by Judy Kautz, OSU Extension Master GardenerAre you a homeowner that desires a little isolation in your landscape? Do you want a fast-growing natural greenery screen that offers privacy? With some right choices, you can make it happen, especially if you know exactly what you want when you shop at the garden center. Which plants grow fast and what are their natural habits? Plants are a lot like people, and they like to do it their way. This article will help you identify the plants that will flourish and find happy homes in your retreat. For a fast-developing green privacy fence, try bamboo. Woody, sectioned stems branch out in leafy clusters while the jointed rhizomes in the root system concentrate on developing underground. Choose the type that fits your property: Running bamboo grows much like the lady fern. One plant can send rapidly growing roots for distances away from the parent plant where they send up multiple vertical shoots from joints. CAUTION – running bamboo is very invasive, so use care when planting it. An alternative is clumping bamboo, which has a clumping habit much like the beautiful wood fern. The underground rhizomes remain close to the parent and form neat clumps. Get ready for action from a mature plant that may increase in length by several feet a day. For beautiful color in a tall-growing deciduous shrub, plant Rose of Sharon, which has a natural spreading habit that can easily serve as a shield for any homeowner that desires an amount of seclusion; another benefit is that it can be pruned into a flat shape. If you choose this plant for a natural green fence, it will reward you with mid-summer, beautiful hibiscus-like blooms. Rose of Sharon can grow up to 20 feet and blooms in the summer. Enjoy holiday color and concealment with winter red Holly. A dense, impenetrable natural fence is possible in your landscape with this plant, which displays clusters of red berries. It has the security of a chain-link fence without the intrusion of man-made wires. It can grow into a thicket that protects your home like brambles. Pruning and maintenance determine the height, but unchecked, it can tower to 15 feet. Winter red holly can form an impenetrable fence and rewards in winter with beautiful red berries. Windbreaks or screens are popular using cypress, an evergreen that displays tiny scale-like leaves and produces medium size cones that appear to have scales. The Arizona Cypress can grow to 40 feet tall and spread to 20 feet. It’s the answer to any privacy concern. Another alternative is Italian Cypress, a thick, columnar form of a tree that can reach 60 feet. New growth puts on a show of golden yellow foliage. The Clematis vine can be the answer to an earth-friendly solid wall of greenery. A trellis or wire fence covered with clematis becomes a colorful blooming display in the spring season; moreover, it’s a secure fence that’s easy to maintain. Clip some of the blossoms from your privacy fence and use them for interior decorating. Clematis offers beautiful color as well as covering a fence. Privet is a shrub that may be the most popular plant for hedge designs. The blue-black fruits make it attractive to birds. White flowers appear in spring and in early summer, which transforms the greenery into a spectacular show. Your privacy is guaranteed when you invest your time and money into growing a natural privet screen.
Photinia is a plant that will attract birds as well as offer privacy. Some types of Photinia can grow to 15 feet, which makes them suitable for your secluded family retreat. Red or black berries that appear through the fall and winter months become invitations to the birds. Add some clusters of white flowers in spring, and your hideaway is complete. Finally, Ivy spreads horizontally over the ground, and it can vertically turn a chain link fence into a private green wall promptly. It climbs walls and trellises with aerial rootlets that grasp and cling. The roots run deep in the soil to discourage erosion, and it has a dependable and uniform growth habit that is a welcome addition to any yard decor. Living greenery screens are a great alternative to providing privacy in your yard. Remember, every plant that you introduce into your green environment will thrive with your care. Also, changing seasons turn your greenery into constant explosions of beauty, and they never need painting!
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by Judy Kautz, OSU Extension Master GardenerIn the past few weeks, we have been made aware that we are once again experiencing a dry period in certain parts of our beautiful state. It doesn’t matter where you live or if your garden is in sun or shade — you’ll have to water perennial plants sometimes. Here are a few things to keep in mind so you can give your perennials the water they need to thrive and look great. In general, perennials need about an inch of water per week to be healthy. That can come from rain or irrigation or a combination of both. Use your rain gauge to determine how much rain has fallen and then subtract that amount from an inch. This will tell you how much you need to supplement each week. In general, many established perennials can get by with less than this, and newly planted ones may need a bit more, especially in hot weather. How often should you water perennials? A quick drink every day just encourages spindly roots. Instead, deep and less frequent watering is best to promote long roots. They’ll grow down into the ground so they stay cooler and absorb moisture and nutrients that are held there. Perennials with an established root system can handle a little drought stress, too. Watering deeply and less frequently helps promote long roots. When should you water perennials? Early morning is the ideal time of day to water your garden. This allows you to soak the roots and lose little water to evaporation. Also, foliage dries quickly as the sun and temperatures rise, so plants are less prone to fungal diseases that settle in on wet leaves. Watering in the middle of the day is less ideal, especially with sprinklers, because the small droplets often just evaporate in the air and never reach the soil. Also, winds are stronger at that time and can lead to uneven water distribution and waste as it ends up on your sidewalk instead of your plants. If your schedule doesn’t allow you to water in the morning, then late afternoon to early evening is another option. Do it before 6 p.m., though, so leaves have adequate time to dry before nightfall — this will reduce the chance of disease. Here are some signs you need to water perennials: Noticing wilted plants is usually a good indicator that it’s time to water. However, droopy leaves and stems aren’t necessarily a signal that the plant is drought-stressed. Many perennials wilt in the afternoon, especially on hot, sunny days, but then they’re fine by morning. The best way to know if your plants need a drink is to check the soil moisture. Use a trowel to dig down about 3 to 4 in., where the roots are, to see if it’s moist or dry. Some perennials, such as ligularia (Ligularia spp. and hybrids), give an obvious sign that they need a drink, by overtly drooping. If this plant wilts and still looks that way in the morning, you’ll know it’s time to water. Some watering techniques include hand watering, which can be a relaxing chore, especially on a warm summer day. Be sure to aim your hose-end close to the ground, near the base of the plant. This puts water at the roots where it’s needed. It’s a good method for giving extra moisture to newly planted perennials and ones with high water needs, such as astilbe (Astilbe spp. and hybrids). Be sure to aim your hose-end close to the ground, near the base of the plant. Oscillating and impact sprinklers work well for lawns and large perennial borders. They save you time and are easy to set up, but water loss through evaporation is common and flowers can flop with the weight of too much moisture. Here’s a tip: Set out a rain gauge when you use an overhead sprinkler and watch the time to see how long it takes to fill up to ½ in. Use the minutes to figure out how long to keep the sprinkler going, based on how much water you need to supplement. A timer can help you give just the right amount, without wasting. It can shut off automatically so you don’t have to worry about water running on and on. Soaker hoses and drip irrigation systems supply water closer to the root zone, and you can leave them in place all season and just hook up a hose when it’s time to water. Cover up soaker hoses with a little mulch so they’re not as visible during the growing season, then drain and put them away for winter storage. Whatever methods and tools you use for watering, keep an eye out for leaks. Repair hoses and replace washers to make sure the water is going where you need it. Soaker hoses like this are a super efficient way (and easy) way to water a perennial garden.
by Judy Kautz, OSU Extension Master GardenerAre you overrun by zucchini this summer? Slice it, grill it, fill it, fry it, bake it, pickle it, grate it, turn it into zoodles – zucchini is the most versatile vegetable in the garden. Desperation may have something to do with all those variations, because the more you pick, the more the plant produces. And there is usually one that gets away, hiding under leaves and reaching an enormous size! Zucchini is originally native to Mexico, but the squash we know today is a variety brought to the United States by Italian immigrants. The early varieties, bred in Italy in the 16th century, were round. They were dubbed zucchini from Zucca, meaning pumpkin, and ini, which means small. The elongated version we know, grow and love was developed near Milan. The squash was used here but really took off in the early 1970s with the age of flower children and their focus on home gardens and vegetarianism. Soon, zukes began popping up in seed collections - Burpee, for example in 1973 - and on grocery store counters. Zucchini cookbooks abounded shortly after, because this veggie is generous to a fault! You can slow down the production by eating the female flowers, identified by a tiny zuke at the base of the blossom, stuffed with cheese or meat and immersed in sauce or fried. Female zucchini blossoms can be stuffed with cheese or meat and fried! What can you do with all the bounty of zucchini? Eat it, donate it to a food bank, feed it to backyard chickens and rabbits…or have fun with it. Maybe you should hold a neighborhood contest for the biggest zucchini and share a potluck of zucchini dishes. Or you can use pumpkin-carving tools to make designs in the outer skin for a centerpiece. Bat a whiffle ball with the giant ones, and then save and dry the mature seeds for the cardinals at your feeders. When all else fails, celebrate April fool’s day in August: play a joke on a friend or neighbor by sneaking into their garden and placing your overgrown zucchini among their plants. Or offload your extras on the doorstep of a friend or neighbor in the dark of night like the Tooth Fairy – surprise…it’s a giant zuke! All’s fair when it comes to zucchini! Pumpkin-carving tools work well for carving zucchini into a table centerpiece. All kidding aside, if you have an excess of zucchini, shred it and freeze so it will be available all winter long. A good use for this shredded zucchini is in a yummy chocolate zucchini bread. This recipe takes just 15 minutes to prepare and bakes in about 50 minutes. It makes two loaves of 12 slides each. Here are the ingredients: 2 cups sugar, 1 cup canola oil, 3 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup baking cocoa, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, 2 cups shredded, peeled zucchini, 1 cup chopped nuts (optional). Directions: In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and baking powder; gradually beat into sugar mixture until blended. Stir in zucchini and nuts. Transfer to two 8x4 inch loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 – 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Chocolate zucchini bread is a tasty treat and a great way to use excess zucchini. Here is another low-calorie recipe for Zucchini Tots. Here are the ingredients: 1 cup zucchini, grated, 1 large egg, 1/4 medium onion, diced, 1/4 cup reduced sharp cheddar cheese, grated, 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs salt & pepper to taste, cooking spray. Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray mini muffin tin with cooking spray. Grate zucchini into a clean dish towel. Wring all of the excess water out of the zucchini. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and season with salt & pepper to taste. Fill each muffin section to the top, pushing down on the filling with your spoon so it's nice and compacted so they don't fall apart when you take them out of the tin. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until the tops are golden. Use a plastic knife or rubber spatula around the edges of each tot to remove them from the muffin tin. Enjoy!
Make the most of your zucchini harvest this summer! Remember it’s good for you and so versatile! by Courtney DeKalb-Myers, OSU Extension Horticulture EducatorAugust is here. July came with the sun and Norman hasn’t seen a decent rain since. The water bill is creeping upward and dragging the hose around to water does not sound fun. The gardens are about as worn out as the gardeners. One way to avoid this situation is to use drought tolerant plants within the landscape. Drought tolerant plants are more adapted to these water-stressed conditions and will thrive through the heat of the summer. Consider using some of these plants to make this time of year less stressful. Stonecrop blooms with clusters of pink flowers in the fall. It has succulent like foliage and prefers a full sun location. Consider the popular cultivar 'Autumn Joy'. The best drought tolerant fern, Japanese painted fern adds a beautiful silver foliage to the gardens. It is low to the ground and makes a great border in shade gardens. Sometimes referred to as whirling butterfly, guara has a dance-in-the-wind appearance. Flowers come in pink or white and a bronze foliage variety is available. A classic in any prairie bed, coneflowers are highly adapted to drought conditions. More cultivars are available on the market, including different colors and dwarf varieties. Autumn sage is a bright pink perennial that will bloom all summer long. It is medium sized with and upright form. The reddish pink, tubular shaped flowers are a great attractant for pollinators. Russian sage has grey-green foliage with wispy purple flowers. It performs best in full sun. It can grow quite tall and may be useful as a backdrop in the garden.
by Judy Kautz, OSU Extension Master GardenerHave you see all the butterflies in our landscapes recently? Butterflies in the local area seem to be extremely plentiful this year, and we are rewarded with the beauty and variety of these visitors to our gardens. Among the most beautiful of all insects, their striking appearance adds color and activity to our landscape. Not only are they wonderful to view, but they are very instrumental in pollinating plants, and vital to their reproductive process. So how do we attract butterflies to our gardens? One of the best ways to bring butterflies to your yard is to grow nectar plants, which are a primary food source for adults. You should plant nectar plants in large groups, and according to color, because butterflies recognize blooms more quickly this way. Also, choose perennials that bloom over several seasons, so a food source is available for a longer period of time. Finally, provide plants that have different heights, which gives the butterflies a wider visual picture of the blossoms. So what flowers should you plant to provide vital nectar to the butterflies? Begin with daffodils and lilies, both early blooming bulb plants. The lovely spring azaleas, yellow blooms of coreopsis and the orange butterfly weed all provide both color and nectar. Using native plants like our Oklahoma state flower, the gallardia or blanket flower, the common primrose, and several varieties of milkweed not only delight the butterflies, but they help to preserve the heritage and continuation of our natives in the landscape. Other favorites include hollyhock, with its tall showy blooms, and cleome, or spider flower, also tall and showy. All of these plants are available at your local nursery or garden center at various times of the year. The black swallowtail is the state butterfly for Oklahoma and loves thistle. Butterflies also need plants on which to lay their eggs, and which will provide food for their larvae. Most larval-food plants are natives, but are usually unsuitable for a showy flower border, so it is better to choose a separate area of your yard for these plants. One favorite that grows in the shade as well as sun and produces pretty lavender flowers is false nettle. Also, herbs such as dill, fennel, parsley and chives provide excellent food for larvae and still produce enough foliage to use in your kitchen to create tasty dishes! The black swallowtail caterpillar or larva feeds on fennel or dill, easily grown in the garden. If you don’t want to plant flowers in your yard, you can still attract butterflies to it by using containers of their favorite flowers. Here is a great combination to put in a pot for your patio: use Superbells, Calibrachoa, Tequila Sunrise, with Diamond Frost euphorbia, and add gaura and bright pink petunias for a beautiful and graceful display that butterflies can’t resist. Plant this combination in a 16-inch pot and place it in full sun. Another combination of plants includes guara with white phlox, and Cotton Candy Supertunia petunia. Add a Wine and Roses weigela, and you have a gorgeous assortment of plants to bring in the butterflies. This combination of plants should again be put in a 16-18 inch pot and placed in the sun. Try not to use insecticides or bugzappers in your yard when you are trying to attract butterflies, as these are very harmful to the population. As an alternative, try the pheromone traps which are now available. They will successfully remove the males of many unwanted pests from your yard without harming lovely creatures, the butterflies! To learn more about butterflies, especially the incredible monarch, visit the demonstration gardens at Myriad Gardens and discover what plants work to support the migration patterns of the Monarch butterfly. If you want to take a more active role in preserving the Monarchs, join the group Okies for Monarchs, www.okiesformonarchs.org. They sponsor activities and publish lots of information on how to make sure Monarch are around for future generations. Whatever you do, be sure to plant some butterfly-friendly plants in your landscape! The monarch is a much-loved butterfly in our state, and we are right in the migration path.
by Judy Kautz, OSU Extension Master GardenerHave you noticed the webs beginning to emerge in trees across our state? Fall webworms are starting to make their appearance, and they certainly cause our trees to look unsightly. But do webworms actually harm the trees or are they just a blight on the landscape? Webworms, or Hyphantria cunea, usually appear on trees in the fall, causing unsightly nests and severe leaf damage. The webworm caterpillar is about an inch long with a black to reddish head and light yellow to greenish body with a mottled stripe of two rows of black and tufts of long whitish hairs. Adults appear as white moths with dark spots on the wings. Webworm adults are white moths with black spots on their wings. Webworms are a common occurrence across Oklahoma, but some years they are more noticeable than others. There may be several generations per season and their preferred species are pecan and persimmon trees. However, you may also find them on other trees including hickory, walnut, mulberry, redbud, American elm, cottonwood and even bald cypress. Webs from the webworm may look unattractive, but they usually do not impact a tree's health. Your tree may be totally defoliated by the caterpillars one year and have enough stored energy through photosynthesis to come back next season. Even then, the long-term impact on the tree is minimal. The webs themselves are created by a group of worms for protection as barriers from their own natural enemies, like arthropod predators, parasites and birds. Soon the worms will begin to fall from the webs and begin the next stage of their lives, pupating in the soil. Webworms group together encased in webs to protect themselves from natural predators. It’s a good idea to remove worms from younger trees, especially those less than two years old. Simply run your hand or a stick down the branch to remove the webs, or prune the branch out. Be sure to dispose of the worms and webs you remove from the trees. There are also a variety of readily available sprays to help with those webs you cannot reach. You need to use a sprayer with enough pressure to penetrate the webbing. This ensures the spray comes in contact with the caterpillars. Bacillus thuringiensis, commonly referred to as (Bt), is a good spray to use. It only targets the caterpillars and does not harm beneficial insects like honey bees or other pollinators. You may also use other more broad ranging insecticides but be sure to closely follow all label instructions. There are some who use a propane torch attached to a long pole to burn out the webs. Controlling fall webworms using a torch is extremely dangerous! Especially in our dry conditions, you may very well set the entire tree on fire and that could prove disastrous to your landscape or worse. Avoid this method entirely! Here is the safest and most effective method of eliminating webworms: Prune the tree in the spring and spray with dormant oil spray. Dormant oil has low toxicity and is readily available in any local garden supply store. It is particularly effective because it attacks and kills overwintering eggs. Do make sure to clean up any leaf debris to remove these overwintering pupation populations as well. Webworms are truly unsightly, but remember. Webs will eventually succumb to the elements. They only stay attached until wind and rain wash them away! Fall webworms are beginning to show up in Oklahoma landscapes. Do you have a gardening problem? You can easily obtain help from the Cleveland County Extension Office. Call (405) 321-4774 and ask to speak to a master gardener or simply come to the extension office. Bring your problem plant and you will certainly be helped with your issue!
by Judy Kautz, OSU Extension Master GardenerHave you had trouble keeping your plants alive throughout the summer growing season? Gardening in Oklahoma can be challenging in the summer months, for sure; bugs, heat, low rain, etc. all are factors that can severely affect your plants. Here are ten low maintenance plants you cannot kill! All of them are suited to our frost zone 7. Although the season is winding down now, plan ahead for next year! Marigolds are one of the hardiest flowers that you can plant in your garden, which is why they are seen at nearly every home in the country. In fact, they are well known by gardeners to be a drought tolerant plant that can handle a lot of heat. Marigolds are annual flowers, so when the first frost hits, their growing period ends. If you are looking for a plant to brighten your garden, the daylily is a great option that comes in a plethora of colors. These blooms will only last for a day, but they will continue to appear throughout the summer in our zone. These plants grow best in full sun, and they are able to tolerate drought conditions, which means that even if you forget to water these plants, they will continue to do well. One of the most low-maintenance plants that you can consider for your garden is cosmos. These hardy plants are so easy to grow that they can seed themselves and grow with very little care in the warmer areas of the country. They do best in full sun, but they will also grow in partial shade, which means they can be planted anywhere in your garden. Cosmos are hardy plants that reseed themselves and require very little care. Begonias are colorful flowers that grow well in Oklahoma, but remember they are sensitive to frost, so will not last past our first cold snap. This is a plant that loves the shade, so if you do not have a sunny garden, this plant will thrive here. It can also tolerate drought conditions and a lot of sun, so regardless of where you plant it, the begonias will grow. This is a great option for a garden that does not get a lot of sun. Hostas are very adaptable plants that grow in shade to part shade, and this is a plant that does not mind cooler temperatures. When the weather is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, this plant will go dormant through the winter and reappear again in the spring. They tend to do well in partial sun, especially the golden varieties with foliage that turns yellow in direct sunlight. Goldenrod is a plant that is mostly known in its wildflower form, but it will also make a great addition to any garden because it will basically grow on its own. Their tiny yellow blooms add brightness to your garden, and they will attract butterflies and bees as well. These plants can handle full or partial sun, and they are drought-tolerant, deer-resistant plants that can easily grow to be eight feet in height. The tiny yellow blooms of goldenrod add brightness to your garden, and they will attract butterflies and bees as well. Are you looking for a bright pink, purple, or crimson flower to attract butterflies, bees, and birds to your garden? The coneflower grows up to five feet in height, which is perfect for adding depth to your garden. These plants grow well in Oklahoma; they prefer full sun, but they can grow in shady conditions as well. Their blooming period begins in early summer and continues until or through the first frost of the year. If you are looking for a lot of ground cover in your garden, yarrow is a plant that spreads quite rapidly. Growing up to four feet tall, yarrow can handle a lot of heat, and it is also drought-resistant, so if you forget to water it, it will still survive. Yarrow comes in yellow, white, pink, and red blooms, and will continue throughout the entire summer, especially if you deadhead the plant. Zinnias are very adaptable plants that can grow to be up to three feet in height. They prefer full sun, though they will grow in the shade as well. These are drought tolerant plants that will attract butterflies to your garden. The blooms from this plant last all summer, and they can be red, pink, orange, purple, yellow, and white in color. Zinnias are very adaptable plants that can grow to be up to three feet in height and come in a huge variety of colors! Finally, if you have a garden full of poor soil, then coreopsis is a great plant to consider. It can thrive in dry, hot, and humid conditions without a lot of care from you. This plant is often seen as a wildflower, but they can add some lovely orange, yellow, and red blooms to your garden environment. They will also attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators to your garden.
There are several other plants that will thrive in Oklahoma during the summer, all available at local nurseries. Try some of these beauties for colorful plants that will last all summer! by Judy Kautz, OSU Extension Master GardenerAre your hibiscus blooming? They are beginning to show their glorious color in our neighborhoods? Everyone loves the large, flamboyant blooms of the hibiscus plant, which add bright color to any yard. There are two types of hibiscus that we enjoy in Oklahoma: tropical hibiscus and hardy hibiscus, and both grow well in Oklahoma as shrubs or potted plants in a sunny spot in your garden. Often referred to as rose mallow, the hardy hibiscus is unlike any other flower in the garden, offering blooms that are both delicate and huge. Flowers range from 3 - 4 inches across to a gigantic 12 inches in diameter. Hardy hibiscus plants are grown as woody shrubs and can grow up to five feet tall and three feet wide. They are hardy down to -30 degrees F, and prefer full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. The foliage of the plant is very attractive, with heart-shaped leaves. Most hibiscus shrubs tend to leaf out late in the spring, and they will hold their green colored leaves late into the fall. Hardy hibiscus come in a variety of colors, varying from red, white, lavender, purple, pink, and magenta. They leaf out very late in spring, so don't think they're dead and chop them down. Be patient, and in a few weeks you'll have attractive foliage (often finely cut, and sometimes copper colored) and soon a summer full of spectacular blooms. They begin blooming in mid-summer and will often continue to produce flowers until fall. Many hardy hibiscus blooms grow to the size of dinner plates! They definitely add stunning drama and color to any landscape. Hardy hibiscus blooms comes in many stunning colors. There are several plants that are beautiful companions to hardy hibiscus in your garden. Tickseed, or coreopsis, are slightly smaller than hibiscus and bloom in yellow shades which are very complimentary. Try a mixture of other easy-to-grow companion plants, such as Shasta daisies, daylilies, delphinium, allium, poppies, peonies and bearded iris. They all grow well in the same soil conditions, light and water requirements as the hardy hibiscus. For a great example of the combination of hibiscus and Shasta daisies, visit the Cleveland County Master Gardeners Demonstration Gardens, located west of the gravel parking lot at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds. These beauties are in Bed 2, Easy Perennials. The hardy hibiscus bloom is stunning when planted with Shasta daisies, and blooms can reach the size of dinner plates. Tropical hibiscus should be grown in a container or planter in our area, as they will not survive our cold winters. They will winter over in your garage or house, so long as they are protected from freezing temperatures. Their foliage resembles the hydrangea, with long graceful leaves; they also come in a variety of colors, ranging from white, red, yellow, pink, and orange. They, too, prefer full sun, but can tolerate some shade, as long as they get at least 6 hours of sun a day. Tropical hibiscus blooms are generally smaller than hardy hibiscus, and often come with double petals like “Apricot Brandy” pictured here. Maintenance of hibiscus is not complicated. Pruning plants is a common way to keep your plants compact, but it isn’t necessary. Do not fertilize your hardy hibiscus after June, as flower production may suffer from the excess nitrogen in the fertilizer; however, tropical hibiscus should be fertilized frequently, since their pots do not retain nutrients. For hardy hibiscus, winter mulching is not necessary, and they are not usually bothered by pests. However, tropical hibiscus are susceptible to a variety of insect pests including aphids, scale, mealybugs, thrips and mites, but most plants are resilient enough to withstand pests and continue to thrive and grow. Also, there are many products such as insecticidal soap available in your local garden center to treat these pests.
Hibiscus plants are a magnet for hummingbirds and butterflies, and provide a vital source of nectar for these creatures. Bees also love the hibiscus, and attracting bees to your yard will help to pollinate your other plants. Add hibiscus to your yard this year for a colorful and beneficial addition to your garden. by Judy Kautz, OSU Extension Master GardenerWhen we are considering what to plant in our gardens, we often forget to include herbs. Have you tried cooking your favorite dishes using fresh herbs? Nothing smells or tastes more wonderful than homemade pasta sauce with fresh basil simmering on the stove. Herbs are some of the easiest plants to grow, in pots or in your vegetable garden, and they have so many uses! They can be used fresh or dried for cooking in your recipes all year long. Here are several varieties for you to try! Basil (Ocimum spp.) is a favorite in Asian and Italian cooking and it grows wonderfully in containers. You can grow basil from seeds or plants, both of which are readily available at your local garden center. To harvest, just pinch off the tips of the stems; be sure to do this regularly to encourage the best growth, and at the end of the season, simply freeze or dry what is left. Very common in almost any Italian dish, you can also make a wonderful vinegar. Simply heat white wine vinegar and pour over fresh basil; after 24 hours, strain and discard the leaves, and use as vinaigrette or marinade...delicious! Thyme (Thymus spp) has lovely purple, pink or white flowers and silvery foliage; it likes containers at least 6 inches deep. Be sure to avoid overwatering and pinch back the tips to encourage bush growth; thyme does well in full sun and well-drained soil. For cooking, try using thyme with sweet corn: simply add snippets to the butter before putting it on a freshly cooked or grilled ear for a wonderful taste. Thyme is a lovely in any garden or pot, with its delicate flowers; mix it with butter to rub on sweet corn ears for a real treat! Sage (Salvia officinalis) does equally well in borders, beds and containers. Its gray-green, chartreuse or dusky-purple foliage is an eye-catching accent to any planting. While we usually add sage to turkey or chicken stuffing during the holidays, it is also a great addition to couscous, quinoa and many other grains. One of the easiest herbs to grow is Apple Mint (menthe suaveolens); it is a natural for containers or small spaces, but be sure to keep its wandering stems in the pot or a controlled area, as it can be invasive. Mint flavor is refreshing, and the fruity tones in apple mint add to the overall taste. Add crushed mint leaves to ice water for a refreshing summer drink, or steep the leaves in hot water for a very tasty tea. Apple mint is easy to grow and makes a delicious addition to ice water on a hot summer day. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is an edible yet substantial shrub which will fit beautifully into any yard. Grow it in containers or in the garden; in our area, it can even be trimmed as a hedge. If you plant rosemary in containers, use pots that are at least 8 inches deep. In the kitchen, add rosemary to any poultry dish for a real crowd pleaser, or use the edible flowers in salads, herb butters and cream cheese spreads. Rosemary stems also make a wonderfully fragrant herb wreath; simply tuck stems in a small grapevine wreath and hang to create a lovely scent. Rosemary is very tasty in any poultry dish, but it also makes a wonderfully fragrant wreath! While Dill (Anethum graveolens) grows well in the garden next to your tomatoes and sweet peppers, it does need space to flourish. It is easy to grow in full sun, but likes to reseed itself, so keep that in mind when you plant it. Of course, our favorite use for dill is to make pickles, which are a delightful summer treat on a hot day.
All of these herbs grow well in containers, but make sure you use ones with proper drainage; place a coffee filter over holes to prevent the soil from spilling out. Use any potting mix available at your local garden center, but don’t use garden soil in your pots as it does not provide good air circulation and drainage for your herbs. Place your plants in their pots, water, and watch them grow. Then line up your favorite recipes and get ready to cook with fresh herbs! by Judy Kautz, OSU Extension Master GardenerEver looked in a garden, yard, or park and had no idea what the plant is in front of you? Fortunately, there are plenty of great plant identification apps out there that take all the hard work out of the process. Here's a look at eight of the best options for iOS and Android. 01 Best App To Identify Plants: Plantsnap If there's only room in your life for one 'name that plant' app, PlantSnap is the one. It's very simple to use with a neat tutorial guiding you through the paces. Its accuracy level is pretty good even if it occasionally makes the odd misstep that a professional gardener would avoid. Quick and easy to use, its only true downside is that you'll need to pay to be able to use it frequently and to unlock certain other features such as the ability to view other people's snaps. It's worth it though. Available for IOS and Android 02 Simplest Plant ID App: iPlant Skipping past the need for community features or anything too complex, iPlant gets right to the point - snap a photo of a plant and it'll (eventually) tell you what it is. It's very accurate too providing you with a Wikipedia link and more to learn more about it. It's just unfortunate then that it's a little slow on the uptake when uploading photos, and it's only available for iOS. 03 Most Accurate Plant Identification App: LeafSnap LeafSnap performed admirably in tests, generally proving to be the most accurate Plant ID app out of all the ones tried. That comes at a small cost with a lot of very intrusive video ads that encourage you to upgrade to the premium build of the app, but it's worth it for such good results. If it also included extra information on plants besides existing Wikipedia knowledge, it'd be the best of the bunch. As it stands, it's still well worth using. Available for IOS and Android. LeafSnap is considered one of the most accurate plant identification programs. 04 Best App for Plant Care and Identification: PictureThis PictureThis is a fantastically comprehensive plant identification app. It takes seconds to identify plants before giving you a near overwhelming amount of information on it and how best to care for it. For some users, it'll be excessive but for those keen to cultivate their green space, it's a huge help. It even identifies if a plant is toxic and warns you accordingly. Bear in mind, you'll need to subscribe if you plan on using it for any length of time. Keen gardeners will be happy to do so as its near encyclopedic knowledge is very useful. Available for IOS and Android. 05 Best Community Focused Plant Identification App: Garden Answers If you don't mind signing up to a new community, Garden Answers is a great way to get in touch with horticultural experts, discover exciting plants near you, as well as identify plants around your garden and surroundings. The interface feels a little dated by modern standards but ads aren't too intrusive and Garden Answers tells you the basics about each plant without overwhelming you with too much detail. Being able to connect to like-minded souls is a nice extra touch too. Available for IOS and Android. Garden Answers is considered one of the best community focused plant identification apps. 06 Best Location Aware Plant Identification App: PlantNet
Designed with a worldwide appeal to it, PlantNet immediately presents you with images of plants from all the different continents. You can submit your own right down to the location by quickly snapping a photo and waiting for the app to identify the plant. While the app is reasonably accurate, spotting other people's entries can have some issues with the need for the community to validate how authentic the results are. Still, it's a fascinating insight into the green world and not just your local surroundings. Available for IOS and Android. 07 Best Plant and Insect Identification App: Seek Want to turn plant identification into a game? Seek does that almost feeling like a form of Pokemon Go. It even allows you to identify bugs and other insects you might see in your garden. In all cases, you need to take fairly good photos for it to identify accurately, but it's worth taking that extra time when you gain new badges and achievements for doing so. If it had a little more information on plants and leaned into its gaming side more so, it'd be the ultimate plant identification app. Available for IOS and Android. 08 Fastest Plant Identification App: Plant Identification++ In a rush and want to immediately know what plant you're looking at? Plant Identification ++ is the fastest of the bunch taking seconds to show up with highly accurate results. Typically, it offers a couple of different results giving you the ability to determine what seems right to you. Other information is a little sparse but if you simply want to know a name quickly, it does the job well. It's just unfortunate that you need to pay to gain unlimited plant identification. Available for only IOS. I must offer this disclaimer about these applications. This is not an endorsement of any particular application. There are many opinions about which application is best, and you will need to determine for yourself which one you prefer. The basis for this article came from Lifewire, but there are many other articles on the web that offer other diverse opinions. It is up to you to try and choose the application which works the best for you. |
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