Tidewater Gardening: K. Marc Teff eau

TIDEWATER GARDENING

by K. Marc Teffeau, Ph.D.

May Flowers . . .

Spring has arrived, and there are lots of activities in the garden and landscape! However, I remember when a cold front came through and made it chilly in early or even mid-May on the Shore. Be prepared to protect tender young plants if that happens.

Let’s get working on pruning spring flowering trees and shrubs. May is the best time to do this, as these ornamentals will start setting next year’s flower buds in August and September. Any dead or broken branches that were caused by winter winds or snow should be evident by now, so prune them out. If you have very overgrown forsythias, flowering almonds, Japanese quince or spireas, you can cut them back to a third of their original size and they will regrow.

Selectively prune lilacs, removing old and diseased stems first since they are very poor flower bud producers. Be sure to remove the flower seed heads. As compared to cutting some spring shrubs back to one-third, I recommend selective pruning for lilacs, no more than a third of the total bush at any one time.

Pines and other conifers can be kept to a compact size by pinching off the new growth ‘candles’ at this time. For fruit trees in the garden, selectively prune out dead and diseased branches after flowering. Do it carefully, however, so as not to knock off any flowers that have set fruit.

Prune out water sprouts from

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the base of crape myrtles, crabapples and other ornamental trees. Remove the wilting seed heads of rhododendrons and azaleas so that the plant’s energy can go to foliage growth and next year’s flowers, rather than seeds.

Check the leaves on azaleas for azalea leaf galls. These are caused by the fungus Exobasidium vaccinii, a very common fungal disease in early spring on azaleas and, occasionally, rhododendrons. They show up as distorted green and white twisted growths on leaves and stems and then turn brown. Hand picking is best for controlling leaf galls, but if they are on stems, prune the stems out. Chemical control with a fungicide is usually not needed.

Now is the time to set out marigolds, petunias, ageratums, salvias, geraniums, and other flowering annuals in the flower garden. Be sure that these plants get as much sun as possible to encourage prolific flowering. Impatiens is the best annual for use in the semi-shady landscape, while begonias, coleus, ageratums and vinca will do well in light shade. You can also set petunia plants among fading tulips or daffodils to hide the unsightly wilting leaves. After the bulb foliage begins to fade, you can tie the leaves in gentle knots to neaten them, but don’t remove them until the leaves have dried completely. The bulbs need their foliage to produce food that goes into the bulb for next year’s flowering.

If you are looking for plants that flower each year, require little care and are rarely bothered by pests or disease, try some of these perennials: coneflower, bleeding heart, coral bells, daylily, geum, Hosta, Bergenia, Virginia bluebell and veronica. Lightly side dress perennials, including spring bulbs, with a 5-10-10 or 10-10-10 fertilizer, being careful to avoid the center or crown of the plants.

Don’t forget the summer flowering bulbs like dahlias, tuberous begonias, lilies, cannas and gladi-

olus. An excellent addition to any home garden, glads can be planted in the flower bed as irregular groups among other flowers. They are attractive when grown among perennials such as peonies and daylilies. However, glads are often more effective and easier to care for if they have their own exclusive area in the garden. The most popular use for glads is in flower arrangements. When grown for cutting, glads may be planted in rows in the vegetable garden or a corner of the flower border. Large quantities are easier to weed and care for in rows.

Anxious to get the vegetable garden beds planted? The soil is warming up and the last frost date

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has passed, so we can get to some of our spring plantings. It is time to make your first sowing of green beans, cucumbers, squash, sweet corn and a second seeding of lettuce. Transplants of tomatoes, eggplants and peppers can be placed in the garden.

In particular, your tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants become less stressed when they are set out on a cloudy, calm day. Unfortunately, gardeners may need to transplant when they have time, regardless of the weather. Strong sun and wind are hard on new transplants, so set out plants in the late afternoon when the wind dies down and the plants can acclimate overnight. Provide shade and wind protection with berry baskets, small crates or screens. I recommend waiting until June to mulch these transplants to give the soil time to warm up. Mulching later lowers the rate at which water evaporates from the soil and controls the soil temperature once it has reached an appropriate level to encourage good root growth.

Watch out for cutworm damage to the transplants. A telltale sign that you have cutworms in the garden is holes in the ground the diameter of a pencil. Cutworms come out at night and clip the transplants off at ground level. To prevent this damage, cut the tops and bottoms from small coffee cans. Place the cans over the transplants in the early evening. In the morning, remove them so the plant can get full sun. Repeat this practice for about a week until the plants become established.

If you are growing herbs and gourds, you can dry them this summer using the mesh bags that oranges come in. Use old pantyhose to enclose individual veggies like melons, corn, cabbage, cucumbers and small pumpkins to protect from birds and insects. Tie the pantyhose off at both ends of the veggie to keep insects out. The pantyhose will stretch as the vegetable grows and willdry off quickly after rain.

Other insect pests active now include aphids, cabbageworms, squash bugs, cucumber beetles and Colorado potato beetles. Aphids seem to appear overnight and suck the sap from the leaves and tender new growth but usually cause little permanent damage. Usually, a number of parasites and predators, notably the ladybird beetle, help keep this insect pest in check. A forceful spray from the garden hose will also help to keep aphids under control. For serious infestations, try using a soap insecticide. Keep an eye out for cabbageworms in the cabbage and broccoli plantings. They can ruin the heads if not kept under control. How many times have you gone out to the vegetable garden, picked a couple nice heads of broccoli, brought them inside and steamed them for dinner and then found blanched white cabbage worms in the heads when you put them on the dinner plate? Don’t worry, the cabbageworms are a source of protein, but most of us prefer being served protein in the form of a steak. Use a biological control called B.t. or Dipel to control these worms.

Striped and spotted cucumber beetles are voracious feeders on many vegetables, including squash, corn, cucumbers, melons and beans. They also transmit the bacterial wilt disease that causes the plants to rapidly wilt and die. These must be controlled early with floating row covers. Protection in the early stages of growth is important, but when the plants start to flower, especially squash and cucumbers, you will need to remove the row covers to allow bees access to pollinate the flowers.

Spring lawn care usually consists of mowing at the proper height with a sharp blade. Mow the lawn at least 2 1/2 to 3 inches tall. This taller mowing height will help keep crabgrass under control by not letting sunlight hit the soil sur-

face where the crabgrass seed lies. Crabgrass seed needs light to germinate. Make sure that the mower blade is sharp, as a dull blade will tear the grass rather than leaving a clean cut. This ragged grass blade edge gives the turf a brown appearance and opens up opportunities for disease. If you are replacing an old lawn mower, buy one that mulches the grass clippings. This will return the valuable nutrients found in the clippings back to the turf.

I do not recommend fertilizing cool season Tall Fescue and Bluegrass lawns in May. If you missed an early spring feeding, wait until the fall. Do not fertilize cool season turf during the summer. I know that some commercial programs which encourage spring fertilization, but all you end up with is faster grass growth and more mowing. The best time to fertilize cool season turf in our area is in the mid- to late fall. A good lawn fertilization schedule can found at the University of Maryland Home and Garden Information website at extension.

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In May, of course, we celebrate Mother’s Day. Have you been wondering what to get your mom and grandmother? Well, she may enjoy receiving a tree or shrub for the landscape around her home. Trees and shrubs make excellent gifts and have lasting memories. There may be a special flowering plant that she has always wanted but has hesitated to buy.

Plants make unique gifts because their value in the landscape appreciates as they grow. Now is an excellent time to plant ornamental trees and shrubs. Nurseries and garden centers have a bigger selection of varieties and sizes of plants than they have ever had. But as summer approaches, their selection will decrease ~ and so will the chances of survival because the longer you delay planting, the harder it is on the plants. Don’t just say “Happy Mother’s Day ~ here’s your azalea.” Make it a real Mother’s Day and offer to plant it for her!

Happy Gardening!

Marc Teffeau retired as Director of Research and Regulatory Affairs at the American Nursery and Landscape Association in Washington, D.C. He now lives in Georgia with his wife, Linda.

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