My Garden Diary - 2006
by George Kingston
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December 4
Well, I guess it is time to close out the blog for this year. Today we had
our first light snow and all that is left to do is to plant some daffodils in
the excavation left from a home improvement and fill it in. The first seed
catalogs have arrived, but I'm avoiding looking at them until after the
holidays. To all those who read this this year, thanks for your attention.
I hope to start up again in January. This years blog will stay here as an
archive. Happy holidays to all!
October 14
First frost this morning. Barely made it to 32. Went out this
morning and surveyed the damage. Most of the exposed pepper plants are
dead, as is some of the coleus and some of the impatiens. Anything with
even a little bit of shelter seems to have survived. A harder frost is
predicted for tonight.
October 13
Frost warning for tonight. Harvested all the peppers - Banana Bill, ancho,
Anaheim, and mild jalapeno; the few remaining beans, and the last patch of
cilantro. Put a flower pot upside down over a dahlia that still has buds.
Re-planted the last row of Japanese iris (iris ensata) and gave the leftovers to
the environmental club at the high school.
October 8
Dug up my Japanese Iris (Iris ensata) today and put it aside to divide. I
then enriched the soil in the bed with compost. After a few days of
blending, it will be ready for replanting. I have also begun making
sketches of each bed, showing where the plants are. This way, I can find
them in the spring before they have woken up for further dividing.
October 4
2522 Growing degree days so far this season. Soil temperature at 62
degrees. About 2 inches of rain in the last two weeks. My
perennial Chrysanthemums are blooming. They are yellow with an orange
edge. The pink turtle head is also still blooming.
October 7
Harvested all my remaining basil and made a big batch of pesto. I make it
with walnuts and no cheese, then freeze it in ice cube trays. When I need
pesto in the winter, I defrost a few cubes, blend in the cheese, and presto -
pesto!
September 24
Planted some daylilies, 'Top Award', that a friend of mine gave me. She
has extensive Hermerocalis beds with dozens of varieties. When she was
dividing them this year, she very generously gifted me with three different
varieties. Now all I have to do is to find places to put them. The
rain yesterday and today is welcome.
September 21
Spent the day at the Master Gardener Booth in the Massachusetts Building at the
Big E. It was lots of fun and I got to meet a lot of interesting gardeners
from all over New England. The big draw was an Osage Orange fruit.
It is green and looks like a knobby baseball. People stop to look at it
and guess what it is. Everyone was asking about why the tomatoes were so
bad this year. We chalk it up to the cold wet spring.
September 20 - 2407 Growing Degree Days, Soil Temperature 64 F, .83" of
rain in the last two weeks
The ornamental grass (Miscanthus) is blooming. It has beautiful, feathery,
purple flowers that contrast with the green-and-white leaves. The roses
are blooming still.
September 17
Gave up on the remaining tomatoes. Harvested every one that looked like it
might ripen and then dug out the plants and put them in the trash. Now we
have three rows where we can put in fall crops of lettuce, mesclun, parsley,
radishes and peas.
September 12
It is officially fall here. We bought our fall mums (Chrysanthemum ×morifolium)
today and planted them out. We got two yellow plants (Bright Gretchen and
Padre Yellow) and one two tone red-with-a-yellow-center (Priscilla). Also
bought a purple aster (Aster novi-belgii). These plants are only
half-hardy here so we tend to treat them as annuals, although in a year with a
mild winter they will come back. Gazinia is blooming still and the fall
clematis is a beautiful carpet of snow on the garden fence, right next to some
tall goldenrod (Solidago sp.)
September 10
My Turtlehead is blooming in spite of having had the deer eat most of it last
spring. I guess it grew some new buds. The tomatoes are quickly
succumbing to various funguses as the wet, cool weather continues. Some of
the annuals like the Gerardia and Salvia that I thought had died are
recovering with the cooler days and putting on a display. We are spending
time making mulch out of the branches of a tree that came down during the
micro-burst in August.
September 6
2237 Growing Degree Days, Soil Temperature 65 F, 2.60" of rain in the last two
weeks.
September 1
So here it is September. We have started repotting the house plants we put
out for 'summer camp' in anticipation of their coming inside when it gets
colder. Out 30 year old weeping fig (ficus benjamina) had a tree fall on
it in August, so we had to prune it back extensively. Hopefully it will
recover. The recent wet weather has been great for the pulmonaria bed
which also has European ginger, coleus, and red salvia. The bed is heavily
shaded and only gets a few hours of sun late in the day.
August 31
It is the last day of August and the autumn clematis is starting to bloom.
The roses are still going strong and the rose mallow is blooming as well.
I have started drying herbs for the winter. The Greek oregano dries well,
as does the mint. The dill gets frozen, as it doesn't retain much flavor
when dried. Basil I preserve as frozen pesto cubes. This is also the
season for moving plants. We can observe where they did well over the
summer and where they were unhappy. On this basis, we moved a coneflower
and some thread-leaf coreopsis to sunnier locations.
August 30
The rain appears to be going away, but it is leaving behind a lot of fungal
problems in the crowded late-August gardens. My tomato plants are looking
awful, but still yielding a lot of tomatoes. I made a big batch of sauce
yesterday and we are dehydrating and freezing plum tomatoes. It is looking
good for pasta this winter. Before the rains started, I divided my big
patch of bearded iris and got more rhizomes than I knew what to do with.
Now I have about a half dozen new patches planted and some happy gardening
friends who got my surplus. The next thing to deal with is the Japanese
iris, which also needs major dividing. Now that things are settling down
some, I hope to be writing here more regularly.
August 23, 2006
2070 Growing Degree Days, Soil Temperature 74 F, 1.53" of rain in the last two
weeks
August 13
It has been a rough couple of weeks. We had a microburst on the 2nd that
took down a big tree in the backyard (no major damage except to the tree) and
put our power out for two days during a major heat wave. All this in the
midst of a major bathroom renovation. So I've been doing more chain saw
work than gardening. The good news is that the 'Brandywine' tomatoes are
ripening, as are the 'Roma'. We are harvesting beans and basil. It
has been very dry since the storm, so we continue to water. In the flower
beds the gladiola are blooming, along with the campanula, cone flower, roses,
and threadleaf coreopsis. Now that the weather is cooler, I'll start to
catch up on the weeding.
August 9
1815 Growing Degree Days, soil temperature 71 F, .81" rain in the last two weeks
August 1
How did it get to be August? My 'Glacier' and 'Early Girl' tomatoes
are starting to be edible. The 'Seckle' pears are just about ready for
harvest. They need to ripen after picking, as they don't ripen well on the
tree. In spite of the humidity, rain has been scarce, so we are watering
regularly in order to avoid stressing things.
July 29
It has been a hot and humid week. We harvested our first tomatoes today
('Balcony' - a small patio type in pots). Gladiolas are blooming, and a
transplanted yucca is blooming. My daylilies are starting to go past.
The weeds are winning!
July 26 - 1454 Growing Degree Days, Soil Temperature 71 F, 2.00" of
rain in the last two weeks
According to UMass Extension, the Pioneer Valley (Connecticut River Valley in
Massachusetts) is up to 1454 growing-degree-days today with a gain in the last
two weeks of 336 GDD. That translates into hot.
July 24
Cooler but very humid. Out weeding today. I am slowly winning a
fight with European buckthorn. It keeps stump sprouting and I keep hacking
it back. The gladiolas are starting to bloom and my tomatoes are turning
pink! The Rose-of-Sharon (Hibiscus) is blooming too.
July 23
We finally got some rain yesterday, over an inch, so the gardens are damp again.
This morning I went over to a friend's house to take some pictures of her
daylilies for the August article on this web site. I am always amazed at
how she can roam around the beds and name each variety from memory. She
has some really spectacular blooms.
July 21
It has been hot and humid for the last week, but rain has been missing, so we
have been watering. We use soaker hoses in the vegetable gardens and
watering cans for flower beds and containers. This weather is particularly
brutal on containers, which can go from soggy to dry and sagging in a single
hot, sunny day. Keep and eye on them, but if you miss one and it looks
tired, give it a good drink and see what happens. Hosta and cone flower
are blooming. Lettuce is slowing up but still coming in, basil is thriving
in the heat, but with a tendency to bolt. I snip off the flower heads and
it makes the plants more bushy.
July 14 - Bastille Day
Sun at last. I may get out and mow the lawn. Now that they are
getting more sun, it looks like my pear trees may actually yield a crop this
year, if only the squirrels will leave them alone.
July 12 - 1118 Growing Degree Days, Soil Temperature 70 F, 1.66" of
rain in the last two weeks
We harvested our first green beans today. The bee balm is in full bloom
while the yucca blooms are still in good shape. Cone flower is starting to
bloom and the shasta daisies are looking good. No red tomatoes yet and my
patio tomatoes are showing signs of blossom end rot. I guess the potting
soil is calcium deficient, so I will add bone meal to try to combat the problem.
July 11 -
We just got back from a long weekend in New Hampshire. The wild flowers up
there were spectacular, including Canada Lily in the fields. The lawn has
kept on growing while we were gone, but it is too wet to cut it yet.
July 5 -
I visited a friend's garden today. She lives on a farm, but the area
around the house is all made over into perennial beds. They are really
beautiful - an eclectic collection of decades of gardening. One highlight
is a group of three lilacs - hers, her mother's and her grandmother's. It
was a real treat.
July 4 -
The yucca is blooming. Great masses of cream colored blossoms on a tall
bloom stalk. I learned something about yucca this year. I divided a
clump of 4 plants in late April, leaving one plant in place and relocating the
other three. The ones I relocated turned brown and appeared to be dead,
but I left them alone. Now, in early July, they are all putting out new
green leaves. One is even generating a bloom spike. So yucca needs a
long recovery period after replanting. Even if it looks dead, leave it
alone and see what happens. You might be pleasantly surprised.
July 2 -
Well, no tomatoes yet. There are a number of plants with the fruit set,
but none are turning red yet. Maybe another week. New blooms include
the Opuntia cactus, Japanese anemone, and bee balm. The roses are looking
good too. I'm still trying to get ahead on the weeding, without much
success. It is a beautiful summer day.
June 28 - 817 Growing Degree Days, Soil Temperature 68 F, 2.84" of rain in the last two weeks
June 25 -
Weeding and planting more bush beans this morning. The St. John's wort is
blooming, only one day late. Mock orange is getting past bloom now.
All this rain is rushing the blooming shrubs. My patio tomato plants have
set fruit, now let's see how long it takes them to get ripe.
June 24 -
The St. John's wort is behind schedule.
It's supposed to bloom today, St. John's Day, but it's not ready yet.
June 23 -
Weeding. The first regular daylily opened today. The Stella Doro's
have been blooming for about a week.
June 22 -
The morning was good, but then it went to rain and clouds. The pink Fairy
rose is blooming, as is the larkspur in my mailbox bed. This afternoon we
are headed up to Pittsfield, where the Master Gardeners are having our summer
meeting at Springside Park. We maintain demonstration gardens there and
use them to teach classes. I bought a Spirea 'Lime Mound' at the plant
auction.
June 21 - 654 Growing Degree Days, Soil Temperature 72 F, .57" of rain
in the last two weeks
Midsummer's Day! Spent the morning at Wisteriahurst Museum pruning
azaleas. We are working on restoring their gardens to the original plan of
the early 20th century. This included a horseshoe shaped bed of azaleas,
but the plants have not been pruned in many years and are really overgrown.
When we have them wacked back to the size they should be, we will relocate them
to re-form the horseshoe. 654 GDD
June 20 - Tuesday
Mowed the lawn again today. Evening primrose is blooming.
June 18 - Sunday
Hot and humid today. Temperatures got up to 97 F here. Pruned the
rhododendrons in the morning. We always do this just after the flowers
have gone so that the bushes will have all summer to generate fresh wood and
buds for next year's flowers. Weeded. Bought a couple of more
tuberous begonias for dead spots in some of the new beds. Harvested some
lavender flowers to dry for flavor and aroma next winter. We are also
harvesting herbs now, before the bugs get to them. I tie them up and dry
them in a north facing window. The garden gives us enough oregano, sage,
and thyme to last all year.
June 17 - Saturday
Still weeding. Deadheaded the donkey-tail spurge (Euphorbia). If I
catch it now, just after flowering but before the seeds mature, it won't be
popping up in the lawn all summer. Wear gloves if you do this - the milky
sap can be irritating. We got some rain in the afternoon, so things
are nicely watered.
June 16 - Friday
Weeded in the early morning while it was still cool. Relocated some
volunteer morning glories closer to the kitchen garden fence so they will have
some support. Planted out a few more peppers and eggplants, this time in
the herb garden where they will get full sun. Most of the planting is
finally done, so now it's time to move into maintenance - weeding, watering and
dead-heading. The mock orange tree is in full bloom.
June 15 - Thursday
Visited the herb garden at the Gilbert Farm House in Storrowton Village today.
This is a formalized version of an early 19th century herb garden, and it
includes a lot of plants that we don't consider herbs today. In addition
to the standard culinary herbs, there is a medicinal section with echinacea,
heart's-ease (better known as Johnny-jump-up) and foxglove; a textile or
dye-plant section with things like baptisia; and, a household section with
strewing herbs and soapwort, which actually foams and cleans. It was a
most inspiring visit. 532 GDD
June 14 - 534 Growing Degree Days, Soil Temperature 62 F, .32" of rain in the last two weeks
June 13 - Tuesday
The garden loosestrife and scarlet lychnis are now blooming in the south
perennial bed. The Knockout rose (red) is blooming, but the pink fairy
rose has not yet broken buds.
June 12 - Monday
Another beautiful day, but I had to go to work. Checking the gardens in
the evening, I see that the chive blossoms are just about to fade. We
picked some and covered them with red wine vinegar to make chive vinegar.
It's a simple trick, but it tastes delicious. We also tried something we
saw published on peonies a few days ago. We cut a stem with a bud that was
about to open and left it dry on the sideboard for 24 hours, then recut it and
put it in water. It seems to have worked, because the bed opened and the
flower has stayed beautiful for three days not.
June 11 - Sunday
A beautiful day. The peonies are in full bloom and beautiful. The
Scabiosa daisies are also blooming now. At the edge of our woodland
garden, two virburnums - Nannyberry and Northern Arrowwood are blooming.
The Mock Orange is in bud and should bloom any day now. We have a young
tom turkey who seems to be living in our woods and coming out to clean the
ground under the sunflower feeder. Today he was under the feeder while a
rose breasted grosbeak was on it.
June 10 - Saturday
Took a walk up Soapstone Mountain in Connecticut. Wildflowers in bloom
included maple leaf viburnum, squash berry viburnum, false Solomon's seal and
wild geranium with the hawkweed just starting. Cold and drizzling.
We did do some weeding when we got home.
June 9 - Friday
It has been a wet, wet week. I finally got out into the gardens again
today. Mowed some lawn. Planted some more annual flowers -
marigolds, cosmos, verbena, baby's breath, Arctotis (a white African daisy with
a pale lavender throat). The rain took its toll on the bearded iris and
they are now about past, but the peonies are just starting to bloom. The
mountain laurel is also blooming and the Japanese iris are holding up well.
The Shasta daisies are blooming as well. In the kitchen gardens we have
lots of lettuce and the tomato, pepper and eggplant plants are coming along.
My patio tomato has blooms. We are also starting herbs from seed anywhere
we can find a spare few inches of space.
June 7 - 449 Growing Degree Days, Soil Temperature 63 F, 1.81" of rain in the last two weeks
June 2 - Friday
Rain today, so not much gardening. The tomatoes and peppers we planted out
seem to be thriving.
June 1 - Thursday
The Japanese Iris are now in full bloom. We also have bloom spikes on our
foxtail lilies. Last year they bloomed, but the flowers were
disappointing, looking fairly ragged. Hopefully they'll do better this
year. If not, out they go. I have more peppers and tomatoes than I
can find room for now. I planted some of the ornamental peppers in a sunny
annual bed where the big red maple used to be. We'll see if the critters
will leave them alone long enough to get a harvest.
May 31 - Wednesday - 372 Growing Degree Days, Soil Temperature 66 F,
.12" of rain in the last two weeks
Putting stakes into the ground for the tomatoes and peppers. This is the
stage where the plants look puny and the stakes look huge. In a month or
so, I won't even be able to find the stakes. The second planting of
cucumbers is now up. I had to water today, due to the hot dry weather.
That meant patching the soaker hoses, an annual spring ritual as I find the weak
spots that developed over the winter. They make great fountains when they
split. 372 GDD.
May 30 - Tuesday
With the hot weather, the tomato seedlings that I thought were done for are now
showing vigorous growth. I now have more than I can use. Such is
gardening! Bought some more annual flowers to fill in gaps.
May 29 - Monday, Memorial Day
A beautiful Memorial Day. Weeding and planting annuals today.
May 28 - Sunday
Indy 500 Day. Trimmed the evergreen shrubs in the morning and potted up
some more patio tomato plants. Watered and fertilized some of the annuals
in anticipation of another hot day. It's a beautiful Memorial Day weekend.
May 27 - Saturday
Mowed the lawn again today. The corn gluten I put on in April seems to be
doing its job of limiting weeds and fertilizing. The lawn is really lush.
It was hot all day, but in the evening it cooled down enough to plant out tomato
plants and eggplants. The first plot of beans is coming up and the lettuce
plants are looking great.
May 26 - Friday - 249 Growing Degree Days, Soil Temperature 60 F, .91"
of rain in the last two weeks
Today's project was more weeding and some planting. We put in more bean
seeds and some annual flowers. The Rhododendrons are blooming and the
Scabiosa has buds.
May 25 - Thursday
Today was spent in garden meetings. It began with my local garden club
meeting at one of the member's home. We got a tour of the garden,
including a spectacular Scotch Broom shrub. Then it was on to
Wisteriahurst, where the wisteria is just finishing up, with a few late
blossoms, but it still looks great. The garden restoration project there
is coming along well.
May 24 - Wednesday
Today we weeded and planted. I put together a planter with a
white-and-pink Pelagorum (geranium), the pineapple sage, a variegated vinca.
I also planted out the Verbena. We started cutting back the spring bulb
foliage in the perennial beds so that the perennials will have some sun and room
to breath. In the woods the wild Geraniums are blooming and in front of
the house the Rhododendrons are showing some color in their flower buds.
They are promising warmer weather later in the week. 249 GDD.
May 23 - Tuesday
Spent the afternoon at the Springfield Farmer's Market giving gardening advice.
It was cool and blustery, but the market was fantastic. Berkshire Bakery
was back with their great artisanal breads. One of the stands had fresh
Hadley asparagus, which is otherwise next to impossible to obtain. Red
Fire Farm had organic lettuce and radishes. Overlook Farm had their
locally grown and processed pork. Everybody had flats and flats of annual
flowers, perennials, and vegetable plants. And, of course, Don Mayou was
there with his locally made honey. I bought some Verbena bonairensis and a
pineapple sage on the advice of friends. We'll see how they do.
May 21 - Sunday
Sorry about missing a few days on the blog. It's been cool and wet, then
yesterday was the annual bird census in the Springfield area so I spent most of
it in the field looking for warblers. Then we lost power in the evening.
Now I have a confession to make. My tomato seedlings are not gonna make
it. I think I put them out in the greenhouse too early, but whatever the
cause, they are too small to even consider. So today we went down to a
local farm/greenhouse and bought six packs of Early Girl, Better Boy, Roma and
Brandywine as well as one larger Brandywine. Some years are like that.
I planted out three of the early girls and the big Brandywine. The rest
will wait until it dries out and get warm!
May 18 - Thursday
Took the morning off and went for a bird walk around the Ludlow Reservoir.
The redstarts and orioles were dripping off the trees. Then, when I got
home, an oriole was sitting in the bird bath and a black-billed cuckoo was
calling in the distance. I direct seeded some flowers and herbs (dill and
parsley), and did more weeding. Several of the seedlings I set out before
the rain are somewhat worse for the wear, but most things are doing well.
May 17 - Wednesday - 216 Growing Degree Days, Soil Temperature 58 F,
3.23" of rain in the last two weeks
Finally, some sun. Spent part of the day planting and weeding. We're
working on new annual beds where removal of the trees now lets the sun in.
Mowed the lawn for the second time. All that rain makes for lots of grass.
I use a mulching mower and cut the grass high. This reduces my need for
fertilizer and encourages deep roots which means less watering.
May 16 - Tuesday
More rain. That's all.
May 15 – Monday
Another rainy day. Luckily, we haven’t had a lot of flooding here in Western
Mass., the way it was in the East. I’m potting up house plants that I’ve
propagated for the local Garden Club sale. I have jade trees and Kalenchoe
trees, as well as Scindapsus vines. These are all really easy to propagate. Just
cut off a leaf, dip it in rooting hormone (or not) and stick it in some damp
potting soil. I usually start lots so that if some of them don’t take I still
get a good number of plants.
May 14 – Sunday
It rained heavily all day, so we didn’t get to garden. I received an e-mail from
Rhode Island asking about insects that are eating tree and rose leaves. It
sounds like winter moth caterpillars, which are active now. They look like green
inch-worms and are a real problem, especially in southeastern New England.
According to the UMass Extension service, they should pupate (turn into adults)
and stop eating by late May. We’ll see.
May 13 – Saturday
We spent the morning planting between rain showers. We planted leeks, cucumber
plants, and early tomatoes in the kitchen gardens. We also planted some of the
annual flowers we bought yesterday. In the afternoon, we visited Forest Park in
Springfield. The spring clematis in the rose garden is blooming, but the lotus
pools are flooded. I don’t know what this will do to the plantings.
May 12 - Friday
It's raining heavily today, which is great for the gardens but is keeping me
inside. The past few days have been cool and cloudy, but I've been
working, so I have not been out in the gardens as much as I would have liked.
One of our more interesting trilliums is blooming. We have two mature
plants of Trillium cernuum, a small but beautiful white flower with
purple stigmas. These are deep in the woods. The may apples are also
starting to bloom, but you have to look underneath their big green umbrellas to
see the large white flowers. All this rain! I guess I'll have to go
buy some more annuals. Today we bought Gazania (Gazania splendens),
China asters (Callistephus
chinensis
'Perfection Mix'), Bacopa ('Sutera'), sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum)
and basil for the herb
garden, vinca for another basket, heliotrope (Heliotripum arborescens), and pentas
(Pentas lanceolata).
May 10 - 199 Growing Degree Days, Soil Temperature 59 F, .06" of rain in the last two weeks
May 8 - Monday
I'm feeling awful today with an upset stomach, so we go out and buy annuals.
We got six packs of stock, torenia, zinnias, dahlias, pinks (Dianthus chinensis),
Baby's beath (Gypsophyla), snapdragons, annual verbena (red 'Tukana' and
white 'Temai'), and coleus. These will go into the borders of the kitchen
gardens and the shady corners of the house. The verbena and gypsophyla will also make great hanging baskets to attract
hummingbirds and butterflies.
May 7 - Sunday
Shrubs blooming today include Daphne, Deutzia, Dogwood and just a start on the
honeysuckle. The oak tree is starting to leaf out. Planted out one
dahlia in a sunny bed. Spent some time ripping buckthorn and bittersweet
sprouts out of the woods. Finished mulching the kitchen gardens.
There is a frost warning for tonight, but we should be okay. I'll bring my
patio tomato in, just in case.
May 6 - Saturday
Cloudy today, so maybe we'll get some showers and less heat. Potting out
peppers and tomatoes in 3-inch pots today. Is it time yet to start buying
tender annuals? There is no frost in the forecast - yet! This is the
time for boldness. The dogwood is in bloom and the first bearded iris just
came out. In the woods the yellow trillium (trillium luteum) are blooming.
I seem to have at least 4 big ones this year.
May 5 - Friday
Cinco de Mayo - Mowed my lawn for the first time today. Between the rain,
the heat and the corn gluten, it is really greening up, even if I am not a lawn
person. The Sargent crab apples I transplanted are still in a bit of
shock. I'm giving them water and hoping they make it. I moved
my peppers and early tomatoes from under lights out into the unheated
greenhouse, and they seem to be doing well there. Later today I will put
in a fall bulb order. Planting time for them is still 4 months away but
the prices are good now.
May 4 - Thursday
Today was the first day of real gardening this week. I worked on Monday
and then it rained for two days. So today, I made up for it by overdoing
things. Today was the day for dividing perennials and putting some aside
for the garden club plant sale. I attached the pulmonaria, the evening
primrose, the beard-tongue, and the coral bells. But I also took time to
notice that the Jacob's ladder is blooming, as are the yellow trillium lutea.
Something ate the tops off the purple trillium last night. The apple and
pear trees are a mass of blooms and the jack-in-the-pulpits are popping up all
over the woods. It's May and the world is right.
May 3 - 149 Growing Degree Days, Soil Temperature 50 F, .94" of rain in the last two weeks