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| Daylily 'Brilliant Cherry' |
FALL SALE!
30% OFF
All potted daylilies, hosta, and peonies in our Garden Center!
Through September
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| Plant of the Month |
Why is squash the plant of the month this October?
Well ... pumpkins and winter squash belong to this family and what is fall without pumpkins and Jack-O-Lanterns and butternut squash soup? And how could we ever have Thanksgiving dinner without a pumpkin pie for desert?
Pumpkins have come to represent the end of the harvest season and many have used these colorful "squash" and other members of the cucurbit family for creating festive fall displays.
Cool Shapes and Colors
Gourds, squash and pumpkins come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Some of the new varieties of warted gourds look like they've come out of a science fiction movie.
If you choose to grow your own pumpkins, gourds, and winter squash, you can not only decorate for fall, but you can use some of them in your favorite fall and holiday cooking recipes.
Mark's Favorite Varieties
Gourds:
Crown of Thorns, Penguin, Speckled Swan, Birdhouse, Caveman's Club, and Big Apple.
Pumpkins:
Howdens, Dill's Atlantic Giant, and Racer.
Squash/Winter Squash
Sweet Dumpling, Acorn, Buttercup, Waltham, Butternut, Jarrahdale, Sunshine, Long Island Cheese, Turks Turban, Cinderella, Fairytale, and Blue Hubbard.
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Waltham butternut squash harvest
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Harvesting and Storage
Gourds such as Big Apple, Bottle, or Speckled Swan should be harvested with 2-3 inch stems after the vines die back. They can then be hung to dry in a well ventilated place. Curing and drying should take place slowly and can take 6 months to a full year at 50º - 60ºF. Temperatures above 60ºF may cause too much mold to grow.
Pumpkins must first be cured before they will store well. To cure pumpkins, store them in a warm, dry location at 70º - 80ºF for one to two weeks. After curing, they should be stored in a warm, dry area at 50º - 60ºF. These will keep for 2-3 months.
Fall and Winter Squash are best stored at 50º - 60ºF. Be sure to handle them carefully to avoid bruising and be sure they get good air circulation.
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Blue hubbard squash is great for
fall and winter eating |
Many of the squash and pumpkins can be used for cooking purposes.
One of Mark's favorite recipes for acorn squash, Butternut, or Buttercup squash is as follows:
Wash and carefully cut the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Lay the cut side down in a baking dish with 1/2 inch of water and bake at 350ºF for 30-60 min. until tender.
Remove the squash (be careful, the water is very hot) and place them in a baking dish, cut side up.
Brush the surface with butter and apply 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar in each half. Add maple syrup, fruit, or applesauce in the scooped out area if desired. Top with a sprinkling of cinnamon.
Broil the squash at 450ºF until lightly browned.
Check your seed catalogs this winter and plan to grow some of these really neat cucurbits next year!
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| Gardening Questions? |
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Tip of the Month
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Fall webworms feed on redbud foliage
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Some Insect Pests of Fall
Summer has come to an end and the cooler days of fall are finally here. BUT ... This doesn't always spell the end of insect problems in the garden. Some pests persist in the garden even in the fall and others are just beginning to become a nuisance. Below are some to watch out for ...
Fall Webworms
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Nest of fall webworms
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Fall webworms are often confused with tent caterpillars since they both build web nests in trees. However, tent caterpillars appear in the spring and fall webworms usually
appear in the late summer and early fall. They also have very different styles when it comes to building their nests. Tent caterpillars build compact nests in the crotch of two branches, while the fall webworms build large silken webs which surround the foliage at the tips of branches. As the caterpillars exhaust the leaf supply within the web, they enlarge it to incorporate a new supply of fresh green foliage and the nest expands along the branch.
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Leaves skeletonized
by webworms
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Fall webworms attack many different species of trees including pecan, walnut, hickory, many types of fruit trees, and the eastern redbud. These caterpillars have a voracious appetite and feed on the tissue between the leaf veins, leaving behind webs filled with brown skeletonized leaves and green frass (their droppings). This is not at all attractive in the landscape.
In general, webworm feeding doesn't hurt the tree because the damage is usually localized to just a few branches and since it occurs later in the season, the tree has had time to store food. The damage is mostly cosmetic and the webs will eventually weather away over the winter. However, if the tree is under stress due to drought, poor nutrition, or repeated defoliation from multiple generations of caterpillars, then its health could be in jeopardy and control measures may be warranted.
Webworm Control
In many cases, the unsightly nests of fall webworms can simply be removed from small to medium sized trees by pruning out the infested branches.
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Fall webworms feeding
within their nest
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You can also control them by spraying a liquid formulation of the bacteria,
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
Bonide Thuricide (BT) Liquid, applied to the foliage right next to the nest, will kill the caterpillars when they expand the nest and eat these leaves. Bt will not harm beneficial insects.
Bonide Captain Jack's Deadbug Brew, another naturally derived organic insecticide, is also an effective control when sprayed on the foliage adjacent to the web.
The foliage and caterpillars inside the nest are protected by the web and spraying the nest is usually not effective. The trick with these sprays is to cover the foliage that the caterpillars will be eating.
Always read and follow the label directions when spraying any pesticide.
Stink Bugs are Coming!
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Adult stink bug
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The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (
Halyomorpha halys) has not only become an annoying invader of our homes but their populations have exploded to the point that they have become a major threat to many agricultural crops including both ornamentals and food crops. Because this particular species of stink bug is having such an impact on fruit and vegetable crops, a lot of research is being directed towards developing control methods. Some of this research is focusing on natural enemies and pheromone traps in addition to chemical controls.
Late September and October is the time of year that these nasty pests begin to congregate around the windows and doors of our homes seeking entrance to a nice warm, cozy, place to spend the winter.
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Stink bugs swarm on the window screen
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Exclusion is one of the best preventative measures for controlling populations indoors. Carefully examine the foundation and around windows and doors for cracks and crevices where they can sneak into the house. They will seek out these entry points in an attempt to find overwintering sites. Use caulk and weather stripping to seal any cracks.
Control products such as
Bonide Household Insect Control kills stink bugs on contact but also has a four-month residual that creates a relatively effective barrier around windows, doors, and other areas where they might gain entrance to your home. This product also acts as a repellent.
Another product that is highly effective on stink bugs is
Bonide Cyper-Eight, which contains Cypermethrin. This kills on contact with a very long residual. It has an indoor and outdoor use label and is recommended by a lot of commercial pest control operators and universities. ALWAYS READ and FOLLOW the LABEL directions when using any pesticides.
Boxelder Bugs
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Adult boxelder bug
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The boxelder bug is another nuisance insect that can invade your home in droves at this time of the year. Like the stink bugs, they are seeking protected overwintering sites and your warm home fits the bill perfectly! I always see swarms of the bright red immature boxelder bug nymphs crawling over the concrete statues and surrounding plants in the Viette gardens at this time of year. I guess the concrete warms up in the sun and they take advantage of this late season warmth the same as they do when they are swarming on the foundation of your house. Creepy!
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Boxelder bug nymphs
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Control of these invading insects is similar to that for the stink bugs. Since they also sneak into the house through cracks and crevices in the foundation and around windows, doors, and air conditioners, sealing these with calk and weather stripping will do wonders in keeping them out of the house.
Bonide Household Insect Control with deltamethrin is very good at controlling these unwanted pests.
Use only according to the label directions.
Azalea Caterpillars
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Azalea caterpillar
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The azalea caterpillar (aka the red-headed azalea caterpillar) is a colorful caterpillar that feeds mostly on azalea foliage but will also attack blueberries, apple trees, and red oak trees. They tend to feed in large groups and can quickly defoliate their target plants if they are not controlled.
See my blog post below for more information about these destructive caterpillars.
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From the Viette's Views Blog ...
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From the Viette's Views archives ...
09-17-2010
They're beginning to cross the road in front of my car as I drive to work in the morning - everyday I see more of them. It has gotten me thinking about these beloved fuzzy caterpillars that children of ALL ages find irresistible. You have to admit - they really are pretty cute!
Most of us have heard the story about how woolly bears can predict the severity of the coming winter [...]...»
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Did You Know?
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Tips to Beautify your Fall Garden
Once the beautiful blooms of summer have waned and the days are getting cooler, it's time to get out in the garden and tidy it up for the new fall season. Here are some suggestions to spruce up your fall landscape!
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Slug damage on
hosta leaves
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Cut back your daylily and hosta foliage if it is looking messy and brown. Slugs and snails are becoming more active again and the hosta foliage especially may be starting to look pretty ragged.
- There may be other perennials that would benefit from a haircut (or perhaps just a trim) at this point in the season. Sometimes just plucking off a few tattered or brown leaves or stems can make a world of difference in the garden
- Cut back peonies and discard the foliage in the trash to help avoid disease problems next season.
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Monarch butterfly on a Buddleia 'White Profusion' flower
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Deadhead Buddleia to keep it blooming until frost. Many annuals will also continue blooming until frost if they are kept deadheaded.
- Consider leaving some annuals in the garden to set seed and naturalize for next season. Keep in mind that if you apply a pre-emergence weedkiller in your perennial beds to control weeds, this will also keep these annual flower seeds from germinating.
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Dried sedum flowers covered with hats of snow
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Remember when you are cleaning up in the fall to leave some of the interesting dried flowers and seed pods in the garden for fall and winter interest. These include those of Siberian iris, sedum, Rudbeckia, Echinacea, oriental poppies, yucca, Baptisia, and hardy hibiscus.
- Perk up your containers. Many annuals in containers (and even in the garden) are past their prime now and just need to be pulled out at this point. Consider adding some fall blooming mums to the containers in their place. Even tender "florist mums" will provide wonderful autumn-like color to your containers.
- Take stock of what didn't perform well in the gardens and consider replacing these plants. Take advantage of fall sales and choose something new and different that you haven't tried before! Go with an open mind but with a general idea of what you need in terms of height, exposure (sun or shade), and maybe some color preferences. This will keep you on track and give you some guidelines to make your shopping more efficient and successful!
Decorate from your Garden
Beautiful Natural Arrangements for Fall
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A beautiful fall arrangement plucked from the garden
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Natural arrangements made from interesting dried flowers, seed pods, berries, and foliage harvested from your garden can bring beauty to your home, both inside and out.
You don't have to be a professional flower arranger to create these lovely fall and winter displays, just a creative imagination. Take your shears on a stroll through your flower beds in the waning days of summer or fall and start clipping and collecting.
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Dried hydrangea flowers with evergreens and winterberry
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The flowers of many perennials and shrubs dry naturally right on the plant and can be cut and used in beautiful, long-lasting arrangements allowing you to enjoy your garden's beauty well into winter.
In addition to flowers, look for other interesting colors, shapes, and textures in and around your landscape. Dried seed pods from oriental poppies, Siberian iris, peonies, and yucca make wonderful additions to a fall and winter display. Even daylily seed pods or their dried flower scapes are neat!
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Bright purple berries of
Callicarpa
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Berried deciduous shrubs like Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) and Beautyberry (Callicarpa) have branches covered with long-lasting colorful berries that are excellent in your seasonal arrangements.
Nestle your garden gleanings into attractive baskets, vases, buckets, and barrels. There is no limit to what you can do with a good imagination and some garden leftovers!
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09-29-2016 16:42:48 PM
