Here Comes the Bride

Growing flowers to use at a wedding is a fun way to help keep expenses down. It does take pre-planning and cooperation between the bride and gardener.

Not all wedding seasons will have an ample supply of flowers but there are always things you can garner from outside and then add a few store bought flowers and accessories.

Spring:

A few choices are tulips, daffodils, violets, pussy willow branches, Lily of the Valley, iris, peonies, lilac and forsythia branches. Spring flowers often require planting bulbs in the previous fall to get the desired colors and bloom times.

Summer:

Choices here can be perennials and annuals. Asian lilies, roses, hydrangea, daisies, yarrow, ornamental grass leaves, cosmos, ivy, sunflowers and hosta leaves.

Early Autumn:

Cone flower, liatris, Oriental lilies, zinnia, hosta flowers, coreopsis and asters.

Late Autumn:

Sedum, leaves, ornamental grass seed heads, mums, wheat, and hard-type berry bushes.

Winter:

Pine cones, evergreen branches, grape vines, holly and bittersweet.

If you have the opportunity, experiment the year before. Flowers have definite personalities once they're picked. An unhappy bride walks down the aisle with drooping flowers.

Realize weather conditions can effect the bloom times.

Fragile flowers will need those little florist water containers if used in carried bouquets. Speaking of fragile, some flowers don't remain fresh looking when picked no matter what you do to them. Others, loose petals at a steady rate once picked.

Flowers in vases are easier to manage for the non-professional. Wrapping mayonnaise jars in material and ribbons in the wedding colors is inexpensive and beautiful. Fall containers and accessories are plentiful with pumpkins, gourds and dried flowers. Pressing leaves or coating in wax is an easy process that can be accomplished early in the planning.

Bought poinsettias and other typically Christmas season flowers can be bought potted for much less than a bouquet. Poinsettias cut well or entire pots can be surrounded by evergreens for table decorations.

Whether all or a portion of the wedding flowers are from the garden, it will save the wedding party money while still providing fresh arrangements.

The list is almost endless and the bride can find her colors in any season.

You Want Color?

Image: Rhus typhina "Laciniata" or Staghorn Sumac.

This Sumac is always reliable for beautiful Autumn color. This Sumac is a native perennial Northern Illinois bush and described as "tough as nails." It is drought tolerant preferring full to partial sun and dry, loam, clay-loam or rocky soil. Pest resistant and friendly to wildlife. It is hardy to Zone 4.

The Leaflets are finely cut giving it a textured feathery look. It can grow to twenty foot high and spreads laterally by vigorous suckering, forming dense multi-stemmed thickets.

It is an impressive shrub but needs space to spread or it will be a constant battle to contain. Mowing over the new shoots with a lawn mower keeps it in check but give it an inch and it will take a mile. It can also be pruned.

The common name, Staghorn Sumac, refers to the antler-like curve of the stems as well as the reddish brown velvety fuzz covering the younger stems. This is especially fun for children to touch and is similar to the pubescence of the velvet-covered new horns on stags.

Flower clusters appear in June and by midsummer they resemble six inch long lopsided cones. In the fall, leaves blaze intensely in fiery shades of orange, red and gold.

Short-tongued bees, wasps, and flies visit the flowers for nectar or pollen. Various insects and their larvae feed on the Sumacs and caterpillars of many species of moths feed on the foliage. The Red Banded Hairstreak and Spring/Summer Azure Butterflies feed on Sumacs. Game birds and songbirds feed on the fruits in the fall and winter. Rabbit and deer will eat on them during the winter. The ecological value of Sumacs to wildlife is fairly high.

“I am rich today with autumn’s gold,
All that my covetous hands can hold…
Oh, who could find a dearth of bliss
With autumn glory such as this!”
- Gladys Harp, poet

Trick or Treat!

Trick or Treat - Smell my feet - Give me something good to eat!


This isn't so much a poisonous plant article as a book review.

"Wicked Plants" by Amy Stewart is recommended reading by the gardening world and those that enjoy a good entertaining book. The full name of the book is "Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities" or "Wicked Plants - A Book of Botanical Atrocities".

It's based on facts about poisonous plants, but, Ms. Stewart takes it to the historical level when she tells stories of just how poisonous plants have been used and abused throughout history.

Although reading these "historic" stories makes one feel superior that we modern folks are much too advanced to allow ourselves to be fooled or poisoned by the little plants she mentions, are we really so advanced? That's a whole political and human study question that you may ponder but I'm of the group that the more we change the more we stay the same. Ms. Stewart's personal gardening practices may be different from your own but her writing and humor are worth the read.

This book informs, entertains, and is just a bit scary!
Picture of the book cover taken from the following web site: http://www.amystewart.com/

She's a Beauty!

Images: Purple Beauty Berry Bush Callicarpa dichotoma "Early Amethyst". One has flower buds and the other was taken of the berries this week.

I seldom see this little bush in yards and often wonder why it isn't used more. It's such a "beauty"!

"Early Amethyst" is a very heavy-fruiting, early maturing variety with the typical lilac-purple berries. Mine is a small bush - perhaps two foot high and three foot wide at seven years. It is a deciduous shrub from the Verbenaceae family.

It has drooping slender stems with very small pink blooms in the spring. Most people grow this bush for the berries. I've never seen a berry this color on any other bush. The birds like the berries and they are all gone before winter is over. The leaves turn a bright chartreuse in the fall. Both berries and leaves glow in the autumn sun.

This bush should be planted in rich well drained soil in full sun for best performance. It is drought tolerant. I cut mine down to nearly ground level in early spring because it only blooms and sets berries on new growth. It is very late to leaf out. In the beginning, I always thought I had lost it to winter kill but then it would start sprouting.

Never dig up (for dead) a bush until at least an entire year has elapsed with no sign of rebirth. A bad performing plant (bush) may just be an owner who doesn't understand what the plant needs. This plant will be a non performer if it's not cut down in the spring.

It is listed for up to Zone 5a and mine is in a rather protected area (south side of the house, wind protection from fence and other larger plants.) It is suggested you need more than one for maximum berry production, but, mine does perfectly well with just the one (unless I have a neighbor with one which I doubt.)

This bush is beautiful as a specimen but would also make a beautiful mass display in front of other large bushes, trees or it's own individual bed. It doesn't look good if larger plants and flowers are planted beside it and disappears completely if anything bigger is planted in front. This is because the branches droop downward in a cascade fashion. It needs to be planted where it can be viewed on a regular basis up close because the plant and berries are not large.

It is not a typically expensive plant. It's best to buy it from a producer who has grown it in our Zone 5 rather than risk a southern grown bush that won't be as hardy.

Locate and treat this bush as it was meant to be located and treated and it will be one of the "beauty bushes" in your garden!

Do You Know the Signs?

WARNING!
WARNING!
Do you know what this emblem (sign) means when it's affixed to the back of a vehicle or machinery?

It's a warning that the equipment is going less than 25 mph.

More importantly it is telling you how to proceed:

When traveling behind a vehicle that has this sign, reduce your speed, be very cautious, stay well back, and be patient.

Very soon our rural roads and highways will be full of farm machinery setting about the task of harvesting crops. This is not something we only see this time of the year, but, it increases dramatically in the fall.

How often have we seen someone come speeding up behind a slow moving vehicle, whip around madly or tailgate closely, and otherwise act the dangerous driver? Occasionally, they get angry and threatening.

The law aside, it is very dangerous to everyone and falls within the "totally clueless" category of driving.

The orange and red triangle is a signal for all drivers to slow down and be cautious. When you see one, reduce your speed and stay well back. Why?

• Farm machinery often must make wide turns, taking both lanes to accomplish the move.
• If it is a horse-drawn, the horse may be startled when a motor vehicle approaches and passes.
• Some vehicles are longer and wider and turn at places that are not well marked such as field entrances.
• Not only are these vehicles difficult to pass, but often they do not travel very far along the road before turning.
• Turns can be quick and unexpected making passing dangerous.
• They often take up the better portion of the road because getting in a ditch can cause the top heavy equipment to tip.
• Tailgating puts your vehicle in a blind spot.
• Because of the many things that must go into operating the machinery, the driver may not be aware you are behind them - you must be aware for you both.

Lest we forget, our farming community are our gardening soul mates - just on a much larger scale. Where we may garden only for pure enjoyment, they also do it as their means of support.

Join me in respecting the farmers as they go about harvest this year - drive carefully in the presence of slow moving equipment. Relax those few moments or miles as they maneuver from one field to the next. Take the time to count your blessing that our neighbors are part of the bigger picture of "feeding the world."

“No race can prosper until it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.” Booker T. Washington, American author, educator (born 4/5/1856)

October Fireworks

Images: Yesterday's picture is Maiden Grass "Huron Sunrise". On this page is the extremely tall Big Bluestem "Vitman" (a native American prairie grass), the short but very red Japanese Blood Grass "Red Baron", and the interesting striped leaf Zebra Grass.



Some grasses bloom or have seed heads earlier in the year. This pictured group is at their prettiest in fall and winter. The fall blooming are my favorites.

When shopping for ornamental grasses, it's important to consider several things:

1. When do they have seed/flower heads?
2. What time of the year is the color the most showy?
3. Do they need to be cut down and what time of year?
4. Do they flop over in the fall and winter?
5. How do they spread - are they invasive?
6. Will they need to be burned off?
7. How tall are they at different times of the year?
8. Dry or moist soil?
9. Sun to shade or in between?
10. How much work do I want to do to maintain the grass at its optimum level?

Let's walk through some helpful hints in each of the ten.

1. Summer seed heads accent the perennial garden as if it was another flowering plant. Fall and winter seed heads will add dimension to otherwise stark beds.


2. In the spring there is very little outstanding color as all grasses push up. In summer, the color will be pretty much the color you see when you buy the plant. In the fall, the colors may stay the same or could change to bright fall shades. Variations in color (such as the Zebra Grass) add interest the entire growing season.


3. Most ornamental grasses need to be cut down in early spring. This allows the texture and seed heads to be at their showiest during winter. It also hold leaves and snow which insulates the roots. Some larger grass blades turn very sharp when dry and could be a hazard in high traffic areas.


4. If they flop, make sure they are not planted where they will cover other valuable perennials, sidewalks, drives and heavy traffic areas.


5. Most ornamental grasses spread, some are highly invasive (Blue Dune Grass), others multiply at a very slow rate. Make sure you know this characteristic before you plant. The larger grasses are very difficult to divide and transplant so make sure you have them in a permanent place the first time.


6. Native prairie grasses were originally burned off by natural fires. This allowed the killing of unwanted plants, split seed heads and renewed the earth to better service the grass. Most of us don't live in areas where this will be practicable. If an ornamental grass must be burned, make sure you can plant it where this is a possibility.


7. The Big Bluestem will be over 8 ft. tall in the fall and winter. It isn't something that you'd want in front of a window or constantly smacking against the house in winter winds. You also don't want a grass that will hide other flowering plants.


8. Any grass that was a prairie grass will do great in our soil. There are certain grasses that do well along side ponds and rivers, others on dry hillsides. True Pompus Grass does not do well in our Zone 5 even if it advertised hardy.


9. Most ornamental grasses need full sun to be their most hardy. A few are for partial sun and only one in mostly shade. Most of our prairies were full sun.


10. Ornamental grasses really take little work if (IF) they are planted in optimal spots. If you must constantly trim, divide, and stake then you have planted in the wrong spot. The worst job is cutting them down in the spring. On grasses like the Big Bluestem it takes heavy sharp branch cutters and long thick gloves. Smaller plants may be cut down with a weed eater, lawn mower or shears.

A word of warning, bamboo is not an ornamental grass, it's highly invasive and almost impossible to kill or contain.

The seed heads or flowers make beautiful fall bouquets and decorations. Mice find them a taste treat. If you battle mice, you might want to discard prior to Christmas decorating.

Ornamental grasses are one of the "bones" of any good garden (large or small).

There are annual ornamental grasses that make nice fillers in your gardens and pots. They are not cheap and you may want to try over-wintering in the basement or other area that doesn't freeze. Success rate is not excellent but then again, you may succeed and save yourself some money.

Good News vs. Bad News

It's raining steady on this part of the "Hill". Predictions are the same all day and on and off through Saturday.


The Good News:


Autumn rains insure established plants (perennials, trees, bushes) are not stressed going into the harshness of winter.

• Any new plants need this even more.


• You will not have to use water supplies to accomplish this protection.


• Rain washes things off and makes plants, walks, etc. fresh and clean.

• We continue to replenish the low water table from the last few years of drought.

The Bad News:

• Field crops in this area do not need rain. Corn and soybeans, in particular, need to complete the process of drying before they are picked.


• Crops picked without adequate drying usually require expensive bin drying.


• Mildew and mold are already a problem on both yard, garden and field crops.

• Many area residents have had their homes flooded this summer because of ground saturation and slow run off during heavy rains.

There's really nothing we can do about today's rains except use it as a great excuse to NOT work in the yard. Although I didn't get that luxury today, it would have been a perfect day to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and read a good book - perhaps a gardening book.
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I read this little hint the other day and although I haven't tried it, I thought it worth passing along. This is for gardeners bothered by neighborhood or stay cats using your beds as their litter box.

Peel your oranges or chop the peel up after juicing. Drop the peeling in areas where the cats have been digging. The smell is suppose to be offensive to cats. It doesn't harm any animals and it biodegrades over time.

Do not use hot pepper spray on the soil or mulch. This not only burns the cat's feet but it burns their insides when they try to clean it off their paws. This is simply a way to torture animals because they don't figure out what is causing the pain.