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SUMMER GARDEN REWARD: LESS LABOR, MORE ENJOYMENT
It took until mid June to get my last flower seedlings - started last winter and grown under lights - transplanted into pots and flower boxes. In my garden, completing the transplanting process marks a transition from busy spring planting to more-leisurely summer maintenance. I finished planting just in time, given the population explosion of mosquitoes and gnats of a few weeks ago. Working outdoors just isn't as enjoyable as it was during our marvelous fair-weather spring.
Many of this year's flowers and vegetables resemble the corn and soybeans in farmers' fields - desperately in need of sunshine and heat. Tomatoes planted in the middle of May seem to be standing still. Coleus and impatiens planted in window boxes haven't grown more than a few inches during the past month.
Our wet May and early June triggered widespread outbreaks of anthracnose fungus on trees. Oak, maple, elm and ash trees dropped many lower leaves, causing many homeowners to call me in search of a diagnosis of whether their trees were dying. Most callers sounded relieved when I offered my phone diagnosis of "probably anthracnose...not a big deal." Anthracnose is common during cool, wet springs. Anthracnose puts stress on trees because they have to grow a new set of leaves, but it doesn't generally kill trees.
Local news media have reported extensively on the high number of mature elms in the Twin Cities that are dying this summer from Dutch Elm Disease (DED). The same wet-weather pattern that favors anthracnose also encourages the spread of DED. I've noticed many young elm trees in Chaska and surrounding towns that appear to be dying of DED. Most diseased trees are native elms that grew from seed. Elms can still be planted in yards but make sure you plant disease-tolerant cultivars from a reputable retailer, rather than an elm seedling dug out of the wild.
Other common tree problems this spring included leafing-out delays in ash, maples and honey locust. Many terminal-leaf buds on ash trees froze in mid-May and trees had to grow a new set of leaves from secondary buds. With minimal soil moisture (at that time), it took ash trees a while to get their act together. Plentiful May and early June rainfall finally gave ash roots what they needed to fill out their summer foliage.
This is the first year in 10 that my blue-spruce trees haven't been attacked by sawfly larvae, the inch-long green worms that devour new-growth spruce needles. Funny how the sawfly population moves around. I haven't seen any sawfly larvae on local spruce by I've gotten calls about the critters so I know they are active elsewhere in the county.
Many honey locust trees are still recovering from the winter of 2002-03. About all that can be done about dieback on honey locus is to cut away dead wood and hope that the live wood that's left still has the appearance and shape of a tree.
The problem with maples is a little more complicated. Sugar maples, unfortunately, are not suited to the environment we typically put them in - the front or backyard lawn, often in compacted clay where they have to compete with turf for moisture. Most maple tree roots extend laterally in the top one foot of soil so turfgrass is competition when soil moisture is in short supply.
Tree experts often refer to "maple decline" as the cause of maple trees that fail in yards. It's a catchall term that encompasses planting errors, too-dry roots, insect predation, compacted soil, winter stress and other factors.
I suppose I could be criticized for writing only about problems. Instead of dwelling on the negative, I'll close with some positive observations.
It's been a marvelous spring for many blooming plants: 'William Baffin' climbing rose, honeysuckle vine, Korean lilac, 'Royal Star' magnolia, redosier, gray and pagoda dogwood, PGM rhododendron, plum, crabapple and apple trees. Hostas have never looked better. Rudbeckia and purple coneflowers are just days away from blooming. Of course, I've also succeeded in growing a bumper crop of weeds.
Finally, I was lucky enough to have a pair of robins take up residence this spring in a Norway spruce growing a few feet outside my office window. They wasted no time between broods. The same day the first fledglings left the nest, the male and female robins began fortifying the nest with mud and grass and more blue eggs followed in a few days. The male and female took turns delivering cutworms and other food to their hungry youngsters and the second brood was nearly ready to fledge on June 26. It will be interesting to see whether this energetic couple will try for three-peat.
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PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
A Delightful Blend of
Gardening Wisdom, Wit
and Whimsy
$10 + $2 for shipping
by Cliff Johnson |
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