Daylilly in Bloom

Daylilly, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Hemerocallis

So great, they gave it its own website, so pretty, I gave it a piece of my heart. Aw...

The Daylillies bloomed this week. Super-rugged plants they are, these daylillies have received nary a second of my time this season or last, and they are still doing well. (Maybe that's why they are doing well.)

More information on daylillies. American Hemerocallis Society's FAQ and U. Minn.

First Sugar Snap Pea of the Season A Winner

As temperatures hit the mid-90s this week, the peas will begin to slow down. The first test harvest was very promising. Eaten raw, they had a nice snap and were as sweet as a Kit-Kat bar dipped in honey. Well, not quite, but they were still pretty honking good in the taste category.

When are peas ready? Beats me, but according to the University of Illinois' extension service, "Sugar snaps are at their best when the pods first start to fatten but before the seeds grow very large. At this point, the pods snap like green beans and the whole pod can be eaten."

More information about growing and harvesting peas: The Ohio State Univ., Tony Tantillo, Veggie Gardening Tips

Clover: An Indicator of Lawn Health?

Trifolium species, originally uploaded by Eric in SF.

Here's an interesting article from the Boston Globe about clover as a socially-accepted component of the suburban lawn way back in the days (like, 1940s way back). However, everything changed when agent orange came along, men landed on the moon and, gosh-darnit, the moon men did not want to set their hoofs upon clover anymore, so, a grateful nation obeyed and clover fell way out of favor.

Actually, it looks like clover is a sign of nitrogen deficiency and an unhealthy lawn. As a nitrogen-fixer - like my beloved peas - clover dwells where no healthy lawn dares tread.

Boston Bibb Lettuce, Day 57

Bibb Lettuce, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Weekly Update: Dills and Pruning (GDD 705)

June 19

• Colorburst, a slow-release fertilizer, applied to perennials.

June 23

• Rhody and Forsythia radically pruned. One-third of branches cut back to ground. You could imagine how flipping sweet they look now.
  
• Last of romaine lettuce harvested and removed.

June 24

• Dill planted where the last of the romaine roamed.
  

Need Pruning Advice? With the price of pruning going through the roof, who doesn't? Here are a few links that should put you on the right track.
Virginia Tech's Guide to Sucessful Pruning
University of Tennessee's "Pruning Landscape Trees, Shrubs, and Ground Covers"

Tale of the Tape (last week's measurement)

• Rudbeckia - 12" (11-12")
  
• Phlox -16.5" (16")
• Echinacea - 19-30.5" (18-25")

• Pepper 9" (8")
• Brandywine 16.5" (13")
  
• Yellow Pear 17" (13")
• Sungold 17.5" (13")
• Better Boy 23" (23")
  

Spirea

Spirea, originally uploaded by tpl108.

July 8th Target Date Set for Pea Harvest (Peas, Day 53)

Disregard my earlier posts about a disappointing pea harvest. Just a case a new-gardener jitters. Nothing a little Xanax and reruns of the Deadliest Catch won't control.

According to the seed packet, these sugar snap peas are ready 70 days from sprouting, giving an anticipated harvest date of July 8.

I'm so happy, I could plotz.

The Solstice. It's All Downhill until December

As nature-types celebrate the celestial significance of the day and hippies banter about how it's "the longest day of the year," (it's still 24 hours long in my book, Moonbeam), the Grange takes the contrarian view on the summer solstice. Here, it's just one long downhill slide without long pants into winter.

Hang in there, pal. The days will start getting longer again in December, at which point you'll probably be dead.

I'm kidding. You'll probably be frozen.

Pelargonium

Pelargonium, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Weekly Update; Heat Builds, Lettuce Out, Squash, Basil, Marigolds In (GDD 593)

A relatively slow week on the grange. Spring flowers are giving way to the heat of the summer. Perennials are starting to set flower buds while the lawn's growth begins to flag.

6/15

• Peony and Mountain Laurel blooms all but faded.
  

6/16

• Septoria leaf spot battle wears on. Infected foliage removed and a broad spectrum fungicide containing chlorothanil applied.

6/17

• 3 heads of red sails and romaine lettuce removed after one final harvest, leaving 5 heads of Boston bibb and 2 heads each of red sails and romaine.
  
• Squash plant added to the garden where the red sails and romaine once treaded.
• Marigolds interspersed throughout the raised bed.
• Two types of basil planted in containers.
  

Tale of the Tape

• Rudbeckia - 11-12"
• Phlox - 16"
• Echinacea - 18-25"
• Sedum - 24"

• Pepper - 8"
• Sungold - 13"
• Yellow Pear - 13"
• Brandywine - 13"
• Better Boy - 23"
• Peas - 46"
  

Pea Flower, Day 48

Pea Flower, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Septoria Leaf Spot; Oh, How they Were Warned

Call it Cupid's disease, indiscretion, or perhaps a case of flying a wee bit too close to the sun, but my rubeckia (Black-Eyed Susans) have contracted Septoria Leaf Spot: small, dark brown or purplish lesions peppered across its leaves.

Most likely caused by the fungus Septoria rudbeckiae, the damage is primarily cosmetic. The fungus overwinters on dead leaves and can remain viable for two or three years in the soil. By late spring or early summer -- right about now -- the fungus emerges and works its way up the plant from bottom to top. Moisture is essential to spread the creeping crud, so overhead watering is strongly discouraged. (Mutter-Natur take notice. Enough with the overhead watering already.)

Prevention is the only real treatment option. Remove infected leaves at the end of a growing season, consider spraying a fungicide early in the season, and have a candid and frank dialog about the dangers of running with a fast crowd.

UPDATE -- (6/24/07) A week ago, all infected leaves were removed and each plant was sprayed with broad spectrum fungicide containing chlorothanil. So far, so good. There are only a very small number of spots on the leaves and each plant appears to be doing well despite the loss of foliage. All other things being equal, the weather has turned much warmer and drier, so it's tough to pinpoint just what caused the spot to go away. At the least, removal of infected leaves was likely a major component of any turnaround.

Sources & More Information: U. of Minn., Plant & Pest Digital Library, Purdue U., New England Greenhouse, Walters Gardens, U. of Ill.

Lettuce Harvest, Day 50

As the weather warms up, lettuce tends to become bitter. So far, only the romaine lettuce has been affected, and only just slightly.

This picture was taken before a large harvest. We've been regular ever since.

Compare what it looked like 50 days ago.

Sugar Snap Peas, Day 42

A shady garden and failure to inoculate seeds with helper bacteria, a good crop of peas do not make.
It's the first attempt at growing peas on the grange, but it seems that the unexpected shade and failure to inoculate the peas with rhizobia bacteria have harmed flower production. As a "nitrogen-fixer," a pea plant supplies its own nitrogen by plucking it out of the air with the help of rhizobia bacteria. According to some studies, pea inoculant boosts crop yield by over 75%. Never will the words, "rhizobia's for suckers," cross my lips, at least not in the backyard.

It's been said that knowing is half the battle, so next year bodes well for peas.

Sources: Oregon State, U. Idaho, You Grow Girl

Weekly Update: Weeds, Shrubs, Peonies, & Gardening Ego in Bloom (GDD 500)

6/4 - Mountain Laurel blooms, white clover blooms
6/7 - Fertilizer applied to lawn
6/8 - Peony "Sarah Bernhardt" blooms
6/9 - Snap peas set flower buds, 41 days after sprouting
6/10 - Hydrangea layering propagation started.

Peony Blooms in 49 Days

Peony, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Emerging back on April 20th, it finally bloomed yesterday, about a week or two after most peonies in the area. Unfortunately not labeled when planted, this is most likely the "Sarah Bernhardt" variety, taking its name from a famous Victorian-era actress prominent when this variety was hybridized in 1906.

Weekly Update - Tomatoes and Peppers (GDD 418)

5/28

• 4 types of tomatoes, sun gold, brandywine, yellow pear tomato, and best boy, along with a green pepper were planted in the vegetable garden.
  
• The test spinach seedlings, having never grown more than an inch or so high, were cleared out to make room for the tomatoes and peppers.
  
• Boxwoods treated for psyllids.
• Big rhododendron begins bloom.
  

6/1

• paeonia lactiflora "Shirley Temple," impulsively purchased at Wal-Mart in April, was planted in a one-gallon pot awaiting creation of space in some as yet undesignated part of the garden.
• Despite application of pre-emergent crabgrass control in late April, a few patches of crabgrass were spotted.

6/3

• Chives dead-headed
  

Yellow Pear Tomato, Day 5

Overestimating the amount of sun the edge of the yard receives, it appears that the garden only gets 5 hours of direct sun. This probably explains why the leaf vegetables look relatively good while the other crops -- especially the beans -- look anemic.

My fingers are crossed, hoping for the best for this little guy, but, in all likelihood the bed will need to be moved next spring in order to escape the shade.

Chard, Day 42

Chives

Chives, originally uploaded by tpl108.