Plant of the Week
Bradford Pear trees are an invasive species. Photo from Ozarks Public Radio.
Bad Plant of the week: Callary Pear
I don’t know if I will get into the habit of lauding and denigrating a plant each week, but I couldn’t help putting in a bad word in for the Callary Pear, an alien invasive tree that was widely and INTENTIONALLY planted along many city and suburban streets in the 1960’s. Town Fathers became sadly aware of the propensity of these trees, the most popular of which is probably the Bradford Pear, to topple over, taking power wires with it, but not before their seeds escaped into the wild.
The growth rate of a Bradford Pear is fast, and as they populate wild spaces, they commit the same crime other alien invasive species do: they take up the land that native trees and shrubs, which our insects and birds need for nesting, breeding and feeding, would otherwise be able to use. .
Bradford Pear trees are still sold, sadly, in some nurseries. If you would like to do something about that, maybe a kind, polite word to the people who order plants at your local nursery would be in order. They would probably be very pleased to know about your interest in native plants, and they might run out of room for awful things like the Callary Pear.
Want a white spring flowering smallish tree that IS native? How about a Dogwood (Cornus florida), Serviceberry (Amelanchier) or Fringe Tree (Chionanathus virginicus)?
Good Plant of the Week: Hyacinth
You can tell this bulb was planted in my garden several autumns ago because the stalk is not so thick with blooms as a new one. But it still smells good!
The Hyacinth, though not native, is not invasive. And it smells great and it brings joy to our hearts in spring! Hyacinthus orientalis is a spring bulb that produces an array of curly blooms in spring, and whether it flops over or whether it stands tall, be sure to cut a few to bring them inside.
Order some Hyacinth bulbs to plant next fall. They do great in containers too.
If yours do flop, cut them, bring them inside, give them a rinse and enjoy for quite a few days. That same bulb will produce a less dense flowering stalk in years to come, as you see in the photo of the one in my garden. It won’t be as bountiful, but it also won’t flop as easily.
As with all spring flowering bulbs, if you leave the foliage to ripen off you will be feeding the bulb for next year’s flower.
Guest:
Linda Vater of Potager Blog
You can order Linda’s book right here on my Amazon Storefront or enter the Giveaway!
Linda Vater’s Instagram presence has been inspiring may people for years, as well as her blog, YouTube channel, FaceBook page, and Pinterest page, and now she has written a book! Called “The Elegant Edible Garden”, Linda’s new book serves to inspire even more with .gorgeous pictures and explanations of how to achieve the refined garden look for which she is famous.
Linda is the first to say that she is not a formally educated horticulturist. But more importantly, she is “completely consumed with enthusiasm, appreciation, intense excitement and gratitude for the gift” of her garden and her aim is to convey those emotions in her book.
Divided into tempting chapters such as “Beauty and Sensual Appeal", “Color and Composition”, “Community and Seasonal Celebration”, Linda’s book makes her garden ideas accessible to anyone and is filled with beautiful photos.
Giveaway for
“The Elegant and Edible Garden”
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All photos from Linda Vater’s book
“The Elegant and Edible Garden”
Tempting Table of Contents!
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The Play List
Questions:
You can see that I limb up my Camellia ‘Herme’ to be able to see under it and into the garden.
Can I plant bulbs in spring?
What do you feed your Camellias?
How do I get my Camellia to bloom?
How do I prune my Camellias?
Will my daffodils die in the snow?
Answers:
Can I plant bulbs in spring? Sure, why not give it a go? Better than throwing them away! You might not want to bother if they are squishy or rock hard, but if they ‘feel like a bulb’, whatever that feels like, then go for it!
What do you feed your Camellias? Not a bloody thing, but as a professional gardener I fed all clients’ Camellias Holly Tone because they like a bit of acid in the soil.
How do I get my Camellia to bloom? Prune them AFTER they have bloomed (hope you are getting a few blooms?) so they have time in spring or summer, depending on the type, to form new blooms. If you live in colder climates, you may want to try the species Camellia sasanqua, as that blooms in fall and so the the buds don’t fall victim to frost as much. Camellias love a bit of protection, so plant against a wall or your house, keeping them out of the wind.
How do I prune my Camellias? I prune them for my convenience, so I don’t let them get too tall, and I limb them up to be able to see under them from my porch. And, I always prune Camellias after they bloom, just like all flowering shrubs.
Will my daffodils die in the snow? No, but they may flop around a bit, so you might want to cut the floppers down, bring them inside, and trim them down to a nice short stem.
What to do in the garden in Mid March
Ready to come outside?
Maybe not quite yet…
Look at the night time temperatures and think about a good time to bring a few houseplants out to play. They will need shade and protection at first. I line mine up against the shady side of the house and if I get caught short with low temps, I can throw a blanket on the group.
Still pruning, still picking up sticks and ugly bit, and I also am fluffing my leaves to make sure perennials don’t have to fight through a very heavy layer.
Cut back Euphorbia if old stems look tatty, but be sure to wear gloves and don’t touch your eyes. The sap on that plant can really get you!
Start to divide clumps of early bulbs— it’s time to divide Snow Drops and Crocuses.
OKAY, let’s all go get into it! See you next week!
OH WAIT, almost forgot about links to Virginia Home Grown, the gardening show that filmed in my garden last week as Keith Nevison and I talked about pruning. That show airs on March 29 on VPM PBS. and the link for the schedule is here.
It seems it will can be streamed on Facebook after that, so I will be sure to show it off I mean promote it.
Keith Nevison and me between takes. Usually, we retired to our trailers to pop only green M&Ms, but here we are roughing it in the wilds of my messy garden.