What Grows There :: Hugh Conlon, Horticulturalist, Garden Advisor, and Photographer

Winter Care of House Plants

Posted by Hugh on January 10th, 2011

: Lovely Foliage Plants at Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC

Most plants adapt to winter’s shorter daylength and low light intensity. Interior plants require less water and nutrients. Plants also adapt to the lower room humidity in our modern day homes. Grouping plants together and spritzing them 1-2 times a day is helpful.

Soil moisture needs varies with the type of plants and the kind of containers (plastic, clay or ceramic). How long has the plant been in the same pot or planter? Plastic and ceramic pots retain soil moisture longer than clay pots.

I urge gardeners to adopt a simplistic house plant care approach. Fit plants on your everyday schedule. Make watering part of the Saturday morning chores or after Sunday church services or prior to Sunday game kickoff. Water 1-2 times weekly. If some plants don’t need water, skip them.

As winter wanes, tackle the job of re-potting those plants that have not been re-potted in one year. Gently shake off some old potting mix and transplant into a slightly larger container and new soil-less media.

Beginning March 1st, feed plants every 2-3 weeks. Most branded “house plant” fertilizers work well. My personal tip is to decrease recommended label amounts by half, and fertilizie plants twice as often from March through October.

Be vigilant about bugs and diseases. Simply washing the foliage with a mild dish washing soap, insecticidal soap or miscible oils can clean off most pest problems. Frequently, pest problems can be resolved without using inorganic pesticides.

Winter King Hawthorn – A Winter Fruit Attraction

Posted by Hugh on January 7th, 2011

: bright red fruit in winter season

‘Winter King’ is an outstanding cultivar of our native green hawthorn (Crataegus viridis) and is at home here in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA zones 6 and 7). Over the winter season few deciduous trees present a colorful fruiting display much better than Winter King.

Winter King hawthorn is a small landscape tree, maturing to 25-30 feet tall and wide in twenty years. Its medium green glossy leaves are small in size and are rarely disfigured by disease and insect problems when planted in the right landscape environment.

Winter Green grows best in a well-drained loamy soil and in full sunlight. Autumn foliage does not stand out, turning yellowish green before falling. A 3- year or older tree is exceptionally summer heat and drought tolerant.

Winter King flowers in mid-spring, usually right after ornamental crabapples, which novice gardeners often confuse with hawthorns. Individual flowers are 5-petaled and tend to be malodorous. The silvery green branches bear sparse numbers of one inch long thorns.

Winter King bears a bountiful annual crop of 1/2 inch diameter green fruits which turn bright red in the fall. They serve as a plentiful food source for winter-feeding birds and other wildlife. Deer rarely feed on the prickly branches.

As the tree ages, bark on central trunk and major scaffold branches chips off in small pieces exposing a tan to orange inner wood.

Hardy Camellias — start with this one!

Posted by Hugh on January 4th, 2011

Occasionally, gardeners need abit of confidence before purchasing a plant considered not winter hardy where they live. Twenty years ago, growing a camellia was a folly inside the Southern Appalachian region (USDA zones 6 and 7), until the Drs. Ackerman and Parks’ introductions appeared. These hardy cultivars have changed the playing field.

Recently, I asked some local camellia “experts” what one favorite cultivar gardeners should start with. While none wanted to go on record as picking just one, ‘Pink Icicle’ (pictured) appeared on everyone’s long list. One landscaper stated that he planted ‘Pink Icicle’ in an open full sun garden area of a cemetary ten years ago and all have prospered.

‘Pink Icicle’ blooms nearly two months in March and April from New York, NY, southward and westward to St. Louis, MO. It sports a glossy dark green foliage which is better looking than most fall blooming cultivars. Choose a garden location where the camellia is protected from mid-afternoon summer sun and blustery winter winds.

The culture of camellias is similar to rhododendrons and azaleas. A camellia established for two or more years in its garden space exhibits above average drought tolerance.

Recycle Live Christmas Trees

Posted by Hugh on December 30th, 2010

Ready for Recycling

The holidays are over. This year take your live Christmas tree to a designated location to be recycled. Many cities and towns collect trees which are chipped into mulch. The mulch is spread around municipal park trees and street trees. It is utilized for erosion management along stream banks and on steep slopes. Mulch is also distributed to gardeners in the spring.

Communities pile up recycled trees as protective habitats for birds and other wildlife. Whole trees may be deposited into lakes and ponds as fish habitats, particularly for bottom feeders. Along fragile coastal areas trees are used to protect and restore dune areas.

Recycled trees protect newly planted young saplings from severe winter winds and serve as snow breaks in forests and park plantings. They also prevent deer and other varmints from feeding on newly planted tree seedlings.

Regarding trees to be recycled, here are a few caveats:

Remove the stand and all decorations (lights, tinsel, ornaments, plastic garland, all metal items)
Whether recycled or for curbside pickup, don’t wrap tree in a plastic bag

Many local communities advertise special drop-off points or collection times for discarded holiday trees. Check your local newspaper, city website or community recycling center for information. If tree recycling is not offered, maybe you and some friends can help organize one.

Ice Storm- Keep Hands Off

Posted by Hugh on December 26th, 2010

Ice Coating over Lacebark Pine

An ice storm is both a beautiful and horrific scene in a garden. The potential for major tree/shrub breakage is staggering. If you feel powerless, this is good thing. During the storm, do nothing / “hands off”. Most actions will likely cause more damage than what nature may have intended.

After the storm assess the landscape areas which seem most vulnerable, or that trouble you most. Next, hire an ISA* certified professional arborist to fit your landscape into his/her schedule. At the time of the storm, arborists are likely much too busy with emergency callers.

First on your list should be large trees not pruned in many years. They are likely shedding diseased, pest ridden, or broken limbs. Weak wooded species like silver maple (Acer saccharinum), sycamore or planetree (Platanus spp.), Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana), poplars (Populus spp.), and willow (Salix spp.) seek to always drop anything from small twigs to large branches. Large evergreens like white pine (Pinus strobus) and leyland cypress (Cupressocyparis x leylandii) frequently deposit broken branches following stormy weather.

Ironically, the trees suffering the worse damage are those topped by neighbors and utility companies. The re-growths are very weak and snap off when the ice load reaches critical mass. Properly pruned trees ride out most ice storms. Take care of your trees and trees take care of you.

*International Society of Arboriculture

Try Microbiota Instead of Ground Junipers

Posted by Hugh on December 23rd, 2010

: Summer Foliage of Microbiota

Microbiota (Microbiota decussata) goes by numerous names including Russian arborvitae and Siberian cypress. This tough customer hails from Siberia, and quite cold hardy to -40 F. In the northern U.S. its lacy evergreen foliage turns brown in the dead of winter.

Here in the Southern Appalachian region, microbiota prospers in cooler parts of zone 6 and is troubled by summer heat and heavy clay soils in zone 7. Its medium green summer foliage develops a purple to bronze cast in winter. Spring warm-up restores its green needle color. Growth rate is slow to medium. Adjacent to my driveway microbiota cascades over a low retaining wall.

Substitute microbiota where you routinely plant ground cover junipers. Low growing microbiota ranges 10-12 inches in height and spreads from 6-8 feet in width. It is tolerant of dry shade. Deer and most disease and insect pests don’t bother it. It enjoys good soil moisture drainage and cool temperatures, and tolerates windy exposed sites once it becomes fully established.

Microbiota is not commonly sold at local garden centers, but may be purchase at specialty evergreen nurseries or through internet commerce. Plant container grown nursery stock in the late winter or early spring, mulch, and irrigate when natural rainfall is abnormally low.

Care of Your Poinsettia in the Home

Posted by Hugh on December 20th, 2010

'White Winter Rose' poinsettia

: ‘Pink Shimmer’ poinsettia

You’ve purchased a beautiful poinsettia and want to give it a proper home for the holidays. Room light, temperature and soil moisture are the key environmental concerns.

Place your poinsettia either in a bright sunlit room or one receiving an indirect lighting source. Keep the plant away from heating vents and drafty windows.

In general, poinsettias grow trouble free in today’s modern homes for 4-5 weeks with room temperatures between 68 and 76 °F. Winter heating results a low room humidity and daily light spritzing around plants will help. But limit the amount of mist directly hitting plant foliage to avoid mildew disease problems.

Thoroughly water your poinsettia every 5-7 days. A more accurate watering method is to poke your finger into the pot to “feel” soil dryness. Or every 2-3 days, simply pick up the plant to calculate its weight and moisture needs. If your poinsettia weighs nearly the same from one week to the next, it may have a root problem.

By mid-January the lower leaves may begin shedding. The tasks of repotting and feeding your poinsettia may be in your future. From this point on, you may decide to pitch the poinsettia or attempt to revive it.

Future blog– more on upkeep and re-blooming your poinsettia to follow in early January.

Purchasing The Perfect Poinsettia

Posted by Hugh on December 18th, 2010

One of three posts on poinsettia care:

Poinsettias delight the eye at this holiday season with their bright red (and many other color choices) leaf-like bracts. The true flowers are the small multiple buds at the base of the bracts.

To select a top quality plant, closely inspect the development of the small flowers. Buds should tightly closed or barely showing few yellow stamens (photo). Once the flowers have fully opened and dried, your poinsettia’s overall health declines.

Before purchasing, inspect the stems and leaf undersides for insects and insect. Don’t buy plants which have pests. The plant foliage should be dark green throughout. If bottom leaves are starting to yellow, don’t buy. The plant should also stand on its own and not be staked or wired.

Don’t shock or damage in transit to your home or a friend’s home. Pre-heat your car and pull up to the door before carrying out the plant from the store.

Next post— “Care of Your Poinsettia in the Home”

Lacebark pine- an investment in the future

Posted by Hugh on December 13th, 2010

Many rare and unusual garden plants are introduced into a garden as a thoughtful gift. Lacebark pine (Pinus bungeana) is an arboreal aristocrat which a few gardeners are privileged to own. Lacebark is a lovely 3- needle pine with exquisite exfoliating bark which becomes more attractive each succeeding year. The lacebark feature begins after 8-10 years, but it’s worth waiting ifyou’re a young and/or patient gardener.

Lacebark is a medium 30-50 foot tall multi-branched pine. Start with an affordable 2 – 3 foot shrub. A young lacebark is slow-growing; growth pace gradually picks up to average 4-5 inches annually. The 2 – 4 inch long needles are stiff and prickly to the touch.

Lacebark requires no special care other than routine late winter feeding and refreshing the mulch around the plant. Plant lacebark in full sun and in above-average garden soil. Use a slow release acidic fertilizer specially labeled for evergreens. Occasionally prune off a side branch to get a better view the mosaic bark.

Most potentially serious disease and insect pests may be avoided with proper siting and care. Select a visible landscape location which is frequently visited, such as near a patio, carport, driveway or a window which looks out at the lacebark.

Lacebark pine can be purchased from specialty mail-order nurseries via the internet. Lacebark is a long term investment, one that you and future generations will cherish for its exquisite patchwork bark.

Hydrangea Invincibelle Spirit ®

Posted by Hugh on December 10th, 2010

photo source: Spring Meadow Nursery

Hydrangea Invincibelle® Spirit ranks as one of the finest new plant introductions in 2010. This hydrangea comes from a good bloodline. Invincibelle® Spirit is a pink flowering clone originating from Annabelle. The cultivar ‘Annabelle’ (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’) has been a star in Southern Appalachian gardens (USDA hardiness zones 6 and 7) for the past quarter century.

Invincibelle® Spirit grows in a wide variety of well-drained soils. It adapts to many light regimes in the garden from full to partial sun. The 3- to 4- foot tall shrub blooms on new or current season’s wood.

Annual pruning is simply to cutback plant height to 8-12 inches before new growth begins in early spring. Fertilize established shrubs in early spring using 10-10-10 or equivalent. Irrigate new plants weekly and established shrubs over prolonged dry spells.

One dollar from each plant sold is donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The goal of the U.S. Nursery Industry is to raise $1 million in the mission to find a cure in our lifetime. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime.

Update (December 2012). Since 2009, more than $472,000 has been raised since Invincibelle Spirit was introduced.