Growing Roses Fearlessly

By Lee Macneil, North Reading Garden Club

 

When I have the opportunity to speak to people about growing roses, there are a few comments that I hear repeatedly. The most common is " Oh, I have tried to grow roses, they always die on me!" Another one I have heard so many times is "I would never try to grow ROSES, they need so much attention, and I don’t have the time.”  Well, I am here to tell you that things are changing in the world of rose gardening.  We are entering an exciting new era of hardier, more disease resistant roses. Combine that with safer and easier to use chemicals that keep our gardens pest and disease free.  New effective methods in organic gardening have also been developed recently much to the delight of gardeners who choose not to use synthetic chemicals.

 

Perhaps your experience with growing roses consisted of planting a Hybrid Tea rose that was packed into a plastic bag full of shavings. You bought it at a local department store, supermarket, or even drug store.  If so, don’t blame yourself for losing that rose.  Hybrid tea roses (which have the flower style of a florists rose) are notoriously tender in colder climates.  The poor thing had its roots chopped back mercilessly to get it into that skinny bag. And most of the roses that are packed that way are older varieties from back when the rose breeders didn’t concentrate nearly as much on breeding roses that were disease resistant.  So in effect, you bought a handicapped rose. If it lived for a year or two, you did really well.

 

These days, rose hybridizers (or breeders) are producing many roses that are classed as Shrub or Landscape roses. While most shrub roses do not have the high centered bloom of a hybrid tea, they compensate by producing many more blossoms, and blooming nearly constantly throughout the season.  They are garden workhorses, providing beauty and vibrant color in the border garden, or mixed perennial bed.  I like to recommend that anyone new to growing roses start with a potted bush from the " Knockout" or " Carefree" named series. These roses can do very nicely with nothing other than plenty of sun, and regular watering.

 

Try a shrub rose in your garden this year, it will change your opinion about growing roses forever. You may even get totally hooked on them, like me.

 

Feeding Backyard Birds

by Charlene Malek

Today one in three households in North American feed backyard birds at an average of sixty pounds of seed per year. New Englanders are the most enthusiastic providers with the highest percentage of households. Although there is evidence that people were offering food to wild birds many centuries ago, it was not until the 19th century that the actual idea of enjoying birds simply for pleasure first emerged. The pioneer of the feeding of birds was probably the German nobleman Baron von Berlepsch in the 188Os. He used feeding devices and nest boxes to encourage birds, although part of his purpose was the supposed control of insect pests. He poured fat on twigs of trees. Peanuts, as a food to attract birds, were introduced in the 1950’s. Presently there is a range of food types and equipment available that are scientifically tested by companies so that feeding birds is practical and enjoyable.

In addition to commercial means to attract birds, a well- planned landscape can beautify your property and also attract and feed birds. Trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, native and cultural plants can be utilized in your landscape plans. Grow a couple of plants from each of the groups to provide seeds and fruits for all seasons.

Trees offer shelter for birds that visit your yard. Both evergreen and deciduous trees can provide an escape from predators, a winter shelter, or spring nesting place. Also the sap, seeds, and berries are a source of food. Blue spruce, mulberry, and cedar are among the possibilities.

Shrubs planted in groups allow birds a haven to scrutinize your yard without the fear of being discovered by cats and other predators. Some shrubs hold their fruit and seeds longer than others so check with your garden center to be sure. Some that do sustain a food source are cotoneaster, Virginia creeper, firethorn, and common juniper.

Flowering plants are a significant food source for some varieties of birds such as sparrows, finches, and chickadees. At the end of the blooming season, leave the dried flowers as is for the birds. Annuals that produce seeds are cosmos, larkspur, snapdragon, and bachelor button. Bee balm, tickseed, and purple coneflower are perennials that will add color and a food source to your garden.

The secret to bringing birds to your backyard is to provide diverse, appropriate habitat with vegetation that provides shelter and natural food. These plants--and a water element such as a bird- bath or small pool--also help attract insects that are dined upon by many bird species.

Bird watching is the second most popular passive sport after gardening. With the arrival of spring, why not enjoy the beauty of songbirds by placing feeders, commercial or natural in your landscape? You never know who will come to visit!

 

 

The Importance of Garden Soil Testing

By Lee Macneil, North Reading Garden Club

 A simple soil test is one of gardener’s most valuable tools, and is one many of us often neglect.  It provides detailed instructions on how to amend your soil, and adjust your pH, specifically to the type of plants you wish to grow.  Vegetables, annuals and perennials, roses, shrubs, fruit trees, and lawn grass all require different levels of nutrients to perform at their peak. The soil test will show you just how your soil measures up.

Our New England soil tends to be very acidic, usually measuring 4.5- 5.5.  Many common plants, with the exception of azaleas, Rhodies, and Blueberries,  prefer a higher pH. The test will tell you if its necessary to adjust your soil’s pH level and how to do it.

The University of Massachusetts, Amherst provides a soil-testing lab for our region. They offer several basic levels of tests ranging in cost from $4.00 for a simple pH test, to $50.00 for a hydrometer analysis of soil texture.  For the very reasonable fee of $13.00, they will perform a standard soil test with organic matter determination. This includes pH, buffer pH, Nutrient levels, heavy metal levels, (such as lead). When you send your sample, you label it with exactly what type of plants you are growing. The soil analysis includes the detailed recommendations for adding nutrients and adjusting the pH specifically for those plants.

Testing your soil not only provides us with the key to optimum plant growing conditions; it can sometimes save us money by showing what we may not need to be adding to our soil.

Right now is the best time to test your soil because samples should not be taken from freshly fertilized soil.

Please visit this link www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest  for the Umass soil lab.  Their printable brochure and order form contains full instructions for collecting the sample and marking and packaging it. For further questions call the soil lab at (413) 545-2311.

 

 

SOWING SEEDS INDOORS

By Charlene Malek

With the warm temperatures of the past days, many people are beginning to "think spring" which means sowing seeds for outdoor planting. A novice may ask why start plants indoors?  Besides providing a late winter project, it allows for the gardener to plant flower seeds that are too small to begin growth outdoors or that may take such a long time to bloom that they need a head start to maximize bloom time.  Among the annuals that will grow better if started indoors are begonia, coleus, dianthus, geranium, impatiens, lobelia, marigold, pansy, petunia, and snapdragon.

Most annuals should be started indoors 6 to 8 weeks before being planted outdoors, some require 10 to 12 weeks of growth.  Those mentioned above need the latter. Check your seed packet to be sure. To sow your seeds, choose an appropriate container.  You can either purchase plastic or peat flats or make your own from clean, inch deep containers that have drainage holes in the bottom. Fill the container with a mixture of peat moss and vermiculite or perlite.  You can combine your own or buy ready-made mix. The lightweight potting medium is more sterile than regular potting soil and can help prevent disease which often kills or damages young seedlings.

Fill the container to within 1/4 inch of the top with premoistened medium. Sow the seeds evenly over the top.  Cover the seeds only as deep as their thickness.  Fine seeds do not need covering. Label the container and place in a plastic bag tied tight to keep in moisture.  Place in indirect sunlight.

When seeds have germinated, remove the plastic bag and place the seedlings in a sunny location. Water from the bottom if possible to prevent uprooting the tender growth.  Add fertilizer to water once growth is evident.  Transplant seedlings to their own pot when two sets of true leave have developed.