Author Archives: GCS Dev

Window Box Prep

Have you ever considered trying window boxes across the front of your house? The soil mixture you use is extremely important in the success of how well your plants will do this season.

Above all, don’t use garden soil. You want something that’s going to hold the moisture, because window boxes drain pretty well. Using a moisture control potting mix would be the ideal choice.

For flower choices, nothing looks better than lots of color and plants that hang over the sides. Consider something like the wave petunias. Add a little bit of vinca vine that will also hang down or sweet potato vine.

Make sure that the window boxes don’t dry out. If they are situated under a big overhang, that’s going to keep them from being watered from the rain. You’ll need to make sure you keep the boxes watered, so they don’t dry out and put the plants in a daily stress.

Window boxes take a little bit more management than the same plants in the ground, but well worth the effort!

Eliminating Wild Onions from Your Yard

Wild onions in your yard. What to do?
Wild onions, also known as field garlic or wild garlic, can be a persistent and challenging weed to eradicate from your yard. These perennial plants have a strong odor and can quickly spread through their bulbs and seeds.

To effectively control wild onions, a combination of cultural, mechanical, and chemical methods may be necessary.

Cultural Control
Maintain a healthy, dense lawn by proper mowing, fertilizing, and watering practices. A thick, vigorous turf can help outcompete wild onions. Overseed bare or thin areas of your lawn to reduce the available space for wild onions to establish.

Mechanical Control
Hand-pull or dig out wild onion plants, ensuring you remove the entire bulb and as much of the root system as possible. Repeated cultivation or hoeing can help deplete the energy reserves of the bulbs, eventually weakening the plants.

Chemical Control
Apply a post-emergent herbicide containing active ingredients like Anime 2,4-D weed killer, dicamba, or sulfentrazone when wild onions are actively growing and after the first few mowings of the season. For severe infestations, consider using a non-selective herbicide like glyphosate, but exercise caution as it will kill all vegetation it contacts.

Repeat applications may be necessary as wild onions can regrow from any remaining bulbs or bulblets in the soil.

Persistence and a combination of these methods are key to effectively managing wild onions in your yard. It may take several growing seasons to achieve satisfactory control, as wild onions can be challenging to eradicate.

Storage Methods Can Affect Plant Seeds Longetivy

Seed packets are an essential part of gardening and can be used for multiple seasons.

Your seed packets from over the past few seasons may or may not be worth using this season, depending on where you stored them, and the type of seeds they contain.

Seeds are alive, but they don’t live forever. When you buy a packet of seeds, government standards assure you that a minimum percentage of them are alive. You can find the packing date stamped on the packet.

Vegetable Seeds

The best storage: Low temperature and low humidity slow biological and chemical reactions and slow the seeds’ aging. Try sealed canning jars in your freezer.

Sow it or throw it: Seeds differ in how long they remain viable. It’s not worth sowing celery, parsley, or parsnip seeds after they are over a year old. On the other hand, two years can be expected from packets of carrot, onion, and sweet-corn seed. Three years from peas and beans, radishes, and beets. And four or five years from cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, melons, and lettuce.

Flower Seeds

The shortest-lived are delphinium, aster, candytuft, and phlox. Packets of alyssum, Shasta daisy, calendula, sweet peas, poppies, and marigolds can be reused for five or 10 years.

Give them a test: A yearly germination test is a good way to check whether an old seed packet is worth saving. Each spring, count out 15-20 seeds from each packet to be tested. Spread the seeds between two moist paper towels on a plate. Invert another plate over the first plate to hold in moisture and keep them in a 75-degree place.

After a couple of weeks, peel apart the paper towels and count the number of germinated seeds If very few germinated, head to your garden center for some new seed packets.

Knowing what type of seeds your seed packets contain can help you determine if they are still worth using this season or not. Different types of seeds have different shelf lives and it’s important to understand these differences before planting them in your garden.

Dill’s Greenhouse carries a great selection of heirloom, organic, and hybridized seeds. Don’t waste your time with old seeds. Stop by and ask our knowledgeable staff all of your questions.

Non-invasive Ground Covers

We often get this question at Dill’s Greenhouse…

Is there any kind of perennial ground cover that is not too intrusive, that could grow around my plants slowly, that would it look a little nicer, and I could manage?

The answer is yes, “but.” The “but” part is that you’re going to be adding one more plant to the area. However, you can add a uniform cover of that same plant.

You may be putting yourself into a position to have to do some strategic weed killing. Use a little sponge, an oil can, however you can drip the weed killer on.

One perennial to try is ajuga. It’s also called carpet bugle. There is a green form, and there is a beautiful burgundy form. There is also a blended form of burgundy and cream. It grows roughly 2 inches tall. The flower will stick up to about 6 inches. It’s a fairly rambunctious perennial plant and will spread nicely an uniformly, while not really taking over like invasive plants do.

Are Lilies Poisonous to Cats?

We don’t want to discourage anyone from going out and getting a beautiful Easter lily because that is the thing to do right now, but do Easter Lilies and cats mix?

The short answer is no!

Please use EXTREME caution when bringing in flowers, bouquets, and new plants into your cat-friendly household. Easter lilies are extremely poisonous to cats, and just 1-2 leaves (or even the pollen) can kill a cat! Even small ingestions can result in severe kidney failure.

The sources of poisoning? Many plants of the Lilium and Hemerocallis species are very poisoning. Commonly known as the Tiger, Day, Asiatic, Easter, or Japanese Show lily, these plants result in severe acute kidney failure.

The exact toxin has not been identified, but is known to be water soluble. All parts of the plant – the leaf, pollen, stem, flower are considered poisonous. Kidney damage (specifically, renal tubular necrosis) occurs within 24-72 hours of ingestion.

Signs of poisoning often develop within 6-12 hours of exposure. Early signs include vomiting, inappetance, lethargy, and dehydration. Untreated, signs worsen as acute kidney failure develops, and signs of not urinating or urinating too frequently, not drinking or excessive thirst, and inflammation of the pancreas may be seen with lily poisoning. Rarer signs include walking drunk, disorientation, tremors, and even seizures.

Sadly, there is not antidote for lily poisoning. That said, prompt veterinary attention is necessary. The sooner you bring in your cat, the better and more efficiently your veterinarian can treat the poisoning.

What about other types of lilies? Other types of lilies like Peace, Peruvian, and Calla lilies don’t cause deadly kidney failure, but they also can be mildly poisonous too, as they contain oxalate crystals which result in tissue irritation to the mouth, tongue, pharynx, and esophagus – resulting in minor drooling. If your cat is seen consuming any part of a lily, bring your cat (and the plant) immediately to a veterinarian for medical care.

Core Aeration in the Spring

Is springtime a good time to do core aeration?

Actually you can core aerate in the spring. Do it before you put down any crabgrass preventer.

If you’ve already put down a crabgrass preventer, then core aeration will break down that weed prevention barrier that you just put down. So do the core aeration first, and if you wanted to do some seed that would work out fine.

So many people don’t realize quite how crabgrass preventer works.

It goes down, it gets moistened, it spreads out in the top surface of your lawn and forms a barrier. And if anything breaks that barrier, from a dog digging, a child’s slipping and sliding in the lawn, or core aeration, all of these will break that barrier.

So save time and money. In the right order, you should get a new lawn in just a few weeks.

Plant division, the importance of understanding your plant’s needs

Let’s start with plant division. This is a process where a mature plant is separated into smaller sections, each with its own roots and stems. This practice is beneficial for a multitude of reasons.

It helps control the size of the plant, preventing it from becoming overcrowded.
It also allows for the creation of new plants, which is particularly useful for propagating rare or valuable species.
Most importantly, it promotes overall plant health by rejuvenating older plants and encouraging new growth.

A prime example of this practice is the division of hosta plants, a common and easily manageable species.

Understanding the relationship between a plant and the desired outcome

It’s crucial to know what you want to achieve with a plant before choosing and caring for it. Different plants have different characteristics and requirements, and selecting the right plant for your desired outcome is key to success. This could mean choosing a large tree for shade or colorful annuals to brighten your flower bed. It’s also vital to consider the environmental conditions in which the plant will thrive, such as sunlight, soil type, and moisture levels.

The importance of a plant’s size

The size of a plant can significantly impact its growth and overall health. Larger plants generally have a greater root system, allowing them to access more resources, while smaller plants may struggle to obtain sufficient nutrients and water. The size of a plant can also affect its ability to compete with other plants for resources with larger plants often overshadowing their smaller counterparts. When planting smaller plants, it’s important to prepare the soil by digging the entire area. This ensures the soil is aerated, allowing for better root development and nutrient absorption. It also removes any obstacles or debris that could hinder the plant’s growth.

Kids and Nature: Uncovering Surprises Everywhere

Wherever you live, nature is always near, with entire worlds to discover around the trees in your yard, in the carpet of grass or beneath that pile of rocks. With school vacations rapidly approaching, you may already be thinking of ways to keep your children or grandchildren busy during the long summer months. Well, how about setting up your own Nature Camp! An appreciation of nature will stay with children forever and teach them the importance of caring for the environment and all living things, including themselves.

Top Nature Activities for Kids

Spring and summer nature activities with your child could be as simple as a daily walk around the block or backyard, or as complex as starting your own backyard wildlife preserve. Popular options include…

A stroll through the woods or a nearby meadow, observing or gathering things of interest along the way. Spend some time watching ants or earthworms, caterpillars or butterflies. Take an evening walk to look for fireflies and bats or to listen to crickets and frogs. Note different species of birds, or look for other wildlife such as squirrels, rabbits or deer.
Very young children love collecting things – rocks, feathers, flowers, shells and leaves are a few easy examples. See how many different types, colors, shapes or sizes they can find. Older children might want to start a pressed leaf or flower collection, or capture some insects for identification and observation.
Raising butterflies or moths from caterpillars, noting how they grow and change in a nature journal or through a series of photographs to create a scrapbook of the experience. When they’re ready to be released, let the child have the wonder of connecting with nature as their fluttering friends fly free.
A more extensive nature activity could be to help your child plan and plant a whole garden devoted to attracting wildlife. By planting trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals that attract birds (including hummingbirds) and butterflies, and by installing bird feeders, bird houses and bird baths, you can create a miniature wildlife refuge that you and your child can enjoy for many years to come.

We’ll be delighted to help you and your future naturalist select plants suitable for a wildlife garden, plan a backyard refuge or to identify flowers or leaves that have been collected on your nature walks.

So, what are you waiting for? Make the most of this spring with a child and go back to nature!

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Flower Carpet Roses

The Flower Carpet Rose is a disease-resistant, low-growing shrub which requires none of the usual care that other roses do. Not only does it produce thousands of blossoms over the growing season, but it is virtually care-free. Deadheading, pruning, spraying and constant feeding are all unnecessary to keep these plants looking their best, although deep watering is suggested for new plantings. Once established, Flower Carpet Roses can become quite drought tolerant.

Flower Carpet Roses in Your Landscape

Flower Carpet Roses can be used in a variety of ways in the home garden. These plants are wonderful for foundation plantings, for covering sloping banks, to line a walkway or driveway, in large containers, alongside a quaint fence or simply mixed in among other flowers in perennial borders. The Flower Carpet Rose can go anywhere and still look spectacular. More adventurous gardeners may even want to train these roses into tree forms for amazing specimens and landscape focal points. They work well in terraces or other hard-to-reach locations, can help with erosion control on steeper slopes and are beautiful alongside water features or to create a welcoming, colorful entryway. Just be sure that wherever you position the plant, it will have adequate room to spread out to its full potential and blooming glory. Full sun is preferred for the best, most prolific blooming, though these roses will still bloom in part shade locations, albeit not as prolifically or for as long throughout the season.

Flower Carpet Roses are a top ground cover rose and can flower for up to 10 months (depending upon climate and soil condition), producing up to 2,000 blooms from spring to fall. Rich, glossy green foliage also adorns this full, rounded shrub and provides a luscious contrast to the blooms, which come in pink, red, yellow, peach and white hues, as well as subtly variegated shades. Even when the blooming is finally finished, these roses stay neat as the foliage and spent blooms drop cleanly away – no deadheading or cleanup intervention required.

To keep the shrub in shape, just cut back with shears to 1/3 size in early spring to keep them as a mounding form. Even pruning novices can manage this task – these roses aren’t fussy about the type of cuts or the direction in which they’re made.

Flower Carpet Roses are every gardener’s dream – virtually care-free, trouble-free plants that produce masses of colorful flowers throughout the growing season. Who could ask for more? Except, perhaps, more room to plant them!

New Shrub Raspberries

Rejoice! You no longer need hedgerows, trellises or complicated stakes to grow succulent raspberries. You won’t need armor-like gloves either. Now you may grow thornless raspberries in your garden or in containers on your patio, deck or front porch.

Introducing Raspberry Shortcake™

Developed in Oregon after decades of intense breeding for the most desirable plant characteristics, Raspberry Shortcake™ (Rubus idaeus ‘NR7’) is the first truly dwarf raspberry. Growing just 2 ½ to 3 feet tall with a compact, mounding shape, it is covered with full-sized sweet raspberries from mid-summer through fall. Deciduous in the winter, it produces new canes in the spring to bear even more fruit. It is self-fertile so does not require multiple plants to bear fruit, but its size, appearance and juicy berries are too good to plant just one.

Planting Your Raspberry Shrub

Well-drained, rich soil produces the best and most abundant fruit from these shrubs, and neutral pH (7.0) is preferred. If planting in a container, be sure to use a potting mix especially for containers to ensure adequate nutrition to the plant. If planting in the landscape, choose a location in full sun with moderate room suitable for some spreading, such as bordering a hedge or along a walkway that will help guide the growth and expansion. Water regularly for plump, juicy berries. A well-balanced fertilizer in early spring and summer increases plant vigor and production.

Pruning is simple, just remove the oldest canes after fruiting and enjoy the fruits on the new ones in spring. Avoid trimming away new growth, or you may miss out on future harvests, but any dead canes can easily be pruned away to keep the plant healthy and productive, as older canes will not produce new fruit.

Protecting Your Berries

It is important to note that these berries can be just as irresistible to birds and other backyard wildlife as they are to gardeners of all ages and abilities. To protect the berries so there are some left for you to enjoy, it may be necessary to use netting or other types of covers over the shrubs after the berries first appear in the summer. After the fruiting is finished, the covers can be removed.

Raspberry Shortcake™ is so simple, safe and easy, it doesn’t matter what color your gardening thumb may be, what experience you have harvesting berries or even if you’ve never grown anything to eat before – even young children can grow and harvest these mouth-watering raspberries with ease!