Join Me For #GardenChat

On Monday nights, a kindred community of the gardening persuasion meets up on Twitter 

from 9:00--10:00pm EST for a full hour of, well, garden chat!

I'll be hosting the discussion this Monday night, January 21. We'll be talking about old school gardening. Such an honor and a thrill. Hope you can join us!

Here's how it works:

There's more than one way to skin a cat! You can follow along by using the hashtag #gardenchat, or you can follow the Garden Chat account at @TheGardenChat. (I'm @allthingsfarmer if you'd like to follow me too!)

There will be 5 questions pushed out throughout the hour to focus the discussion on the topic of the week. And you just weigh in!

One thing about Garden Chat is that it does go fast, but not to worry! There will be transcripts available online here.

Hydrangeas

It's time to start thinking about my favorite summer flower: the hydrangea. In the past, I've done a lot of writing about hydrangeas, and so I decided to jump into hydrangea plantin' time with a few short videos. Have a look and tell us what you're doing with YOUR hydrangeas this year!


Hydrangea Blue: This Farmer's Favorite Spring Hue from James Farmer on Vimeo.




Hydrangeas: From Pot to Plot from James Farmer on Vimeo.


As always, thanks to Room Eleven Media for producing this videos!

Q and A with Spoonful - Knockout Roses, Tomatoes, and Full Sun

Hello all! It's me again, Sarah Barry Spooner from Spoonful, a novice gardener and friend of the Farmer. One advantage I have as having James as a real life friend is that I can shoot him an e-mail with my gardening woes and questions. Below in green are the questions I sent him regarding knockout roses, tomatoes, and full sun. I found his answers helpful and totally worthy of a blog post. James agreed.

my email to James:


James,

my knockout roses are splotchy on the leaves. are they diseased? what should i do?

also, i'm working on tomatoes. last time i grew these rodents got them. is there a good way to keep this from happening? should we get a scarecrow?

oh and when should i pick them {tomatoes} off the vine? when they are green?

what is considered full sun? is there an hourly limit? my yard is so shady and i'm really hoping my zinnias and wild flowers will make it. i planted in sunny places, but even the sunny places are somewhat shady at certain parts of the day.

i know you are super busy! answer these questions in your own time. i was thinking we could make a post about them. sort of a Q and A. I'll provide pictures if you like and link up on my blog.

i love collecting gardening knowledge little pieces at a time, year by year.

Mama Spoon

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James' answers are in blue text

my knockout roses are splotchy on the leaves. are they diseased? what should i do?

KO roses are probably the most disease resistant roses out there. Occasional splotches and blotches are to be expected on any rose though. Honestly, I wouldn’t worry too much about them. Clip off spent blossoms to encourage new growth, fertilize with rich organic matter, and if the spots become severe, try a mixture of Murphy’s oil soap and water one cup to one gallon. Spray on the leaves, underneath the foliage too. That little bit of oil soap makes it tough for critters to stay on the leaves. There are non-organic and other methods to try, but for KO roses, I’d wouldn’t be too stressed.

also, i'm working on tomatoes. last time i grew these rodents got them. is there a good way to keep this from happening? should we get a scarecrow?

There is probably a remedy for every rodent when it comes to growing tomatoes and the like. Scarecrows do help, until the crow start resting on his arms! Rodents are startled easily so if the scarecrow has something that moves with the wind or is reflective on him, then that might help scare the crow away. Other fun things…marigolds help keep aphids away, cayenne pepper is frowned upon by squirrels, and moth balls detour just about anything or anyone!

oh and when should i pick them{tomatoes} off the vine? when they are green?

LOVE this question!!! pick off the vine when YOU want to eat it. tomatoes and many other fruits will ripen off the vine, but on the vine lends the most flavor. YET, there is that magic moment when a tomato is absolutely perfect one second and rotten the next. I pick them when I need them or know I’ll need them. Say I’m having BLT’s for lunch or tomatoes with supper…I’ll pick them that morning for sure or even the day before. With the heat coming on strong, the fruits will ripen faster, so picking a few green ones to ripen off the vine on your kitchen window sill or screen porch is just fine. Pick when you need them or within the day of cooking with them. And remember, each stage of the tomato’s ripeness yields different flavor…the green ones are spicy and mix well with red ones in a stew or succotash.

what is considered full sun? is there an hourly limit? my yard is so shady and i'm really hoping my zinnias and wild flowers will make it. i planted in sunny places, but even the sunny places are somewhat shady at certain parts of the day.

Full sun…that’s a loaded question… sunlight is somewhat akin to color theory…your blue might be gray and my green might be blue. But typically, an area that receives 6 or more hours of sunlight a day is considered “full sun.” When those 6 hours hit the plant it makes a huge difference. Morning light or an eastern exposure is completely different than a western exposure. Six hours of morning light versus afternoon light can make or break a plant. So when considering full sun, consider the type of light the plant will receive. Anything that gets sunlight from noon on is full hot sun to me. Yet, a plant that needs full sun and gets it until, say 3 pm, will be just fine shaded the rest of the day. Plants like hydrangeas and azaleas, or ANY blooming plant for that matter, need sunlight to photosynthesize and flower, but that softer sun, such as eastern exposures, is ideal for shady plants who still need some sunny love.

This was too much fun!!! thanks dear!!! let’s do more!

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Just for fun, some pictures of my efforts...past and present....

yellow knockout roses, given to us for our son's first birthday. What a neat gift, right?!

homegrown tomatoes, graciously donated to us in summer 2009 because mine were a big failure

 my first zinnia garden, summer 2008

Thanks for having me back, James!

Points on Perennials

· Remember to fill in some of the interludes of the perennial border with some annual color. Whenever a break in bloom cycle occurs in the garden, a few ever-blooming or bold foliage choices stopgap any lull between perennial bloom sessions.


· Look to your native bloomers as stellar choices for your garden palette. The indigenous species blooming and thriving in your native landscapes can fair quite well in your garden.

· Light and water – keep companion plants together in the garden for water and energy conservation. Companion planting can be one of the most rewarding gardening themes for your own plot of earth.


· The old adage of blooming where you are planted bodes well for living with a garden. Here in the Deep South zones 7—9, try not to grow those plants that fair will in zones 5 or 10. Cultivating within your zone appoints the garden and gardener with successful plants.

· Record your garden adventures and compare notes with friends. I learn so much from my fellow troopers with dirt on their hands. Gleaning knowledge, tips, and advice from those digging, planting, and cultivating alongside you makes for a treasure trove of garden information.


· Year to year blooms thus perennial maintenance. Keep you perennial borders weeded, deadheaded, and free of debris so your plants have room to grow and bloom. Thriving perennials will even need to be divided and can be shared with gardening friends and scattered around the garden.


· As with garden living in general, growing perennials is a labor of love. Enjoy your garden and plantings. A happy gardener can be a happy cook, host, and decorator with their garden’s produce. Garden living should be an enjoyable lifestyle, enriching your life and of those around you.

Mr. Turtle may have seen better days, but he's still around!

Gardening Indoors…Bringing the Outdoors, In!

With today’s high nearing a frigid 40 something and a wind that just took any of the sun’s warmth away, gardening may not be on the forefront of many minds. For those gardeners, like yours truly, who are always looking for a chance to get a little dirt under our nails, then gardening indoors may be just the ticket to a gardening quick fix.

One of the best things a gardener can do during these cold winter months is to plan ahead for the coming season. Part of that planning may be thinking about favorite specimens in the garden from past seasons, arranging more spots for that specimen, and even propagating a few sprigs of said specimen for friends and other spots in the garden. Take ‘Powis Castle’ Artemisia - one of my absolute favorite plants in general and an easy one to propagate.

Evergreen, aromatic, lovely in arrangements, and very heat tolerant, this plant just has “blue ribbon winner” written all over it. Since the plant is evergreen in the Deep South, it can be easily propagated, or rooted, throughout the year. I like to take cuttings with several “nodes” or spots where new leaves/growth bud from and keep them in a jar until they sprout roots. Once a few roots have sprouted, then I like to plant them in plastic pots brimming with fluffy potting soil (Fafard and Metro Mix, Miracle Grow, Jungle Growth, etc) and let more roots develop until I have just the spot for them in the garden. Snips of stem with nodes and buds dipped in root hormone and stuck in soil works well too.

Another best of best when it comes to winter flowers besides the Camellia (I won’t even start on how fabulous they are…another post I promise…) is the Viburnum tinus or Winter Blooming Viburnum.

So, it is literally January and cold and this plant is blooming all across the Deep South. Whitish pink blooms with deep russet to coral buds…this plant is an A++++ student in the garden classroom. I love to use it for garnishes, bouquets, and nosegays around the house. It lasts for at least a week in water and roots with root hormone and soil in a jiffy. Homework assignment – plant one or two (I’ve got a hedge of them across the back fence!) in your garden and enjoy them! Winter Daphne and Winter Honeysuckle are in this league, so go on and add them too!

Gardening with everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink…Many of my rootings are cultivated at my “kitchen sink garden.” Most avid gardeners and cooks have them…a spot near the sink – usually a ledge or windowsill – where jars, bottles, pots, and cups boast their trappings from the garden, and, thus serve as a nursery to “hatch” out the sprigs we’re rooting. Herbs, leaves, stem pieces, root bits, flowers, and sticks all aggregate together to form our little household nurseries.

Since I spend a good bit of time at the sink, the “kitchen sink garden” becomes my little cachepot of favorite things from the day, project, or season. It could have a few buds of lilies leftover from a large arrangement, sprigs of herbs waiting to be cooked with, or little fragments and collections from my walks about the garden and woods. (I’ve kept Dixie cups of Nature on my windowsills for as long as I can remember. Mama always says that whatever I didn’t stick in a Dixie cup, most likely would be found in my pocket! Some things never change!)

Arrange in a theme, like silver juleps cups and planters with flowers, tonal shades of green, or a fun mix…experiment with your “kitchen sink” style and see what fits. One of my great-grandmother’s silver trays usually serves as my tableau. Great-great Aunt Irene’s mother-of-pearl salt and pepper shakers, a few bottles I’ve found or collected, whatever soap and lotion I’m obsessed with at the moment, and a favorite platter all arrange nicely with my cuttings. A few of my favorite things to go along with a few of my favorite things!

Once our little garden smidgens sprout or root, we kitchen gardeners plant them in the real garden or share them with friends or neighbors. Start a “kitchen sink garden” and notice those of gardener friends alike. It’s a great way to keep your thumb green when the sky is gray and Old Man Winter’s here to stay!

A quick list of plants that work well for cuttings inside during the winter months and at “kitchen sink” locales are…

• Begonias like Rex and Midnight Star…Google them and be amazed!
• African Violets
• Artemisia…be sure to get some buds or nodes on the stem
• Creeping Jenny
• Wondering Jew or Setcreasea
• Cornstalk Plant
• Some Succulents and Sedums
• Ivy
• Pothos…try the chartreuse varieties…they’re amazing!
• Even try stems of dormant hydrangeas like Nikko Blue! Stick ‘em in the ground to root if no luck at the sink trial gardens!

Tips for January Gardening in the Deep South

Don’t chuckle and laugh at the title…Gardening in January? Yes sir! Probably the best time to plant large shrubs and trees and for pruning evergreens and summer-flowering shrubs, but there is much more!

I have come to be so thankful for January. The stillness, serenity, and graceful beauty of winter took some maturity on my part to realize. A time for everything…To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…this Ecclesiastical axiom boasts so much truth…especially for gardening.

After the fullness of Christmas, the Halcyon Days of winter are just what the garden and gardener need. Study the branch structure of trees (pecans, birches, cherries, oaks, and beech to name a few) that are barren during this season. The harmony of gray bark and pale blue sky, sharpened with shards of green from rye, fescue, or moss are just marvelous. Take notes of these colors and then reflect on them later in the year…I’m always so amazed by the ever-changing seasonal palette.

Prune, clean, take inventory of tools, and plan your garden additions during this time. Learn the bones of your garden…you can see them very clearly now in the Deep South. Ask yourself… Does that tree need limbing up a bit? Should I move that clump of this or that? Would a hedge or border be a good definition for that bed? These and many more can be handled during this month.

Here’s a tip list of some gardening chores for January:

• Prune Crepe Myrtles…DON’T CREPE MURDER!!!!!!!!! Notice the word PRUNE (to snip: cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of; dress the plants in the garden). Snip off the spent seedpods…that’s about all you need to do. You can remove criss-crossing branches, inward growing branches and suckers, but DO NOT chain saw these trees in half or to the ground. If your tree is too large for the spot, you may have the wrong specimen or even plant choice. Just cut them back by a fourth at the very most. These trees are native throughout the Deep South and bloom perennially ever year in their habitats. Birds and wind naturally trim these trees in the wild so take a cue from nature and do the same.

• Trim evergreens like boxwood and holly. Selectively sculpt and shape your shrubs – using their natural shape as your guide. American boxwoods are naturally egg shaped, so keep that shape in mind. Japanese and Korean box make good hedges but don’t scalp them. Hollies, like ‘Mary Nell’ and ‘Nellie R. Stevens’ are naturally pyramidal, so keep them that way. Unless you are bent and determined on shaping your shrubs into poodles, dolphins, and aircraft, Heaven forbid, follow the natural form of the plant.

• Liriope can be cut back now as well…don’t wait too late or you’ll cut this year’s foliage off…let Valentine’s Day be your cutoff date for Winter pruning. (Evergreen Giant should NOT be touched…just fertilize in early spring.)

• Stick to the May Rule…you’ll be quite successful with pruning if you stick to said rule! The May Rule…if you learn nothing else about pruning, remember the May Rule. If the shrub blooms BEFORE May, then prune the plant immediately after (or while it’s blooming to bring the blossoms inside for an arrangement) the shrub has bloomed. This bids well for azaleas, Spring blooming spireas, forsythia, camellias and sassanquas, quince, dogwood, red bud, Japanese magnolia, tea olive, winter daphne, English dogwood, and other “blooms before May” shrubs.

If the shrub blooms AFTER May, prune the plant during dormancy or winter time. This goes for hydrangeas (except Oak Leaf – prune immediately after blooming or during for arrangements), crape myrtles, vitex, roses, althea, grapes (coldest day of the year), Confederate rose, pyrancantha, liriope and small fruit trees.

For Evergreens (hollies, boxwood, conifers, ligustrum...etc), think Christmas decoration…cut them in December and use them for your Holiday décor! January and February and just fine as well. You want to shape the “bones” of your garden during winter so that the new flush of growth stems from your Winter pruning technique thus keeping your shape…top off any stray branches or “wild hairs” that may occur in spring and early summer.

If you prune your garden correctly, it will reward you with bountiful blooms at appropriate times!

• Plant bare root trees like fruit and nut trees as well as balled and burlapped shrubs. Winter is a great time to plant these specimens before the heat and stress of heat kick in.

• Stone work…if you plan to lay some stone or stack some stone walls, this is a great time. Define your beds with cobbles or a stacked stone wall for added detail and crisp edges. Since you are “dry stacking” or not using mortar, the cold of January will not affect the mortar, cement, etc. Heavy pieces, like 2” thick material, can be lain in sand or crushed stone this time of year as well. Lay the pieces in a “butt joint” or side by side fashion for a crisp and clean look. Dwarf mondo and sod can be lain in the cracks to add a touch of green or texture to the stonework as well.

• Last but not least, mulch your beds…put them to bed. Cover them with a neat blanket of straw, mulch, or leaf matter after cleaning and trimming. A neatly kept bed with fresh mulch can be just as delightful as a riot of color and blooms.