Welcome to Garden Zone, a monthly newsletter for anyone interested in gardening. It's produced by Extension Master Gardener Volunteers in Mecklenburg County. View in your browser August Garden Tasks It's the hot, sultry days of summer. Watering and weeding may be all you think about. Here are some things to add to that list: Perennials & annuals ✳️ Did you know ferns can become dormant if they get too dry? Check the soil regularly for watering needs. ✳️ Renew annuals by pinching leggy growth and deadheading. Fertilize with a liquid fertilizer, such as fish emulsion, to encourage blooms through the fall. ✳️ Continue to prune perennials to keep in a desired space and for air circulation. Vegetables ✳️ Start seeds now for fall and winter vegetables. ✳️ Pinch the stems of basil regularly to prevent flowering, and harvest about once a week. Gather herbs for drying as they mature. Trees & shrubs ✳️ No fertilizing is necessary this month. ✳️ Trees and shrubs should NOT be pruned after Aug. 15. Lawn & landscaping ✳️ Watch out for yellow patches, leaf curl or poor growth. You may need to increase watering if you see these signs. Watering tips ✳️ Water outdoor container plants daily, if needed, as they dry out quicker than plants in the ground. Water early morning to prevent mildew from occurring. And the Winner is…. By EMG Connie Rothwell Summer plants are in their glory, and this month is great for “nominating” your most outstanding specimens. Why? Because your winners can be marked with ribbons or popsicle sticks for next year’s garden: #lovethisplant Outstanding Color and Height might go to a particular marigold or zinnia plant. Let a few of the blossoms go to seed in September or October to collect for next year. Mark the best geraniums so you are sure to dig them up before frost to store in a cool place. #youmademyday Nominate your Best in Bulb . It might be a Caladium or gigantic Elephant Ear. Mark it with a gold ribbon, so you are sure to find the corm or bulb when you want to dig it up for winter storage or divide it in the spring. #nohidingfromme Outstanding Vigor goes to the plants that did not get eaten up by deer or rabbits or succumb to heat. Mark those to divide for more success next year. #hangtough Support Roles is for ornamental grasses, ground cover, and Hosta. Mark these to divide in fall: #BFF Outstanding Taste is awarded to a non-hybrid tomato, pepper, melon, or bean. #yummyummy Once you have found all your winners, mark the location, branch, or plant. As fall approaches, let it go to seed if there is fruit or flower. Then, divide, store, or collect seeds right before frost. We are always looking forward to the new season. Photos courtesy of Pixabay My Joy By EMG Charlotte Ramirez 2020 was the start of a one-two knockout punch for me and my family. I’ve called it the double C’s: Covid and Cancer. Being diagnosed with thyroid cancer at only 40 years old, I experienced anger, I was scared, emotional and full of so many other feelings. Since we were home more, I started transforming my almost untouched and overgrown backyard into a garden. The more I was outside working, the more I felt at peace. As the plants flourished, so did my contentment. I continued to install more and more raised beds, adding a pergola, retaining wall and paver patio. I was outside every day! I was able to grow fun, funky veggies, things we’ve never seen in grocery stores before. It was fun watching my children share while helping me harvest and, of course, consuming their favorite veggies. It was amazing how much gardening raised my spirits and brought me peace and joy. My neglected backyard soon transitioned into my happy place. It wasn’t overnight, but it was mine. My hard work, my efforts, my trials and errors, and then it turned into my success. So I encourage you, if you’re feeling down, go get your hands dirty. Go plant a row of something. Go plant a cucumber, tomato, sunflower, ANYTHING. Enjoy the excitement as your seeds grow and give you gifts of food for nourishment or something beautiful to look at. May it bring you as much joy as it has for me. Photos courtesy of EMG Charlotte Ramirez Creating Eden: The Overlapping Principles of Contrast By EMG Sylvia Hindman Texture - Color - Shape - Height. These elements are linked together when one thinks of contrast in the garden. They are each important and work hand-in-hand to avoid too much uniformity. Without them, a garden could be pretty boring. Texture can be seen and felt. Leaves are succulent, smooth, wispy, downy, hairy, prickly. Trees have bark which can be rough, smooth, deeply grooved, and even peeling. Don’t overlook mulches of fine pine needles, chunky wood chips, smooth pebbles, sharp sea shells, etc. Accent rocks provide great variety from smooth river stones to rough lava rock, and from jagged boulders to porous limestone. Textures were meant to be mixed! Color can change an entire landscape from calm and restful to bright and energetic. Just as you would use a color-wheel to decorate your home, it can be used to decide which color combinations would look best outdoors. Interestingly, blue and purple are always complementary to other colors. Don’t just focus on flowers - include foliage, furniture, garden ornaments, and hardscape. Shape and Height are the twins of garden design. Evergreens can be short and rounded or spreading, tall pyramids or weeping, slim or contorted. Similarly, deciduous trees range from small understory trees to the towering giants of the plant world. Flowers go from miniature to statuesque, from floppy to upright, and from mounding to sprawling. There are tall climbing vines and low clinging ground-covers. By paying just a little attention to contrast, your garden will be a distinctly unique place - your own personal Eden. Photo by Janet Laughrey Beekeepers Work to Stabilize Honeybee Colonies By EMG Gina Tadle Last year, the United States experienced a devastating loss as nearly half of its honeybee colonies perished. This alarming decline has put honeybee populations at risk and raised concerns about the future of pollination and food production. Despite the challenges they face, struggling beekeepers have been working tirelessly to stabilize the honeybee population. Recognizing the urgent need for action, beekeepers have implemented various strategies to address the decline. By focusing on reducing pesticide usage, they promote organic farming practices and integrated pest management techniques to minimize the exposure of bees to harmful chemicals. Through educational initiatives, workshops, and community outreach programs, they raise awareness about the importance of honeybees, their role in pollination, and how to protect bees and their habitats. Scientists, researchers, and government agencies collaborate in finding solutions. Beekeepers share data, participate in research projects, and contribute their expertise to develop effective hive management strategies and combat diseases and parasites that threaten honeybee colonies. By advocating for stronger policies and regulations to safeguard honeybees, they engage with policymakers and lobby for sustainable agricultural practices and reduced pesticide use to create a more bee-friendly environment. Despite the immense challenges faced by struggling beekeepers, their dedication and collective efforts are making a difference. Through sustainable practices, education, collaboration, and advocacy, they are playing a crucial role in stabilizing honeybee populations. However, continued support from society, and policymakers, is necessary to ensure the long-term survival and well-being of these vital pollinators. Photos courtesy of filt.org, jooinn.com, Bing Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta) By EMG Stacy Hodes The non-native Fire Ant has reached a good portion of our state leaving only the western section unscathed. These ants are tiny, nasty creatures that can cause a week’s worth of pain and itching with their sting. Spread through sod, nursery stock, soil and movement of water (flooding), they now inhabit 11 southern states. Always check your plants for fire ants before purchasing, especially with large landscaping projects. They are reddish to brown in color and of several types: workers, winged (mistaken as termites), males and queens. The larvae are called “brood” and have a rice-type appearance. Mounds can appear small but go deep and wide containing over 100,000 and can include more than one queen. In the spring, the winged males and females mate in the air and then the queen drops her wings and burrows into the ground to lay her eggs. The colonies will appear in late fall. Sustained freezing temperatures will usually kill the colonies but mild winters, like those we have in the south, will not. So, how can we as home gardeners control these pests? Take a conservative approach and treat just the mound. NC State provides a list of Pesticides for Use Against Fire Ants . Always follow the label directions precisely when applying any chemicals . The best approach starts with a bait around the mound followed a few days later with a mound drench. The bait will be more pervasive as it is carried back and shared with the colony. The drench will finish it off (hopefully!). You must kill the queen(s) in order for the colony to perish. This 45-minute Joe Gardener podcast on this topic is sure to please. Photos courtesy of Patricia Alder - NC State, M. Waldvogel - NC State, and Pixabay, Transpiration: How Trees Cool the Air By EMG Jean Wilson Driving home one day, I noticed that the temperature my car registered on Pineville-Matthews Road was in the low 90’s. But when we got onto our street lined with large Willow Oaks, the temp dropped by several degrees. When I brought a thermometer into the wooded area behind my house, it was even cooler, quite a bit cooler, than the shade provided by my porch roof. |
Welcome to Garden Zone, a monthly newsletter for anyone interested in gardening. It's produced by Extension Master Gardener Volunteers in Mecklenburg County.
| |
|
|
It's the hot, sultry days of summer. Watering and weeding may be all you think about. Here are some things to add to that list:
Perennials & annuals ✳️ Did you know ferns can become dormant if they get too dry? Check the soil regularly for watering needs. ✳️ Renew annuals by pinching leggy growth and deadheading. Fertilize with a liquid fertilizer, such as fish emulsion, to encourage blooms through the fall. ✳️ Continue to prune perennials to keep in a desired space and for air circulation.
Vegetables ✳️ Start seeds now for fall and winter vegetables. ✳️ Pinch the stems of basil regularly to prevent flowering, and harvest about once a week. Gather herbs for drying as they mature.
Trees & shrubs ✳️ No fertilizing is necessary this month. ✳️ Trees and shrubs should NOT be pruned after Aug. 15.
Lawn & landscaping ✳️ Watch out for yellow patches, leaf curl or poor growth. You may need to increase watering if you see these signs.
Watering tips ✳️ Water outdoor container plants daily, if needed, as they dry out quicker than plants in the ground. Water early morning to prevent mildew from occurring.
| |
And the Winner is…. By EMG Connie Rothwell | |
|
Summer plants are in their glory, and this month is great for “nominating” your most outstanding specimens. Why? Because your winners can be marked with ribbons or popsicle sticks for next year’s garden: #lovethisplant
Outstanding Color and Height might go to a particular marigold or zinnia plant. Let a few of the blossoms go to seed in September or October to collect for next year. Mark the best geraniums so you are sure to dig them up before frost to store in a cool place. #youmademyday
Nominate your Best in Bulb. It might be a Caladium or gigantic Elephant Ear. Mark it with a gold ribbon, so you are sure to find the corm or bulb when you want to dig it up for winter storage or divide it in the spring. #nohidingfromme
Outstanding Vigor goes to the plants that did not get eaten up by deer or rabbits or succumb to heat. Mark those to divide for more success next year. #hangtough
Support Roles is for ornamental grasses, ground cover, and Hosta. Mark these to divide in fall: #BFF
Outstanding Taste is awarded to a non-hybrid tomato, pepper, melon, or bean. #yummyummy
Once you have found all your winners, mark the location, branch, or plant. As fall approaches, let it go to seed if there is fruit or flower. Then, divide, store, or collect seeds right before frost.
We are always looking forward to the new season.
Photos courtesy of Pixabay
| |
My Joy By EMG Charlotte Ramirez | |
|
2020 was the start of a one-two knockout punch for me and my family. I’ve called it the double C’s: Covid and Cancer. Being diagnosed with thyroid cancer at only 40 years old, I experienced anger, I was scared, emotional and full of so many other feelings.
Since we were home more, I started transforming my almost untouched and overgrown backyard into a garden. The more I was outside working, the more I felt at peace. As the plants flourished, so did my contentment.
I continued to install more and more raised beds, adding a pergola, retaining wall and paver patio. I was outside every day! I was able to grow fun, funky veggies, things we’ve never seen in grocery stores before. It was fun watching my children share while helping me harvest and, of course, consuming their favorite veggies.
It was amazing how much gardening raised my spirits and brought me peace and joy. My neglected backyard soon transitioned into my happy place. It wasn’t overnight, but it was mine. My hard work, my efforts, my trials and errors, and then it turned into my success.
So I encourage you, if you’re feeling down, go get your hands dirty. Go plant a row of something. Go plant a cucumber, tomato, sunflower, ANYTHING. Enjoy the excitement as your seeds grow and give you gifts of food for nourishment or something beautiful to look at.
May it bring you as much joy as it has for me.
Photos courtesy of EMG Charlotte Ramirez
| |
Creating Eden: The Overlapping Principles of Contrast By EMG Sylvia Hindman | |
Texture - Color - Shape - Height. These elements are linked together when one thinks of contrast in the garden. They are each important and work hand-in-hand to avoid too much uniformity. Without them, a garden could be pretty boring.
Texture can be seen and felt. Leaves are succulent, smooth, wispy, downy, hairy, prickly. Trees have bark which can be rough, smooth, deeply grooved, and even peeling. Don’t overlook mulches of fine pine needles, chunky wood chips, smooth pebbles, sharp sea shells, etc. Accent rocks provide great variety from smooth river stones to rough lava rock, and from jagged boulders to porous limestone. Textures were meant to be mixed!
Color can change an entire landscape from calm and restful to bright and energetic. Just as you would use a color-wheel to decorate your home, it can be used to decide which color combinations would look best outdoors. Interestingly, blue and purple are always complementary to other colors. Don’t just focus on flowers - include foliage, furniture, garden ornaments, and hardscape.
Shape and Height are the twins of garden design. Evergreens can be short and rounded or spreading, tall pyramids or weeping, slim or contorted. Similarly, deciduous trees range from small understory trees to the towering giants of the plant world. Flowers go from miniature to statuesque, from floppy to upright, and from mounding to sprawling. There are tall climbing vines and low clinging ground-covers.
By paying just a little attention to contrast, your garden will be a distinctly unique place - your own personal Eden.
Photo by Janet Laughrey
| |
Beekeepers Work to Stabilize Honeybee Colonies By EMG Gina Tadle | |
|
Last year, the United States experienced a devastating loss as nearly half of its honeybee colonies perished. This alarming decline has put honeybee populations at risk and raised concerns about the future of pollination and food production. Despite the challenges they face, struggling beekeepers have been working tirelessly to stabilize the honeybee population.
Recognizing the urgent need for action, beekeepers have implemented various strategies to address the decline. By focusing on reducing pesticide usage, they promote organic farming practices and integrated pest management techniques to minimize the exposure of bees to harmful chemicals. Through educational initiatives, workshops, and community outreach programs, they raise awareness about the importance of honeybees, their role in pollination, and how to protect bees and their habitats.
Scientists, researchers, and government agencies collaborate in finding solutions. Beekeepers share data, participate in research projects, and contribute their expertise to develop effective hive management strategies and combat diseases and parasites that threaten honeybee colonies. By advocating for stronger policies and regulations to safeguard honeybees, they engage with policymakers and lobby for sustainable agricultural practices and reduced pesticide use to create a more bee-friendly environment.
Despite the immense challenges faced by struggling beekeepers, their dedication and collective efforts are making a difference. Through sustainable practices, education, collaboration, and advocacy, they are playing a crucial role in stabilizing honeybee populations. However, continued support from society, and policymakers, is necessary to ensure the long-term survival and well-being of these vital pollinators.
Photos courtesy of filt.org, jooinn.com, Bing
| |
Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta) By EMG Stacy Hodes | |
|
The non-native Fire Ant has reached a good portion of our state leaving only the western section unscathed. These ants are tiny, nasty creatures that can cause a week’s worth of pain and itching with their sting. Spread through sod, nursery stock, soil and movement of water (flooding), they now inhabit 11 southern states.
Always check your plants for fire ants before purchasing, especially with large landscaping projects. They are reddish to brown in color and of several types: workers, winged (mistaken as termites), males and queens. The larvae are called “brood” and have a rice-type appearance. Mounds can appear small but go deep and wide containing over 100,000 and can include more than one queen. In the spring, the winged males and females mate in the air and then the queen drops her wings and burrows into the ground to lay her eggs.
The colonies will appear in late fall. Sustained freezing temperatures will usually kill the colonies but mild winters, like those we have in the south, will not. So, how can we as home gardeners control these pests? Take a conservative approach and treat just the mound. NC State provides a list of Pesticides for Use Against Fire Ants. Always follow the label directions precisely when applying any chemicals. The best approach starts with a bait around the mound followed a few days later with a mound drench. The bait will be more pervasive as it is carried back and shared with the colony. The drench will finish it off (hopefully!). You must kill the queen(s) in order for the colony to perish. This 45-minute Joe Gardener podcast on this topic is sure to please.
Photos courtesy of Patricia Alder - NC State, M. Waldvogel - NC State, and Pixabay,
| |
Transpiration: How Trees Cool the Air By EMG Jean Wilson | |
|
Driving home one day, I noticed that the temperature my car registered on Pineville-Matthews Road was in the low 90’s. But when we got onto our street lined with large Willow Oaks, the temp dropped by several degrees. When I brought a thermometer into the wooded area behind my house, it was even cooler, quite a bit cooler, than the shade provided by my porch roof. If it’s not just cooler in the shade but cooler under trees, what’s going on?
Transpiration is what trees and plants do when they absorb water with their roots and release it through their leaves as evaporative cooling. People cooled their homes and cars with evaporative cooling before we had air conditioning by planting trees around their homes.
Now our world is faced with truly terrifying temperatures and authorities are concerned about people dying if they don’t have access to air conditioning in the event of a power failure. Clearly trees and their ability to lower temperatures are critically important in our yards, our neighborhoods, and our world. If we plant trees that shade our yards and houses, especially on the southwestern side, we can take some of the burden off of our air-conditioning use, lower our energy costs, and reduce temperatures for the whole community. Every tree matters, but make sure they get enough water to do their thing.
Photo courtesy of EMG Jean Wilson
https://www.epa.gov/heatislands/using-trees-and-vegetation-reduce-heat-islands
| |
Why Honey Bees?? By EMG Alden Picard | |
|
In North Carolina alone there are over 500 bee species. In the United States there are 4,000 species, and worldwide there are over 20,000 species known to exist. Though not native to North Carolina, or North America, the honey bee gets all the love.
Honey bees are fascinating because they represent one extreme of social organization among bees. Honey bees are highly eusocial meaning they have a division of labor, cooperative brood care, and overlapping generations that work together to maintain a functioning colony, or superorganism.
On the other extreme of social organization are solitary bees. Solitary bees make up about 90% of bee species worldwide. One single female bee builds a nest and provisions each cell with food. After laying an egg and sealing each cell, she typically dies before ever meeting the next generation of bees.
It is no wonder then that honey bees steal the show. They do things differently. This strategy of social organization affords them luxuries that other bees don’t have. They can defend, forage, and care for brood simultaneously. And when conditions are favorable, they create a surplus of food in the form of honey, allowing them to overwinter as a living colony.
When it comes to pollination however, native bees are just as important. Not afforded the luxury of eusociality, they evolved highly effective strategies. They specialize on certain plant species, use buzz pollination, and can forage during bad weather when honey bees are stuck in their hive!
Photos courtesy of EMG Alden Picard
Sources
https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-many-species-native-bees-are-united-states
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/the-bees-of-north-carolina-identification-guide
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1102
| |
Moss - a Prehistoric Survivor By EMG Marcia Amonns | |
|
Moss is a type of non-vascular plant that is typically found in dark, damp environments. Dating back 450 million years, there have been drastic climate changes to the more than 12,000 species which grow on every continent, no matter what the environment is.
Moss doesn’t grow flowers or true roots. Instead it grows from rhizoids, which are small hairlike structures that anchor them to rock, bark or soil. Nutrients are sucked up through the rhizoids as well as drawing in moisture and minerals from rain and water.
This amazing plant plays a vital role in the development of ecosystems. It is one of the first survivors seen after deforestation or forest fires as it stabilizes the soil surface and retains water, helping new plants to grow. It helps soak up rainfall, maintain moisture in the soil below and keep conditions around them humid. By doing so, other plants around them will thrive.
Moss provides a great habitat and food source for insects and invertebrates. It helps ecosystems perform effectively with filtering and retaining water, stabilizing the ground and removing CO₂ from the atmosphere.
As one of the most adaptable of plants, it can grow on nearly any surface. While preferring 60⁰-70⁰ F, moss can survive in extreme temperatures as high as 212⁰ F and as low as -457⁰ F. It helps the environment as its density protects tree roots from high temperatures and, in cold temperatures, moss can prevent the warmth of the sun from reaching the ground which slows ice thawing.
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay
https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/moss
https://www.britannica.com/plant/moss-plant
| |
The preferred hosts of Japanese Beatles By EMG Gina Tadle | |
|
The preferred hosts of Japanese beetles can vary. Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) are invasive insects native to Japan, but they have become a widespread pest in many parts of North America. These beetles have a broad diet and can feed on over 300 different plant species.
In zones 7 and 8, the preferred hosts of Japanese beetles may include various ornamental plants, fruit trees, and vegetable crops. They tend to favor plants such as roses, grapes, raspberries, peaches, plums, and apples. Additionally, they are known to feed on trees like linden, birch, maple, and willow.
The larvae of Japanese beetles, known as grubs, live in the soil and feed on the roots of grasses and other plants. This can cause damage to lawns and other turf areas. After a period of development, the grubs emerge as adult beetles which then mate and lay eggs to start the cycle anew.
Given their wide range of preferred hosts, Japanese beetles can be a significant concern for gardeners, farmers, and landscapers. Various methods, including insecticides, pheromone traps, and cultural practices, are employed to manage and control these invasive pests and minimize their impact on plants and crops. We do not advocate the use of insecticides.
Photos courtesy of Purdue University, Pinterest, and Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Sli
Check out our Facebook post for information on easing the burden of Japanese Beatles.
| |
|
|
Golden Shower Tree By EMG Parul Srivastava | |
There are few sights as striking as a Cassia Fistula (Amaltas in Hindi, also aptly called Golden Shower Tree) in full bloom. Native to the Indian Subcontinent and South-East Asia, seeing Amaltas lined streets putting up a spectacular display of bright yellow flowers for the first time, is likely to stop you in your tracks. Amaltas trees are widely grown throughout India and are a popular landscaping choice. A fast-growing deciduous tree, it reaches about 40 feet in height and blooms in late spring/early summer. Unfortunately, it is only hardy in USDA zones 10-12 and so not a suitable choice for gardens in Mecklenburg county.
Not only is the Golden Shower tree a gorgeous muse for those inclined towards painting, photography or even poetry, but it also has a wide array of medicinal uses in the ancient practice of Ayurveda.
If you find yourself traveling to this part of the world in May-June, you will be rewarded with a vibrant, golden display of Nature's beauty that will stay fondly in your memories.
Photos courtesy of Parul Srivastava
| |
|
|
Like our content? Share it with friends and neighbors! They can subscribe here. | |
Follow us on Social media | |
|
|
|
The Mecklenburg Extension Master Gardener Volunteer (EMGV) program operates under the Mecklenburg Center of the NC Cooperative Extension Service (NCCES), a part of NC State University and NC A&T State University.
NCCES is a part of Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation.
| |
| | |
NC State University and N.C. A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity and prohibit discrimination and harassment regardless of age, color, disability, family and marital status, gender identify, genetic information, national origin, political beliefs, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation and veteran status. NC State, N.C. A&T, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating. | |
|
|
| |