Dilip's 2006 Garden Journal

2008-03-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

It became a little colder today (in the 50s [°F]) today and my cherry tree looks just like it did yesterday with no new blooms. To the left, you can see the rapidly budding flowering almond; to the right, one of the early blooms of kerria japonica ("Japanese rose").

My wife pulled out more than a wheelbarrow-full of lovely, rich compost; I used about a quarter of it mixed with items like alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal, rock dust, rock phosphate, etc., and spread it around the cherry's drip line, as well as around the other fruits (blueberry, fig, and apple) except I ran out of this load before the stalk apple trees.

2008-03-16T23:10:00.000-07:00

I worked to get a good portion of the pile of shredded limbs left from the tulip poplar that had fallen in a windstorm on February 10th spread; normally one should not use such "green" (fresh) mulch as it can rob the soil of nitrogen as it breaks down, but since I want to put it on top of existing mulch and primarily in walkways, I think it should be okay. I spread the mulch in the front area of flowering shrubs, as well as the old rose bed and most of the fruit tree island.

Great news - I noticed that my cherry tree has its first blooms!! I saw three blooms and when I looked a half hour or so later, there were maybe ten more! The forsythia is rapidly blooming and the quince is now at peak, dropping some petals.

2008-03-15T23:11:00.000-07:00

We had pretty good weather that allowed me to work in the garden in shorts. I took advantage of the imminent rain (which came around 5p) to fertilize the front lawn with a 36-pound bag of Milorganite. I also made up a mixture of compost, bat guano (compassionately harvested when bats in Texas were not in their caves), cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal, rock dust, earthworm castings, and rock phosphate, as well as some Eden Rich plant-based fertilizer from GardensAlive! . I used that self-mixed fertilizer blend to apply under azaleas and hollies in the front, both of which are starting to have bud swell, and a little to my blueberry and fig. I also distributed 3 6-pound bags of epsom salts around my roses to encourage new basal breaks; I could have used a little more, and will pick another bag up soon.

2008-03-13T23:21:00.000-07:00

Spring is in the air! The blueberry bush has lots of blooms, outdone by the rosemary bush, with many light purple blooms. Hyacinths have been opening, and today I noticed that both forsythia and flowering almond are starting to bloom - forsythia's blooming indicates I can now prune my roses. Lady Banks Rose, as well as most of the other roses, is leafing!

2008-02-05T23:57:00.000-08:00

Spring is coming! Here you can see pictures of my flowering quince starting to bloom, 'Holland Sensation' daffodil, and winter honeysuckle and rosemary blooms.

2007-12-10T22:05:00.000-08:00

We have been having unusually warm weather, in the 70s (°s F) and even touching the low 80°s! The fig tree has done great this year and grown nicely and healthily. It quickly acknowledged autumn by dropping all of its leaves fairly abruptly a week or two ago. Here you can see the camellia on the east side of my house beginning to bloom.

2007-06-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

For about a week now, blueberries have been ripening! Just this afternoon, for example, about a dozen berries were ready. A few days ago, my butterfly bush started blooming. The fig seems quite happy to be planted and the little fruits are growing. I am thinking of cutting the lavender stalks and drying them; they are nearing the point where that can be done.

2007-06-10T14:09:00.000-07:00

Finally, I planted the fig tree - and noticed that it actually has two fruits forming! I normally make holes for trees and shrubs 2 1/2 - 3 times as wide as the pot and about as deep, but I understand that if you plant a fig tree 4" deeper than it was planted, it will encourage the fig to become a shrub instead of a 10-20' tall tree, so that's what I did. I put the 12" wide, 12" deep potted fig into a hole, about 18" deep and 30-32" wide, in my fruit tree island, close to where I had the productive peach before it died (some time after storm damage) several years ago. I used the normal kinds of amendments I use, being careful not to fertilize it (avoiding nitrogen, in particular) - I used earthworm castings, compost, lime, rock phosphate, and included about 50% native soil -- if you amend a new hole too much, the roots eventually hit what may feel to them like a brick wall!

I have one crabapple! I wonder why more didn't fruit this year. The roses look good!

2007-06-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

2007-06-07T23:48:00.000-07:00

The garden is looking nice, with all of the roses blooming (here you can see 'Gardens of the World'). Blueberries are getting plumper and should be ready to eat in a matter of weeks! I really need to get the fig tree that I purchased some time ago planted.

2007-04-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

We've been having unseasonably warm weather even into the 80s for the last week or so, but today I heard that by Thursday, we will have significantly cooler temperatures, with daytime highs only into the 50s or 60s. I forgot to mention that yesterday I mowed the lawn for the first time this season. Today I purchased a fig tree for myself (variety Celeste - Ficus carica 'Celeste'), one for my parents, and one for my parents' neighbors (varieties Celeste and Brown Turkey - I suspect my parents will take the Brown Turkey and their neighbors the Celeste).

Celeste and Brown Turkey seem to be the most well-suited fig varieties in this area. Celeste, also known as Blue Celeste, Honey Fig, Malta, Sugar, and Violette, is said to grow 6-10' in height and 10-15' in width, and to be winter hardy to 0°F. Brown Turkey, also known as Black Spanish and San Pedro, is said to grow around 10' tall and I think 10-20' wide, and okay down to 10°F. Both grow quite fine in zones 8 and warmer, and, here in zone 7, are generally fine but may need some winter protection.

According to the state's extension service:

Figs need well-drained, reasonably fertile, moist soil. They need protection from winter sun and winds. A northern exposure often helps to keep the plants dormant until warm weather. Select well rooted one-year-old plants and set them ten feet apart. If a tree is desired; set the plants one or two inches deeper than they grew in the nursery. If a bush is desired, set them four inches deeper than they grew in the nursery. Deeper planting encourages branching. Mulch figs to conserve moisture and to keep down weeds. In early spring, apply fertilizer according to a soil test report. If you have not taken a soil test apply 10-10-10 at the rate of one pound for each year of age, up to a maximum of 15 pounds. Too much nitrogen gives excessive growth, reduces yield and promotes winter injury. If more than 18 to 24 inches of terminal growth is produced in one season, reduce the amount of nitrogen being applied. Figs usually need very little pruning. Pruning consists mainly of removing dead and broken branches. Wait until the plant has just begin to produce new growth. With time your fig bush may become too [sic] large to easily harvest. In this case, cut back individual branches to the desired height. Figs often have a problem with fruit dropping before it reaches maturity. Possible reason include ... excessive nitrogen which in turn promotes vegetative growth; poor light due to shading; frost or freeze injury; or too much or too little moisture in the soil or nematode damage. Sometimes the fruit will split as they ripen. Usually this is due to uneven moisture or heavy rains.

I am thinking of planting my new fig tree, around 3' tall but said to grow fast, in the fruit tree island where the plum tree used to grow. I would prefer to train the tree as a shrub to make it survive winters with less exposure and to make the fruit, which bears on the ends of the previous year's wood and ripens in the late summer, more accessible. I read on the state of Georgia's extension service site:

Begin training to bush form at the time of planting by cutting off one-third of the young plant. This forces shoots to grow from the base of the plant. Let these shoots grow through the first season. Then, late during the winter after the first growing season, select three to eight vigorous, widely spaced shoots to serve as leaders. Remove all other shoots. Be sure the leaders you select are far enough apart to grow to 3 to 4 inches in diameter without crowding each other. If they are too close together, the leaders cannot grow thick enough to support themselves and their crop, and they tend to fall over or split off under stress of high winds. If this happens, remove the damaged leader and select a new one late the next winter by choosing one of the many suckers that arise annually. If more branching is desired, head back the bush each spring beginning the second year after planting, after danger of frost is past but before growth has started. Do this by removing about one-third to one-half the length of the last year’s growth.
Also, prune all dead wood and remove branches that interfere with the leaders’ growth. Cut off low-growing lateral branches and all sucker growth that is not needed to replace broken leaders. Do not leave bare, unproductive stubs when you prune. These stubs are entry points for wood decay organisms. Make all pruning cuts back to a bud or branch.

2007-04-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

My wife and I were excited yeseterday to see that the Yellow Lady Banks Rose has several blossoms which have opened! I took a few pictures today. I started fertilizing the plants with a homemade mixture of compost that I generate from my food preparation, coffee grounds from a coffee shop, alfalfa meal, earthworm castings (one of the few animal ingredients I use in an otherwise veganic garden - from what I can tell, the earthworms benefit from the collection of their droppings; I also sometimes get horse manure from a nearby horse stable where old horses live their lives out and sometimes use bat guano that I brought home years ago from Austin, Texas, where a huge colony spends part of the year), rock phosphate, cotton compost, and lime (except in acid loving plants like azaleas and camellias). I got through all of the roses (except for the rugosa) and the azaleas and hollies at the front of the house.

Here you can see some pictures of Yellow Lady Banks, azaleas starting to open, and blossoms from the other stalk apple tree, not a crabapple. After I took these pictures, I noticed that one of my dwarf apple trees has one set of blooms! It's a mystery to me why, though the stalk apple trees do fine, the dwarf ones have never had apples - I've tried pruning almost not at all, moderately, and severely, and still don't get fruit, though the trees look healthy.

2007-03-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

I finished pruning the roses, which I started doing a few days ago. The most dramatic changes are with Heritage, which was up to 6' tall by maybe 5' wide, and Habitat for Humanity, which had many long arched canes, some more than 8' tall. I am concerned for several hybrid teas, such as all three Double Delights and Moonstone which, after pruning, either have no canes above the mulch or just one. But the unhealthy canes had to be removed. You can see the main rose bed pruned below. Also, I am including pictures from yesterday of the stalk crabapple tree's blossoms.

2007-03-31T00:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my wife reported that the 'Lady Banks' rose bush has some small buds, and indeed that's so! I had a neighbor who used to say that there was one day when suddenly our wooded backyards would fill in - I think today was that day. I finished pruning the roses along the driveway. The white azaleas are about to open, and the stalk apple trees are blooming! The kerria japonica and flowering almonds are at about peak bloom, and the hyacinths are so heavy that most are lying down on the ground! Here, you can see pictures of 'Lady Banks' blossoms, blueberry blossoms, forsythia, and the back yard.

2007-03-29T00:31:00.000-07:00

My white azaleas are starting to open! I began pruning my roses, getting through the top end of my main rose bed and working down to, but not including, 'Heritage'. Though 'Double Delight', at the end of the bed, looked good, after pruning out damaged canes, little is left - I hope that she comes back okay.

The cherry tree is pretty much leafed out with just a few blossoms left; it's such a lovely and transient sight to see the tree covered in blooms. Yesterday, I noticed three or four Eastern tent caterpillar nests in crotches high up in the tree; I removed the nests and hope that birds will enjoy the exposed caterpillars.

Oh, great news - my wife reported and I confirmed that 'Lady Banks' has some small buds! We'll have roses soon!

2007-03-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

I guess that the cherry tree peaked in bloom on Friday or Saturday. Now, it is rapidly leafing, as is our backyard. We have a wooded backyard and each year it seems like within a week or so we go from bare trees with some redbuds glowing to a green privacy fence. Kerria Japonica is blooming more fully and the hyacinths in the front are getting pretty top heavy and deliciously fragrant! The curbside shrubs - yellow forsythia, red quince, and lovely pink flowering almond - are all blooming.

2007-03-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

Spring is here! The cherry tree is gorgeous, near peak. The roses are quickly leafing out and, now that the forsythia is blooming, it's time to prune them. The blueberry blossoms are pretty, kerria japonica ("Japanese rose") is opening, and the hyacinths that I planted this past fall are opening.

2007-03-15T00:22:00.000-07:00

We had very nice weather into the low 80s today. I pruned my two non-stalk apple trees moderately to central leaders. My forsythia is just starting to bloom, so soon it will be time to prune my roses, most of which are starting to wake up from their winter slumber. The blueberry has been blooming for a few weeks now! The new hyacinths that I planted in the side yard near Lady Banks Rose (she is nicely beginning to leaf out and I need to get a support for her) are opening.

2007-02-21T23:26:00.000-08:00

It feels like spring! But we have some cold weather coming up. Here you can see the quince blooming, as well as a closeup of my blueberry bush which already has many blossoms!

2006-05-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

The rose show was today and we did well! With my wife's help, we first put together the miniature arrangement. It was quite simple, but took some time to select the roses and get them in place. We were very pleased with the arrangement, but it took a close 2nd prize next to one of my friend Sue Illg's always-lovely arrangements. My big arrangement took a blue ribbon and American Rose society Artist Award! This is I think the third time I have won the blue ribbon and an Artist Award.

I did okay, but not great in horticulture. The show was tiring - we went to bed around 11p and set the alarm for 4:40. We ended up at the show just a few minutes after 7a, and had till 10:30a. The arrangements took us till around 9:30 or 9:40, and we went right to 10:30 with the roses we wanted to enter into the horticulture contest. I hope to add pictures!

2006-05-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

See today's post in my events blog. For some reason, this blog isn't accepting uploaded pictures for a few days now.

2006-05-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

The roses are looking very nice! I fertilized them yesterday (with Eden Rich from Gardens Alive!, coffee grounds, and cotton compost) and watered them yesterday and today. For my miniature arrangement, I'm of course planning on using always prolific Gourmet Popcorn, as it's a good choice and the only other miniature that I grow, Doris Morgan, has never done well for me and currently only has 2 or 3 blooms. I hope that Chrysler Imperial will have three lovely red blooms of varying stages of bloom for the large arrangement; Veteran's Honor is another possible red one, but she has disease on her leaves. Big Purple may have one or two blooms barely ready for the arrangement. Multi-colored Granada will have three ready blooms, but they are small and have some insect damage.

My wife had a great idea though this morning - why not take the just gorgeous and perfectly open trio of Big Purple blooms that I cut from the garden yesterday, as well as the single and also just-right Veteran's Honor (or was it Chrysler Imperial?), and arrest their opening by refrigerating them? I have never done that - but why not? My friends in the Raleigh Rose Society who have done this have recommended using an empty refrigerator or at least one that doesn't have fruits and vegetables (the methylene[?] expelled in ripening hurts the roses?). My refrigerator is always packed, but I found some space including the meat drawer where I store soy products, and lightly wrapped each bloom in foil and/or plastic. In an American Rose Society article on storing and transporting roses to a rose show, this advise is given:

If one uses a frost-free refrigerator, it is advisable to place a baggy over each bloom. Air is forcefully circulated to remove water vapor in a
frost-free refrigerator. The baggy limits the drying effect this moving air has
on the bloom. The ideal temperature to store roses is 34° to 37°F. It is wise
to run several tests with roses in the refrigerator to ensure that the temperature control is reliable before attempting to store blooms intended for exhibition in this degree range. If the temperature drops below 32°, the bloom will suffer frost bite. Often this damage is not visible until several hours after the bloom is removed from the refrigerator and is placed on the exhibition table.

With a little luck, I'll have these gorgeous specimens to exhibit!

I spray painted black the "sculpture" for my large arrangement, after adding drainage stones to the bottom to give it bottom weight/stability. Twice while drying outside, due to a decent breeze, the sculpture tipped over! My wife is fairly confident that won't happen at the show indoors, even with the weight of added roses, but I'm a little nervous. The sculpture looks great, and the flat black hides the imperfections of bending.

The great news is that with my wife's help, I have a good design for the miniature arrangement!! I was inspired by some mesh-like paper I have in the kit I collect for arrangements. We were browsing at Michael's arts and crafts store, and found a plastic mesh in different colors - black becomes a modern arrangement, and that's what we took. We shaped it tentatively into a cone and are planning on hot gluing an "oasis" reservoir inside, to let a spray of Gourmet Popcorn tower over the landscape from this perch reminiscent of the triangular Transamerica building. We'll have a single Gourmet Popcorn bloom (the blooms have been huge 2" ones this year, which seem bigger than in the past) or possibly another spray at the bottom "on the ground", as if it were looking up. That seems to fill the niche well! We found these little maybe 3/4" or 1" gold hearts at Michael's, and I was thinking of hanging one or a few, but my wife pointed out that it wasn't necessary and really was an extraneous design element. With a background color of violet, the arrangement I think has a lot of potential of being clean, elegant, and nicely bringing out the theme, Vertigo.

I think we're in great shape for the show. The sculpture is sitting in the garage after a second coat of black and tomorrow I hope to do a trial run of putting vials of water with roses in three places, and seeing how the sculpture holds up. The miniature design requires little work tomorrow, such as spray painting little holders of oasis, and should then be set!

2006-05-23T23:54:00.000-07:00

I'm preparing to enter a modern large-flowered arrangement and a modern miniature rose arrangement in this Saturday's rose show. You can see pictures of the nascent arrangements (and, eventually, the finished ones, as well as of the other entries).

Here is the arrangement schedule with the two categories I am interested in bolded:

Division 3 - Arrangement Classes
The Silver Screen
Arrangement Schedule by Sue Illg

This is an ARS interpretive Rose Arrangement Show. This year’s theme is to honor memorable motion pictures. All arrangements are to be the exhibitor's interpretation of the class title.
If an exhibitor chooses, a 3"x5" card may accompany each arrangement to assist
observers in their interpretation of the design. Please read and conform to Arrangement Show Rules.

Section A: Eligible for ARS Royalty Award
Class 1-- A Night to Remember (1954)- A ship’s officer sees disaster as the Titanic hits an iceberg and slowly sinks on its 1912 maiden voyage.

A traditional arrangement (line, line-mass, or mass - must note on entry card). Fresh roses and fresh and/or dried plant material.
Staged in a niche 40" high by 32" wide by 18" deep.

Section B:
Eligible for ARS Artist Award
Class 2-- The Three Faces of Eve (1957)- A psychiatrist treats a southern housewife with three personalities.

A modern or abstract arrangement. Fresh rose(s) with fresh, dried, or treated plant material. Staged in a niche 40" high by 32" wide by 18" deep.

Section C: Eligible for ARS Miniature Royalty Award
Class 3--Sense and Sensibility (1995)- Suitors romance, then abandon sisters left destitute by their wealthy father’s death in late 1800’s England.

A traditional arrangement, (line, line-mass, or mass - must note on entry card). Fresh roses and fresh and/or dried plant material. Staged in a niche 9" high by 9" wide by 6" deep.

Section D: Eligible for ARS Miniature Artist Award
Class 4--Vertigo (1958)-A former San Francisco detective who dreads heights falls for a woman he is hired to protect.

A modern or abstract arrangement.
Fresh rose(s) with fresh, dried, or treated plant material.
Staged in a niche 9" high by 9" wide by 6" deep.

Section E:
Eligible for ARS Oriental Manner Award
Class 5—The Good Earth (1937)—Set in pre-revolutionary China, a simple peasant farmer rises, with the help of his faithful wife to become a prosperous lord. Tragedy follows along the way as he betrays his family and neglects the earth he had worshipped.

One entry large arrangement. Designer's choice Traditional or Modern/Abstract-must note on entry card. Staged in a niche 40"high by 32" wide by 18" deep.

Section F: Eligible for ARS Miniature Oriental Manner Award
Class 6—Sayonara (1957)—An American jet ace has a poignant affair with the star performer of a famed Japanese acting company.

One entry mini arrangement. Designer's choice Traditional or Modern/Abstract-must note on entry tag. Staged in a niche 9" high by 9" wide by 6" deep

For the large arrangement, I walked around Home Depot and came up with an idea - flexible ductwork. The 4" wide duct is around 3' long but can be stretched to 6'. I attached it today to a rubber endcap that cinches onto it via a screwdown. I put some pepples down into the duct to settle in the cap and give it weight to counterbalance the "sculpture". Once I have a design I like, hopefully tomorrow, I'll spraypaint the duct black. I plan on hot glueing 3 water vials with roses to three different places on the duct.

I am thinking of doing some sort of hanging design for the miniature rose category. You can see more about my roses on my rose page, including past rose shows.

2006-04-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

It's quite warm in the 80s again. The backyard seems to fill out even more each day, and my azaleas are almost in full bloom. The kerria japonica is starting to fade.

Many of my roses have buds, and my second bush, after Mothersday, has open blossoms, the David Austin shrub rose Mayflower! I planted the stevia and Italian basil in my herb bed. I retracted the mulch mounds blanketing the individual rose bushes. The "red tip" photinia in the back has many clusters of white flowers, and the burning bush in the side has many small flowers.

My Fred Boutin lavender that I planted in spring 2003 is dead, but the neighboring two lavender bushes (Otto Quast is the variety), have even more blooms. I found a good description of Otto Quast on the website of a Washington state nursery, Maxwelton Valley Gardens:

This hardier variety of Spanish lavender is exceptional for its bold, purple-bracted flower spikes, blooming from early spring until a hard freeze. In a good year, it may flower in nearly every month (ours is still blooming on January first, after a week and a half of light frosts). It also has more attractive foliage in winter than most common lavender varieties. The fragrance is a little softer than other lavenders, but is still entirely deeply scented enough to be satisfying.
Cutting off the spent flowerheads a few times a year will encourage stronger rebloom and will tidy the plants, but isn't absolutely necessary. 'Otto Quast' will remain more compact if it is cut back a little after flushes of bloom, otherwise, it can spread to be three or more feet wide. Like most plants which bloom nearly all the time, and like many other lavenders, plants of this variety will need to be replaced every three or four years, as they seem to exhaust themselves otherwise. Cuttings from your present plants will provide you with abundant replacements, or you can purchase new plants, if you prefer.
It is very drought tolerant, thrives in full sun and light soils, and has no pests. It's great in the poor soils, harsh winds, and salt spray at the seaside, as well as inland. It attracts birds, butterflies, and human beings.

I guess my bush took a few years to become so prolific and attractive. That description sounds like my Otto Quast is a winner!

2006-04-15T22:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, it feels like summer - it hit 88 or 89°F today! Here in zone 7b the average last frost date is today, April 15, so basil and other annuals can start going in now. I visited the Carrboro Farmer's Market and found a vendor selling heirloom tomatoes - I love to eat heirlooms! My wife and I were thinking of growing some vegetables in pots with drip irrigation on the deck, as I've done in the past - so now we'll have heirloom tomatoes to grow!

I bought a small 4-pack "rainbow sampler" of:

Green Zebra (80 days to fruit; we occasionally buy and enjoy this variety - rather hard, small, with green and light green stripes; not actually an heirloom, but an open-pollinated variety from 1985)
Orange Oxheart (90 days, heart-shaped fruit, deep orange skin and flesh, dense flesh with few seeds, good for salsa and canning)
Black Prince (70-90 days, introduced from Russia, small-medium size, red-brown with dark shoulders over green)
Caspian Pink (80 days, also from Russia, large pinkish red beefsteak fruit, early and prolific)

(I hadn't heard of the last three varieties). I also bought some stevia and basil.

The following are not my pictures, but I thought I would include them to know what to expect in late June or early July. Picture of Green Zebra from seedfest.co.uk, Orange Oxheart from reimerseeds.com, Black Prince from tradewindsfruit.com, and Caspian Pink from victoryseeds.com:

2006-04-12T16:59:00.000-07:00

Yikes, in the last day or two, my 'Mothersday' rose, which normally first opens in early May, opened from its bud. Here you can see this first rose bloom of the season today. A number of the other roses have buds, too. I noticed yesterday that one of my lavender plants (I think it is Otto Quast Spanish lavender, Lavandula stoechas 'Otto Quast', that I planted spring 2004) is blooming! That also seems a little early. The lawn has been ready for a cut for almost a week now, so I did the first lawn mowing of the year. The azaleas are all open or opening, and kerria japonica is at peak bloom.

2006-04-05T14:56:00.000-07:00

Today I planted the Yellow Lady Banks Rose. I made a mistake back in early March 1995 when I put my first rose bed in on the far side of the driveway. I had built a bed out of 8" high and 5" wide 8' and 5.5' long railroad timbers to contain the bed with inside dimensions 64"x94" (I left 17" margins and planted six roses 30" apart). The roses did okay for a few years; in fact, I planted Great Scott in March 1998 and won a best-of-show award for a bloom in the Raleigh Rose Show a few months later! But the roses soon stopped doing so well, and it could be because the site was poorly selected with tall trees nearby which have thrown more shadow on that bed over the years, or because I really should not have used railroad ties, poisonous arsenic and all. I decided to let that bed go with little or no care, and have been wondering what to plant there - something that I wouldn't eat (i.e., not herbs) and something dealing well with light shade.

But Lady Banks may work in that bed! I planted her near the far edge of the bed. My thought is that early in the season, there is lots of sun. She grows fast, and I'm planning on training her onto the tall sweet gum tree nearby, where she should get more sun as she climbs.

I gently pruned my winter-blooming honeysuckle by just taking off a little bit of growth here and there, pruning for shape. Not much at all needed to come off. There are still a few fragrant white blooms on the bush.

The kerria japonica is nearing peak bloom! The burning bush (euonymus) is nicely leafing out.

I'm going to be focused on Full Frame, the country's largest documentary film festival, tomorrow through Sunday, and don't expect to be spending much time in the garden. Next week I hope to work on mulching, particularly the azaleas and hollies in front of the house. By the way, I heard that wisteria at Duke Gardens is blooming!

2006-04-04T23:48:00.000-07:00

I got the three new hybrid teas planted. I made a planting mixture of more than half top soil, as well as purchased compost and greensand, and I sprinkled lime, rock phosphate, and earthworm castings after setting the bush in the cone of planting mix. I also sprinkled endomycorrhizal inoculant around the roots to hopefully aid in root nutrient uptake and drought tolerance.

My forsythia by the driveway is such a delight in bloom, and its yellow flowers have lasted a long time. Suddenly today it seemed to have much fewer blooms and is rapidly leafing out. I see more red azalea blooms showing color!

2006-04-03T16:04:00.000-07:00

We had very strong thunder and rain early in the morning - loud thunder woke me up at 6a. Later, I heard that there were major tornadoes in the midwest and south, killing 27!

The daytime was nice, but just before dark, the winds got quite strong. In the daytime, I prepared three spots for the three new hybrid tea roses - Double Delight to replace the dead Double Delight at the street end of the main rose bed, Elizabeth Taylor to replace Color Magic, which is dead and occupied "R2s", or the second position in the right-hand (as you face the house) roadside rose bed, in a row closer to the street, and Olympiad to go into the red bed at "L1h" where years ago I had Rose Rhapsody and which died in 2002. I had wanted to plant the roses today, but the winds would dessicate the new roses, so I left them to be planted till tomorrow. Also today, since the flowering almonds are pretty much through blooming, I thinned them a bit and cut them back by about a third.

2006-04-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

We're having even warmer weather today in the mid- to high- 70s! Nights have been in the high 50s. It looks like 70s are here to stay, though in a few nights the temperature is expected to drop to a low of high 40s.

I think all of the cherry blossoms are gone now. The tree is quickly leafing and it is clear which branches are dead; with my wife's help and the help of my pole pruner, we were able to remove most of the dead branches. We also took off one medium sized branch heading right over the roses by the driveway, and removed a few smaller branches to give the roses more light.

I noticed that my Mothersday rose has tiny buds, though at first they are still so small that I thought they could actually be developing leaves - it is a little early for roses. But was I surprised when later in the day I looked more carefully, and there are buds on Mothersday - in fact, one is showing its lovely red color! Unfortunately, Mothersday and Heritage have a few aphids on them. There are more white azaleas open, and the red ones are about to open.

I sprayed all the roses (except the rugosa which I largely leave alone; I usually also neglect the original rose bed that is poorly sited with tall trees nearby, but had extra spray so today sprayed them, too) with a mixture of horticultural oil and baking soda (to keep mildew and fungus in check); hot pepper wax (to ward away insects like aphids); and microbial liquid and kelp (to foliar fertilize and encourage beneficial bacteria).

For some days now, the hollies have been exhibiting their very small white flowers with light fragrance. This is a good time to do some pruning as cuts can be chosen to keep as many flowers on as possible and hence to maximize winter display of berries. I did just a little bit of light pruning, mainly on the two bigger hollies close to the front door.

2006-04-01T11:10:00.000-08:00

Finally, we are enjoying warm weather in the 70s. I picked up from nearby Witherspoon Rose Culture, three bare root roses. Elizabeth Taylor (deep pink hybrid tea, bred in 1985 by Von C. Weddle with strong fragrance) is a rose I should have planted some years ago. For the red bed, I got another classic hybrid tea rose, Olympiad (McGredy, 1982, bred with seed from Red Planet and pollen from Pharoah). My Double Delight (one of my favorite hybrid teas with a mix of crimson and cream - the more sun, the more crimson - and a strong, lovely fragrance; hybridized in 1977 by crossing Granada with Garden Party, by Herbert C. Swim and A.E. & A.W. Ellis) in the main rose bed needs replacing, and I got a replacement.

I normally don't buy roses from non specializing stores, but I've been wanting to plant a yellow Lady Banks Rose (Rosa banksiae 'Lutea' , a species/wild rose) for a few years and a friend has offered to give me a cutting. I never got around to getting the cutting, and Witherspoon won't have potted ones ready for a few more weeks, but they are just starting to bloom and my wife is intent on getting one, so we went to Home Depot and got a 5-gallon one about to bloom. She is already about 6' tall and can grow to 30' and more! We are likely to train her to climb one of the sweet gum trees in the front yard.

More white azalea blooms are open. The Kerria Japonica in the left (as you face the house) side yard is rapidly blooming! For a few days now, I have one lone Avalon daffodil (mid- to late- season, large cupped with yellow petals becoming faded buff over time with white cup) blooming on the edge of the middle street-side rose bed; back in late 2000, I had planted 15 Avalon bulbs, as well as 10 of Rijnveld's Early Sensation (trumpet, very early, two-toned yellow). I wonder why the bulbs haven't thrived and multiplied there.

I finally finished pruning my roses - the three beds parallel to the road were left. The red bed looks dramatically different after pruning - Mr. Lincoln in particular had long canes but was reduced to a single cane - but the pith wasn't white and had brown in the center, so I ended up cutting it all the way back to the bud union. This is a strong bush, so I expect rejuvenation.

2006-03-21T11:31:00.000-08:00

Alas, today a significant number of the delicate petals of the cherry blossoms fell to the ground, making an interesting mosaic on the mulch around the tree, the grass, and even on the nearby rose bed. We're having surprising cool weather, in the 40s with nighttime down near freezing, and today and yesterday it's been raining on and off.

For the last day or so, the hyacinths have lost most of their fragrance. But they're still beautiful!

2006-03-18T23:54:00.000-08:00

I pruned and fertilized (with Eden Rich)/limed the roses along the driveway. The cherry tree is starting to leaf out, but is still looking beautiful with many blooms!

2006-03-17T23:56:00.000-08:00

The cherry tree has started to let petals go in the wind, and I can tell that it's a bit past peak. The front yard is still looking lovely!

2006-03-16T22:07:00.001-08:00

A few days ago I thought that the cherry blossoms would be at peak only for a day or so, but the tree seems to still be at peak and maybe even have yet more blooms! I estimate that it has not a thousand, but several thousand blooms. I feel so fortunate!

The hyacinths have grown in a day with all of them wide open. They're so fragrant! The bedroom is heady with their sweetness, and they can be smelled throughout the first floor.

I lightly pruned the rather large (maybe 7' tall by 10' wide?) but sparse evergreen in the backyard that I believe is a privet (one of the few bushes I didn't plant on my property but that I inherited), as well as just a few leggy shoots of the red tip photinia and Nellie Stevens hollies in the back side yard. The flowering almonds are about at peak of bloom!

I took an inventory of my roses in preparation for pruning and deciding which new ones I may want to plant. It's time to prune since forsythia is blooming; I'll post the summary of the roses when I do prune (soon).

2006-03-15T16:42:00.000-08:00

It was a little warmer, in the mid 50s, today, and not windy. The cherry seems just as glorious as yesterday. When I woke up this morning, I found the potted hyacinths had suddenly bloomed!

2006-03-14T12:58:00.000-08:00

We have a cold front coming through today with, alas, strong winds, and have gone from temperatures in the low 80s to mid 60s and expected tonight to drop into the 30s! Unfortunately, we are having 12-19 mile per hour winds, which I hope doesn't coax off the ephemeral cherry blossoms. The cherry tree continues to look great and is probably now at peak.

2006-03-13T23:52:00.000-08:00

The star of my garden continues to be my weeping cherry with its pale pink blossoms. Hundreds and, by evening, over a thousand blossoms, opened today - I even noticed a difference when I was gone for an hour or two in the afternoon! Most years I only get a few blooms, but this year is like 2003, when I also had many, many blossoms. If 2003 is a guide, this lovely show is fleeting, and within 2 or 3 days, leaves will start emerging and petals will start falling off.

I made two more batches of my fertilizer and used most of it up in fertilizing the rest of my bushes and apple trees and the two Acer Davidii (Stripebark or Snakebark) maples that I had planted March 18, 1995. I also foliar fertilized most of these trees and my shrubs with a kelp and microbial mixture.

I still have new white camellias blooming from my tall camellia japonica on the R side (L as you face it) of the house, as well as a few red camellia japonicas from the bush on the R side. You can see one of the red ones here. The azaleas are starting to swell with blooms, especially the white ones!

2006-03-12T16:29:00.000-08:00

Today about a dozen blossoms opened on the weeping cherry! We had fabulous weather in the high 70s and slightly overcast - the best day of the year so far (even Sunday night/Monday morning it was in the 60s), and actually felt a bit hot!

I made up two more loads (each about a quarter or less of my wheelbarrow in volume) of my fertilizer mixture with bat guano as an added ingredient and lime only as a top dressing for those plants that aren't acid loving (i.e., not on the hollies or azaleas or camelias) and fertilized the left side yard plants starting at the mailbox and the winter blooming honeysuckle (past peak bloom) and down to include the two crepe myrtles, Nellie Stevens hollies, photinia, and stalk apple trees.

I pruned the butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii 'Black Knight') - it was about 7' tall and about 8' wide, and I pruned it to just a few inches from the ground. I also pruned the two apple trees, the Starkrimson Red Delicious and the Granny Smith. I pruned moderately to a central leader. In the following pictures, you can see a "before and after" of the Red Delicious, and a "after" of the Granny Smith.

2006-03-11T15:27:00.000-08:00

We've been having lovely weather yesterday and today, in the 70s (°s F), and I just came in from beginning my springtime fertilization. I make a custom mix of homemade compost, store bought compost from yard waste, rock phosphate, lava sand, greensand, alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal, and earthworm castings. I also added in some lime. I applied this concoction to my weeping cherry tree, all the flowering shrubs along the street (forsythias, flowering almonds, quinces), and my butterfly bush. I also added some commercial organic fertilizer (Eden Rich from Gardens Alive!, an organic fertilizer that is all plant and mineral based) to the cherry tree.

The cherry tree just in the last day or so has started to swell with pink buds on their way! That's exciting; I hope I have a good show this year. More flowering almond buds are opening, and the forsythias are blooming. I have a lovely red camellia in the side yard. For several days now, my Sunshine Blue blueberry (a Southern Highbush variety that I planted March 7, 2000) is also blooming with its lovely light pink bell-shaped blossoms. Spring is a glorious time!>

2006-03-06T17:18:00.000-08:00

My quinces are about at peak bloom; they are just starting to leaf out.

2006-03-05T16:16:00.000-08:00

Back in early December, I potted some hyacinths and kept them in the dark in my garage, occasionally watering it, to force them. It's been about 3 months, so here they are, emerged and yellow [they greened within a few days of being exposed to the sun], ready to be taken inside to my bedroom to bloom.

2006-02-26T21:18:00.000-08:00

More bulbs are open, including many in the right side yard (left as the house is faced). Roses are starting to leaf.

2006-02-25T21:46:00.000-08:00

I finally finished mulch mounding the roses by putting 8 more two cubic-feet bags of mini pine bark mulch down, making a total of 23 1/2 bags, or 47 cubic feet (last year I only used 17 bags). The weather has been warm yesterday and today, but will be significantly colder tomorrow. It's these variations in temperature rather than the cold that the mulch is most helpful to protect against. I did some minor pruning to the edges of the two quinces, which are blooming more.

Back in December 2000, I had planted 100 daffodils, including in 3 holes, each around 2'x3'x7" deep, in between my front rose beds and the front blooming shrubs (quince, flowering almond, forsythia). Closest to the driveway, I planted 25 'Holland Sensation' (trumpet daffodil, midseason, cheddar cheese colored trumpet, white perianth segments, 18-24" bloom size) and 5 'Monal' (large cup, bright yellow with red/orange cup, 16-18", early). In the middle, I had planted 15 'Avalon' (large cup w/ unique coloration - yellow petals become faded buff over time and cup is white with some yellow, becoming pure white, 14-16", late-midseason) and 10 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation' (trumpet, very early, two-toned yellow, 12-14"). Furthest from the driveway, I had planted 15 'Fortissimo' (large cup, huge yellow crepe paper-type petals with large orange cup and strong stem, 18-20", midseason) and 10 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation'. One of the 'Monal's by the driveway just today or yesterday opened.

2006-02-22T22:59:00.000-08:00

For a few days now, my quinces have been blooming.

2006-02-05T20:16:00.000-08:00

It took 8 bags more of mulch, and I think we need another 3-4 or so more, but now most of the roses are mulched. The winter honeysuckle has been blooming for a week or so now - it has nice fragrance.

2006-01-30T20:14:00.000-08:00

We had unseasonably warm weather yesterday (Sunday) and today - today I believe it hit the high 60s (°F). I was traveling during the holidays and so late in mulch mounding my roses; yesterday, I removed any remaining leaves on the roses, sprayed them with oil and sulfur, and used up 7½ bags of mini pine bark nuggets mulch mounding most of the bushes along the driveway.

Daffodils are emerging, and I even have one open in the left side yard. There are lots of camellia buds, and the big bush (now it must be 7 feet or more tall) in the left front corner of the house has a number of white flowers, while the newer pink flowered one next to it has some flowers, as well.

2006-01-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

Since February 26, 1995, I have been maintaining a private gardening notebook on my computer tailored to the needs of my Durham, NC home. Slow to enter the world of blogging, I realized in late January that in addition to other online resources and teaching I've done on topics such as organic gardening, growing and showing roses, and building raised beds, a gardening blog may benefit me by allowing me to put pictures along with text to describe the happenings in my garden, and may help others in their own gardens. I'm going to try putting this year's garden notes online in this blog and see if both my and others' purposes are served.

My notes are tailored to my home in Durham, NC, USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7B with an average annual minimum temperature of 5-10°F (-12.3 to -14.9 °C). Below is my summary I've put together to guide my gardening activities.


    JAN Rose: dormant spray (lime sulfur)
    JAN Potted bulbs: if they have sprouts, put in a sunny window and water
    JAN 15-MAR 15 Rose: plant new bareroot roses
    FEB (early) Fruit trees: prune in late winter or early spring while
      dormant (apples to central leader, peaches/plums to vase)
    DEC-FEB: Weeping cherry: if wish to prune, do in dormant season or early Aug
    FEB Rose: prune hybrid teas to 24-36" high, leave 5-6 canes, use wood glue
    FEB Potted blooming bulbs: move from sun so flowers last longer
    FEB Potted bulbs: Bring more out of storage
    FEB Bulbs: lightly fertilize (optional)
    FEB Evergreens: fertilize
    FEB Fragrant Winter Honeysuckle: lightly fertilize
    FEB Forsythia and other flowering shrubs: cut branch if want to
      force indoors in water - keep in cool room till bloom
    FEB 15:  Grass: 1st of 3 fertilizations (Val.Day, Labor Day, Thanksg.)
    LATE FEB/EARLY MAR: Trim top 1/3 off of lavender bushes
    LATE FEB/EARLY MAR  Grass: pre-emergence crabgrass herbicide (after
      forsythia have bloomed and before dogwoods have bloomed)
    LATE FEB/EARLY MAR Peach: dissolve 1T epsom salts in water and apply
    FEB (late)  Prune overgrown shrubbery - privet, photinia (red tip), holly
    FEB (late)  Fertilize shrubs and trees
    FEB-MAR Fruit trees/berry bushes: dormant oil spray as per specific
      plant once temp. remains over 45 degF
    MAR-JUL  All: unless other instructions, feed monthly once begins 
      actively growing
    MAR (early)  Crapemyrtle: prune, if want; remove oldest canes
    MAR (early)  Lawn: apply organic pre-emergent A-maizing Lawn
    MAR (early)  Fruit trees: prune in late winter/early spring; remove
      half of bushy limb growth from peaches
    MAR (early) Evergreens: if want to guard against disease, in late
      winter spray with soap+tobacco juice+mouthwash
    MAR (early) Azaleas and camellias: fertilize just before they blossom
    MAR (early) Fruit trees and weeping cherry: dormant oil spray before
      buds swell and open; may also spray berries
    MAR (early-mid): Blueberry: remove a few of the older canes
    MAR Butterfly Bush: cut back last year's growth within 3-4" of old wood
    MAR Fragrant Winter Honeysuckle: prune after flowering for shape/size
    MAR (mid) Hollies: fertilize 
    MAR (mid) Trees: fertilize; for fruit trees, try mulch+manure
    MAR (mid-late) Lawn: will be time for first mowing and weekly thereafter
    EARLY SPRING Peach: (optional) thin bushy limb grwth by 1/2 (mature tree)
    SPRING  Jumbo Blackberries: prune some side branches to keep from tangles
    SPRING  Crepe Myrtle: light fertilization (1 of 2)
    MAR Rose: optionally uncover mulch, add 3" cow manure, replace mulch
    MAR (late) Lawn: apply organic N-Lite organic fertilizer
    MAR (late) Peach: once blossoms open, spray insect.+fungic. ?
    MAR (late) Strawberry: 1/3 ounce 3-1-2 fertilizer per plant before blossm
    MAR 15-AUG 10  Rose: use balanced fert. monthly - NO FERT AFTER AUG 10
    APRIL Bulbs: cut off faded daffodils - deadhead to base; fertilize bulbs
    APRIL Flowering Almond: after flowering, prune 1/2-1/3 new growth and fert.
    APRIL Holly: while flowering can prune so don't remove all berries
    APRIL Rose: 1 cup Sulfate of Potash Magnesia per bush
    APRIL Rose: As leaves emerge, treat with fungicide
    APRIL (early)  Forsythia: fertilize
    APRIL (mid)   Quince: prune immed after bloom to about 6" from ground
    APRIL (mid-late)  Forsythia: immed aft.blm prune 1/3 oldest canes to ground
    APR 1 - OCT 31  Rose: spray every 10 days
    APR Evergreens: fertilize
    APR 3rd WEEK  Rose: pull mulch below graft after danger of frost
    APR (late) Peach: spray insect.+fungic. ? (2nd of 5 March - July)
    APR (late) Prune any winter damaged branches of any plants
    LATE SPRING  Jumbo blackberries: fertilize
    MAY Azalea: after blooming remove spent blooms & prune; pinch tips if want
      to make bushier (use fingertips); fertilize w/ something like 8-8-12
    MAY Burning Bush: if want, can prune; top narrower than base
    MAY Camellias: if want, can cut back weak or unwanted branches
    MAY (late) Peach: spray insect.+fungic. ? (3rd of 5 March - July)
    EARLY SUMMER  Jumbo blackberries: fertilize
    EARLY SUMMER  Hostas: fertilize as foliage plant (maybe 16-8-8)
    JUNE (early) Peach: hand pinch or prune 3" off end of each soft leafy shoot
    JUN Evergreens: fertilize
    JUN Fragrant Winter Honeysuckle: lightly fertilize
    JUN Azalea: monthly like 8-8-12 fertization after bloom through early fall
    JUN Kerria Japonica: cut back flowered shoots, remove few oldest branches
    JUN Fruit trees: remove water sprouts
    JUN (late) Peach: spray insect.+fungic. ? (4th of 5 March - July)
    SUMMER  Jumbo blackberries: when cane done fruiting, prune to ground
    SUMMER  Crepe Myrtle: light fertilization (2 of 2)
    MID-SUMMER  Jumbo blackberries: tip to 3-4' to force lateral branching
    JUL Azalea: monthly like 8-8-12 fertization after bloom through early fall
    JUL 4: No more significant pruning till Christmas except roses (as 
      necessary), blackberry/raspberry and dogwood if needed
    JUL (late) Peach: repeat hand pinching if side shoots grow strongly
    JUL (late) Peach: spray insect.+fungic. ? (5th of 5 March - July)
    JUL or AUG Dogwood: avoid ever pruning, but if good reason, now is when
    AUG (early): Weeping cherry: if wish to prune, do when dormant or early Aug
    AUG Evergreens: fertilize
    AUG Azalea: monthly like 8-8-12 fertization after bloom through early fall
    AUG Plum (and peach?): spray trunks & limbs w/ cholorpyrifos
    AUG 10 Rose: no more fertilization till next spring
    FALL  Jumbo blackberries: after dormant cut lateral branches to 16-18"
    SEP Azalea: monthly like 8-8-12 fertization after bloom through early fall
    SEP 15:  Grass: 2nd of 3 fertilizations (Val.Day, Labor Day, Thanksg.)
    SEP (late)/OCT (1st week) Grass: reseed
    SEP-OCT Pot spring bulbs to force for indoor show
    OCT Weeping Cherry: once all leaves gone, dormant oil spray
    OCT Evergreens: fertilize (optional last feeding)
    OCT Take annual soil sample for county agricultural analysis
    NOV Rose: lime established beds and prepare any new beds
    NOV If soil test indicates, good time to apply lime in general
    NOV Plant bulbs
    NOV 15:  Grass: 3rd of 3 fertilizations (Val.Day, Labor Day, Thanksg.)
    DEC Rose: cut back to waist high
    LATE FALL  Fruit trees and weeping cherry: dormant oil spray as soon
      as all leaves dropped; may also spray berries
    DEC (early-mid)  Evergreens: optionally spray with CloudCover
    DEC 15-31 Rose: mound mulch 6" over graft
    WINTER  Holly: lightly prune if wish