Author: Lilac

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The Japanese Maple Tree

This has been a spectacular fall for the Japanese maple species Acer japonicum and Acer plamatum. As TheGardenLady drives around her area, she is “blown away” with this year’s fall colors. This is the first time I remember seeing so many of the lace leaf or cut leaf form that have fall colors that are such a brilliant orange. Of course, the red Japanese Maple species are also gorgeous. And with the blue sky and the yellows, reds and oranges of the other trees-Nature’s painting this fall is brilliant.

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Nicotiana: Flowering Tobacco

Nicotiana tabacum (Tobacco) by Luigi FDV

This GardenLady does not smoke and of course she hopes her readers don’t. But there is possibly a good side to nicotine that recently appeared in the news.  And this is the possible use of this family of plants to create organic pesticides.  See here.  Let us hope that scientists can create a good new organic pesticide that is safe to use, just as one of the organic pesticides pyrethrum comes from the genus Chrysanthemum.  And you can make your own organic pesticide from your marigolds.  See here.

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Shakespeare Gardens

NYC Central Park’s Shakespeare Garden by Happy Gillmore

There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray,
love, remember: and there is pansies. that’s for thoughts.
Hamlet (4.5.170-1)

A friend recently attended a lecture about flowers mentioned in Shakespeare. She was very excited about this lecture. I told her to visit the Shakespeare garden in Central Park, Manhattan, NY. This garden bills itself as the only rock garden in Central Park and the plantings are based on the plants in Shakespeare’s home garden as well as his plays. But I should have told my friend that she could visit about two dozen Shakespeare’s gardens in the US alone.  See here.

I wonder how many there are in England and the rest of the world?  Wouldn’t it be fun to take a trip to all of these Shakespeare gardens to see how each of the designers decided to lay out their gardens using the flowers Shakespeare wrote about!?!  I wonder how many private gardeners in the world have created Shakespeare’s gardens in their yards.

Shakespeare Comedy gardens (7) by KarlGercens.com

The Hampton Court Palace Flower Show featured Shakespeare gardens in this year’s flower show with also vegetables that were grown during the time of Shakespeare from 1564 to 1616, which is the 16th and 17th century, to encourage private gardeners to do just that- create their own Shakespeare’s garden .
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Magnolia Bush Problems

The Sky’s Wallpaper by kubse

TheGardenLady received this question from someone whose name cannot be found.

My magnolia bush is turning yellow and then the leaves turn brown and drop off. The other leaves have black spots on them. I do not see any insects on them.  Could this be a blight?  And what should I do to save the bush?

There are about 80 species of magnolia. Not knowing what type of magnolia you have or where you live, my first question is whether you own a deciduous or an evergreen magnolia. If it is a magnolia bush, it may be deciduous and the thing that deciduous bushes do, is drop their leaves in the cool part of the year and regrow new leaves in the spring.   See here. So if the magnolia looks otherwise healthy, there is nothing you need do.

But if you have an evergreen magnolia, if the leaves are turning yellow you may have a problem. Is every leaf turning yellow then brown and dropping off?  Or are just a few dropping off?  If it is just a few, remember that even evergreen trees lose some of their leaves each year and there is nothing to worry about.

Sometimes trees are affected by environmental conditions. What has the weather been like in your area? Have you had the heat and drought conditions that we have had on the East coast of the US? This heat has affected lots of trees, shrubs and plants. No one can tell you whether these trees, shrubs and plants will survive from this excessively hot summer. Many of us are are having problems with or losing trees, shrubs and plants.  Trees don’t always die right away. Trees may struggle for a few years and then die. It takes a while for a tree to give up its ghost. Excessively cold winters can also have a similar affect on the life of plants. If the cause of your tree’s leaves turning yellow is from the environment, there is little that can be done other than to try to keep the soil at its optimum level.  See here.

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How to keep old Sansevieria or Mother-in-laws tongue plants happy and healthy

Snake plant by Fuzzy T

A number of readers have asked how to keep old Sansevieria or Mother-in-laws tongue plants happy and healthy. Many readers have inherited family sansevieria plants and want to do the right thing in revitalizing the plants. The best suggestion is to join a Sansevieria society to get their journals that give information about the plants and where you can write to a specialist who works with almost no other plant family. See here.

One question is: What sized pot should it be repotted in? According to the University of Arizona,  they recommend that for all plants the ” rule is that the diameter of the pot should be about one-third the height of the plant from the top of the foliage to the soil line.” Because Sansevierias have strong roots that can break pots, the Sansevieria International Society recommends planting the plant in a deep enough pot to allow its shoots to reach bottom and turn back upwards.

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Now is the time to plant your tulips and daffodils

At the Foot of the Magic Tree by JLMphoto

If you are planning to have tulips or daffodils or any bulbs blooming next spring, this is the perfect time to plant them. Bulbs can be planted in the ground now until the soil freezes so hard that you can not dig it. But even though we are having frosts, so long as the soil is able to be dug, you can continue planting the bulbs.  If you fail to put your bulbs in the soil, pot them and keep them in a cold garage or in a cold refrigerator so that they will also bloom next spring.  Bulbs need that coldness to bloom.

If you plan to buy bulbs in the stores, many of them are now on sale- half price or better, be sure to squeeze the bulbs to make sure that the ones you are buying are hard. Don’t buy any bulbs that are mushy or empty. I would ask to open the package in the store to check before you pay for the bulb. You do not want to buy flowering bulbs that are no longer good. A good bulb feels hard.

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A Frustrated Gardening Customer


Angry flowers by thegareth

TheGardenLady received this comment fromTerry.

Lori I ordered and paid for seeds on the 1st of Oct and have not seen them. I have called your weird cell phone that’s going to “tell” mother,,,,maybe 4 times now….but nope…mother never called or emailed…just took my money….forget the free shipping….Lori this is really wrong.. Go check the cell phone you use for custom service you will find my phone number there! Call me back and tell me you ARE shipping the seeds I ordered and paid for!!!!now 30 days ago! Or next week…I will cry on youtube.

TheGardenLady received this impassioned comment (and she hopes it’s not spam or trolling) and feels that she MUST respond because TheGardenLady recommended the Georgia Vines Nursery.

First TheGardenLady phoned the Georgia Vines Nursery and spoke to Travis, Lori Rubel’s son, who is now working for the company. When we were speaking, I emailed your comment to Travis who received it while we were speaking. I do not know the people who own Georgia Vines but speaking to first Lori and now her son, Travis, makes me feel like these are lovely people who own a fine nursery and who want to satisfy their customers. They felt there must be some mix-up. So to the reader who wrote this comment, please telephone Georgia Vines by using their proper telephone number which is  1- 912- 342- 3762 and explain what happened to you.

Gerogia Vines has expanded their business- last year they moved to a larger facility. Their web site is where you can see a photo of Lori who started the business and Travis, her son who is now working there. They also have a new blog.  Besides honoring your order,  I am sure they will answer any and all questions you have about vines.

Dear reader, PLEASE send TheGardenLady another comment letting everyone know that everything worked out well.

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Want to really help you garden grow? The secret is….WATER!

raised bed with soaker hose by biologie.

TheGardenLady has invited people with horticultural interests and expertise to contribute posts to this blog. The following article was submitted by Lou Manfredini. In the article Lou discusses  products and tips on how to keep things moist in your garden so that it looks great and stays healthy.   Lou is Ace Hardware’s Home Expert.  He is a nationally recognized DIY expert, hosting his own home improvement call-in radio show on WGN Radio in Chicago and a nationally syndicated home show, HouseSmarts. Lou is also the official home improvement expert for NBC’s TODAY Show. To read Lou’s last article about how to build a raised garden bed click here.   To learn about more tips and projects from Lou visit here.

There are countless fertilizers, bug sprays, soil mixtures, and homemade concoctions that claim to enhance your flowers, trees, shrubs and vegetables but the best thing to make your garden look its best is water. Unfortunately between droughts, vacations and busy schedules watering plants and gardens can become difficult. Here are some great products and tips on how to keep things moist so your garden looks great and stays healthy.

Drip Hoses, Soaker Hoses and Water Timers:

Drip Hoses are the unsung heroes of the garden. These black hoses can be strategically placed throughout your plant material to gently soak the surrounding ground. The trick is to place the hose under the drip line of the particular plant. So if it’s a bush, run the drip hose at the base of the plant where water would drip to the ground if it was raining. Another option is soaker hoses which are heavy-duty hoses permeated with tiny holes throughout. You lay these hoses down in your garden and water will seep through the holes slow and steady to get to the root of the plants. Ace Hardware offers a Soaker Hose that can help you reduce your water usage by 70%.

Another way to conserve water is to hook up your hoses to a timer such as the Raindrip Electronic Drip System Water Timer. This will help conserve water by letting you set how long you want the water to run as well as what time of day. It also ensures that you won’t forget to turn the sprinklers off.

Water Retention Pellets and Granules:

For flower boxes, hanging baskets and potted plants, these polymer pellets and granules are designed to retain and slowly release water to your plant. By mixing these into the soil you can make each watering go farther. Using polymer pellets such as SoilMoist Granules is perfect for when you’re trying to conserve water or if you’re heading out of town for a few days as they’ll keep your plants looking healthy and vibrant.

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Dreaming of Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie by endless beauty

This is the season that I start dreaming of pumpkin pie.

To make my pie from canned pumpkin or to buy a fresh pumpkin, that is my question. I like them both. A friend says that because fresh pumpkins are so expensive and canned pumpkin is so cheap and so good, why go to the bother of making it from a fresh pumpkin. I agree that pumpkins are terribly pricey especially when they are sold by the pound. And you really get so little meat from the pumpkin- I read that a 4 lb sugar pumpkin will only give you about 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin- not even enough for the famous Libby’s pie recipe.

But I think it is fun to use fresh pumpkin at least once. I think it helps the farmer and if people will try various varieties, the farmer will have reason to plant different types. If only canned pie is used, the farmer will only farm for the factory and variety might be lost for the future. So at least once each year, I buy my fresh pumpkin.

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Pruning Chrysanthemums‏

Chrysanthemums all bokehed except one by naruo0720

Chrysanthemums are spectacular this year. There are so many beautiful ones for sale in the stores and nurseries that they are irresistible. If you buy them fully flowered, you can put them in a pretty cache pot or urn to display them. Or you can plant them in the ground.

To be successful and have them return the next year to flower, one grower said that you should be sure to buy farm raised chrysanthemums, not store plants that were forced to bloom this season. And when you buy even the farm raised ones, choose ones that have many buds. Those that are fully flowered have finished their work and may not grow again next year.

Plant them in the ground during cool weather which is what chrysanthemums prefer. In hot weather the flowers will bolt and not open gracefully. In the cool weather the buds will open more slowly to become beautiful flowers while their roots will settle in. And this, the farmer said, will ensure that the plant will return next fall. The chances of forced plants or fully flowered plants to live and produce flowers the next fall are slim to none.  See here.

The farmer’s recommendation to get the beautiful mounds of flowers that growers get on their Chrysanthemums is to cut the plant back three times during the year. The best way to remember the times to cut them back is to remember the three holidays when the pruning time is due. The first date to cut back is on Thanksgiving after the flowers have finished blooming . The second cut back date is when the leaves emerge in the spring and should be done at Easter. And the final date to cut back chrysanthemums before they bloom is on July 4th. Then in the fall you should be rewarded with the beautiful mounds of chrysanthemum flowers you are now seeing in the store.  See here.