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.)

Dried, curled up leaves on Maples

Dead leaves on a Sycamore with anthracnose. The tree will leaf out again this summer, replacing these leaves with healthy ones.

Heather wrote about anthracnose on her oak leaf hydrangea a few weeks ago.

With our wet spring, maples and other trees have also been affected by this disease. This is a purely aesthetic problem, and treatment is not recommended. (The exception would be if the tree seems to have this problem year after year, or if you have a Sycamore with anthracnose.)

It is a hassle now, when leaves are dropping and the tree looks unhealthy, but in a few weeks, the tree will leaf out again and go back to normal.

To help your trees recover, water them during dry spells this summer.

Are you having trouble with anthracnose? Is this the first year you have encountered this problem?

Feel free to E-mail pictures of your lawn and tree problems, and we'll address them on the blog!

Rust Diseases

We had a couple of good rains over the weekend. The weather was so nice, I had to get outside. While walking with my family, I came across a cedar that was displaying signs of rust. Cedars and junipers are the alternate host for rust diseases and are infected in late summer. The fungus overwinters in galls and cankers on these plants. In spring when wet conditions exist, spores are produced which infect prized crabapples, hawthorns, quince or other members of the rose family.

The picture above is cedar-quince rust. Spores are produced in that gelatinous material on the twig canker. They will be carried by the wind and infect nearby quince plants. The picture below is cedar-apple rust. You can see the orange, gelatinous horns containing spores that will infect crabapples and apple trees. (On a side note, there is also a bagworm hanging in the foreground. More on those tomorrow!)

Feeding the Birds

I really enjoy the feathered friends that come to visit my back yard. Favorites of my family include the goldfinches and cardinals. Now that the weather is warming, the goldfinches are regaining their golden color again. We also have a pair of cardinals (a male and female) that frequent our feeder. They nest nearby and last summer one of their babies ventured into our yard. What a treat!

It is important to provide a clean food (and water) source to birds. I provide food year round because they bring such enjoyment. The long tube-like feeder on the left is for goldfinches. Did you know they can feed upside down? Other birds cannot do that, so only goldfinches can feed here.

The feeder on the right is a “squirrel proof” feeder. It has springs that shut the feeder when a squirrel lands on it. I got it on sale last fall from Ace Hardware because we had such a problem with squirrels. I have also seen them at Walmart (and probably other stores as well.) I would highly recommend it!

New Grass and Other Signs of Spring

We got a good rain the other night. I went outside yesterday and noticed I have grass in back! It's like it came up overnight! I'm so excited. I'll let you know how it goes as it fills in more. I also snapped some other pictures of things around my landscape that show spring is on its way (even though we are supposed to have rain changing to snow tomorrow!)

I have a small forsythia that is blooming (pictured above.) I also have some rhododendrons that have started blooming after that rain we received (pictured below.)

Even the leaves on my Korean spice viburnum (above) and oak leaf hydrangea (below) are emerging. I love spring!

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.

Flowers on Maples

Have you ever noticed flowers on trees? I’m not talking about the trees with showy flowers like magnolias, crabapples or pears. I’m talking about shade trees like maples or ash. Growing up I never really noticed the flowers on shade trees, but I do now. Every spring I look for them. Maples are one of the first trees to flower, letting me know that spring is on its way.

The weather over the weekend was beautiful. While I was enjoying a walk, I noticed the maples were flowering. I brought some branches home so I could snap a picture to share. The top picture is a red maple with flowers in full bloom. The bottom picture is a red maple with the flower buds swelling, right before they open. I love spring!

Random Friday

It is a BEAUTIFUL day here in the Midwest. Has spring finally sprung? My local extension agent cautioned gardeners not to get too excited, yet, as there is still a chance of a hard freeze.

Luckily, this is the prime time for me to plant my sweet peas, so in my world, spring has arrived.

I noticed the other day that my tiny witch hazel had bloomed--and I think I missed it. The blooms now are a little shriveled and down-facing, but maybe that is what the blooms look like on tiny witch hazels. (The other witch hazel didn't survive its first season--it was brought low by the post man.)

The tulips in the backyard still have not been brave enough to peak through. What are they waiting on?!?! Maybe they are afraid of a late, hard freeze, too!

Yesterday I went on a walk and passed one of my favorite landscapes in the neighborhood. Mostly because he has dwarf dawn redwoods, three of them planted in a kind of cluster. Oh, how I want you in my yard, redwoods.

That's all for now--have a great weekend!