Turn Restless into Resplendent

by Carol Barany on Jan 5, 2012

January and February are months of restlessness for Yakima’s Zone 5 gardeners. While the winter wonder of bark and berries, conifers and cones and frosted foliage is appreciated, I find myself yearning for something fresh and alive. Even the dried arrangements that were stunning centerpieces in my home in November have lately lost their luster. The good news is that gardeners in cold climates like ours can gain an early glimpse of spring thanks to the age-old process of “forcing.”

Forcing tricks barren branches into thinking it’s spring, so they’ll unravel silk blossoms and verdant green leaves when taken indoors. Spring-blooming trees and shrubs form their flower buds during fall, and after at least eight weeks of temperatures below 40 degrees, their branches are capable of blooming if you can provide them with the perfect environment. Here are some simple steps to follow:

Using sharp pruners, make an angled cut on pencil-thin branches with enlarged flower buds (which tend to be rounder and larger than leaf buds.) Do this on a sunny afternoon or when temperatures are above freezing. Bring the cut branches indoors and strip the buds, twigs and leaves from lower sections of the stem that would eventually be underwater when placed in a vase. Make a slit or two in the bottom of the stem in a star or cross pattern before putting stems into a bucket of water (or, if possible, submerge the entire stem in the bathtub overnight). This begins to break the branch and bud’s dormancy. Then move the branches to a cool area (60 degrees) in indirect light. Warmer temperatures and brighter light can cause buds to develop too rapidly and prevent them from opening properly.

Change the water every two to three days to keep it fresh. The low humidity in Yakima homes may cause the buds to fall off, so try to keep the branches misted (and, if you can manage it, wrapped in wet newspaper). Depending on the type of branch and when you cut, you should see buds swell and begin to open within one to six weeks.

At this point, move the stems to a brighter location and use them in arrangements. Cool temperatures around 65 degrees will prolong the blooming period.

A word of caution before you dash out the door, pruners in hand: There have been memorable years when I was a bit overzealous in my harvest of dormant branches. While they were thrilling in my indoor arrangements, when May arrived the donor plant looked like the victim of a very bad haircut that took a whole season to grow out. Be prudent when pruning, always maintaining an attractive shape for your blooming shrubs.

Remember too that when it comes to fruit trees, the blooms you remove in February were destined to be the summer or autumn harvest. Avoid those awkward conversations like I’ve had with my husband, when he wonders why there are so few apricots and plums. Where did they all go?

For cutting as early as mid-January, try forsythia, witch hazel, poplar and willow. These take 2-3 weeks to force and are easy. In February, add maple, alder, apple, crab apple, quince, cherry, apricot and pear to that list. In March, try hawthorn, honeysuckle, mock orange, lilac, spirea, magnolia and dogwood. These March varieties are a bit more difficult and may need a month or more to bloom, so be patient while you await your reward: the almost magical emergence of fresh flowers and foliage in the harsh days of midwinter.

Leave the Leaves

by Robin Salts Beckett on Sep 8, 2011

By Carol Barany/WSU Master Gardeners

Relax! Impeccable neatness in the autumn yard, without a fallen leaf in sight and with all the natural refuse cut back, collected and bagged, is no longer the mark of a fine gardener. When I see a black plastic bag of leaves on the curb, I want to bring it home, since leaves are one of the most extraordinary gifts nature gives us. Soil needs replenishing each year with organic matter, and leaves are the perfect food, since they decompose into humus. Humus contains both nutrients and fiber that adds structure to soil.

A Container Garden How-To

by Heather Caro on Jul 8, 2011

An inspired container contains three design elements: a thriller, a filler and a spiller. Photo by Gordon King

By Carol Barany

Every home, apartment, restaurant and boutique should have at least one container garden. Container gardens are living art, adding personality and panache to any setting, most notably on our downtown Yakima streets.

Tips for “Greener Gardening” in Yakima

by Heather Caro on Mar 4, 2011

By Sharon Fisher

Earth-friendly gardens and yards are colorful, diverse, drought-tolerant, friendly to birds, butterflies and other wildlife, and, in the long run, less work than the clipped shrub- and lawn-dominated yards we’ve known for decades.

As practitioners of sustainable gardening, Master Gardeners focus on the challenges of designing garden spaces that will become easier to care for with each passing season. They will also tell you that no ground cover, perennial or shrub needs to be watered, fed, edged or mowed as often as a lawn. To that end, if you are reading this because you want to garden “greener,” you can save water by removing some of your lawn — it is a water hog.

Planting the right plant in the right place, with the proper soil, light exposure, protection from wind and moisture and drainage, will help you grow healthy plants that are not so prone to insects and diseases, as well.

Here are some other “Master Gardener” tips on how to garden “greener”:

• Create border and island gardens that replace some of your turfgrass.

• Plant trees with groundcover underneath. There are many shade-tolerant and sun-loving groundcovers that tolerate varying degrees of foot traffic: pachysandra, liriope, lamium, thyme, ajuga, blue star creeper, creeping thyme, sun-loving creeping phlox, “hens and chicks” and many varieties of sedum (Stonecrop). You may have seen “Steppables,” as well. The native evergreen Arctostaphylos uva ursi (Kinnikinnick or Bearberry) are examples of the many ground cover plants that are slightly taller. Ornamental grasses also make excellent ground cover.

• Water lawn infrequently but deeply.

• Install drip irrigation or soaker hoses and use a timer.

• Water in the early morning when there is less evaporation.

• Consider using recycled “gray” water — water from the house, such as dishwater, air-conditioner condensate, water from dehumidifiers, etc. — on ornamental plants.

• Reduce evaporation by maintaining a 2- to 4-inch layer of organic mulch on top of all bare garden soil. Pile it around your veggies and landscape plants.

• Reduce water loss from hanging baskets by lining the insides with black plastic (except for the bottom) and using small amounts of water-absorbing crystals in the potting mix.

• When digging new beds, work compost or other organic matter into the soil to improve drainage and water-holding ability.

• Group plants together that have the same water needs.

• Get composting! Compost can include your grass clippings, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable scraps, shredded junk mail, leaves, egg shells and anything else that will break down.

• Find creative ways to use garden prunings by building trellises, gates, furniture or garden ornaments with it.

• Use sticks for labeling and plant support.

• Plant trees and shrubs that provide cover and food for small wildlife. Plant flowers and herbs that provide food for good insects and bees. Create a habitat such as an old log or pile of rocks in the corner of your yard for frogs.

COMPOSTING

Composting isn’t that difficult, and you get to use up a lot of waste that would ordinarily end up in your garbage or your garbage disposal. Compost needs alternate layers of “brown” matter, such as fall leaves, shredded newspaper and pine needles, and “green” matter, such as vegetable scraps, garden trimmings and grass clippings. “Red Wiggler” worms are very effective at biologically decomposing kitchen food wastes. You can buy a bin or container specially designed for vermiculture or you can make your own.

Get more information on beginning backyard composting on the Yakima County Public Services website: http://yakimarecycles.com/composting.asp.

ABOUT PESTICIDES

Encourage wildlife in your garden by not using pesticides. Rather than spraying at the first sign of something crawling, ask yourself if the bug is really a problem or just a passing cosmetic issue. If it is a real threat to your garden, try picking the offender off the plant by hand or using a strong spray of water from the hose. These are frequently all you need for insect control. If necessary there are many environmentally safe options, such as Bacillus thuringiensis (commonly known as Bt), which is an insecticidal bacterium widely used for control of many plant pests. There are also a variety of oils, soaps, repellents and natural insecticides that solve the problem with less impact on the environment and less collateral damage to nonpests. Be sure to follow directions and use only as indicated on the label.

The topic of the Master Gardener Spring Symposium this year is “Environmentally Friendly Gardening in Yakima.” All talks are from 7-9 p.m. in the Davis KIVA and are open to the public. $30 for the series or $10 for each class.

March 9: Ciscoe Morris. Topic: Environmentally friendly garden design.

March 16: Andy Stepniewski. Topic: Birds and bees in the garden.

March 23: Bonnie Orr. Topic: Worms and composting.

March 30: Jeannie Stephens. Topic: What’s new in perennials, shrubs and trees for the Yakima garden.

Garnish Your Winter Garden

by Heather Caro on Nov 5, 2010

By Carol Barany

Viewed from one’s frost-laced window, a winter garden is quiet and serene. Plants finally put themselves to rest after three seasons of exuberant growth. Yet there is no reason for the December garden to be stark and uninteresting. Bright flower and foliage may be missing, but winter’s neutral color palette provides a backdrop that draws the eye to other aspects of a garden’s structure that may have been missed during summer’s heyday.

Without the distraction of foliage, stems and bark can now provide rich textural interest, especially when peeking out from an icing of glittering frost or snow. The winter shape of a plant forms an intricate lattice. The muted colors of seedheads, berries and evergreens add an unexpected punch of color and attract native birds, perhaps adding the most satisfying visual element of all. The following plant selections, recommended by some of our Valley’s most extraordinary gardeners, can make your landscape a wonderland this winter.

Cornus stolonifera, or “red twig dogwood”

No winter garden is complete without a red twig dogwood. “Arctic Fire,” a recent introduction that is more compact and lush than the taller native, is a perfect choice. White blooms in May and June are followed by pale berries, which attract birds. The glory of this plant comes with winter’s chill, when its 3- to 4-foot stems are transformed from ordinary brown to a brilliant scarlet, adding a spectacular hue to the winter landscape.

Ilex verticillata, or “winterberry”

Winterberry is a native, deciduous holly that grows 6 to 10 feet tall. When its serrated glossy green leaves drop in the fall, stems festooned with brightly colored berries are revealed. When shopping, remember that fruit is set only on pollinated female plants, so be sure to place a male pollinator nearby.

Acer griseum, or “paperbark maple”

The paperbark maple is a deciduous slow grower, reaching a height of 20 feet and an equal mature spread. The pleasing rounded shape of this tree and its crimson fall foliage make it a high impact addition to gardens large or small. Its cinnamon-stick bark, unclothed and fully revealed in winter, exfoliates in papery curls and is irresistible to the eye and to the touch.

Calamagrostis x acutiflora, or “Karl Foerster” grass

Feather reed grass was the first ornamental grass to be named “Perennial Plant of the Year,” in 2001, by the Perennial Plant Association. Foliage breaks early in the spring and reaches 3 to 4 feet, with blossoms emerging in June and July atop sturdy stalks that reach 5 to 6 feet. Shimmering with frost, these seed wands will sway with grace through winter winds and stand up despite heavy snowfalls.

Picea bicolor, or “Howell’s Dwarf Tigertail” spruce

Dwarf and intermediate growing conifers are low maintenance and highly ornamental in all seasons, especially winter. This selection grows slowly to 3 to 4 feet in height and almost twice that in width in 10 years. Especially striking in the snow, the architecture of the branches as they radiate from the center of the tree and grow upward exposes the glittering cool silver-blue undersides of the needles. If that wasn’t enough, stunning violet cones in clusters cap the branches each spring.

Keeping Bouquets Beautiful

by Heather Caro on Sep 10, 2010

By Carol Barany

Congratulations — that bouquet from your garden is gorgeous.

Now, how do you keep your cut flowers looking fresh, not frazzled, for days to come?

Whether you grow your own flowers or buy them, following these simple suggestions will help them last and last.