Spot a Red Truck

If you see a red Ryan Lawn & Tree truck parked anywhere in the Kansas City Metro today, ask the driver if he still has his Sheridan's Frozen Custard $5 gift card. Spring took so long to get here, that we are taking today to celebrate warmer weather. Each RYAN Route Manager has one gift card to give to the first person who asks. Good Luck!

Berry Goodness

I am planning on planting some more strawberries under the Sycamore tree this year. I planted a few strawberries several years ago and they have lived through frost, snow and drought. I have never eaten a strawberry from my plants. I plant them mostly because my Mom always plants them in a big barrel planter, and when I look at them in bloom or with fruit hanging heavy, I think of my Mom.

What plants have you added to your landscape for sentimental reasons? Did you plant a tree to celebrate your first born, or have you transplanted some bulbs from a neighbor? I would love to hear your story. E-mail me at tarapatty at ryanlawn dot com or leave a comment below.

Veggie Tales

My husband started his vegetable garden indoors this year. It has been fun to watch tiny seeds planted a few weeks ago sprout and grow.

I can't wait to enjoy the fruits of his labor this summer. Fresh vegetables are something I can easily get behind.

Right Plant, Right Place

Flowers (annuals and perennials) can add the "wow" factor to your landscape. In the front yard, they can help your home feel friendly and warm, in the back yard, they provide a pretty and fragrant background for outdoor parties.

Follow these simple rules to make the biggest impression with your flowers:

1. Put a group of flowers by the front door.
2. Use large pots by the front steps or patio.
3. Cluster flowers instead of sprinkling them thinly across an area.
4. Choose flower colors that will compliment and enhance the color of your house.
5. Place flowers in the backyard where they can easily be seen from inside your house.

Brown Spots in Bermuda Lawns?

(This one is for those of you who prefer warm season grasses.)

Every spring, some Bermuda lawns (especially those planted with hybrid varieties) are dotted with brown areas. This is the result of Spring Dead Spot (SDS).

Young Bermuda lawns (less than 3 years) have some resistance to the condition, and these lawns are affected much less than older, established lawns.

Even though symptoms of SDS show up in the spring, the disease starts in the fall when cool, wet conditions are common. The brown spots are often the size of dinner plates, but will run together resulting in large, irregular dead areas.

What can you do?
It is difficult to control spring dead spot, although keeping thatch in check through regular aerations may aid in prevention.

Improper Planting Causes Girdling Roots

Yesterday, we discussed proper tree planting techniques. I also posed a question about this picture:

What is going on here? The answer is a Girdling Root. When trees are planted too deep, it is common for one root (or roots) to wrap around the trunk of the tree. As the root grows, it slowly girdles the tree, causing decline.

You may notice a girdling root because it causes leaves to drop from the tree at odd time. Girdling roots can also cause on side of the trunk to be flat, like in the picture below:

After big storms, have you seen giant trees that have simply fallen over? Many times this is because the fallen tree had been living with a girdling root.

What do you do if you think you have a tree with a girdling root? Call an ISA Certified Arborist. (We have almost 20 at Ryan Lawn & Tree.) Depending on the age and size of the tree, it may be possible to reverse the damage done by the offending root.

Spring is a Great Time to Plant Trees & Shrubs

Improper planting caused this common tree problem.
Do you know what it is? Read tomorrow for the answer.

As you would expect, spring is a wonderful time to add new trees and shrubs to your landscape. What you may not know, is improper planting is one of the biggest reasons urban trees fail.

If you are considering planting a tree, follow these steps to ensure improper planting does not cause you trouble down the road:

1. Choose a quality specimen from the nursery. The main root originating from the trunk should be no more than 1inch below the soil line. The root ball should be moist.
   
   
2. Measure the root ball height from ground to the first (top) root. This is the planting depth. Dig the hole 3 times the root ball width. This will loosen the soil for faster rooting. Leave the sides of the hole rough, not smooth.
   
   
3. Place the tree in the center of the planting hole and recheck planting depth. Adjust as needed. Make sure the tree is straight from 2-3 directions. Remove as much burlap, wire, twine as possible.
   
   
4. Stake newly planted trees only in areas where high winds are common. Remove any stake within 8-12 months.
   
   
5. Fertilize your trees after planting. If you have questions, contact an arborist at Ryan Lawn & Tree
   

Giving Turfgrass Extra Space

We've discussed aerating before, but it is the time of year for questions about aerating to start popping up.

Why Aerate?
In short, aerating opens up soil for better air and nutrient movement.

What is an Aeration?
During an aeration, a machine pulls cores from the lawn and deposits them on top of the soil. (These cores break down readily, so there is no reason to rake.)

Should you Aerate?
Lawns with heavy clay soil are especially susceptible to compaction and should be aerated on a regular schedule. Likewise, if you cut a square in the lawn at least 6 inches deep, and the roots of your grass only extend 1-2 inches, it is time to aerate.

When should you Aerate?
Bluegrass and Fescue lawns are aerated in the early spring or in the fall. Bermuda and Zoysia lawns are aerated from late May to July. (Basically, the best time to aerate is when the grass is actively growing.)

Dirt "Tunnels" in Your Lawn?

A Ryan Lawn & Tree turf manager points out vole damage in Kansas City.

We have gotten quite a few calls from homeowners in the area who have bare "tunnels" in their lawns.

Most likely, this is vole damage. Voles, closely related to field mice, cause more damage in winters where there is snow on the ground a lot of the time (we've discussed the snow that never seemed to end this year).

During these chilly, wet winters, the voles create meandering tunnels in the snow, on top of the lawn. Because it takes a lot of energy to build these snow tunnels, the voles run the same path over, and over, and over. As a result, they wear a path in the lawn and kill the grass.

Take a look around the hard surfaces in your landscape - next to a sidewalk or driveway. Voles will make their nest beneath these surfaces. If you want to rid yourself of these pests, stick a bait station under your driveway in the vole nest (if you can find it). (Be careful, these bait stations can be harmful to pets.)

If you have some bluegrass in your lawn, the bare areas should fill in this April or May. You can also seed this bare spots sometime in the next few weeks.

*The difference between mole and vole damage? Moles actually tunnel beneath the grass creating raised mounds. Voles travel on top of the grass, creating worn paths.

Growing as a Gardener

At the Garden Show, many displays featured different varieties of plants acting as a border for another variety. I am just not there in my gardening repertoire. I tend to plant single varieties in mass and throw in some odd experimentation throughout the landscape.

However, after seeing some of the great borders, I realize I have stunted my ability to create stunning displays around my home.

This arrangement clearly is more dramatic and interesting than just planting pansies in a monoculture.

My gardening goal for the next growing season: pair plants together to add more depth to my planting.

Puzzling

Why have I never planted crocus? They are SO pretty, and they are early bloomers. Who wouldn't want an early, purple reminder that spring is coming?

Crocus should be planted in the fall for blooming the following spring. These babies will start to grow during the first warm spell in late winter or spring. Their early blooms in white, yellow, blue(purple), and light orange flowers can even be forced indoors. These small plants grow just 3-4 inches tall.

Perfect for Hot Summers

I first encountered strawflowers in my Grandma's garden. You can tell right away that their texture is different than most flowers. She planted a pink variety, at the Garden Show, there were some dainty yellow strawflowers that just "popped" against the green foliage.

Even in this picture, you want to reach out and touch the petals to see how they feel. (They are dry and rigid - very inline with their name.) The best part about strawflowers? They thrive in long, hot summers and will bloom from late spring until fall. I don't always like yellow flowers, luckily you have several options with strawflowers including light and dark pink, bronze, purple and white in addition to a few yellow shades.

Treat strawflowers as an annual in our area. Once temperatures start to drop, they will start to struggle.

L.O.V.E.

I have thought about writing about Fuchsia before - it is soooo pretty and delicate. It reminds me of fairies and butterflies and the ethereal. I spied some at the Garden Show looking glorious:

Fuchsia are native to South America with fewer species indigenous to Central America and Mexico. They are also prolific in New Zealand to Tahiti (Tahiti - warm, sunny, home of Fuchsia!).

Technically, you can TRY to grow them in the Kansas City area. The transition zone is going to be difficult to reckon with, however. Plant them in containers on your patio and then be prepared to work. Fuchsias should be fertilized every two weeks and need adequate water (but not too much - be careful of root rot!). They are going to struggle when temperatures are above 80 degrees. And you need to take them inside for the winter.

There is no way at this point in my gardening life that I can keep up with this rigorous schedule. Maybe you all are a little more advanced? After all, someone out there wrote an article calling the care of this persnickety plant "Easy."

Any ideas for a similarly ethereal, fairy-plant that doesn't take quite so much maintenance? I am all ears.

A Taste of What's To Come

Last weekend, I ventured down to the Johnson County Home & Garden Show. While I was there, I passed by Family Tree Nursery's display. (It was breathtaking.) Luckily, Ryan Lawn & Tree had a booth across from the nursery, so we got to smell spring all weekend long.

Family Tree's display.

There is so much going on here - but it works. I mean, I think an actual landscape like this would be a nightmare for me - too much maintenance. I thoroughly enjoyed looking through all the nooks and crannies to see what delights were awaiting.

I'll leave you with a shot of our guys in action (and the promise of more spring shots the rest of the week):

Tom DePaepe, Mike McGillicuddy and Jason Trent.
(Mike and Jason are talking to a client, I just didn't get him in the shot.)