What's Coming Up 114: Renew old lilac, borer, trees decline, shrubs for shade, shredding, invasives, branch collar

Download the pdf to read this issue:

This issue Sponsored by:

Tough love for old lilacs, pp. 1-4
Prune where?! Sounds raunchy! Pg. 3
Lilac borer
, we saw you! Pp. 4-5
Arresting trees' decline, pg. 6
How to remove a shrub, pg 7
When lilac = spirea = forsythia, pg. 7
Low-light lilac replacements, pg. 8
Shedding light on shredding, pp. 8-9
Wahoo: Joy in beating invasives, pg. 10
Hardy bulbs in, cannas out, pg. 11
Collar a branch, throttle a starling, pg. 12

 

Did you come here to this page by doing a Search?
In this issue you will find answers to these Search terms:

  WU114Pg4LilacBor.jpg

WU114Pg5LilacBor.jpg

 

Download the pdf to read this issue:

Key words and topics in this issue: 

Acer, maple
            Acer platanoides, Norway maple
                        invasive plant  Pg 11, 12
birds, starlings  Pg 12
Buddleia davidii, butterfly bush
            invasive in some regions  Pg 10
bulbs, planting bulbs  Pg 11

BulbsLaidOut.jpg

Left: In this issue, advice for planting bulbs:

...we have hundreds of bulbs waiting to go into the ground, all crying, 'Set us free to root into the moist fall soil!'

In most cases we plant big bulbs with a spade, 3 and 4 at a time into holes 6" x 6" x 10" deep. Often, we move the covering perennials right out of the way, plant the bulbs, then re-plant the perennials.

We add fertilizer only if a soil test or our own assessment of plant growth in the area tells us we have a deficit. If it's needed we mix in a slow release organic material as we backfill the planting hole.

We set bulbs about 10" deep -- just deeper than the spade blade, so we won't damage the bulbs in future years as we work in the bed.






buying plants, See Obtaining plants (below)
Canna storage  Pg 11
Cornus, dogwood
            Cornus alba, redtwig dogwood
            Cornus sericea, yellowtwig dogwood
            Cornus stolonifera, redosier dogwood
            rejuvenating shrub dogwoods  Pg 7
Dahlia storage  Pg 11
ecological gardening
            repeating past mistakes  Pg 12
            See also Invasive plants (below)
            See also Native plants (below)
Euonymus
            Euonymus alatus, burning bush
                        invasive plant  Pg 10
            Euonymus atropurpureus, Eastern wahoo (pictured below)  Pg 10
            Euonymus fortunei
                        hedge plant  Pg 8
Fagus, beech trees as hedge  Pg 8
Forsythia rejuvenation  Pg 7
gardener's health and safety
            using car or truck to pull out shrubs  Pg 7
hedge of shade tolerant shrubs  Pg 8
Hippeastrum, amaryllis storage  Pg 11
invasive plants and alternatives Pg 1, 10, 12
            Acer platanoides, Norway maple  Pg 11, 12
            Buddleia davidii, butterfly bush  Pg 10
            Euonymus alatus, burning bush  Pg 10
            Pyrus calleryana, callery pear  Pg 10
            Tamarix ramosissima, saltcedar  Pg 10
light
            increasing the amount of light that reaches plants  Pg 3
Ligustrum, privet
            rejuvenation  Pg 7
Mahonia, grapeholly hedge  Pg 8
mulch from fall leaves  Pg 8-9
native plants
            choose as alternative to invasive species  Pg 10-11, 12
            USDA database of native plants  Pg 1

 

WahooFr6886.jpg

Right: Native plants are celebrated and featured in this issue. Eastern Wahoo (Euonymus atropurpureus) is a great alternative to its cousin the non-native burning bush... and with a name like wahoo don't you think you simply must have it in a garden, anyway?! 

obtaining plants
            mail order nurseries
                        Klyn Nursery, OH  Pg 10
                        Forestfarm, OR  Pg 10
perennials
            perennials can impede shrubs' growth  Pg 3
            perennials can be shredded as mulch  Pg 9
pests
            a pest for every plant  Pg 7
            wood boring insects
                        lilac borer  Pg 2, 4-5
planting bulbs  Pg 11
problems
            decline in trees, shrubs  Pg 6
            problem diagnosis relies on gardener's fallible memory  Pg 6
propagation
            cuttings from shrubs  Pg 4
pruning
            as pest control  Pg 2, 4-5
            branch bark collar  Pg 12
            drop crotch pruning method  Pg 3
            pruning to keep a shrub or tree small  Pg 3
            suckers not all bad  Pg 1
Pyrus, pear
            Pyrus calleryana, callery pear
                        invasive in some regions  Pg 10
saltcedar, See Tamarix (below)
shrubs
            cars as shrub-removal tools  Pg 7
            rejuvenation pruning of shrubs  Pg 2
            removal, how to remove an established shrub  Pg 7
            shade tolerant shrubs for hedges  Pg 8
            shrubs overgrown by perennial garden  Pg 2-3
Spiraea, spirea rejuvenation  Pg 7
Syringa, lilac
            grow lilac from cuttings  Pg 4
            lilac pests  Pg 4-5
            rejuvenating a lilac  Pg 1-5
Tamarix ramosissima, saltcedar
            invasive in some regions  Pg 10
Taxus, yew hedge  Pg 8
tools
            car or truck as shrub removal tool  Pg 7
            leaf shredder  Pg 8-9
            shovel, uses  Pg 7
            spade, uses  Pg 7
trees
            branch bark collar  Pg 12
            rejuvenating from declining health  Pg 6
Viburnum
            rejuvenation  Pg 7
            Viburnum rhytidophylloides, leatherleaf Viburnum
                        hedge  Pg 8
wahoo, See Euonymus (above)
wildlife
            mongoose  Pg 12
            possum  Pg 12

 

Download the pdf to read this issue:

 

This issue has been Sponsored by Jack Wallace
in honor of native plants:

WallaceJSponsorSeal.jpg

You, too, can be a Sponsor.
All it takes is a few dollars, a few moments
and your direction regarding the topic
you wish to see covered or archive issue
you would like to have posted.