|
|
|
Want
free gardening advice? Send me your questions!
News Archives
January - March 2007
Deer Continue to Plague Gardens The U. S. population of white-tailed deer continues to grow at around 25 million, which is at least as many as were here before European settlement of North America. The population explosion is fueled by lack of natural predators and more restrictive hunting regulations (compared to those around 1900). Since there is considerably less habitat for these deer now as compared to 400 years ago, the deer are both overgrazing natural areas and moving into suburbs. Collisions with cars causes thousands of injuries and over $1 billion in damage each year, while crop and garden damage add tens of million more dollars to economic losses. The most serious threat is to our sparse remaining wild areas. Deer populations are two to four times higher per square mile than they were before European settlement, and this can exceed the capacity for plants to supply sufficient food for deer. In areas with high deer population, natural areas may show a browse line, where there is little or no leafy vegetation where deer can reach. This prevents new trees from growing, denies food and habitat to other wild species, and contributes to the loss of native plants and wildflowers, which are often the first plants to be consumed. Even
when gardeners grow threatened plants in their yards, deer
can be a problem. The best solution for gardeners is to install a fence at
least seven feet tall around the property. This should be either solid wood that
the deer can not see through, or fine mesh netting that the deer can not see
clearly, thus frightening them. Repellents may work when more than one kind is
used to prevent deer from becoming used to it. I have compiled a
list of plants rating the likelihood that deer or rabbits will eat them, but
remember that tastes differ among deer, and when they are hungry enough they
will eat almost anything.
Pine Shoot Beetle Quarantine Expands
The
pine shoot beetle (Tomicus piniperda) is an introduced pest from Europe
that was first found in the
All-America
Selections for 2008
Petitti Garden Center Opens in Avon The eighth Petitti Garden Center opens its doors today at 33777 Chester Rd., Avon, Ohio. This store is expected to be the company's top store in sales in its first year of operation, and local residents are already excited about the new facility. Built on the former site of the Good Times fun park, the Avon store features two octagonal buildings with high ceilings and NatureStone floors, a Cravo greenhouse with NatureStone for tropical plants and patio furniture, retractable-roof Cravo greenhouses for annuals and perennials, and North America's first Thermoflor structure covering nearly half an acre of garden shopping. The $7 million store features one quarter million square feet of covered shopping area for gardening enjoyment in any weather. Visit the store for a preview, then come back for the Grand Opening on Saturday, April 14, 2007. Check out some photos of the store under construction at my Avon store webpage.
Spectrum To Sell Consumer Products Division Spectrum Brands, makers of Schultz, Spectracide, HotShot, Vigoro, Cutter and GardenSafe products, is selling off these brands and the rest of their Home & Garden division due to a loss of $22.2 million, or $0.43 per share for the quarter ended December 31, 2006. The sale of the Home & Garden division should be final by April 1, 2007, and the buyer and price have not been disclosed. Spectrum brands, which also includes Rayovac batteries and Remington shavers, is expected to sell another division of its company soon as part of its planned reconstruction, and to relieve its estimated $2.2 billion in debt. The Home and Garden division was selected as the first unit to be sold because it is attractive to more buyers and therefore brings a higher price.
Honeybee Problem Threatens Crops While North American honeybee populations have declined by about 50% since 1971, 2006 saw increasingly rapid decline due to unknown causes. Many colonies suddenly died with no apparent explanation. This phenomenon, called Colony Collapse Disorder, is characterized by a sudden absence of adult bees with plenty of food and young still present in the hive. Researchers believe that disease, pesticides, parasites or environmental stress may cause or contribute to the phenomenon, either alone or in combination. 24 of the 48 contiguous states, including Ohio, have experienced this problem, and both crop yields and honey production are expected to suffer.
Studies
of the causes and treatment of Colony Collapse Disorder are underway at the Mid-Atlantic
Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium and Penn State University.
Tree Handling Specs from INA The Illinois Nurserymen's Association has posted its specifications for growing, installing and maintaining trees on its website. The installation specifications are of particular value to landscapers and homeowners alike as they address common errors in planting and include drawings and photos of these errors and the correct procedures. A particular amount of attention is paid to proper planting depth and ensuring the root flare is level with grade, but the instructions also address removal of burlap and wire cages, proper mulching (no volcanoes) and an excellent illustration of pruning to avoid the branch collar.
Interest In Plants Continues to Decline Studies by Standpoint Market Research and Dr. Bridget Behe show that gardening is less interesting to young people. Homeowners aged 25-40 spend less on gardening products than previous generations, and view gardening less as something you do than as a place you enjoy being. The outdoor living trend is a strong indicator that Generation X and Millennials view the garden as an extension of living space as opposed to a plant-based hobby. Young homeowners are interested in low-maintenance "background" plants to round out their living space, while perennials and especially annual flowers are ignored. Garden Centers need to address this development by doing more to interest young people in colorful plants, changing focus toward outdoor living, or both.
Pesticides Go Behind the Counter Selling consumer grade pesticides just got harder in Prince Edward Island, Canada. As of March 1st, certain pesticides may only be sold by licensed businesses, the chemicals must be placed out of reach of customers, and must be dispensed by certified and trained employees who can explain proper use of the product. PEI is adopting a classification for consumer-grade pesticides similar to Quebec's, where products that are considered to pose a higher level of risk to human health and the natural environment are classified as "Category 2". Products considered to pose a low risk to human health and the environment will be classified as "Category 1". Additional rules include advance notification of all property owners within 82 feet (25m) before residential use of a Category 2 pesticide in the landscape, signs must be posted on treated areas, no pesticides may be used within 33 feet (10m) of schools, hospitals and parks, or near bodies of water.
While untrained, unlicensed consumers are the top source of pesticide contamination of the environment, this procedure may not be as effective in protecting public health as it seems. All pesticides can be dangerous to health and the environment. The creation of subclasses of consumer-grade pesticides may further embolden consumers to use Category 1 products recklessly and without respecting the label instructions. Limited access to Category 2 products will certainly cause some people to use Category 1 products inappropriately, and apply them to excess to make them "stronger". The enforcement of this rule also diverts money away from public education and enforcement of existing rules to set up a system that artificially divides products into what consumers will wrongly interpret as "safe" and "dangerous". All pesticides should be considered dangerous, and must be used carefully and only in compliance with label instructions.
Scotts Has Trouble With Genetic Modification A federal judge ruled that the US Department of Agriculture should have more thoroughly reviewed an application to plant 400 acres of genetically modified grass in Oregon, ordering a review of the application and more careful scrutiny on future applications to grow genetically modified plants. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has been developing a strain of bentgrass that is resistant to glyphosate (Roundup) for use on golf courses, and has 400 acres in Madras, Oregon planted with this grass. Roundup is produced by Monsanto and marketed by Scotts. Monsanto has produced other glyphosate-resistant crops including corn, sorghum, cotton, soy, canola and alfalfa, so farmers can use Roundup to spray the whole field to kill weeds.
In 2003, the International Center for Technology Assessment filed a federal lawsuit to halt production of the grass. The lawsuit also argued that the herbicide-resistant bentgrass should be classified as a noxious weed because of its potential as a wind-pollinated plant to interbreed with regular bentgrass plants. A 2004 study found that pollen from the genetically modified grass had drifted over twelve miles and mixed with conventional bentgrass. Bentgrass seed is also very tiny and is easily transferred on shoes. Bentgrass is a common weed in lawns, considered undesirable because it usually goes dormant in the summer unless it is heavily irrigated. It also spreads aggressively and out competes other types of lawn grass. Glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide to eliminate bentgrass in lawns.
In 2005, I visited the Marysville, Ohio headquarters of the Scotts Company as part of their Scotts Training Institute for independent garden center operators. We were told of the Roundup-resistant bentgrass program, and I asked the researcher about the possibility of the grass getting into home landscapes, as my lawn is plagued with regular bentgrass. He did not think it was likely that it would become a problem, and pointed out that there are other chemicals that will kill bentgrass. Roundup, however, is the only one offered by the Scotts company, labeled for use by homeowners in controlling bentgrass.
Genetic Research Fighting Chestnut Blight Chestnut Blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) devastated the population of North American chestnut trees in the first half of the twentieth century. The fungal disease seems to have originated in Asia where the native chestnuts are resistant. Researchers at North Carolina State University, Clemson University, and other institutions are sequencing the Chinese chestnut genome for comparison to American chestnuts to determine what genes provide resistance. The information will become part of a database for continuing research in the tree family that includes chestnuts, oaks and beech. Growers have tried for the last fifty years to produce resistant American chestnuts by crossing them with Asian chestnuts and then back-crossing them to American chestnuts. While this technique has produced some improvement, it has not yet produced sufficient trees to reintroduce to the public.
Read Pesticide Labels The EPA has been reevaluating pesticide categories for several years to bring their regulations up to date with current science. Pesticides include anything that is supposed to kill unwanted organisms - including bleach, and disinfecting household cleaners. While commercial pesticide applicators are trained, tested and monitored by EPA and government agencies through their applicator licenses, residential users are not, and the EPA's attention is moving toward consumer education and enforcement.
The most visible part of this effort is the Consumer Labeling Initiative, now in its second phase. Manufacturers are urged to make their labels simpler to use and more easily understandable. This includes standardized sections of "Quick Facts" that tell how to use it, where and how much, storage and disposal instructions, and medical information. Clearer wording is in place, such as "First Aid" instead of the former "Statement of Practical Treatment". Labels include more positive statements telling users what they should do to store, use and dispose of the product instead of only negative instructions telling them what not to do. Pesticide manufacturers could not do this on their own because the label is a legal document that manufacturers are required to display, often with precise and specific wording. The EPA Consumer Labeling Initiative helps people protect themselves and the environment by clearly and simply explaining how to to use the product.
Manufacturers have been making some changes to protect consumers and the environment. More products are available in ready-to-use formulations, and fewer easy-to-abuse concentrates are offered. The phrase, "the label is the law" is still accurate, and it remains a violation of federal (and state) law to use pesticides in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.
The Changing Face of American Gardeners Dr. Bridget Behe of Michigan State University presented research on the demographics of gardeners at the CENTS show January 16th. The makeup of the U.S. population is changing rapidly now and will continue to change over the next several years, with more older Americans and more Hispanic / Latino Americans. Dr. Behe examined the different ways people garden based on their age, ethnicity, income levels and whether they owned or rented their home. Her results showed there are several groups that are underserved by garden centers.
While renters do less gardening, they still garden at least half as much as homeowners and garden centers typically ignore this substantial group of customers. Renters often lack space and would appreciate smaller packages and special attention to plants that are appropriate for smaller yards.
Money is the great equalizer, as gardening activity becomes more similar among different ethnicities and age groups as income rises. Low income families still garden quite a bit, and the type of gardening activity is different between ethnic groups. Specifically, Hispanic persons participated in outdoor water gardening and purchased more trees and shrubs, while Asian persons purchased fewer trees and shrubs and grew more fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Among age groups, the oldest and youngest were more likely to use pest controls. Younger age groups are far less likely to purchase annuals or perennials, indicating that the garden industry needs to inform young people on the value of flower gardening. If this is contributing to the decreasing customer counts in garden centers across the country, then something needs to be done to interest youths in flowers, since annuals are the bread-and-butter of our industry.
Daffodil News Galantamine is an alkaloid that inhibits acetylcholinesterase and is used to treat Alzheimer's disease. It is extracted from the bulbs and leaves of daffodils (Narcissus), snowdrops (Galanthus) and summer snowflake (Leucojum). Daffodils grown in the Black Mountains of Wales produce a lot more of the substance, and scientists suspect that the elevation at which the bulbs are grown affects the amount of galantamine produced.
Paperwhite
narcissus grown indoors commonly grow too tall and flop over. A
Independent Garden Center Show Debuts
The
first trade show exclusively for independently-owned garden centers will be held
August 21 - 23, 2008, at Navy Pier in
'Rozanne' Geranium is 2008 Perennial of the Year
The Perennial Plant Association has announced that Geranium 'Rozanne' has been selected to be the 2008 Perennial of the year. The 2007 Perennial of the Year is a catmint, Nepeta 'Walker's Low'. 'Rozanne' geranium grows to a mound about two feet tall and wide, with relatively large lavender- blue flowers. It is hardy in USDA zones 5-8, is heat tolerant and blooms from summer on. Photo: Virginia Cooperative Extension.
New Tags Help Consumers Choose Trees
L. E. Cooke Nursery of Visalia, California has produced a line of plant tags that help consumers identify the right types of tree to suit their needs. The Tree I'm Looking For tags categorize trees into heirloom fruit, recommended fruit, spring blooming, summer blooming, fall color, fast growing, small size and weeping trees. The color tags are double sided and 4" x 6", and can be printed with the retailer's name, address and phone number.
New Plant Lab for Ohio Dept. of Ag.
Outgoing Governor Bob Taft broke ground on January 3 for a new state plant pathology, entomology and seed lab. The Taft Plant Health Diagnostic Laboratory will provide resources to identify and react to plant pathogens and diseases that are currently threatening the industry. The seed lab will be used to test seeds for crops, lawns and gardens to ensure their quality and the accuracy of the label information. The lab completes the safety facilities on the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Reynoldsburg campus, joining the state's main food safety lab, animal health lab, and the labs of the Ohio EPA and Ohio Department of Health. Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association president-elect Keith Manbeck was also on hand to express his support for the lab and its importance to Ohio's nurseries, garden centers and landscapers.
Chocolate in the Garden
Chocolate
Flower Farm is a specialty nursery in
Bayer Wins 7th Rose Parade Award
Bayer Advanced, maker of rose care and other lawn and garden products, won its seventh consecutive trophy in the Pasadena, California Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1st. Bayer Advanced has won a trophy for its float each year since their first entry to the parade in 2001. This year's float, "Red Carpet of Roses," won the Queen’s Trophy for most effective use and display of roses in concept, design and presentation. The float, like all previous Bayer Advanced floats, was created by Phoenix Decorating of Pasadena. "Red Carpet of Roses" used over fifty varieties of roses in its construction, more varieties than any other float in the history of the Rose Parade. The float also featured the All-America Rose Selections for 2007: Rainbow Knock Out®, Moondance™ and Strike it Rich™. Photo: Bayer Advanced.
Perennial Plant Symposium Planned
The Perennial Plant Association will have its 25th annual Perennial Plant Symposium at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio, August 5 through August 12, 2007. The program will include a two-day trade show plus workshops, seminars, tours of private gardens, public gardens, nurseries, and garden centers.
Avoid Storm Susceptible Trees
Temperatures near freezing and heavy precipitation can cause tree limbs to become loaded with heavy ice and snow, sometimes causing breakage, property damage and cleanup costs. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point have produced a publication that explains what makes trees more susceptible or resistant to this damage, and lists species to use and species to avoid. Characteristics that make trees more likely to suffer storm damage include narrow branch angles with included bark, broad crowns, imbalanced crowns, and dead or decaying branches. Commonly damaged tree species include American linden, black locust, Bradford pear, honeylocust, pin oak and silver maple. Resistant tree species include American sweetgum, baldcypress, black walnut, ginkgo, littleleaf linden, silver linden and white oak.
EAB Parasite Investigated
The
North American Plant Protection Organization reports that Chinese researchers
identified a new species of parasitoid wasp that attacks emerald
ash borer (EAB). Tetrastichus
planipennisi
lays fifty to one hundred eggs in a single EAB larva. The young wasps
develop within the EAB larva, which stays alive until its last molt. The wasp
larvae then emerge from the dead EAB larva and chew exit holes through the bark
of the tree. The wasp, native to northeastern
2007 Trends in Landscape Architecture
The American Society of Landscape Architects has identified their list of top trends for 2007. The outdoor living trend is continuing with demand for outdoor kitchens and bars. The number one item people want this year are fire pits or outdoor fireplaces. The soaring popularity of outdoor recreational fires has led to some neighborhood backlash and revised municipal regulations.
More homeowners are looking at environmentally conscious landscapes that use less water, have native plants, and use rain water effectively. Recycled materials, solar lighting, and green roofs (rooftops planted with grass, flowers, shrubs or trees) are also gaining in popularity. Ponds and fountains are still sought after. More people are transforming their landscapes into a retreat to escape daily stresses.
Warm Winter Continues
Despite
the early snow and cold, we have
experienced a mild winter in the Cleveland area, typical of an El
Niño year. We had the eighth
warmest December in our history with an average temperature of 38.4°F,
7.3° above normal. The National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that for the United
States, 2006 was the
third warmest on record, behind 1998 and 1934. January, April
and July were either the warmest or second warmest recorded, and only September and
October were cooler than average.
Canada
experienced its warmest winter and warmest spring since recordkeeping began in
1948.
Years
ago when I first planted them, I remember scoffing at the notion that snowdrops
(Galanthus nivalis)
Dairy Waste Creates a Peat Substitute
An
organic waste-processing company in the Pacific northwest named Organix
Inc. has created a peat moss replacement made from dairy cow manure. Their FibeRite
process reduces environmental problems associated with other dairy waste
facilities, costs less, requires less space, and produces organic soil
amendments from a renewable resource. The process involves an anaerobic digester
to produce their product in an accelerated version of the natural peat bog
process. The finished product, called RePeat,
has similar texture and moisture holding capacity to peat, and it is pH neutral
so no limestone is required to buffer it. This is an important invention as
concern grows over the mining of Candaian peat bogs, and it is well-timed as
there is expected to be a peat moss shortage this spring.
© 2007 Roger S. Bolger.
|
Get notification of site updates:
See other top 100 gardening sites by clicking below:
Landscaping O'Brien Landscaping Jerry O'Brien, ONLA Certified (440) 773-9065
Design & Installation, Lawn Repair, Maintenance, Patios & Hardscaping, Water Features, Spring / Fall Cleanup
33777 Chester Rd Avon, Ohio 44011 (440) 937-0690
Real Estate 7854 Maddock Road North Ridgeville, OH 44039 (440) 925-6769
Northeast Ohio Real Estate in the communities of Westlake, North Ridgeville, Avon, North Olmsted, Elyria, Olmsted Falls, Fairview Park, and Columbia Station.
Ohio's Online Gardening Resource
OhioLine Yard and Garden Factsheets
Cuyahoga County Extension Office
|
This
year marks the 75th for All-America
Selections, testing and recommending the new
varieties that are truly substantial improvements over older varieties.
Among 
