Looking for dirt on gardening conditions and things to expect? You’ve come to the right place. It’s the week of Memorial Day, and in our area, this is the traditional weekend to start planting your warm weather crops: no more expected frosts (famous last words in New England). Well, Mother Nature had ideas of her own and kept the gardens well-watered for us, making it a bit cold and wet for many to get out and play in the dirt.
However, by Monday morning, I was anxious to get outside, even with the last dregs of rainstorms. I pruned some dead branches from the magnolia tree (for most situations, pruning is best done in the cold months, but if the branches are dead, you can prune any time). I noticed that my tulip bed near the road seems to now be infected with a common tulip disease (check out this blog for some talk on tulip disease and other on goings in Londonderry!).
I dug up the old bulbs and planted about thirty gladiolus bulbs in this bed, and added a bit of organic fertilizer (Bulb-Tone from Espoma Organics is what I use when planting flower bulbs and garlic). If you have this disease, be sure to throw the old bulbs and foliage into a compost pile you will not use, or into the trash. This disease can spread.
All my tulips have passed by, but I only pull them out once they have browned-back. Give the brown foliage a gentle tug, and it should release without much resistance. Is it difficult to pull out? Give it more time. If you pull the foliage too hard, before it’s ready, you might yank the bulb out with it!
Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to hear Barb Young’s talk on native plants at Nashua Farmers’ and got lots of new ideas for my own gardens, and lots of new native plants for the yard. After planting the glads, I got all my new native plants in the ground: zizia, maiden feather fern, penstemon, and more amsonia. By this time, the weather had cleared and warmed up.
If you’re planting perennials (or really any seedlings), around mid-morning to mid-day in the sunshine, be sure that they are well watered after planting. The hot sun can make transplant shock all-the-worse, so by giving it a good drink of water, you’re encouraging the roots to grow down into the soil and give them an easier transition (hopefully).
I’m still seeing many common weeds: dandelions, chickweed, and a little oxalis. I don’t fret too much, just slowly weed through the perennial bed and add a little organic weed preventer to make life easier later. However,…major pest alert! I have heard sightings of the dreaded Colorado Potato Beetle. These beetles love to chomp down and decimate anything in the nightshade family: potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. Keep a look out for them, check the underside of nightshade leaves for eggs, and look for the larvae. They are luckily distinctive and easy to spot. You can squish them or simply knock into a cup of soapy water; you can also use organic solutions such as a spinosid spray or neem (come on by the store if you have questions).
Enough work talk! What’s blooming in the garden now? The budding iris are finally starting to open and show their stunning colors. Columbines are flowering beautifully, and boy, are the hummingbirds delighted. Delicate bleeding hearts are leaning over with their graceful, eye-catching flowers, and the azaleas are truly popping now!
Are you looking for something to do this weekend? Check out this plant sale to support Community House Hospice! 2,000 plants will be available, many of which are native. I will surely be stocking up and snagging a Joe Pye Weed or two!
More to come next week, where I’m sure new blooms will open and new pests will lurk! Enjoy nature, but please make sure to check for ticks! They’re getting bad out there!
Kate Ratta is the manager of the local feed store Nashua Farmers' Exchange, Inc. She has more than 10 years of experience working in the business owned by her aunt and uncle, Judy Ratta-Harrington and Gene Harrington, and will be contributing weekly garden reports. The store is located at 38½ Bridge Street in Nashua in the converted Boston & Maine and Concord Railroad station.
