Maine Garden 2021

Sandra-digs.blog

I apologize as it has has been too long between submissions. I have been hard at work gardening, not pausing to write. My garden woke from a long winter in April with a flourish of daffodils. The bright yellow flowers cannot help but make me smile.

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host of golden daffodils.

William Wordsworth

**DAFFODILS COME IN MANY SHAPES AND COLORS**

I especially like the multicolored, peach, and complex flowers. The added benefit is DEER DO NOT EAT DAFFODILS AS THEY ARE POISONOUS. In fact, a drug used to treat Alzheimer’s Disease (galantamine), albeit poorly, has some of the chemicals derived from daffodils.

Spring in Maine can be fickle with wide swings of temperature. It is important to wait until the end of May, when the danger of frost has past to plant delicate annuals, and vegetables. I had eagerly removed protective coverings from the Mountain laurels when it snowed.

Snow in April melts quickly. By late April forsythia are blooming along with creeping phlox. Conifers turn a brighter green as they prepare for new growth. Buds on shrubs and trees swell in the warming rays of sun as the days lengthen.

April is a good time to plant dahlia tubers in pots and start seeds indoors. I bought a kit to germinate seeds of household herbs, on little peat discs. As you can see, the spindly seedlings were good for nothing more than a photo of mistake number 1. I know many people start plants indoors successfully from seeds, but I am not one of them. Maybe it is because I lack a greenhouse or cold frame or maybe should have used larger peat pots, but I was content to wait until the soil warmed up.

My indoor dahlias were more successful, starting them in April on a shelf in my office. Those tubers I had overwintered last year never bloomed prolifically. It could have been because I kept them in the dark too long or gave too much of a nitrogen rich fertilizer in the spring. It is not because of a lack of sun. I planted my new tubers in the same spot and they are already showing large flower heads.

I want some fall flowering plants for continuous color.

Since I live in Maine, I must arm myself to fight marauding deer, groundhogs, rabbits, voles. Last year my emerging coneflowers, sedum, elderberry flower buds, serviceberry flower buds, spurge, were eaten. Critters prefer the new growth at its most tender, most delectable stage.

I have tried them all, including Irish Spring soap on cords surrounding the garden. Red pepper mixed with birdseed repels squirrels as birds do not have receptors for capsaicin.

Early May is too cold for planting in Maine, but it is the best time to observe all manner of birds. Spring migration is at its peak then. I have several feeders, as birds have very specific preferences.

I like a pre shelled mix of peanuts, sunflower seeds, and millet, to attract a wide variety of birds without creating a mess of shells. Thistle is preferred by goldfinches, and suet with embedded bugs or nuts work for woodpeckers. Most birds will stop on the suet feeder. I have not been successful in attracting blue birds, maybe because I supply freeze dried meal worms as I cannot abide the wriggly live ones. I think they need a larger meadow than I have. Baltimore orioles specialize in grape jelly and oranges, almost exclusively. Hummingbirds devour sterilized sugar water in a red plastic feeder designed just for them. They need to see the red color from the sky to find it. (Recipe is 1 part sugar to 4 parts water and boil to dissolve and remove impurities).

You do not have to be a “birder” to enjoy the birds, lists are not required. Their behaviors are fascinating, and complex, with internal hierarchies. If you do feed, please make sure the feeders are not in front of windows as collisions kill almost as many birds as do cats. The reflection of trees in a window looks like a clear path in the forest. Reflective decals stuck to the outside of windows help. Positioning the feeder away from the window is better. Note the squirrel baffle under my suet. These attach to feeder poles and are quite effective at deterring squirrels.

My favorite spring chore is discovering perennials that have returned from last year. They can easily be divided in early May to make new plants in other areas of the garden. I now have last year’s monarda Bee Balm (Bee happy) in several areas of the yard.

I will now return to my summer garden where the work is endless, but the feeling of fulfillment more than compensates. Long days are spent mulching and weeding, worrying about rain. There always seems to be too much or too little rain in Maine. The perennials are growing quickly filling up every available space. I spend long days watching the birds at the feeders. Hummingbird males adopt aggressive stances as they buzz each other. They often prefer to dart amongst the salvia and verbena rather than partake of my prepared food.

Sometimes I think I see the stems lengthen in the summer sun. Not all plantings are successful and that will be discussed in the summer installment of My Maine Garden.

Winter in the Garden

The majesty of trees in winter, like this oak, leafless, with branches extending ever upward into a quartz blue Maine sky, is an under- appreciated theme of nature. Master Gardeners will attest there is more challenge in identifying trees by branch structure, bark pattern and bud appearance. It is also more rewarding. My garden is sleeping soundly under the snow.

PROTECTING THE GARDEN

Repetitive snowfalls mingled with sleet and ice brings its own challenges. Snow is a great insulator against plummeting temperatures. It can fall softly in dry crystal flakes or heavily with big wet clumps quickly covering tree branches and utility wires. A working generator is essential in Maine where power failures are a fact of winter. Snow can transform rapidly from soft to crusty to a sheet of ice, or even worse, ice hidden under a layer of soft snow.

Garden with netting and protective tents

I learned too late that deer love elderberry bushes and hydrangeas. Preventive netting saved what was left of a newly planted shrub. Now I know why flowers can be sparse in spring. Last year critters ate them completely off a mountain andromeda and now they stripped the bark from an elderberry. I discovered too late there is a need to protect all my shrubs.

At least I covered my mountain laurels in little green porous tents (above) to protect them from animals and cold winter wind. The forest bears the brunt of animal attack. Porcupines can be deadly to pine trees. The feast on the soft bark and can completely girdle a tree. Since water and nutrients travel through the bark layers, the tree starves.

There are always surprises when walking in the woods if eyes and ears remain open. On a recent walk to the beach the snow was dotted with what looked like pepper. It was over an area of about 20 yards. Although it was below freezing, the pepper was moving.

Springtails, also called snow fleas, are tiny hexapods that do not bite or infect but they live on snow, jump around and multiply. They are found in areas of high moisture and organic debris and used to be called insects. I found a colony on a walking path near a salt water beach.

OH DEER

How can anything so beautiful be such a nuisance? I used to immediately think of Bambi when I thought of deer, but no more. Deer prefer yews, arbor vitae and juniper but will eat almost anything if hungry enough. I am so torn between protecting deer and culling the heard. The forest can only feed a certain number of animals. Humans bear responsibility for the current over-population, as we have eliminated most predators and built homes in their territory. I cannot harm a deer but I have chosen to adopt procedures that discourage them from feeding in my yard. I apply deer repellant to protect sensitive shrubs, and add Irish Spring Soap at intervals as the odor is unpleasant to deer. In winter the cold air seems to smother some of the odor.

Snow provides a convenient way for me to track deer and understand the ways they invade my garden. I have constructed a loose fence in the woods with fluorescent cord, stringing it from tree to tree in an effort to discourage incursions. A barrier at waist height seems to be effective for now. Deer will first eat the needles on a yew and then the branches.

Cold temperatures are another hazard to gardens in winter. When horticultural growing zones were developed it was the minimum winter temperature that determined what plants could be grown. Coastal Maine is zone 5B-6 but microclimates abound and central Maine just 30 miles away is zone 5A. My daughter in Montreal zone 5A wonders why her scraggly rhododendron never blooms. It survives the below zero temperatures of a Montreal winter, but a lack of flowers indicate it is not happy.

SPRING

It is now the end of February and days are noticeably longer, the sun rays clearly stronger. My thoughts are turning to spring with anticipation and a little regret. There is something about the quiet somber silent forest in winter. It feels safe in Maine where population is sparse. I have enjoyed my solitary retreat into nature. The slow pace of life in the woods during this time of a pandemic is just what my psyche needs.

Now with vaccines and numbers improving, I am hopeful life will return, if not to what we used to think of as normal, at least to a more open active social world. Spring is soon arriving, especially in southern parts of New England, with its bright colors and promise of warmth.

Late winter is a time to look carefully at your garden as it emerges from the snow, plan flower beds and test soils. This is a time to prune some flowering shrubs and trees. I shall start carefully trimming my blueberry bushes. There are a lot of heavy trailing lateral facing branches on my bushes that required supports last summer. I am so afraid to cut the wrong branch. The yield of fruit last year was excellent. Garden books advise pruning in late winter before this year’s flower buds are set. My arbor vitae also needs to be cut now to increase fullness and lower the spindly dominant leader. Cut green branch tips, not mature wood, they write. It can be daunting.

On the positive side, Montauk daisies are already pushing up some green. I am pouring through garden catalogues, wanting to plant most everything I see. Some flowers like red poppies can be started indoors now from seeds. I must confess I gave up on dahlias this winter. It was so much work to clean the bulbs, divide and store and add just the right amount of moisture. The ones I over-wintered did not bloom nearly as well as those I purchased new. Experienced gardener friends have told me otherwise. Maybe it was because they were in too shady a spot, or maybe because I chose a low growing variety. I thought I was avoiding the work of staking them, but the blooms were small and insignificant. I shall be content to start new dahlia bulbs indoors next month. There is still so much to learn. The coming season of gardening will be full of new challenges and mistakes. I look forward to sharing another year of adventure and misadventure in my Maine Garden.

Spring has arrived in Cambridge (Courtesy of Joel Bard)

Looking Back on 2020

The year that will live in infamy, 2020 has thankfully ended. Coronavirus, systemic racism an election followed by unfounded challenges to our democracy, dominated the headlines. I could not have coped with all this without my garden. I immersed myself in the predictability of nature, seeds to plants to flowers and back to seeds. Now as I look forward to a better 2021, I reflect on the past year and share my successes and failures. My summer garden was full of life, annuals perennials and shrubs supported abundant hummingbirds and butterflies.

Marigolds, Dahlias,Salvia, African Daisies, Red Amaranth,Verbena in September

LESSON 1

Plant blooms must be timed to your geographic region or they are useless. I was so anxious to attract butterflies, I planted common milkweed Asclepias syriaca, in April, as soon as the ground thawed. Monarch Watch and Butterflies and their People are two organizations devoted to saving Monarch Butterflies. Please check out their websites as I strongly support their efforts. Loss of native milkweed through herbicide use and construction projects have diminished butterfly habitat, further threatening them. Along with climate change and illegal logging in the Mexican highlands we are lucky to have any monarchs. I cannot understand why they were not protected under the Endangered Species Act this year. I apologize for the digression.

I carefully watered and fertilized my milkweed. to encourage growth, even though it is a weed and does not really need or benefit from such treatment. In fact, I thwarted myself because it grew to 7 feet tall in July. Copious blossoms covered the plants long before butterflies arrive in Maine. My common milkweed fulfilled its life cycle and was dead on the ground by the time the butterflies arrived in August.

This is what it looked like when monarchs arrived (note the abundant creeping charlie)

I was more careful with my swamp milkweed, Joe Pye weed, and butterfly weed and was treated to monarchs from August to Early October. As Doug Tallamy notes NATIVE PLANTS COEVOLVED WITH INSECTS DEVELOPING A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP. (1) Birds and insects will pollinate flowers, but they must be available are at the correct time. A visible effect of global warming is seeing trees and shrubs bud early, following mild winters. Buds then progress to form flowers too soon, before migrating insects and birds arrive to spread their pollen. This mismatch results in fewer fruits and seeds to supply the needs of butterflies, birds and humans.

LESSON 2

If you are not sure what a plant is doing; wait and watch. These were sage words of advice from a friend. I had forgotten planting some random Allium bulbs. When they first sprouted, they looked like odd weeds in the garden bed. I was about to pull them but refrained out of curiosity. Eventually they blossomed into huge Stars of Persia, I was glad I had left them in the ground.

Hens and chicks are common perennials that grow easily almost everywhere with little soil. Mine suddenly started to sprout an odd stem. I watched and waited patiently as it continued to grow into a wondrous flower I had never seen before. The plant at its base dies when flowering is complete, but it is only one of a cluster and can be removed without spoiling the beauty of the mother plant.

LESSON 3

Blueberries love Maine. My garden had a spindly, neglected high-bush blueberry, from previous owners. It was barely distinguishable from the surrounding weeds. I pruned, watered, weeded and fertilized. As an acid lover, it benefitted from coffee grounds strewn around the roots. My reward was a bountiful harvest of sweet juicy blueberries. I had to support drooping branches with stakes as the fruit threatened to break them. The compact low-bush blueberry I planted, produced berries too tiny for me to harvest. They were just enough to satisfy the local bird population and maybe keep them away from my beautiful lucious blue fruit.

LESSON 4

Protect yourself from mosquitoes and ticks. These nuisances are here to stay. Dense invasive vines like barberry, preserve humidity, creating an environment favorable to insects and rodents. White footed mice love dense thickets of bayberry and bittersweet. The tick bites the mouse, who is a natural reservoir for Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi. Infected black legged ticks then jump easily from long grasses and low branches to humans and deer.

Prevention is key. Try to rid your garden of invasive vines. Become familiar with the worst offenders in your area (2). Then wear a bug suit. I was able to tend my garden for hours, chemical free, in my 3 piece protective gear. Digging exposes fresh soil surfaces and releases carbon dioxide signaling to insects “ a meal is near”. Insect repellants and mesh net coverings prevent the inevitable bite.

LESSON 5

Take to time to enjoy your successes. I spent countless hours this fall during the isolation of the Pandemic, watching my garden. It bloomed well into October, when the first heavy frost darkened the annuals and dahlias. Recommended fall care has changed in recent years because of emphasis on preservation of organic material. Wildlife benefit during the winter if you do not cut everything to the ground. Always remove and destroy diseased plants. Most annuals die and can be removed after a few frosts. My impatiens, begonias and dahlias wilted rapidly in the cold indicating when it was time to go.

Last year I spent a lot of time removing dahlia tubers, washing them, and boxing them in peat. I devoted a blog to them. In early spring I divided them and set them in growth medium indoors. However, the dahlias that overwintered did not bloom as well as the new bulbs I started indoors alongside them. This winter I have decided not to spend the time saving my old dahlias.

It is now recommended that most perennials (lavender, butterfly bush, cone flower, Black eyed Susan, Asclepias, Joe Pye weed, astilbe, salvia) be left in the ground untrimmed during winter. Stems provide shelter, and seeds may be used for food. I try to limit my garden to native plants, but sometimes I will make an exception. Autumn is magnificent in Maine. I inherited a burning bush, Euonymus alatus, native to Asia. It has been classified as invasive and I would never plant one, but I can appreciate its brilliant autumn colors.

LESSON 6

Save your leaves for mulch and do not stop composting. I discussed composting in an earlier entry. The decomposition process slows in winter but resumes in spring when compost should be ready to harvest. Used Jack O’Lanterns are great compost. I spread fallen leaves, freshly rakes, over my garden beds to protect delicate roots from winter cold and frost heaves. We have a lot of storms on the coast of Maine and my carefully shredded leaves all blew away in a gale by late November. I replaced them with heavier unshredded leaves and grass clippings that had already started to become matted with leaf mold. I added a bit of bark mulch to the mix for weight and hopefully it will still be there in the spring.

The garden has been put to bed, leaves have turned, and life slows down. I look forward to 2021 with hope; we have a vaccine, a new Statesmanly President, and a vice President that went to High School in Montreal. I feel we have weathered a Tempest and the clouds are parting. Winter in the Garden is still, quiet and serene. My battle with local white tailed deer is the next installment, coming soon.

Tallamy Douglas.Bringing Nature Home; Timber Press, Portland Oregon.2017.
www.maine.gov advisory list of invasive plants 2019.

Enjoying the benefits-Monarch Butterflies #6

I have been remiss in writing and entry for a very good reason, I lounge in my newly screened porch in Phippsburg Maine and watch bees and monarch butterflies sip nectar from my now mature garden. Ruby throated hummingbirds sip from tubular salvia. What a joy in this time of Covid to be isolated in a garden paradise! My planning, planting, weeding and watering was not in vain.

We last had decent rain a month ago. More than a hobby, it has become a duty to provide safe haven for butterflies and birds.

Garden in August: Butterfly Bush, Begonia, Coreopsis and Salvia

This blog was founded to share my Maine garden experience and to encourage plantings to attract birds and butterflies. The more I learned about the complex and precarious life of monarch butterflies, the more I feel compelled to protect them. My grandchildren need butterflies! It became a personal quest to understand and preserve these remarkable creatures.

Last January I went to the highly touted monarch wintering sites in California. All North American monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains are thought to winter either in Pismo beach, or in Monterey. The reserve at Pismo State Park is limited to a small stand of eucalyptus trees beside a highway. There are about 20 trees and 2 were laden with huge clusters of hanging monarchs. As the day warmed some flew around, thrilling the small crowd that had gathered to witness the event. I loved to see the golden wings flutter in sun. My enthusiasm peaked in anticipation of the more major site in California, Pacific Grove, on the Monterey peninsula. It is called, “Butterfly Town” with parades and festivals dedicated to the monarch. I was thrilled to see Monarch Diner and monarch souvenir shops, along the road. Clearly this town loved the monarch.

Monarch on Asclepias tuberosa Hello Yellow

We searched an hour before finding the sanctuary, hidden down a non- descript lane in a residential area. I thought I was at the wrong place, as there were no signs and there were no visible masses of wintering butterflies. The curator told us we were witnessing and extinction event with less than 10,000 monarchs in Pacific Grove. Apparently, the town does not care for eucalyptus trees, where monarchs overwinter, due to the debris that accumulates in the undergrowth. Rather than provide funds to clear the debris and fund the sanctuary, the town prefers to invest in souvenirs, and perhaps memories of the time there actually were butterflies there. In 1980 were 10 million butterflies in the US. I can only hope some western monarchs have retreated to hidden hills where people cannot find them.

The other major threat to US monarchs is glyphosate, “Monsanto Round-up”. These butterflies must lay their eggs on milkweed and the young caterpillars must drink the sap. It is the way they acquire the bitter taste that protects the butterflies from predators. Milkweed eradication has further endangered the monarch. Common milkweed grows in fields and on may not be the most aesthetically pleasing plant, but it is essential.

When I travelled last January to the highlands of Mexico where monarchs overwinter, I was struck by how precarious their existence was. Illegal logging is endangering the few remaining sites where monarchs overwinter. Economic losses to local farmers due to the pandemic have made them turn increasingly to logging. The trees of several particular slopes in the highlands of the states of Michoacan and Mexico are the last refuge of monarch butterflies.

Serendipity was with me as I landed in Macheros at a Band B run by Ellen and Joel Moreno. You could not meet a more dedicated couple to the cause. They arrange guided trips to El Rosario and Cerro Pelon in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Preserve, where monarchs over the winter at specific altitude in precise conditions. They prefer oyamel fir trees but are not limited to them. Unfortunately, loggers also favor these trees.

A butterfly from New England will fly 3,000 miles to the central Mexican highlands, a 2 hour drive from Mexico City. It is subtropical and at 10,000 feet altitude and the winter temperature is 41-54’F (5-12’C). The butterflies fly during mid- day if the temperature rises above 55’F (13’C). When it is colder, they are in a state of semi torpor called diapause, dangling from the trees in huge clusters, huddling for warmth. The impact of global warming on monarch migration cannot be predicted. Milkweed is not allowed in Mexico as its presence may deter migration. More than tree type, temperature requirements control monarch overwintering. A period of cold followed by warmth alerts the butterflies, it is time to change direction, and return north. Mating frenzy begins in Mexico in early February. It is not a romantic pairing. Monarchs mate in Mexico but lay eggs on their journey north, usually first in Texas. There are multiple generations born in the US and Canada, most living less than a month. Then the last and largest generation, the Methuselah monarchs, feast on nectar in the north to prepare for the long journey back to Mexico. These are my monarchs, and I am waiting patiently for them.

We can help by planting milkweed in North America. There are several varieties that are quite attractive, and they fill much of my garden. I am still in pursuit of Asclepias purpurascens a rare native.

MY ASCLEPIAS (MILKWEED)

Asclepias incarnata cinderella and soulmate have lovely pink blooms and return bigger each year. It is also called swamp milkweed. I had a problem in Guilford CT with aphids but not in Maine.

Asclepias tuberosa Hello Yellow did not bloom the first year I planted it and I was ready to pull it out this spring. I am so glad I left it. It is also called Butterfly weed and can have orange flowers as does this one in my back yard.

Asclepias verticillata has wispy needle like soft leaves and white flowers.

Asclepias curassavica, tropical milkweed is gorgeous but controversial. Its milk is high in the chemical that protects monarchs, related to cardiac glycosides. It has flowers that are a mixture of bright red and yellow, a good source of nectar. In the north it works well as long as you remove it from the garden by September. The flowers continue until frost and it may confuse the monarchs, into staying nearby rather than migrate. This is more of a problem in warmer climates like there is in Florida. Barbara Kingsolver has written a terrific book called Flight Behavior about what could happen when monarchs do not migrate.

I have been searching my common milkweed leaves for caterpillars and eggs, but I have not found any, despite having monarchs in the garden. It is still the most attractive plant to the butterfly for laying eggs. In Maine I expect the last or Methuselah generation of larger monarchs to be born, preparing for the journey south.

OTHER PLANTS FOR BUTTERFLIES AND BEES

I also recommend Monarda didyma Bee Balm (Bee happy). This is susceptible to powdery mildew. Watch for it and remove dead leaves. It responds to copper sulfate spray.

Monarda flanked by blueberry and thread-leaf cypress

Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium dubium ‘Baby Joe’). I planted a variety called baby Joe Pye weed that almost died in a container, but thrived when replanted in the ground and it is now 6’ high.

Butterfly bush Buddleia attracts many butterflies and has many varieties. I planted 2 ‘Buzz magenta’. One died in winter after a good bloom season and the other survived with magnificent deep purple fragrant flowers. This year I planted a dwarf that was advertised to not need dead-heading. I found out that if I did not remove old blooms there were no new ones, and butterflies did not like its paler lavender flowers as much. Gardening is a constant learning process.

Next installment will be successes and failures in my 2020 garden during the great drought in Maine and pandemic of 2020. My garden is the perfect refuge.

Sandra-digs.blog #5 WEEDS

By this time of year, end of June, planting shrubs and trees is largely over until fall, and the garden beds are showing off brilliantly colored annuals. Spring vegetables are boulting under the warming summer skies. Believe it or not, the days are getting shorter as the sun begins its retreat from the tropic of Cancer on the summer solstice.

This has been a year of drought in Maine. Grass is already turning brown, falling into dormancy. We are 4 inches behind normal rainfall with July the statistically driest month. Worrisome news is everywhere. The first ever temperature of 100’F was recorded inside the arctic circle in Siberia. The Gulf of Maine has the most rapidly rising temperature of any part of the ocean. Covid-19 is increasing due to overly zealous reopening. Masks that have been shown to prevent infection have become political footballs rather than medical recommendations. The garden is my place of solace, my own private little world, my ecosystem. Flowers nod their greeting in the gentle summer breeze. Hummingbirds hover, collecting nectar from red and purple blooms. With 350 species, they are masters of pollination among birds. Butterflies are returning. Gardens are flourishing across the country providing an opportunity to feel at one with nature while we are socially isolated from people.

Gardens provide a safe haven. I saw this plant in early spring and did not recognize it. I was wisely advised to wait and see what grew.

Allium bulb I had forgotten I had planted

WEEDS AS INVASIVES

I spend my days alternately weeding and watering, watering and weeding. A weed is basically a plant that is unwanted, growing in the wrong place, usually at the expense of more beneficial plants. They compete with desirable plants for nutrients. According to Maine Department of Agriculture website; Invasive plants are plants that not native to a particular ecosystem, whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm. Of 2100 plant species in Maine 1/3 are non- native. Only a small fraction of these are considered invasive. Invasive also describes behavior. These vines can smother shrubs and trees blocking sunlight, eventually killing the plant. Their dense undergrowth increases local humidity and encourages proliferation of ticks.

Invasive plants include Japanese knotweed or Japanese barberry or Kudzu. Most invasives were introduced to this country as cultivated ornamentals. Oriental bittersweet was prized for its berries and decorative woody stems in the 1860s. Autumn olive is an invasive tree. Burning bush is an invasive shrub. Invasive plants can also be of domestic origin like Virginia creeper, trumpet creeper and poison ivy. There are 4 main groups; non- flowering (spore producing), monocots (grasses), herbaceous broadleaf (dicot), and woody weeds. (1) I think I have them all in my yard. As the grass goes dormant weeds proliferate.

Invasive grasses are weeds and can be hard to identify

POLLINATORS

80% of all flowering plants depend on pollinators for reproduction. (2). Important pollinators include bees, beetles, butterflies, and moths. A lawn, with its frequently mowed seedless grass will never be a high- quality pollinator habitat. Savvy environmentalists consider lawn akin to a desert wasteland. It does not support birds or animals or insects, just golfers.

Clover encroaching on a hydrangea is now a weed

In the early spring I loved the bright yellow dandelions that attracted hungry bees. Dandelions can be eaten in salads or as substrates for wines. I was inspired to let them populate my lawn. Then they were replaced by grey windmills blowing seeds everywhere. My resolve to allow weeds to flourish in the lawn diminished. I pulled them out by hand when the soil was moist, and I could capture the entire root. A trowel or weeding fork works well. Now the ground is too dry and hard. Yes, weeds are green and from far can look like lawn. Creeping Charlie invaded my flower beds, as did crabgrass. Common blue violet has a tuber at its base that must be removed, or it will return. Have you ever tried to pull up spreading lily of the valley? Once flowering is over, it is a weed with tough rhizomes that resist removal.

Plantain weeds have thick tenacious roots and no redeeming value. Last summer I foolishly used round- up on a plantain. It killed both the weed and grass around it and prevented new grass seed from germination. I will never use that again.

WEED CONTROL

My weed control consists of several measures.

I use Epsoma organic weed preventer made from corn gluten in flower beds at planting time. I cover it with woven landscape fabric when there is a wide enough space between shrubs or flowers. This allows water to pass but not weeds. I cover this with bark mulch, making sure to stay 3” away from plant stems. Old newspapers soaked in water work well but will not be porous.
Organic weed control can be done with white vinegar and salt and dish soap in equal parts. Transfer to a spray bottle and it will be lethal to weeds. Boiling water also works. Horticultural vinegar is a commercial organic weed killer. (great for common blue violets).
I mulch generously to smother weeds, but old bark mulch needs to be removed every year or two.
Especially after a rain I will pull up creeping Charlie and clover that is invading flower beds.
Invasive vines are my nemesis. I pull them out by the roots whenever I can.
On places like my driveway I will use a chemical spot weed killer in small doses.
I set aside an area of the yard I call my meadow where I let nature choose what grows. I watch. Weeds=wildflowers=weeds.
Crowd out weeds with perennials and annuals. I learned I can plant closer than the plant label states as long as I trim and deadhead.

DESIRABLE WEEDS

I love butterflies. My interest in all things exterior started with my affection for and determination to protect and preserve butterflies. Therefore, I have common milkweed Asclepias syriaca L. (look for monarch eggs under the leaves). I also have whorled milkweed a native with thin leaves and white flowers (Asclepias verticillata). Swamp milkweed (Asclepias Incarnata cinderella) has lovely pink flowers but is prone to aphids. Butterfly weed develops thick shrub like stems and orange flowers (Asclepias tuberosa) . I had tropical milkweed Asclepias curassavica. It is a beautiful plant with yellow on red flowers, loved by butterflies, but it cannot survive outside in northern winters. It is a controversial choice because it flowers late into fall and may confuse monarchs preparing to migrate south. I grow 5 types of Asclepias. It begs the question; what is a weed?

There will always be a tussle between the need for biodiversity in a garden and our sense of aesthetics. Plant monoculture as we see on large commercial farms, is associated with increased plant disease and decreased support of pollinators. A healthy garden ecosystem has plant and animal diversity; with trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, annuals in a multitude of shapes and sizes that attract a greater variety of pollinators. It is all about preserving pollinators while satisfying our creative and aesthetic drive. The Pollinator Pathway is a participatory design and ecology social sculpture initiative created to connect existing green spaces. These connected spaces form a more hospitable urban environment for pollinators. All are invited to participate and certify their green spaces. The one exception to my dedicated garden conservation effort is the groundhog, woodchuck, monster that is eating my coneflowers and lupines. He is banished forever. (If only I could).

Coneflower (Echinaceae) chewed by woodchuck

Next editions include butterflies and a visit to my gardens in full summer

References

1. Eierman Kim. The pollinator Victory Garden.Quarto Publishing Group Beverly, MA: 2020

2. Uva, Richard, Neal, Joseph, Ditomasso, Joseph. Weeds of the Northeast; Cornell University press Ithaca New York 1997.

3. Bergman,Sarah. Web site: Pollinator Pathway Certification Program since 2013

Sandra-digs.blog entry 4

Birds; You do not have to be a “birder” to love birds.

The pictures in this article are of birds I have seen in my backyard in Guilford Connecticut or Phippsburg Maine. I AM NOT A BIRDER. I do not keep a bird list and I maintain an equal opportunity feeder, (not just the pretty birds). I consider myself a bird conservationist. I recognize the important contributions of our avian friends to our environment. These tiny creatures have mastered flight, and many have vision better than ours. Eagles can spot a mouse from 200 feet up. Swallows that lived under a deck next door in Guilford kept the air free of mosquitoes. What humans can claim those skills?

THE MIGRATORY BIRD TREATY ACT of 1918 came about because of the destruction of bird populations for ornamental feathers. It prohibits the capture or killing or sale of migratory birds. Now 100 years later the Act is about to be dismantled by the Trump administration. We cannot let that happen. Birds are essential to the balance of nature.

If there is any silver lining to the current Corona virus pandemic, it is that our air, rivers, lakes and wildlife are benefitting from scaled back industrial and commercial activity. It is reassuring to have it happen relatively quickly. Birds have been threatened by human activity from oil rig disasters in the Gulf of Mexico to increased storms along migration paths. Being sucked into jet engines is another threat, diminished by reduced air travel.

Starlings amassing at Hamonesset Sate Park Madison CT

The American Bird Conservancy web site has a great summary of RISKS TO BIRDS and helpful solutions. Risks include habitat loss, pesticides, window collisions, climate change, and cats. Cats were brought to this country by the colonists. Numbers of cats have tripled in the last 40 years. They kill more than a billion birds annually. It seems so easy to keeps cats indoors and neuter feral cats. People tell me “My cat wouldn’t do that.” “They are too docile or too old”. It is the nature of cats to hunt birds. The old ones maybe just raid nests for the babies or hunt poorly, but hunt they do! Window collisions can be minimized with decals and window coverings that are transparent to us but easily seen by birds. Many bird supply stores carry them. Keeping the feeder close to the house within 2 feet or far away more than 10 feet reduces casualties.

Cats in Sangita reserve South Africa

Doug Tallamy has written a wonderful book called Bringing Nature Home (1), about the importance of Native Plants to sustain wildlife. I had never realized this simple fact. Native plants co-evolved with insects and birds and thus are interdependent. The right food must be available at the time birds traditionally migrate through an area or arrive home. With global warming birds may arrive before the right insects are available or the insects may mature before the birds arrive. Either way there is a dangerous mismatch. I used to love Ginko trees; they resist pollution and are biologically one of the oldest tree species, having survived hundreds of millions of years. A Ginko tree will host maximum 5 insect species as it contains toxic aldehydes. An oak tree supports 534 species of insect and birds and more moths and butterflies than any other native tree. By the way most insect species are beneficial to wildlife.

We can support birds by advocating for them through organizations like Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Massachusetts Audubon (the oldest Audubon Society in North America). They provide wondrous photography on Instagram and many educational programs available to the public.

As committed gardeners, we can plant the native trees and shrubs most desired by birds and butterflies. It makes perfect sense. Think of a hummingbird with its long thin beak. It needs long thin flowers such as penstemon (beardtongue) or trumpet flower to survive. We can also support our avian friends by feeding them. Many people feed in the winter; food is scarce in cold climates. When spring comes it is not time to remove the feeders as, seeds and insects have not yet arrived. You will not spoil birds by feeding them. It is estimated a bird only obtains 15% of its food from feeders, but that can be an essential supplement. Sometimes a totally unexpected bird can appear at the feeder such as a monk parakeet in Guilford CT.

Cardinals and blue jays may not migrate. I found great birds at my feeders in April. It was a joy to me to have 15 goldfinches at one time feasting on my 2 thistle feeders. Ruby throated Hummingbirds arrive in May in Maine. These feisty little creatures are truly miraculous as they jump up vertically before taking off in flight. They can chase each other at times, tiny power-balls buzzing around. What can be easier than providing a red topped feeder at 5 feet above ground with a mixture of ½ cup sugar to 2 cups water. I boil it to sterilize and cool it before filling the feeder. More than a dozen hummingbird species summer in the US.

The greatest thrill to me was having a Baltimore oriole and rose breasted grosbeak couple at once at my specialized oriole feeder. How does a Baltimore oriole know to go to a feeder stocked with grape jelly and orange halves? They visited daily for about a month. Then left to raise young and eat insects. Blue jays like sunflower seeds that they can store in their gullets for later consumption. They are messy eaters providing food for the ground feeding mourning doves. We also have house finches, purple finches, chipping sparrows and tree sparrows. I love the brilliant red male cardinal and his wife with her bright orange beak.

Rose breasted grosbeak pair with goldfinch

Living near the sea I am privileged to see piping plovers on the beach. There has been a resurgence in the population since beaches are less frequented by homo sapiens due to Corona virus. Bright white egrets and great blue herons scour the tidal inlets for fish. We have observed osprey flying high above us at times with fish- oriented head- first in their claws. Common terns dive- bomb the shallow waters looking for food. There are a few migrating sand pipers gathering on the shore.

Keep your dogs on a leash please. Do not tell me your dog does not chase birds if allowed to run free. When a dog chases a migratory bird, it becomes nervous. A frightened bird will likely not eat enough to survive its ambitious migration. On our neighbouring beach large black backed sea gulls and herring gulls pluck crabs from the sand. They will eat almost anything, but French fries are not healthy bird food.

Since I became aware of birds, I find so many new species everywhere I look. I am a compulsive taxonomist wanting to understand nature. I have seen a wood thrush and a yellow warbler deep in the woods. Unfortunately, my hearing aids make me more of a visual bird conservationist. I regret now that I did not start sooner, before my hearing deteriorated. Many bird lovers use the unique birdsongs to identify and further appreciate our feathered friends. It is never too late to begin. Just grab a bird book like Sibley’s (2) or National Geographic Birds and a pair of binoculars and go for a Covid free walk.

I thank David Moon from MA Audubon and Robert Dealy for their help with photos.

Next entry will be “weeds are just good plants in the wrong places.”

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Tallamy Doug. Bringing Nature Home; Timber Press Portland Oregon 2007
Sibley David Allen. The Sibley Guide to Birds; AA Knopf, New York 2000.
Dunn Jon and Alderfer Jonathan. A National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America Seventh Edition. Washington DC

Compost

In this time of Social Distancing the Garden is more important than ever.

Entry 3 COMPOSTING

I have been delayed in entering my new blog post mainly because I had said it was about composting, and I have to confess, I am a completely novice composter. Many of my readers probably know more about it than I do, but I am determined to learn and share.

Composting is essential, avoids landfills, and decreases your carbon footprint. Recycling has turned out to be a sham. Remember when we tried to buy bio-degradable materials, newspaper, paper bags? Now we look for recycling numbers on containers and trust we are benefitting the planet.

According to the EPA website 76% of plastic ends up in landfills. In 2018 China stopped accepting our waste. Who even knew it was going to China? The expense of transporting garbage across the ocean seems ridiculous. Many items with stamped recycle numbers still end up in landfills, others are down- graded. Some recycling programs accept plastic bags, but most do not, complaining they block machinery. There are huge disparities in what different communities accept in so called single stream. Mixed media like Kleenex boxes with cardboard and plastic are sent straight to landfills.

Recycling

The idea that recycling makes general use of plastics more acceptable, comes from the manufacturers, according to the EPA. I was unaware it cost communities more to recycle garbage than to treat it as trash. Until recently, I thought recycling saved money. Why then is no one working on creating a profitable market for recycled goods? Why are we not processing plastic domestically? Why are there no refunds for beverage bottles and cans in most states?

Composting keeps trash working for the community. We could significantly decrease plastic and other packaging use immediately, by one simple step. The amount of packaging for any item should correspond to the volume of product. Think of that the next time you go to a big box story where small quantities of groceries or beauty products, for example, are packaged in large volumes of cardboard and plastic. I apologize for digressing from my topic.

Compost

Any environmentally conscious consumer should compost. Some communities maintain large central repositories of compost, collecting it in large bins. Mine does not. After reading the garden literature, I bought a composter. Like most available pre-made, on the market, it is plastic. Compost containers can be wire, snow fencing, cinder block, wood and metal. It is advisable to have 2 bins at different stages of decomposition. An effective composter should transform kitchen and yard waste into dark, nutrient rich earth smelling soil. I was psyched. All I had to do was follow a few simple directions.

A composter can be a constructed product but can also just be a pile of leaves and grass in a corner of the yard. Compost helps break down heavy clay soils, adds nutrient holding capacity to sandy and virtually any soil.

The composter was assembled and placed on a level piece of ground away from the house. At first, I located it too close and had to move it to a far corner of the yard. I primed it with a bucketful of commercial compost. Then I added about 4” of carbon rich material, leaves and, grass clippings, on the bottom. Over this base, I spread a few shovelfuls of earth. There are commercial compost starters available at garden stores. The earth adds helpful soil microorganisms. Then I was finally able to add waste, kitchen food scraps. They were collected in a specialized porcelain container with an odor absorbing filter.

DO COMPOST

Leaves (preferably shredded), dry grass clippings, fruit and vegetable matter, crushed egg- shells, coffee grounds, coffee filters, tea bags, cold wood ash, sawdust, seaweed, straw.

DO NOT COMPOST

Meat, fats, fish, bones, dairy products, cooking oil, weeds with seeds, plant matter treated with chemicals, pet waste, used kitty litter, diseased plants.

Burying food waste in leaves or grass, in the composter, helps prevent rodents. Layering of different materials speeds decomposition. Alternating high carbon content (grass clippings) with high nitrogen content (food scraps) in the composter keeps material moist and aerated. Good mixing and layering should not smell or attract animals. A mulching lawn mower allows grass clippings to directly nourish the lawn. Excess grass clipping should dry for a day or 2 before adding to the composter. Turn the pile every few weeks with a pitchfork to aerate. I always wanted to find a use for a pitchfork.

I hope he uses it for compost (Grant Wood)

Compost material should be a bit moist, like a wrung- out sponge. It may be transformed to be a usable soil amendment in 2-6 months. (Sometimes it takes longer). A well -balanced compost pile should not smell. Leaves are high in carbon, and leaf mold makes superior compost. Leaves from fall can be shredded by placing in a garbage can and slicing with a string trimmer. Running the lawn mower back and forth over a pile of leaves also reduces volume preparing them for composting. Shredded leaves make a great weed controlling, and moisture containing mulch. Leaf mold is what accounts for the earthy smell of the forest floor. Leaf mulch can be spread over flower beds for the winter and added to the composter in spring. The easiest way to obtain a limited but usable compost, is an open pile of leaves left in the garden. It can be used directly if you spread the mature compressed leaves from the bottom.

In my readings about compost I came upon an alternative type of compost pile for people without yards. Vermicomposting, composting with worms. You can buy specialized tubs or make one yourself with 2 plastic storage bins, one inside the other. The worms include red wigglers, white worms and other earthworms. Just writing this grossed me out so much. I could not even include a picture. If you want to find out about this GOOGLE IT please.

I have set up my compost pile, added leaves and earth and food trash. Now I have to wait and stir, to see what happens.

In the meantime, I am thrilled to watch the birds returning north and frequenting my feeders. The number of feeders is growing daily as new birds show themselves. Backyard birding helps nature and is a safe way to enjoy the outdoors in these Covid tainted times. Birds are the subject of my next blog.

REFERENCES

Growing degree days are defined as the difference between the average daily temperature and a base temperature, which is 50°F in most cases. The average daily temperature is calculated by subtracting the minimum observed temperature from the maximum observed temperature for the day and dividing that value by two. For those who prefer formulas, it looks like this:

(Max Temp Observerd + Min Temp Observed)/2-50°F=Growing Degree Day Value.)

Dahlias

DAHLIAS – Herbaceous Ornamental

WHY DAHLIAS NOW ?

They are a reliable flower with intense reds, yellows, even violets. They are easy to grow, but bloom mid- summer to fall, not spring. Then I was reminded by a friend that “April is still winter in Maine”. I pondered this and then concluded, there is not much else I can do in the garden right now. I have removed most of the fall leaves that formed my winter mulch. I have edged and pulled out creeping Charlie.

I have attempted and failed to budge the lily of the valley pips poking little white heads above the soil. I cannot dig them out between the large boulders. I will have to wait until they bloom and pick the flowers, preventing more seeding. The little white bells do have a lovely fragrance. Apparently, sun will limit growth and next year I may need a more drastic plan. Their rhizomes spread relentlessly, just under the soil. I will try horticultural vinegar on the field violets, leaving some to bloom, but taming the invasion.

MAINE VERSUS CONNECTICUT Climate wise

I started growing dahlias in coastal CT where summers are long and winters mild. They are currently at the end of tulip season, with leaves emerging on the trees. In Maine, I have my first daffodil on April 24. The last average frost day here is May 21-31, a long wait to plant tender perennials and annuals. Today is another rainy, windy Monday, better to read a book by the fire, than brave the outside. There is too much rain to fertilize, sprinkle grass seed, or apply organic weed preventer.

I am determined to save dahlia tubers from CT. They have bloomed for 2 seasons up to now. I find the idea of propagating, new plants from old comforting. I read what I could in books about overwintering dahlias and consulted web sites and videos. There was a lot of good information on storing dahlia tubers but not quite enough to cover my situation.

PLANTING

Dahlias in April in Maine are an inside sport. Planting can begin 3-4 weeks before they are transferred outdoors. Tubers can be purchased now, packed loosely in a little peat moss. The small clumps resemble fingerling potatoes tied together. Like potatoes, plant growth occurs from eyes peeking out from the necks or crowns of the tuber. First, a reddish stem can be seen, and then delicate, green leaves follow. Each eye may form a new plant. They should not be put in the ground until danger of frost has passed. Frost dates in any area can be found by asking Google and inserting your zip code.

I plant indoors in 8inch plastic pots with a mix of half potting mix and half peat, keeping it moist but not wet. I found references to several different planting mixtures including pure peat moss. OOOPS. In writing this article, I found a recommendation to place the plants on their side. Too late for me for this year. The potted tubers should be stored in a cool location (55-65’F) until it is time to plant in the ground. I found reference to both dark and light storage rooms, including greenhouses for early growth. In the ground they will need a mixture of soil, compost and peat. A dose of fertilizer and good drainage.

Optimal drainage is important but is not as I thought. I knew water needs to move quickly away from the crown of the plant. It passes through pores in soil, in the spaces between the soil particles. Coarse particles of soil like sand have large spaces and water passes through quickly. As particles get smaller the spaces are narrower and transit slower. Clay soil has fine particles with the least space. It can hold on to water too long, damaging plant roots.

RULE 3; GRAVEL AT THE BOTTOM OF A POT DOES NOT HELP DRAINAGE AS WATER DOES NOT MOVE WELL FROM SMALL PORES TO LARGE ONES. IF YOU MUST PUT SOMETHING DIFFERENT AT THE BOTTOM OF A POT USE MATERIAL WITH A SMALLER PORE SIZE, SUCH AS A DENSE CLAY RICH SOIL OR ORGANIC MATTER, OR NEWSPAPER.

FLOWERS

The dahlia flowers arrive on the long sunny lazy days of midsummer with copious blossoms that thrive for days to weeks. If you pinch off the first small buds especially on side shoots the blooms are supposed to be larger. Dahlias come in long- stemmed (36-40”) varieties that need to be staked early in their growth. Staking later could penetrate the tuber damaging it. I prefer the shorter heights, (24-28” or 12-14”), as they are easier to manage. Medium height and shorter varieties take kindly to containers as long as the containers are at least 12 inches deep with good drainage. They prefer rich soil, 2 parts compost to 1 part peat. Fertilize after sprouting with a low nitrogen liquid fertilizer (5-10-10 or 10-20-20). Repeat every 3-4 weeks until early Autumn. Too much nitrogen leads to more green and fewer blooms.

My first summer in Maine, I planted several tubers in the ground, and a few in large plastic rectangular containers with soil 12 inches deep. The container plants needed quite a bit more frequent watering. I used a mix of 1/3 peat, 1/3 soil, and 1/3 compost. (There are premixed soils sold for containers.) I lined the bottom with denser, but still porous landscape fabric to help modulate the speed of drainage. The containers were placed in front of the house in full sun in May when danger of frost was past. I fertilized with a flower friendly fertilizer, guaranteed to give the largest most abundant blooms, and I waited. Green stems and leaves grew readily.

What I did not appreciate at first, was the effect of a large white ash tree, (pictured in my first garden entry), in front of the house. It leafed out in early June, and as it did, began to block the sun. At first there was a beautiful dappled shade in the morning. As the canopy became denser light was increasingly blocked. My plants was healthy, but with more stems and leaves. There were very few flowers. I had to move several heavy, earth- filled, containers to a better location, resulting in many unnecessary days of back pain.

RULE 4; MOST MISTAKES CAN BE RECTIFIED.

I successfully moved my planters to a sunnier location. Dahlias need at least 6 hours of sunlight daily for beautiful flowers. New varieties, now available, include rag mop style flowers that look spectacular. A large multi-layered flower with a plethora of petals may be gorgeous, but it can shield the stamens, bearing pollen, and pistil, where the nectar lies. It may be difficult for pollinators to reach these inner parts. I prefer the more open, daisy like composite varieties. There is an abundance of choice and color for each height. Red flowers are most attractive to hummingbirds. Butterflies drink the nectar through their long proboscis. Deadheading dahlias throughout the summer leads to a longer blooming season.

AUTUMN CARE

When autumn arrives, flowering slows. By the first hard frost leaves blacken and wilt. Last fall, in Maine, I was faced with a choice, either leave them in the ground, discard them, or save them for the next year. I decided to save them for the next year, although overall it may be cheaper to buy new. I like the idea of continuity, conservation, and the plants multiply through division.

Fortunately, for me, the dahlias should be removed from the ground before the very heavy containers would have to be brought indoors. I left a couple of plants in flower beds and in containers in the barn, where I knew they would freeze, as an experiment. They were protected from wind and snow. Basically, I was too lazy to store all the bulbs I had accumulated. This spring I found the tubers left in soil, had actually disintegrated. There were some dead roots in the pots. One had a tuber that fell apart in my hands.

STORAGE

To store, I first cut off all the frost -bitten greenery. After gently lifting out the plants, the remaining stems were cut to 6 inches above the crown. You are supposed to hose down all earth completely before preserving, but I found it impossible to remove every grain of soil. Each dahlia plant is made up of a clump of fingerlings. Some people divide the tubers in the fall. I prefer to do it in the spring when I can find the eyes more easily. They should dry out for a couple of days, upside down. I then placed them in a box with peat moss. Perlite or coconut fiber, or plain brown bags work too. Several plants can be in the same container. Too many layers could lead to plant rot. I misted the dry tubers with very little water. I covered the peat with a bit of newspaper to assure darkness and retain moisture. I had several tubers totally dehydrate becoming unusable when I did not add a spritz of water every 2 months. I also had a tuber grow moldy with too much water. The balance is delicate.

Onion or lemon mesh bags were also recommended to hold the bulbs in a box with no other medium. This allowed easy inspection of the tuber, but I was afraid that would result in more shriveling. I almost forgot a most important rule.

RULE 5; LABEL EACH TUBER WITH ITS FULL NAME, COLOR AND HEIGHT

Thus, ends the year of the dahlia. I hope you have as much pleasure as I do watching them grow. Next up will be compost, then weeds.

Meet my garden in Maine

DIG WITH DR. SANDRA Sandra-digs.blog

I moved to a 100 plus years old farmhouse in Maine last year. It was a faded grande dame with a fabulous barn attached, that was built in 1971. The surrounding half- acre lot consisted largely of weeds over the leaching field, outcroppings of rock ledge and an undulating lawn. It is surrounded by tall birch and fir trees, typical of Maine. When I began to dig in the front yard, I discovered the matted grass and weeds obscured an old rock garden. As I scratched the surfaces of boulders, I found crevices in the rocks with hidden plant treasures. It was so exciting and fulfilling, I decided to start this blog to share my experiences. There sources of information more highly technical than this. I thought my journey to the garden with many steps and missteps might be something people recognized and enjoyed reading about. I am a newly anointed Master Gardener, from the University of Connecticut, and retired Neurologist Gardening is every bit as challenging as Academic Neurology.

Perhaps there would be more respect for gardening if we called it Horticultural Science. It relies on the disciplines of soil science, plant pathology, entomology, nutrition, geology, and hydrology. These are not trivial. Working the earth, sowing, caring for and harvesting plants, were never as important as now. It is spring 2020. We are isolated with corona virus and worrying about our food supply. Gardens are safe havens. Gardening provides exercise while keeping us away from the refrigerator. Our yards have taken on new importance as we think more about growing our own.

EXILED IN PARADISE

I never thought I would be in Maine in March, where it is now sleeting outside. Tiny ice pellets are bouncing off the deck, making a tinkling sound. I found refuge from Corona virus in a cozy 4 season house called “Pinky’s house”. It was built for my partner’s great aunt, his mother’s twin sister. We drove to Maine from Montreal March 18, when it became clear the Canada US border would soon close to limit the spread of Corona. We marveled at the clarity of the mountain sky. Mount Washington, rarely visible, was glorious, covered in snow, towering above the other peaks in the Presidential Range. Air pollution has finally lessened due to stay at home orders. We had planned to leave Montreal, our winter home, April 25, but the virus caused a more precipitous departure.

Our own house has ongoing construction of a screened porch. Walls are still open, making completion of the project essential. The house is un-inhabitable. Outside the snow has mostly melted, the ground thawed, and the garden is fortunately, accessible.

INTO THE GARDEN

Weeds seem to be first to emerge, while trees and shrubs are still dormant. My new garden had been neglected for many years. What looked like a low ridge of rocks, grass and weeds in the front yard actually contained several large boulders arranged in an irregular line. Coastal Maine is largely made up of rocks, left by the last ice age (1). They have a stark primitive beauty, an almost monumental presence. The grey stones become even more interesting when soft green moss begins to spread over their surface.

My garden contains a lovely but very overgrown Forsythia (2) at one end, and a robust Rhododendron (3) to the right. A scraggily Highbush Blueberry (4) was almost unrecognizable, now flourishing. These shrubs grow exuberantly in the mid-coastal Maine climate, plant growing zone 5B.

INTO THE GARDEN

RULE 1- THE NEEDS OF THE PLANTS COME BEFORE THE SENTIMENTALITY OF THE GARDENER.

The Blue Spruce would have to go. The best time to transplant is early spring while shrubs and trees are still dormant. There is not much else to be done in the garden at this time of year. Planting frost tolerant trees and shrubs now, gives maximum time for roots to grow in the all- important first year. Frequent watering is important. There are added benefits from spring rains, but rain filters through the leaves. It does not completely fulfill the needs of the plant. In March I can also remove dead branches, rake leaves from the lawn and some flower beds. It is OK to uncover daffodil’s sprouting fresh greenery, as it is cold hardy. I was careful not to remove autumn leaf mulch from more delicate plants, because decomposing leaves are an excellent mulch.

RULE 2. DO NOT PRUNE SPRING FLOWERING SHRUBS (OTHER THAN DEAD AND DISEASED WOOD) BEFORE THEY FLOWER.

Blue Spruce far left, Living Christmas Tree

Digging up a now, 2- year old spruce is not easy, but can be done. I start with 2 Ibuprofen or 1 Naproxen. Hours later, I am ready to drag the liberated tree on a tarp to its new full sun location. The planting hole should be 2 times wider than the root ball. I carefully try to preserve as many roots as possible. A mixture of compost and soil, about 50:50 works well. I water heavily, directly, because rain does not filter well through the dense foliage. Then I sit back and will wait 5 years to admire my new tree as it is a slow grower.

The other activity suited to March is weeding. Creeping Charlie (aka ground ivy), wild strawberry, and field violets are already growing under the decaying leaves in my garden. At this time, it is easiest to pull out the long strands of Creeping Charlie, an invasive weed that will grow new plants from every node. Wild Strawberry may resemble poison ivy, but the leaves are notched and duller and it spreads from a central clump by thin stolons. Poison ivy is a vine, also an early riser. Watch out for it in the spring garden. I am very allergic. Oriental bittersweet, Japanese Barberry, shrubby honeysuckle and other invasives wake up long before our more desirable perennials. Leave dandelions for the bees to enjoy. The tender green leaves have a peppery flavor and may be used in salads.

Edging with a sharp spade around shrubs and small specimen trees is easier now, when the ground is still moist, and grass has not had a chance to invade. Try to leave a radius of 1.5 feet around each plant. Mulch can also be applied now, being careful not let it touch the tree trunk.

I transplanted my spruce to an area where it has room to grow. One day, in 20 years, it will protect the view of our house from the road.

Now on to the next challenge. I hope you enjoyed reading this sample to an upcoming garden blog. I welcome comments.

The following references include arbitrary background facts I find interesting. NEXT ISSUE WILL BE PLANTING AND PROPAGATING DAHLIAS, then COMPOSTING.

References

1. Maine rocks;

1.Sedimentary

shale, mudstone, siltstone , limestone, various sandstones

2.Igneous (volcanic)

Basalt, andescite, dacite

2. Forsythia;

Non- native, origin Asia. Zone 5-9, 14 species;

Forsythia(genus) intermedia(species) smaller, intense yellow flowers on branches before leaves in spring,

Forsythia suspensa very large, 1-3 Meters, paler flowers.

Branches can be forced to flower early spring and may be as early as January. Cut branches can be placed in vases of water and will take about 2 weeks to flower. Other fruit trees like cherries can be similarly forced. Prune shrubs after flowering by removing oldest canes, do not shear. It looks gross. Canes can be propagated by layering. Heavy pruning can also be done in fall before new buds are set.

3. Rhododendron;

One native tree, Rosebay Rhododendron is rare. Most non-native origin Asia. Zone 4-8, same genus as azalea (genus rhododendron). My daughter tries to grow in Montreal (considered zone 5A), but it is very slow, spindly, with few flowers. In Maine it thrives, dense with white to pink to purple flowers in June. Flowers best if deadheaded after bloom but this can be difficult as some grow to 4 meters. Acid loving soil, intolerant of road salt. It prefers filtered sun. Little wildlife value. There are 900 species and about 20,000 named hybrids.

4. Highbush blueberry;

Native, indigenous people cultivated fruit. Zone 4-7. Genus Vaccinium species corymbosum. Note that vaccinium has nothing to do with vaccine. Origin is Latin for plant. The bush grows to 4-8 feet high. Plant NOW early spring with 2-3 year-old plants from nursery. Plant more than one variety for best yield. Birds love the fruit and covering in summer with netting depends on what you love more, birds or fruit.

5. Colorado Blue Spruce;

Native, from Colorado. Zone 2-7. Silver- blue green, grows eventually to 75 feet. Growth slow to medium 12-24” per year. Likes full sun and tolerates many soils. More wind resistant among evergreens due to many deep roots. Stiff needles. Plant NOW. Birds seek shelter in its branches.