May 13 , 2010
Green roofs, garden in transition, m. laurel flowers for next year
My garden ’s in modulation . Spring flowers have evanesce or are wane . Summer ’s perennial are involve a cryptic breath for the job ahead to fill blank space . Last Sunday , I cleaned up like crazy . Aside from the overgrown mess , this assist resist off snails . They were partying down on all the slow spring growing , include the Elia auricle . I hat to edit the dayflower before they seeded , but at this point , their moisture - laden mass take in escargot happy 60 minutes . Now that I ’ve “ closed down the joint , ” the escargot moved on .
I collected the last of the poppy seed and pulled out the stalks . A few hebdomad ago , their hats were about to pop .
Everyday , I watch the hats . When they come out their crest , I switch off them off and splash them into container to dry out in the house before I varnish them in bags . Like a shaver at Halloween , I rejoice at the loot ! But male child , am I happy I do n’t do this for a life . By the way , MSS at Zanthan Gardenshas poppy that bloom afterwards to extend the poppy season , so I may give those a try next year .
Also , I deadheaded roses , cutting down past a few leaf halt to a leaf axil in the veracious guidance . Bunnies Harvey & Gaby “ compost ” them . If I were a good person , I ’d also give the rosiness some fertilizer . But since I ’m not , they ’re on their own . New Dawn is used to a careful diet .
So is Buff Beauty .
Here ’s the new ‘ Senorita Rosalita ’ cleome in its pot next to Buff Beauty on the kat cove treillage . I gave it a bangs trim , too . Actually , anything in my way of life get a haircut . Or pulled out .
In the big cat cove , Pelargonium sidoidesis still in use with blackfoot daisy and winecups .
Every spring , I get questions about mountain laurels not bloom . There are many reasons , whichDaphne explained a few weeks ago on CTG , but one is pruning off their flush buds . Now that they ’ve leafed out , they ’re order out next twelvemonth ’s flowers . Go see how many blossom you ’ll have next year !
Unless Caterpillar chomp everything to pieces . Like me , they ’re on a rampage to rationalize back everything in their path . The worm are exploding , the good with the “ big . ” Fend off the cat you do n’t want withBacillus thuringiensis(Bt ) but do n’t go crazy and lose your butterfly stroke larvae too . I ’m leave my bolting Petroselinum crispum to draw swallow-tailed coat butterfly stroke to lay their nut . bolt lucre appeal aphids for the ladybird . I can cope with that mess for a few calendar week more .
This week on CTG , we hazard to novel height with green roof . Designer Casey Boyterandarchitect Lauren Woodward Stanleymeet with Tom to illustrate a few designs and explain the spiritual and ecological welfare of green roofs .
With partner Dylan Seigler , theirGRoWERS teamwants to add even sac - sized green roof to everyone .
On our video tour , visit Casey ’s personal “ bunkhouse ” greenish roof in Central Austin . Get the story behind her venture into this young technology and how she grows cascading roses , butterfly stroke plant , and even a “ lawn ” on a flyspeck space with a enceinte perspective .
I give thanks professional photographerSandy Carsonfor both his motion picture and the euphony from his bandIglomat !
Have you ever question why some zinnias work great and others just come down over in summer?Trisha has the resolution this calendar week , with great fungal - gratis , no - deadheading alternative .
Daphne explain why some light bulb do n’t domesticate for us . If you have some especial favourite you really want to hive away over summer , she explains how . GetCTG ’s various leaning for naturalize bulb on our website . By the elbow room , one of my cleanup chores was cutting back browned foliage . As you know , you require to hold off until the foliage is brown , so that the naturalizing bulbs can pick up fuel for next class . Wait too long , and you ’ve produce a snail party !
Viewer interrogative sentence I got this week : Why are my squash fruit falling off?And , my tomato plant are tall and healthy but not much fruit . My reaction was deficiency of pollination on the squash and too much N on the tomatoes . But , I ’m no expert , so I air it to the chief , Jo Dwyer from Angel Valley Organic Farm , who bestow to my dilettante noesis .
That woman does n’t sleep ! She regress the answer in seconds on a Sunday nighttime , no less ! “ Yes , you ’re right about the squash not getting pollinate . If he has manlike flowers — the ace on stems , rather than the ones that grow into yield , obviously — he can take a Q - pourboire and put a little pollen from the male into the female . ( variety of ten - rated , but it wreak ! ) And I cogitate you ’re right about the tomatoes , too . See if he ’s been spraying them with fish or anything like that . Tomatoes do n’t necessarily need bees or other insect to cross-pollinate , but they do need some variety of apparent motion like a breeze or a wiggle or two from the nurseryman every day . Each bloom has both male and distaff holding . The pollen just needs a petty push to travel down the peak to the female part . Now , if he ’s not getting many flowers , though , that ’s too much atomic number 7 for sure . ”
All you vegetable gardener ( Jo & I bewail the term “ veggie ” ) , can get great tips onJo ’s weekly blog from the farm .
Until next workweek , Linda
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