Landscaping decor

Lighting your Landscape

Lighting your landscape areas gives you an interesting look at your back or front yards at night. It provides interest, security, and color. The easiest way to do this is to use solar lights. They do not cost anything to run, are easy to install, and can be moved around. Solar lights come in many different styles and colors of light.

The main ones are pathway lights which will give you a lighted walkway, especially steps. Low-level lighting can be flushed to the outside of the walkway.

Accent lights can be used in the landscape to focus on certain planting areas. That can be placed around the perimeter to create textures of light and dark. Place stringed solar lights (fairy lights) along a fence or for climbing plants. Christmas rope lights along the edging work great giving a warm colored glow.

Add a little whimsy to the area by using lighted butterflies, garden globes, or lanterns. Flickering tiki torches not only add light but motion to an entrance area.

Use a string of light bulbs or solar pendants to illuminate your patio areas.

Do not forget the dark areas of the backyard. There are motion sensor floodlights that will provide you with extra security.

Shrubs

Smoke Bushes

There are several types of smoke bushes (Cotinus coggygria) I grow. The green original variety is a large shrub going to 15 feet tall and 8 feet wide. Mine grows as a shrub but can be pruned into a small growing tree.

Smoke bush (original green variety)

Most of the varieties grown have purple leaves (Royal Purple, Winecraft Black (PV), or Velvet Cloak) growing slightly smaller at 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide. I find the purple varieties get more winterkill than the green varieties. There is a yellow-leaf variety called Ancot.

Smoke bush variety of Royal Purple

All varieties get their name from the smoke-like plumes of flowers blooming around July looking like puffs of smoke.

Two blooming smoke bushes varieties.

Once established, they are drought-tolerant and pest resistant. Plant smoke bushes in full sun for they do not shade. They do well in sandy or clay soils making it a good choice for South Dakota.

Garden almanac, Garden Pests

In the Garden this Week

In the garden this week: as it gets hotter, water your newly planted trees and shrubs more remembering they need more water than watering your lawn will give. For the first year or two most of the roots are contained in the root ball of the container they were in. I planted a crabapple tree a couple of weeks ago and have watered it every three days. Stick your finger in the root area and if dry water.

Drought injury on maple leaves
Drought injury on maple leaves

The spots appearing on apple and pear trees are apple rust. They are roundish reddish-brown lesions going through the leaf. There is not much that can be done now, and apple rust does not harm older trees.

Apple rust on apple leaves
Apple rust on a pear leaf

There is a lot of herbicide drift still showing up on tomatoes and peppers being very susceptible to 2,4-D injury. Most herbicide shows up as deforming (curled) leaf growth. Roundup usually shows up as a browning of the leaf area or brown spots. Aphids will curl leaves but look closely and you will see the aphids in the curling portion of the leaf.

Herbicide injury on a tomato plant
2,4-D injury in a tomato plant
Roundup injury in a tomato plant
Roundup injury in a tomato plant

If you have a good apple crop you might want to think about spraying the apple maggot. I have not seen any yet, but when you have them, it is too late. So, if you have had damage from the maggot, spray with an all-purpose orchard spray every 10 days until mid-August (follow label instructions). Online there are apple maggot sicky traps you can hang in the tree.

Apple maggot fly
Apple maggot fly
Apple maggot in an apple

Do not water in the heat of the day for lawns, flowerbeds, and gardens. Not only do you waste money, but it can also harm some plants. Wait till early morning.