Garden Pests

Things Happening this Week in the Landscape

Things happening this week in the landscape include the high number of moths flying around. There is not much you can do to eliminate them except for turning out any exterior lights and making sure there are no windows or doors open to your house at night. Also, pull the drape so the inside lights do not shine out for a couple of weeks. These moths will lay eggs which will hatch into the army cutworm. Hopefully, the garden and annual plants will be big enough to guard against this.

The cedar apple rust galls are showing up on the juniper trees now and will spread to the apple tree leaves. This will be the time to spray an all-purpose orchard spray on the tree leaves now, especially on young trees and older trees if they have a crop of young apples.

If you have a lawn grub problem, June is the time to apply grub control to the lawn. GrubX is a good granular product that can be scattered on the lawn by a fertilizer spreader. A higher mowing height and good lawn culture help prevent grub infestations. Dead areas in the lawn now are not caused by grubs but by winterkill.

Ticks are still a major problem especially if you go camping or areas of tall grass around your lawn. To prevent the little guys from crawling on you, use a product containing 30% Deet on your clothing. Higher Deet products do not mean they are better but will last longer. There is a 100% Deet product, however, it might be better to use a lower percentage and spray more often.

A lot of evergreens are showing winterkill on one side of the tree or shrub. See if new growth appears soon, if not, that area of the plant is dead.

Container gardening

Curb Appeal through Container Gardening

Admit it: your house might not be the dumpiest on the street, but it could probably use a little pick-me-up. It doesn’t take much to spruce up your house and add a little extra curb appeal, especially through container gardening. Outdoor planters are a fantastic and easy way to add a little extra oomph and increase your home’s curb appeal.

The front door can speak volumes about a house – it’s where visitors get their first impression of your home and the people inside. Outdoor planters can add a touch of life to the entryway to make your home more inviting and warm. When decorating around the front door, symmetry is key. Add a tall planter box, to either side of your front door with bright flowers or tall leafy plants. If you have steps line them to your front door with smaller planter containers in coordinating plants and flowers. Choose plants that fit with the overall style and feel of your home, such as short canna lilies for a modern home or petunias and geraniums for a more traditional style.

Any container will do remembering the larger the better. Large containers need less water which does not dry out fast and plants will grow better. An old stock tank, whiskey barrel, or fancy ceramic planters will work. Make sure the pot has a drainage hole so you will not get root rot. You can add a solar light in the middle for night décor.

As for plants, is your container going to be in the sun or shade and plant accordingly? Plant one or more tall plants in the middle depending on the size or if the pot goes against a background, plant the taller plants to the back. Get a few trialing plants for the edges then plant mid-size plants between the tall plants and the vining plants.

Garden almanac, Lawns, Pruning trees and shrubs

A Few Things to be Concerned about in the Landscape/Garden

A few things to be concerned about in the landscape/garden, starting with any shrubs or tree branches that have not leafed out should be pruned to a live stem or branch. If the shrubs produce canes, prune them to the ground. Last winter was hard on ornamental grass especially if under a heavy snowdrift. If they are not sending up any new blades of grass, think about replacing them.

A few questions were about our smoke from Canada. The smoke does block the UV light causing garden and flower transplants from greening up quickly. Along with longer dew times, this may increase the chance of higher fungus diseases. If crabgrass has been a problem, you still might have a limited time to apply a pre-emergence herbicide, but time is running out.

If you have newly planted lawn areas, wait until you have mowed twice before applying any chemicals. Dandelions can be controlled better at the puffball stage than when in flower. Treat this fall to kill them. Think about using grub control if you had a grub problem last year.

Remove tulip or daffodil heads after they flower so the energy goes to the bulb to produce next year’s flowers. If your rhubarb is throwing up flower stalks, remove them.