Fruit trees and fruit shrubs

Apple Varieties in Zone 4 Climate

What apple varieties will grow in our cold Zone 4 climate? The worst thing is to wait several years and never have a crop because the fruit blossoms are not hardy. Some good varieties to grow in South Dakota are:

  • Lodi is a large yellow-green apple maturing in August with a slight tart flavor. Like most apples, they tend to bear heavily every other year. They also need a pollinator to increase fruit production.
  • Honeygold is a good substitute for golden delicious apples which are a little touchy in our area. It is a yellowish apple maturing in October with a sweet taste.
  • Northern Spy is an older variety of apple developed over a hundred years ago. They mature in late September to October and are a good all-purpose red apple.
  • My favorite has been a Cortland apple. A sweet apple maturing in early September.
  • State Fair like the Lodi apple is early, maturing in August. A sweet flavor lending itself to many uses.
  • Sweet Sixteen has high sugar content. Ripening in September and can store for a couple of months.
  • Prairie Spy is a long storing apple ripening in October. Makes a great cooking apple.

Again, most apple trees require pollination from another variety of apple tree which have overlapping blooming times to increase the productivity of both apple varieties.

Another thing to remember is a standard tree grows on its own roots and may grow to 30 feet tall. A dwarf tree is grafted on another variety of roots and grows 6 to 9 feet tall. A semi-dwarf is also a grafted tree growing 14 to 20 feet.

Most apple trees bear heavy one year and less in the following year. You can get a better yearly production if you thin the number of apples.

Landscaping decor

Ornamental Grasses in the Landscape

Over the last few years, interest in ornamental grasses in the landscape have surged in popularity. They require little care, not very much water, and depending on variety very winter hardy. Grasses vary in height, color, and seed head texture. Ornamentals can be grown in containers (smaller varieties) or in the landscape as specimen plants.

Purple fountain grass

The most popular in greenhouses around here are fountain grasses. Varieties range from purple to green foliage color with large fluffy plumes. Even if the label states this grass is a perennial, in South Dakota it is grown as an annual.

Blue fescue

Blue fescue is a small, rounded mound of grass under 12 inches. The plant is great in front of the perennial bed. I have easily grown the plants from seed started indoors. The grass has a bluish color with tan seed heads. In our state, it is not evergreen so it will brown in the winter and green back up in early spring.

Blue oat grass

Blue oat grass has a blue-gray color with exceptionally fine blades. It will grow to 3 feet in height with oat-like seed heads.

Little bluestem

Big and little bluestem is a native grass mostly found in the eastern part of the state. It is increasing in growth range in the central part lately. These are the purplish-blue grasses you will see in the early fall. The large feather plumes turned white as they age. Little bluestem grows around 2 feet and big bluestem grows around 3 to 4 feet.

Fiber optic grass

Fiber optic grass is a Midwest annual grass. It has dark-green blades with little balls on the tips of the grass blades. Grows around a foot tall but gracefully bends down.

Miscanthus grass

Now my favorite, the miscanthus grass. I have a couple of these plants that are around 10 years old. They grow in a large mound with large plumes getting over 5 feet tall. Miscanthus is as close to pampas grass as you can get and much hardier.

Zebra grass

One of the easiest grasses to grow is the zebra grass. It has dramatic green and yellow cross yellow foliage. The flower is purple to pink growing to over 5 feet tall.

Bunny tails grass

Another grass easily grown from seed in the bunny tail grass. It is a small grass around a foot tall with large “bunny tail-like” seed stalks. Makes a great container plant.

Ribbon grass

Lastly, if you want the grass to naturalize, try ribbon grass. A grass with vertical green and white stripes around 1 to 2 feet tall. This grass can be a little invasive. I divided some of this type of grass and threw the extra over the fence. It did take hold and great in a nice patch. The cows sure like it.

Home Improvement

Steampunk Decor

Last week we wrote about the increasingly popular industrial style decor. Now let us delve into an offshoot of the industrial style called steampunk décor. This dates back to the Victorian Age where England was just starting the Industrial Revolution. So, metals and industrial mechanisms are brought into the home décor.

Steampunk bathroom

The wall colors go back to the factory colors of black, brown, and copper. Tin ceilings and wall coverings with gears and other inner factory mechanisms are part of the steampunk design. Obviously, furniture and other furnishing made from pipe (steam punk-get the pun) is a must. Steamer trunks make great coffee tables. Floors do not have carpet but are painted black, grey, or white. Wall can be darker woods.

Edison lighting

In light fixtures, hanging pendant lights with Edison bulbs like the ones used in the factories at the time. Wall decorations are large gears (which you can adhere mirrors to), overly large clocks, and old distressed wood for cabinets.