Category: Horticulture

Annual and Perennial Care

After a killing frost, remove annual plant material from your garden and add it to your compost heap. Any soilless mix from window boxes or containers can be discarded or kept aside for one more year. If used for a second year, mix equal parts old mix with fresh soilless mix. Clean and sterilize containers before storing over winter. Do not mulch your perennial garden area until the ground has frozen hard later in November. Continue reading “Horticulture Report – October 2015”

At out October meeting Cheryl demonstrated her Horticulture Tip of the Month: using dried hydrangeas for seasonal home decoration.

Tree & Schrub Care: Wait until trees and shrubs drop their leaves or undergo color change before planting them or digging and moving them to new sites. At that time they are entering dormancy and will not suffer as much transplant shock when moved.

Broadleaved and needled evergreens, both dwarf and standard, are best planted or moved by October 1. Water deeply and thoroughly at planting time and each week up until the ground freezes. Continue reading “Horticulture Report – September 2015”

General Garden Care
Apply 1 to 2 inches of leaf mulch on flower beds and around trees, keeping mulch away from the trunks. Make sure all trees, shrubs, perennials, and roses receive 1 inch of water per week. If Mother Nature does not provide this amount, it is best to water deeply once per week rather than water shallowly several times per week. Continue reading “Horticulture Report – June 2015”

General Garden Care

Plant warm-season flowering annuals, vines, herbs, and vegetables after the Chicago area’s average last frost date of May 15. Cautious gardeners often wait until Memorial Day before setting out cold-sensitive plants such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and squash. Pinch back one-third of new growth to encourage stocky habit (except vines). Continue reading “Horticulture Report – May 2014”

General Garden Care
Remove winter debris from lawn and garden beds.
Consider a soil test if you have not had one before. Soil temperature must be 50 degrees for a proper reading. Tests can also be performed in the fall.
Continue reading “Horticulture Report – March 2015”

General Garden Care

Continue to order seed, bulb, and nursery catalogs to assist in planning your garden for the upcoming year.
Unseasonably warm and dry winter weather will further stress plants that were not watered adequately during a dry Chicago autumn. During periods of winter thaw, water evergreens, broadleaved evergreens, and conifers as needed. Water newly planted trees and shrubs and all plants, including turf, that might be in the path of salt spray from salted roads. Continue reading “Horticulture Report – February 2015”

General Garden Care Order seed, bulb, and nursery catalogs to assist in planning your garden for the new year. Recycle Christmas tree branches (cut into 2- to 3-foot sections), swags, wreaths, and other evergreen material as mulch for garden and perennial beds. Continue reading “Horticulture Report -January 2015”

General Garden Care
Mulch perennial beds once the ground has frozen hard. Apply 2 to 4 inches of shredded bark, composted manure or garden compost, if not done already. Evergreen boughs from seasonal wreaths or small sections of Christmas tree branches may also be used as winter protection on garden beds. Continue reading “Horticulture Report – December 2014”

In the Ornamental Garden:

• Plant summer-loving bulbs like Gladiolus, Elephant Ears and Caladium now.
• Plant dahlias after mid-May.  They will start blooming in July until hard frost.
• Clematis need full sun but their roots need to be kept cool with mulch and preferably Continue reading “Horticulture Report – May 2014”