Dayton "Dirt" - September 26, 2014

The fall festival last Saturday definitely was a big hit as all the different centers of activity were busy all day long. Especially entertaining was the Outback Ray Show with all his animals and his own  antics keeping the crowd mesmerized during each showing. 

The weatherman’s “promise” of good weather on Saturday came true but the prediction of rain and thunderstorms did not unless one-tenth of an inch of rain counts. A good rainfall of one to two inches is sorely needed but the forecast through the weekend is sunny and dry. At least the sunny forecast is a good thing for the Mum Fest coming up this weekend. The festival will be packed with out-of-town visitors from other states along with the locals. 

At the nursery, we’re just about out of the mum business for this year as for some reason the flower has been in high demand. It’s getting close to finish up renovating the lawn as September draws to a close with its almost perfect weather of doing lawn and garden chores.

Without a hard frost, balled and burlapped trees will be delayed in digging as the lack of a such frost results in the trees remaining in the growing mode and transpiring water through the leaves.

The water loss through the leaves is not a problem as long as the roots are not disturbed such as is the case when being balled and burlapped.

The last of the perennials for next spring will be potted next week with the arrival of peonies of the 3 to 5 eye size that do best when fall transplanted so that they are able to root in the pot during the  remainder of the fall and early spring. The creeping phlox is doing very well with a new hybrid of a low growing habit and even blooming heavy with lavender-pink flowers displayed on a background of dark green oval shaped leaves. Soon a hard frost will send all the summer potted perennials into their dormant sleep for winter and will start the process called vernalization that many perennials require in order to grow and develop robustly in the spring.

Work is still continuing on the new greenhouse addition and will continue well into winter as it must be finished by the last week of February.

Happy Fall!

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - September 19, 2014

Tomorrow is the Fall Festival at the nursery which is centered on the Owl Barn with music, food, hayrides, pumpkin painting, mums, Outback Ray’s animal shows and much more.
 

The festival is from 10am to 4pm and is open to everyone although there will be more activities for children than adults.
 

Hopefully the weather is cooperative but if not, the show must go on!
 

The mums are quite the show but are beginning to dwindle in supply as the last batch will be in flower right about the week of September 26^th to coincide with the Barberton Mum Fest.

We’re beginning to get ready for winter by moving plants into the over-wintering quarters such as perennials and grasses that were potted up this summer.
 

Then too are the 1000 plus Clematis that are growing and even blooming but cannot be sold until going through their first winter slumber that will then result in an explosion of growth in April.
 

The small Azalea are just gorgeous and budded for a mass of blooms next spring but alas cannot be sold until they are “hardened off” with a winter behind them.
 

Plenty of evergreens are available in the Green Giant Western Red Cedars, Hemlock and Spruce along with a variety of other trees and shrubs.
 

See you at the festival!

Tom

Dayton "Dirt' - September 12, 2014

The unusually cool temperatures have ushered in hints of the fall season somewhat early although plenty of good weather lies ahead for whatever activity comes to mind; that is, canoeing, hiking, bird watching, and of course planting. 

At the nursery, the last planting of the season of trees, shrubs and perennials will go on until September’s end finishing up with peonies of the garden variety and the new Itoh types. Fall planting is ideal for a variety of plants as temperature conditions are ideal for root growth. The third wave of chrysanthemums are coming into bloom although some will not be in peak bloom until the first week of October. In its breeding program, the Aris company, formerly Yoder Brothers, bred mums that they termed “season extenders” that would give a splash of color in early November to coincide with All Saints Day. While these “season extenders” come into bloom to provide splashes of color after the leaf drop of fall, they are not popular in the northern part of the country although they are more accepted in the southern states with the warmer fall temperatures.

Also with the cooler temperatures, tree digging will begin in order to have trees for sale for the remainder of the fall season and for next spring. The trees are “healed in” or planted in a fine gravel that retains moisture and yet drains well while other trees grown in containers remain outdoors all winter in a socket that consists of a pot dug into the ground in which the potted tree is set. The socket system known in the nursery trade as a pot in pot system creates a secure environment for the tree roots in which ground heat is enough to prevent the tree’s root system from winter cold and winter winds that would kill the root system if the trees were to remain above ground all winter.

Wednesday’s rain replenished part of the nursery water supply after heavy watering last week to keep up with the hot sunny weather’s drying of stock. The warm weather of the past few weeks did serve to finish up our cuttings of various shrubs so that now the propagation department is finished until it begins again right after Thanksgiving with cuttings of various annuals arriving from Central America.

There’s never a shortage of things to do!

Tom

Dayton "Dirt" - September 5, 2014

Our 50% off sale was a success in that many overstocked items were cleared out but as always more stock is still available and the sale since last Tuesday has been open to everyone and not just garden club members. Even though some of the “shelves” look bare, new shipments have arrived and stock is still flowing out of the rear growing areas. A good selection of western red cedar in the Green Giant variety, weeping Alaskan cedars, pyramidal boxwoods and more has arrived this past week  for fall planting.

With cooler days and generally the availability of more moisture, plant roots respond to this weather with accelerated growth that will establish them before winter sets in. As mentioned in previous blogs, September is lawn renovation month due to almost perfect conditions related to cooler weather and moisture just as is the case with trees, shrubs and perennial planting in the fall.

Transplanting of shrubs is still going on too in fact at the nursery as again roots grow like crazy in September. While top growth of the transplanted stock will be minimal the well established plants will explode in top growth beginning next spring so that they will be available by early June and sometimes in mid-May.

Construction of the new greenhouse of the frame itself is almost complete but still will include wiring , plumbing and self watering benches to be completed over a much longer period that will last into  January as the final assembly has to be sandwiched between other essential chores that must be completed!

Mark your calendar for the Fall Festival coming up Saturday, September 20!

Tom

Dayton "Dirt' - August 29, 2014

Today is the start of the “Big Sale” when many items are 50% off the regular price. Not everything is on sale but only but only the plants marked with clear signage with the 50% off. There is quite a  desirable selection of half-off items in the first few days of the sale until the inventory begins to  dwindle down.

While mums and asters are not included in the sale, the plants are reasonably priced and of excellent quality. The Igloo mums have caused quite a stir since many of the regular mums were wiped out last winter. The regular mums, Chrysanthemum morifolium do have their place as they 

are perfect for decorating the porch, patio or even planted in the yard and the fact that they are available in so many more colors than the Igloo type. Fall blooming asters are worthwhile too with their blue, lavender and pink blossoms and are a favorite of honeybees not yellow jackets.

Honeybees have been under heavy pressures from a variety of sources including pesticides, mites, viruses and who knows what else. Planting for pollinators such as honeybees, mason bees, butterflies, and bumblebees is environmentally sound and benefits us as well that these  critters can better survive to pollinate some of our own favorite food crops.

Next week is the arrival of another crop of western red cedars, arborvitae, pyramidal boxwood and other shrubs for fall planting. No doubt the summer rains have kept ground moisture high which should make fall planting a breeze. For sure lawns might need some help such as fertilizing, thatching and over-seeding and now is the time to start.

Hopefully you’ll find what your looking for on sale but do get here at the early as soon as you can as we sell out quickly of some choice items.

~Tom

Dayton "Dirt' - August 22, 2014

Last week I had an eye-opening experience in Zeeland, Michigan which is a beautiful small city just east of Holland. Zeeland is the home of Walters Gardens which is about a one thousand acre perennial nursery which is on the cutting edge of innovation. Walter’s not only has field production of various plants such as daylilies, hostas, lavender and so on but also has greenhouses full of small pots of perennials in trays of 20, 30 and 72 plants ready for shipment now or next spring to growers like us that we’ll transplant to larger size pots in order to grow larger for next spring and summer sales. On a tour of the nursery, I especially noticed the cleanliness of the fields, greenhouses and packing and shipping houses. Then too were the beautiful display gardens of older and the newly released plants showing off in full glory in the bloom of a summer perennial garden. Nearby the gardens were test plots of yet to be released new plants with only the genus name and a number identifying them until they are tested and evaluated before being named and released.

A full time breeder and accompanying assistants continually churn out new and improved varieties in the Walter’s line of offerings. I have been planting product from Walters Gardens since 1978 and have had tours as recently as 2001 but I must admit that I was amazed by the expansion that had occurred since that time. Dennis Walters, the founder of the company still lives on the property but is quite up in years. Walters employees are “encouraged” not to give sales presentation or work on  Sunday’s which stems from the area’s founding by religious Dutch settlers in 1846. In fact, I remember speaking with a local resident in 1982 in which it was “not cool” to mow the lawn on Sunday in Zeeland! While Holland, Michigan is known for Tulip Time there is so much more to do.

Downtown Holland is very clean and inviting which I think anyone would expect with its Dutch roots. Walters Gardens goes along with the Dutch theme in that they are not satisfied with a particular variety of perennial but always have to tweak it and improve it.

At home at the nursery, construction is well under way of the new greenhouse. Transplanting of perennials and shrubs still occupies the equipment barn space and new ideas are taking shape to roll them out for spring.

Tom
 

Dayton "Dirt" - August 15, 2014

The cooler weather while keeping the tomato ripening at bay has been right up the alley for garden mums. In past years searing heat in late summer has caused a delay in bloom by as much as 10 days, however; with the cooler nights of this summer bud iniation and some color in the early flowering varieties is now occurring. For years the garden mums have been returning to grow and bloom again in yards except for this year because of the severe winter with insufficient snow cover.
 

Frequently we are asked if the garden mums are hardy! Hardy is a relative term and in this case refers to winter hardiness. The “true” answer is that the Chrysanthemum morifolium is a tender perennial that will return after winter if certain conditions are met such as a mild winter the temperatures above 0ºF or even much colder if snow cover of several inches or more is present, the plant is well established before winter, soil drainage (even in winter) is excellent and the old dead crown in late fall is not cut back until early spring.

The Aris company (formerly Yoder Bros.) of Barberton, Ohio has bred the mums for enjoyment for splashes of fall color in yards and in pots on the deck, patios and porches. For durability and almost fool proof winter hardiness, the Aris company has refined breeding of a genus called Dendranthema which is very similar in appearance to Chrysanthemum morifolium but without the fuss. Brand new colors have broadened the Dendranthemums appeal in the last few years although they lack the wide variety of chrysanthemum.

Here at the nursery, we test at least 3 new varieties every year in which several criteria have to be met before the plants will be released for the market. The reliably winter hardy Aris Dendranthemums are known as Igloo mums and will be available sometime next week.

More rain this past week has replenished our water supply of rain water for the nursery stock and perennials and has made it necessary to spray a growth regulator on the young azaleas in order to harden them off for winter. The plants are normally hardened off by withholding irrigation
and actually allowing the plants to wilt quite severely to slow growth. With the continuing rains in the normally dry August growth still “wants” to push on the plants.

Again as a reminder, remember to keep an eye on the lawn destroying grubs by taking note of patches of discoloration in the turf and /or checking for patches that will come up with hand pulling due to grubs feeding on the plant’s roots. Also as a reminder, Dayton Dollars are good for about another 2 weeks so don’t forget to use them before they expire.

Tom