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Ask the Gardener-May 17
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Is there any special about planting a Rose of the Year?
Depending on which Rose of the Year you are looking for, will depend on what you are getting. Most rose breeding/grower companies will name one of the introductions as their Rose of the Year. However, if you were looking at one of the Rose of Year introductions from the UK then you would have one of the best of the best. In North America you want to look for the distinction of an AARS (All American Rose Selection) winner.
AARS is a non-profit, industry-sponsored organization that has been testing roses for their qualities since 1938. Roses, before they are named or introduced to the public, are tested for two years by rose judges in various public trial gardens throughout the United States. They are scored on 15 relevant characteristics, varying from growing habit of the plant, flower habit and color, to plants being disease resistant.
These scores or grades are collected and tabulated. By having such a wide range of growing conditions will help in balancing regional characteristics. Once scores at gathered, the highest scoring roses receive the distinctive honor of being an AARS winner. There is no set number of winners each year. 2010 had only one winner, Easy Does It, whereas 1948 had six winners.
Now this doesn’t mean that you need to ignore all of the other rose introductions, there are hundreds to enjoy. In fact that might be a lofty goal to have for your rose garden. As for my rose garden I am trying to establish a AARS birth garden: Planting all of the roses that received the AARS distinction from the years that members of my family were born.
Roses that you plant should have something that you find irresistible. Some people are happy with one or two roses in their yards; others might want all the roses that they can possibly plant.
Which roses do you have planted in your garden?
Here is the link for the All-American Rose Selection winners.
Here is the link for the Rose of the Year United Kingdom.
Perennial of the Week-Daylily
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Is the Daylily the perfect perennial for your garden?
Have you ever had to really wonder if the perennials, that look so wonderful at your local garden center, would actually grow in your yard once you got them home? We are prone to buy blooming flowers on impulse and then figure out where we are going to plant them after getting them home. One perennial that doesn’t take a lot of thought about having the perfect growing spot is the Daylily (Hemerocallis).
Hemerocallis comes from two Greek words meaning “beautiful” and “day”. For a daylily is true to its name in that that a bloom will only last one day. However there are usually several blooms on each stem and several stems to a plant allowing for a long blooming period of time.
Daylilies are quite adaptable to many if not all growing conditions. They can grow in drought conditions and also along the ditch bank or waterway. They will grow in full sunlight, which is best, but then you can get them to grow in partial shade.
I remember one customer of mine, who would come into the greenhouse, looking specifically for new and interesting daylilies that we might have gotten in to sell. She asked me to also keep a lookout for the unique and unusual. Diane had developed a daylily garden in her yard and at that time she had over twenty different varieties of daylily in this specific garden, with many more planted throughout her whole yard.
You can find varieties that bloom early in the season, and then they are done and will then only offer green foliage for the rest of the year. However there are varieties that will bloom mid-season, late, multiple times. There truly is a daylily out there to suit your wants and desires.
There are more than the traditional yellow and oranges to choose from: you can have pinks, reds, maroons, purples, chiffons, almost any color that you want. According to The American Hemerocallis Society, you can purchase daylilies anywhere from $3 to over $500. It just depends on what you want.
Don’t let diploids and tetraploids or scapes confuse you. If you see a daylily that you like, buy it and take it home and plant it. However you might find out some of the basic information if you need; but for the most part plant it and enjoy it. Daylilies might just be the perfect perennial for your garden.
How many daylilies do you have in your garden?
Ask the Gardener-May 10
Posted by: | CommentsWhat do I do about the weeds in my lawn?
Your lawn can offer several different types of weeds that need to be controlled; do you know what kind of weeds you have growing in your lawn?
In the lawn there are two types of weeds that you want to control: Broadleaf weeds and grassy weeds. Broadleaf weeds, known as dicotyledons, would be like your clover, dandelion, mallow, etc whereas grassy weeds, monocotyledon, would be like crabgrass, quack grass, nut grass, and other narrow bladed grasses that you don’t want to grow in your lawn.
Most advertising would have you think that you need to apply a weed and feed to your lawn in order to control most weeds. However, for best results a weed and feed works best in the fall, about mid-September to late October, when all perennial weeds are out and are getting ready for winter.
Weed and Feeds, simplistically do two things: Kill broadleaf weeds that the chemical comes in contact with and then feeds the lawn. Read the instructions to fully understand and know how to use these products. You must have a wet lawn so that the weed killer will “stick” to the wet leaf of the weed and kill it. Don’t water you lawn for 36-48 hours after applying the product. The weeds that this will kill are weeds that are already leafed out. A Weed and Feed will not prevent weeds from sprouting unless it contains a pre-emergent chemical.
There are pre-emergent type of weed controls that when applied correctly will prevent weeds from growing. However, they mostly will NOT kill already growing weeds. Make sure that you again read, understand, and follow the label directions so that you will not miss-use the chemicals and then have problems where you have applied the chemicals.
Then you do have the liquid spray chemicals that you would mix up in a spray tank or connect to you hose and then apply the liquid mix to the weeds in your lawn. This is the method I prefer to use in my lawn, because I can spot treat only in the areas that I need too.
Be careful when you use any type of chemicals on your lawn. Always read and follow the instructions. Wind can carry the chemicals to plants nearby causing damage to them, be careful. However, when used correctly, herbicides can offer you a nice reward with a beautiful weed free lawn.
Do you have a gardening question? Ask us! Leave a comment here or e-mail us your question @ info@successfulgardens.com . We will answer your gardening question here in the Ask the Gardener column published each Monday, or in our monthly newsletter. Happy Gardening!