Wondering who spit on your plants?

Spittlebugs are likely the culprit of globs of bubbly froth found on trees, shrubs and plants during late spring. This small, true bug goes by several other common names, including frog hopper or spit bug. The small insect responsible for this spit is the nymph or immature spittlebug.

Control is often not necessary for spittlebugs. Spittlebugs and their foam can be removed from plants by washing them off with a stream of water that does not damage the plants.

The spittlebug and its foam can be removed from
a plant by washing them off with a stream of water.

 

Edible Plants for the Prairies

Urban Farmer has posted a useful list of “Edible Plants for the Prairies”. This includes various berries, fruit trees & vines, perennial vegetables, herbs, tea plants, edible ground covers, and even edible flowers.

Containers let you garden anywhere

Growing plants in containers enables gardeners to have plants in places that would otherwise be plant-less. Just like gardening in landscape beds, choosing a good growing medium is critical to the success growing plants in containers. The potting mix should be well aerated. The growing medium in containers tends to dry out quickly and needs to be watered more often than traditional gardens.

Plants in containers require more added nutrients depending on the growing medium chosen. Nutrients can be easily leached from the growing medium if the plants are water frequently. Depending on the how often the plants are watered, expect to have to fertilize the plants during the growing season. A 3- to 4-month slow-release fertilizer can be top-dressed on the surface of the growing medium to ensure the plants receive a steady nutrient supply.

The growing medium in containers tends to dry
out quickly and needs to be watered more often
than traditional gardens. 

    

Drought effects linger in ornamental plants

After last year's drought in many parts of the country, some landscape plants are struggling to recover this spring. Some of the drought-related symptoms that are evident are late leaf-out, sparse tree canopies or shoot dieback. These symptoms are likely the lingering effects of the extreme heat and drought that most locations experienced last summer.

The main strategy to deal with trees and shrubs that are struggling this spring is to avoid additional stresses to the plants this summer. For trees that are slow to redevelop a canopy this summer, a low rate of fertilizer may be warranted. For trees and shrubs that have leafed out, but show significant crown dieback, dead shoots can be pruned out to improve appearance.

Trees, like this maple, damaged by last
year's drought  will need pruning to
 remove dead shoots and improve form.

 

 

Time to vote for the American Garden Award

Voting is open until Aug. 31, 2013, for the American Garden Award program. This year there are four plant entries:

* Impatiens 'SunPatiens Compact Electric Orange' bred by Sakata Ornamentals

* Petunia 'Surfinia Summer Double Pink' bred by Suntory Flowers Ltd.
* Verbena 'Lanai Candy Cane' bred by Syngenta Flowers
* Zinnia 'Zahara Cherry' bred by PanAmerican Seed

 

You can participate in the program by voting for your favorite plant in one of three ways:

1. Visit a participating garden and text your vote using the special voting codes found on the signs in the garden.
2. Go to the American Garden Award website and click on your favorite flower.
3. Use the pre-paid postcard ballots found at the participating gardens.

You can follow the voting results on Facebook or Twitter. Spread the word on the American Garden Award program to friends, family and business associates by encouraging them to vote too.

Voting is open until Aug. 31, 2013, for the
American Garden Award program.

 

 

Get smarter about gardening with smart phone apps

Portable devices can now provide easy access to science-based horticulture information. There are apps available to help you design rain gardens, diagnose plant problems, search for plants based on a specific need, or find out more about whether the plants you’re looking at in the garden center are suitable for your landscape.

Smart phone apps put science-based gardening information in
the palm of your hand.

 

Saving storm-damaged trees

After severe weather outbreaks, one of the most common questions homeowners face is what to do with storm-damaged trees. Often the decision to try to keep a tree can be difficult.

Most trees or limbs that come down in typical thunderstorms usually have a defect that caused them to fail. Common defects include decay, poor branch architecture, pervious mechanical damage or poor root structure. If a tree loses a limb during a storm because of decay, it’s possible other limbs on the tree may have similar problems. Therefore, it’s important to try to determine where and why the problem occurred on the tree and if the problem is likely to be repeated.

The National Arbor Day Foundation has put together an illustrated a guide, “Can these trees be saved?” that provides useful insights to help homeowners gauge the condition of their trees after a storm.

A damaged tree is much more of a concern if it is near
a structure, sidewalk or children’s play area than if
it’s alone in a field or along an untraveled woodline.