it from choking the plant as it grows and be sure it gets plenty of indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight can cause yellowing of the stalks.

If your plant came in a pot filled with tiny pebbles, simply replenish the water as it evaporates, keeping it at about an inch from the base of the stalks. Change the water completely from time to time to keep it clean. If it’s planted in soil, water it when the soil surface becomes dry. Using chlorinated, fluorinated tap water might cause the stalks to turn yellow, so let the water sit in a cup overnight at room temperature before watering.

This will allow the chemicals to dissipate. You can use spring water instead, if you prefer. And keep the bamboo away from pets; it’s toxic.

I have a Christmas cactus. Can you tell me how to care for this plant from January to April? I get maybe two buds in fact, right now there are only two buds on the plant.

The plant is resting during those months, so it doesn’t require much care at all aside from some infrequent watering to keep it from drying out completely. It would be best to house it at about 55 degrees during this period, starting when the blossoms fade in January until April, when you should pick up the watering again.

Tags: , , ,
0

Friday, January 25th, 2008

Landscaping Stone No Comments

Call before you dig

A garden without its plants is a mass of wires, pipes, steel, plastic, soil, wood and concrete. This tangled network operates your home and garden. Without it, you wouldn’t have landscape lighting, irrigation, an outdoor kitchen, a water garden, a deck, a swimming pool or a security system.

But it can be easy to damage underground utilities, so there are strict rules about digging. Many laws requires that you notify a central utility-locating service at least 48 hours before you dig a hole, large or small, on your property. Yes, these laws apply to individual homeowners, even for small projects.

The service is free. You reach it by calling 811, a nationwide number initiated last year.

Miss Utility will contact all companies that have underground lines in your area, dispatching professionals to mark them from the street to the house so that you don’t disturb them.

If you dig a hole without calling the line-locating number, you could be fined and charged for repair.

Aesthetically, it’s helpful that almost all utilities are now installed underground and, therefore, easier to disguise. The challenge is keeping track of where they are so they aren’t damaged when installing plants, patios, walls, decks and other structures.

These are general guidelines for how deeply most utility lines are buried. Confirm with local companies because grade changes completed after lines were laid may alter depth.

Electric: Minimum of 18 inches, 36 preferred.

Gas: No standard depth; 24 inches average, 36 preferred.

Sewage: 24 to 36 inches in most parts of the country.

Water: 36 inches is national standard; can be any depth if not subject to freeze.

Telephone: If line is in conduit, can safely be at any depth; without conduit, should be at least 24 inches. (Ours is one to two inches under the soil surface and impossible to miss when digging.)

Cable television: Can be any depth.

Low-voltage lighting and irrigation systems need not be buried deeply 5 inches is sufficient to keep low-voltage lighting wires out of way of aerators and edging tools. Utility companies won’t track these, so lighting and irrigation companies should provide specifications for these so you do not cut underground lines.

These guidelines aren’t always followed, meaning lines are sometimes buried too close to the surface. Garden tools easily cut them, knocking out computers, televisions and telephones.

But again, grades can change, and utilities installed 30 inches deep might be only 15 inches deep if the soil level has been changed.

Gas lines are installed with PVC pipe that can be punctured with a shovel. Gas leaks pose a serious threat, so the gas company responds to breaks within minutes.

Older properties have the most unknowns. We’ve hit live gas lamps (shown as inactive for many years), water lines, low-voltage irrigation systems for clay tennis courts and phone-service bundles of wires one inch underground, not in conduit. By recording information about underground lines outside the scope of the utility companies’ responsibility, you will help avoid problems and provide information to anyone working on your property.

Irrigation lines are regularly cut, especially drip or soaker lines just under the mulch. It’s helpful to know the locations of the main and feeder lines. Watch, measure, photograph and document to answer future questions. Lines are never where you remembered them to be when you have to search for them again.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Saturday, January 19th, 2008

Landscaping Stone No Comments

palm disease stalking Florida trees but there are cures

A phytoplasma-caused disease called Texas Phoenix palm decline (TPD) popped up in Manatee, Sarasota and Hillsborough counties earlier this year. It’s named for Texas because it has been killing Canary Island date palms in Texas along the southern coastal region from Brownsville to Corpus Christi.

Most of the information in this article came from information by University of Florida researchers Monica Elliott and Nigel Harrison’s reports on TPD and the more familiar palm lethal yellowing disease. You can see that report at: flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/palm_prod/pdfs/Palm%20Diseases%20Caused%20by%20Phytoplasmas.pdf

The four key symptoms of this new wilt disease appear to be exactly the same as those associated with lethal yellowing disease of Phoenix species. The first obvious symptom on mature palms is a sudden drop of most or all sizes of fruit. Secondly, there’s browning and death of newly opening inflorescences (flower spikes). However, these two symptoms will only be observed if the palm is mature enough to produce fruit and if it is the season for flowering and fruiting and if the flowers or fruit were not pruned.

A third symptom is discoloration of the foliage, beginning with the oldest fronds. The fronds do not turn yellow (or do so briefly), but quickly turn varying shades of reddish-brown to dark brown or gray.

The discoloration begins at leaf tips. The onset of leaf discoloration is usually first recognized as a greater number of dead lower fronds than would be normal. This symptom can be confused with other problems such early senescence due to nutrient deficiency (potassium) or Ganoderma butt rot disease. If the dying or dead leaves are pruned frequently, this symptom may go unnoticed.

The spear leaf dies when less than one-third (and usually less than one-fourth) of the oldest leaves have discolored and are necrotic. This indicates the apical meristem — the bud or heart — has died. Once this has occurred, there will be no further development of new leaves. The remaining leaves continue to discolor from the oldest to the youngest leaves.

Fourthly, usually by the time the apical meristem dies, mature roots of palms at or near the soil surface have become unusually soft in texture and are easily broken. The palm can be easily rocked back and forth in the ground because the root system is decaying. This symptom is not typical for palms affected by lethal yellowing.

While you would think it would be fairly obvious when the spear leaf dies, it isn’t. Phoenix species have numerous leaves surrounding the spear leaf. Unless you see the spear leaf is dead or find it hanging from the canopy or on the ground, you will probably need to physically examine the canopy up close to determine if a healthy spear leaf is present or not.

Also, the young spear leaf on Canary Island date palms is often enclosed in a sheath that is brown and very thin (it tears like paper). Do not confuse this brown sheath for a dead spear leaf.

To confirm a field diagnosis of Texas Phoenix decline disease with a laboratory test, contact me or Monica Elliott (melliott@ufl.edu) for complete sampling and mailing instructions and current cost.

Briefly, like all phytoplasmas, the TPD pathogen cannot be cultured, so laboratory diagnosis relies on molecular techniques. Sampling is accomplished by boring into the trunk — this requires a drill with a long, large-diameter bit. The current cost is $75 per sample, the same as it is for lethal yellowing.

Do not ship samples without first obtaining the complete set of instructions. The quality of the sample is critical for an accurate diagnosis.

Management of TPD will be similar to that for lethal yellowing (see edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP146), with chemical control based on drilling holes and inoculating with the antibiotic oxytetracycline HCl (the brand name is OTC).

If the spear leaf has died, the palm should be removed as soon as possible for two reasons. First, death of the spear leaf indicates the apical meristem (bud) has died, so the palm is dead. Secondly, the diseased palm serves as a source of the phytoplasma that can be transmitted to healthy palms by an insect vector. If the spear leaf has not died, therapeutic treatment with OTC injections every four months may be recommended.

The antibiotic can also be used

preventively to protect palms when Texas Phoenix decline is known to occur in the area. There is only one source of this EPA-registered product, OTC TreeSaver®. The company’s Web site is: www.palmtreesaver.com

Two juvenile queen palms were diagnosed with the Texas Phoenix decline phytoplasma. Extensive root decay early in disease development was a common symptom with both palms. Leaf necrosis was exhibited on the lowest leaves first and continued upward through the canopy, with the spear leaf being the last leaf to die.

Both palms were in a Phoenix palm grove where the disease was occurring in high frequency. Thus, proximity to high levels of pathogen and vector may account for these two diseased palms. The symptoms observed were distinctly different from Fusarium decline, another new disease of queen palms. For information on this disease, see:

flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/palm_prod/pdfs/New-Disease-Queen-Palms-Mexican-Fan-Palms-July.pdf

Injections of the antibiotic are used as a preventive action to protect the Canary Island date palms (and any date palm — Phoenix dactylifera or Phoenix sylvestris — that might be planted in the future) from infection. It can be used as a curative material, but is only successful if the disease is caught in the early phases.

In the case of Canary Island date palms, if the spear leaf has already died, there is no point to inject with the antibiotic as the apical meristem (bud) is already dead. If you have suspect Canary Island date palms that need examined, please contact me (see below).

Reminder: The Collier County University of Florida Extension’s Yard %26 Garden Show is today, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Extension Office, 14700 Immokalee Road, approximately 11 miles east of Interstate 75.

Doug Caldwell, Ph.D., is the commercial landscape horticulture extension agent and landscape entomologist with the University of Florida Collier County Extension Service. E-mail dougbug@ufl.edu ; phone 353-4244, ext. 203; or visit: collier.ifas.ufl.edu.

Tags: , , , ,
0

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

Garden Landscaping No Comments


website counter