What's killing my tree??

When the leaves start to drop off of the trees in fall and winter, I often get a lot of folks asking about the strange structures growing on the bark and trunks of their trees.

 

Often people are very concerned that these structures are killing their trees. Good news! If you have any of these on your trees, they're called lichen, and they do not hurt trees.

Lichen can come in a variety of shapes and textures, but all of them are a symbiotic relationship (meaning two different organisms living together and both benefiting) between a fungus and an algae. The algae photosynthesize (produce sugars through the use of sunlight) to produce nutrition for both organisms, and the fungus provides a moist environment to keep the algae from drying out and dying. 

Because they are self-supporting, lichen simply use your trees as a place to grow and are not harming or hurting the tree. Because they do not actually need anything from the tree, you can find lichen growing on brick walls, building sides, rocks, and anywhere that is relatively shady and moist.

So the good news is that lichen isn't hurting your tree! Unfortunately, that isn't the whole story. Lichen often do grow on trees that are already suffering from some other ailment. That's why it can appear to us that the lichen are hurting the tree, but the fact is that the tree was already not doing so great. Lichen just find that a very comfortable spot to grow!

If your tree is suffering, you can troubleshoot some other ideas to see if you can help it. Each tree, and its environment, are totally unique, so there's no one answer to solve the question. Sometimes lichen grow on perfectly healthy trees, as well. Start looking for signs of drought and think about any root disturbances in the past 5 years. That can sometimes offer some clues. You can also check your tree for signs of insect infestation or disease. When in doubt, you can always call a certified arborist, someone trained in all aspects of tree health, and have them come take a look. 

Many trees live long lives with lichen on them, so do not despair. The other bright side of the picture is that research shows that lichen typically only grow in areas with healthy, clean air. So, if you have a lot of lichen, your air quality is in good condition.

Top 5 plants to add color in winter

Is your yard feeling a little drab now that we've had a good freeze to finish off the leaves on everything? Winter here in NC stays pretty mild, but we still feel the brunt of the bland, brown landscape for several long months. 

Pansies and dusty miller have their place, but here is a list of my top 5 favorite plants that you can use to add some color to your landscape so the winter doesn't feel so blah.

1. Red twig dogwood (Cornus sericea) - Red twig dogwood is a native dogwood species from northern North America. It has white flowers in spring and is a lovely green bush during the summer, but when the leaves fall off in the fall, you're left with this glorious red shining in your landscape. It not only looks great in your landscape, but the branches are fantastic added to planters around your home. It's a very easy shrub to grow, with very few needs. It grows great in rain gardens and can even handle a little drought.

2. Kale - In any shape, size, or color, kale is a great addition to your planters and landscape. In NC, I often grow kale year-round. It can look rather rough in the summer, but it handles cold and snow quite well. They're easy to start from seed; just scatter and wait. The other bonus is you get edible landscaping. What's not to love?

3. Heuchera - Many folks call these coral bells or foamy bells, referring to the spring blooms they have of tiny, wispy, bell shaped flowers. However, heuchera are lovely evergreen plants that come in a variety of colors. You can use these in containers by the porch, in planters near the house, or anywhere with a little shade in the summer. They prefer shade, but can handle a little more sun in the winter because it's not as vibrant and harsh. Heuchera are one of my must-have plants for any landscape. They're just so much fun, and they come in any color to suit any decorating tastes. 

4. Sungold Chamaecyparis - Otherwise known as false cypress, Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Sungold' and other yellow varieties really brighten up the bland winter landscape. Evergreens are lovely, but the yellow tinted evergreens adds that extra pop that brings our spirits to life and makes us want to spend more time outside. Instead of looking out into a brown yard, add several of these fabulous shrubs, and your view will be much cheerier. 

5. Camellias - There's this old, incorrect thought that nothing flowers in winter. Guess what. Camellias thrive in winter, and that's when they show off the most. We're fortunate that most of NC is mild enough in winter to grow these beauties. They do prefer a little warmer climate, but do pretty decent here, even into the foothills. Camellias prefer a shady garden in the summer and high acidity in the soil. If you plant Camellia sasanqua, they bloom fall into winter, and then Camellia japonica begin blooming later winter into spring. Plant both varieties, in a selection of colors, and you'll have gorgeous blooms throughout the entire winter.

  

There are a ton of other great options out there to choose from, so don't stop here. Utilize flowers, foliage, and bark to add color to your landscape. With a little planning, you can have a winter yard that no longer makes you go "ugh," but actually lifts your spirits. 

Smart Pot update

The veggies I've planted in my Smart Pot are doing great! They are growing well, and really enhancing the look of the deck. The carrots and greens have draped over the edges of the pot and hidden the fabric, so you can't even tell what the pot looks like.

Even in the dry days, the pot is large enough to retain moisture so that my plants never wanted for water, unlike all the things I have in smaller pots. So far, I'm really loving this pot, and recommend it to anyone needing a quick, throw out there, no fuss pot to grow in.

They're alive!

I recently acquired my first hydroponics unit. I know a lot of people who use a system, but I haven't ever tried one myself. I have an AeroGarden, and my 6 year old and I are both fascinated by it.

I set it up earlier this week. It took some cleaning and sorting and ciphering to find a good place to keep it, but we managed finally. Since it has self-contained lights, I didn't have to find it real estate near the windows, so that helps out a lot! Window space is in high demand around here.

Of course, Superman is keeping a watch over the plants to make sure no bad guys come after them!

Setup was a breeze. Snap the pieces together, add water, put bowl on base, plug in. 

Decision time was the hardest part. My garden came with a set of herb pods designed to grow in it, as well as a set of seed starting pods and tray to start seeds for the outdoor garden. I also contemplated whether I wanted to just plug in some of my own seeds. In the end, I went with the herb pods to get started and see how it all works out for us. 

5 days later, we have sprouts! 

The thai basil is sprouting, and I hope to have a few others out in a few days. I'm looking forward to watching the progress of these little guys, and getting year round harvest of fresh herbs right here in the comfort of the house.

Building a Bog Garden

I recently gave a speech to my local Toastmaster club about bog gardens and why someone might want to build one in their yard. The first question is always: what is a bog garden? Well, a bog garden is simply a small version of a swamp. Which leads me to the next obvious question: why on earth would anyone want a swamp in their yard????

Swamps are actually incredibly valuable pieces of our ecosystem. They are, essentially, the sewage treatment plants of our environment. Dirty wastewater filters into swamps where sediments drop out, chemicals are taken up and neutralized by plants, and water leaves the other end much cleaner than when it entered. We have traditionally taken these ares of our ecosystem for granted, often draining and filling them to make them more appealing. The smell can be pretty offensive at times, but imagine if all the world's waste runoff was hanging out in your backyard instead!

Having a bog garden in your backyard isn't going to solve the world's wastewater runoff problems because it's so small. So, what is the advantage of a bog garden? 

One major advantage of building a bog garden is that you can use it to turn a problem into a solution. If you have a boggy, wet area in your yard, instead of trying to fight with it, use it! Turn that area into a beautiful place for plants to grow. Solve a problem and grow something beautiful. Two birds with one stone.

The other obvious reason to grow a bog garden is the unique and exciting plants that you can plant in a bog garden! Many of these plants won't do well in a traditional dry garden, so they would need a boggy spot to live in. 

We have one such boggy spot in our yard. It is always water logged after rain, and stays so for many days. Instead of trying to fill it in, we decided to work with it. My husband boarded the area off for me earlier this year, and I finally got around to planting it this week.

Before:

After

 The bog garden will still need watering between rains, but it will be a great use of a soggy spot that will grow in and be much more beautiful later. I was gifted some pitcher plants and sundews last year, so they have been eagerly awaiting a new home. I also added a milkweed along the outskirts of the planter, and I plan to add a swamp hibiscus as soon as I can get one sprouted from seeds.

Many bog plants are actually carnivorous plants. I'd be remiss as a biologist if I didn't mention that carnivorous is actually a misnomer, since plants don't eat anything. These plants do break down and dissolve insects, and they then use the nutrients gained from the breakdown of the insects to grow.

Sarracenia, often called pitcher plant, has pitchers that fill full of acid. Insects are attracted to the sweet smelling liquid inside, crawl in, and then get trapped by the downward facing hairs in the pitchers. The acids inside the pitcher then dissolve the insects.

Sarracenia 'Carolina Yellow Jacket'

 Drosera, often called Sundews, extend long tendril like leaves covered with a sticky substance. Insects land on the sticky and get stuck. Then the plant can dissolve them.

Sundews

My kids are hoping I'll acquire some venus fly traps to add to the collection. What are your favorite carnivorous plants?

So you want to build a raised bed

Raised beds have grown in popularity in recent years. The definitive lines they create in the yard can really add to the aesthetic value of a garden. Many folks worry about what might be in their soil, so importing soil into a raised bed also has great allure. I haven't done a lot of raised beds myself, but I'm always excited to try something new.

I was recently at #gwa2017, and the fabulous folks at Smart Pots introduced me to their fabulous cloth raised beds! I didn't have a ton of room in my suitcase, so I only came back with the Big Bag Bed Mini. It's the perfect size for a small herb garden or, as I'm doing, a small fall veggie garden on the back deck!

I can't think of an easier raised bed to set up. Some of the wooden kits are fairly simple stick together and go, but the Big Bag Bed you just unfold and fill!

I filled my bed with Daddy Pete's Potting Mix. Daddy Pete's is made locally, about 20 minutes from my house, and I've always had great luck with their products. I also took the opportunity to try out my new DeWit trowel. It worked fabulously, and I can't wait to try it in some tougher digging!

Once I filled the bed, I filled it up with lots of seeds I received from the National Garden Bureau. I'm super excited for all of the greens, carrots, radishes, and beets to start growing.

I chose to set up my new bed right on the back deck. It will get plenty of sun there, but it will also be easy to access from the kitchen and when it needs water. Sometimes we all get daunted by the work needed to keep our veggies growing when they are far out in the yard. Here on the back deck, it will be easily accessible, and the bed won't need to be weed eated around. I can't wait until everything starts growing. Check back in the fall to see how it looks!

If you try out one of these great raised beds, shoot me a message and let me know how it's working for you!

I'd like to thank Smart Pots, National Garden Bureau, and DeWit tools for all of the supplies!

Top 3 reasons to visit Buffalo, NY Garden walk next year

I will start off by saying I did not want to go to Buffalo, NY! I didn't want to fly, I didn't want to go to NY again, and I didn't want to go to yet another conference. Boy, was I wrong. #GWA2017 really exceeded all expectations I'd had.

While I did have a major travel debacle with my flight being delayed and canceled several times, I was wrong about the rest.

If you haven't heard of the Buffalo Garden Walk, you need to check it out. So many great private gardens exist in Buffalo, and all those fine folks open them up to let you come and look. Look at the beauty, look at their ingenuity, look at their brilliant ideas.

Here are the top 3 reasons YOUshould visit the Buffalo, NY garden walk next year:

1. The amazing beauty! Buffalo is a charming city, with so many great gardens to explore. The scenery was breath taking, even from the highway!

Everywhere you go, the city has decorated landscapes, flowers, and beautiful architecture. The parkways were designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, so even just driving around town is quite a delight!

2. The gardens!!! All of the open gardens around town offer such variety. No 2 gardens are the same. Each offers a completely different look at how to work around problems of small yards, low lighting, and pavement. Take a look at some of the great sights.

Arbors create great walkways to separate the road from the peaceful, serene garden-scape in the back.

Every inch of growing space can be utilized to create a landscape that pops with excitement.

Got water? Ponds can come in any shape or size and can be used to enhance garden spaces.

Entrance to a secret garden or just your favorite backyard stroll?

Why have a plain fence when you can have a fence that pops with color and spirit?

Colorblind? No problem! This colorblind gardener fills his garden each year with amazing color combinations.

Gardens can be busy or serene. You pick what suits your personality.

Small space between the neighbor's house? No problem, just use some vines to create a quiet nook.

City parks in Buffalo offer great views and recreational activities.

The Japanese garden in Buffalo offers stunning views that change as you move through the garden.

Walk or kayak to see great sights in the Japanese garden.

The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens also offer great indoor xeriscaping and specialty exhibits.

 

Buffalo gardeners are experts at using pots to enhance and expand gardening areas.

Trouble spot on the roots of old trees? Use sedums with shallow root systems to fill it with color.

There were so many great gardens and great gardening ideas that it was hard to pick favorites. Buffalo is a gardening paradise.

3. The people!!! All of the people that I interacted with in Buffalo, from the city bus drivers to the convention center staff to the volunteers for our trip, were amazingly friendly and helpful. Buffalonians really know how to show a crowd a good time. You will learn so many great stories and feel so welcomed by their friendly nature.

 If you ever get a chance to make it to garden walk in Buffalo, go check it out. You won't be disappointed.