Garden hacks, Garden Pests, This week's garden questions

This Week in the Garden (May 30)

This week in the garden, a few interesting weeds are cropping up. Let’s take a closer look at each one and share some tips on dealing with them:

First up is a weed that’s a flat mat of leaves with little blue flowers, growing about a foot across and a few inches high. This early bloomer is a type of Veronica, also known as Speedwell. It’s common and can be easily pulled up.

Next, there’s a viny weed with tiny, hooked hairs that stick like Velcro and a square stem. This is known as bedstraw or sticky willy. Historically, it was even used by pioneers for bedding and pillows. It’s another weed that can be pulled out without too much trouble.

The third weed you see has beautiful blue to violet flowers and resembles phlox. This is wild phlox or Dame’s rocket, often seen along roadways and tree areas. Like the others, it’s a prolific seeder but can be removed by hand. It does make for a great pollinator.

On a different note, you might have noticed some vibrant hydrangeas in greenhouses like blue, pink, and white. If you’ve ever wondered why your blue hydrangeas sometimes turn pink or white the next year, it’s all about the soil pH. Hydrangeas bloom blue in acidic soils (pH below 5.5), purple in slightly less acidic soils (pH between 5.5 and 6.5), and pink or white in neutral to alkaline soils (pH between 6 and 7.5). If you want to keep the deep blue color, plant in soil with extra peat moss and fertilize with a high-acid fertilizer. There are over 75 varieties of hydrangeas to choose from, and most of them prefer moist, shady conditions, especially in the afternoon.

There has been some curling in the leaves of young vegetable plants, like tomatoes, flowers, and some young trees. If no aphids exist, the culprit is likely herbicide injury, possibly from a weed and feed product on the lawn or spray drift. Sometimes, plants can recover if they’re not too badly affected, but being early in the season, you might want to consider replanting or replacing them. If you’ve used a sprayer for herbicides, mark it clearly so it’s not used for anything else. Also, if your lawn has been treated with herbicides, wait for two or three mowings before using the clippings as mulch.

As for lawn care, a good mowing height for bluegrass is 2.5 to 3.5 inches. As the summer heat ramps up, raising the height to 3.5 to 4 inches can help keep the soil cooler and retain moisture. Remember to never cut more than a third of the grass blade at a time to keep your lawn healthy.

Container gardening

Jazzing up your Outdoor Space

When it comes to jazzing up your outdoor space with some unique planters, the possibilities are endless! You can get creative by repurposing all sorts of stuff you might otherwise toss out. Think old tires that can be stacked up and painted to make a colorful tower of greenery. Or how about those wooden pallets you’ve got lying around? They make perfect vertical gardens or raised beds for your favorite herbs and veggies.

And don’t forget about those buckets or barrels collecting dust in the garage. With a few drainage holes drilled in the bottom, they’re ready to be filled with soil and transformed into rustic planters. Even broken wheelbarrows or wagons can find new life as charming homes for your plants.

If you’re into a vintage vibe, why not turn an old bathtub or sink into a lush oasis? They provide plenty of room for all sorts of plants and add a real touch of whimsy to your garden.

And hey, don’t overlook your old furniture! Is that dresser missing a few drawers? Fill it up with soil and plant away! Or take the seat off that rickety old chair and replace it with a planter box for a quirky twist.

Feeling adventurous? Raid your kitchen for pots, pans, colanders, or even teapots that can double as planters. It’s a fun way to add some personality to your garden while reducing waste.

And let’s not forget about bricks or concrete blocks – stack ’em up to create raised beds or planters with an industrial chic vibe.

So go ahead, get creative with your junk, and give your outdoor space a fresh new look with some unique planters!

Garden almanac

Winter Desiccation

Last week, we discussed winter injury on spruce trees, and now it seems that some maples, birches, and hackberries are also affected. If your tree hasn’t leafed out at the top, it’s likely due to winter desiccation. We had another dry fall before winter for the second consecutive year. For minor issues, prune the dead branches. However, if a young tree has significant dieback, you might consider replacing it.

In your garden, it’s crucial to practice crop rotation. I plant tomatoes and peppers on opposite sides of the garden each year and do the same with vine crops and cole crops like cabbage. This rotation helps prevent the buildup of diseases and pests. Also, consider using drip irrigation to keep leaves dry and reduce fungal diseases. If you use overhead watering, do it in the morning so the leaves dry by evening. Keep an eye out for pests like cucumber beetles, squash bugs, aphids, cabbage worms, and mites.

After blooming, prune lilacs, honeysuckles, and any early-flowering shrubs as needed.

I also noticed some pine needle scales recently. These appear as white, fuzzy bumps on the needles and protect the eggs. The newborns are reddish or black crawlers. It takes several years for a harmful population to build up, typically in stressed trees. Keeping the tree well-watered helps, and natural predators like ladybugs and wasps can control the scale. For small or highly infected trees, insecticidal soaps are effective this time of year.

Iron chlorosis will soon show up in some woody plants, where leaves turn yellow while veins remain green. Despite adequate iron in our soils, high pH, clay soils, or compacted soils can prevent plants from absorbing it. Maples, viburnums, and some fruit trees are commonly affected. To help, use chelated iron as a foliar spray or soil supplement. Long-term prevention involves lowering soil pH by using a high peat moss mix and high-acid fertilizers.