Growing healthy plants is like taking your vitamins - if you make it a daily routine, it's easy to do. Fall is the best time to put smart gardening practices into your routine. Then it becomes a groove, a part of life's symphony. Weed the garden well, rake the leaves, cut back perennials as they go dormant, plant annuals, trees and shrubs. But for the best workout, begin with a few stretches, no matter how silly you think it looks. Then do a bit of this, then a bit of that. Work with your arms and shoulders to rake awhile, then hand weed, then snip a few things and go back to raking or digging or whatever large muscle group task you have to do. Everytime you get old plant debris out of the garden, fewer pests can find a place to safely rest until spring, making new plans of attack all the while. So do it, for the garden and for yourself.

Butterfly Trees

Most gardeners know butterfly bush, the exuberant perennial with flower clusters shaped like waffle cones, and butterfly weed, the host plant of choice for Monarchs. But November begins tree planting season and time to consider butterfly (and moth) trees. Those ‘catalpa worms’ my grandfather so favored for fishing are the larvae of tiger swallowtails. Planting such a host tree, or butterfly tree, goes beyond its obvious beauties to greatly enrich and enhance your landscape and habitat. The winged marvels seek nectar from a variety of plants, and will visit any diverse and colorful display. However, most are quite particular when choosing where to lay their eggs because it must be the appropriate food source for the larvae.

When you plant butterfly host trees, you encourage a particular butterfly community to frequent your garden for years. Yes, you must tolerate a certain amount of leaf loss as they feed, but most gardeners say regrowth soon occurs and the resulting metamorphosis is well worth it. Tulip poplar and willow trees are the hosts for Viceroy butterflies. Spicebush swallowtail favors mimosa trees, even though most gardeners dislike their rampant reseeding habits and wisely consign them to the back yard. Hackberry trees are weak-wooded and reseed, as do winged elms, but they are precious to the butterflies that lay eggs in them, particularly the intriguingly named Question Mark.

Io moths also inhabit hackberries and willows, as well as redbud trees, where the creviced bark aids in camouflaging their cocoons. The dramatic night-flyer, Luna and Regal Moths lay eggs in sweet gum, hickories, and persimmon trees. Pine, oak, and maple trees host Imperial and Prometheus moths.

Don’t stop with trees – autumn’s a fine time to plant shrubs and perennials, too. Spicebush swallowtails and Imperial moths will seek out sassafras, while verbena (especially the rampant Homestead Purple) makes a fine home for Buckeye larvae. And don’t forget the parsley – the loud stripes of swallowtail larvae will be all over it, with beautiful results.

Poinsettia Necessities

To paraphrase a famous fellow, it's the water, stupid! Yes, the way you water the poinsettia in your home or office makes all the difference in its lifespan and your enjoyment of this classic holiday plant. Slip it out of the wrapping and water it in a sink or somewhere else where you can water it thoroughly. That means water it so water runs out the bottom, then fill the 'headspace' with water and let that percolate down, too. The headspace is the space between the top of the soil and the top of the pot and should be about a half an inch in a six inch pot. Once it's drained out, slip it back into the decorative wrapping and enjoy it for several days. Then stick your finger into the soil. If it's still damp, forget it for two more days. If it's dry, repeat the process. Watering a little everyday doesn't do the job and there's nothing sadder than wilted poinsettias. They wilt because they're dry or because they're waterlogged. This process prevents both. Happy Holly-Days!

What's Your Favorite Color? No, I won't delve into your personality based on what color is your favorite, but once you have it, use it. Winter doesn't have to be bleak if you use evergreens, bulbs, and perennials for winter flowers like Lenten rose. It will be even more reliably cheery if you'll make a New Year's resolution to buy a can of paint. Just one can to start, in your absolute favorite shade, the one you can't live without. Then paint a chair and an arbor and anything else that's permanently part of the garden. When the leaves fall, and the flowers that carry your personal hue have faded, it remains in the garden, a herald of spring's return in just a few weeks.

Hedges in the Garden Privacy hedge

In his poem, Mending Wall, the poet Robert Frost wrote, "Good fences make good neighbors. I have to say the same about hedges, but I would add however, that hedges serve many other purposes in the garden as well. Not only can they can be used to create boundaries, they can also be used to define space, provide a beautiful green backdrop, act as a windscreen, and more.

Hedges, which are created by planting shrubs, or sometimes trees, closer together than normal to create a physical boundary. Sometimes hedges are referred to as living fences. Typical hedge plants include arborvitae, yews, privet, Italian cypress, poplar (especially for windbreaks), inkberry holly, boxwood, viburnums such as American cranberrybush, or even roses. Hedges can be formal and low growing (as in a parterre or Colonial garden) or informal, evergreen or deciduous, flowering or not. Don’t be afraid to mix and match flowering with evergreens if the hedge is of the informal variety. Very tall hedges are often used to create privacy or boundaries.

If you’re looking to create privacy or create a sound barrier, then tall growing evergreens work nicely, perhaps with some flowering trees or shrubs planted in the foreground so the evergreen hedge provides a backdrop. Hedges also provide shelter for birds and small mammals, and in fragmented urban and suburban landscapes serve as wildlife corridors.

Trees for Small Gardens

No matter how large or small your yard is, it’s nice to have a tree or two. That said, smaller yards need smaller trees to keep the landscape in proportion and to keep it at “people scale”. Even if you have a large yard, a smaller tree near the terrace or deck is always a good choice. Here are 5 trees suitable for small yards, gardens, or outdoor living spaces whether they’re urban, suburban, or rural.

1. American Hornbeam

American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), is a deciduous hardwood tree with very dense wood. It is sometimes called musclewood because of the smooth gray bark. It is a member if the birch plant family and is native to the eastern US. The not so showy flowers bloom in February, but the fall color can be quite spectacular in shades of yellow, orange, and red. Grows to a height to 20 to 35 feet with a similar canopy spread.

2. Ironwood

Not to be confused with American hornbeam, ironwood (Ostrya virginiana) is also called hop hornbeam. It gets its name from the smooth gray bark. Reaches a height of 25 to 40 feet and will tolerate a variety of soil conditions including alkaline (good for urban gardens), dry, moist, and wind. Leaves turn yellow in the fall. Slow growing with very hard wood. Native to the central, southwestern, and eastern regions of the US.

3. Speckled Alder

Alders are commonly found in rocky, gravelly, or sandy soils in floodplains or on rocky mountain slopes and speckled or gray alder is no exception. It’s a good choice for places like Colorado or Alaska where sub-alpine conditions are typical. Grown as a small multi-stemmed tree or large shrub it has interesting and distinct miniature pinecone-like fruits.

4. Carolina Silverbell

Carolina silverbell is one of the taller small trees reaching a mature height of 30 to 40 feet. The showy white flowers bloom in April. It can be grown as a single stem tree or as a large multi-stemmed shrub.

5. Redbud

East or west, there’s probably a redbud that will grow in your neck of the woods. With their pretty pink flowers, which bloom in April, redbud is an understory tree that typically grows to a height of about 20 feet, sometimes taller, sometimes shorter depending on which species and where you live.

Autumn---Berry Beautiful--For berries, plant these: pyracantha, beautyberry, strawberry bush, magnolia, mahonia.

What's a Garden Room? When someone first says ‘garden room’ to you, what comes to mind? If you’re like me, it’s an English garden where hedges surround a patio and often obscure the view. But that’s simple American prejudice talking: a variety of garden rooms readily find their place in our gardens from coast to coast.

Garden room: an area defined by plants or hardscape separated from the house and other parts of the garden but connected to it in some way. This last is most important: if the ‘room’ stands alone, it’s something else.

The effect of a garden room is dynamic: when a small back yard includes a secluded nook, the whole place seems larger. To take a large space and plant a series of rooms brings intimacy to the landscape. Irony or magic, both are true.

Great designs, pictures, and plans can help you create garden rooms, but they all come down to three basic ideas: the enclosed space, the walls around it, and the way back to the house. You can begin with any of the three elements, but stay aware of the view to be concealed or revealed and adjust them to please your eye. Follow the natural path that flows from your backdoor out to the area where the kids’ swingset used to be. Stand there and look back at the house, then lay out a circular flowerbed with a three foot gap on one side as an entrance. Plant the bed like a border that faces the inside of the circle: tall evergreen plants fronted by perennials and a strip of short annuals. Add a bench, sit down, and relax.

Say the neighbors build a nice, big addition, and the solid wall makes a lousy view. Use that wall as the bottom of a U-shaped completed by lattice trellises or bamboo baffles. Then, finish the room with an arch flanked by short shrubs. A blank wall becomes an intimate garden room framed by its walls and arch.

Some of the nicest garden rooms happen by serendipity: a grove of trees in the sideyard becomes hard to mow, so you plant beds all around beneath them. Or the shady place behind the garage is the coolest in summer, so the glider goes there, and the path to the clothesline is nearby, so you make a bed alongside it. Soon a garden room evolves from the space already nearly enclosed by happenstance.

If nothing in your garden inspires you to say, "That’s where the garden room goes," don’t fret. Draw a line in the grass and build around it. A good place to begin is one third the distance from your back door to the rear property line and one third its length. Plant an oval hedgerow and put a gate in the center facing the house. Choose plants that can tolerate annual pruning to keep them thick, and buy the largest specimens you can. As you plant the room, its concealed view becomes a destination reached through the gate.

Like potato chips, a single garden room often leads to another. Your garden rooms can empty into one another, or open onto a path that winds throughout the property. Use hedges, walls, baffles, even tree allees to separate the lawn into places to sit, eat, swing, entertain, or grow theme gardens. Imagine rounding the corner of a hedgerow at dusk to see a collection of plants with white flowers glowing. Or stepping through a low gate into a cutting garden, its summer flowers begging for a vase.

If laying out the whole yard seems too large a project, start small by adapting the existing space. Got a patio or deck, add an overhead arbor that will be intimately shaded all summer. Where a blank wall dominates, build a pergola in front of it surrounded by evergreens. Add a seating area and enjoy the quiet oasis within the dense branches.

Garden rooms enhance the indoor-outdoor relationship that flows between your house and garden. The view from the window looking out is as important as the framed view you see from the glider looking in. By dividing that view into garden rooms, you make more to look at, more places to garden, and more reason to go out and see what’s behind the garden wall.

Great Mulch: a Chip off the old Tree

If you’re like me, you spend plenty of time during hurricane season wondering and hoping that the winds and rains show mercy to your beloved home and trees. Of course, it’s not just my neck of the woods that’s prone to storms with strong winds – there are plenty of areas around the country with intense weather that can tear apart gardens and trees.

Even if your trees and shrubs are fortunate enough to make it through the storms, it’s important to inspect them afterward for signs of weak and damaged branches. If you find any, they should be removed as soon as possible. Strong winds can leave dangerous, broken, dangling branches ready to fall at unsuspecting moments. These weak branches can cause property damage – as well as injure people.

Usually damaged lower branches can be removed safely by homeowners with little to no problem. Branches higher up in the tree, however, are best removed by a professional tree service. You should never attempt to climb in a tree with branches of questionable strength. Safety always comes first!

But what should you do with those branches once you’ve got them down? Instead of hauling them off to the landfill, consider adding all those nutrients back into your garden. Chipping and shredding branches from trees and shrubs are a wonderful addition to your compost pile. Or instead of buying bags and bags of mulch, chip your own for use around your trees, shrubs and garden beds.

In fact, if your landscape is full of shrubbery and trees that frequently require trimming, a wood chipper might be a worthwhile purchase. For smaller landscapes that require minimal trimming, you can rent wood chippers for a minimal cost. The size of wood chipper you’ll need depends on the diameter of your thickest branches. The larger the machine, the larger diameter branches it can handle – and the more likely it will require a tractor or truck for hauling.

Once you’ve got the wood chipper and you’re all pumped and ready to get started, keep one thing at the front of your mind at all times: safety. Although wood chippers are very beneficial (and can also be fun to use), extreme caution is needed when operating the machine.

The following precautions should be followed when operating a wood chipper:

● Read the operator’s manual and follow the directions carefully. Yes, I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: Safety always comes first!

● Wear snug-fitting clothes with long pants and boots, along with ear protection, safety goggles, a hard hat and short-cuffed gloves. (No jewelry!)

● Make sure the chipper is on level ground.

● Before starting the machine, make sure all safety guards are securely in place.

● Insert branches in the chipper butt-end first (the end cut from the trunk of the tree), and release it when grabbed by the chipper.

● Smaller branches should be pushed into the chipper by larger branches.

To make your chipping job go smoothly, plan ahead: Have all your branches and cuttings at the ready. It’ll save you plenty of time – and money if you’re renting. If you’ve got a big job, recruit or bribe (personally, I’m always a sucker for a cheeseburger) help from friends, family and neighbors. They might even be interested in sharing the cost of the rental to do their own chipping.

In all honesty, chipping your branches and shrubbery can be a full day’s work. However, the time and money you invest will have its payoffs as your lush, vibrant garden says “thank you” with healthy new growth – care of the nutrients from the compost and mulch. What better reward could you ask for?

Warnings

* Never place your hands – or any other body part – inside a chipper! Use long branches to help push shorter branches into the machine.

* Always stand to the side as you feed branches into the chipper. Never stand directly behind or lean over the hoppers!

Tips

* Eye protection is a must when using a wood chipper. A full-face shield in addition to separate eye protection is also recommended.

* Put a tarp down on the ground for the shredded wood to land on – it’ll save you a lot of time and effort when it comes to cleanup.

Winterizing Your Lawn Care Equipment

Sputter, sputter, sputter…kick, kick, kick. Does this sound like the relationship between you and your lawn equipment? If so, it’s time for some tender loving care. No, not for you (although that’s never a bad idea), but for your lawn equipment. Before your lawn mower, weed eater and other machinery go into hibernation, you should winterize them so they’re “spring ready” for next year.

The basic maintenance most equipment needs is fairly easy to tackle. Your car needs regular attention (oil changes, new filters, etc.), and so does your lawn care equipment. Regular inspections and maintenance keep them running smoothly, as well as cuts down on repairs and replacement costs. If this is new territory for you and you cringe at the thought of getting your hands greasy, stay with me and just keep reading. Trust me when I say you’ll think, “I can do that!” It’s just a matter of getting more familiar with your equipment.

Let’s start with the spark plug. Without the spark plug (alias, “Sparky”), your machine won’t start. The spark plug provides the electrical spark that ignites the gasoline/air mixture. Typically, you need to change the spark plug in any lawn maintenance tool once a season. If you’re pulling and pulling the chord on your machine and it’s still not starting, there’s a good chance that ol’ Sparky is the culprit. Each lawn equipment model requires a different spark plug and spark plug gap. To find out which one you need, just pull out the spark plug that’s in the machine right now, or check your operator’s manual. (You can also buy an inexpensive spark plug gap tool to have at your disposal. It sure comes in handy.)

Check your oil on a regular basis – and change it once a year to keep your lawn care equipment running smoothly.

Next, let’s talk oil. First, you need to make sure you’re using the right kind. Again, your operator’s manual will explain your machine’s specific oil requirements – and you must pay attention to them. Putting the wrong oil in your lawn equipment is like the pharmacist filling your prescription incorrectly. It could mean the death of your machine.

The next step is to actually look at the oil and the oil level (which you should do regularly throughout the season). If the oil is low or dirty, your machine won’t run like it should. Plus (just like cars), if the oil gets dangerously low, the engine will burn up. Not good…not good at all.

Most machines have a number of hours of minimal operation before changing the oil is necessary. Even if you don’t find yourself using your mower or other machinery that often during a season, it’s a good habit to change your oil once a year to keep your equipment running smoothly. (And remember to dispose of your old oil safely by taking it to your local hazardous-material recycling location.)

This Week's Featured Plant

American bittersweet

Common name: American bittersweet

Botanical name: Celastrus scandens

The ornamental late-season fruits of American bittersweet reign in autumn. This deciduous woody, twining and rambling vine originates from eastern North America. It is a vigorous grower that becomes quite large, so it's not commonly planted in gardens. Find out more about this vine and if it is right for you.

The ornamental late-season fruits of American bittersweet reign in autumn. This deciduous woody, twining and rambling vine originates from eastern North America. It is a vigorous grower that becomes quite large, so it’s not commonly planted in gardens.

American bittersweet vines become covered with medium green leaves in spring, which turn unimpressive shades of yellow-green in fall. Its inconspicuous creamy flowers appear in summer and clusters of ornamental fruits appear in fall. These are orange-yellow capsules that burst open to show deep orange-red seeds. Celastrus is dioecious, meaning that some plants have only male flowers and some only female flowers. Male and female plants are needed for fruit production and only female vines produce fruit. Bittersweet fruits are an early winter foodsource for song and gamebirds.

Grow this vine in full to partial sun. It is tolerant of most well-draining soils. American bittersweet is a vigorous grower that needs the strong support of tall metal fences or sturdy arbors. In the wild it twines into tree canopies. If rigorously pruned and maintained, it can adopt a shrub-like habit. This species should not be confused with the more aggressive and invasive Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbicularis).

Hop Tree Hardy between USDA zones 4 and 9, the hop tree or wafer ash (Ptelea trifoliata) is a large shrub or small tree native to the eastern and central US including as far west as Minnesota, Nebraska, Utah, and Arizona. Hop tree is a member of the Rue or Citrus plant family (Rutaceae) the same family as the economically important genus (Citrus) whose members include oranges, lemons, and limes.

In addition to wafer ash, hop tree is sometimes referred to as skunk bush and stinking ash because of the disagreeable odor that emanates from all parts of the plant, particularly the small greenish-white flowers that bloom in late spring that are pollinated by carrion flies. The name hop tree refers to the use of the wafer-like samaras as a substitute for hops. The dark green compound leaves are 2 to 5 inches long and turn yellow in the fall.

Hop tree has a rounded compact habit reaching a height of about 15 to 20 feet, making it a good choice for an informal hedge. Preferring full to part shade, hop tree is low maintenance and tolerates dry to medium soils. Although it has been in cultivation for nearly 300 years, it’s not a particularly popular ornamental tree and is grown primarily for its interesting fruits, which persist into winter.

Wafer ash is listed as endangered in New Jersey and New York and threatened in Pennsylvania.

Orcharyarders’ There is yet another new gardening movement on the rise: The backyard fruit orchard grower. Dubbed ‘Orcharyarders’, these fruit orchards are springing up in yards as small as 50 square feet. It seems that now that people have mastered edible landscapes growing vegetables in their front yards, back yards, and in community gardens, they are moving on to fruit gardens.

Orcharyarders are just another segment of the edible yard movement. Some lucky property owners, particularly in rural areas have discovered old orchards or other fruit producing trees, shrubs, and vines on their property--leftovers from days gone by--and are bringing them back to life. More common however, is the suburban or urban homeowner who has discovered a vast selection of dwarf and semi-dwarf fruit tree cultivars that can be grown in pots, espaliered against a wall, grown on arbors, or planted in the ground in small garden plots.

From persimmons and pawpaws, apples, cornelian cherries, and the quince pictured above to grapes, gooseberries, raspberries, and kiwis, back yard orchards are one trend that won’t be going away. After all, wouldn’t you rather grab a piece of homegrown fruit in the backyard than one that’s traveled thousands of miles before it even reaches your local grocer? Yup. Thought so.

Get your Car Ready for Winter

winterizingBefore making your way across town or out-of-town, here are a few tips for preparing your vehicle for bad weather.

Check or have a mechanic check the following items on your car:

Antifreeze levels - ensure they are sufficient to avoid freezing.

Battery and ignition system - should be in top condition and battery terminals should be clean.

Brakes - check for wear and fluid levels.

Exhaust system - carbon monoxide is deadly and usually gives no warning. Check for leaks and crimped pipes and repair or replace as necessary.

Fuel and air filters - replace and keep water out of the system by using additives and maintaining a full tank of gas.

Heater and defroster - be sure they work properly.

Lights and flashing hazard lights - check for serviceability.

Oil - check for level and weight. Heavier oils congeal more at low temperatures and do not lubricate as well.

Thermostat - make sure it works properly.

Windshield wiper equipment - repair any problems and maintain proper washer fluid

level.

Install good winter tires - make sure the tires have adequate tread. All-weather radials are usually adequate for most winter conditions. However, some jurisdictions require that to drive on their roads, vehicles must be equipped with chains or snow tires with studs.

Maintain at least a half tank of gas during the winter season.

Place a winter emergency kit in each car that includes:

* A shovel

* Windshield scraper and small broom

* Flashlight

* Battery powered radio

* Extra batteries

* Water

* Snack food

* Matches

* Extra hats, socks, and mittens

* First aid kit with pocket knife

* Necessary medications

* Banket(s)

* Tow chain

or rope

* Road salt and sand

* Boster cables

* Emergency flares and or fluorescent distress flag