Coming Home

The last blooms on my lilac.

I haven't enjoyed my landscape more than I have this year. My flowers are all doing well, the lawn looks great and my husband planted some Oakleaf Hydrangeas in the backyard.

I still have room in a few pots, and I am dying to get one of those Drift roses I wrote about in April, so I am heading to Suburban Lawn & Garden at 105th & Roe in Overland Park on Friday to get the last few things on my list AND support a worthy cause.

Friday, from 5-8 p.m., Suburban is donating 10% of every purchase to the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired.

Here are the official details if you would like to join me:

Get your yard ready for summer with CCVI!

Another Bloomin' Fundraiser

5 to 8 p.m.
Friday, May 28
Suburban Lawn & Garden
105 and Roe in Overland Park, Kansas

View and purchase new spring bedding plants, trees and shrubs for your yard and garden while enjoying live music, light hor d’oeuvres and beverages. Suburban Lawn & Garden will donate 10% of every purchase to CCVI.

For more information, contact Jennifer Anderson (816) 841-2284 x2016 or janderson@ccvi.org.

Hope to see you there!

Azalea Blooms

Five years ago, Tom transplanted an azalea from a property he was working on to our landscape. It just started blooming, and it is gorgeous.


I love how dainty this plant is - the ruffly blooms make it seem even more flirty. It is one of the first shrubs in our landscape to bloom - our yard is slowly coming to life for the growing season. The lilacs are starting to leaf out and the day lilies are starting to make an appearance as well. I may get adventurous this weekend and do some planting. (Usually I wait until after the 15th, but my gut is telling me the danger of frost has passed.)

Shrub Pruning How To Day 3

Finally, prune for height. Prune top growth by cutting the stem back to a leaflet or stem. (This prevents “stubs” which make the plant look funny.) The goal is for the top growth to be pruned to essentially the same height. Step back frequently to make sure the shrub looks the way you want it.

The first shrub you prune may not look perfect, but after two or three pruning cycles, you will get the hang of it. Hand pruning may be more tedious than the hedge pruners we talked about, but the overall result and health of the plant will be much improved by taking a little extra time to do the job right.

Day 1 Day 2

Shrub Pruning How To Day 2

The first step to pruning is to evaluate the shrub. Are you pruning it just because it is getting too big for the space, or do you have other concerns (unhealthy stems, thick, crowded growth at the base)?

The first cuts are to remove any dead branches. Cut these at the point where they are attached to the rest of the plant. Next, prune branches that are too close to the ground (any that are laying on or touching the ground). Again, prune these where they attach to the rest of the shrub, deep in the plant. Also remove any irregular branches.

Take a step back and see how the shrub looks at this point. Remember, a properly pruned shrub is one you can’t tell you’ve pruned.

Day 1

Shrub Pruning How To Day 1

Photo from Mid City Nursery

This week, I thought I would go over some shrub pruning tips. Pruning can be an art – it takes a lot and time and effort to prune a plant in to a chess piece or loveable animal – but for us mere mortals, a few basic steps in the right direction is all we need.

Let’s start with shrub pruning. Shrubs, usually, are pruned more often than large trees and, with a few guidelines; most homeowners will learn the knack without much effort. Bear in mind, when shrubs are pruned well, they look like they haven’t been pruned at all.

You won’t need a lot of different tools to prune shrubs effectively. A pair of hand pruners (I prefer Felco hand pruners) will cut any branch up to 3/4 inches in diameter.

Golden St. John's Wort

I've always thought the flower of golden St. Johns wort (Hypericum frondosum 'Sunburst') was really neat. (I snapped the picture above to share for those of you who are unfamiliar with the plant). The color is to bright and cheery and the stamens make it unusual. The flowers cover the plant for the majority of the summer and are a nice contrast to its bluish-green foliage.
In winter, the exfoliating bark provides interest. I've noticed bumble bees are very attracted to my plants in the front landscape beds where I have them planted.

I was doing a little research about this plant before I wrote about it. I've learned that they are native to the southeastern United States. I also found it surprising that they have an average life expectancy of 4-6 years. I'd still recommend them!

Oak Leaf Hydrangea

I really like the foliage of my oak leaf hydrangea. I have three of these shrubs growing in my landscape bed in back. They will hide my neighbor's fence as they grow (and provide a nice backdrop to my perennials). Oak leaf hydrangeas can grow 6-8 feet tall by about 4-6 feet wide. The location is somewhat protected because there is a large pin oak in my backyard that lends itself to providing shade and protection to my garden area below.

Even though this plant is often grown for its oak-leafed shaped foliage, when it gets flowers it is an extra special treat. I snapped this picture of one of its blooms. (It is about a foot long!) Bloom time is important when pruning flowering shrubs. This hydrangea blooms on new wood, so I remove last year's flowers in the early spring before it leafs out. (That way I can enjoy them over the winter!)

I highly recommend this shrub for your garden or landscape bed if you have the space. It is a favorite of mine.

Hatched Bagworms

I wrote about bagworms a few weeks ago. I've never seen them when they first hatched. (The only ones that I have seen are after they had become larger or even when they've prepared to spend the winter in their sack that has been tied off from the outside world.)

For those of you who are not familiar with bagworms, they are a caterpillar that constructs a bag around itself as it feeds to help camouflage and protect it from enemies. Careful monitoring of landscape plants is important because as the insect (and bags) grow, control is more difficult. Large infestations of bagworms can devastate plants.

I wanted to share this picture with you. One of the arborists here at Ryan Lawn and Tree brought this sample in to me because he knew I hadn't seen small bagworms before. Bagworms have hatched, so monitor your landscape plants (especially evergreens) for this insect pest! Call a tree company, like Ryan Lawn and Tree, for control.

Using Flowering Shrubs as Centerpieces

Hydrangea make a great cut flower. Their generous blooms make a full arrangement from a single stem. Their large, broad leaves work great as bases for arrangements as well.

I am not lucky enough to have my own hydrangea shrub, but I did buy a branch at a local flower market for my dining room table. Other flowering branches that work great as arrangements include forsythia, quince, crabapple, cherry and many varieties of dogwood.

Weigela

I wanted to post this picture of my weigela while it was in flower. Last year we planted some new plants in our landscaping beds and these weigela were one of the plants that we chose. Since they were newly planted, they didn't flower for us last season. This spring they are just covered in flowers!

There a number of different weigela out there. I have to admit, I'm not sure what the name of mine are. The tag said 'Minuet', but I think these were maybe tagged incorrectly. (Minuet is supposed to be green foliage tinged w/ purple. I don't really see any purple tinge.) I liked the idea of the purplish foliage as some variety against the St. John's Wort and perennials that I have in the same bed.

I really like the flowers though. Weigela attract hummingbirds and butterfly, two favorites of mine to watch. I encourage you to check out this plant at your local garden center.

Fanciful Foliage

Original Photo Here

Purple Ninebark (like Diablo, pictured above) is a great shrub to add color to your landscape. A fast grower with deep burgundy leaves and white blooms in summer, ninebark can tolerate some shade but performs best in full sun. Use ninebark in mixed shrub borders or even as a foundation plant. A newer cultivar, Summer Wine Ninebark, is a more compact plant with Diablo^®’s deep wine leaves and white flowers. For the best effect, plant it to complement yellow or bright green plants.

Dwarf Korean Lilacs

I noticed my dwarf Korean lilacs are blooming. I like the small leaves and dainty flowers that this plant has. When we moved into our house a few years ago (already!), we had two of these lilacs planted in the landscape in front. They should not have been planted there because they had outgrown their allotted space. We moved them into the back yard when we designed some landscaping back there.

This brings up the point of trying to plant too much in a small space. When you are designing your landscape beds, think about the full size of the plant. The little plants you put in the ground today will soon grow. Also, remember to regularly prune any shrubs that you plant to maintain their size or keep them from getting too big. A little effort now will prevent big headaches (and wasted money) down the road.

Heavenly Scents, Part 2

I think my favorite shrub in my yard is Korean spice viburnum. It has an sweet, almost spicy scent that I absolutely love! It is wonderful. I was in heaven just taking this picture!

Korean spice viburnum (viburnum carlesii ‘Korean spice’) grows about 3-5 feet tall by 3-5 feet wide in its standard form. I have two, one in an area next to my patio (also near a window) and the other one next to a fence at the edge of my property. Both are in semi-shaded locations, but it can also be grown in full sun. This shrub is easy to grow and I highly recommend it!

Sand Cherries Add Color To A Landscape

When I first met my husband, I hated the sand cherries in his backyard.

Today, they have won me over. I love their deep red color and the pretty, light pink flowers that bloom in early spring. I find myself planning what flowers to plant based on what will complement the sand cherries.

If you are looking for a nice shrub to plant, consider a sand cherry.

Thinning Burning Bush

This is a burning bush that we got from someone last year. They were removing it from their landscape, so my husband brought it home and we planted it in the back yard. It is actually quite an old specimen. You can tell from the large stems that is has.

Since it has had time to become established, I decided to try to thin it before the leaves come out. (My before picture is shown above. The after picture is shown below.)

I wanted to thin it for two reasons: First, burning bush are known for getting spider mites (at least here in the midwest) during our hot summer months. Thinning them can increase air circulation and may help reduce the degree of infestation.

My second purpose for thinning it is to try to generate more new, younger growth. I will see how the shrub responds to this pruning. If it responds well, I will try to remove more of the old stems next season. Large, overgrown shrubs can be rejuvenated this way without loosing the overall size of the shrub. (Remove about 1/3 of the oldest canes or stems each season.) I'll let you know how is responds.

SPRING

Today is officially the first day of spring. On my way to work, I noticed the buds on our lilac bush had swelled.*

(There will be more posts on said lilac bush down the road.)

Happy Spring!

If you are ready to start planting, I suggest pansies. They come in some beautiful colors, and can withstand colder temperatures, so your work won't go down the drain if we get some crazy weather.

*This is, of course, not a picture of OUR lilac. Weren't you paying attention? I noticed the buds on my way to work--I don't allow enough time in my commute for picture-taking.

Winter Descication

I’ve been noticing some winter damage on my boxwood in front of my house. I snapped a picture of some of the damaged foliage. This is winter desiccation and it is caused by lack of moisture during the winter months.

Most people think all plants go dormant during the winter; however this is not true for evergreen plants. Evergreens (like boxwood) never go completely dormant during the winter months and need to be watered. If they do not receive enough moisture, they dry out and winter desiccation is the result. Desiccation is visible by browning of foliage (like my picture above shows.)