A Large Clay Patio

A while back we started a project in the country south of town that included a large brick patio and sidewalk, a patio “island” with a water feature, and a stone walkway leading to an sitting area comprised of 3 large sitting stones and a primitive-type stone bench. The project was in the back yard, and extended out from a deck that the owner had constructed a year or two ago. The patio was constructed with clay pavers that we had shipped in from Ohio. These pictures show the project in in the later stages of progress. When finished, the water feature will consist of a bubbling rock surrounded by ground covers and few perennials.

In the photo at right (taken from the deck), you can see the bubbling rock in the foreground, in with some larger stones that serve as a backdrop and as a place to sit and enjoy the surroundings. The sand that you see spread on the top of the pavers will end up in the cracks between the pavers using a vibrating plate packer.



In the photo below, you can see Jason Larson packing the clay pavers into the sand base that is beneath the pavers while at the same time vibrating the sand that’s on the top of the pavers down in to the spaces between them. This locks the pavers together which provides stability to the patio and keeps them from shifting. In the background you can see the future flagstone walkway, which will lead to another sitting area with a stone bench.

A project like this takes a lot of calculations in order to get it just right. In this photo Jon Larsen (left) is doing some calculations to determine the proper height for the stone walkway that he will soon be starting.

I will be showing some photos of the finished landscape project soon!

Winter Burn On Evergreens

Minnesota’s winters can be really tough on landscape plants. The combination of cold temperatures, winter sun, and drying winds can damage or even kill buds, bark, roots. Hungry mice and rabbits can nibble away at bark and branches, causing severe damage or even death. In addition, evergreens, can suffer from winter burn, the most susceptible being juniper, pine, hemlock, arborvitae, and yew. New plantings can get hit especially hard.

Evergreens are usually one of the earlier plants to show visible signs of winter injury in the spring, known as winter burn. This happens when the ground is frozen, and the winter sun and wind causes the leaves to lose moisture. Because the plant can’t replace the lost moisture from frozen soil, they literally dry out and turn brown. This normally occurs on the south or southwest side of the plant, or if it is in an exposed location, on the windward side. A very important contributing factor is lack of snow cover, especially when the soil freezes early before the needles get a chance to acclimate to the cold weather ahead, causing even more moisture loss. A late cold snap in the spring after the branches have leafed out can also cause browning.

This doesn’t necessarily mean the death of the plant, however, so don’t get impatient and cut out the brown branches. In many cases, the branch itself will still be alive and will send out new shoots. (See photo at right) However if you can’t stand looking at the brown needles, try getting out your old kitchen broom and brush them off of the plant. Just be sure you don’t break any branches. Photo at right is from R. W. Stack, North Dakota State University. Click to enlarge.

Prevention

The best way to prevent winter burn on your evergreens is to plant them in the right location. Avoid locations that are both exposed to the northwest winter wind and the winter sun . Also keep them away from your furnace or clothes dryer vent! Some evergreens are more tolerant of winter burn than others. Teuton yew and Techny arborvitae are two that can be safely exposed to the winter sun.
Also, make sure your evergreens don’t go in to the winter with the soil dry. The plants need moisture in the soil to replace the moisture loss from the leaves. Make sure you keep them well watered, especially if they have gone through a dry spell in the late summer or fall. October and November (and sometimes December) is not too late, as long as the soil is not frozen and will take the water.
If you have already planted them the situation described, or that plant “just has” to to be in that location, then some winter protection may need to be provided in the way of protection from the winter wind and sun. The most common way is to use a sheet of burlap (available at most large garden centers) wrapped around the plant and held together by twine. Just make sure you don’t wrap it too tight, and leave it open at the top for air to get in and out.
Anti desiccants have also been used. They are mixed with water and sprayed on the plant, leaving a “waxy” coating to prevent moisture loss. However, recent research has shown the results to be generally disappointing.

Perennials of the year 1998-2002

2002 Phlox “David’
This white flowered phlox makes a great mid-size addition to any flower garden. The white flowers give your garden more color longer in the day, because the white flowers reflect more light in the evening. Plant it next to your garden path or entry, so you can smell the fragrant flowers. It is powdery milder resistant, which is important for a phlox. Make sure you enjoy it inside, too, as it makes a great cut flower. Easy to grow, gets to about 30″, likes full sun. Easy to divide and give to your friends!

2001 Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’
This upright grass plant seems to becoming used more and more every year.The long bloom period (mid summer through fall) make it a great accent plant or background plant. The Light brown spikes stay on all winter, making it great for winter interest. I like to cut the spikes and use them in fall arrangements. Best in full sun, but will take some morning shade, and is drought tolerant. Makes a nice container plant, too

2000 Scabiosa ‘Butterfly Blue’
This long blooming “pincushion” flower will make a great addition to the front border of your garden. The small but profuse flowers will start appearing in early to mid summer assn continue in to late mid fall. Dead-head (remove faded flowers) to promote more blooms. The mounded shape with its soft textured leaves makes for a nice mixed container plant or it can be planted close together for a larger, massed effect. Also makes a nice rock garden plant. Grows to 12″ x 12″, likes full sun.

1999 Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’
One of the all-time favorites! Easy to grow. The golden yellow flowers with their brown centers make a great combination with Calamagrostis (mentioned earlier) or just about any of the ornamental grasses. Also looks great when planted with purple coneflower. Has a long bloom time, mid summer through the fall. Attractive to butterflies when in bloom. The brown cone-like seed heads make for great winter interest. Make sure you take your camera out and take a picture of them, when after a light snow, the cones have neat little “snow caps” on them. Watch for finches to come in the late fall and and flit around on the plants, picking at the seed heads, looking for a treat. Grows to about 2′ x2′. Will tolerate some shade. Makes a great cut flower, easy to divide

1998 Purple Coneflower v. ‘Magnus’
This coneflower is closely related to our native coneflower. This perennial self-seeds so you can dig up the seedlings in the fall or early spring. Another favorite of butterflies. Its long bloom period starts in the summer and stretches into fall. Combine it with Goldsturm Rudbeckia in cut flower arrangements. Like the Goldsturm, the cone-like seed heads last into the winter and are a source of food for our winter friends the birds. Drought tolerant, likes full sun. Grows to 30-36″. Easy to divide.

2007 Nepata, Walker’s Low
One of the tougher perennials you will find. Your cats will love this one, as Nepata is also a variety of catmint. Likes full sun tolerates a wide range of soils, and is drought tolerant. Will bloom most of the summer, especially if it gets cut back after it’s first flush of flowers. Grows to about 30″ (not really low unless you compare it to other catmints), attracts butterflies, very fragrant leaves and stems when crushed

2006 Dianthus, Firewitch
A great rock garden or edging plant it that is easy to grow. It likes a well drained site in full sun. Tolerant of dry situations once established. An early to mid summer bloomer. Grows to 8″ x 15″ Gray-green foliage makes a nice contrast to the bright pink flowers. Makes quite a show when planted as a mass.

2005 Helleboros (Lenton Rose)
Helleboros contains many varieties, accompanied by just as many colors. This is a great plant for full to partial shade. This is one of the earliest bloomers, blooming in early spring, as early as April and early May. It is tolerant of normal soil but likes it to be well drained. Normal size is usually about 18″ x 18″. Makes a good specimen or can be used as a woodland plant.

2004 Athyrium ‘Pictum’ Japanese Painted Fern
An easy fern to grow as long as it has a well drained soil to grow in. Grows in partial to full shade, but doesn’t like competition from tree roots. Has a more compact growth habit than other ferns. . The fronds are two toned with grey green and silver/pewter. A great accent due to its unusual coloring and compact growth habit. Also looks nice as a rock garden plant. Grows to 18″ X18″.

2003 Leucanthemum ‘Becky’ Shasta Daisey
One of the easiest perennials to grow, the shasta daisy has been around forever.Grows in about any soil and tolerates the summer heat. Has a long bloom period, from midsummer to early fall. Likes full sun, but will tolerant some shade. May require staking if grown in partial shade. Grows to 36″ hi x 18″ wide. A can’t-miss perennial.

There are two types if plants that attract butterflies. They are 1) a nectar source for the butterfly, and 2) a food source for the larvae to feed on. The more you have of each, the better your chances are of attracting a wide variety of butterflies to your garden. You should also include a variety of plants that have different bloom periods to extend the season of bloom. Butterflies in general like plants that have large or flat flower clusters. Remember not to use insecticides on your garden! (For obvious reasons) Photo at left: Monarch an a Yarrow plant

Tip: Try keeping a butterfly journal. Keep a record of what kinds of butterflies visit your garden, and their favorite plants. Which flowers attract the most variety of butterflies? What time of day do most of them come to your garden? This would make a great 4 H project!

Shrubs pictures
Viburnum, Chokeberry, Lilac, Spirea, Butterfly bush, Spirea, Mock orange, Red leafed cherry, Potentilla (yellow), Weigela

Annuals pictures
Ageratum, Nasturtium, Salvia, Petunia, Snapdragon, Alyssum.

Perennials (some of my favorites, there are more)
Columbine (below right), Black-eyed Susan, Purple Coneflower, Liatris, Joe-Pye weed, Milkweed (below left), Sedum (tall varieties), Shasta daisy, Yarrow, Fall-blooming Aster, Butterfly weed, Daylily, Scabiosa.

Building a Butterfly Garden: First Things First!

Along with the increased interest in the use of native plants for landscaping, butterfly watching has come right alongside it and has become a popular pastime. By choosing the right plants, anyone can create a butterfly garden, whether it be in a space as small as an apartment window box or a large garden that will attract a wide variety of butterflies. (Among other friendly creatures!)

Before planting the garden it is best to educate yourself about the life cycle of the butterfly, the conditions it likes best, the food that it likes and the best location for your garden.

Life cycle Butterflies go through 3 life stages (egg, caterpillar, and cocoon) before they reach the 4th, or adult stage. Eggs are usually laid on the host ( food source) plant and will hatch in as little as a few days or as long as 2-3 weeks. The larvae (see Monarch larvae at left) hatches out of the egg and begins to feed on the host plant. The larvae (caterpillar) will continue to feed on the host plant, shedding its skin as it grows to full size. When full size is reached, it begins to pupate, or form a cocoon. It may hang by what appears to be a small thread, or it can attach itself to a small branch or leaf.

Location It is best to select a sunny location with well drained soil that will support a variety of plants. It also gives an opportunity for the butterflies to sun themselves. Try to keep it out of the wind. Find some large stones or a flat-shaped fieldstone boulder (you may need help getting it there!) that will provide a good basking spot, and will also hold heat when it starts to cool down later in the day. If you can, provide a water source for them. Something as simple as moist earth or a mud puddle works great. You can buy a piece of drip irrigation line and attach it to your hose to keep the ground moist with a slow dripping action.

Next week look for a list of plants you can use to create a your own butterfly garden!

Perennial of the Year: Geranium ‘Rozanne’

Each year, the Perennial Plant Association picks a perennial plant that it feels has the outstanding qualities to be voted Perennial Plant of the Year. This year the award goes to Geranium ‘Rozanne’(see photo at left). I noticed that some sources list it as a zone 4 plant, and others as a zone 5. With the global warming, Northfield is on the border between both zones 4 and 5, depending on who’s zone map you are looking at. (I like the one put out by the National Arbor Day Foundation, because it uses the most recent data). I would recommend you start out with a trial plant to see how it performs over a couple of winters. If you don’t know your climate zone, go to our home page and enter your zip code on the Arbor Day box at the bottom of the page. One source I checked out called it the next best thing to an annual, because if it’s long blooming period. The description below is from the Perennial Plant Association.

The Perennial Plant Association has awarded the title of Perennial Plant of the Year® to Geranium ‘Rozanne’. Donald and Rozanne Waterer discovered this strong performing hardy geranium in their garden in Somerset, England in 1989. It has 2 ½ inch, iridescent violet-blue, saucer-shaped flowers with purple-violet veins and radiant white centers. Bloom time is from late spring to mid fall.

• Size - 20 to 24 inches tall and 24 to 28 inches wide
• Light - Best in full sun to partial shade, afternoon shade is advisable in hot climates
• Soil - Prefers moist, well-drained soil
• Uses - Geranium ‘Rozanne’ may be used as a dynamic ground cover or as an attractive specimen plant. It is a good companion plant to Shasta daisy, perennial salvia, speedwell, hostas, and short ornamental grasses. Rozanne’senergetic habit makes it a worthy tenant of patio containers, window boxes,and hanging baskets.
• Unique Qualities - The large violet-blue flowers with purple-violet veins and small white centers offer non-stop flowering through the growing season. It has one of the longest flowering periods of any of the hardy geraniums.

I’m sure most of you have heard of theOld Farmer’s Almanac

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What most of us think of when Farmer’s Almanac is mentioned is long range forecasts. But it also contains a lot of other information, such as gardening tips, tide tables, moon phases, astronomy and articles on farming. It has been around for over 225 years, making it the longest running periodical ever.

According to the Almanac, May 2008 wil l be wetter than usual, but with the exception of some of August, we are in for a dry summer with about average temperatures. The fall is predicted to start out very warm.

You can also check out the weather history on any given day all the way back to 1946. http://www.almanac.com/weatherhistory/

This is a fun website to Poke around” on. I like to check out their fishing advice!! It has something of interest for everybody. Have fun!!

Avg. Temperature: 55° (avg.)
Precipitation: 4″ (1″ above avg.)
May. 1-3: T-storms, very warm
May. 4-8: Showers, cool
May. 9-12: Sunny, warm
May. 13-16: Rain, chilly
May. 17-20: Sunny, warm
May. 21-25: Heavy rain, then sunny, warm
May. 26-31: Scattered t-storms, very warm

Bachman’s Spring Open House

A while back Jason, John and I took a short trip up to Bachman’s Cedar Acres site to attend their Spring open house for landscape contractors and gardeners. There were some interesting products and seminars. Of special interest in the new products was a pre-assembled bubbling rock. It would make a nice water feature if you don’t want to go to the expense of installing a larger water feature or pond and waterfall system. You get the benefit of the sound of running water but fish and plants are optional. I could see it being integrated into a paver patio with ground cover plants and maybe a water lily or two.

We also saw a low profile vinyl landscape edging ( that doesn’t show that “black bead” that some clients don’t like.) that can take the place of steel or aluminum edging. It is quite a bit thicker than regular vinyl edging, so it will hold its shape better, which will do a better job of keeping the integrity of the bed lines.

We also attended some good plant and hardscape seminars. Of particular interest to me was a seminar on rain gardens presented by Rusty Schmidt (photo at left) of the Washington County Conservation District. He talked about a project they did in the cities where they installed several rain gardens in a block of a residential area, and reduced the runoff in to the storm system by approximately 80%!. I am going to learn more about this process and share it with you.

John Daniels (right) of Bachman’s also gave a presentation iinforming us “what’s new” in the plant world. There are some new varieties of spruce and some interesting, ornamental barberries.

All in all it was a really nice open house, very well attended and with standing room only for the seminars.They also gave tour of their greenhouse range. Great food, too!

National Arbor Day is coming soon! Arbor Day is a day set aside to celebrate and observe the importance of trees in our environment and to encourage tree planting. National Arbor Day is the last Friday in April, but many states observe Arbor Day on different dates, according to their best tree-planting times. Arbor Day in Maine, for example, isn’t until the 3rd full week of May. In Minnesota, we observe Arbor Day on the last Friday of April.

This is an excellent time to increase the awareness of our environment and the irreversible role that trees play in literally creating the air we breath. I would encourage you to go on-line to their website (see below) and order some inexpensive trees or shrubs. They will make an excellent project for the family on a nice Spring day. Or you could volunteer to take a class of young kids out and plant them at their school, or even send them home to plant them at home. A few years back I took a class of 2nd graders out and we toured a tree nursery and then gave them a green ash tree to plant at home. They still remember planting their tree and have enjoyed watching it grow over the years!

If you go to their website (http://www.arborday.org/arborday/index.cfm), you can find tons of useful information. For example you can use their on-line guide to tree identification, get ideas for children’s programs, or find information on upcoming conferences and seminars. They also have an on-line tree store and merchandise store. Check it out!