Black knot on trees

At this time of year, when the leaves have gone, you may notice black swellings on some of the branches of your Schubert chokecherry, Mayday or Pincherry trees. This is most likely black knot.

The fungus that causes this disease mainly affects the new growth on the tree, cutting off nutrients and stunting the growth of the tree. It becomes worse every growing season and may eventually kill the tree. The fungus is spread in the spring, onto the new shoots by rain, wind, and insects. In order to control its spread onto other branches or neighboring trees, the infected area needs to be pruned out before bud break in the spring. Cut 10 cm down from the infected area, and burn or bury the infected branch. Do not compost or mulch. Disinfect your pruning tools with a 10% bleach solution after every cut.     

Value of a Landscape Plan for New Home Owners

One of the reasons most of us acquire a home is to enjoy a yard, no matter what size it is.

When purchasing a home, or having one built, most of the money goes into the mortgage, leaving little left to develop the yard beyond what is required to satisfy the developer. 
So what happens to the yard?  
Usually, the entire area is laid with sod (just to rid of the mud) and gradually favorite shrubs, trees and perennials are bought on a whim with little or no idea of a final plan.  I’ve done it myself.  Browsing in a garden center in the spring, you see an awesome plant, and the urge to buy is overwhelming.  When you get it home, you plant it where it looks right, at the size it is now; not taking into consideration of how big it will grow.  Then next year, you buy another and before you know it; you have plants that are overcrowded, or your window view is blocked, or you have a chaotic looking yard, and you are trying to relocate plants that may not survive a move.

Wouldn’t it be better to have an overall plan, so plants and permanent objects could be situated in the right location the first time?  With the help of a designer, you can create a future picture, incorporating your needs and desires, making your yard an extension of your living space- a place you can enjoy for many years!

As mentioned earlier, much of your money is tied up in mortgages.  It costs a lot to purchase the materials and have a professional landscaper come in to complete the work all at once.  But if you have a plan; you can complete it over time, by yourself or with professional help, as time and monies allow.

By implementing the essential or preliminary elements first, (such as decks and walkways) you can then start with the groundwork, such as amending the soil, positioning your planting beds, and adjusting the grade of the soil. Before the sod is laid, you may want to install irrigation and/or underground electrical lines, retaining walls or patios.

Since your plan is drawn to scale, with knowledge of mature plant sizes, your plants are selected according to the location, and will award you with year-round appeal.

By taking the time to create a carefully thought out plan now, you can save yourself time and money and get the yard you really want.

(Drawing from Booth and Hiss's book- Residential Landscape Architecture)

Pruning- when is best

Prune plants at the time of year when it will cause them the least stress.  For most plants, this is from mid-June onward.  An exception to the rule is Elm trees which should be pruned in winter when the Dutch Elm beetle is not active.  It is not recommended to use wound paint after pruning, as the tree will heal itself.  Dead wood can be pruned anytime.

 

Follow the Calendar guide for plant info and pruning schedule for branches:  

• Late winter- Prune summer bloomers and old wood for new stem color. (eg. Dogwood)
• Early spring- Roots are uptaking water and minerals, buds forming.  No pruning.
• Spring- New leaves/needles forming, buds forming.  All the energy reserves are used for these activities.  Do not prune.  For deadheading flowers of lilacs and, do so immediately after flowering before next years buds are set.  For fruit trees that bloom in spring, prune soon after the blossoms have gone.  You will loose some fruit that would have been on these branches, but for the health of the tree, pruning now gives the tree time to heal the cutting wounds.
• Summer- Prune now!  Trees are in full leaf, lots of carbohydrates are being made therefore plants can spend energy for repair.  New wood is being formed, flowering and reproduction occurs on some plants.  Prune spring bloomers, birch and maple after leaves are completely out, perform routine care and pinch the candles (see below) on coniferous trees in early June.
• Fall- Do not prune during the time when leaves start to shed until all leaves have fallen off, as storage of energy has begun.  Since pruning stimulates new growth, any new growth begun during this stage may not have time to harden before winter.
• Early winter- Non-woody roots are forming.  Winter kill could happen therefore no pruning.

       Evergreens

Candles are the new growth formed from last years buds. If you pinch off half the candle, in June, you will reduce growth and increase density. This needs to be done before the new bud is formed otherwise you will remove next years candle. Evergreens only grow from the previous year’s buds, and they need to grow ½” every year. If you pinch back to the same spot next year you will be into the old wood, and there is no new growth from old wood. 

Leave the lower branches as they grow; only removing dead branches. 

Junipers can be trimmed in July after annual growth is complete. Trim from underneath the branches to keep the look natural.

calendar photo by: ltmhs.ca

Floral Containers and Arrangements for Winter

Add some color and texture to your winter landscape with container gardening.

You’ll want to position your container so you can see it from inside, and the larger the container, the more impact it will have. Wood and metal containers handle the weather well, whereas terra cotta and ceramic containers may crack with the combination of moisture and freezing temperatures. Position the container and loosen the soil. You may need to put a brick or something heavy in it to prevent it from blowing over. The selection of fill material is of personal preference, but a combination of small evergreen boughs, red or yellow dogwood branches, weeping branches, branches with berries (such as rose hips, sea buckthorn, mountain ash, or cotoneaster) or silvery leaves, and grasses with seed heads or dried flowers will make a balanced and attractive arrangement. 

Begin by inserting the evergreen boughs around the base - they can hang over the rim and soften the edges. The overall effect can be 1 ½ times wider than the container. Imagine you’re building a pyramid with the taller branches, the dogwood, being placed at the back or in the center. In keeping with the scale of your project, the taller branches can be 2 ½ times taller than the container. The weeping branches and the ones with berries bridge the taller and shorter material; with bunches of grass or flowers (individually they get lost) added for interest. You can add pine cones (they can be wired to branches) or colorful wire ribbon; and if your container is in a sheltered spot, you can add ornaments and little lights.When your arrangement is complete, water the soil to settle it around the stems and when it freezes, things will stay put.

(To help the evergreens stay green and the berries plump, you can use an anti-desiccant spray.)

 A winter floral container will bring a touch of life and color to any spot in the yard.

Fairy Rings in Lawns

Fairy rings are common throughout the world. They are more noticeable and damaging in drier locations, with lighter soils and lower fertility. The first sign of fairy rings may be a ring of mushrooms followed by rings of darker green grass with an inside border of dead grass. Small tan-coloured mushrooms usually develop on the outer border of the ring especially during rainy weather or later in the season. The cause of the ring of dark green grass is due to an increase of nitrogen in the soil, caused from the fairy ring fungus as it decomposes organic matter.

Control: There are no fungicides that will control the mycelium, or underground growth of the fungus. Heavy fertilization and watering may also help to mask the presence of the fairy ring. A complete soaking of the area, in addition to a fertilizer application can not only suppress but may even eradicate the fairy ring.

If only a few rings are present in the lawn it may be practical to excavate the affected area by removing the turf in the area of the ring along with the surrounding 18 inches of soil on both the inside and outside of the ring. The soil should be removed to a depth of at least 2 inches (5 cm) below the zone of the white fungus mat. When removing the affected areas, try to prevent any of the turf or soil from spilling onto healthy areas. Fill the area with fresh top soil and then reseed or re-sod.

Another possible method of eradication is based on the fact that when 2 rings come into contact with each other, they will exhibit antagonistic behaviour, which leads to the death of both rings. To take advantage of this natural control method, one may wish to remove the sod in heavily infested areas, cultivate the soil several times to mix the mycelium of one ring with another and then re-seed or re-sod.

Follow good turf practices of regular fertilizing and deep but non-frequent waterings

Article referenced from: http://www.gardenline.usask.ca/yards/fairy.html ,written by Bonnie Willie 
 Photo by: www.lawnsmith.co.uk