joene's garden » Seasons

Don’t get bit by phenology indicators

joenesgarden — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:34:33 +0000

You know how those moisture-retaining gels swell when placed in water? That's what I envision happens to brains of new gardeners as they soak up any and all available how-to gardening information – I was a novice gardener once long, long ago and did just that. It's important to seek learned, sound advise from gardening friends, trusted nursery staff, local agriculture extension departments, books, blogs, websites, and magazines. Unfortunately not all gardening information is as clear as it should be.

Take the recent issue of Horticulture magazine. In the Q & A section and also online, the editors list characteristics of plants that purportedly indicate it's time to do other gardening tasks. These 'indicator' plants – for example lilac shrubs, oak trees, daffodils, dogwood, lily-of-the-valley, and others - can serve as hints for sowing seeds or planting transplants. Many on the list make sense, such as planting cool season crops (peas and lettuce for example) when lilac leaves are about as big as the ears of a mouse or when daffodils bloom.

Such clues come from years of phenological observations. Scientists, gardeners, farmers, and general nature lovers have watched the timing of plants leaf-out, flower, seed ripening, late season leaf color changes, and leaf drop and noted correlations between the growth timing of indicator plants and the progress of the seasons – similar to that done among Project BudBurst scientists and citizen volunteers. Likewise observations can be made for animal habits. These observations provide valuable general information on overall climate change, plant and animal characteristics, and how weather pattern changes impact every living thing.

But general observations do not take local conditions into account … Horticulture neglects to point this out. Some of the correlations on their list make sense – such as using lilacs and daffodil stages as indicators for planting peas and lettuce (cool-season crops). But some of the suggestions could set up novice gardeners for failure. For instance, among the list of «some common garden plants and what they indicate to you:» Horticulture mentions planting squash and cucumbers when lilac flowers fade, or beans when lilacs are in full bloom.

In my neck of the woods (Connecticut zone 6a) lilac flowers faded last week after blooming 2 to 3 weeks earlier than 'normal' which means outdoor soils are still too cool to allow warm-loving squash, cucumber, and bean seeds to thrive. Such seeds, when planted in cool soils, sit in a sort of suspended animation while waiting for soil temperatures to warm. The past week a couple of nights brought below freezing temperatures in most of Connecticut's zone 6a, and cloudy, wet weather. ( Connecticut has three cold-hardy zones, 6a , 6b, and 5a.) Soil just doesn't warm very quickly when temperatures are this low and the sun doesn't shine.

Two other indicator plant suggestions - to plant tomatoes when lily-of-the-valley blooms, and peppers and eggplant when bearded iris bloom - could entice novices to plant these warm-season crops in the ground too early as well. In my neck of the woods weekend air temperatures were warm, but the soils are still too chilly to encourage tomatoes, peppers, or eggplant to do more than hang dormant until the soil warms. Such exposures often stunt warm-season transplants to a point from which they may never recuperate. And while there are some maneuvers one can do to warm soils up earlier than would otherwise happen, the use of such techniques is not generally common.

I expressed my concern as follows :

Dear Horticulture Editors,

I applaud your Q & A piece (June/July 2010 issue) on phenology – I've participated in Project BudBurst for the last two years and highly recommend the project to others. However, some of the indicator plant suggestions you list could lead novice gardeners to failure. Spring blooms have been unusually early in my zone 6a garden this year. Were a novice gardener to plant tomatoes when lily-of-the-valley bloomed, they would have placed warm-loving transplants into the ground when actual nighttime temperatures fell to freezing. Likewise, bearded iris began blooming around May 15, yet soils remain way too chilly for warmth-loving peppers and eggplant.

Since outdoor planting dates can vary significantly according to locale, wouldn't it have been responsible to advise gardeners to take note of local conditions and seek planting date advice from trusted local sources?

Nationally geared magazines often rely on generalities that suit gardens across the U.S. However, when it comes to spring or fall planting dates nothing beats solid local knowledge and experience. So take note … when seeking temperature, rainfall, or hardiness questions about plants, do so locally. It just might save your valuable tomato, pepper, and eggplant transplants from hypothermia, and you from a lot of extra and unnecessary planting and angst.

Categories: Edibles, Gardening, General, Seasons, Techniques, Zone.
Tags: gardening in Connecticut, Horticulture magazine, phenology clues, Project BudBurst, zone advice.

Spring blooms early in Connecticut

joenesgarden — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 02:59:21 +0000

Spring seems to be in a hurry here in southern CT, as if she is late for an appointment with Summer. It's now nearing the end of April and all my early daffodils and naricssi have finished or nearly finished blooming and my Poet's Daffodils (Narcissus poeticus recurvus) are in full bloom. Yet last year, I posted about an early narcissi bouquet of yellow tinged blossoms on April 22, 2009 and my Poet's were still at least a couple of weeks from bloom.

When I investigated further I pulled up a May 12, 2009 post about a lilac bouquet. This year lilacs are blooming now, on April 27. Early yes, but without the vigor and numbers of blooms they produced last year.

For mid-May 2009's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day I posted photos of lilac, sweet woodruff, Eastern Red Columbine, and azaleas. In 2010, all the same are in bloom at the end of April.

So what gives? According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – better known as NOAA – March 2010 was the warmest on record. The January through March period was the 4th warmest. No wonder Spring sprung early. Globally, the land and oceans were both warmer by about 1.2 degrees F over the twentieth century average.

In New England, Rhode Island recorded the warmest March on record; Maine the second warmest; New Hampshire the third; and Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont the fifth.

But don't throw those tender plants outside just yet. There's still a chance for plant-stunting chills in even the most southern regions of New England. It's best to keep your tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, coleus, houseplants, and other tender greens inside for at least a couple more weeks. And when you do move them out, do so gradually … perhaps to a covered porch protected from direct sun. Then, after a week or so, expose them to a little more sun each day until they are accustomed to the sun's strong rays. And don't forget to check their water needs daily.

Seeds of more hardy plants – peas, lettuce and other greens, radish, onions (sets too), etc. – can be planted outside either directly in the ground or in pots. They can take, and even benefit from a little chill.

With all the warm hugs spring has offered my region, I wonder what the summer will bring. In keeping with warm spring temps, we've already had a good summer-style thunderstorm or two – along with the phenomenal rainbow shown in my previous post - but we've also had winter/spring style cold fronts move through to remind us not to get too comfy with the warmth just yet – we're still wearing sweaters and grudgingly allowing the furnace to run. Still, overall toasty temps have stretched out to the Atlantic so it's now bathed in warmer than usual waters. Warm ocean waters means greater chances for hurricanes, and that's just what the good scientists at Colorado State University have predicted. Though I still don't understand why hurricane forecasts come from a land-locked mountain state rather than an eastern coastal one. But hey, I don't make up the rules … I just ask questions and offer photos of my favorite flowers.

Categories: Bulbs, Gardening, General, Seasons.
Tags: early bloom times, Poet's Daffodils, spring weather in Connecticut.

Newsy Gardens & Plants-April 2, 2010

joenesgarden — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 03:00:00 +0000

It's interesting how many garden, plant, and related news items pop up on my computer screen. Here's a few I've seen of late.

Hoop tunnels helped The White House Garden reap about 50 pounds of produce. Read the winter garden lessons and watch the harvest video. I'm still in awe over the fact that The White House has a working, active vegetable garden that helps feed the first family and state visitors. It's such a great example. If you are visiting the D.C. area soon their Spring garden and grounds tours at The White House run April 17-18.

Any supermarket tomatoes you buy off-season may come from giant propane-heated greenhouses in Maine where multiple varieties are hydroponically-grown, without pesticides, using recycled rain water and extra light fueled by local hydroelectric, and vine-ripened (encouraged by pumped in carbon dioxide). Full story: Giant Greenhouses Mean Flavorful Tomatoes All Year - NYTimes.com. The one here was a volunteer cherry tomato in my 2009 garden.

Take a peek at the ups and downs of indoor gardening in NYC through Ask About Growing Indoor Plants. I sometimes wonder how this country-girl would handle having to drag bags of potting soil up a 5th-floor walkup or to a roof-top garden.

Read a short interview with British landscape designer Robin Templar Williams, who is apparently making quite a splash here and across the pond. No wonder … how can you not like someone who lists irises as his fave?

Ever wonder why birds like the berries we plant as much as we do? They may be seeking out antioxidants. Migrating birds go for dark, richly colored berries to feed and soothe their travel-starved feathers. University of Rhode Island scientists suspect antioxidants in these berries – the same compounds that help humans fight stress - may help birds fight the stresses of migration.

I never cease to be amazed by topics of study, therefore I'm going to try to make this a regular Friday feature. One, it will force me to read through and summarize all the intriguing news items I see. Two, you just might enjoy reading about this stuff as much as I.

Categories: Gardening, Newsy Items, Seasons, White House garden.
Tags: birds and berries, greenhouse tomatoes, indoor gardening, landscape design, The White House Garden.

Now where were those bulbs? April GOOPs

joenesgarden — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 08:00:00 +0000

It's GOOPs day - the day I share one of my Gardening OOPs (GOOPs for short). This months GOOPs is not an April Fool's tale … but I do admit to feeling rather foolish whenever I commit this garden rearranging faux pas.

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only gardener who has senior moments, but I've made this GOOP more than once. During fall I often transplant perennials to spots that need filling. Unfortunately, I often find spring bulbs living in the very spot I planned to fill. I some cases I get lucky and don't damage the bulbs, but over the years I've lost a fair share of bulbs to inadvertent slices of a shovel. Every year I vow to remember where each clump of bulbs is … then I get busy and, by fall, I forget. I also have a habit of moving spring bulbs around by the clump after they have finished blooming. Again, I often forget I've done so.

I sound like a real scatter-brain, but I'm really just overly busy and often have too many fires going.

This year I'm using my digital camera to document where each and every bulb is planted - and I'm doing so while they are in bloom. Barring the help of the underground mammals that like to rearrange my crocus bulbs, I should have a good accounting of where clumps of bulbs reside and will be able to avoid surprises during fall transplant projects … at least as long as I take the time to properly label all my photos as I download them into their bulb location file on my computer.

So now it's your turn to fess up. What GOOPs are you willing to confess? Do share – just one please, you can GOOP again the first of next month – in a comment below or in a GOOPs Day post on your own blog, leaving a teaser and a link in a comment here.

Happy GOOPs Day – even April Fools welcome here!

Oh … and the narcissi in the photo to the right – just the start of many beautiful flower displays to come. YEAH SPRING!

Categories: Bulbs, Gardening, GOOPs-Gardening Oops, Seasons.
Tags: Bulbs, Gardening blunders, gardening in Connecticut, GOOPs Day.

A picture speaks

joenesgarden — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:41:46 +0000

Happy first day of SPRING!

Categories: Bulbs, Gardening, Seasons.
Tags: daffodils, First day of Spring.