Mushrooms

Crazy weather we've been having, sunny and bright then cold, dark and gloomy.  But I have noticed that there are a lot of mushrooms in the garden. Big white ones, bright orange ones and then the little tiny taupey brown ones that look like a fairy should be popping out from underneath.  These sightings are just testament to all the wet weather we've been having and ideal conditions for mushroom growth.   I enjoy looking at them, but some customers just want to get rid of them.   Typically they go away when conditions are not ideal.  Raking them around may just spread spores.   Obviously, do not pick for dinner. Only people knowledgeable about mushrooms should consider them for consumption.   There are local clubs for mushroom fanatics.  I believe Beechwood Farms hosts some gatherings there for a mushroom club.  Check it out.

A bit of happiness sometimes rests in the last couple blooms of the season.  My monkshood(aconitum) is in beautiful peak bloom, while  the Graham Thomas rose has just a couple of new open bloom left. They are artistically dangling amongst the acontium. 

Well, fall comes on us so quickly.

Well,  fall comes on us so quickly.  There is nothing so pretty as the Pennsylvania hillsides covered in autumn colors.  Soon it will be gray and bland, with only garden magazines to get us through the winter. There is still plenty of time to plant trees, shrubs and perennials, along with bulbs, and pansies.  Bulbs give us such satisfaction in the spring when it's still too early to garden.  I recently had the pleasure of addressing Guyasuta Garden Club at a member's home in Fox Chapel.  I spoke about bulbs and forcing them, along with outdoor planting.   What a nice time. . .  Thanks  especially for the delicious lunch.   On an ending note, my tropical datura has finally produced a bloom, and after only 15 years of waiting!   It is supposed to be yellow, if I remember correctly.  Just shows you that "not giving up" on a plant sometimes has a happy ending.  Photo to follow, if it opens?

Poinsettias have arrived.

Pre finished poinsettias arrived this past week.  We receive them when they're about 1 month along, and "finish" production in our houses.   They are doing well and have grown a lot in a week.   They still are green, but will be slowly changing color soon.  They are like spoiled little tots.  They need constant cleaning, room to grow, correct food, careful placement and a  mindful eye, to check for disease and insects.  We offer great discount prices for large orders for fundraisers, church displays, and gifts for co-workers.  Call with any questions.  412-767-7020

Franklinia alatamaha

ARRIVING 9/13/2011 AT LMS GREENHOUSE & NURSERY!!!!!!!

 

Franklinia alatamaha

  

• Franklinia alatamaha is a deciduous large shrub or small tree
• Growing to 15–25 ft.
•  Fragrant white flowers, (similar to camellia blossoms) that smell like honeysuckle.
• The tree has a symmetrical, somewhat pyramidal shape, with different individuals of the species forming almost identical crowns. It forms several vertical trunks close to ground level.
• The bark is gray with vertical white striations and has a ridged texture.
• The alternate, obovate leaves are up to 6 in (15 cm) in length and turn a bright orange-red in the fall.
• Although difficult to transplant, once established Franklinia can live a century or more.

History

Philadelphia botanists John and William Bartram first observed the tree growing along the Altamaha River near Fort Barrington in the British colony of Georgia in October 1765. John Bartram recorded "severall very curious shrubs" in his journal entry for October 1, 1765. William Bartram returned several times to the same location on the Altamaha during a collecting trip to the American South, funded by Dr. John Fothergill of London. William Bartram collected Franklinia seeds during this extended trip to the South from 1773 through 1776, a journey described in his book Bartram's Travels published in Philadelphia in 1791. William Bartram brought seed of Franklinia back to Philadelphia in 1777, and had flowering plants by 1781. After several years of study, Bartram assigned the “rare and elegant flowering shrub,” to a new genus Franklinia, named in honor of his father's great friend Benjamin Franklin. The new plant name, Franklinia alatamaha was first published by a Bartram cousin, Humphry Marshall in 1785 in his catalogue of North American trees and shrubs entitled Arbustrum Americanum. (Marshall 1785: 48-50; Fry 2001).

William Bartram was the first to report the extremely limited distribution of Franklinia. "We never saw it grow in any other place, nor have I ever since seen it growing wild, in all my travels, from Pennsylvania to Point Coupe, on the banks of the Mississippi, which must be allowed a very singular and unaccountable circumstance; at this place there are two or 3 acres (12,000 m²) of ground where it grows plentifully." (W. Bartram 1791: 468).

The tree was last verified in the wild in 1803 by the English plant collector John Lyon, (although there are hints it may have been present into at least the 1840s. See: Bozeman and Rogers 1986). The cause of its extinction in the wild is not known, but has been attributed to a number of causes including fire, flood, over collection by plant collectors, and fungal disease introduced with the cultivation of cotton plants. (Dirr 1998: 390-391).

All the Franklin trees known to exist today are descended from seed collected by William Bartram and propagated at Bartram's Garden in Philadelphia.^[2]

Cultivation

The Franklin tree has a reputation among gardeners for being difficult to cultivate, especially in urban environments. It prefers sandy, high-acid soil, and does not tolerate compacted clay soil, excessive moisture, or any disturbance to its roots. The Franklin tree has no known pests, but it is subject to a root-rot disease and does not endure drought well.^[3]

Mums

We had the pleasure of hosting the Men's Garden Club of Pittsburgh.  A nice crowd of gardeners who occassionaly meet at local garden centers.  We each had an opportunity of speak about our area of interest in regards to fall preparations.  I spoke about chyrsanthemums.  Here are a few highlights of our discussion.

 

Mums are considered hardy when grown for fall sales.  These plants can survive down to zone 3.   Their success however is greatly placed on the time of planting. which should be done at least 6 weeks before the first frost.     

Cut /or tease open roots structure using scissors or the tag.
Plant a little deeper that most perennials and apply a root stimulator or transplant fertilizer

When blooms are spent, trim lightly, 4" or so and apply additional mulch.

Check out plants in winter time to make sure they haven't heaved up; if so gently tamp down and remulch.  Christmas tree bows make a good cover also.

Be patient, they take awhile to show their greenery in the spring.

 

These Cheerful plants have been cultivated in asian cultures, dating back to the 15th century and are often used as symbols of nobility and as crests.  Asian sweet teas or drinks can be made from the yellow or white petals. Leaves are steamed and used to thicken soups.  They have medicinal uses as well as air cleaners for indoors.

Many cultures use the white mums for funerals.  They are the tradtional Mom's day gift in Austrailia.  You may notice that many mums are named after girls.  This interesting bit of trivia, goes back awhile.  A lady named Mrs. Mack liked to cultivate mums as a hobby, and named her first two after her daughters, Joan ette and Lee ette.  She continued to cultivate and use girl's names.  When she passed on, Yoder (PA cultivator) continued  this trend. 

Men's Garden Club of Pittsburgh Visit

We had a wonderful "Harvest Moon" visit from the Men's Garden Club on Monday evening.  Eileen and I presented our perennial picks that are considered evergreen or semi-evergreen. 

We have four beautiful, decorative container combinations for a sunny or shady location.  Come and see our display table in front of houses 8 and 9 for some sure-fire perennials that will perform, even in containers, for years to come!

GETTING YOUR HARDY MUMS TO RETURN NEXT YEAR

PLANT THEM AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE

SELECT PLANTS THAT ARE NOT IN BLOOM YET

PLANT THEM A LITTLE DEEPER THAN YOU WOULD PLANT PERENNIALS

TEASE OPEN OR CUT OPEN TANGLED ROOT SYSTEM BEFORE PLANTING

FERTILIZE WITH ROOT STIMULATOR TO PROMOTE ROOT DEVELOPMENT

WHEN BLOOMS ARE SPENT, CUT BACK LIGHTLY, THIS WILL ALSO HELP WITH ROOT DEVELOPMENT

MULCH WITH STRAW OR EXTRA MULCH (NOT LEAVES)FOR WINTER PROTECTION

IN JAN/FEB/MARCH, CHECK FOR LIFTING OF PLANT, PRESS BACK INTO GROUND IF LIFTED, REMULCH IF NECESSARY.

BE PATIENT, MUMS TAKE A LONG TIME TO SHOW UP IN SPRING

NEW GROWTH WILL COME AT  SOIL LINE, NOT THE DEAD STEMS, WHICH CAN BE SNAPPED OFF WHEN YOU SEE NEW GROWTH

DO NOT DIG UP AND MOVE UNTIL THEY ARE WELL ESTABLISHED IF YOU INTEND ON RELOCATING THEM TO ANOTHER GARDEN

KEEP MUMS BUDS PINCHED OFF UNTIL MID JULY TO STAVE OFF BLOOMING UNTIL FALL

Garden of the Month

We had the pleasure and honor of being awarded "Garden of the Month" by Greybrooke Garden club for our landscaping at North Park Lounge on Babcock Blvd.  If you're out that way please check it out, and while you're there stop and have a bite to eat, the best wings and fish sandwich in town.    In the meanwhile, check out our photos.  They are of both the Babcock and Cranberry locations  of  "The Original"  North Park Lounge.   

PERENNIAL HIBISCUS

Come in soon to see our perennial hibiscus in full bloom.  The white one planted in the wall is Blue River II. We also have a hot pink one called Jazzberry Jam, an exclusive release from Walters Gardens, and one with reddish leaves and pale pink flowers called Kopper King. The flowers on these plants are impressively large . . . dinnerplate size.  For the first time this year I noticed that there are stinkbugs in all different stages of life on them.  Especially the one planted in the wall.  Gross but interesting.

Looking towards fall

Very quiet on the work front.  We are in between crop production.  Mums are looking great.  There are some early bloomers ready to open.  We still have plenty of nice looking replacement annuals for the pots and baskets that need a little lift.   We have started a new crop of fall pansies.   8 different colors in series meant for fall planting.  They should be ready, just when you're ready for the kids to return to school.

Plants in a different place

It is always interesting when traveling to notice plants growing there that we also sell here at the Nursery.  On a recent visit to Topsail Island, NC, the landscaping for the condos was abundant with fig trees and oleander.  I had never seen a fig tree so large, and it was just loaded with figs.  Made me wonder what happens to all those figs?  Are there creatures that snack on them at night?

The Perennial Plant Symposium

The Perennial Plant Symposium was a wonderful program.  I learned many things from many speakers. They had programs for retail, design and grower all going on at the same time, so I had to make choices sometimes when I really wished I could have attended them all.  It was kind of funny, Abby and I both wanted to go to the same design program but there was a grower session called Vexing perennial diseases that I thought one of us should go to.  So I went.  As it turns out Abby said the design session was kind of boring, but I thought the disease session was really interesting.

We visited a bunch of gardens both private and public and a few nurseries and garden centers.  I was most impressed with the private Critz garden.  I believe it is the most beautiful private garden I’ve ever seen.

As an added bonus, my friend since first grade, Penny, that lives in Atlanta came and picked us up one night and we went out to dinner with her and her children.  We had fun.

Sometimes it’s hard to spend sooo much time with a fellow employee but, after all is said and done, I can tell you that we came back and we still like each other.

Pest Alert

Two pests threaten local trees:

1)  A white, woolly substance appearing on hemlocks.  This is hemlock woolly adelgid, a pest that has recently made a resurgence in our area, resulting in discoloration and loss of needles on many trees.

2)  The Emerald Ash Borer has made its way to Pennsylvania.  This devastating pest spreads quickly and has killed millions of ash trees across the U.S.  Now that it is here, it is important to inspect all ash trees for signs of this emerald colored beetle and its larvae.

REUSE!!

Thanks to all the great folks that returned their pots and trays from their spring plantings

Hope all is growing well, don't forget to fertilize!        On another note,  PLEEEEASE do not drop off bags of used pots/& trays  from other nurseries or stores.  We are UNABLE to reuse these and they end up in OUR trash and makes an untold amount of work for us.      I am told that Construction Junction does take quite a lot of plastic pots.  Some of the nursery pots are #1's and #2's, so check before you throw away, or recycle.

TOO HOT, NO RAIN

Providing the garden with ample moisture is quite a challenge at this time of year.

It may be necessary to water everyday, somewhere in the garden.  It is important to water heavily and thoroughly.  You can let certain areas, stress a little bit, then hit them heavy another day.  Annuals will need attention daily, unless they are heavily shaded or very drought tolerant.   Regular fertilizing should continue, this gives stressed plants a little edge, when battling the heat.  But do not fertilize a very dry, plant, pot or bed.  Water, then fertilize.  

Watering in the early morning is best, but not always possible, so water in the evening at soil level, keeping the foliage dry.  Evergreens, however, do require a bit of foliage dousing, as this keeps bugs, namely mites from finding a happy dirty place to live.

A good sprinkler can save you lots of time, but only if its efficient, and is on for enough time to saturate the soil.

Cercis canadensis x Lavender Twist

Weeping form, contoured stem with arching shoots produce an umbrella -shape crown.

Unlike other redbuds that grow late into fall. Convey will usually go dormant before the

first frost and have survived  -23 degree F. Mature size 5-6' tall x 5-7' wide

PERENNIAL PLANT SYMPOSIUM

ABBY AND I ARE GOING TO ATLANTA FOR THE PERENNIAL PLANT SYMPOSIUM IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA FROM JULY 18-22.  I AM SUCH A PLANT NERD THAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT, ESPECIALLY WEDNESDAY.   IT WILL BE A LONG DAY (ALMOST 12 HOURS), BUT WE ARE TAKING A BUS WITH A BUNCH OF OTHER NERDS AND GOING TO ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDENS AND SOME SMALLER GARDENS AND A FEW NURSERYS.   I WILL LET YOU KNOW WHAT I LEARNED AND SAW.

Mahonia 'Orange Flame'

Orange-bronze new leaves stand out against the deep green mature foliage.

Clusters of fragrant yellow blooms followed by powder-blue to black grape-like fruit.

Spiny leaves make a fine barrier plant or specimen. Evergreen. Mature size 2-3' tall x 3-4' wide

Diverse leaf color . . .

Diverse leaf color, texture, size and shape can be as interesting in a garden as a multitude of different  flowers.  As I have always gardened in a relatively shady area, I find great satisfaction in leafy combinations, as well as different sized, shape and textured leaves.