From the Desk of Ed Hume: February Garden Projects

Happy Monday, everyone!  I apologize for the recent lack of updates.  I was informed that we had a recent increase in visitors to our site.  This is fantastic news!  However, so many new people visited at once that the site couldn’t support everyone.  I guess that’s about the best bad news you can receive!  Anyway, the webmaster has everything fixed and the site is now strong enough to support as many people as want to visit.  Thank you to all of our new friends on here; I hope you will grow to love our site more and more.  And of course, I would like to exend a special thank you to our fans who have been with us from the start.  We wouldn’t be here without you.  We have a lot in store for 2011, and we hope you will be as excited with our new ideas as we are.  With that said, let’s get this show back on the road!

-Ed

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Wondering what to do in the garden at this time of the year?  Right now is the time to go out, tour the entire garden, and make a list of things that need attention.  You are apt to find weeds growing, flowering, and going to seed; or plants that need winter pruning; shrubs that need feeding; or on a warm day you may even find a few slugs.  So let’s discuss a few of the possible projects in a little more detail:

WEEDS – I don’t know about you, but weeds are one of my biggest concerns for several reasons.  First, when they flower and go to seed, you can be fighting the germination of those weed seeds for years to come.  Second, weeds are host to many insects and diseases.  Third, weeds rob valuable nutrients from your garden plants.  Fourth, they ruin the appearance of your garden plantings.  Any one of those four points is reason enough to get busy and pull or cultivate-out those weeds the minute they start growing in late winter.

PRUNING – There is still time during this winter dormant season to prune fruit, flowering, and shade trees…if they need pruning.  Actually, these trees usually need more thinning than pruning.  Thinning means to go in and cut out some of the branches that criss-cross, rub together, or have become a tangled mess.  The main purpose of thinning or pruning is to open-up the tree branching pattern to allow for better sunlight exposure and air circulation.  Make your pruning cuts above an outside bud so as to encourage outward growth.

FEEDING PLANTS – As you tour the garden, if you observe any plants that have off-color yellow-green leaves, that could be an indication that they need feeding.  Mid February and mid-May are two of the best times of the entire year for feeding plants.

Use a Rhododendron or Evergreen type fertilizer to feed evergreens, including junipers, conifers, rhododendrons, and other broad leaf evergreens.  Apply the fertilizer according to label instructions and water-in thoroughly after application.

SLUGS – At first sight of a slug, begin taking steps to control them.  Remember some species of slugs produce up to 250 or more offspring in a single year.  The more adult slugs you can eliminate early in the season, the less slugs you will have the rest of the season.  Copper tape, slug traps, and various baits can be used to help reduce the slug population in your garden.  It’s believed that even coffee grounds will help deter slugs.

Just remember: whatever you can do now (weather permitting) should help cut down on garden maintenance the rest of the growing season.

Helleborous, a Wonderful Winter Perennial

What a name for a really beautiful winter-flowering plant.

You may have heard someone call this plant the Christmas rose?  That’s the variety Helleborus niger.  It has a single flower like the old fashioned single rose and it’s cream in color.  What’s so neat about this perennial plant is that it flowers now, when not much is in bloom in the garden.

I think it’s easy to grow in a somewhat shady spot.  Most varieties grow up one-to-two feet and the flowers vary by variety from single, semi-double, to double and in a wide range of colors.  It has a hollow stem, so if you cut them to use as cut flowers be certain to burn the base of the cut stem or seal the cut by placing the base of the cut stem in boiling water for a couple of seconds.

In our educational garden, I have about a dozen and a half varieties ranging from white. yellow, pink, to almost a muted red.   When they are in bloom, I cut off most of the leaves so you can see the flowers.  They regain new leaves in the spring.

Like I said, they like a shady spot in the garden (an eastern exposure is ideal).  Some suggestions would be under an overhang, in a shady container, or in the shade of trees.  They need good drainage, and once planted they really do not like to be disturbed for several years.  Then when the plants get too big, simply divide and transplant them.  The best time to divide them is in early spring after they have finished flowering.

Nurseries and garden centers have their best selection of helleborus plants at this time of year when the plants are in bloom, or within the weeks to come.  Seeds are pretty hard to find, but if you have a flowering plant, save the seed and start your own.  Who knows, you may end up with an interesting new color, flower size, or special variety.

Prepare the planting soil by adding compost, processed manure (the bagged stuff), or another form of organic humus.   Mix thoroughly with the existing soil and plant the helleborus so that the crown of the plant is right at ground level.

If the leaves begin to yellow a bit, it indicates that the plant is getting too much sun or is in need of feeding.  Use a Rose or All-Purpose garden fertilizer to feed them.  Mid-February or mid-May are the best times to feed helleborus.

Heleborus….a great winter flowering perennial that merits a spot in anyone’s winter garden!

Clip of the Week: Winter Garden Projects

Happy Friday, everyone!

A few weeks ago I posted a video showing some projects that can be done around the garden this time of year.  Well, for the productive of you we have a follow-up video!  It truly is a myth that nothing can be done in the garden during the winter.  While it’s certainly not as busy a time as the Spring, there is still plenty to do!

As always, our videos can be viewed on our blip.tv channel (link to the right) or downloaded for free from the iTunes Store (search for “ed hume”).

I hope you all enjoy your weekend, and we’ll see you here on Monday morning.

Sincerely,

Ed

Ed’s Podcasts: Winter-flowering Plants

Looking to add some color to your garden?  What varieties will flower this winter so you don’t have to wait until spring to liven things up?  Listen to the podcast below for some recommended types of flowers that bloom this season:

Ed’s Podcasts: Winter-flowering Plants

As always, if you’d like to save the podcast for later playback on your iTunes or iPod, right-click the link above and select “save target as” (Mac users select “save link as”).

Enjoy the rest of your week and we’ll see you in a few days.

Sincerely,

Ed

From the Desk of Ed Hume: Dormant Spraying in the Winter

Why would anyone spray his or her garden during the winter?  Good question!  The answer is to help control over wintering insect and disease problems on fruit, flowering, and shade trees.  So if you have experienced problems with either insects or diseases this past season, winter spraying could help control such problems in the upcoming gardening season.

But don’t just use any old spray.  Use a special dormant spray.   Often dormant sprays are a combination of liquid lime-sulfur and agricultural oil.  Plus, there are other natural dormant sprays.  If this seems confusing to you, the Certified Professional Horticulturist or Master Gardener at your local nursery or garden center can help you select the right spray for your needs.

It is often recommended that dormant sprays be applied two or three times during the late fall and winter.  Usually the first application is done in November, the second around the holiday season, and the third in late January to mid-February (depending upon the weather).

If a dormant spray like lime sulfur and oil is used, you must be careful not to get the spray on any painted surfaces as it will stain them.  Newspapers or other materials can simply be tacked up on the exterior of the home or fences to protect the painted surface while spraying.

Another very important reason why you should check with a knowledgeable specialist is that some dormant sprays, like the lime-sulfur-oil type, will burn the foliage of evergreen plants, so they must be covered too.  In any case, be certain to read and follow application directions on the spray you use.

Do not spray when temperatures are below freezing.  Likewise, avoid spraying when the wind is blowing.  And if possible, spray at a time when there is no chance of rain for about 24 hours.

If this is too complicated, too much work, you don’t have the right equipment, or if you are concerned about using the right sprays and doing the job properly, what can you do?  I would suggest you consider contacting a professional spray firm.  You will find them in the yellow pages or on the web.  They will interview you, ask about children and pets, and determine which type of natural dormant spray they can use to solve your insect and disease problems while at the same time determine which one will be safest for you, your family, pets, all your other plants, and the environment.

Clip of the Week: Winter-flowering Plants

Happy Friday, everyone!  Looking for some winter-flowering plants to add to your garden?  Our clip of the week has a few varieties that I think are really special.

As always, our videos can be viewed on our blip.tv channel (link to the right) or downloaded for free from the iTunes Store (search for “ed hume”).

That’s all for today.  Have a great weekend and we’ll see you here on Monday!

Sincerely,

Ed

Ed’s Podcasts: Dormant Spraying

Good morning, everyone!  Boy, it sure has been cold out there.  Are you finding yourself relieved to be able to stay inside because there’s no garden projects you can do right now?  Well put some layers on, because there’s more garden projects to do in the winter than you think, and one of those projects is dormant spraying.  What is dormant spraying and why would you do it in the winter?  Listen to our podcast below to find out.

Ed’s Podcasts: Dormant Spraying

As always, if you’d like to save the podcast for later playback on your iTunes or iPod, right-click the link above and select “save target as” (Mac users select “save link as”).

Have a great rest of the week and we’ll see you here on Friday.

Happy gardening!

Ed

From the Desk of Ed Hume: Pruning Trees

Right now during the winter dormant season is one of the best times of the entire year to prune fruit, flowering, and shade trees.  Before you run and get the pruning shears, though, let me give you one word of advice: Never prune for the sake of pruning.  Prune only those plants that need to be pruned.  I’ve seen many trees and shrubs go an entire lifetime without being pruned or with very minimal pruning.  At the same time, I can show you the shapes of countless trees that have been ruined by indiscriminate pruning.

So when, where, what, and why is pruning necessary?  I have already mentioned that right now during the winter dormant season is when to prune.  However, it’s not the only time.  Corrective pruning can be done in June if you find a branch or two (or more) that is still ruining the shape of the tree.

The best time to prune stone fruits like peaches, plums, cherries, apricots, and any other fruit that has a large seed (stone in the middle of the fruit) is during the autumn months of late October, November, and December.  The best time to prune apples and pears is during the winter months of January and February.

When possible, make your pruning cuts just above an outside growth bud. Pruning in this manner encourages the new growth to develop outward, opening up the tree for better air circulation and sunlight exposure.

This is not the time to prune spirea, forsythia, beauty bush, and other spring-flowering shrubs.  These are pruned immediately after they finish flowering.  Check our web site http://www.humeseeds.com for recommendations on specific types of trees and shrubs.  However, here’s a general rule that is often used: For plants that flower during the spring (up to late June), prune after they have finished flowering.  That’s because they flower on the previous year’s growth.  Anything that blooms after June flowers on new growth, so it is pruned during the winter or in earliest spring before the new growth begins.

Now that brings us to the question, why prune?  Often it is because there is growth on a tree or shrub that is ruining the appearance and shape of the plant.  This growth is pruned so as to enhance the shape of the plant.  Sometimes it is simply cutting a bit off of a branch to correct the growth habit.  Other times it is the removal of the entire branch to solve the problem.

If you are completely overwhelmed and don’t know where to start…don’t do anything.  Ask for advice from a neighbor, friend, or relative.  Maybe they can even help you, then you can offer to help them when they need assistance with a project.  Another solution that is sometimes necessary is to hire a professional to do the job for you.

An illustrated pruning book is also very handy in helping one decide when, how, and where to prune most trees and shrubs.  Garden outlets, bookstores, and the local library usually feature at least one or more of these types of pruning books.

Clip of the Week: Winter Garden Care

Happy Friday, everyone!  Is your new year off to a good start?  I sure hope so!

Before we get to our clip of the week, I wanted to make two announcements.  First, tomorrow (Saturday, January 8th) I will be doing an hour long radio show for McLendon’s Hardware.  The show will be called “McLendon’s Home and Garden Show,” will be from 10:00AM to 11:00AM, and will be on K.V.I. (570 on the radio dial).  This is a live show, so please feel free to call in with any questions you may have!

The second announcement is that I am doing several radio segments for several stations in Eastern Washington.  The segment is called, “Weekends Around the Northwest,” so if you want to know where to listen to it in your area, that is the name to search for.  These segments are taped and broadcast (ie not live), so unfortunately I cannot answer questions on them.  However, they are chock full of so much information that you will surely learn a thing or two by tuning in.

This week’s clip points out a few things in your garden that you can give attention to this Winter.  Sure it’s cold and wet out, but your garden still needs care!

Click To Play

As always, our videos can be viewed on our blip.tv channel (link to the right) or downloaded for free from the iTunes Store (search for “ed hume”).

Have a great weekend, and remember to call in Saturday morning with your questions!

Sincerely,

Ed

Ed’s Podcasts: What to Do With Christmas Trees

Good morning, everyone!  Do you still have your Christmas tree up?  It’s alright, many people do.  But I bet you’re looking to get rid of it soon.  What should you do with it?  Hopefully this week’s podcast can help you out:

Ed’s Podcasts: What to Do With Christmas Trees

As always, if you’d like to save the podcast for later playback on your iTunes or iPod, right-click the link above and select “save target as” (Mac users select “save link as”).

Have a great rest of the week and we’ll see you here on Friday!

Sincerely,

Ed