Sanhedrin Nursery – Garden Blog

• Plant sweet peas for bouquets of delightful blooms.

• Lily of the valley is a sweet, shade-loving perennial that can be planted now from “pips” available at the nursery.

• Forsythia, with its bright yellow flowers, is one of the first shrubs to bloom in the spring. Plant one in a sunny spot where you can enjoy its cheery flowers.

• Potatoes can be planted any time now. Choose from red, white, yellow and blue varieties.

Clouds of White: Flowering Pear Trees

Some of the first trees to bloom in the spring are the flowering pears. Clusters of snowy white pear blossoms cover the trees for several weeks as they announce the coming of spring. Tall and stately, these ornamental trees offer beauty throughout the growing season.

The best known ornamental pear is the ‘Bradford’ Pear, a cultivar which traces its roots back to Korea and China. The original seedling tree was brought to this country in 1919. It became popular in the 1960’s and was planted widely as street trees throughout the county. Unfortunately, it was later discovered that the angle of the Bradford’s branches is generally too narrow and an unpruned tree develops tightly-crowded branches which make the tree susceptible to damage from strong storms and snow loads.

As a result, new varieties have been developed which correct these weaknesses. Three fine new varieties are ‘Aristocrat’, ‘Chanticleer’ and ‘Redspire’. ‘Aristocrat’ replaces ‘Bradford’ growing to 40 feet tall and 28 feet wide. It is pyramidal in shape with open, spreading branches. The dark green leaves turn deep red in the fall. A fairly narrow, upright tree, ‘Chanticleer’ matures to a pyramidal or oval form up to 35 feet in height and about 15 feet wide. The glossy green leaves make it attractive even when the flowering is over, and in fall the leaves progress through shades of red, yellow and orange before reaching their ultimate burgundy color.

‘Redspire’ is a rounder form reaching 35 feet tall and 25 feet wide. Its flowers are larger than other varieties and the glossy, green foliage becomes a riot of color in the fall, turning red, yellow and orange at the same time.

Ornamental pears are susceptible to fireblight but to a lesser degree than fruiting pears. This disease causes the leaves and branch tips to turn black and look scorched or burned. However disease-resistance has been developed in some of these new varieties. In particular, ‘Chanticleer’ has shown very high resistance to the disease.

Plant ornamental pears in sunny locations where they have room to develop their characteristically symmetrical crowns. Although they adapt to a variety of soils, they perform best in well-drained locations and near-neutral or slightly acid soil. Avoid heavy applications of nitrogen fertilizer. Flowering pears are extremely tolerant of heat, drought, and compacted soil. They will actually produce fruit, but it is very tiny and usually disappears as bird food when the winter flocks come through.

With their spring flowers, glossy summer foliage, and deep fall color these trees are very desirable. They are excellent lawn or street trees. Select a hardy, disease-resistant cultivar with a form to suit your needs, and you will be rewarded with breathtaking bloom and flaming fall colors for years to come.

• Tomatoes can be set out with protection. “Season Starter” will protect them down to 20°F and will give them a warm environment during the day so they develop faster.

• Mouth-watering strawberries should be planted now for delicious berries this summer. Plant them in a sunny, well-drained bed.

• Spring feeding of trees and shrubs can begin now. Mulch with manure or apply organic or commercial fertilizers.

• Put up hummingbird feeders this month and enjoy these colorful and entertaining birds.

• Last chance for asparagus roots this year. Prepare a fertile bed for these long-lived vegetables.

It’s Potato Planting Time

With the first days of spring, potatoes warm up, break dormancy and start growing. It is then time for you to prepare your site for planting.

You can pre-sprout seed potatoes to encourage early growth and development. Spread the tubers in an open box then put them in a warm room where they receive bright indirect sunlight. This will stimulate the growth of strong sprouts that are short and stubby and are not easily broken off. You can begin this process a week or two before you’re ready to plant your potatoes.

If you have large tubers, you should cut them into two to four pieces. Tubers the size of a hen’s egg may be planted whole. For larger tubers, cut the potato so that each piece contains one or more eyes. Be sure there is plenty of flesh around the eyes, since the plant will utilize this stored food during the first 2 or 3 weeks of growth. If the variety has many eyes, try for two or more eyes on each piece.

It is best to let these pieces, or “seeds,” dry overnight before planting. If the soil is wet, dust the cut sides with soil sulfur. If the weather is dry, you can plant the seeds immediately after cutting, without the sulfur dust.

Potatoes need well-drained soil that holds some moisture. Add compost to lighten heavy soils and support beneficial microbes. The soil pH should be 5.0-7.5. A lower pH will reduce the possibility of scab fungus. Also avoid adding lime or wood ashes, which raises soil pH.

To plant, dig trenches about 6 inches deep and 2 feet apart. Place the seed potatoes about 12 inches apart and then cover with 3 or 4 inches of soil. Don’t cover them too deep initially. Leave the extra soil beside the trench for later.

In about two weeks, green leaves will emerge. When the plants are about 8 inches high, gently pull the soil in around the plants leaving about 3 inches exposed. Potatoes develop in the soil above the seed potato, so as the potatoes grow, cover with more soil until you have barely covered the tops of the plants and have built up a ridge about 4 inches higher than ground level.

Some gardeners like to plant potatoes under mulch, typically straw. To do this, till the soil then push each seed into the ground until the top of the piece is at ground level. Then cover with 18 inches of mulch. Water occasionally but not too much.

You can also grow potatoes in vertical boxes or cages. Plant seed pieces 6-8 inches apart and cover with 4 inches of soil. As the plants grow, continue covering them until they stop growing, leaving 6 inches of plant exposed. This is a great way to grow a lot of potatoes in a limited space.

You can also grow potatoes in raised beds or even bags of various sorts. Remember that the ultimate depth of the seed will determine the amount of yield.

Choose seed potatoes now at local nurseries and have fun growing potatoes!

• Spring vegetables can be planted now.  Start your garden with broccoli, cabbage, lettuce spinach and chard.  It pays to grow your own!

• Clematis that bloomed last summer can be pruned now.  Wait on spring-blooming varieties until after they bloom.

• Plant peas in well-drained soil for a spring crop.  Protect from birds with bird netting or lightweight row cover.

• Asparagus will provide you with delicious, low-priced spears for years to come if you plant them now from dormant crowns.  

• Pansies and violas will fill your spring flower beds with their bright faces in many shades of blue, yellow, red, pink and purple.

Roses Galore!

Many of us look forward each year to seeing the new roses. This year we have a beautiful yellow floribunda rose, and a lovely pale pink hybrid tea rose. And there are others, just a year or two old that you may not be familiar with.

The sweetly pink hybrid tea, Francis Meilland, edged out the competition to earn the All-America Rose Selections award for 2013. Statuesque form, fragrant flowers and disease resistance helped it earn the sought-after honor. Her name honors the 100th birthday of the breeder of the famous Peace rose.

AARS Winners are grown in test gardens for two years where they are judged on color, fragrance, flower production and disease-resistance. Only the most successful roses become Winners each year. This year there was only one rose given this honor.

Sparkle & Shine™ is a “bloomin’ fool” of a rose with large clusters of ruffled yellow blossoms. The long-lasting yellow color, dark red new growth, and improved disease resistance make this an excellent landscaping rose. It can be used as an easy care flowering hedge. 

For an old-fashioned rose-pink rose, the new Grande Dame™ is hard to beat. The intense old rose fragrance invites you to bury your nose in its large, glamorous blossoms. These lovely, nodding flowers grow on a vigorous, shrubby bush with fewer thorns than most rose bushes. A nice cutting rose, this is a modern antique that grows well in all climates.

You’ll find a unique rose in Ketchup & Mustard™. “Slap a layer of the brightest red onto a backside of darkest yellow and set it atop the greenest glossiest leaves” and you have this stunning red and yellow floribunda. The medium-sized flowers hold their color well and repeat bloom all summer. 

Red roses are considered the most romantic and In The Mood™ is a lovely way to say it with flowers. Its large, double, classic hybrid tea flowers hold their brilliant red color well. And the bushy, prolific plant will give you lots of long-stemmed roses for cutting.

A most unusual rose is Koko Loko™. Opening up with perfect hybrid tea form, its petals are the color of a creamy caffe latte. But as the flower matures, it turns into a round, ruffled lavender that lasts a long time either on the plant or in the vase. 

Purple Splash™ offers a new color combination in a climbing rose: wine purple striped with white. The pyramid-shaped clusters bloom profusely over a long season. It has light green foliage on a vigorous plant with climbing canes 10 to 14 feet long. The flowers have only 5-10 petals each but they carry a sweet spice and rose fragrance. 

Dress up your garden with some glamorous new roses.