Cyclamen Combos

Although cyclamen are showy enough to hold their own in the garden as a mass planting, I think they are particularly lovely when grouped with complimentary plants. In the container left, we have a gorgeous Laser Scarlet cyclamen combined with a Frosted Velvet Heuchera, Snowstorm Bacopa and a yellow variegated ivy. Done as a hanging basket, this combo would also work well in an urn or tall pot. The grouping could also be planted in the ground in a spot that gets filtered light during the day or just a bit of morning sun then shade (in the ground I would substitute glechoma or more bacopa for the ivy so you don't have to worry about it becoming invasive).










This combination also works very well with white cyclamen and white variegated ivy giving it a very classy look. The coir lined hanging baskets work perfectly for these combos because although cyclamen like adequate moisture they don't like sitting in water logged soil. A long lived combination of perennials and tender perennials, this grouping will flourish and bloom for you from fall until next spring when only the cyclamen will go dormant. At that time, the cyclamen can be replaced with some tuberous begonias to keep the planting going.

Hummingbird Feeder Cleaning

Did you know that hummingbirds will shun food that has spoiled? If you want hummingbirds to visit your feeder as often as possible, now is a good time to give it a good cleaning and some fresh food.

Take the feeder down and disassemble it. Let is soak in a warm water that has had 1/4 cup of vinegar added. After soaking, scrub parts with a stiff nylon brush to remove any dirt or mildew. Rinse the feeder well and drain. (It isn't necessary to let feeder completely dry before refilling). If you find that your feeder is exceptionally dirty, you may want to try using the BBs cleaning method as explained over at Bird Watchers Digest.

When you make a batch of food, keep any excess in the refrigerator to keep it fresher (up to two weeks). Keep in mind that feeders hung in sunny locations may need to have the food replaced more often because it spoils faster. Also, never use honey because this spoils quickly when mixed with water and can be toxic to hummingbirds.

Follow these simple steps to keep your hummingbird feeders clean and filled and you will have a constant stream of these lively birds beating a path to your feeder.

Citrus Leafminer

It's always a little sad when we start noticing a pest problem cropping up with more frequency. Such has been the case with the citrus leaves like the one pictured left. The wavy trail running through this young leaf is a sign that something has burrowed inside. Or perhaps an older leaf has just started to look gnarled and bumpy. In either case, the culprit is most likely the citrus leafminer. The adult leafminer is a tiny moth that looks like a slightly dustier version of a whitefly, almost invisible to the naked eye unless you are looking closely. But it isn't the adults that do the damage, once again, it's the kids. The adult (who has a lifespan of about 1-2 weeks) lays its eggs on citrus trees and once the young hatch, the larvae burrow into the leaf creating the wavy maze-like pattern . Over the next several weeks, the larvae will continue to burrow through the leaf and molt several times. The larvae then burrows out of the leaf as a prepupa and curls the leaf around itself. Inside the curled leaf it becomes a pupa, hatching into an adult about 1-3 weeks later. The entire life cycle takes about 3-7 weeks and normally occurs when temperatures are between 70-80 degrees.

Although the wavy mines and the curled leaves can look unsightly, in normal cases, the leafminer offspring don't do enough damage to the tree to affect its health or fruit production. Chemicals like Greenlight's Spinosad may be used to control the adult populations, but adults are difficult to see and without pheromone trapping it may be near impossible to know when they are most active. Probably one of the best controls is to maintain trees in a way that will make them less appealing to the larvae. Because the larvae prefer new, succulent growth, avoid continually pruning trees which will result in more new growth. Also do not apply nitrogen fertilizer when when leafminers are most active (normally summer and fall) so that trees won't produce succulent new growth on which the larvae will feed. (Instead feed with an organic slow release fertilizer in early spring and late fall.) Also remove suckers which tend to grow vigorously and produce new leaves often to help reduce the larvae population.

Drought Tolerant Fall Combo

Who says fall color means just mums? How about a more drought tolerant combination. Whether in a container or the landscape, these drought tolerant beauties will give you long lasting color with minimal care. Featured starting at the top center we have Helena's Blush Euphorbia, Little Rev Flax Lily, Correa Wyn's Wonder and Ceanothus Tuxedo for some contrast.







Look at all the colors in this closeup of the Helena's Blush Euphorbia. Imagine all the color combinations in which you could feature this lovely plant.

Bringing Your Houseplants Back Inside

If you have been giving your houseplants a bit of a vacation outdoors for the summer months, now is the time to bring them back inside. Once evening temperatures drop below 50° its best to bring your tropical plants inside where it is warmer so that they remain healthy and happy. If you are concerned about the possibility of bringing hitchhiking pest inside, just follow these simple techniques to rid your plants of them.

If you haven't already done so, treat each pot with a bit of Sluggo Snail Bait to kill off any snails and slugs that may be hiding in the foliage or pots. Sluggo is safe around pets so you don't to worry about your indoor dog or cat eating the bait. Treat again in a couple of weeks to catch any tiny, late hatching snails as well.

Treat the foliage with Safer's Insecticidal soap to rid the plant of any aphids, mealbugs or spider mites. Give the foliage a good spraying making sure to get the undersides of the leaves as well. Sometimes bugs crawl up into the drainage holes of pots. (This can be prevented by placing a layer of two of drywall tape over the holes at transplanting time. This allows excess water to drain and keeps bugs from crawling in.) A soil drench made of Safer's insecticidal soap concentrate will help rid the soil of critters.

Clean out any dead leaves and remove leaf litter from the top of the soil. Scrub salt deposits off the outside of the pot with a stiff nylon brush and some vinegar, then water the plants well.

To prepare the location for the plants, vacuum the area to remove any bugs that made be hiding out in the new location. It's also a good idea to clean the windows to make sure plants will receive the brightest possible light conditions.

Cabbage Moth Caterpillars

It doesn't take long from the time you put in your cabbage, kale or broccoli (actually anything related to cabbage) before you will have to deal with the offspring of the Cabbage Butterfly. Yep, that small white butterfly that has been flitting about visiting your cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and kale is evil. Well, at least her children are. A few weeks after she's stopped by, you will start noticing holes in the leaves of your plants. A quick inspection may reveal nothing, but if you look closely, underneath the leaves, you can usually find the caterpillar. They can be difficult, really difficult, to see at first. For a week or so, they are only about 1/4" or length. But as they feed, they grow quickly. And in about two weeks or so, you will find the green caterpillar about the size of the one pictured below.

For small populations (when you have only minimal damage) you can merely pick them off and squish them. But for larger infestations you need something more. One of the best ways to stop caterpillars from feasting on your cabbages is to stop them in the first place. Placing a lightweight row cover over your plants right after planting will prevent adults from being able to lay their eggs on the leaves. This however can be problematic in warmer climates because it can raise the temperature too much should we get a heat spell in October. It can also be unattractive and annoying to move out of the way should you want to tend your crop.
If the row cover or the manual method of dispatching the caterpillars doesn't appeal, you do have another organic option; bacillus thuringiensis or BT. Sold under the brand name by Safer called Caterpillar Killer, or Garden Dust (which is OMRI certified), BT is the natural choice for controlling leaf-eating caterpillars. Caterpillars stop feeding shortly after eating foliage sprayed with Caterpillar Killer and die within a few days. Caterpillar Killer does not harm honey bees or beneficial arthropods and does not harm earthworms.

Chrysanthemum Care

This time of year Chrysanthemums can be found in almost every color of the rainbow from bright yellows and oranges to pinks and lavenders. A traditional choice for your fall floral displays, mums can also make a nice addition to your garden. While mums enjoy full sun conditions, they can be used temporarily on porches or in the home. While being used for decoration, pinch off spent blooms to keep them neat and water the soil when it begins to feel dry to touch.

Once mums have served their display purpose, they can be planted outdoors. Pinch off any remaining fading blooms (most plants will give you a second bloom this season). Find a full sun location with well drained soil and amend with Whitney Farms Planting Compost. Mums bloom in response to the shorter daylight hours in fall, so don't plant them near street lights where the evening light will mess with their bloom cycle. Feed with a good organic fertilizer in spring and then again in June to promote growth and fall bloom. Mums need to be pinched to maintain their bushy shape. In spring in start pinching when new growth is about 6" long. Then about every 2-3 weeks afterward, pinch out the center of any more growth that is about 4-5" in length. Stop pinching the beginning of summer or you might pinch off potential flower buds. Divide the plant every couple of years to reinvigorate it.

If you would like to see just how lovely mums can look in your garden, take a look at the photos posted by Rebecca Sweet in honor of Bloogers Bloom Day October at Gossip in The Garden

Terra Cotta Gravel Topper

Just about every gardener has a stack of chipped and cracked terra cotta pots just lying around the garden waiting for something to do. Here at the nursery, that stack has been growing for some time. We use part of the broken pottery to add extra drainage to large planters, but that still doesn't utilize all we acquire. The rest, so far, has been stacked in our potting shed waiting for a purpose until now.





Well how about this for a use? Terra cotta gravel. It's easy to do and works the same as any other gravel mulch. It helps finish the surface of a pot (hiding the unsightly specks of perlite), keeps down weeds and improves moisture retention without becoming waterlogged at the based of plants. To make your own terra cotta gravel, you will need a hammer, safety glasses, gloves and an old sheet or pillowcase ( I say old because once you start hammering, that pillowcase is history). First break pots into several large pieces. Then place the pieces inside the pillowcase and start hammering away (best on a firm surface like a concrete driveway). Keep hammering until the pieces are the size you desire or you've taken out all the day's frustrations. For best results match the size of the chunks to the size of the pots. Large urns and pots can utilize large pieces whereas small pots look best with tiny gravel sized bits. Here we've used the pottery shards to add a finishing touch to a succulent planter. Doesn't it look lovely?

How do you re-purpose your broken pottery? Let us know in the comments.

Pineapple Sage

In our herb garden, the pineapple sage is looking absolutely stunning right now. In full bloom, the plant is a buzz with visiting bees and hummingbirds. A great source of nectar this time of year, the flowers offer much needed food to our visiting wildlife as the warm season starts to close.

As attractive as the flowers are, their beauty is not the only reason to plant pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) in your garden. The fragrance of the leaves, as the name suggests, smell like pineapple. The leaves can be used to make tea, while the beautiful flowers can be added to all sorts of dishes from salsas to smoothies where they impart a slightly sweet flavor reminiscent of pineapple and honeysuckle.

In locations free from heavy frost, Salvia elegans is easy to grow year round. The plant prefers a sunny location (but will tolerate a little shade) and nice loamy soil. Not quite as drought tolerant as some of its relatives, it does require average water to do its best (Here at the nursery it seems quite content in the herb planter alongside plantings of marjoram, oregano, borage and mustard.) In an average season it can grow about 4 feet tall and as wide. During a particularly cold winter, it can die down to the ground only to reemerge from the roots come spring. In locations that frost heavily, the quick growth of the herb makes it valuable to grow as an annual or a container plant that can be taken indoors during the winter.

A beautiful addition to a flower border or herb garden, the plant is most thoroughly enjoyed if planted near a walkway where garden visitors will brush against its leaves and release its fresh pineapple fragrance.

If you already have some Salvia elegans on hand try tossing some lovely red flowers into your salad or use the leaves to make a lovely tea.

Pineapple Sage Tea
1 quart water
1/2-3/4 cup packed fresh pineapple sage leaves
honey or sugar
1 lemon

Bring water to boil and pour over leaves. Let steep for approximately 20 minutes. Stir in juice of one lemon and sweeten to taste. Strain into mugs and serve.