Montreal florist, Flowers Canada, Buy Flowers & Gifts from your American Florist, Canada number 1 florist.

Home
About

1

* Large inventory of fresh flowers * Tropical Flowers * Plants * European/dish gardens * High-style floral arrangements * Weddings * Funeral designs * Extensive gift line * Gourmet and fruit baskets * Gift baskets * Greeting cards * Candles

2

* Large inventory of fresh flowers * Tropical Flowers * Plants * European/dish gardens * High-style floral arrangements * Weddings * Funeral designs * Extensive gift line * Gourmet and fruit baskets * Gift baskets * Greeting cards * Candles

3

* Large inventory of fresh flowers * Tropical Flowers * Plants * European/dish gardens * High-style floral arrangements * Weddings * Funeral designs * Extensive gift line * Gourmet and fruit baskets * Gift baskets * Greeting cards * Candles

4

* Large inventory of fresh flowers * Tropical Flowers * Plants * European/dish gardens * High-style floral arrangements * Weddings * Funeral designs * Extensive gift line * Gourmet and fruit baskets * Gift baskets * Greeting cards * Candles

5

* Large inventory of fresh flowers * Tropical Flowers * Plants * European/dish gardens * High-style floral arrangements * Weddings * Funeral designs * Extensive gift line * Gourmet and fruit baskets * Gift baskets * Greeting cards * Candles

Moth Orchid

January 25th, 2012

admin

Growing moth orchids, taking a stock of seeds beginning materials, and starting vegetables are some of the actions for next month.

When in bloom, moth orchid blossoms (Phalaenopsis) need constant conditions of above 60 degree at night and above 70 during the day. In New Britain, a winter season doesn’t give U much light, whereas it would be too much in summer time.

Feed with a fluid orchid manure (high phosphorous, low nitrogen). Let the ground dry out somewhat between waterings but not get completely dry. The blossoms can be broken by gas from a range, cigarettes, and other substances in the air. If pals decrease before starting, increase the moisture with a room warm air humidifier or by group vegetation together on top of stones in a plate with water up to the end of the stones.

Take stock of containers, pots, and six-packs from previous years and get rid of any damaged. Decrease chance of illness by cleansing them, then treating for 20 moments in a option of 10 % lighten and water (9 components water to one part bleach), then air dry.

If you have a arranged of lights, you can develop mesclun or other quick-growing vegetables to add to early-spring soups. Complete a plate with moistened seed-starting mix and sow seeds heavily, then take care of with one-quarter in. Don’t let the exterior dry out. As soon as the first seeds germinate, keep the lights about 4 in. above the plate.

You can begin your own pals for soups easily, purchasing seed for this at yard shops or online. You can buy unique growing bins that stark, or simply develop in a jar protected with cheesecloth. Stay hydrated seed instantaneously, then strain and position in bins. Wash and strain daily. Many seed can be used such as pinto beans and peas, mustard and other similar vegetables, entire such as wheat or grain, low herbage such as oatmeal, lettuce, and even vegetables and their family relative.

Whether you use warm-white and cool-white neon pipes or unique place lights to begin vegetation growing up, they lose light strength and after a year or two they must be changed. If you feel it’s hard to rationalize purchasing new lights that often, consider all the persistence you’re spending on starting vegetation. Without sufficient light, your vegetation will develop spindly and will be less effective in the yard, and you won’t get the most out of your time and effort. Look for darkening at the comes to an end of the pipes, a sign they are losing strength.

Potted pressured bulbs may need water so check on them soon. They should be eliminated from their awesome treatment when they are well based and limbs have started to develop. This is usually 10 to 12 weeks from time they were vegetation in pots and placed in the cold.

When branches extend under the weight of a new snowfall, use a sweeper to softly clean off the snow. Don’t try to eliminate ice or you might break the tree.

It’s achievable to preserve a branch that partially cracks from the main trunk if you link it in place and use long screws (coming from each way, if crucial) to secure it. If done proper, the tree may callous over the injure and cure itself next year.

Gardering Tips

January 17th, 2012

admin

The days are longer, the sun is warmer, and sooner or later the buds of trees and shrubs will begin to grow. Best to complete pruning in the winter anyway communicated suddenly his grip. Remove dead, diseased and rubbing branches, and make any clarifications necessary to open a canopy to more air and sun. Cut broken branches back to a main branch or trunk rather than leaving the heels. Wound sealant is generally not necessary. Wait to prune spring-flowering shrubs until right after flowering. Wait to prune maples and birches until they leaf out, if not their sap will run or “bleed” open wounds.

Before new shoots appear, cut the stems of last year to ornamental grasses. Hand pruners will work for small plants, but the electric hedge trimmers make quick work of large specimens with a dense growth. If possible, cut the stems before adding them to the compost pile or use them as mulch so they decompose faster.

Cut the grass stand as feathers reed, switchgrass, miscanthus grass and heath. Do not cut back too far, only 15 to 24 inches above the soil surface, or you could cut some of the growth points this season is buried in the stems. Only cut flower stems from ancient mound of grass like grass and blue oat blue fescue, leaving their mounds of foliage. Remove all old leaves, loose and brown. Each year some blue fescue should be dug up and replanted as they tend to increase over time and get bare essentials.

Take a walk around your yard to check for perennials that can be pushed out of the ground, exposing roots to drying winds. Tamp them gently into the soil or if the ground is too frozen, surround with mulch for protection, compacting later.

When the temperature rises to 50 degrees in early spring and the wind is low, move indoor plants with scale or scales on the outside to a shady spot and complete coverage of foliage with light oil or was. Then move the plants inside. A strong flow of water, repeated weekly, if necessary, may be all that is necessary to remove scales. Check the areas where the leaves join stems for the masses of fluffy white scales. Check the underside of leaves to brown scales, or small step to crawl in color.

Cabbage, broccoli, cabbage and others who may be laid in early spring everyone can be started this month. Sow the slow-growing flowers such as thoughts, begonias, and the beginning of Vinca. Sow verbena, petunias, geraniums, impatiens and later in the month. But wait until April to sow the seeds of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and most varieties of flowers that can not be transplanted until the danger of frost has passed. Check the seed packet to see if the seeds can be started indoors, or should be sown directly into the soil when the weather warms.

Other tips for this month include provisions for your gardening supplies, visit a maple sugar shack, or by typing your own maple trees, and taking your mower tune-ups.

New Flowers For 2012

January 9th, 2012

admin

Each year, the best of new flowers, flowering the first year from seed, and new vegetables are chosen as winners of the America Selections (AAS) program. These winners are the result of trials in America, against the existing cultivars (cultivated varieties) where they exist. In this case, the introduction of new characters should show some new and improved. There are two winners and two vegetables, flowers ASA in 2012. All best grown in well-drained soil and full sun.

“Black Olives” is a winner of flowers, ornamental pepper. This ground floor only reaches a foot or more high, and about a foot wide. The bright, slightly elongated fruit starting purple and turns red at maturity. These contrasts nicely with the purple leaves. If you can not find or run yourself from seed, the same look “Pretty in Purple ‘or’ Black Pearl ‘. And yes, black olive fruits are edible and fiery hot.

Salvia ‘Summer Jewel Pink’ is another AAS winner of flowers this year. It is a kind of scarlet sage Salvia, with long stems about a foot and a half high with flowers along these more often above the leaves. The common name is misleading, because this cultivar has beautiful pink flowers of light rather than the species of scarlet, and its relative ‘Summer Red Jewel’. This series of salvia is more compact and earlier than the flowers of the species and other selections. The flowers, although pink, attract hummingbirds. Another common name is Hummingbird sage.

Cayennetta Pepper “is a new award-winning vegetables. It is a spicy pepper fruit that reach 3 to 4 inches long. The scope of conical and oblong fruit about 3 inches long, starting with red green and turning to maturity. One reason for the choice, in addition to its taste, is that it grows straight and branched, requiring no staking. Up to 24 inches tall and slightly less wide, it works well in gardens and patio containers. The dense foliage prevents sunburn on the fruit. This pepper is growing better than many in cold climates with good cold tolerance.

“Faerie” is the winners of other vegetables for the year 2012, an oval melon with fruit about 8 inches long and weighing only 4-6 pounds each due date. The fruit is unusual in color, and attractive, is creamy yellow with thin green stripes on the outside while staying inside the red watermelon. The fruits are also high in sugar and crunchy texture. The vines are vigorous, but only about 10 feet apart, making them good for small spaces. Another bonus to this selection is its tolerance to insects and diseases. With only 72 days from sowing to harvest in many areas, it would be nice to try watermelon in areas with shorter season.

Amaryllis Plants

December 28th, 2011

admin

While poinsettias remain number one in popularity for holiday plants, a plant that has gained acceptance in recent years is the amaryllis. It is usually sold in either bud or blossom, is a producer rapid, and requires a minimum of care.

The flower looks like a lily that it is not a member of this family, but a tropical bulb originally imported from Central and South America. Since it does not tolerate frost, it must be inside flowers. Although the normal flowering season is from January to April, many greenhouses is the strength in the prime early to be ready for the holidays in December.

You may be able to find some miniature varieties in stores or garden full electronic control and the Internet. These plants grow smaller than a foot or so high and have smaller flowers but otherwise look like the traditional ones.

Most amaryllis plants are sold already potted. If you buy a plant is not yet in bloom, keep the pot slightly moist mixture through the sub-irrigation with warm water. Do this by filling the saucer and letting the soil absorbs water. After 30 minutes, discard the remaining water in the saucer.

From this point, do not water until the flower bud is well developed. Then start watering up. Keep in mind that larger plants will require more water.

Place your amaryllis in a warm and shady. If possible, maintain a uniform temperature of from 70 to 75 degrees F day and night. When the stem of the flower bud is about eight inches tall, place the pot in a cooler place with more light. Water regularly at this stage of development. The largest bulbs, you will have many more flower stalks. You can plant a flower for a special occasion in the starting five to six weeks before the chosen date. To encourage early flowering, place the pot in a warm place. To slow the growth, move to a cooler place (around 50 degrees F) when the first bud about to open.

If you buy the bulbs separately instead of pre-jar, store in a cool, dry place such as the crisper of your refrigerator. Although these will keep for long periods, if the seeds begin to grow, you will need to plant them as soon as possible. Be careful not to expose the bulbs to freezing conditions.

After your amaryllis has bloomed, you can save the bulbs bloom again in subsequent years. Start by removing the flowers as they fade. Continue to water the potted bulbs regularly throughout the spring and summer. Apply fertilizer every month. After all danger of frost has passed in spring, plant bulbs, pot and all, in the garden in a semi-shade.

September, to the potted amaryllis in the garden before the first frost, and place it in a dry and warm. Stop watering completely. When the leaves turn yellow, cut just above the bulb. In late winter, begin watering again for flowers in four to six weeks.

Old Plants New Life

December 6th, 2011

admin

During winter some of your houseplants may begin to look leggy. While they may not be in poor enough shape to discard, they do need something. Plants in this condition are often good candidates for air layering.

Many house plants can be air layered–dumb cane, croton, Chinese evergreen, philodendron, rubber plant, fiddle leaf fig, oleander, and camellia to name a few. In fact, almost any plant with a woody or firm stem can be propagated using this technique.

Developed by the Chinese, this age-old propagation technique induces roots to form on the stem. Instead of taking a cutting and putting it in a rooting medium, you take the rooting medium to the plant. The plant stays intact during the entire rooting process.

Air layering is not difficult, but you will have to work quickly once you begin. The incision you make in the plant’s stem can’t be allowed to dry out. Therefore, assemble all the necessary equipment before you begin.

Start by removing all leaves three to four inches above and below the incision point, which you should make about 12 inches below the tip of the stem. With a sharp knife, make an upward or downward slanting cut one to one and one-half inches long and about one-quarter of the way through the stem. Insert a toothpick into the wound to keep it from healing over, then dust a small amount of root promoting compound into the incision.

Next, wrap the wounded area with moist sphagnum moss, peat moss, or several expanded peat pellets. The moss ball should be about six inches long and several inches in diameter. If you are using peat pellets, split several vertically to the center.

Hold moss or peat pellets in place with twine, and wrap with plastic to keep the rooting medium from drying out. Seal the top and bottom edges, then seam with waterproof wrapping tape. If your plant is in the sun, cover the ball with aluminum foil to protect roots from sun scald.

Give your plant normal care during the rooting period. After several weeks, roots should be visible near the edge of the moss ball or peat pellet under the sheet of plastic. Then remove the plastic, sever the new plant just below the moss ball, and pot as you would a rooting cutting. Discard the remaining stem.

You have just given new life to an old plant! For healthy growth, provide adequate moisture, light, and fertilizer on a continuing basis as you would for any house plant.

Cannas Viruses

November 29th, 2011

admin

Cannas are a tender perennial, popular and grown by gardeners for their large attractive leaves and large flower spikes. Being tender, their roots need to be overwintered indoors in cold climates. Within the last ten years, virus diseases have become widespread in cannas throughout the world, so if you have these perennials you may not want to overwinter them but rather discard them this fall after tops are killed by frost.

If you’re not familiar with the canna, it is the only genus in the Canna family. Although tropical, most of the 100 or more cultivars (cultivated varieties) have been developed as hybrids in temperate climates. There, they are grown outdoors in summer for their bold foliage, coarse visual texture, tropical effect, and flower spikes in colors usually from red to orange to yellow. Leaves are green, reddish bronze, or striped. Depending on cultivar and conditions they may range from 2 to 6 feet or more tall. They prefer full sun, or at least 6 to 8 hours a day, and warm temperatures. They may tolerate some drought but many also can be grown as aquatic plants. Although tops will die back if frozen, the roots (rhizomes) may survive in the ground if mulched where air temperatures stay above zero degrees (F).

Where temperatures freeze outdoors, plants are cut back after frosted, and then dug, or allowed to dry in their pots, and held overwinter in a non-freezing location. Then water in spring, increasing the amount as growth resumes. This is the process that has been used until recently when at least three viruses have been found overwintering in such plants, and spreading through plants worldwide. This has resulted in many growers no longer selling cannas, and many collections having been destroyed. Larger and reputable specialty growers, and some botanical gardens such as Longwood in Pennsylvania, have obtained or selected virus-free plants and are propagating from these.

Two of the viruses, the bean yellow mosaic and canna yellow streak, are in the potyvirus group which is not passed along in seeds. So plants with these could be grown from seeds and be clean of virus, until reinfected. The canna yellow mottle virus is in the badnavirus group which can be passed through seeds– unusual for viruses– so continues the disease and its spread.

What you’ll see with virus-infected cannas first are short, light green streaks in leaves parallel with the veins. Close inspection shows lots of speckling. These streaks grow larger, then turn to dead (necrotic) streaks, with lighter colored streaks in the flower petals. As more of these dead veins appear, leaves turn a more general yellow (chlorotic) and the plants will be less vigorous. These symptoms are more easily seen in green than bronze cultivars. It is easy to see in some such as ‘Phaison’ with light green streaks against the red instead of the usual pink striping. In other cultivars, such as ‘Pretoria’, it is difficult to see with the usual yellow streaks appearing more sandy in color. If you’re not sure, watch the leaves as they unfold in spring. If they have such streaks or blemishes they are likely infected.

The only effective solution so far for infected plants is to destroy (not compost) them in trash bags, or to bury or burn them. Destroying infected plants will slow the spread of this disease, and help prevent future “clean” plants from becoming infected. Although you may not see aphids on cannas, these can spread viruses. If a low level of virus, you may not see symptoms or they may be mild and plants may continue to grow normally.

If you suspect a virus infection, and have more than a few plants severely infected, you may want to have a laboratory test done as several other problems such as nutrition may mimic virus symptoms. Check with your local state university diagnostic lab to see if they can do such virus testing (www.npdn.org), or tell you where to send samples.

Underwatering or root stress may result in brown leaves. Spider mites may cause speckling and eventual browning. Blackened leaves, beginning with rust-colored spots on undersides, is likely canna rust disease– most prevalent under hot and humid conditions.

Then, when buying future cannas, make sure the sources indicate if the plants are virus free and discuss how they have ensured this. Even if you buy virus-free plants, they may get infected from sick plants nearby. If you like the appearance of cannas, but avoid or discard them due to virus disease, consider some of the other large-leaved tropical plants as alternatives such as ornamental bananas, elephant ear’s, and ornamental gingers.

Indoor Perennial Problems

November 21st, 2011

admin

Temperature, and its balance with light, are the two most important conditions for successful overwintering of tender perennials indoors, in addition to proper watering. Your plants will show symptoms if these conditions aren’t to their liking, but these may be confused with other causes, and once they show these it may be too late! While perennials are hardy in their native climates, in colder regions they may grow as an annual, and so are called “tender perennials.” These include such plants as coleus, cannas, geraniums, and sages or salvia.

Even if plants didn’t get inside during fall, but they were left in a protected location, many will withstand some cold and some will even withstand some frost. If they were subjected to such conditions, try cutting back when bringing into the warmth. If they are still living, you should see signs of buds or new growth in a week or two.

If a tender plant you are overwintering inside is losing its leaves, perhaps it is too cold, or cool for too long a period. With high energy prices, and many turning down thermostats especially at night, such conditions are more common. Wilted, pale leaves in spite of adequate watering is another sign the plant is too cold. If a plant such as coleus has lost its leaves, it may be too late to revive it. Try moving such plants into a very warm area (above 55 degrees F at night and in the 70s during the day), and don’t water if the soil is at all damp.

Other plants such as lemon verbena and hibiscus normally lose their leaves, or “defoliate”, as part of the normal cycle. Others that were outdoors in sun during summer, when brought indoors to much lower light in fall, may lose their leaves in the process of making new leaves better adapted in their cell structure to the lower light indoors.

Over and under watering may also cause plants to lose their leaves. Check the soil with your finger, an inexpensive soil moisture meter you can get at complete garden stores, or look at the surface. If leaves are falling and the soil feels wet, or is dark, and the pot is heavy, it may be too wet. If it feels dry, is light in color, and the pot is light, it may be too dry. If either of these, correct gradually, don’t immediately go to the other extreme. Check plants in saucers to make sure when watering that the water doesn’t remain in the saucer for more than a half hour. If room, place plants on a tray of pebbles you can moisten when you water. This is great for houseplants too, allowing the water to drain from pots, and keeping humidity higher around the plants. In general, and if in doubt, keep tender plants indoors on the dry side.

Moisture also is critical for storing of some summer bulbs. Dahlias and cannas should be kept moist, while gladiolus should be stored dry. Too much of the other for these may cause them to rot or die overwinter. Temperatures below freezing may kill them as well, as I’ve learned in years past when they were placed too near a cold wall with minimal heat.

On the other hand, if plants are in too warm conditions such as next to heater vents or a wood stove, they may have elongated and thin leaves with spindly stems. This is a sign they are getting too much warmth and not enough light. So the solution is to move to a cooler location with similar light, or increase the light. The latter can be done by supplemental lighting from lamps.

Portable clamp-on light fixtures can be used, either to supplement natural daylight or to add light during the night. Aim for 16 to 18 hours of light per day, with lamps a foot or so away from the plants. This is enough space to allow the heat from incandescent bulbs to not burn the leaves, yet to provide sufficient light. If using energy-saving bulbs that emit much less heat, lamps can be placed closer. Inexpensive timers from garden and hardware stores are used to control such supplemental lighting.

Keep tender perennial plants, as well as houseplants (many of which can be considered tender perennials), away from drafts. These could be from doors or windows. If a sunny day in winter and you open the window for a short time for some fresh air, make sure to remember and shut it. Even a brief exposure to cold once the temperature drops is enough to injure many tender plants, and is more common than you might expect.

Just as with houseplants, check tender perennials indoors regularly (at least weekly, or when watering), for pests. Many of these are small, so you may need a magnifier such as for coins, or reading glasses. Especially check under leaves, the growing tips, and the leaf axils where leaves join the stems. If you find pests, deal with them then before they spread to other plants and get out of control. You may find that some plants are just too much trouble, being a favorite of pests. I’ve found this the case with lantana and whiteflies, for instance.

Much more on the correct conditions for particular plants, troubleshooting problems then dealing with them, can be found in the excellent reference from Storey Publishing by Alice and Brian McGowan, Bulbs in the Basement Geraniums on the Windowsill.

Spring Tulip

November 16th, 2011

admin

It may seem premature to be thinking about next spring already, but fall is the time to buy and plant tulips so you’ll have tremendous color to begin your next gardening season. Knowing what to expect from them, how to plant, and how to protect from wildlife will help you to have the best spring show.

You may not realize that most tulips are generally grown as annuals, flowering one year and either not living or few flowering the next. I don’t mind, as I only have room for so many tulips, and this gives me the chance to try some new ones each year. There are tulips, however, marked as “perennial” such as Darwin types that will rebloom each year. Many of the smaller species tulips are perennial also, just check to make sure these are hardy in your area. Planting tulips deeper than the usual 5 to 6 inches may help them “perennialize” as well.

Tulips are an elegant, formal flower best suited to formal plantings. These are most often geometric, such as rectangular, beds using even numbers of bulbs. If planting in either linear or curved rows, use several parallel rows (even if short) for best effect. When choosing bulbs, look at the time of bloom so you can choose varieties for early to late flowering in spring. If combining tulips for certain color combinations, make sure the varieties you choose bloom at the same time of the season.

Plant as soon in fall as possible to allow roots to develop. Planting late, however, is better than trying to hold until spring. Dig the bed, or trench if planting in rows, to about 6 inches deep. Mix good compost or organic matter in the soil, especially if it is sandy or clay. Choose a well-drained site as bulbs may rot if too wet. Tulips bloom best in full sun, not a problem near deciduous trees that only begin leafing out in spring.

Space tulip bulbs about 6 inches apart, planted with the pointed side up. Backfill with soil, and that’s all there is to it. I like to label my different varieties as I usually don’t remember all the names come spring.

Since fresh tulip bulbs already have their needed food stored inside, the International Flower Bulb Center (www.bulb.com) recommends to not put fertilizer in the planting hole or bed. Besides, too much fertilizer can easily burn the base of the bulbs. Definitely don’t use bone meal as you may see in older recommendations, as it provides little nutritional value and its odor is an invitation to dogs and skunks to dig up your bulbs!

If growing as annuals, you wont need to fertilize tulips. If perennial ones, sprinkle bulb fertilizer (you can buy as such when buying bulbs in the fall) on top just as the bulbs emerge in the spring. Some also fertilize again as the foliage dies down in summer.

When planting, you may consider layering– an effect used by the Dutch to extend the bloom period. Layering is simple– just plant the tulips, backfill with several inches of soil, then plant smaller bulbs such as crocus or squill before adding the remaining couple inches of soil. This way you can have early blooms, followed by the tulips emerging through them later.

If you have deer and squirrels and other critters that like to dig and eat tulips, or eat the flowers once up, there are several tricks you can use. Dig a bed as you would normally to plant tulips, then line with wire mesh or poultry wire before planting and backfilling. This, or using ground shells or sharp stones (you can purchase these at many outlets, such as poultry grit at feed stores) also helps discourage diggers.

Once tulips emerge in spring, keep new growth sprayed with repellents, use a fence around larger areas, or interplant tulips with daffodils. No animal eats daffodils, and by seeing these come up first, gardeners tell me animals move on and generally don’t return. Training early is one of the keys to successful wildlife management, not just with bulbs but with all plants.

You might save out or buy a few tulips for potting and forcing into bloom indoors as well. Merely plant 4 bulbs in a pot 6-inches across with the bulb tips at the surface. Keep the potting medium moist, and give about 12 weeks at 40 degrees (F) as in an unheated garage, cellar or refrigerator. Some tulips are marked as especially suited for forcing.

For each 10 tulips I buy I’ll plant 6 and pot 4. I then just sink these plastic pots in the ground until spring. Once the shoots emerge in April, I dig the pots and sink into potting mix in large containers. This way I get blooms in these mobile and visible containers, in areas where I might not grow bulbs otherwise. They are easy to remove after bloom to make room for annuals.

Tolerant Perennials

November 7th, 2011

admin

With winter in the north comes salt applied to roads and walks to melt snow and ice. Such salt can damage the roots of nearby perennial plants. There are several herbaceous perennials fairly tolerant of winter road salt.

If you’ve ever tried to get salt out of a salt shaker during humid weather, you’ve seen the affinity of salt for water and moisture. The same principle applies in soils, with the salt pulling moisture away from the roots. This results in root “dessication” or drying out.

Another way perennials can be injured is from the sodium and chloride ions, which make up salt, separating. Chloride ions are readily absorbed by the roots, transported to the leaves, and accumulate there to toxic levels. It is these toxic levels that cause the characteristic marginal leaf scorch seen during the growing season.

If salts build up in pots, growers can flush them out by heavy watering. This is not so easily done in soils. Instead, if on your own property, use “plant safe” products such as those deicing materials derived from magnesium or calcium chloride, or a mix of these with kitty litter (not the sawdust kind which doesn’t provide traction).

Another option, and perhaps the only one along roads, is to plant perennials tolerant of high salt levels. At least with perennials, that die back to the ground each winter, you don’t need to be concerned with salt spray to foliage as you do with woody plants and evergreens.

Some of the hardy (generally USDA zone 5 or colder) perennials I’ve found listed as highly salt tolerant include some columbine and pinks (Dianthus), bearberry, common wood aster, daylily species and hybrids, bird’s foot trefoil, seaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens), and barren strawberry (Waldsteinia). The latter is a great low groundcover for dry shade, quite underutilized. Its yellow flowers in early summer resemble those of strawberry plants. ‘Karl Foerster’ reed grass, blue lyme grass, maiden grass (Miscanthus), muhly grass, sand cordgrass, and little bluestem are ornamental grasses reported salt tolerant.

Hardy perennials with at least some salt tolerance include silver mound artemisia, butterfly weed, candytuft, foxglove, sea holly, peony, baby’s breath, tall phlox, creeping phlox, bellflower, Lenten rose, coralbells, bearded iris, evening primrose, ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum, hens and chicks, Russian sage, Prairie mallow, soapweed, sea thrift (Armeria), yarrow, and yucca. ‘Elijah’ blue fescue is a low ornamental grass with some salt tolerance, as is ribbon grass (Phalaris), panic grass (Panicum), blue oat grass, and fountain grass (Pennisetum). Keep in mind the latter can be quite root invasive so needs proper placement. Don’t plant ribbon grass where it will crowd out other desirable plants, or where root pieces can wash with rains through streams and ditches to colonize elsewhere. The least tolerant hardy perennials for salt include purple coneflower, hosta, narcissus, and thyme.

These are some of the more commonly reported salt tolerant perennials, with others possible. A good starting point is the seaside list, one of the many useful lists, from Van Berkum wholesale perennial nursery (vanberkumnursery.com/charts.html). There are of course many other salt tolerant perennials for warmer climates.

Fall Asters

October 31st, 2011

admin

Asters are hardy perennials that bloom in fall in various colors and heights. They provide color for us and a late-season source of pollen for bees and other pollinators.

The image many have of New England in the fall includes purple asters and yellow goldenrod. Although we may take these for granted, the English and Europeans have not. In fact, they collected asters extensively earlier in this century and took them home to breed many new selections.

Many of these selections are back in this country now, along with many other recent cultivars (cultivated varieties) by American growers. These generally range in bloom time from early September to late October, with a particular species or cultivar usually blooming for two or three weeks.

The main types of asters are the New York (Aster novi-belgii) and the New England (Aster novae-angliae). The New York ones generally tend to be shorter (a foot or so) than the New England ones (three feet or more). Both come in
a range of colors from red to purple, bluish to white, and provide a nice complement to the colors of fall mums.

Other cultivars have been developed from other species. While most of these are short, some such as heath asters (ericoides) may reach two feet and be covered with hundreds of tiny white flowers. Calico aster (lateriflorus horizontalis), named from the appearance of its many tiny pink and white flowers, is a species reaching one to two feet. Unlike most asters, stems of this species are arranged in horizontal layers giving rise to another common name, horizontal aster. This one also can be found growing wild locally, or as a cultivar with dark leaves called Lady in Black.

Quite popular are the Frikart’s asters, named after the Swiss nurseryman who developed them in the 1920’s. These hybrids are marginally hardy (to USDA zone 5) in some parts of our region or need some winter protection.

Purple Dome is one of the more recent introductions, and is an introduction from this country of our New England asters. It is covered with purple flowers through a long period in the fall, and unlike many in this species only gets two feet tall or less.

Treat asters as you would other perennials. Plant in good loamy soil as most don’t like wet feet or may get frost-heaved and dry out in sandy soils. Plant at least one foot apart for the shorter cultivars, three feet apart for the taller ones. Some light fertilizer such as one-fourth to one-half cup of an organic fertilizer early in the season will help. Some of the tall New England asters may need staking. Alternatively, cut them back by one third in early summer to promote shorter, bushy growth.

Since most are grown and sold in pots, they can be planted any time during the season. If plants require moving or dividing, do it in May as the new shoots emerge. If growing well, asters may need division every two to three years.

The main plant disease is powdery mildew–a whitish growth that may appear on leaves from late June or July onwards, mainly on the New York varieties. Research at the University of Vermont (UVM) and other institutions has shown that applying sprays beginning in late June, according to label directions for horticultural oils (as used for insects), will help prevent powdery mildew. Sprays closely related to baking soda also can be used.

Sprays must be applied before diseases become established and must be continued throughout the season. Such diseases, although unsightly, often cause no lasting harm to the plants and vary in severity depending on the weather and even the cultivar.

The main destructive insect pest in our area seems to be the lacebug, a small grayish insect that appears in midsummer and sucks the plant juices from the undersides of leaves, primarily of the New York and related types. Leaves turn yellowish and eventually brown and fall off. Organic or synthetic insect sprays can be used for control. Read and follow all label directions for best control, and safety for you and the environment.