Every time I visit my parents, I find myself cursing landscape fabric.  The previous owners of their house loved it.  It is under every bed, every plant, even under some huge silver maples out front which I am completely perplexed by.

This stuff is probably at the top of my rant list (just under lawn rolling).  It is unfortunate that something developed for agricultural use and temporary use in annual beds has found its way into home landscapes.  The really sad part is that people have the unfortunate belief that this stuff will prevent weeds.  IT DOES NOT PREVENT WEEDS!  The moment you put it in it may suppress any weed seeds that you are covering up. However, a vast majority of weeds are spread by seeds that are distributed by wind, birds, etc.  This means that a freshly mulched bed with fabric underneath will, in just a few weeks, have Dandelions and other wind blown or bird distributed seeds on top of the mulch that will just love their new home.

Other reasons I hate it.  If you have ever tried to plant something in a bed with this stuff, get out your box cutter and good luck. What a pain in the back. If you like to add plants to your landscaping or move things around, forget about it with fabric.  Just rip it all out.

Another misconception is that this stuff will breakdown over time.  My parents have lived here more than 5 years and the stuff is still going strong, except for the weeds that have managed to grow up in between the seams and the edges and in little rips here and there.

And lastly, the poor plants that are trying to survive in this stuff are being strangled!  I have seen mature hostas struggling to force themselves up threw a tiny 3 or 4″ slit for the very small young plant it once was. Ever notice that when you  plant perennials and some shrubs they get wider as they grow?  Hello.

For more information, here is a link to an extension publication on the use of Landscape Fabric.

The Myth of Landscape Fabric (Washington State Univ. Extension)

For a list of public gardens and landscapes in the Rochester (NY) area, go to the Rochester Garden Collaborative.

Also visit Monroe County Parks.  Highland Garden (Lilac Festival is May 11 – 20) and Durand Park are just two beautiful landscapes.

And also see the Sunken Gardens at the Rochester Civic Garden Center.

Sugarbowl Clematis

I purchased three SugarBowl Clematis from High Country Gardens last year and they struggled along and all three have come on strong this year.  The bloom is an adorable little purple bell shaped flower.  This type of clematis is considered a bush and is native to the western U.S.

For more information on bush type clematis’ go to:  Univ. of Nebraska Bush Type Clematis

Also see High Country Gardens

Photos from my garden, Winter/Spring 2012.

Another double tulip emerged in my tulip beds this week.  Different species.

What Is Phenology?

Phenology is the observation and record keeping of recurring plant and animal life cycle stages such as leafing and flowering, emergence of insects, migration of birds. Phenology tracks and studies this data in relation to the seasonal timing of these occurrences with weather and climate data as well.   Thomas Jefferson was a well known recorder of this type of data.

Before freeze damage

These are actually weather terms. To get very specific, a freeze is when the air temp drops and remains below 32 and the winds are above 10 mph.  We may experience these conditions all winter, but in the spring when we the sun is creeping back to the northern hemisphere, our day temps get warmer and warmer but the night temps drop back below freezing. For everyone (but maple syrup producers) this can have a detrimental affect on our plants depending on how far along plants move toward flowering under sustained warm day and night time temperatures like we had in March.  When a freeze occurs, the cells within the bud or foliage that have already emerged  will swell just like if you put an unopened soda in the freezer.  At some point that cell ‘pops’ and releases the fluid inside.  The result is what looks like burned flower buds or foliage.  It may take hours or days for the damage to fully become visible as the cells warm up and the oozing begins.

After freeze

Freeze damage usually affects trees and shrubs in early spring because these are plants that are outside  year round and you can’t normally go out and just cover up.  Damage to fruit trees can be especially concerning to commercial growers.

Frost on the other hand requires three atmospheric conditions to occur: 1) temps near or below 32 degrees; 2) little or no wind  3) a high dew point.  When all three of these conditions occur, ice crystals actually form ON the plant.  Most trees, shrubs, perennials are frost hardy.  It’s those tender perennials and annuals that can’t take frost like petunias or tomato plants.  It’s the ice crystals on the plant that actually cause the damage to the tissue of the plant.  The appearance may look the same as a freeze.

For this area, our average last spring frost is between April 30 and May 10.  I always go with May 10 to be on the safe side.

Here are a few links for more information: Frost Protection (Arizona Ext);  Frost/Freeze Protection (North Carolina Ext);  NY State Spring Frost Map (Cornell)

I just purchased my first trailing pansy, an overflowing basket of yellow.  This type of pansy is a new form introduced last fall that promises a vigorous, low, spreading habit that make them a better cascading option for hanging baskets and containers.  There are three introductions: Plentifall, CoolWave, and Freefall that come in shades of yellow, lavender, purple, and white.  If you see a pansy in a hanging basket this year…it is probably going to be one of these.  I have started some CoolWave pansies from seed and they are coming along nicely.

Another trend in Pansies that I really like is the introduction of more red shades.  I am going to keep my eyes out for these this year: Orchid Rose Tricolor, Flambe Red, Gelatto Salmon Red, Inspire Ruby, Strawberry TriColor, Chianti Mix and Dynamite Strawberry.   For photos and seed go to http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/annuals/pansiesviolas.html

So many people spend too much money on lawn care.  To find out what you need to do (and avoid the marketing ‘to do’ list) I suggest reading up on Cornell’s great resources and publications for Lawn Care online at http://blogs.cornell.edu/horticulture/lawn-publications/.

RANT ALERT:  You will notice that nowhere in these publications is Lawn Rolling advised as a maintenance practice for home lawns!!!  With the exception of establishing a new lawn or for the purposes of maintaining an athletic field or golf course, this practice should never be done. Be ware of any lawn or landscape professional advertising this practice!  Lawn rolling on an established lawn only serves the purpose of flattening out your lawn at the expense of ruining your soil structure and creating compaction. Guess what they will offer you next….an aeration in the fall to prevent compaction!  See the vicious cycle?

The truth is that after winter, your lawn is going to have some lumps here and there.  As the grass grows and you mow, these lumps will go away over time.  Just let mother nature take its course.  If you have to have a totally flat lawn, then know that you are only promoting more problems for yourself that will require more actions and more $$$. I dont’ think most homeowner want to spend as much time and money on the perfect ‘green’ like golf courses do. But to each their own I guess.

Aeration is a great practice and does benefit your lawn. But most lawns don’t see a high enough amount of traffic on them that would require this practice every year.  Aeration needs should be assessed on a year to year basis depending on now much time you spend on your lawn (including mowing).

Happy mowing for those of you that are grass lovers. I personally would take a woodland, prairie or vegetable garden over a lawn any day!