Gardening How-To - March/April 2012

FRAGRANT ANNUALS | BEETLEMANIA | DESERT GARDEN

Bringing your garden to life

M March/April h/A il 2012

HOW-TO

reclaim yourdeck!

TURN IT INTO O YOUR FAVORITE SPACE

7

long-blooming perennials

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF

watermelons

National Home Gardening Club Magazine | www.gardeningclub.com Cover4_Final.indd 1

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wh ere ga rde ne rs go to gro w.

Š 2012 The Scotts Company LLC. World rights reserved.

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The Kitchen Garden Experts Featuring unique and exceptional varieties from around the world.

%UROPEAN 'REENS s %THNIC 6EGETABLES s (EIRLOOMS %XOTIC (ERBS s 2ARE 'ARLICS AND MORE

YES!

Get your FREE 2012 The Cook’s Garden Catalog

Name Address

City State

Zip

E-Mail

The Cook’s Garden, P.O. Box C5030, Warminster, PA 18974 1-800-457-9703 You can also order our catalogue online at

www.cooksgarden.com

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25

36

30

features March/April 2012 • www.gardeningclub.com

A deck near Bellingham, Washington. Photograph by Mark Turner, design by Ginny Crump.

EDIBLES

PLANTS

20 The Wonderful World of Watermelons

30 A Blast That Lasts

From red to white to orange, and from large to small, there’s a watermelon for every gardener. BY TERESA O’CONNOR

On the cover

These seven perennials will give you brightly colored flowers for weeks instead of days.

BY DEB WILEY

GARDEN COVER

25 Reclaim Your Deck Too often decks—even pretty ones— don’t get used. Here’s how to turn yours into a place where you want to spend time. BY ELIZABETH NOLL

36 Desert Drama When your dream house is in an arid desert, but you want a lush garden, what do you do?

Fill it with dramatic, colorful succulents of all shapes and sizes. BY MELEAH MAYNARD

EDITORIAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS Editors, Gardening How-To, 12301 Whitewater Drive, Minnetonka, Minnesota 55343-9447 e-mail: editors@gardeningclub.com MEMBERSHIP OR CLUB QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS 800-324-8454 (Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat., 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central time) e-mail: memberservices@gardeningclub.com Gardening How-To (ISSN 1087-0083) is published Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/June, July/Aug, Fall, by the National Home Gardening Club, 12301 Whitewater Drive, Minnetonka, Minnesota 55343-9447. To become a Club member, send $18 annual dues to: National Home Gardening Club, PO Box 3401, Hopkins, MN 55343-2101. For Canadian membership, please send $36 Canadian funds (including 5 percent GST) for annual dues. $15 of each year’s dues is for an annual subscription to Gardening How-To. Periodicals postage paid at Hopkins, MN, and additional mailing offices. Direct editorial inquiries to Gardening How-To, 12301 Whitewater Drive, Hopkins, MN 55343-9447. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gardening How-To, PO Box 3401, Hopkins, MN 55343-2101. Canadian GST registration number R131271496. Canadian Post Publication Mail Agreement No. 40063731. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Gardening How-To, Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, Ont. N9A 6J5. E-mail: returnsIL@imex.pb.com. Copyright 2012, North American Membership Group Inc. All rights reserved. Produced in U.S.A. Volume 17, Number 2, Issue 93.

GARDENINGCLUB.COM 3

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what’s new

on the Web we’re on Twitter!

Follow the National Home Gardening Club at www.

twitter.com/GardenMag. Find out what’s happening at the magazine, what fellow gardeners are tweeting about, and tips and ideas for your garden.

44

12

departments garden club

don’t let a week go by!

We have so much great gardening information it won’t all fit in the magazine. Go to www.

12 Garden Variety

8 Garden Talk

gardeningclub.com and

Read about the ‘Prinses Irene’ tulip, the northern mockingbird, and more.

10 Member Letters

sign up for the free Extra Dirt newsletter. r.

Your comments about GHT

16 Site Specific Best fragrant annuals for your region

46 Garden Gear Check out some cool new products, including a turfgrass pillow and a mod birdhouse.

54 Backyard Wildlife Learn the difference between beetles to love and beetles to squish.

68 Up Close Guess this plant!

42 Member Garden Thanks to a member in Augusta, Georgia, homeless women have a community garden that brings them peace, pride, and produce.

44 Member Tips Members share tips for growing vegetables and herbs in containers.

48 Expert Advice Answers to your questions about edible ginger, invasive butterfly bush, and more

50 Home Grown Your best garden photos

52 Photo Contest

46

Snap a photo of your garden and win a great prize!

57 Member Tested

take our iPad editions for a spin!

Our iPad editions have the content you love from the print magazine, plus videos, photo slide shows, regional interactivity, and bonus sidebars. Download for free at www.gardeningclub.com/ ipad. Also available for Android tablets such as the Motorola Xoom.

Members report on a cordless mower, a pruner, cotton seeds, and more.

62 Garden Giveaway Win a trimmer or a seed-starting kit!

67 Resource Guide

4 MARCH/APRIL 2012 | GARDENINGCLUB.COM

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My Garden Volume 17 • Number 2 • Issue 93

Editorial Kathy Childers, Editor Elizabeth Noll, Managing Editor

Production Paula Reddy, Production Director Erin Nielsen, Production Coordinator

Elyse Lucas, Associate Editor Jenny Thompson, Web Editor I love my garden but don’t have much time.

So, I grow Flower Carpet® roses. Easy care, eco-friendly and they bloom all season.

My Life

Nancy Rose, Horticultural Consultant

Kathy Childers, Executive Director

Karen Jackson, Administrative Assistant

Laura Burkholder, Vice President, Membership Development

Art Mark Simpson, Executive Art Director Tracy Walsh, Art Director Jenny Mahoney, Interim Art Director Jenny Kreitzer, Assistant Art Director Matt Sprouse, Senior Digital Art Director

Advertising National Advertising Sales Office Gardening How-To 12301 Whitewater Dr., Minnetonka, MN 55343, 800-688-7611 Steve Clow, Senior Vice President, Advertising

“Time with my family is

Andrea Meester, Assistant Vice President, Member Services Kim Miltimore, Member Benefits Manager Ross Tanner, Product Test Editor Vivian Bernett, Marketing Manager Michael Stern, Marketing Specialist Deborah Hannigan, Research Manager

North American Membership Group Michael Graves, President Kate Pope, Chief Financial Officer Betty Potasnak, Vice President, Human Resources Connie Schlundt, Senior Vice President, Consumer Marketing

Grayle Howlett, Group Publisher ghowlett@namginc.com Mindy Bretts, Advertising Coordinator mbretts@namginc.com

far more important”

My Choice

National Home Gardening Club

East Ellen Kamhi, 646-862-3908 ekamhi@namginc.com Detroit Metro Jay Gagen, RPM Associates 248-557-7490, jay@RPMAssoc.com West Mike Nelson, 503-968-2304 nelsonoutdoors@frontier.com

Contact Member Services If you need help with your Club membership, please contact us.

VISIT the Club Web site www.gardeningclub.com

E-MAIL the Club memberservices@gardeningclub.com

Direct Response Smyth Media Group

Ask for Flower Carpet® roses at your favorite garden center.

Stephanie Musella, 914-693-8700 stephanie@smythmedia.com Randi Wisner, 914-693-8700 randi@smythmedia.com Gardener’s Market Sales Linda Reznick, 952-352-7500 lreznick@namginc.com

www.tesselaar.com

CALL Member Services 800-324-8454 (Weekdays, 7:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. CDT, and Saturday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. CDT)

WRITE to the Club NHGC PO Box 3401 Hopkins, MN 55343-2101

Please include your member number when you write, e-mail, or call the Club.

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GARDENTALK

what’s new?

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LATELY, ANYONE WHO ASKS what’s new gets a lengthier-than-usual response from me. Just about everything is new, starting with my new position as the executive director of the National Home Gardening Club and editor of this magazine. I’m delighted to be among gardeners like you—passionate about all things that grow.

And like you, I’m impatient for the first signs of spring. This year, the signs are coming earlier than usual. In late January, a member from Atlanta posted on the Club’s Facebook page that cherry trees were in bloom there, weeks ahead of when she normally sees them. And in early February in Minneapolis, I spotted robins—I can’t ever remember seeing them this early.

Unusual sightings like these may be more of a trend than an odd occurrence. The new plant hardiness zone map recently released by the USDA reflects a temperature shift. It shows many regions now have slightly warmer zone designations. (Read more about this, and see the new map, on page 14.)

As you eagerly move into the new season, you’ll find plenty in this issue to inspire new things to do and look for in your garden, from fragrant spring bulbs and powerhouse perennials to beetles and mockingbirds. When you’re hungry for even more, we’re just a click away: visit the Club’s website (www.gardeningclub.com), or join in conversations with the Club and other members on Facebook (www.facebook.com/GardenClub) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/ gardenmag). As always, we’d love to hear what’s new with you!

The DR® STUMP GRINDER uses carbide-tipped cutting teeth that take over 400 “bites” per second, to pulverize stumps into a pile of woodchips. Quickly and easily, you can grind any size tree stump below ground level. Gone forever!

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Kathy Childers Editor, Executive Director | editors@gardeningclub.com

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Happy growing,

8 MARCH/APRIL2012 | GARDENINGCLUB.COM

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®

GROUNDCOVER

r OSES

Have fun with your garden!

Drift® Roses bloom from spring to the first hard frost and are naturally carefree which means less work and more fun for you and your family. From the same company that brought you The Knock Out® Family of Roses, Drift® Roses don’t need to be sprayed or fussed with, giving you time to hang out and play in the garden. Available in a range of colors, easy care Drift® Roses make any garden fun!

View helpful how-to videos at w w w.youtube.com/user/conardpyle

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MEMBERLETTERS the need to weed I laughed when I read your column (“To Err is Human”) in the Fall 2011 issue (page 8). It reminded me of compulsive weeding that I did, in all places, at Versailles!

To celebrate my mom’s 80th birthday in 2010, my daughter Jennifer, my sister Linda, our mom Grace Nolte-Hedstrom, and I traveled to Paris and London.

Right there on the palace grounds was a weed, which I just could not resist pulling. —Susan Jacob, Charles City, IA

happy with heirlooms Gardening How-To magazine is a treasure! Recently, I was thrilled to see one of my photos published on

the Home Grown page. Just a few days ago, I received a collection of bulbs from Old House Gardens as my prize. The bulbs look great— such a nice collection of heirlooms!

Since I live in my grandfather’s house, which was built in 1938, the heirlooms really mean a lot to me.

Thanks for such a great magazine, and thanks for the bulbs. —Denise Pierce, Red Bay, AL

GHT saves tomatoes My baby chickens recently brought me a present. It was about 3 inches long and green. We put it in a container, but before I could take it to our nursery for identification, our Fall 2011 issue of Gardening How-To arrived. To my surprise,

Finally, Affordable Healthcare!

there was our little friend, in “Get the Best of Your Pests” (page 46).

Not only did it help me identify our creature, but it told me how to rid my tomato plants of this leafstripping little pest. Thank you for saving my tomatoes! —Kimberly Bower, University Place, WA FRAGRANT ANNUALS | BEETLEMANIA | DESERT GARDEN

WRITE TO US!

Bringing your garden to life

March/A ril 2012 March/April

HOW-TO

reclaim yourdeck!

TURN IT INTO O YOUR FAVORITE SPACE

Send your comments about long-blooming perennials the magazine to: Member Letters, watermelons Gardening How-To, 12301 Whitewater Dr., Hopkins, MN 55343, or e-mail letters@gardeningclub. com. Please include your name, address, phone number, and member number.

Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

7

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Other than the hyacinth, flowers in the early spring garden don’t have a reputation for being highly fragrant.

But there are, in fact, a handful of little-known spring-blooming bulbs that will send perfume drifting across your yard as they explode with color.

• ‘Snow Bunting’ crocus (Crocus chrysanthus ‘Snow Bunting’): A pretty, early-blooming white crocus with a strong, musky

fragrance. About 3 inches tall.

Zones 4 to 7.

• Pheasant’s eye daffodil (Narcissus poeticus): This sweetly scented wildflower from the Old World has bright white petals that curve back from a tiny red-rimmed yellow cup. Deep inside the cup is the green eye that gives the flower its common name. Also known as the poet’s narcissus. Grows about

14 inches tall. Zones 4 to 8.

• ‘Prinses Irene’ tulip (Tulipa ‘Prinses Irene’, also sold as ‘Princess Irene’), pictured here: A deep orange tulip with feathery purple marks and a strong perfume.

Triumph Group. About 14 inches tall. Zones 3 to 7. —Elizabeth Noll For sources, see Resource Guide on page 67.

PHOTO: JANET LOUGHREY

the scent of spring

12 MARCH/APRIL 2012 | GARDENINGCLUB.COM

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2/2/12 11:16 AM

Plant Hardiness Zone Map Seattle

OLYMPIA

Missou Portland

ri

Columbia

SALEM

HELENA

AUGUSTA

BISMARCK MONTPELIER

CONCORD SAINT PAUL

BOISE

BOSTON

ALBANY

PIERRE

PROVIDENCE

ippi Mississ

Buffalo HARTFORD LANSING

MADISON

Detroit

Missou

NewYork

Chicago

TRENTON

DES MOINES

ri

SALT LAKE CITY

CARSON CITY

CHEYENNE

HARRISBURG

Philadelphia

Pittsburgh

SACRAMENTO DOVER

LINCOLN

COLUMBUS

San Francisco

WASHINGTON D.C.

SPRINGFIELD

Ohio SaintLouis

do Co lo ra

RALEIGH

Charlotte

SANTA FE

LITTLE ROCK

COLUMBIA

ippi Mississ

Tucson Dallas

MONTGOMERY JACKSON

TALLAHASSEE

100 Miles

BATON ROUGE

-42.8 to -40

3a

-40 to -37.2

-35 to -30

3b

-37.2 to -34.4

-30 to -25

4a

-25 to -20

4b

-31.7 to -28.9

-20 to -15

5a

-28.9 to -26.1

-15 to -10

5b

-26.1 to -23.3

-10 to -5

6a

-23.3 to -20.6

-5 to 0

-34.4 to -31.7

Gra nde

San Antonio

NewOrleans

Houston

Tampa

Puerto Rico SAN JUAN

Anchorage

160 Miles Kilometers 200

6b

-20.6 to -17.8

0 to 5

7a

-17.8 to -15

5 to 10

7b

-15 to -12.2

10 to 15

8a

-12.2 to -9.4

15 to 20

8b

-9.4 to -6.7

20 to 25

9a

-6.7 to -3.9

25 to 30

9b

-3.9 to -1.1

30 to 35

10a

-1.1 to 1.7

35 to 40

10b

1.7 to 4.4

40 to 45

11a

45 to 50

11b

7.2 to 10

50 to 55

12a

10 to 12.8

55 to 60

12b

12.8 to 15.6

60 to 65

13a

15.6 to 18.3

65 to 70

13b

18.3 to 21.1

AUSTIN

Rio

Kilometers 180

80

-45.6 to -42.8

2b

-40 to -35

4.4 to 7.2

Miami

JUNEAU

Alaska

0 0

75

150

100 200

300 Miles Kilometers 400

0 10 20

Mapping by the PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, http://prism.oregonstate.edu, 2012

0 15 30

40 Miles Kilometers 60

news of note After 22 years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones have officially shifted, according to a new map the agency released in January. Search for your new zone by ZIP code at www.planthardiness.ars.usda.gov.

garden spot

finding spring White snowdrops, purple crocuses, blue squills, golden forsythias: at WINTERTHUR, a museum and garden estate in Wilmington, Delaware, there’s a spot called the March Bank, where some brilliant gardeners collected spring flowers of every shape and size, and planted them to bloom in rivers of blue and clouds of yellow. Visitors find as much spring bloom as they can possibly absorb, all in one magical place. —E.N. For more information, see the Resource Guide on page 67.

feathered facts

northern mockingbird If you’ve ever heard a bird singing at night, it was probably a northern mockingbird.

Mockingbirds sing a beautiful, musical song of their own, but males also have 50 to 200 additional selections in their repertoire. That’s because they can imitate other birds’ songs and calls, and even pick up on different “dialects” in various regions of the country.

Mockingbirds are subtly handsome, about 9 to 11 inches long, with a gray topcoat, lighter underparts, and white under the wings and tail. They eat insects in the spring and summer, but switch to fruit in fall and winter.

LOOK for the mockingbird’s bright yellow eye as an important field identification mark.

Their extra-long tail is another giveaway.

Mockingbirds flash white underwings when hunting insects, probably to startle and flush their prey.

LISTEN for different bird songs coming from the same place.

ATTRACT northern mockingbirds with raisins, fig pieces, or chopped apples on a tray feeder or any flat surface. Fruit trees also attract them.

DID YOU KNOW that northern mockingbirds have been known to imitate cat meows, dog barks, toad croaks, human whistling, and even piano notes they’ve heard through open windows? —Tom Carpenter

PHOTOS: MOCKINGBIRD, RON AUSTING; GARDEN SPOT COURTESY OF WINTERTHUR, QUARRY GARDEN, BY RAY MAGNANI; MAP, COURTESY USDA

Hawaii HONOLULU

40

2a

-45 to -40

PHOENIX ATLANTA

0 50 100

-48.3 to -45.6

NASHVILLE

Birmingham

0

-51.1 to -48.3

1b

-50 to -45

FRANKFORT

OKLAHOMA CITY

0 45 90

Temp (C)

1a

Wichita

Los Angeles

0 25 50

Zone

-55 to -50 RICHMOND

JEFFERSON CITY

San Diego

Average Annual Extreme Minimum Temperature 1976-2005 Temp (F) -60 to -55

CHARLESTON

TOPEKA

Las Vegas

ANNAPOLIS

INDIANAPOLIS

DENVER

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SITESPECIFIC What’s growing in your region—and how to care for it.

Pacific Northwest Southwest

fragrant annuals

Midwest/Mountain Northeast Southeast

midwest/mountain PUT A FEW FLOWERING tobacco plants in containers or

garden beds near your entryway, where their wonderful aroma will help wash away the stress of a hard day and welcome dinner guests to your home. The white, red, rose, pink, yellow, green, lavender, or maroon tubular flowers open into five-petal stars that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. To get the most intense fragrance, plant the species Nicotiana alata (instead of its cultivars) or the white-flowering Nicotiana sylvestris. Look for varieties that are labeled as highly or intoxicatingly fragrant, like the Whisper and Perfume series. —Melinda Myers, Milwaukee, WI

tips • Plant in full sun or light shade for best flowering.

• Flowering tobacco prefers moist, well-drained soils but will tolerate drier conditions once established.

• Grow flowering tobacco in an area where you can appreciate its tendency to reseed.

• Finish pruning back and composting any perennials that were left standing for winter.

• Prune back summer-blooming spirea and potentilla.

Cut all the stems back halfway and 50 percent of those back to the ground for a less floppy display.

• Lightly rake the lawn as snow recedes to prevent problems with snow mold. Wait for the soil to warm to reseed dead spots.

Pictured here: Nicotiana alata

PHOTO: MARK TURNER

what to do this season

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northeast SWEET ALYSSUM (Lobularia maritima) is one of the unsung heroes of the garden. The plants are easily found at garden centers and a snap to start from seed.

They bloom in just 8 weeks and continue through late fall. Sweet alyssum’s wonderful fragrance is often described as honeylike, and honeybees love the tiny, nectar-rich flowers, as do native bees, hover flies, and tiny parasitic wasps.

Organic gardeners often interplant sweet alyssum to encourage these beneficial insects to visit. Sweet alyssum’s compact, spreading habit (3 to 8 inches tall and 10 to 12 inches wide) is perfect for containers, rock gardens, edgings, and underplantings. In addition

to white and pale purple, the Wonderland and Aphrodite series now offer salmon, apricot, and lemon. —Kathleen LaLiberte, Richmond, VT

tips • Sweet alyssum seeds are inexpensive, so it’s easy to plant lots. Don’t cover them, as they need light to germinate.

• Alyssum likes full sun to partial shade.

what to do this season • For summer-bearing raspberries, remove thin or broken canes as well as all canes that bore fruit last year. For highest yields, cut all fall-bearing canes to the ground.

Pictured here: Lobularia maritima

southeast

PHOTOS: LOBULARIA MARTIMA, MARK TURNER; MIRABILIS JALAPA, JANET LOUGHREY

DUSK IS MY FAVORITE TIME to

kick back and enjoy the garden.

This is the hour when plumes of perfume from four o’clocks (Mirabilis jalapa) attract big hawk moths. Many gardeners grow four o’clocks as annuals, but if you’re in Zones 7 to 10, you can keep your favorite plants as perennials.

If cold weather does damage the roots of older plants, new seedlings will emerge in spring from big, black seeds that fell into the soil the season before. Four o’clocks bloom in solid pink, white, or yellow, as well as in variegated colors. Plants average 24 inches tall; yellow strains are a bit taller. A similar species from the Southwest called sweet four o’clock (Mirabilis longiflora) has a more relaxed growing habit. Its white flowers

with raspberry centers produce a sweet perfume from dusk till dawn.

—Barbara Pleasant, Floyd, VA

tips • Because the stems break easily, locate four o’clocks away from walkways. Plants should be considered poisonous to people and pets.

• In the South, four o’clocks are a partial shade plant best suited for a place at the edge of the woods or next to a building.

what to do this season • Start seeds indoors of unusual tomatoes, peppers, and flowers you want to grow.

• Set out dormant trees and shrubs, including fruit trees, blueberries, and roses.

• Fill containers with annuals that like cool weather, such as petunias and lobelias.

Pictured here: Mirabilis jalapa GARDENINGCLUB.COM 17

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southwest HOW CAN SUCH A HAIRY PLANT

tips

be so feminine? Rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) is a scented species that adds texture to the garden when used as edging or in pots—smooth porcelain and rough terracotta are set off nicely by its hairy leaves. Crush those leaves between your fingers to enjoy the very strong scent of an old-fashioned rose. Plant Pelargonium graveolens beside the lemon-scented P. citronellum for a lovely combination of fragrances. The tiny white flowers on these plants are incidental to the velvety foliage and strong perfume.

You might also want to try the peppermint-, nutmeg- and applescented varieties. —Stephanie

• Water scented geraniums regularly and mist often to avoid whitefly attacks.

• Scented geraniums grow 2 to 4 feet in full sun.

• Bring scented geraniums in before frost to preserve them from year to year. They will lose most of their leaves and become woody while dormant, but once you begin feeding and pruning them—about two months before you set them outdoors again—they’ll look fresh in no time.

Hainsfurther, Albuquerque, NM

what to do this season • Remove perennial weeds like creeping Charlie and Russian thistle while they’re still young and easiest to pull.

• Cover large weedy areas with black plastic for a few weeks to kill weed seeds.

Pictured here: Pelargonium graveolens

pacific northwest are heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) and peacock gladiolus (Gladiolus murielae). Heliotrope, which is really a shrub from Peru, grows about 2 feet tall and wide.

Its leaves are dark and rough and provide a good backdrop for the mounded clusters of tiny violet flowers. (‘Marine’ is a dark purple.)

Its common name, the cherry pie plant, clues you into its lovely fragrance.

The heavily perfumed flowers of the peacock gladiolus appear on graceful stems 2 feet tall, which emerge from the swordlike foliage in August. The white flowers have pointed petals and a burgundy blotch at their center. Peacock gladiolus may also be sold as Acidanthera or

Gladiolus callianthus ‘Murielae’.

— Marty Wingate, Seattle, WA

tips • Plant gladiolus corms 3 to 4 inches deep in May. Dig them up and overwinter for next season or start again with fresh corms.

• Heliotrope grows in part shade, but peacock gladiolus needs full sun.

what to do this season • Begin sowing lettuce seed in the garden every two or three weeks for a constant supply of salad greens.

• Leave daffodil foliage alone for about six weeks after the flowers die. The leaves will continue to photosynthesize, making food for the bulbs so that they’ll bloom well the following year.

Pictured here: Heliotrope arborescens ‘Marine’

PHOTOS: PELARGONIUM GRAVEOLENS, JERRY PAVIA; HELIOTROPE ARBORESCENS ‘MARINE’, MARK TURNER

MY FAVORITE FRAGRANT ANNUALS

For sources, see Resource Guide on page 67.

GARDENINGCLUB.COM 18 MARCH/APRIL 2012 | GARDENINGCLUB.CO

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2/2/12 11:17 AM

wonderful world of watermelons Grow the taste of summer in your own backyard

BY TERESA O’CONNOR

PHOTOS: LEFT, GETTY IMAGES/ROBIN MACDOUGALL; RIGHT, PHOTO COURTESY OF SEED SAVERS EXCHANGE

the

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s

weet, juicy watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) have been popular in the garden and kitchen for centuries. Native to Africa, they were grown

by Spanish settlers in Florida as early as 1576 and by British colonists in Massachusetts in 1629. Two centuries later, Mark Twain wrote in Puddn’head Wilson that watermelon must be “what the angels eat.”

Today, watermelons come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors, from the strangely spotted ‘Moon and Stars’ to the unusual white flesh of ‘Cream of Saskatchewan’. There are even varieties for northern climates that are suited for short growing seasons. If you grow watermelons yourself, you’ll enjoy fruit that’s far better than what you can find in most grocery stores.

planting tips Watermelon thrives in full sun when daytime temperatures are between 70 and 85 degrees F and nighttime temperatures are around 65 to 70 degrees F. Watermelons grow in humid regions, but they experience fewer foliar diseases in dry climates.

One effective way to control pests and pathogens is to practice crop rotation. Don’t grow watermelons, cantaloupes, cucumbers, or other members of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) in the same garden spot more than once every three years.

Plant watermelons after the last frost and when soil temperatures have warmed to at least 60 to 65 degrees F at

‘Blacktail Mountain’

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12 watermelons to try Early Varieties

‘Golden Midget’

‘Blacktail Mountain’ (65 to 75 days): Round green-black fruits weigh 6 to 10 pounds, with scarlet flesh. This heirloom is perfect for short seasons but is also happy in hot humid climates.

‘Golden Midget’ (70 days): Small oblong heirloom with salmon pink flesh; the rind turns golden-yellow when ripe.

Fruit matures at about 3 pounds.

‘Orange Krush’ (78 days): Orange flesh in oblong 17- to 20-pound watermelons. This early hybrid typically bears heavily and is tolerant of fusarium wilt.

Mid-season Varieties: ‘Afternoon Delight’ (90 days): Seedless watermelon with red flesh and a mottled, green stripe rind. Fruit is 16 to 20 pounds. Tolerant of anthracnose and fusarium wilt.

‘Cream of Saskatchewan’ (85 days): Originally from Russia, this heirloom does well in northern climates.

Round fruits are 4 to 10 pounds with striped green skin and sweet white flesh.

‘Desert King’ (85 days): This drought-tolerant watermelon thrives in hot, dry climates. Oblong fruits have yellow flesh with light green skin; watermelons hold on vine for a month without sunburn.

‘Sugar Baby’ (85 days): The popular ‘Sugar Baby’ is ideal for smaller gardens. Compact plants produce delicious 6to 10-pound black-green watermelons with red flesh.

‘Charleston Gray’ (85 days): Perfect for a picnic! Large fruits are 28 to 35 pounds, with light greenish-gray skin and red flesh.

Resistant to fusarium wilt, anthracnose, and sunburn.

‘Desert King’

BOTTOM, COURTESY OF SEED SAVERS EXCHANGE

‘Moon and Stars’

‘Red Seeded Citron’ (100 days): Inedible heirloom with white flesh and red seeds. The fruit is tasteless when raw, but it’s useful for making preserves and pickles. Watermelons on these drought-tolerant plants can be stored for a year.

‘Moon and Stars’ (95 days): Dark green fruit are decorated with small yellow “stars” and a larger “moon.” Look for different strains of this heirloom, including Cherokee, Van Doren, and Yellow Flesh.

‘Orangeglo’ (95 days): Sweet orange flesh in oblong fruits that average 25 pounds. ‘Orangeglo’ is a reliable producer and a prolific plant that’s resistant to wilt and insects.

‘Truck Buster’ (90 days): Extremely large fruits average more than 50 pounds. This giant watermelon has a tri-striped green rind with red flesh. Resistant to fusarium wilt.

PHOTOS: TOP TWO, COURTESY OF BAKER CREEK HEIRLOOM SEEDS;

Late-season Varieties:

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a 4-inch depth. If you start them from seeds, you’ll find a larger selection available. Start indoors about four weeks before planting time, or direct sow seeds in garden beds 1 inch deep in hills spaced 8 feet apart in all directions. Plant three to four seeds in each hill; after seeds germinate (in four to 10 days), thin to two plants per hill.

mulching, fertilizing, watering In cooler climates, you can use black plastic or black landscape fabric to give watermelons a jumpstart. The black color warms soil faster by absorbing the sun’s rays.

The plastic also conserves moisture, suppresses weeds, reduces fruit rot, ‘Orangeglo’

and helps keep away cucumber beetles and vine borers. Punch holes in mulch for transplants or seeds.

Landscape fabric is often preferred over plastic because it’s permeable, so water can pass through.

Before planting watermelons, prepare the soil by adding organic matter like aged manure or wellrotted compost. Feed with a wellbalanced fertilizer when planting, and again when fruit forms. Too much nitrogen encourages excess foliage instead of fruit production.

Watermelons are comprised of 92 percent water, so this plant needs plenty of irrigation while it’s developing fruit. To avoid foliar diseases, use drip irrigation and water at the root zone at least

Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) is a serious disease that can destroy an entire watermelon crop. Symptoms appear on seedlings as dark, water-soaked areas on the undersides of cotyledons and leaves. These areas then dry up into angled black patches. If the bacteria from the leaves spreads to the fruit, the disease will cause the rind to split. After that happens, the fruit rots. BFB thrives in high humidity, high temperatures, and overhead watering. To help control this disease, practice crop rotation, purchase seeds tested against BFB, inspect transplants carefully, avoid overhead watering, and mulch well.

6 inches deep. If using overhead irrigation, water in morning so foliage can dry before dark.

harvesting watermelons

PHOTO: ROB CARDILLO

Picking watermelons at the peak of perfection is an art. Know the approximate days to maturity for your varieties. Then look for signs: as watermelons ripen, their ground spots change from white or pale green to yellow or cream. The tendrils near the fruit stem also dry and turn brown. Thump fruit with a finger. If it sounds muffled and dull, it’s ripe. If you hear a clear, metallic ringing tone, wait a bit longer. That’s the sound of immature fruit.

Teresa O’Connor, a master gardener, co-authored Grocery Gardening: Planting, Preparing & Preserving Fresh Foods (Cool Springs Press).

For seed sources, see Resource Guide on page 67.

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2/2/12 10:58 AM

reclaim your deck Adding a few Addi f crucial i l elements l t will make it inviting and comfortable.

BY ELIZABETH NOLL NO

transition naturally

PHOTO: JANET LOUGHREY

t

oo often decks are just extra space. Even if they’re furnished nicely—table and chairs, a grill, a few plants—they’re just not a place where you want to spend time. What’s missing? A handful of elements that can make it liveable. Shade and privacy are two crucial pieces of the puzzle:

you want to feel protected at the same time you’re enjoying the fresh air. The best deck is also a comfortable and stylish transition from house to garden. On these pages we’ve collected some ideas on how to create a welcoming deck where, instead of being merely a passageway, it’s a destination.

Abundant, chaotic, and colorful—this deck is like a cottage garden crossed with a living room. The furniture and rug make it an extension of the house. Lush plantings hug the seating area and soften the lines of the fence beyond, creating a cozy, protected space. (Note the shade umbrella at the ready.)

The bright crush of color makes the transition from deck to garden barely noticeable—the garden is on the deck and all around it.

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PHOTO: MARK TURNER, DESIGN BY GINNY CRUMP

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provide shade This broad, spacious deck is lovely, and the treetop view is gorgeous.

Unfortunately, the trees are too distant to provide protection during the hottest hours, when it’s most needed. That could turn the deck into an oven with a view, but one thing saves it: the shade umbrellas.

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create privacy

PHOTOS: DECK WITH TRELLIS, HABERSHAM GARDENS; TULIPS, SAXON HOLT

Solid walls aren’t the only way, or even the best way to invite a feeling of seclusion. A pergola that encloses table and chairs will create an intimate, private space. Tidy green vines slowly creeping up the trellis and onto the lattice overhead provide a sense of slow motion as well as added shade.

use color A few bunches of bright flowers will force a bland stretch of decking into the background. If you’ve got only a few square feet of space, go for the bold. Colorful or fragrant plants aren’t essential to drawing you out on your deck, but once you’re out there, they’ll make you want to linger.

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a blast that lasts Plant these hard-working perennials for long-lasting color

By Deb Wiley

GROWING PERENNIALS can be downright agonizing. We anxiously wait for them to bloom, and when they do finally flower, the show is often painfully brief. Some only last days.

Others may succumb to pests and less-than-ideal weather conditions—wind, rain, heat, or cold.

Luckily, there are a handful of perennials that are longbloomers and tough as nails: agastache, coreopsis, gaillardia, thrive in imperfect conditions, are resistant to deer, and their flowers will make a splash for weeks or even months. Use this guide for choosing and growing these low-maintenance, highcolor performers.

‘Fanfare’

PHOTO: JANET LOUGHREY

geranium, rudbeckia, Russian sage, and Shasta daisy. They

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gaillardia blooms early summer to early fall If you have poor but welldrained soil, lots of sun, and heat and humidity, and you want a perennial that blooms for months, gaillardia is a good choice. The butterflies will love it too! Also known as blanketflower because of the way it blanketed the prairies, gaillardia is tough yet attractive, with daisylike flowers in bright yellows, reds, and oranges. Keep it deadheaded to promote more blooms.

The petal edges on most gaillardias are serrated, but the edges of the deep-yellow petals of ‘Amber Wheels’ (part of the Wheels series) are beautifully frilled. 30 inches tall, Zones 4 to 9.

The petals on ‘Fanfare’ resemble tiny scarlet-and-yellow trumpets blaring upward. 18 to 24 inches tall, Zones 5 to 9.

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coreopsis

‘Full Moon’

‘Heather Queen’

agastache blooms midsummer through fall Agastache is one tough blooming machine, with nonstop, tiny, hummingbird-magnet flowers. Grow this heat-tolerant plant in full sun and extremely well-drained soil.

The difference between species is important, depending on your conditions. Agastache rupestris (Zones 4 to 9) prefers a drier environment and leaner soils. Agastache cana (Zones 5 to 9) needs better soils and more water.

(Pictured: A. cana ‘Heather Queen’.)

‘Desert Sunrise’, a hybrid of A. rupestris and A. cana, has a luscious bloom color that combines orange, pink, and lavender. It’s tall (40 to 48 inches tall) and hardy in Zones 5 to 10.

Another agastache cultivar, ‘Blue Fortune’, has 5-inch-tall lavender bottlebrush spires. Be careful; this one can be aggressive. 36 inches tall, 18 inches wide, Zones 4 to 10.

PHOTOS: BILL JOHNSON

blooms early summer until fall Coreopsis, also known as tickseed, has light and airy flowers and delicate foliage. The daisylike blooms come in white, pink, magenta, yellow, and orange. It’s drought-tolerant once established and makes excellent cut flowers. Most coreopsis needs deadheading to rebloom. Hardiness varies wildly among cultivars. Grows in full sun and well-drained soil.

Coreopsis in the new Big Bang series—‘Cosmic Eye’ (12 to 15 inches tall), ‘Full Moon’ (24 to 30 inches tall), ‘Galaxy’ (12 inches tall), and ‘Redshift’ (24 to 30 inches tall)—are notable for large blooms that don’t need deadheading. ‘Redshift’ opens as a pale yellow flower, but in cooler temperatures, the center and petal color shifts to ruby red. Zones 5 to 9.

For something completely different, check out Coreopsis tripteris ‘Lightning Flash’, a new 5-foot-tall coreopsis with golden foliage and yellow flowers. This North Carolina discovery thrives in heat and humidity. 60 inches tall, Zones 3 to 8.

An oldie but goodie is Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’, the 1992 Perennial Plant of the Year. Its tiny butter-yellow flowers keep on coming. 18 inches tall, Zones 3 to 9.

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geranium blooms early summer until frost All perennial geraniums have long bloom times. They tolerate partial shade but do best in full sun. Well-drained soil is essential.

For season-long flowering, Geranium ‘Rozanne’ (Zones 5 to 8) is the clear winner. This 2008 Perennial Plant of the Year produces five-petaled, violet-blue flowers with white eyes. Slender flower stems produce new blooms as the old fall off, so the growth habit may look rangy and stringy by late summer. Prune the plant back for a new flush of leaves and blooms. 18 to 20 inches tall, Zone 5 to 8.

Others to consider: ‘Dark Reiter’ (Zones 4 to 8) is 8 to 10 inches tall with bright-blue flowers and nearly black foliage; ‘Dragon Heart’ (Zones 5 to 8) is 24 inches tall and wide with striking 2-inch magenta blooms.

(Perennial geraniums are different plants than the annual commonly called “geranium”—the one with familiar red or white flowers frequently found in pots—which is in the genus Pelargonium.)

‘Goldsturm’

PHOTOS: RUDBECKIA, JERRY PAVIA; GERANIUM, BILL JOHNSON

rudbeckia blooms midsummer to early fall Whether you call her black-eyed Susan or rudbeckia, this golden girl begins her show late in the season but then continues as long as three months. It’s drought tolerant and easy to grow in sun or part shade. Check the hardiness, however; some rudbeckias, such as ‘Tiger Eye Gold’, are only hardy to Zone 10 and should be grown as annuals.

‘Goldsturm’, the Perennial Plant of the year in 1999, is popular in mass plantings.

Don’t cut down the stems once petals fall off; the brown eye contains seeds that attract birds. 24 inches tall, Zones 4 to 10.

Unlike ‘Goldsturm’, ‘Early Bird Gold’ rudbeckia does not rely on day length to begin blooming, so its yellow flowers begin earlier. 24 inches tall, Zones 4 to 10.

‘Rozanne’

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Russian sage blooms summer to mid-fall Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia), which was the Perennial Plant of the Year in 1995, is actually from the mountains of central Asia, not Russia.

It’s long-lived and easy to grow in full sun. The silvery leaves and tiny pale blue flowers attract hummingbirds but not deer. 36 to 48 inches tall, Zone 4 to 9.

If your garden requires a more compact variety, try the new Lacey Blue (P. atriplicifolia ‘Lisslitt’), which is only 18 to 20 inches tall. Also consider ‘Little Spire’ at 25 inches tall. Both are hardy in Zones 4 to 9.

Russian sage

Shasta daisy blooms early to late summer The white or creamy-yellow blooms of Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum x superbum) draw the eye when they begin blooming in summer. Grow in full sun and average soil, and deadhead for continued bloom. All are hardy in Zones 5 to 9.

‘Becky’, the 2003 Perennial Plant of the Year, grows 36 to 42 inches tall.

Others to try: new, long-lasting ‘Banana Cream’, which lightens from lemon yellow to cream (15 to 18 inches tall); the diminutive ‘Lacrosse’, with quilled white flowers (8 to 12 inches tall); and ‘Aglaia’ with fringed doublewhite flowers (24 to 36 inches tall).

‘Becky’

To read about four fabulous foliage plants and sources for these seven perennials, scan this code with your smartphone or go to www.gardeningclub.com and click on WebExtras.

PHOTOS: JANET LOUGHREY

Deb Wiley is a garden writer in Des Moines, Iowa.

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desert drama Colorful succulents play a starring role in this lush California landscape

Many-armed candelabra tree (Euphorbia ingens) takes center stage along the Humber’s driveway, while prostrate rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’) softens the retaining wall. In the gardens, Agave ‘Blue Flame’, Aeonium ‘Purple Moon’, Agave ‘Whale’s Tail’, and baby jade (Crassula ovata) alternate in a colorful tapestry.

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By Meleah Maynard Photography by Shelley Metcalf

t all started with a walk.

Several years ago, Candace Humber was strolling through her neighborhood in Rancho Santa Fe, California, when she spotted a lot where a home had been razed after a fire had raged through the area. She was immediately taken with the ocean view and the idea of building a new home on the 2-acre lot, which included a fair amount of steep terrain that would need to be tamed in some way. She and her husband Kent bought the lot and started planning their dream house.

In 2009, the Craftsmanstyle home was finished, as was the magical landscape that surrounds it. Landscape architects Greg Stone and Kirsten Larson designed the many gardens, stone paths, retaining walls, and dry riverbeds that surround the Humber family’s home.

Everything comes together

I

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With its festive thatched umbrella, the cozy patio on the north side of the house is one of the family’s favorite gathering spots.

Kent and Candace Humber wanted their landscape to include plenty of spaces to spend time with their grown children. Though Connor, 25, and twins Christian (on rock) and Lindy, 23, live elsewhere, they’re frequent guests at the Humber family home.

to create an environment that has lush, tropical appeal but is surprisingly drought-tolerant.

Because the lot was essentially a blank slate, Stone and Larson opted to let the area’s natural oak woodland habitat drive the look and feel of the landscape. The biggest challenge was grading the site, which was accomplished by re-contouring the pad and surrounding slopes. Next, they divided the landscape into multiple levels that incorporated 25 tons of native boulders and a wide range of succulents, shrubs, and trees. “Once we had our overall theme and the separate areas laid out,” Larson explains, “we chose focal points for each space, like the chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) to frame the driveway and the coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) in the driveway planter.”

Succulents take center stage Candace and Kent Humber aren’t gardeners, so they wanted a landscape that would be attractive and inviting but also low maintenance and able to survive primarily on natural rainfall.

One day, while talking over ideas with Larson and Stone, Candace mentioned that she liked the look of succulents.

“Their eyes lit up right away,” she recalls. The three of them headed off to a local nursery to look at different varieties. “I love how each one is beautiful in its own way,” Candace says.

Stone and Larson have long been fans of designing with succulents, though they admit the plants can sometimes be a hard sell with clients, who aren’t aware of the variety of colors and shapes available.

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garden at a glance Size of lot: 2 acres Size of garden: 2 acres Years in house: almost 3 USDA Hardiness Zone: 10 Average annual rainfall: 15 inches Watering technique: Spray system on a sensor, some drip Original soil: Sandy, welldrained Soil amendments: A small amount of compost in each planting hole Fertilizer: Organic off-theshelf brands, compost Mulch: Wood chips Most persistent pest: Mealybugs Favorite spot: Secluded patio on north side Favorite trees: Coast live oak, candelabra tree, bracelet honey myrtle tree, chir pine

“People are afraid of succulents because they think their landscape will look like a desert, when that’s not the case at all,” says Larson. “We often combine succulents to create lush gardens, just like we did here.”

One of the things she loves most about them is that in addition to offering a wide range of interesting colors, forms, and textures, most succulents bloom in the winter, adding hues of yellow, orange, and red to gardens when little else is flowering.

But blooms are really just a bonus, Larson adds. Succulents offer their own striking array of colors, from the cool green blues of Aloe africana and Aloe ‘Soledad’ to the deep purple of Aeonium

The sound of a waterfall and the soothing green hues of moss, The blue arms of a century plant (Agave hydrangea, and weeping juniper americana) stand guard over the orange create a peaceful sanctuary in the flowers of Aloe ‘Soledad’, black rose, and middle of the suburbs. lime green Senecio barbertonensis.

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Canary Island spurge (Euphorbia canariensis) provides a stately backdrop for the cream and light green variegated Aeonium ‘Sunburst’ and aquatic-looking clumps of Senecio pyramidalis along a walking path.

tips for using succulents Landscape designer Kirsten Larson has a few tips for gardeners looking to create lush, succulent gardens.

• Keep foliage to a certain palette: use either cool or hot colors but not both.

• With either palette, don’t be afraid to splash in some silvers, grays, and purples for contrast.

• Create a lush look by combining succulents with softer-textured plants, such as grasses and sages.

• Arrange plants in their pots on the ground before you start digging, and move them around if your design idea doesn’t seem quite right.

arboreum ‘Zwartkop’, commonly known as black rose for its burgundy-black rosettes.

Larson and Stone used black rose repeatedly in the Humbers’ multilevel garden. It provides rich contrast in every spot, including the patio on the north side of the house. A peaceful hideaway with a cozy sitting area under a thatched umbrella, the patio offers a view of the distant canyon and the boulder bridge Stone had constructed over a nearby dry creek bed.

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Two dry streambeds are included in the Humber’s desert landscape. This one is spanned by a boulder bridge.

Stone as design Blue stone walkways and paths of other types of natural stone connect the patio to other parts of the landscape, including the pool area, an upper-level driveway near the street, a lower-level terrace with a putting green, and a small orchard with about a dozen different fruit trees. A few lemon and lime trees are located right outside the kitchen.

“We call those our margarita trees,” Candace says, laughing.

The many rock walls Larson and Stone included in the landscape play a role in the design as well.

Nowhere is this more clear than the main driveway, where an undulating wall of honey ledge stone provides a

stunning backdrop to gardens filled with a repeating mosaic of plants, including Agave ‘Blue Flame’, Aeonium ‘Purple Moon’, and baby jade (Crassula ovata). Creeping rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’) cascades down from the top of the wall, softening the edges.

“With a natural landscape like this, we didn’t want the wall to look imposing, so we incorporated boulders to break up the stone and varied the plant varieties and types,” Stone explains.

Seeing so many different plants growing and changing from season to season has inspired the Humbers’ daughter, Lindy, 23, to

start propagating succulents herself.

“She’s having so much fun taking cuttings and rooting them,” Candace says. “She may get interested in doing more gardening, too.”

Meleah Maynard is a writer and master gardener in Minneapolis. She’s the co-author, with Jeff Gillman, of Decoding Gardening Advice: The Science Behind the 100 Most Common Recommendations (Timber Press, 2011).

For more photos of the Humber’s landscaping, visit www.gardeningclub.com and click on WebExtras.

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MEMBERGARDEN

peace, pride, and produce Member Rosemary Forrest helped homeless women and children start a garden.

They harvested much more than fresh vegetables.

Member Rosemary Forrest, of Augusta, Georgia, helped start a community garden and found it provided many intangible benefits.

they planted sunflowers and radishes, and this fall and winter they grew pansies. We even found new partners for Hope House as volunteers from the greater community showed up to help.

Each spring, we know more than we did the last year. This year, we’ll plant fewer types of vegetables but more of each, so that we have enough to serve the women in our communal kitchen.

When we started our garden, we thought fresh vegetables sounded like a healthy idea. It turns out that tending the garden is healthful as well.

WHAT’S YOUR GARDEN STORY? Send your 500-word essay to: Member Garden, Gardening How-To, 12301 Whitewater Dr., Hopkins, MN 55343 or e-mail elizabeth@gardeningclub.com. Please include your name, address, daytime phone number, member number, and at least one clear color photograph (not photocopy) of you in your garden. We’ll pay $200 for stories we publish.

Sorry, we can’t acknowledge or return submissions.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSEMARY FORREST

AS THE GRANT WRITER for Hope House, Inc., a nonprofit that serves homeless women, I thought it might be worthwhile to have a garden for the women to tend to and share. So I wrote a grant called “Reaping Hope,” and the local branch of Women in Philanthropy agreed to fund it.

The women and I researched garden methods and plants, and settled on a raised-bed, square-foot system. At first there was a lot of hard physical work: setting up our garden beds, laying out weed fabric, shoveling dirt, planting, and watering. The women attended classes on composting, organic gardening, and other techniques. We formed The Green Team, a voluntary club comprised of those women and children most interested in gardening. Each woman has her own bed to tend.

When problems came up, we brainstormed how to overcome them. Sometimes we discovered unique fixes, such as using inexpensive curtains to cover our garden beds against swarming insects.

Initially, we planted six raised beds with tomatoes, herbs, squash, carrots, radishes, lettuces, and collards. Later, we added four smaller beds for our fall garden. We’ve had things growing yearround for two years now.

The benefits of the garden are numerous. Yes, there’s the produce, but many of the women have said they also just like being in the garden, that it soothes them. The garden has fostered teamwork, and the women are proud of seeing their work literally blossom. It also encourages healthfulness. The leader of our Green Team even quit smoking, so conscious has she become of health! The children here gravitate toward the garden so much that we had to give them one of their own and buy them tools. Last summer,

42 MARCH/APRIL 2012 | GARDENINGCLUB.COM

Member garden3.indd 42

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MEMBERTIPS

perfect pots Members share their best tips for growing vegetables and herbs in containers.

seaweed to the rescue I grow rosemary in a container and use dried seaweed juice to water it. The juice helps it grow bigger, greener, and healthier.—Linne Peters, Kenta, WA

multipurpose fabric Put a piece of landscape fabric on the bottom and sides of the container. It helps hold moisture and keeps the potting mixture from washing out.— Josette Giacobbi, Columbia, SC

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pot placement If you’re able to put your container where the roots can grow through the drainage holes into the ground below, then you are almost guaranteed a better plant and harvest.—Sara Cochran, McComb, MS

protective shields Yogurt cups or small mushroom tin cans with both ends cut will shield young seedling stems. These shields are shallow enough that the top of seedlings will not be shaded.—Shoji Takasugi, Graham, WA FOR OUR JULY/AUGUST ISSUE: What are your best lawn care tips?

Send responses to Member Tips, Gardening How-To, 12301 Whitewater Dr., Minnetonka, MN 55343, e-mail tips@gardeningclub.com, or visit the Club Web site at www.gardeningclub.com. Deadline is April 1, 2012.

Please include your name, address, daytime phone number, and member number. Sorry, we can’t acknowledge or return submissions. Responses may be edited for length and clarity. Tips are member ideas and are not tested by Gardening How-To. Members whose tips appear in this issue will receive a $25 Burpee gift card.

PHOTO: ALAN & LINDA DETRICK

9 CLEANING INGREDIENTS PLUS ALOE IN EVERY TUB!

Use the largest containers you can find and buy quality potting soil. My strawberries, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, green onions, and zucchini all do fantastic!—Shireen O’Brien, Oak Lawn, IL

©2012 Federal Process Corporation. All rights reserved.

Member Tips3.indd 44

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2/2/12 11:00 AM

GARDENGEAR

spring is in the air Get ready for a new season with these fresh finds.

Treat your feathered friends to a home makeover. They’ll happily nest in their new cube house, which is sturdy, UV-resistant, fade-resistant, and easy to mount. Loll Cube Birdhouse, Loll Designs, $69

Here’s a unique twist on the traditional flower box: each pot is shaped like a saddle, so it sits securely on a fence, railing, or any vertical divider up to 2½ inches wide.

Pint-sized gardeners will love this cute egg-shaped pet plant. Just add water and poof—two weeks later, Nyokki’s grass “hair” is ready for a cut and style!

Nyokki Egg Plant Pet, Eggling, $9.95

Grass really is greener on the other side—of a pillow, that is. Add flair to indoor or outdoor couches and chairs with turfgrass-covered cushions. Turf Pillow, Firmly

For sources, see Resource Guide on page 67.

Planted, $89

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MANUFACTURERS

Corsica Flower Bridge, Nature Hills, $31.99

46 MARCH/APRIL 2012 | GARDENINGCLUB.COM

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EXPERTADVICE

Unfortunately, butterfly bush fits the profile of many other invasive plants (which crowd out native plants) and will probably become a bigger problem in the future. Instead of planting this aggressive shrub, attract butterflies with native shrubs such as summersweet (Clethra alnifolia), meadowsweet (Spiraea alba var. latifolia), and Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica). Butterflies also adore native perennials such as blazing star (Liatris spicata), New York ironweed (Veronia noveboracensis), and butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). —Kathleen LaLiberte, co-author of Passport to Gardening (1997)

mmm, millet I have a friend who wants to know if she can grow her own millet for birdseed. —Jeri Hansen, Cocolalla, ID

There are hundreds of butterfly bush seedlings

Yes, she can. White proso millet is a favorite in goodquality birdseed mixes because it provides many of the nutrients birds need. Avoid golden and red millet, which are fillers.

To grow white proso millet, you need a sunny spot with well-drained soil. Weed the area thoroughly, and loosen the top 6 inches of soil with a shovel or garden fork. Sow millet seeds and lightly cover them with soil.

Keep seeds moist but not soggy until they’re about 3 inches tall. Thin crowded seedlings.

Millet reaches maturity in about 60 days, so you can plant crops at intervals to provide food throughout the season or during regional migratory times. At harvest time, remove the individual seeds from the heads and put them in birdfeeders, cut off the whole seed heads and hang them, or just leave the plants as they are for the birds to snack on. —Meleah Maynard,

growing on either side of our rural road. Why are

garden writer and master gardener

Instead of butterfly bush, which is invasive in some areas, plant a native shrub like summersweet (Clethra alnifolia, zones 3 to 9, also known as sweet pepperbush). Pictured here: Clethra alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’.

invasion of the butterfly bush there so many? —Walter Maulick, White Haven, PA

edible ginger plant Could you tell me how to grow ginger in a pot?

—Judie Fleig, Valle, AZ

I assume you’re interested in edible ginger, or ginger root (Zingiber officinale), which is grown for its thick, pungently flavored rhizomes. This ginger requires a long, warm growing season to mature. Pick up two

PHOTO: BILL JOHNSON

Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) has escaped from gardens into the wild. Volunteer seedlings can be found growing along roadsides and railways in many parts of the United States and Canada. Both Oregon and Washington now control the sale of butterfly bush, and, as of 2010, it’s on a federal watch list for the mid-Atlantic region.

48 MARCH/APRIL 2012 | GARDENINGCLUB.COM

Expert Advice.indd 48

2/6/12 2:54 PM

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or three healthy-looking rhizomes from the grocery store in early spring. Look for plump rhizomes— not wrinkled or shriveled—with small protruding eyes or buds at the ends.

You’ll need a large container, 14 to 16 inches across and at least as deep, with drain holes at the bottom. Use clean, fresh potting mix that retains moisture yet drains well. Mix in some slow-release fertilizer, or choose a potting mix with fertilizer already incorporated.

Plant the rhizomes horizontally about 1 inch below the soil surface.

Water the pot thoroughly. Keep the container indoors near a sunny window until night temperatures warm to more than 50°F. Ginger is a tropical plant that thrives in heat, humidity, and dappled light. Give it direct sun early or late in the day and filtered or dappled light in the middle of the day. Keep the soil slightly moist but never soggy.

The plant will die back once the weather grows colder in fall. Pull it up or dump it out of the pot to harvest the rhizomes. Scrub them clean with a vegetable brush, and store in the refrigerator in a plastic bag with holes. Any excess that you can’t use fresh may be frozen. Just take some out, grate as much as you need, and return it to the freezer.

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GARDENING QUESTIONS? Send questions to Expert Advice, Gardening How-To, 12301 Whitewater Dr., Minnetonka, MN 55343, or e-mail editors@gardeningclub.com.

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HOMEGROWN A tiger swallowtail butterfly has just emerged from its chrysalis in Life Member Lorraine Goerke’s San Diego, CA, garden.

1

2

Life Member Pearl Fournier of

Harwich, MA, snaps a photo of a

mother robin and her hungry baby nesting in her grapevine wreath.

1 2

3

3

A gorgeous lily blooms in

Member Virginia Gumpl’s Medina, OH, patio garden.

Beautiful bleeding hearts provide spring bling in the Oregon, OH, garden of Life Member Mary 4

Takacs.

5

Life Member Tracey

Reynolds-Smith’s cat, Knuet, loves

to relax among the flowers in her Sorrento, FL, garden.

4

5 6

Life Member Lucinda

Prussia’s daughter, Emily, cheerfully picks mulberries from the family’s tree in Lake Ariel, PA. 7

A tipsy flowerpot tower adds patriotic flair to New Kensington, PA, garden of Life Member Pat Hughes.

7

We love to see what’s growing in your garden. Send sharp, clear photographs (not photocopies) with your name, address, phone number, member number, and the names and relationship of anyone pictured to Home Grown, Gardening How-To, 12301 Whitewater Dr., Minnetonka, MN 55343, or e-mail photos to editors@gardeningclub.com. We can’t acknowledge or return submissions.

Members whose tips appear in this issue will receive a $25 gift card from Lee Valley Tools, www.leevalley.com.

PHOTOS COURTESY MEMBERS

PHOTO CALL! 6

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win a

trip to

Show us your garden, and you could win an expense-paid trip to check out cool new gardening tools.

Uplo gard ad your en for a photos to w chance in a trip Las Vega to s!

Think your garden has what it takes to win a contest? If so, we want to see and hear all about it! The top two entries from National Home Gardening Club members will be named Top Tool Testers and win a trip to the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas April 30 to May 2, 2012. Winners will be able to attend the show’s Lawn, Garden, and Outdoor Living section to test the latest gardening tools from more than 900 exhibitors.

TO ENTER THE CONTEST Visit www.gardeningclub.com or scan this code with your smartphone. Click on Contests, select Top Tool Tester, and fill out an entry form. Next, upload photos of your yard and garden, and provide a brief description of your experience, skills, and passion for gardening. Submission deadline is March 16, 2012. Gardening How-To editors will select and notify the winning Top Tool Testers the third week of March.

Good luck!

Contest3.indd 51

PHOTOS: GARDENS, TRACY WALSH; CITY, COURTESY OF LAS VEGAS NEWS BUREAU

vegas

2/6/12 4:31 PM

Enter the

eighth annual

National H o Gardening me Club

photo contest!

snap a

photo and

WIN!

e’re looking for your best garden photos: plant portraits, borders and beds, garden structures and ornaments, and other favorite scenes from your garden. Photos will

W

Ant on peony bud, 2011 first place winner, Life Member Matthew Pomajbo, Butler, PA

Prizes 1st Prize: Stok Quatro 4-burner liquid propane gas grill, www.stokgrills.com.

Value: $399

2nd Prize: Wingscapes Birdcam 2.0, www.wingscapes.com.

Value: $199.95

be judged on composition, sharpness and focus, unusual and creative perspective, interesting subject matter, and appealing color and texture.

For official rules, visit www.gardeningclub.com and click on contests, or scan this code with your smartphone.

3rd Prize: Worx 20V GT trimmer, www.worxtools.com.

Value: $119.85

Honorable Mention: Gardener’s Supply Company gift card, www.gardeners.com.

Value: $50

Deadline: July 1, 2012

52 MARCH/APRIL 2012 | GARDENINGCLUB.COM

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Submissions

Photo guidelines and tips

• Send no more than three photos per member.

• Gardens photograph best in early morning, late afternoon, or on hazy days.

Avoid shooting in bright sunlight.

• Use a tripod for sharp focus.

• Don’t include distracting elements, such as stray garden hoses or garbage cans, in the photograph.

• Don’t use special effects or shapes in cropping, and make sure your camera’s time/date stamp is turned off.

• We accept color slides (original 35 mm or larger), high-quality prints, and digital images.

• With each print, slide, or digital image, please include your name, address, daytime phone number, and member number. Describe the people in the photo (if any) and their relationship to you, and provide common and botanical names (if known) for all plants. Please label each slide or print clearly: do not tape them together.

Cutting Tools

• Photos must be of your own garden (not public parks or gardens) and must be taken by you.

• Send entries, postmarked before July 1, 2012, to: National Home Gardening Club Garden Photo Contest 12301 Whitewater Dr., Hopkins, MN 55343-2138 To submit digital photos, go to

www.gardeningclub.com/ photoentry and follow the instructions.

• We regret that we cannot return any materials or acknowledge receipt of entries.

Guidelines for digital photos • Digital photos must be shot at the highest resolution possible, using a 2.5 megapixel camera or higher, and formatted as a JPEG. • If you print out digital photos, use high-quality photographic paper.

Print photo 5 by 7 inches or larger.

• If you send a CD, please label CD and case.

• Do not send digitally compressed or “zipped” photos.

• Do not e-mail photos. To submit digital photos, go to

www.gardeningclub.com/ photoentry

Professional Quality for Life www.dramm.com available at independent garden centers & online retailers

GARDENINGCLUB.COM 53

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BACKYARDWILDLIFE

beetlemania

Soldier beetles are beneficial insects. Some species help reduce garden pests such as aphids. Pictured here: Goldenrod soldier beetle (Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus), also known as Pennsylvania leatherwing beetle.

I LOVE BEETLES. That’s an unconventional point

of view for a gardener because beetles are generally considered pests. It’s true that some species can cause trouble, but many are either totally benign or even beneficial. A closer look at these insects will reveal that they’re fascinating wildlife worthy of protection in the garden—or, at the very least, worthy of delaying that knee-jerk squash-and-spray response until you find out if they’re friend or foe.

Beetles are a global phenomenon. They’ve been around for over 300 million years and live in every environment on Earth, from deserts and forests to underground and underwater. They belong to the

insect order Coleoptera, which is the largest animal order on the planet, with 350,000 known species, 25,000 of which are found in the United States and Canada. Beetles are incredibly diverse in shape, color, and size, from the diminutive ¼-millimeter featherwinged beetle to the 6-inch palo verde borer beetle.

Beetles have wings. Even though we think of them as crawling and scurrying ground-creatures, beetles have wings, and many regularly fly. The flight wings are hidden under leathery or hard-shelled wing covers called elytra, which are sometimes spotted, striped, metallic, or brightly colored.

White grubs are not necessarily bad guys.

Like their cousins in the Hymenoptera (bees and ants) and Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) orders, beetles go through a metamorphosis from larvae to adult forms. Some beetle larvae are fat, C-shaped white grubs that live underground and feed on plant roots, and others are mobile and resemble silverfish. Beetles can be pests in both larval and adult forms. Those classified as pests are typically plant-eating species.

Insect-eating beetles, however, should be celebrated and encouraged in the garden as the beneficial creatures they are.

Use caution when removing the bad guys.

If beetles are eating your garden plants to nubs, start with the least toxic and most targeted approach.

Inspect plants each morning. Pick off the beetles causing damage and crush them or drop them in a bucket of soapy water. This method is effective for small infestations. If your problem is bigger, try microbial agents that target beetles and break down

PHOTO: BILL JOHNSON

Don’t throw out the good beetles with the bad.

Here’s how to tell the difference. BY DAVID MIZEJEWSKI

54 MARCH/APRIL 2012 | GARDENINGCLUB.COM

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Assassin beetle Blister beetle Convergent ladybird beetle (and other native ladybird beetle species) Fireflies or lightning bugs (not flies or bugs, but beetles) Ground beetle Rove beetle Soldier beetle Tiger beetle

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the bad guys Asian ladybird beetle Asian longhorn beetle Asparagus beetle Colorado potato beetle Corn rootworm Cucumber beetle Curculio Emerald ash borer Flea beetle Japanese beetle Mexican bean beetle Sweet potato weevil

quickly, such as strains of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bacteria. Bt popilliae, known as milky spore disease, kills beetle larvae in the soil, and Bt tenebrionis kills leafeating adult beetles. Only in outof-control situations should you resort to insecticides or pesticides.

Think about the big picture.

Create a diverse landscape with lots of native plants—this will ensure that your garden is teeming with beneficial beetles and other pest predators. Wasps, toads, birds, and other creatures will happily keep beetle pests under control while you enjoy your garden.

David Mizejewski is a National Wildlife Federation naturalist and author of Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife (Creative Homeowner, 2004).

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2/2/12 11:18 AM

MEMBERTESTED 6,768 National Home Gardening Club members tested products valued at $81,515 for this issue.

ROSS TANNER, PRODUCT TEST EDITOR

cordless mower Positec USA, Inc., 866-354-9679, www.worxyardtools.com MEMBER RATING: 9.2 BEST FEATURE: VERSATILITY

The 24V WORX IntelliCut 17-inch Cordless Mower ($359.96) mows up to 15,000 square feet on a single charge and can mulch, bag, or discharge grass.

IntelliCut technology automatically adjusts to tough conditions such as tall grass.

Other features include a collapsible handle with adjustable height, a single-lever 6-position cut height adjustment ranging from 1½ inches to 3½ inches, a grass bag fullness indicator, and a 17-inch deck.

“The WORX IntelliCut is lightweight and easy to use, and doesn’t vibrate like power mowers.

The cutting power is fantastic.”

DEBBY CLARK, SUWANEE, GA “It’s easy to navigate, and I was amazed at how well it cut my yard.”

JUDY EVERHART, ORANGEVALE, CA

hanging basket Woodstream Corporation, 800-800-1819, www.avantgardendecor.com MEMBER RATING: 9.0

BEST FEATURE: APPEARANCE

The durable CobraCo 14-inch Queen Elizabeth Parasol Style Hanging Basket ($26.86, model HGB14QEP-BZ) is perfect for showcasing seasonal foliage on your deck, patio, or garden. The parasol-style hanging basket, which features a rust-resistant bronze finish, is a handsome holder for plants and trailing vines. It comes with an ecofriendly coconut fiber liner and a 3-part chain for easy hanging.

“The CobraCo Queen Elizabeth Parasol Hanging Basket is a beautiful addition to any outside décor, and the coconut liner fits the basket perfectly.”

BARBARA MCCARTHY, LAWRENCEVILLE, GA “The design is wonderful and unique, and the planter is extremely well-made and durable. The chain is of great quality.”

COLLEEN MAYS, PALESTINE, TX

This seal is awarded to the products on these pages, which our testers recommend to fellow Club members.

See the Deals & Discounts section of www.gardeningclub.com for special offers from these companies.

ABOUT THE TESTING PROCESS These products were tested and recommended by fellow National Home Gardening Club members. The Member Rating is based on a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being the highest. To become a product tester, you must complete a Product Test Profile form, available at www.gardeningclub.com or by calling Member Services at 800-324-8454.

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seed planting kit Greenland Gardener, 877-586-2376, www.greenlandgardener.com MEMBER RATING: 8.0

BEST FEATURE: CONVENIENCE

The Greenland Gardener Planting Kit ($15) provides everything you need to plant your own vegetable and salsa garden. The easy to use planting templates are held in place with pins and show you where to plant seeds. This kit helps promote germination, eliminate weeds, and conserve water. Each kit includes two fabric planting templates, seeds for each template, and pins.

SALLYE MCCULLOUGH, BOKEELIA, FL “The Greenland Gardener Planting Kit makes gardening simple and inexpensive. Templates can be reused and seeds germinate quickly.”

SUSAN DUCKETT, MONTGOMERY, AL “It’s great for raised beds and is so simple to use. The templates indicate where the seeds should go, and a compass shows where to position the tallest and shortest plants.”

gardener’s soaps

pruner

Remwood Products Company, 800-345-3925, www.grandmaspureandnatural.com

Acme United Corp., 800-835-2263, www.claussco.com

MEMBER RATING: 8.5 BEST FEATURE: EASE OF USE

MEMBER RATING: 9.0 BEST FEATURE: QUALITY

Grandma’s Grime Away lye soap ($5) is a bar that utilizes pumice and grits to gently lift embedded dirt, remove odors, and leave hands soft. Poison Ivy and Oak Bar ($6) is made with jewelweed, a natural antidote for the itch and rash of poison ivy, poison oak, and sumac.

The Clauss AirShoc Ti Non-Stick Pruner ($26.99, model #18479) has titanium nonstick blades that resist sap and other adhesives. The handles and blades are treated with Microban protection to inhibit the growth of bacteria.

Other features include an integrated wire cutter, a blade sharpness/branch size indicator, and a maximum cut gauge of 3/4-inch.

MARY CUMMINGS, CAMERON, NC “The Grime Away bar works very well at getting dirt and grease off your hands.”

ELAINE SIGMON, MAIDEN, NC “The bar has a pleasant fragrance, and my skin felt clean with no residue.”

MARY BRADY, ROCKY POINT, NY “The Clauss AirShock Pruner is by far the best pruner I have used in more than 20 years of gardening.”

SHERRY TALBERT, BERKELEY SPRINGS, WV “Handles are very comfortable, even for small hands, and the nonstick feature is great.”

surface savers In Green Company, 415-294-7799, www.ingreencompany.com MEMBER RATING: 9.0

BEST FEATURE: EASE OF USE

Made in the United States from recycled plastic, SurfaceSaver Rings ($6 for a 10-inch ring, $5 for an 8-inch ring, $6 for a 5-inch ring 2-pack) raise planters and containers to protect surfaces from stains and water damage. SurfaceSaver Rings support up to 450 pounds while virtually hidden. SurfaceSaver Feet ($7 for a 4-pack) are designed for use with deck boxes and oddly shaped and oversized planters. They can support up to 1,800 pounds and may also be used to level a container on a sloped surface.

“The Surface Saver Rings & Feet kept my floors from staining and allow air to flow under my pots.”

ANITA BANOFF, GLENVIEW, IL “I liked the versatility of different sizes.

They’re unobtrusive yet highly functional and durable.”

PATRICIA CLARK, MOSS POINT, MS

58 MARCH/APRIL 2012 | GARDENINGCLUB.COM

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ground cover Outsidepride.com, Inc., 800-670-4192, www.outsidepride.com MEMBER RATING: 7.8

BEST FEATURE: EASE OF USE

White Dutch Clover Shake ‘N Seed Ground Cover ($9.99 for 12 ounces) sprouts fast and grows dependably to 4 to 8 inches tall. Clover can be used as a ground cover, a cover crop, or erosion control.

White Dutch clover grows best in moist, well-drained, fertile soil but will also thrive in poor clay subsoil.

“I tried white Dutch clover on a bare area that we had dug up, and it’s growing beautifully. Just a slow, easy sprinkle and the clover was up in a few days.”

NANCY TURNBOW, INDIANAPOLIS, IN “I sprinkled this in the backyard, which I have been unable to cover with anything else. The clover did grow and filled in spots evenly. It looks great!”

SHARON CAUCHY, ALTMAR, NY

raised garden bed Greenland Gardener, 877-586-2376, www.greenlandgardener.com MEMBER RATING: 9.1

BEST FEATURE: EASE OF USE

Available at Sam’s Club and Walmart, the Greenland Gardener Raised Bed Garden Kit ($59 for a double bed) is made from composite lumber and easy to assemble without tools. A double bed makes an 84-inch by 42-inch by 8-inch garden.

“It was extremely easy to assemble because the connector pieces held the sides in place and easily squared everything off.”

PHYLLIS REINHARDT, SCRANTON, PA “The Greenland Gardener Raised Bed Garden Kit was up and ready to fill with soil in less than 10 minutes. I like that it’s made from recycled wood.”

PAMELA MCCAMANT, CARLSBAD, NM

tomato seeds Urban Farmer Seeds, 317-899-9801, www.ufseeds.com MEMBER RATING: 7.1

BEST FEATURE: EASE OF USE

S M San Marzano iis a variety i off plum l tomato, considered by many chefs to be one of the best tomatoes for sauce. San Marzano tomato seeds from Urban Farmer Seeds ($2.95 per packet) come packaged in eco-friendly, recycled packets.

Planted in full sun, the tomato plant matures in 70 to 90 days.

MARION BALACKO, THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO, CANADA “Very plentiful fruit on each plant. The Urban Farmer tomatoes were perfect in appearance and tasty.”

DONNA KINCAID, SOUND BEACH, NY “The seeds germinated quickly, and plants were easy to maintain and grew nicely shaped fruit. The tomatoes were delicious in sauce.”

organic planting mix Ferry-Morse Seed Company, 800-283-3400, www.ferry-morse.com MEMBER RATING: 8.5

BEST FEATURE: EASE OF USE

Jiffy’s Organic Tomato & Vegetable Plant Mix ($3.49 for a 10-quart bag) is a blend of sphagnum peat moss, composted bark, medium perlite, natural fertilizer, lime for pH balance, and an organic wetting agent that is formulated for tomatoes and vegetables. It’s great for starting vegetable seeds, and it also helps during the transplanting stage.

BONNIE ANDERSON, TREMONTON, UT “I used the Jiffy Organic Tomato & Vegetable Plant Mix to transplant a tomato plant that didn’t look good. It came right back and outperformed my other plants.”

JIM PETERSON, NORTH TUSTIN, CA “I harvested cucumbers planted with the tomato & vegetable planting mix 10 days before those without.”

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gardener’s hollow leg The Gardener’s Hollow Leg, 510-735-6165, www.thegardenershollowleg.com MEMBER RATING: 8.8

BEST FEATURE: DURABILITY

The Gardener’s Hollow Leg ($24.99) is a 23-inch-deep harvesting and debris-catching bag that’s worn around the waist while working in the garden. It’s designed to eliminate extra steps in the yard cleanup process. Other features include a 10-inch opening, an adjustable belt that expands from 30 to 52 inches, a compact design that holds more than five gallons of yard waste, a Velcro-close pocket for a cell phone or an iPod, and a fabric handle on the underside of the bag for easily transferring contents into a composter.

“The Gardener’s Hollow Leg saves steps and time on weeding, picking, and pruning. I love that the fabric’s made of recycled polyester.”

JULIE PETERSON, RIVERTON, UT “In the past, I’d make piles, then go pick everything up. I love the no-hands, by-my-side use, which saves a step and helps me get done sooner.”

JANICE ADISEK, CLARKLAKE, MI

cotton seeds MRC Seeds Company, 877-810-4176, www.mrcseeds.com MEMBER RATING: 6.1

BEST FEATURE: EASE OF USE

MRC 270 White Cotton Seeds ($6.50) grow into high-yielding cotton plants approximately 3 to 5 feet tall. Popular with spinners, weavers, teachers, and students, cotton seeds may be planted in pots with good compost or directly in the ground. They produce cotton in 140 days. All seeds are pest-tolerant, naturally grown, untreated, and non-GMO. ROBERT GORMLEY, VIRGINIA BEACH, VA “I found the plants to be a very pretty shade of green, making them a nice addition to the landscape.”

SHARON DOLAN, KANEOHE, HI “The MRC White Cotton is a beautiful plant, especially when it flowers. The plant looks and feels sturdy and is very healthy.”

power pruner ECHO Incorporated, 800-432-3246, www.echo-usa.com MEMBER RATING: 9.0

BEST FEATURE: CUTTING POWER

The lightweight ECHO PPT-265S Power Pruner ($529) helps you prune those hard-to-reach spots safely and easily.

Designed with an ergonomic handle with rubber over-mold for comfort, the power pruner has a telescoping shaft that adjusts from 77 inches to 95 inches, a 25.4cc Power Boost Vortex engine, and an adjustable automatic oiler. Other features include a side-access chain tensioner, a 12-inch bar with two guide bar studs, a 16.4-ounce gas tank, a shoulder strap, and a five-year warranty.

“The ECHO Power Pruner is the perfect size for cutting trees for firewood or limbing fallen trees, and solid enough for any job.”

JOSEPH VALLEE, WEST KINGSTON, RI “The engine starts easily and runs smoothly without stalling. The telescoping feature makes this pruner extremely easy to maneuver.”

RICHARD VIDRINE, DRY PRONG, LA

60 MARCH/APRIL 2012 | GARDENINGCLUB.COM

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tests in progress DINO-MITE ALL-NATURAL MINERAL PLANT

($14.99 for 8 pounds) contains inorganic minerals, micronutrients, and trace elements. The formula allows roots to absorb needed minerals easily from the soil. Dino-Mite works without the use of chemicals, can be utilized in spring, summer, and fall, and is ideal for household plants, gardens, and lawns. Dino-Mite Plant Food & Minerals, 801-820-2295, www.dinomiteplantfood.com.

FOOD

DR® ROTO-HOG™ POWER TILLER Till While You Ride!

FAR FASTER & EASIER to use than hard-to-handle, walk-behind tillers.

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24 STEEL BOLO TINES turn at 230 rpm to create perfect seedbeds for planting.

REMOTE CONTROL lets you make precise adjustments to tilling depth from your tow-vehicle.

73851X © 2012 CHP

SAFER BRAND TOMATO & VEGETABLE INSECT KILLER

($8.20 for a 32-ounce bottle) kills on contact without harming plants. The organic-compliant insect killer can be applied every 7 to 10 days. Use on fruits and vegetables until the day of harvest. Effective against aphids, asparagus beetles, bean beetles, cabbage loopers, caterpillars, cucumber beetles, diamondback moth, flea beetles, imported cabbageworm, leafhoppers, tomato hornworm, and whiteflies. Woodstream Corporation, 800-800-1819, www.saferbrand.com.

($89.95) includes four soft-sided fabric Rapid Grower containers that each hold 1 cubic foot of soil.

These fabric containers sit on a black ground cloth that allows air to flow through the root zone, which accelerates overall growth for the entire plant. The kit also includes a unique irrigation system that saturates the roots with the correct amount of water and protects against overwatering. Plant Wizard Products, LLC, 855-799-1400, www.rapidgrower.com.

THE EASY HOME GARDENING KIT

The GARDEN PRO SYSTEM ($599) is a portable fertilizer and chemical application system. Used by professional growers, the system features an easy-to-maneuver cart, 5-gallon bucket with lid for storing concentrates, 10-inch no-flat tires, and a spray wand. It operates with a garden hose connection, mixing a perfect solution of fertilizer every time. Garden Pro System, 800-451-6628, www.gardenprosystem.com.

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Provide seeds and water to birds with the PERKYPET COPPER SIP & SEED WATERER ($47.07). Its unique double silo design is made of heavy-duty glass with copper accents. A patent-pending collar twists, giving the option of a seed or water opening. A decorative copper-finish scroll hanger is included. Holds 18 ounces of seed or 22 ounces of water. Woodstream Corporation, 800-800-1819, www.birdfeeders.com.

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garden Win a great prize!

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Enter and win!

To win a terrific prize from the National Home Gardening Club, simply enter online at www.gardeningclub.com between March 1, 2012, and April 30, 2012, or send us your name, address, and phone number on a postcard. (See official rules below.) Drawing will be held May 15, 2012.

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eco-friendly growing system The eco-friendly, all-in-one seed starting kit ($22.95) from BURPEE has everything you need to get your seeds off to a great start. The 32 extra-large seed starting cells help your plants develop strong root systems, and the self-watering system keeps roots from drying out and reduces watering. Eco-friendly trays are made completely from plant-based materials. Each kit includes two 16-cell planting trays, two plant stands, an all-purpose growing tray, 32 super growing pellets, a self-watering mat, compostable germination sheet, two plant-o-grams, three wooden plant labels, and one pack of organic fertilizer. 30 winners

cordless string trimmer

Official Giveaway Rules No purchase necessary to enter or win. Making a purchase will not improve your chances of winning.

See official rules at www.gardeningclub.com. Submit your entry at www.gardeningclub.com or send a postcard with your name, member number (if available), address, and phone number to: Garden Giveaway, CRID #3934, P.O. Box 3428, Minnetonka, MN 55343.

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The 40V Lithium-ion Cordless String Trimmer ($169) from RYOBI features a high-capacity lithium battery that delivers maximum runtime and cutting power, and fade-free performance. With just a 90-minute recharge, there’s little down time. The head pivots for easy edging, and a variable speed trigger gives you better control.

4 winners

62 MARCH/APRIL 2012 | GARDENINGCLUB.COM

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MEMBERSONLY Take a look at a few of the great benefits you enjoy as a National Home Gardening Club member!

SAVE AT GARDENINGCLUB.COM Save 20 percent, plus receive free shipping, when you purchase the BagMaster.

This lightweight harness— which can hold up to 45 pounds—locks plastic bags in place. For complete details go to gardeningclub.com/ member-benefits/deals-discounts.

SEND US YOUR GARDEN STORY Tell us what’s unique about your garden. E-mail your 400-word essay, along with a clear color photograph of you in your garden, to elizabeth@gardeningclub. com. Please include “Member Garden” in the subject line and your name, member number, address, and daytime phone number. You may also send your essay to: Member Garden, Gardening How-To, 12301 Whitewater Dr., Hopkins, MN 55343.

MANAGE YOUR ACCOUNT ONLINE Visit www.gardeningclub.com, log in, and click My Account. You can quickly update your contact information, make payments, enroll in the product test program, and more.

member help CONNECT WITH THE CLUB If you need help with any aspect of your Club membership, please contact us.

VISIT the Club Web site www.gardeningclub.com E-MAIL the Club memberservices@ gardeningclub.com

WRITE to the Club NHGC PO Box 3401 Hopkins, MN 55343-2101

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The Wonderful World of Watermelons, page 20 To buy watermelon seeds: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Mansfield, MO, 417-924-8917, www.rareseeds.com Seed Savers Exchange, Decorah, IA, 563-382-5990, www.seedsavers.org Garden Gear, page 46 Turf Pillow: Firmly Planted, 818-429-6278, www.firmly-planted.com Nyokki: Eggling, 800-600-7216, www.eggling.com Corsica Flower Bridge: Nature Hills, 888-864-7663, www.naturehills.com Cube Birdhouse: Loll Designs, 817-740-3387, www.lolldesigns.com Up Close, page 68 To buy Ohio buckeye trees: Shooting Star Nursery, Georgetown, KY, 866-405-7979, www.shootingstarnursery.com

UPCLOSE answer an eye for spring

(see p.68)

The Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra, also called the American buckeye) is a dense tree with low-growing branches. Yellow-green flowers appear in late spring. They’re followed by the familiar buckeyes— shiny, hard, brown seeds that look like a deer’s eye when freed from their spiny husks. The cultivar ‘Autumn Splendor’ (pictured here) is popular for its burgundy-red fall color. Grows 20 to 40 feet tall.

Zones 3 to 7.

For source, see this page.

PHOTO: BILL JOHNSON

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an eye for spring can you name this plant?

This medium-sized North American tree is known for the glossy brown seeds it drops in the fall, but it also offers beautiful flower clusters in springtime and handsome, dark green, palmate leaves in summer.

PHOTO: TRACY WALSH

UPCLOSE

For the answer, see page 67.

68 MARCH/APRIL 2012 | GARDENINGCLUB.COM

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