Hedgerows Garden Tapestry Journal

by Mala Gunadasa-Rohling

During May, the last days of spring slowly turn into early summer. This is the time when the last of the perennials appear above ground, and the daffodils and tulips and all their springtime companions fade away. The magnolias are almost over, their unreal goblet-shaped flowers shedding huge pink petals onto the grass, totally overpowering the smaller pink petal snow of the cherries and plums. Now the crabapple and hawthorn trees are covered in their delicate blossoms, ranging from almost white to dark red. I’ve loved these trees ever since I was young and used to play under them in our school playground, collecting the flowers as they fall to the ground. They were also a predominant feature of the hedgerows and verges in our part of the country, and I remember them vividly growing wild in the large open hillside behind our house, leading down to the railway line… One day I am going to plant a large orchard that has these lovely trees growing in a random pattern (I hate orchards with trees in rows!), with long, unmown grass underneath. Of course this meadow will be filled with beautiful wildflowers coming into bloom, replacing the fading bluebells and daffodils, primulas and violets. 

I suppose this time of year lends itself readily to dreams like this - right now, the garden just might be perfect this year, since the bugs haven’t really got to anything yet, no fungus or viruses have attacked the delicate emerging foliage or flowers, and drought hasn’t made anything wilt sadly. Now is the time to imagine how gorgeous that lush hosta foliage will be, without a slug-eaten leaf in sight, and the roses might possibly have buds without a single aphid sucking on them. Of course the tomato seedlings sitting safely on the windowsill won’t end up grey and curled with blight like last year, and we will have enough sun to actually ripen some fruit this year!

Enjoy the optimism of this month, it is good and necessary for all gardeners to be dreamers as well as having a solid and practical head and hand. We need to be able to visualise and project, to see in our mind how the border will look when mature as we carefully plan and build with little plants now. All those precious plant sale treasures must be found a home somewhere, and if you are lucky to have bought a small annual or perennial, your troubles are limited as they can be squeezed in just about anywhere. Imagine the task facing someone that just came home with a spectacular species rhododendron or such - now that needs some room in a good spot and may not be so easy to find without taking out some previous treasure! I was sorely tempted recently as I walked around a rhodo plant sale last weekend at the UBC Botanical Garden, put on by the Vancouver Rhododendron Society…I must admit that I think that rhodos and azaleas are greatly overused in the Vancouver area. They have been a staple of gardens here for decades, and now most of them are overgrown for their spots, neglected and quite sickly, with yellowing and thinning foliage and a few sad flowers. Most were planted much to close to the house, probably even under the windows and have been thoughtlessly cut back. The few plants that do well, do really well here since members of the rhodo family like this cool, wet climate and acidic, shallow soil. These lucky plants are gorgeous and almost overpower a garden during their blooming season, but does everyone have to choose a red one when there are so many choices available in all shades of white, pale yellow to bright orange, pinks, mauves to dark maroon? Try one a little different, you won’t regret it!

This rhododendron show also had some spectacular azalea bonsai on display. Until now, I’ve never been a big fan of this particular aspect of horticulture, since it seems to take far too long to achieve a nice looking specimen (I’ve always liked the mature end result though, especially those charming little forests of tiny japanese maples…pure magic). Maybe I’m just getting older and more patient these days, but I might be tempted to start my own bonsai forest one day.

It is hard to watch something grow and evolve that slowly though, especially at this time of year when you can practically watch the paeony shoots grow by inches each day! It is always amazing just how fast perennials emerge and fill in the border - within a matter of weeks bare earth is transformed into a full swathe of plant material. Few annuals can match the rate of growth of an established perennial. Never mind that most perennials only flower for a few weeks each year because so many of them have lovely foliage and possibly interesting seedheads to offer during the rest of the season. It is as important to plan for a harmonious blending of leaf material in your borders as coordinating colours of blooms, but this is a topic all unto itself…

There was a wonderful day last week when I hung out with a friend (Hi Sharon!) as she worked at a local nursery - I watched and listened as she patiently shared her expert advice with the garden tour going around, the eager and slightly anxious customers, and of course, myself. What a treat to get outside and actually see and touch so many unusual plants that I usually only get to read about in books! I even got to get my hands dirty and help with a bit of potting up - so much nicer than working behind a computer all the time. A fascinating lecture presented by a local gardening club that bought in famous plant explorer and nurseryman, Dan Hinkley of Heronswood Nursery rounded out an excellent last week of April. Definately the best way for a beginner to learn about plants and gardening is to talk with, and above all, listen to experienced people like this that are willing to share their knowledge and enthusiasm. 

I’m going back outside now to watch my perennials growing, as well as admiring the staying power of a few annuals that survived the mild winter and are now flowering where they left off last November… Time to get those stakes into the ground before the paeony buds open and fall over. Let’s hope it doesn’t rain and cause them to rot before they even have a chance to open…but wait, no bad thoughts allowed yet, it is still springtime!

Horticulture News From Around the World

1. England: Celebrating the Oak

May 29 is oak apple day, which commemorates the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The oak apple was chosen to represent the oak that Charles II hid in after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester. Many of the customs that take place on this day have their origins in ancient rituals. Villagers from Great Wishford in Wiltshire carry armfuls of green oak, cut at dawn in nearby Grovely Forest, to Salisbury Cathedral. Here they dance in the Close, before entering the cathedral to make their claim of common rights to gather firewood in the forest. 

Despite the name, oak apples are not fruit. They are galls caused by insects. The true fruit of the oak is the oak corn, now called the acorn.

2. Canada: Apple Orchards:

Orchard owners don’t like dandelions because they believe they compete with fruit tree blossom for the attentions of all-important bee pollinators. But entomologists at the University of Western Ontario say that mowing them is an expensive waste of time. 

When they let the dandelions bloom under apple trees, they found that less than three percent of pollen collected by bees came from dandelion flowers, even when these outnumbered apple flowers by twenty-eight to one. If fruit growers follow the expert’s advice, orchards could be carpeted with gold under the apple blossom in spring.

3. USA: Passion Flowers:

Plant breeders at Cornell University in New York believe that Passiflora incarnata, a species of passion flower currently considered to be a weed in the south-eastern United States, could form the basis of a new fruit crop. Its seed pulp contains a tasty juice, but its weedy nature has deterred breeders from working with it in case it becomes a problem in the wild. 

The way forward, say the Cornell scientists, is to cross it with the commercial passion fruit, P. edulis, with the aim of generating a new range of useful and non-invasive hybrids.

Even experienced gardeners can benefit by using some seedtapes - this is a super easy and fast way to sow seeds that are the perfect space apart every time (no more thinning, which is great for people like myself that can’t bear to remove perfectly healthy seedlings just because they are too close to another perfectly heathly seedling!). 

Here’s how to do it:
1. Prepare the bed or border exactly the same way as if you were broadcast sowing seeds or setting out established seedlings.

2. Make a trench where you want the plants to grow that is the same depth as individual seeds would have been planted. Use the edge of a hoe or handle of a rake. If you want perfectly straight lines, say for vegetables, you can use a board as an edge. A string stretched taut between two end pegs works very well also. (see picture below)

3. Lay strips of seedtape down in the trench (see picture below) and cover, firming the soil gently. Water in as for individual seeds. 

The paper or plastic that holds the seeds in place will degrade over the season, there is no need to remove it at any time. This techniqe of seed sowing is very simple, great for kids (or anyone that has trouble handling small seeds or just simply doesn’t have the patience!), and there is no waste. Check out the many varieties of flowers and vegetables available this way, and save yourself many headaches this season.

All the varieties listed below are available on eSeeds.com - or by special order: just send us an email indicating the type you want and number and we will post them directly to you. Please don’t send credit card details by email, call our toll-free customer service number at 1-877-373-3376.

All these varieties can be sown in spring/early summer or again in September/October for fall and winter harvesting or earlier blooms next spring.

May and June are really the best months for many perennials, before the real heat of the summer cuts them short. Work in the garden takes on the familiar rhythm of seasons past, with some staking, potting up seedlings, preparing beds for annuals, planting out, etc etc. A busy time, but filled with promise and good things ahead…

1. Pot on young plants and rooted cuttings regularly to ensure that they don’t get potbound and slowed down in their growth. At least every 10 days to two weeks, they should be checked by gently removing them from their pot (turn it over and tap out the rootball). If you can start to see roots around the edges, it is time to put it into the next size pot. If you have left it too late and the young roots are circling around the bottom and sides of the pot, don’t despair! Just rough up the root ball a little to loosen the tight roots and place gently in the next size pot. In drastic situations, remove a bit of the overgrown roots by cutting them away.

2. Continue sowing seeds of annuals directly into the ground until the end of this month. They will grow and bloom this season. Try easy and reliable favourites such as cosmos, lavatera, nigella, california poppies and marigolds.

3. Plant some marigolds (tagetes) around the vegetable plants such as tomatoes and carrots. The strong smell of the flowers can help in keeping insects such as whitefly and carrotfly away from the crops. Besides, their cheery and bright colours add interest to this area of the garden until the fruit ripes. Nasturtiums are great for this job also, and are very attractive to aphids, and may keep them off other plants. A few annuals also help in attracting pollinating insects to improve the crop yield in a vegetable area.

4. Feed your roses now as they are just starting to grow vigorously. If you are using a dry fertiliser, scatter around the base of the plant and scratch it in gently. Water if the soil is dry to start it working.

5. Also feed your flowering bulbs as the flowers fade. If you can deadhead them, that’s great, but leave all the foliage intact (don’t bend them over, tie them up, or cut them off). The leaves are the only source of food for the bulb underground, and if they are removed before they have done their job and replenished the bulb’s nutrients, there won’t be any flowers next year. If they are unsightly where they are, it is fine to remove them intact gently with as much soil around them as possible and move them into a nursery bed or quiet corner of the garden where they can finish the season’s growth unnoticed.

6. Don’t be in a hurry to plant out summer bedding or tender annuals - bad frosts can still occur at night until the end of May. Keep them in the greenhouse or coldframe until the end of this month, or be prepared to act quickly if necessary to cover them up with fleece or other material if a cold night is forecast.

7. Now is the time to put stakes in place for all perennials that may need them! Don’t wait until they’ve already toppled over since at that time, they will look terrible propped or tied back up. Plant supports come in many shapes and sizes, from fancy willow cages and small trellises, to shiny metal canes. A simple and effective way that also blends in unobtrusively is to use pea sticks - small branches cut from any shrub or plant stuck into the ground around the plant to be supported. The new branches will grow up around and through the pea sticks and be supported gently without having to be individually tied in.

8. Lawn care - you may need a slight trim at this time, but make it a gentle one with the mower settings as high as possible. They can be lowered later as growth gets more vigourous. Lawns benefit from a raking to remove winter debris such as old leaves and moss. If they are compacted, try aerating them by spiking or even pulling out cores (make sure these are raked up and composted as they look terrible otherwise, and probably plug up the holes they were meant to open!)

9. Prune back stems of hellebores and primulas that have finished flowering. If you want the plants to set seed, leave one or two stems to finish maturing. This will tidy the area, save the plant some energy and prevent too many unwanted seedlings spreading around.

10. Harvest rhubarb now by gripping stems firmly at the base and pulling away from the crown sharply. Try to remove any flowering stems completely.

“Beneficial Insects - Part III” by Sharon Hanna.Lacewings are unmistakeable: pale green, with slender, elongated bodies, and two pairs of extremely delicate netted wings. Their larvae are similar to that of the ladybird beetle (ladybug), in that they resemble little dragons or alligators, except that they are beige with brown markings.

Adult lacewing

Reprinted with permission from the New York Institute of Photography website at www.nyip.com. All photographs on this page by Mala Gunadasa-Rohling.

Sunshine on the new buds and blossoms of a lavatera. (MGR)