Mums the Word

        The fall planting season brings on the masses of ‘Hardy Mums’ sold everywhere. For years I have listened to customer’s complaining about these mums not coming back the next season.  We at Hillside Garden Center have come to call them Fall Mums rather than Hardy mums, as they are just not a reliably true perennial plant.  I have found that the traditional fall colors are more likely to return but I also believe that planting practices can also contribute to their failure.  

        Many people purchase these plants late in the season and may simply use them as accents on their patio or front door entry with cornstalks and pumpkins. As their flowers begin to fade they quickly plant them in the garden where they may not have enough time to establish a root system before winter. These plants tend to be very root bound when removed from the pot and should be sliced through to help encourage them to grow into the surrounding soil. This along with late planting contributes to them not being very well anchored into the garden becoming very susceptible to freezing and thawing conditions allowing them to heave out of the ground causing root damage. Following a better planting procedure during this time can help the chances for their survival. 

        There is however a TRUE Perennial mums. My first experience was with the variety known as Sheffield that reliably produced a Low Mass by late fall and bloomed profusely in October. Although this variety is hard to find now there are several hybrids I have found with Sheffield in their parentage.  Bollero and Rhumba are a couple that we have grown and will have a new one called Matchstick this season. They are generally in fall colors of yellow, gold and orange and grow between 18-24” tall with a wide spreading habit allowing them to form a beautiful carpet of color. Combine them in the garden with an early or summer blooming plant as they really have very little growth until late in the summer.

        In conclusion,  the masses of Fall mums available out there should really be treated more as an annual used for seasonal decorating and perhaps with the right location, proper planting and favorable weather conditions you may find them as a  bonus in next year’s garden.

Mary Thomas, Nursery Manager

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Tried and True, and Something New Too!

Each year I enjoy my favorite plants. I love to see the way the Coneflowers have spread, how big the Coral Bells and Hosta have gotten or the marvel at the big, red, new stems on my Blueberry. However, I love to try new plants out just as much as I like the old standards. Each season I try out several new plants. I add them to what I already have and enjoy their welcome addition to my collection. This is sometimes successful, and sometimes ends in a terrible experience.

I have tried to grow basically every common annual at this point at least once. Some of those seasons I had amazing results like the time my Sweet Potato Vine grew 10 feet and lasted until November! Or it could be a total bust like the time my red Salvias all shriveled up and died literally overnight. What is most important is that I learn from each of these experiences. Each season I save the little plants tags that come in each my 6 packs or containers so that the next season I remember which ones did great, and which ones flopped.

The same could be said for any vegetable as well. I know from many attempts that my soil is just too rocky for Carrots, but I can grow enough potatoes in 3 rows to last me all winter! Perennials are the same story. You really need to experiment and see what your soil and light patterns will allow. One thing I have learned about them is that if they still are not happy the second season, move them! If it was hardy enough to make it through the winter, but still looks puny and unhappy try a different location. If it perks right up in that spot and takes off, awesome. If not keep trying.

Trying something new is exciting! The anticipation of what is going to happen, going out to check everyday and seeing what is new. Last year I tried pitcher Gourds for the first time. We made a big teepee out of branches and trained the relentless vines up the poles. They grew and grew and grew. Their flowers were a beautiful white that opened in the evening and bloomed all night. What a great surprise! Then all of a sudden the Gourds began to form and hung down off the vines getting longer, and longer, and longer. The whole experience was neat and I will try it again this year. But how would I have known if I didn’t add something new to my old favorites?

My advice is if you truly love plants like I do, never stop trying new varieties. But also never stop enjoying the types that work for you. For better success with your new additions get to know as much as you can about the plant before you put it in the soil. Know ahead of time what light it needs, if your soil needs to be amended and how often to water. This way the plant is successful, and you are too!

Elizabeth Kaczynski     July 25^th 

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Embracing the Seasons

To everything there is a season! Being in New York we get the privilege of four distinct seasons, each bringing their own beauty to the year. Accepting and embracing these changes is something gardeners tend to be quite good at! Each season has its own qualities that make it special and unique and noting these changes can help you to grow just as much as your plants do.

Spring is the season of rebirth and awakening. Seeing those first bulbs poking up out of the soil gives us hope that the long winter is over and promise that the sun will return and bring with it the buds on the trees and the warm wind. Cool season annuals can help brighten our gardens and our souls. The smells of fresh growing grass and sweet smelling blossoms are a welcome treat. Spring blooming shrubs get us in the mood to get outside and look with new eyes. We get to see our old friends the perennials start anew and wonder at their growth since last fall. Their tiny leaves, miniatures of what is to come let us know it’s time to start weeding them out and get ready! It is in spring that we gardeners plan our season. What plants will be new? Which veggies to grow? And where to put them? The opportunities are endless and feel as big as the year ahead of us!

Summer is warm and delicious. The plants get bigger, the trees cast shade and the crickets sing while the fireflies dance in the garden at night. Late spring flowers transition into those that can withstand the heat. The time we spent making rows and planting seeds begins to pay off as our vegetables come into their own and their tasty fruits grace our tables indoors and out. Lounging in the garden in the summer time seems to stand still and we appreciate being outdoors with the flowers, the birds and the bugs. The summer blooming shrubs provide the backbone for the riot of flower colors they support. The colors of the flowers, annuals and perennials together brighten our yards and make us want to stay out as long as possible.

Fall is a crisp, cooling treat. In early fall we enjoy many late season flowers and shrubs and focus on getting our plants, and ourselves ready for next year. We begin to divide those perennials, spreading them all around or trading with others to help next years show be our best ever. Later in the fall as the leaves put on a fireworks show we focus on putting our friends to bed, cleaning them up and tucking them in. Plants need rest just as people do if they are to come back refreshed and rejuvenated in the spring, ready to go again! We cut them back and mulch them in while we enjoy the last beautiful blooms of the fall annuals and say goodbye to the birds and butterflies that take off to warmer places.

Winter is contemplation and rest. It gives us time to think and we look at the blank slates that are our gardens. Everything is cut back and a blanket of snow covers the ground giving us a blank canvas in which to plan and dream how we want to use it next season. We notice the branch structures of the trees, how strong and unique they are. How graceful they look with the snow to outline them. How bold the evergreens are when there is nothing to compete. Winter gives us the rest we need as gardeners to work like the busy bees we are the other three seasons.

Not matter the season there are always ways to enjoy the garden. To get out and experiences the changes and enjoy how each season is different from the others, because that is how we come to fully understand how beautiful and unique each really is.

Can I plant yet?

Spring is just around the corner…we hope! As the snow melts and we begin to see the ground, we think about daffodils and tulips and how soon can we start planting in our gardens.

        You can plant a shrub, tree or perennial as soon as you can dig in the ground. The question arises when you consider the condition of the plant being put into the ground. Many times the plants that first arrive in your local Nurseries, even when grown locally have been over-wintered in unheated poly houses giving them a head start on growing for the season. They may have broken their winter dormancy and started to grow new leaves and or flowers for the coming spring. If this growth has started due to false stimulation from not being outside, planted and enduring the natural winter weather, the growth will be very sensitive to an extreme drop in temperature.  As we all are very use to here in the Northeast this up and down weather pattern is quite normal from the time spring breaks until Memorial Day. So the key is to understand what stage your new plant is at and how tolerant it may be to imminent frost.

        Some plants can be ‘hardened off’, meaning they can be gradually reintroduced to the outside weather thus rendering them able to withstand a frost. Others, such as Japanese Maples are extremely sensitive and if you purchase one of these early in spring with leaves already on it, you must plan on that plant to live between the outside and your garage as needed until all danger of frost is over before planting.  In the past few springs we have seen such a warm up in April only to experience mid to low 20s in May. This will severely damage the Japanese maple foliage giving it a lovely fried appearance for at least a couple months until it’s able to re-leaf. Sometimes the damage can be severe enough to cause death.

        Our Nursery offers shrubs and trees generally by the end of March. Many of these we bring in are still dormant, so they have not started to grow for the season. They can easily be planted as soon as the ground can be dug and will gradually start to grow as the weather warms up.  On the other hand some plants having been in a protected winter location will start to grow and or flower with the least amount of heat. Forsythia and Azaleas are a couple of these items and in most cases arrives to us with flowers already popping out. These beautiful plants are much more appealing than the shrub with no leaves yet, but care must be taken as to when to plant. I have seen both of these plants get all their new growth fried by an early frost and they will recover with new leaves in only a few weeks. You may loose the flowering for that season but the plant will soon look good and healthy in your yard with little effort. Hosta is an extremely tough plant but also very sensitive to late frost. Once again with and early warm spring they will push themselves out of the ground quite quickly. A late freeze on these can result in transparent wilted spinach looking leaves.  Not in any way attractive. They regrow and all is well in about a month. Frost cloth is an early gardener’s necessity. It is a woven fabric that repels water and keeps the frost from settling on the leaves offering 6-8 degrees of protection. This season we offer a new product called freezepruf that is a liquid spray for ornamentals, fruit and veggies offering up to 9.4 degrees protection.  It lasts up to 6 weeks and also environmentally friendly.

        So don’t be afraid to plant in the spring, simply be aware of what you are buying and how sensitive it will be to excessive cold.  Happy Spring!

Mary Thomas, Nursery Manager March 2011

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Why Choose Hillside Garden Center

Hillside offers plant material that is native or zoned for our area. The vast selection of plants that we offer can suit any planting site whether it may be shady, full sun or a combination of both. The amount of moisture in the soil and chemical make up may be a factor in your plant selection as well as wild life so we offer groups of perennials that thrive in wet areas, plants that are drought and salt tolerant and those that are rarely damaged by deer and rabbit.

Our knowledgeable Staff can help guide you to the right selection of plants that fit your needs and are always eager to help with your planting questions.  For those with larger projects, our Designers can draw up landscape and or hardscape plans on paper and our installers can bring that drawing to life.

Each employee brings a special expertise to share with each other and customers alike. We all enjoy our job, believe in the products we sell and take pride in the projects we complete. So whether you are a do-it-yourselfer or you need us to do the work for you, our staff of 15 with 217 years of combined experience will be sure to benefit your landscape project.

Services Offered:

Removal and Disposal of existing shrubs

Supply and Install

Foundation Plantings                   Screening and Hedging

Shade and Ornamental Trees             Flower Gardens

Installation of

        Retaining Walls - Segmental blocks or boulders

        Pavers and Flagstone – Walks, Patios and Driveways

        Water Features – Pools and waterfalls

        Irrigation Systems for Lawns, Plantings and Containers

        Low Voltage Landscape Lighting

        Lawns – Seeded or Sod

        Drainage and Grading

Maintenance

*General Garden Maintenance including: weeding, watering, deadheading flowers, planting annuals etc on a regularly scheduled weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis.

*Professional pruning of shrubs and small trees to develop the natural healthy form of the plants.

*Edging, mulching, cleanup and some mowing of small properties.

*Irrigation system maintenance including startup, winterizing and general repairs.

Buy-A-Plan

        One of our designers will schedule a consultation to discuss your wants and needs, access the landscape area for the plant material that best suits the site and then will draw up a landscape design that you can do yourself.

Nancy Stupski March 2011

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                             JOIN ME IN A NEW PASSION

   I am an outdoor gardener through and through. I love to get down on my knees and scoop up big armfuls of soil or mulch. Every morning, spring, summer and fall, I walk my .9 acre property, or as I lovingly call it the ‘North 40’, with a cup of coffee. So, winter is a real conundrum for me. I am convinced that I do not belong in winter climate. 

   Sure, I have the knowledge to take care of all the tropical indoor plants I sell, but to have the right lighting and go through all the fuss and muss leaves me without plants …until recently. Because of my fellow ‘can’t kill anything’ workers, I have started to accumulate begonias, with surprisingly good results and joy. All my basic knowledge of plants has paid off- they are alive and thriving! But now I want to know a little more about them. Share with me and possibly get hooked yourself.

   I have done some research and found that there are 8 types, which I will name, but only expound on some:

CANE BEGONIA- Very old fashioned and known as the ‘Angel Wing’ Begonia. There are many types and sizes and most have silver spots and cut leaves.  We have them in hanging baskets here from time to time.

SHRUB-LIKE BEGONIA- Range in size and leaves vary from smooth to hairy or felted. They are multi-stemmed with many shoots coming up from the soil. Blossoms are not as heavy, but can be ever blooming. We carry a few of these.

RHIZOMATOUS BEGONIA-Grown mostly for their interesting   leaves, they tend to be more compact with seasonal massive       displays of flowers. Sizes vary along with leaf texture, shape, and color.

REX BEGONIA- The ‘Show Boat’ of begonias, and my favorite, they are a type of rhizomatous begonia and are grown for their       spectacular leaves of every color, pattern and shade. Experts         aren’t as crazy about the flowers as the leaves, but combining that awesome leaf with a winter bloom is exciting in the North!

SEMPERFLORENS BEGONIA- Widely known as the ‘Wax Begonia’. Here in the North they are considered an excellent performing annual, blooming all season long. Leaves are generally green or   bronze, but new types of variegated are in the works.”

TUBEROUS BEGONIA- Mostly grown for their outstanding flowers, which vary in size from ½” to the size of a dinner plate. Often found as a hanging basket, but can be purchased here in a 4”-6” pot to use as a bedding plant or in a container garden.     Ever blooming and almost cake-like flowers, fallen blossoms can be floated in water as an arrangement. They are not frost tolerant,    but can be dug up and stored dormant throughout the winter and    replanted for the next frost free spring.

TRAILING-SCANDENT BEGONIA

THICK STEMMED BEGONIA

        The picture featured here is ‘PHEO’S CLEO’, a Rex Begonia. This is the third season I’ve had it and it has performed beautifully without any problems. Transplanting, fertilizing occasionally and a little pruning are all it has required.  I have eight different begonias now, most being the ‘Rex’ type. I’m a sucker for great foliage. All are easy to care for, bug and disease resistant, thus far. I water when they feel fairly dry to the touch. I put them in the sink before I leave for work, soak them several times with room temperature water, and leave them there to drain until I get home and put them back in front of the South West window. Most start blooming by the beginning of February. What a great time to see some flowers!

In the spring, when the threat of frost is gone, I set Pheo’s Cleo just outside my entryway on a stone bench. She flourishes by producing abundant rich chartreuse green leaves with burgundy accents as she welcomes all that come to visit. She is my year-round friend.

For more information and photos I suggest the American Begonia Society web site: www.begonias.org   or another great source of information I found is www.bradsbegoniaworld.com .  Enjoy!!

Casey Krause,  January 2011

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Nearly everyone that grew tomatoes locally was affected by the disease Late Blight. Will it be a problem again in 2010? To answer, that we should look at the cause of the widespread problem of 2009. There are two issues that have to be looked at as causes. First of all, the continual cool and damp weather with southerly winds caused a quick and thorough spread of the disease spores. Secondly, infected plants were found at the box stores throughout the northeast in late May that quickly spread to infect healthy plants, even on the same shelf.

Although fairly common, Late Blight gets its name from the fact that it usually occurs so late in the season that it does not cause serious problems. The infectious material being brought in early and the 'perfect storm' of weather conditions created the tragedy.

If weather conditions are right, with reasonably dry stretches between rains and people demand locally grown plants that are unlikely to be infected we should not see the serious problem of 2009.

If you suspect Late Blight on your tomatoes this year, get a quick diagnosis of the problem before panicking. There are numerous other tomato diseases that can be mistaken for Late Blight that are not as serious. Google 'tomato diseases' and find one of the university websites that provide great pictures to help.

Currently, there are no available tomato varieties that are resistant to late blight. Many of the tomato varieties listed as 'disease resistant' are resistant to early blight, wilt diseases or virus diseases. If you indeed find late blight, you should remove and dispose of the plants as soon as possible, but do not compost. If caught early, use of the fungicide chlorothalonil may be effective if sprayed every 5-7 days. For organic growers, a copper fungicide has limited effectiveness. The disease does not survive the winter cold in our area and is not spread from tomato seeds.

One lesson learned in 2009: If you collect your own heirloom seeds to use the following year, always save a few of your seeds for the following year. If your crop is a total loss as in 2009, you haven't lost a variety that had been passed down for generations.

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To most people, heirloom varieties are those 'old-fashioned' varieties that have been saved and passed on for years or generations. Heirloom varieties as a rule are non-hybrid open-pollinated  plants. What that means is that when planting the seed to open-pollinated plants the offspring will be for the most part the same as the parent.

Many Heirloom tomatoes have been passed down for many generations having originated in the family lines country of origin. Many of these can be found in most any community and probably are not named.  Some Heirloom's may have originated as a hybrid either by one of the larger seed companies (as in Burpee's Big Boy) or by a backyard hobbyist. After going through years of open pollination they become 'dehybridized' or come true to seed. Some come about from accidental crosses or by mutation.

One internet source lists over 600 varieties of heirloom tomatoes and with names like Box Car Willie, Black Krim, Mortgage Lifter, Cherokee Purple and Kelloggs Breakfast they sound fascinating. They can be early, late, paste, beefsteak, cherry, pear, red, yellow, black and striped.

Try heirlooms for their unique shapes and colors, or some great tomato taste. Many heirlooms are not as disease resistant as some of today's hybrids. It is best to try one or several plants and not plant a whole garden to one variety.

'Greenwashing' according to the Oxford Dictionary, is defined as "disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image. These days when buzzwords used are 'green' and 'sustainability' there can be a lot of confusion out there. Many companies are using these words freely to put forth a positive image or to sell their product. It's very much like the way people were using the word 'organic' to sell their products before the feds jumped in and put down some parameters for the claim. I do get a laugh at the way the TV divas on HGTV use 'organic' to define a fashion look or decorated room.  

Just because a company puts up a new sign with a green background or starts sending out electronic files instead of mailing paper doesn't immediately make them 'green'. It's Okay to be skeptical about product claims and company claims. Is that dish detergent more 'green' or any safer for the environment just because there is no coloring in it? Is it worth paying more?

For more information check out:   sourcewatch.org  or greenwashingindex.com

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2009 by most peoples account was not a great year for vegetable gardening. If you judge your gardens success by your tomato, pepper and eggplant harvested you were dissappointed. With the Late Blight disease deccimating our tomato crop and not enough heat and sunlight to turn the peppers red it was frustrating to say the least. More on the Late Blight later. There is not a lot we can do about the weather conditions other than planting crops that are more adapted to current conditions. That is where my gardening successes came in.
By mid-August I had pulled out all of my tomato plants and replanted the area to a new crop of green beans, zuccini, spinach, lettuce and swiss chard. I really didn't think that I had enough time for another crop of beans and zuccini and I was right, barely! Another week or so and I would of had it. The spinach, lettuce and chard were great! I even left the gate open eventually to let the deer finish off the chard.
Lettuce has such a short season that it is advisable to plant successive crops a few weeks apart during the season to ensure a steady supply. With the warm sunny weather lettuce will 'bolt' trying to go to seed and get milky and bitter. This past summer I was still picking from my first crop when the third crop was about ready!
Fall was nice enabling me to get a small crop of garlic planted. Maybe an early crop of young garlic shoots for an omlet? Comments: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

                                             Sugar Oak or White Maple?
I am a real fan of the White Oak tree (Quercus alba). It is very slow growing but quite stately when mature. The white oak is an alternate year bearer, meaning that it produces its acorns every other year. It may produce a light crop during the odd year. To wildlife, particularly deer, turkey and squirrels these are candy. The acorns that escape the onslaught of feeders or the weevil that often bores into it will send out their taproot in the fall shortly after dropping and sending out its first leaves the next spring.

Another feature of the White Oak is its tendency to hold its leaves well into the winter after most other tree's leaves have become a forest carpet. This is great for me, for this is a time of year that I do some forest management or otherwise improve my property to my liking (which, by chance, the wildlife like also). I can quickly zero in on the white oaks and cut away the other trees, mostly red maple and ash, to give them more room to grow. Its kind of like weeding a garden on a large scale.

Now the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) is a stately tree in its own right lining old country roads and surrounding old farm homes. It is the tree that produces the sweet sap that we get our Maple syrup from and gives the hillsides a yellow to orange fall color. Once the leaves turn in the fall they drop to the ground by early November and leave a gray skeleton.

When I walk down the road near my home in mid winter I pass a particular Sugar Maple that thinks it's a White Oak. In mid-January it still has 50-60% of its leaves clinging to its branches. The first time I saw this happening to this tree (I've been walking this road for 18 years) I figured the tree had gotten hit by an early freeze or something else had killed it. However, every year the same thing happens and the tree continues to thrive. So as I walk by this tree in mid winter, I affectionately think of it as a White Maple, or is that a Sugar Oak?
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Mulching - How much, what kind, when

Mulching is a task that almost all gardeners do or should do. When to mulch, how much mulch to use, what kind of mulch to use, does mulch control weeds or can I do it wrong, are all questions that are or should be asked.

So much is done wrong or unnecessarily when mulching so I will address that first. First of all, regardless of the type of mulch used, never pile it up around a tree or shrub trunk or stems. This can permanently damage a plant. Next, think about color and how it should be used. We put plants in to be seen. They are used as focal points or accents. Do you really want to use red mulch? Do you want people to look at your mulch or at the plants and their use to enhance the visual appeal of your home? The natural colors of brown or even black work much better.

The next real problem is that people use WAY too much. If you are using a fine textured product with small particles like double shredded bark, only a thin layer is necessary to cover the old. This type of mulch decays rather quickly and produces a layer of compost on top of the ground. If you are growing a groundcover that you want to cover the area, that is great for it to spread through. If not you are producing a perfect medium for weeds to grow in. When too much is put down annually, it builds up. If you are putting it around shallow rooted plants like azaleas and rhododendrons, these plants can get stressed by actually having to put out new roots up into the new layer of mulch instead of putting its energy into the top and flower production. A thick layer of mulch can actually hold too much water in a wet year or keep the ground dry by absorbing all of the available moisture in a dry year. I have seen many instances where people are trying to water their plants only to have it not penetrate the mulch layer into the ground where the roots are.

Mulching to Control Weeds

To understand the issue of mulches controlling weeds, let’s first get an understanding of the weeds themselves. Annual weeds are those that germinate, grow to maturity and produce seed and die in the same year. Most annual weeds are prolific producers of seed. Lambsquarters, pigweed, ragweed and crabgrass and its allies are all annual weeds. Most annual weed seeds need light to germinate as well as warm soil. If weed seeds are dispersed in the fall and you mulch the next spring most will be suppressed. However, in the process of pulling one weed, many more dormant seeds are exposed and will be ready to grow.  After a long season, it’s easy to let a few of these annual weeds get ahead of you, so cleanliness will vastly reduce the potential for weed growth.

Perennial weeds are those that produce roots that survive the winter, live many years and can grow and spread to sizable plants. Most perennial weeds will spread from underground roots as well as by seed. Examples are quackgrass, goldenrod, sheep sorrel and clover. When died back to the ground over the winter and covered by mulch in the spring, they will grow back up through the mulch readily. If you have perennial weeds it is best to grub out or use a systemic weed control product prior to mulching or after they come up.

Large Trees

A newsletter came in the mail the other day that had a tidbit on trees that said “The tallest redwood is believed to be 369 feet tall and has a circumference of 26 feet”.  That certainly is a tall tree that we will never come close to around here. However, a circumference of 26’ equates to a diameter of just over 4’.

I have seen oak trees in this area pushing the 4’+ diameter range with the white oaks of that size probably  being over 300 years old. A red oak in Jenksville State Forest near Newark Valley is at least that size but unfortunately in poor health. Certainly a few of the Silver Maples in the City of Binghamton will top 4’ but are fast growing and are not all that old.

Height, diameter and age in trees do not have a direct relationship. Thought to be the oldest trees in the world, the Bristlecone Pines of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains are arguably between 4,500 to over 7,000 years old. These are short,  gnarly, bonsai looking specimens less than 50’ tall. The Giant Sequoias of the west certainly take the title for the largest diameter with the largest living specimen being over 30’ in diameter, estimated to be ‘only’ 2000 years old. The tallest trees are not the Giant Sequoias but the California Redwood.

Conditions for growing tall trees are missing in our area. Our soils are too shallow, growing season too short and consistent moisture levels during the growing season unreliable.

Link to dec tall tree site http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/5248.html