L S Gardens - Hardy Plants

You're Living in Rhubarb Country

2011-04-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

Growing and Harvesting Rhubarb boils down to simple dos and don’t's.

Rhubarb Plant

To get the most out of your patch follow these tips. Planting the rhubarb just right, makes for a bigger and better plant. Dig a hole as deep as the container you purchased it in. If planting from bare root dig the hole to the depth from which the plant came out of. Use a good garden compost or aged, well-rotted manure. For more Rhubarb tips go to the following: www.lsgardens.com/GardenUpdates/garden_updates2011.html

Gophers Eating Your Trees?

2011-04-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

Gopher's eating the life out of your trees?

Gopher ate roots and trunk

It happerns every spring, just as the snow melts away from around plants trees and shrubs, the gopher damage starts showing up. Trees are literally being eaten alive !
To learn more about gopher and mole habits click below: http://www.lsgardens.com/GardenUpdates/garden_updates2011.html#4111

Master Gardeners Present Spring Seminar

2011-04-06T11:43:00.001-07:00

The Central Oregon Master Gardeners will be presenting their Spring Seminars on Saturday, April 16 at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond.

They have a full agenda AND on that agenda you will find that from 1pm to 2:30pm I will be speaking on Hardy Perennials for Central Oregon. I'm also including a segment on division of perennials. The cost of each class is $10 or $15 if you register the day of the class.

I would love to see lots of you attend these great seminars. This way you can get your gardening fix while you are waiting for the weather to warm up.

Just go to http://extension.oregonstate.edu/deschutes/announcement/osu-master-gardener-spring-seminar See you there !

Seed Catalogs Arriving Daily

2011-03-31T11:57:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again - seed catalogs arriving by the handful. If you ordered from one or even requested a catalog from one of them, then your name is on a list. So far I have received 26 brightly colored catalogs and it isn‚ even the middle of January. To learn more, click here Seed Catalogs Arriving Daily

Don't Rush The Season

2011-03-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

Tulips have great spring blooms.

We all get a little anxious for the spring season to begin. Don't believe everything you read in the newspapers or see on television about when to plant. Central Oregon has thousnds of microclimates, and you'll have to adapt your planting methods to your area. To learn more, click here.

Greenhouse for a Small Area

2011-03-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

Extend your growing season!

We have just received a few of the sweetest little greenhouses. They measure 61/2' x 6' x 6'. Very easy to put up and then take down to store for the winter. We put one up here in the nursery for you to take a look at. The cost is $199. To go along with the greenhouse you can also add metal shelving that goes on both sides of the greenhouse for a cost of $149.

I think you will really enjoy starting your seeds in this house or growing your tomatoes, etc inside. It has two doors that zipper open and closed, one in front and one in back. It comes with tie downs and metal stakes. Come in and check these out.

Black Spot Fungus on Aspens

2011-03-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

Foliage diseases can reduce the aesthetic value of aspen, cottonwood and poplar trees. Occasionally, a severe disease outbreak causes premature defoliation or dieback of parts of the tree.

Facts:
Fungi cause most foliage diseases on aspen, cottonwood and other poplar species.
Foliage diseases develop readily in wet, cool weather.
Foliage diseases decrease a tree's aesthetic value and can cause premature defoliation.

Severe outbreaks can affect the general health of the tree.

To reduce future disease problems, rake up and dispose of leaves and prune out branches with cankers.Timely fungicide application can prevent severe outbreaks.

If a tree loses its leaves early in the season, it may grow new ones and its health is not seriously affected. If it loses them in midsummer, however growing new leaves may prevent the tree from fully hardening off before cold weather or reduce the amount of stored food. This leads to increased danger of frost damage, reduced growth, and increased risk to other diseases or insects.

The fungus Marssonina causes the most common foliage disease on aspen. Marssonina leaf spots are dark brown flecks, often with yellow halos. On severely infected leaves, in wet weather, several spots may fuse to form large black dead patches. Spots also may develop on leaf petioles and succulent new roots.

Marssonina survives the winter on fallen leaves that were infected the previous year. With spring and warmer, wet weather, the fungus produces microscopic "seeds" or spores that are carried by the wind and infect emerging leaves. Early infections are rarely serious, but if the weather remains favorable, spores from these infections can cause widespread secondary infection. Heavy secondary infections become visible later in the growing season and cause premature leaf loss on infected trees.

Fungicides, if applied early enough can prevent foliage disease. Spraying will prevent only new infections; it will not cure leaves already infected. Trees should be sprayed with a fungicide at bud break and then two or three times during the growing season at 12 to 14 day intervals.

Snowy Day Quilting

2011-03-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do on a snowy day is to cut up fabric and piece them back together. My daughter had requested a table topper to fit a small entry table. I found a pattern in a book titled Let's Do Lunch by Atkinson Designs. The name of the pattern is called Taco Salad. I think the 17 inch size will be perfect for her table.

Taco Salad - 17 inch

This piece doesn't use much fabric and can be made out of scraps. My daughter has a definate color scheme and likes everything to match. Personally I like bright colors and a random look.

Green Bean Casserole vs. Broccoli Casserole

2010-11-22T14:30:00.000-08:00

Want to add a very tasty casserole to your holiday dinner other than Green Bean Casserole?

Years ago my daughter-in-law brought a Broccoli Casserole to our Christmas Dinner and it has been requested for every get together since. I know, many of you are thinking - Broccoli - YUK. Not so! This casserole is wonderful, but not low in calories. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Broccoli Casserole

Pre-heat over to 325 degrees. Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.

Fresh Broccoli - 2 to 3 pounds broken into florets
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup - put this in a pan and warm slightly with a little bit of milk to make it spread better.
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 and 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Ritz Crackers, crushed to equal 2 cups

Layer in order of ingredients listed.
Bake for 40 minutes.

Autumn Crocus

2010-11-12T12:01:00.000-08:00

If you don't have this crocus in your garden, then really think about planting some. The bulbs are hard to find and yes, they are expensive, but I think worth the expenditure. You may have to go on line and order.

Autumn Crocus - Colchicum Autumnale flowers in late September or early October. This crocus contains unstable alkaloid poisons. If enough flowers, seeds, corms or leaves are eaten, death may result. All animals are susceptible to colchicine, the primary toxins. You will also find that Tulips and Daffodils can also cause problems if eaten.

The name "naked lady'"comes from the fact that the flowers emerge from the ground long after the leaves die back. In spring, a clump of broad, deer-proof leaves emerge, stay green for over a month and then die back.

I plant the bulbs in front of shrubs and among perennials. With proper fertilizing and well drained soil that doesn't dry out in the summer, these bulbs will multiply double by next season.
Crocus Sativus - Saffron Crocus is the source of saffron. The quintessential seasoning for paella and other dishes from the Mediterranean and Asia. Each flower produces three showy red stigmas, which have been used for flavoring and coloring food since Roman times.
I only have the Giant Colchicum in pink in my garden, but I have the lavender ones ordered and hopefully will add them to my flower beds in a week or so. The picture shown above is of bulbs that I planted three years ago and are now ready to divide when they have finished blooming.

Pine Needle Drop - Natural Occurance

2010-09-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

Contrary to popular belief, evergreen foliage does not remain attached indefinitely. Older, inner needles discolor and drop-off after one to several years depending on the species involved.

Now that cooler weather has hit, we are seeing a lot of our pine trees with brown needles. In late summer and throughout the fall, many homeowners observe a discoloration of the needles on their evergreens and fear that some insect or disease has affected the plants. Do not be alarmed; this is a natural condition.

Evergreen shrubs and trees remain green throughout the year because they do not lose all of their foliage at one time. Usually needle drop goes unnoticed because new needles conceal the old, inside needles and foliage that has turned yellow and brown. Sometimes the drop occurs slowly, but on other occasions, many needles discolor and drop simultaneously. Most evergreens drop their needles in the fall, but some evergreens shed their needles in the spring or early summer. Each species of evergreen is different. Evergreens that normally shed one-year needles are arborvitae and white pine.

White pines are the most dramatically affected. This species commonly bears three years' needles in the summer and two in the winter. In October or November of some years, this species may have only one year of needles still attached. Matured white pine needles turn yellow throughout the tree. The tree will appear unhealthy when the yellowed needles outnumber green ones of the current season.

Australian and Scotch pine usually retain their needles for three years. Spruce and fir trees retain their needles for several years. Needle drop may not be visible unless one looks for it on the inner branches. Few needles turn yellow and drop in late spring or early summer of their third year.

Fall Bulb Planting

2010-09-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year when we start seeing Fall Bulbs showing up in the stores. Be aware that a Good Price is not always a Good Deal.

You want to look for good firm bulbs, the bigger the better. You do not want the small bulbs or bulbs that feel soft. You will get a small flower from poor quality bulbs. Spend the money and get the best.

Some good choices for our cold climate are Daffodils, Tulips, Crocus, Lily of the Valley and Grape Hyacinths.

When looking at the bulb package, look for bulbs that say late spring. If you haven't noticed many of the bulb packages will say spring, mid spring or late spring. Since our spring is usually cold, the later spring bulbs usually do better and will bloom around mid May.Wait until about the third week in October to plant.

Be sure to add some good compost to the area you are going to plant. Work the compost into the soil. Rule of thumb for bulb planting is to plant the bulbs 3 times deep the size of the bulb. For instance if the bulb is one inch in diameter then you would plant the bulb three inches deep. Work some granular bone meal or bulb food in around bulbs as you plant.

Don't line your bulbs up in rows like tin soldiers. Do some groupings to make a focal point, two bulbs in one hole, maybe three in another hole.

Remember that not all of the bulbs that are offered for sale at the stores will do well in our cold area of La Pine, Oregon

Crandall Black Currant - Hardy Fruit Bearing Shrub

2010-08-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

Looking for plants that produce berries that you can eat and enjoy in Jams and Jellies?

One of the plants that is often overlooked in our Cold Climate Gardens is the Black Currant. The hardiest variety in this Ribes family is the Crandall Black Currant. Currants are very hardy and easy to grow. They aren't nearly as thirsty as blueberries, birds don't bother them and they do well in partial shade.

Black currants are a nutrient rich food and powerful medicine. They have at least three times as much vitamin C, potassium and magnesium as blueberries, four to six times as much calcium and much more zinc, iron, folic acid, vitamin A and flavenoids.

Black currants have been shown to relieve vision problems and inflammation, stimulate the immune system and fight fungal and viral infections. Even black currant seeds can be valuable in the diet, because of their high levels of essential fatty acids, minerals, and fiber, they have been crushed and incorporated into packaged breakfast cereal.

In preserving, black currants can be used in the same way as red currants. I have found them to be especially good made into a syrup, jams and Jellies.

Peonies n the Garden

2010-07-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

Peonies are blooming and what a beautiful statement they make in the garden. My peonies this year out shine every other plant that is blooming early summer.

Now is a great time to find some of those peonies that are offered at the garden centers. If you plant this year you won't see much bloom next year because the plant needs to establish itself in the garden. Being a heavy feeder you will want to fertilize three or four times a season. They are especially needy of potassium, which is essential for stem strength and disease resistence. Nitrogen enhances flower size and quality and phosphorous contributes to flower bud initiation as well.

Rhubarb Salsa

2010-07-02T07:34:00.000-07:00

Rhubarb is ready for harvest and here is a great recipe that will be the talk of your next BBQ. Serve as a dip with corn chips or over grilled meat. YUM – YUM !

Rhubarb Salsa

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup water

2 tablespoons finely shredded orange peel

6 cups Rhubarb, cut into ½ inch pieces

½ cup green bell pepper, diced

¼ cup sweet onion, finely chopped

⅓ cup red onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

In a medium, non-stick sauce pan, combine sugar, water and orange peel. Bring to a boil.

Add chopped Rhubarb and reduce heat to medium. Simmer gently until the Rhubarb is tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

When cool, add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

What's Blooming in Your Spring Garden?

2010-05-27T07:18:00.001-07:00

Have you been out and about and noticed the many colors of plants that are blooming? I'm not talking about the daffodils and tulips, but the many early blooming perennials that are all around town. Now is the perfect time to be taking notes and planting some of these hardy early bloomers in your landscape now, so that you can enjoy their color next spring.
If you get a chance head out to the Costco area, where you will find a good assortment of color. The yellow bloomers are a perennial Alyssum called Gold Ball or you might find it by several other common names.
Over by the Shoe Inn I found some beautiful white blooming Iberis. This variety is called snowflake.
Have you been wondering what that low growing hot pink, lavender or white plant is? That is called Creeping Phlox. You can also find it in a pale pink and a candy stripe.
Pay attention to some of the shrubs that are putting on leaves. The Barberry called Rosy Glow has deep magenta leaves and keeps it's color all season.
Rock Daphne and Carol Mackie Daphne are both blooming right now. The Rock Daphne is a deep pink color and very fragrant. Carol Mackie Daphne has a variegated leaf and a pale pink flower, and is also very fragrant.
Add a few of the blooming hardy crabapple trees to the landscape and WOW! Some of the hardiest varieties of crabapple's are the white blooming Dolgo and the Royalty that has a deep pink bloom and a maroon leaf.
While you are out and about, keep your eyes open for a plant that will work in your landscape.
If you plan your garden right, you can have color from early spring to late fall.

Fertilizing Bulbs and Perennials

2010-05-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

Beautiful weather and plants are growing! Now is the time to be feeding all of your bulbs and perennials.
Your bulbs will be bigger and better next year with a feeding of a granular fertilizer now. Use a fertilizer high in the second number. Such as a 10-20-20 or a 10-55-10. It is that second number that promotes blooms and root growth. The green part of the flowering tulips, daffodils, crocus, etc. takes up the fertilizer and then as the stalks start to die back all of those nutrients go into the bulb below the surface to be stored as next years starting food. No fertilizer makes for a smaller plant and less blooms next year.
Use the same fertilizer around all of your perennial flowers. It does NOT matter if the package says Rose food or Bulb food, it is the numbers that count. Feed all of your plants and you will be amazed at how beautiful they bloom. Feed your perennials again July.
Not sure what you need - come see me and I will help you.
Have you fertilized your lawn? I like to start my lawn out with a fertilizer high in the first number such as a 21-7-14. Now is the time with this bit of rain and sunshine we are getting.
We have a huge selection of garden vegetables, perennials and annuals.
Have you ever wondered why you do the what you do. Why do you love gardening? Maybe it is the genes. Take a look on my website in the section About Linda and you will see that although I do not have any college credentials in the field of gardening, planting is in the veins and I just can't help wanting to play in the dirt.

Fungal Diseases on Aspen Trees

2010-03-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Since aspen trees are a native to central Oregon, most of us have at least one in our landscape. Along with the beautiful white bark and the golden fall color, come several diseases that seem prone to affect the Aspen trees. Some of the disease problems are due to a lack of care by the homeowner. I preach over and over every fall to rake up those fallen leaves. If left on the ground you are more apt to develop Black Spot on your aspen trees.
Black Spot is a fungal disease that causes the Aspen leaf to turn black around the edges and lose leaf mid summer. It most likely will not kill the tree but can be very unsightly in the landscape. Now is a good time to treat your aspen trees, especially if you have had this fungal problem in past. You want to spray your trees with a fungicide just as the bud swells and repeat again as the leaf starts to emerge from the bud.
Another fungal disease is Septoria Leaf Spot. Symptoms are small brown or black mostly circular spots on the leaves. The treatment is the same as for black Spot.
Aspen Galls is another problem on the trees. Not a fungal disease but an insect. The tree will have lumps in the branches. This is caused by a tiny fly like insect that bores into the branch and lays it's eggs. The larvae feeds off of the branch, causing the gall. This gall won't usually kill the tree, but can cause problems, by weakening the branch. I suggest that you cut the gall off of the tree by cutting the branch just behind the gall.
Aspen trees are relatively short-lived, usually 20 to 40 years for individual trees. As they become older they will become more prone to problems such as sooty fungus and rust blight.

Dormant Oil - Spring Application

2010-03-12T08:13:00.001-08:00

During dreary winter days I envy a plant's ability to go dormant. I've considered putting a sign on my office door stating, "Dormant - do not disturb until spring". In March the plants may still be dormant, but gardeners aren't.

This time of year we see the recommendation to spray dormant oil to control insects on everything from fruit trees to lilacs. But is it just any oil sprayed when the plants are dormant? Most commercial dormant oil sprays are refined from petroleum oil. A few are made from cottonseed oil. Unlike home remedies, commercial spray oils have an emulsifier added to allow the oil to mix with water. Many of the newer commercial oils are more highly refined than past dormant oil products. The new formulations are labeled to also be used, usually at a reduced rate, during the growing season. These are generally listed as horticultural, ultrafine or summer oils. Read and follow all label directions for proper timing and rates.

Oils kill exposed insects and mites by either suffocating them (covering up breathing tubes) or by directly penetrating the outside cuticle and destroying internal cells. Spraying trees with dormant oil after bud break and leaves have emerged will still control the pests, but it may kill the young leaves or cause leaf edges to turn black if the correct oil is not used at the proper rate.

Dr. Phil Nixon and Dr. Raymond Cloyd in the U of I Extension Home, Yard and Garden Pest Newsletter outlined the benefits of making an application of dormant oil. Advantages include: (1) a wide range of activity against most species of mites and scales, including some activity on eggs; (2) minimal likelihood of insects' or mites' developing resistance; (3) generally less harmful to beneficial insects and mites than other pesticides (4) relatively safe to birds, humans, and other mammals. Disadvantages of using dormant oil are (1) potential plant damage if incorrect oil is used or used at improper rate during the growing season and (2) minimal residual activity to kill new pest infestations.

Dormant oils are effective in controlling certain scales that overwinter as nymphs or adults such as cottony maple, euonymus, lecanium, and obscure scale. However, dormant oils provide minimal control of oystershell and pine needle scale because both these scales overwinter as eggs. In addition, eggs are generally stacked on top of each other, and the dormant oil may not contact the bottom layer. As a result, applications of summer oils after egg hatch are generally required. Accurate identification of the scale is important for proper control.

Honeylocust mite, European red mite, and spruce spider mite are controlled with dormant oil sprays, because they overwinter as exposed eggs on plants. Dormant oil sprays do not kill two-spotted spider mite, as they overwinter on the ground in leaf debris.

Summer oils are best used to control slow soft bodied insects. They do little in controlling pests such as white grubs, cabbageworms and apple maggots.

Dormant oil applications must be made when temperatures stay above freezing for 24 hours. Be sure to follow all label directions because oil sprays may damage certain plants, including Amur maple, Japanese maple, redbud, and sugar maple. In addition, the foliage (needles) of Colorado blue spruce can be discolored (change from blue to green) by dormant oil applications.

In addition to oils other pesticides may require dormant application. Peaches should be sprayed now with lime sulfur if peach leaf curl has been a problem. Peach leaf curl appears as a thickening, curling and puckering of leaves. Fruits become swollen and deformed. This is the only spray that will control this disease. Lime sulfur may also be used on raspberries to control anthracnose. Be sure to read and follow all label directions.

Cruising the Hawaiian Islands

2010-02-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do to relax is to take a cruise with my husband Sonny and friends that want to join us. We just got back from a 15 day Hawaiian Island cruise. We try to do a cruise before we open each year. I guess you might say that this is our treat to ourselves for working seven days a week in the nursery. Our favorite cruise line is Holland America. Why - because there are mostly people our age, 55 and over (some younger). The service is fabulous. Actually when we got home yesterday, I thought to myself, Oh no, now I have to fix our meals and make our own bed, what a reality check. But, it is time to get to work to open the nursery for the season. If you have always wanted to take a cruise but are hesitant just e-mail me at lsgarden@uci.net and I will see if I can answer you questions. I'm not a travel agent but have done some cruising. If you are interested I'm putting together a group to take the Panama Canal Cruise aboard Holland America on January 21, 2011. We thought it would be fun to put together a group that could get to know each other and have some group get togethers aboard ship. We will leave out of San Diego, California and return from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. If I can't answer your questions my travel agent Gina Wearin will know the answers. Ship Ahoy !!

Julie & Julia Dinner Party

2010-01-19T15:08:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen the movie Julie & Julia then you are missing a fun movie. A group of us "foodies" went to see the movie in November. We decided at that time that after the holidays we would have a Julie & Julia dinner party. Sunday was our party, we each wore old hats like what Julia Childs wore and of course pearls was a must. Each one of us took a recipe from her cookbook. We had Casserole Roasted Chicken, Saute De Boeuf A La Parisienne, Sauted Asparagus, French Bread and Apricot Tarte Tatin. Her method of roasting the chicken was fabulous, moist and full of flavor. She put butter in a skillet and actually browned the chicken to hold in the juices, then placed the chicken in a covered casserole. We used a cast iron Dutch oven - oh so good!

Grab some "foodie" friends and go see this movie. Then have a dinner party. Lots of fun and something entertaining to do in the winter.

Crazy About Junk - My Newest Water feature

2010-01-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

When I'm not busy in the nursery I love going to auctions and estate sales. You just never know what you will find. All of the decor in the nursery and gardens have been found at some of these sales. This past month has found me turning some of my treasures into some pretty cool stuff. In this picture you will find a white and red enamel ware coffee pot and dish pan. I thought it would make a great water feature for my deck. I added a small statuary pump and a few miscellaneous dishes and it looks like it is doing the washing for me. You can see that if the hose from the pump running into the coffee pot is not positioned just right, then the water splashes out of the pan. I was going to add a little bit of dish detergent to get a sudsy look but decided it would probably stop up the little pump.

Determinate or Indeterminate Tomatoes

2010-01-11T08:01:00.000-08:00

In all of those seed catalogs you are receiving you will find the tomato section. Tomatoes are not going to be grown on the High Desert of central Oregon unless you move them in and out ever night or have a heated greenhouse. Our extreme weather fluctuations do not make for the ideal climate for avid tomato growers. But if you are determined to grow your own tomatoes please read about the difference in seed types.
Before ordering you need to know the difference between Determinate and Indeterminate tomato seed and make the choice for the type of plant you want.
Determinate tomatoes are varieties that grow to a fixed mature size and ripen all their fruit in a short period, usually about 2 weeks. Once this first flush of fruit has ripened, the plant will begin to diminish in vigor and will set little to no new fruit. These varieties are often referred to as "bush" tomatoes because they do not continue growing in size throughout the growing season.
Indeterminate tomatoes are actually vines that continue growing in length throughout the growing season. Also referred to as "vining" tomatoes, indeterminate tomato varieties will also continue to set and ripen fruit until killed off by frost. The majority of tomato varieties are indeterminate including most heirlooms and most cherry types. Some of my favorite indeterminate tomatoes include: Beefsteak, Big Boy and Brandywine. Early producing varieties like Celebrity and Early Girl are also indeterminate. However since they tend to mature earlier and die back before the end of the season, they are sometimes labeled semi-determinate.

Seed Catalogs Arriving Daily

2010-01-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of year again - seed catalogs arriving by the handful. If you ordered from one or even requested a catalog from one of them, then your name is on a list. So far I have received 26 brightly colored catalogs and it isn’t even the middle of January. Most of them contain seeds and plants that will never grow in our area. Yes, I know, many varieties are claimed to grow at 20° below zero and then in the summer will give you an abundant food crop. I’m sure that with this claim they have never gardened in South Deschutes County where summer day time highs can be 90º and night time lows can be 24º. Welcome to the real world of Cold Climate Gardening. When looking through the catalogs I recommend that you NOT try anything higher than a zone 3 zoning. Yes, I do grow some zone 4 plants that have done very well and have a couple of zone 5 plants, but this has taken years of experimenting with hundreds of plant varieties, so for you first time plant growers, stay with zone 3. When ordering from your catalogs remember to order the hardiest vegetable seeds with the shortest growing season. We don’t have enough growing time for a long season crop. Beautiful vegetable gardens can be had when you work with a good fertile soil and cool season crops; a frost cover blanket really helps also for those summer nights that get below freezing. As for those fruit trees, do some research before you order. Most fruit trees are not grown on their own root, which means they have been grafted. You might be getting a tree with a hardy root, but what type of top has it been grafted to? The catalogs once again will tell you that they are very hardy. Do I recommend that you purchase fruit trees - no, not unless you have researched the hardiest varieties (look under fruit trees in my book Cold Climate Gardening) and go into the venture with the idea that one year you might get lucky and get apples. As for other plants, trees and shrubs, be very careful on your selections and shipping times. What might be spring in the zone charts of the company you order from, could mean a typical frozen February or March for us with no ground workable to plant your purchases.

2010-01-03T11:52:00.000-08:00

When spring arrives on the High Desert the days of minus 24 degree temperatures on December 8th and 9th will long be forgotten. But when late April and May rolls around you will see what those very cold temperatures did to your gardens.
When the temperatures get this low I notice damage on evergreen shrubs, rhododendrons and any newly planted species that had NOT been climatized to our area. A browning or scorched leaf tip on evergreen foliage in early spring is a form of winter injury. Browning usually occurs from the needle tips downward. Winter burn is usually attributed to loss of water through leaf transpiration. Winter sun and winds dry needles. Water in the stems and roots is frozen and unavailable to replenish loss. A rapid drop in temperature after a sunny day can also cause further injury to the plant..
Another form of winter damage is "Frost Cracks". Frost cracks, sometimes called freeze cracks, appear as shallow to deep longitudinal cracks in the trunk of trees. Frost cracks occur on the south or southwest side of trees, following a sudden exposure to direct sun. In winter, the temperatures on the sun-side of the trunk may exceed air temperatures by as much as 20 degrees F. This is thought to trigger de-acclimation of trunk tissue. The bark slowly darkens, turns reddish brown and becomes rough. After a time, the callus tissue eventually cracks and falls away. Sometimes only the outermost cambium layer is damaged and a sunken area appears on the trunk. Affected trees often have sparse foliage, stem dieback and stunted growth.
Root damage to perennials can cause spring plant kill. Root tissues do not acclimate to temperatures much below freezing and can be killed or severely injured by soil temperatures below 15 degrees F. This is especially true for shallow rooted plants. Fortunately, if you mulched as I have always recommended, your damage should be far less than those not mulched. Plants with frozen roots may wilt and decline after growth resumes in the spring.
Salts used for deicing sidewalks and driveways can cause damage to trees and shrubs. Symptoms of salt damage appear in spring and early summer and include browning of evergreens, leaf scorch, branch die back and dead areas in turf.
When spring arrives be on the look out for any of the above mentioned problems that low winter temperatures can cause.