Planning for Pollinators

My garden experienced its first freeze last week. Overnight, it went from colorful and sassy to crispy and sad. Yesterday, our high temperatures approached record warmth. Every year, it seems, tender plants are zapped by the cold and then temperatures moderate for at least a week or two before cold arrives and stays. This pleasant temperature window is an ideal time to plan for next year’s gardens.

Even if you are not a fan of butterflies, bees, or hummingbirds (freak!), please consider incorporating at least a few pollinator favorites next year. Here is a list of those in the Mary Snoddy garden which have performed well in heat and humidity while they lured bees and butterflies.

Achillea hybrids (Yarrow)
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)
Buddleia davidii (Butterfly Bush; pick a sterile cultivar)
Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)
Cosmos bipinnatus (Cosmos, pinks and rose shades)
Cosmos sulphureus (Cosmos, yellows and orange shades)
Echinacea purpurea (Coneflower)
Eutrochium purpureum (Joe Pye Weed)
Hibiscus coccineus (Swamp Hibiscus)
Kniphofia uvaria (Red Hot Poker – try one of the dwarf cultivars)
Lantana camara (Lantana, many color choices)
Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal Flower)
Rudbeckia triloba (Brown-eyed Susan, small faces)
Rudbeckia fulgida (Black-eyed Susan, large faces)
Salvia leucantha (Mexican Sage)
Salvia rutilans (Pineapple Sage)
Sedum (Stonecrop, especially tall varieties)
Tithonia rotundifolia (Mexican Sunflower)
Verbena bonariensis (Brazilian verbena, Verbena on a Stick)
Vernonia noveboracensis (NY Ironweed)
Vitex angus-castus (Chaste Tree)
Zinnia elegans (Zinnia)

Plant just one or plant them all — You will enjoy watching the pollinators next year while you sip a glass of iced tea as you stroll through your garden.

Remove the Welcome Mat for Stink Bugs

After enduring a twenty-month house renovation project, my husband and I spent our first night in our “new” home this week. It was delightful. Yes, there are a few punch list items remaining, but it was nirvana compared to the last year spent in the cramped loft apartment above our donkey barn. We don’t raise donkeys, understand, but the previous owners did and somehow the name stuck. Unfortunately, we are not the only creatures that moved into the house. With doors constantly open for the transference of furniture and a bazillion boxes, numerous stink bugs thought our place looked like the ideal spot to spend the winter.

Stink bugs, more exactly brown marmorated stink bugs (Halyomorpha halys), are native to Asia. They were unintentionally introduced to North America in the 1990s, most likely as stowaways in shipping containers. These invasive pests are concentrated in the mid-Atlantic US but have been found in 38 states.

Stink bugs do not bite people or pets. They don’t carry diseases but they cause extensive damage to food crops. They have piercing mouth parts to penetrate fruit so they can feed on juices. The Environmental Protective Agency reports that stink bugs feed on “numerous fruit, vegetable, and field crops including apples, apricots, Asian pears, cherries, corn (field and sweet), grapes, lima beans, nectarines and peaches, peppers, tomatoes and soybeans. Physical damage to fruit includes pitting and scarring, sometimes leading to a mealy texture. This injury makes the fruit unmarketable as a fresh product and in severe cases can even render the crop unusable for processed products.”

In autumn, stink bugs seek a warm spot to overwinter. Our houses look like great vacation resorts. Insects like to nestle down in the folds of clothing, draperies, or even hanging towels. They like bookcases and the small cracks where baseboards meet walls. If crushed or disturbed, these half-inch, shield-shaped insects release a nauseating smell. If you are sensitive to the odors produced by ladybugs and cockroaches, you may have a reaction to stink bugs also. Insects can be removed with a vacuum cleaner, but it will smell bad afterward. If you grab one, even with a tissue, the stench remains on your hands through numerous hand-washing episodes. Few insecticides are labeled for use against these varmints, but research is underway for a natural predator that will reduce populations without harming anything else. A parasitic wasp appears promising.

One simple way to remove a stink bug is to hold a (disposable) jar or small bucket of soapy water with a splash of vinegar underneath it. Jostle the intruder, give it a puff of morning breath, or otherwise make it feel threatened. The insect’s natural reaction is to drop straight down – into the Vessel Of Death.

The best defense is a good offense: Prevent invasion into your home by removing entry points. Caulk cracks in windows, door frames, and foundations. Weather-strip doors, including foundation access doors. Use a screened chimney cap to prevent a Santa maneuver.

While my focus is on keeping stink bugs out of my residence, the EPA reports that brown marmorated stink bugs can have a significant negative impact on American manufacturers: “Cars and other vehicles manufactured in areas of the United States where brown marmorated stink bugs are present must be fumigated or heated to temperatures over 122ºF for several hours before they are allowed into some international ports. The cost of these measures, which are intended to prevent introductions of brown marmorated stink bugs to new countries, can be significant.”

For all our sakes, let’s hope that the search for a biologic control is soon successful.

Persimmons and Memories

One of my first cousins died of cancer last week. Sadly, my extended family has never been close the way my husband’s is. I was next-to-youngest of the twelve cousins, with an age range of almost thirty years between oldest and youngest. As a child, the four-year difference between me and Allen seemed enormous. A half-century later, it seems only the briefest of spans. I have two memories of his childhood antics. The first involved holding a firecracker until it exploded, resulting in blistered thumb and forefinger. The other leads me to today’s blog, concerning the lowly native persimmon.

It was a family tradition to gather at our maternal grandparents’ home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Theirs was a humble life, with a temperamental wood-fired iron stove in the kitchen and a privy in the edge of the woods. A woodstove heated the dining room, which was used as a common room. The fireplace in the living room was rarely lit. The kids were usually told to go outside to amuse ourselves. A large native persimmon tree stood at the corner of the pasture. It was always loaded with golf-ball sized fruit that were equal parts pulp and seed. By Thanksgiving, most of the hard, green fruit had turned orange. The ripest ones had softened, wrinkled a bit and fallen to the ground, where I and the other cousins picked them up and ate them. We were careful to avoid the prickly husks near the stem. Part of the ritual was seeing how far one could spit the seeds. On a dare, Allen ate a green one. His facial expression told me all that I needed to know about green persimmons. Later, my mother explained to me that frost must touch the fruit before it became edible. While the “touched by frost” part wasn’t factual, an unripe persimmon is packed with tannins and extremely astringent. And by astringent, I mean inedible.

Native persimmon (Diospyros virginiana, pronounced dy-OS-pe-res ver-jin-ee-AY-nah) is not to be confused with Asian persimmon, Diospyros kaki. The Asian forms are larger, mostly seedless, and many can be eaten while still firm. They are less cold-hardy than the native species. I have a couple of the Asian-type trees planted in my orchard, but it will be a few years before they produce anything edible. The native fruits have been enjoyed for many years by humans and animals. Early and Native Americans dried them or used fresh pulp in breads and puddings, or even brewed leaves into a tea. During the Civil War, Confederate soldiers roasted the seeds and used them to brew a coffee substitute. Deer, coyotes, bears, foxes, and skunks enjoy fallen fruit. They are a favorite treat of the opossum. Flowers and fruit attract a range of pollinators. My husband was shocked when he witnessed me eating fallen fruit from a tree outside his childhood home. He described persimmons as “food for the pigs” and labeled them as disgusting. My energetic seed spitting may have contributed to the disgusting assessment.

Native persimmon is tolerant of poor soil, wind, and heat. It performs best in full sun to partial shade, in moist, sandy soils. I have seen some fabulous specimens growing in heavy clay and half-shade. Trees can reach heights up to 80 feet and widths to 35 feet, although their growth rate is slow. The dark wood is dense and hard, and has been used for golf club heads and pool cues. Persimmon trees grow a deep tap root which makes them difficult to transplant. Trees are either male or female (“dioecious”). Both are required to produce fruit. Trees do not produce well when young; heaviest fruit set is on 10-year-old trees and older. Often, fruit persists on the tree after the leaves have fallen, looking like orange decorations. Tree bark is distinctive, with a square pattern sometimes called alligator bark. They are hardy in zones 4 through 9. Fall color is attractive, so enjoy trees in your home landscape even before they become fruit-bearing. Several named cultivars are available with exceptional fall color or larger fruit. Try to locate trees that are local to your area. Northern-sourced trees don’t do well in the south and southern-sourced trees may not produce mature fruit in the north.

There is a colloquial weather prediction based on the inside of a split persimmon seed. While this is as reliable as the wooly worm, here is a summary, just for funsies:  If the inside of the seed has a white streak that looks like a fork, winter will be mild. A spoon-shaped streak predicts heavy snowfall. A knife-shaped streak indicates cold winter winds that will cut like a knife.

This tasty morsel is ready to be enjoyed, either by me or by wildlife.

The orange color is deceptive. These are not quite ready to eat.

Jewels for the Flower Garden

Talinum paniculatum, commonly known as Jewels of Opar, is a small succulent plant that can have a large impact in your garden. The chartreuse foliage contrasts beautifully with dark groundcovers like Ajuga ‘Black Scallop’ or Ajuga ‘Chocolate Chip,’ and looks great paired with purple petunias. Fine stems support small, pink flowers. The round purplish seed heads that follow are just as attractive as the flowers. It is now classified in the family Talinaceae, formerly Portulacaceae. Like members of the Portulaca family, established plants withstand both heat and drought.

Talinum is native in the warm southeastern U.S. (NC to FL) and Latin America. It is cold tender where I live (zone 7b), dying with the first hard freeze, but reseeds so readily that it functions as a perennial in the typical garden. It hardy in zones 9-11, and even into zone 8 if the winter is mild. If you want plants to reseed, do not remove the spent flowers and their resulting capsules. Each small, round seed capsule contains numerous, tiny black seeds. Seeds saved from the prior year can be scattered in spring where they are intended to grow as soon as the chance of frost is past. Any extras are easy to pull up.

Jewels of Opar tolerates a wide range of sunlight and soil fertility. For the brightest yellow-to-chartreuse leaf color, give plants partial shade. Full sun makes the leaves turn a darker green, while too much shade results in a weak, leggy plant Mature plants average 18-24 inches in height. Plants prefer a sandy, well-drained soil but tolerate clay well. Richer soils result in a taller plant. Leaves are reputed to be edible as a spinach or lettuce substitute, but I have not eaten any of them so I cannot offer an opinion.

In the dappled shade of crepe myrtles, Talinum (Jewels of Opar) offers a nice contrast to Ajuga and Hosta.

Flowers appear on thin stems

Talinum in a mixed bed of annuals

Preparation for Over Wintering Container Plants

It is time to bring tender outdoor plants inside before the arrival of cold temperatures. For happiest plants, make the transition a gradual one. No matter how large your windows are, indoor light is not as powerful as outdoor exposure. Rather than moving your containers from a sunny porch directly to their winter home, condition them to reduced light. Just as you harden off new seedlings by exposing them to increasing amount of sun and wind, reverse the order and move those soon-to-be-houseplants into a shady, protected area for a week before they make the relocation to indoors. This extra step allows them to acclimate to reduced sunlight and helps prevent extensive leaf drop.

Once plants have made the move, look for stretching (elongated stems) or reaching toward light sources. If too much stretching occurs, invest in a grow light to supplement what is naturally available. Don’t allow leaves to touch the bulbs. It is a good idea to rotate plants a quarter-turn each week to maintain a normal shape. Repurpose an unused lazy susan or place the container atop a handful of marbles in its saucer. The marbles serve as pseudo ball bearings; plants can be rotated easily without moving the saucer and scuffing floors.

Before you bring them indoors, check plants for insects. I use a hand-held magnifying lens (a 10x jeweler’s loupe) to look for tiny insects like spider mites, white fly, scale, and aphids. I never know what my pets might nibble on, so I avoid insecticides on any indoor plants. A cotton swab dampened with rubbing alcohol can remove pests without damaging leaves or leaving toxic residues. Also remove any dead, dying, or ragged leaves.

Spring is the right time to repot container plants, but I am usually too busy with other garden tasks at that time, so I do a fall cleanup, cutback, and repot all at once. I typically discover some of my container plants have become horribly, embarrassingly root-bound. This is also the time of year that I buy a few plants that have been marked down as part of an end-of-season sale. These, too, are likely to be root-bound.

So, what does “root-bound” mean, exactly? It is when the roots of a plant have outgrown the volume of soil in its pot. The roots have circled the outermost section of the container. In worst cases, roots have displaced the soil so that you can barely see any dirt. If the problem is minor, use a hand cultivator to tease the roots away from each other. Don’t be concerned if you break a few. Significant congestion calls for more drastic steps. For serious cases, use a serrated knife or an electric carving knife from the kitchen to peel off the outside of the root mass. Do not dig deep into the root ball; just remove the outermost portion and an inch or two off the bottom. Reduce top growth at the same time. Return the whittled rootball back to its container, adding enough fresh potting soil to fill the pot, and water just enough to settle everything.

Be cautious to not overwater plants that have moved indoors for the winter. Plants that are not exposed to drying breezes or harsh sun need less moisture. While they do need high humidity, a too-wet soil may cause root rot. Mist to keep humidity high or place pebbles or marbles in the saucer, then add a bit of water but do not cover the pebbles/marbles. You do not want the bottom of the pot to be sitting in water.

To encourage plants to become larger, treat congested roots as described above but replant into a larger container. Just move up a size or two. Plants do not respond well when the container size increase is too large. I am sure there is some science that explains why this is true, but I do not know a source that explains the reasons. From personal experience (read: failure), I can tell you that moving a plant from an 8-inch container to a 14-inch container does not end well. If properly pruned and roots loosened, a container that overwinters indoors will need little beyond hardening off when it is time to move outdoors next spring.

Rootbound, suffocating

Roots loosened, ready for repot

Plant Poppies In Fall

Corn poppies (Papaver rhoeas, pronounced puh-PAY-ver ROH-ee-as) are undemanding annuals, easy to start from seed. Select an area in full sun with average soil. Too rich a soil will produce leafy plants with few flowers. Prepare seed bed in fall by removing weeds and raking smooth. In late October or November, scatter the tiny seeds thinly atop the prepared bed. Do not cover. Let Nature handle the rest. Basal rosettes of foliage emerge in early spring when the weather is still cool. They look like weeds at emergence; be careful that you do not remove the seedlings by accident.

Thin stems with flower buds arise from the rosettes, curved at the top like shepherd’s hooks. The crooks straighten to heights up to 30-36 inches before the flowers open. The petals resemble crepe paper, with yellow stamens in the center. Flower colors are red, rose, pink, purple, white, and bi-colors. California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) are a western native similar in appearance but flowers are shades of yellow and orange.

If you are planning a garden event for early spring of next year, consider these for large swathes of color when few other plants are in flower. Corn poppies dislike heat and humidity and will melt away as temperatures rise. They are good to pair with late emerging perennials like Butterfly Weed (Asclepias) or Balloon Flower (Platycodon). Leave a few seed heads if reseeding is desired.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation uses Corn Poppies in median and shoulder plantings along their interstate highways.

I spotted this large field of poppies along a rural road. There were a few Larkspur flowers mixed in. It was a breathtaking sight.

I planted these poppies in a newly prepared bed two years ago to prevent erosion until I got around to designing and planting a larger pollinator garden. I got busy and the bed went unplanted. Luckily, they reseeded and I had a beautiful bed this year, with zero effort on my part.

Deer as Dreaded Dinner Guests

Last Thursday, I counted more than forty blooms on my hydrangeas. By Saturday, all the flowers were missing as well as most of the leaves. These were shrubs that I had propagated four years ago from cuttings – my babies. They were protected, or so I thought, by an assortment of wire cages fashioned from leftover sections of assorted farm fencing. Everything outside the wire barriers was gone, decimated by hungry deer. The loss made me wonder why I stubbornly persist in growing deer candy: hydrangeas, hostas, daylilies.

Deer populations are becoming concentrated as native habitats are being cleared for new housing construction. I am happy for them to live in my woodlands and eat all my acorns, but I really, really want them to leave my cultivated garden areas alone. There are many recommended deer deterrents to be found across the internet. I have tried Irish Spring soap, human hair, and motion-activated sprinklers. None of these have succeeded in my garden. My growing areas are too large and too far apart to make fencing (electrified or traditional) practical. Applications of Milorganite® and stinky products like LiquidFence® are effective, but they must be reapplied after every rain.

The use of plants with strong scents can be as effective as chemical repellants. Lavender, society garlic (Tulbaghia), blue star flower (Ipheion), rosemary, catmint, marigolds, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), yew (Cephalotaxus) and boxwood (Buxus) can be incorporated into mixed beds. Deer also avoid butterfly bush (Buddleia), beauty berry (Callicarpa), lamb’s ears, hellebores, salvias, and bearded iris.

Deer are creatures of habit. Once they have an established travel pattern, they tend to walk the same paths daily. If this path coincides with cultivated garden beds, those beds will be browsed regularly. Anything to disrupt the regular route will steer them away from the garden. This can be a physical deterrent like fencing or something a little more mundane. If you do not use the clumping form of kitty litter, empty your cat’s litterbox along the track, and encourage your dogs to defecate in the vicinity.

Despite deterrents, repellants, and specific plant choices, remember that a starving deer will eat anything, including the plants listed above. And tastes vary. What some groups of deer will avoid, other herds will gobble up. It’s enough to turn a vegetarian gardener into a venison-lover.

My cherished hydrangeas

Hosta for dessert

Time to Curate Your Garden Art

It is the middle of September, and the gardening season is winding down as we anticipate autumn’s arrival. Now is the time for pre-winter maintenance: cleaning garden tools, sharpening mower blades, preparing a compost bin for storing leaves until they turn into that black gold known as leaf mold, and deciding which container plants will be brought indoors for winter. Swings or metal benches can be repainted now, while outdoor temperatures are still pleasant.

It is also a good time to review your yard decorations. Indoors, it is easy to overlook items which we see every day. We no longer notice the scratch on the family room floor resulting from the dog’s zoomies or the sun-faded area on the family room rug. Outdoors, we may not notice rust on our iron urns or the chipped rim on the ceramic container. That pair of beautiful, tightly-clipped spiral conifers on either side of the front door may have repaid our inattention by becoming misshapen blobs. Early fall is a good time to take a fresh look and remove the decorations that are no longer in good condition or good taste. And tastes change. Several years ago, I painted bowling balls to look like ladybugs. I loved them – until one day, they just looked silly. They are hidden in the woods now, waiting for the tide of popularity and my attitude to change. If you once collected concrete frogs (I won’t judge) but they no longer bring you joy, it might be time to let them go. If you have blue-dyed mulch (okay, I AM judging you) and you don’t live in Boise, it may be time to reconsider and go with a color found in nature. Please stop dressing plastic geese in costumes reflecting the seasons. Have you ever met a Pilgrim Goose? Me neither.

While cast bronze sculptures and lead fountains will always be considered in good taste, the popularity of garden gnomes, gazing balls, and seasonal garden flags is slipping into oblivion. Pink plastic flamingoes are acceptable only when used short-term, as a joke. To avoid conflicts between neighbors, most Homeowners’ Associations now specify what type and where yard art can be displayed. I read a study recently that said wind chimes appear regularly on the “List of Things I Hate About My Neighbor.” I’m certain that the unpopular chimes are the cheap tinkle-tinkle variety and not the beautifully toned ones that make us think we are approaching an outdoor cathedral. Painted tires and concrete blocks, anything zombie related, flower-filled toilets and bathtubs, and the like have passed their period of appropriateness. I lost every one of my Hydrangea flowers to foraging deer this season, so I wonder about people who have plastic deer in their gardens. I would be happy for them to come take some of my herd home so that they can enjoy the real thing.

Coco Chanel is famous for her advice to dress for an evening out and then remove one accessory, such as a piece of jewelry or scarf or hair ornament. I encourage you to let your plants be the stars of your garden. Keep the garden art to a few items that make you happy, and maintain them in good condition. If you simply cannot part with the painted brick your child made at summer camp or the airplane whirligig made of Bud cans created by your grandfather, put them into storage. They may become valuable or popular one day. I’m holding onto my grosgrain ribbon belts, waiting for fickle fashion to find them trendy again.

Two Insects: One Harmful, One Valuable

I have never been afraid of insects (except for cockroaches, and “Palmetto Bugs” gross me out) until I had an unpleasant encounter while weeding last week. I was pulling small weeds around some shrubs and perennials, when a sudden, searing pain shot through my wrist. I drew back, expecting to see my attacker. Nothing obvious. I used the handle of my loppers to part the Iris foliage near the scene of the crime, and spotted a sporty-looking caterpillar – lime green with a tan and white splotch in the middle. It did not take much research to learn that I had encountered a saddleback caterpillar. Every website advised “avoid contact.”

Saddlebacks are adorned with poison-filled spines. I normally have a limited reaction to bites and stings but within two minutes, my fingers had swelled so much that I could not remove my wedding ring. By the time I reached the house, my entire forearm had doubled in size and was an angry red. Thanks to Google, I knew the treatment to follow, which I will share with you. I washed with soap and water, then used a piece of duck tape to pull out the spines. Next step was to ice the area and swallow a couple of Benadryl.

A closeup view of the poison-filled saddleback spines.

It is easy to overlook a Saddleback. They are only an inch long.

After the pain and swelling subsided (two hours), I went on a reconnaissance mission, intent on sending my attacker to caterpillar heaven. I spotted it, reached in with my clippers, and immediately brushed another one with the other arm. Repeated steps in paragraph two. Another two hours later, I donned heavy leather rose-handler gloves that extend up to my elbows, and revisited the doomed creatures. A careful examination revealed eleven of these evil beings on one Iris ensata. After recycling them, I checked all surrounding plants and found no more.

Saddleback caterpillars, Acharia stimulea, are native and found across the southeast. The caterpillars dine on a wide variety of plant materials, but are usually found in such small numbers that their damage is insignificant. The caterpillar spins itself a silken cocoon for winter before emerging in spring as a fuzzy brown moth with white spots. The mature moth has no trace of the lime green coloration which makes the caterpillar so distinctive. The moths are harmless to people.

Thus chastened by Mother Nature, I took a wide berth to the bees that chose to collect inside my new screen porch. The doors have not been installed yet, and these large black and yellow winged visitors could find their way inside the screen enclosure but could not find their way outside. They are scary-looking. I was surprised to learn that these were not some variety of Killer Hornets but instead harmless (non-stinging, non-biting) Hoverflies (family Syrphidae). The construction workers onsite told me that a common name is Broadcast Bee because they buzz loudly, “broadcasting their presence,” while they hover around humans’ heads as if to say, “Hey, look at me!”

There are thousands of Hoverfly species, of various sizes. Hoverflies have short, stubby antenna and a large set of wings for flying. The second set of wings is tiny, and are used for balance rather than propulsion. If you watch them carefully, you will see that hoverflies really do hang in the air with no apparent destination, while bees and wasps have an obvious direction to their flights. Hoverfly larvae look like the typical fly maggot, but their favorite meal is APHIDS! They are good pollinators, too. It is uncanny how much they look like something that would cause harm. You can encourage Hoverflies by planting nectar-rich, small flowers like Alyssum.

Asiatic Dayflower, a Beautiful Invader

There is an old-fashioned saying, “Pretty is as pretty does.” This is a cryptic way for mothers to tell their headstrong daughters that nice behavior makes them more attractive. The corollary is that a pretty girl with a nasty disposition is not attractive. Asiatic dayflower, Commelina communis, has a beautiful bloom but if an unsuspecting gardener allows just one to remain, plants soon appear everywhere. I repeat, everywhere.

Asiatic dayflower has two blue petals, one smaller white or light blue petal, and yellow stamens. Each flower lasts only one day. The stems are weak and floppy, but the flowers rise above them, to heights of around two feet. Plants are perennial in zones 5-8. They prefer moist soil and partial shade, but will grow in many other situations. It typically crops up along the edges of woodlands. In my garden, it likes to appear stealthily under the edges of tall, Southern Indica azaleas but the striking blue flowers reveal its hiding place.

This non-native wildflower is listed as invasive in several states. Plants are resistant to herbicides. Removal is best done by hand pulling after a rain, when soil is damp. In dry soil, the brittle stems break off and plants return quickly. Also, don’t pull them and toss them aside to die. The stems will throw roots from every leaf node and soon there will be a community, laughing (I assume) at efforts to eradicate. The flowers produce numerous seeds with a high germination rate.

This sneaky fella has concealed himself in the foliage of an Azalea.

Picking and Protecting Pumpkins

It is difficult to think of autumn while the weather is miserably hot and humid, but in a few weeks the temperatures will drop, leaves will start to show color, and the words “pumpkin spice” will appear everywhere. Bring on pumpkin season! Whether you visit a pick-your-own patch or purchase yours from a grocery store, there are a few steps you can take to ensure that your chosen pumpkin lasts as long as possible.

Select a fresh, unblemished specimen. Small cuts on the surface of the skin may appear insignificant, but they are an entryway for rot-causing bacteria. A freshly cut pumpkin’s stem may have a greenish tint or be completely green. Dry, brittle stems indicate that the pumpkin has been harvested a while, and may have a shorter storage life. If choosing between a green-stem specimen with a surface cut or gash and a specimen with a dry, brown stem, select the brown stem. Once bacteria has entered the fruit, decay quickly follows. Use care to avoid breaking or damaging the stem and do not use it as a carry handle. Instead, lift the fruit by placing both hands under the bottom and cradling it gently. A sound, ripe pumpkin will make a “thwack” sound when you thump it, much like a ripe watermelon. This test is useless for me, since I prefer to purchase green or mostly-green specimens. (Weird, I know.)

There are a number of recommendations on the internet for making fall fruits last longer. I have tried several of these. First, washing the surface with a diluted bleach water seems to work, as does keeping the fruit cool and out of direct sunlight. One site recommended spraying the surface with WD-40. It gave the fruit a pretty sheen, but the silicone seeped through the straw onto my brick walkway, leaving an oily-looking spot for weeks beyond Thanksgiving.

Opinions differ on what makes a pretty fall pumpkin. Some people opt for the traditional round, orange globes with faint ribbing. There are many other choices. I love those that are warty, but at least one of my friends finds those disgusting and creepy. Other pumpkins have a skin surface that looks (to me) like a blood-shot eyeball. These are not my favorite, but they do open an opportunity for some interesting carving opportunities. Check out the wide variety of gourds now available. I especially like Turk’s Turban, a two-level squash that is mostly orange on the large lower level and multicolored on the smaller top. Crown of Thorns squash resembles a patty-pan squash that has grown a series of horns. Two-toned crookneck gourds come in a variety of color combinations.

I like to combine several of these options into fall arrangements. If you are using pumpkins or gourds in an indoor centerpiece, use a clear glass or plastic underplate or a double thickness of wax paper to protect your table or counter from moisture. Conceal the protective layer with Spanish moss or raffia shreds. Outdoors, place your fall squashes on a layer of straw, pine needles or mulch to prevent direct contact with the soil. This will help keep insects from damaging their skins.

Lopsided pumpkins lend themselves to the creation of cool faces and designs. Another option is to paint designs on the pumpkin rather than carve. Although it is great fun for each member of the family to select and carve their own Jack-o-lanterns, any cut fruit will decay faster than uncut fruit. There are amazing Jack-o-lanterns available on Pinterest, but I lack the vision and manual dexterity to create one. Instead, I learned that you can use metal cookie cutters and a rubber mallet to cut perfect stars and heart. Rubbing a little petroleum jelly on the cut edges keeps them from curling inward as the first sign of self destruction. For lighted carvings, using a battery-powered tealight instead of a candle is safer and helps the fruit stay fresh longer.

If your pumpkin has not decayed, share your post-holiday discarded fruits with zoos or goat owners. Animals find them tasty.

Bit of trivia: Early jack-o-lanterns were carved turnips, not pumpkins. From Wikipedia, the “name comes from the reported phenomenon of strange lights flickering over peat bogs, called will-o’-the-wisps or jack-o’-lanterns. The name is also tied to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a drunkard who bargains with Satan and is doomed to roam the Earth with only a hollowed turnip to light his way.”

A Trio of Cool Insects

When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. As a result of the lightning hit last week that destroyed our internet and computer components and the power outage that shut down my small town for several hours on the hottest day (so far) of 2023, I went outdoors to seek a cooler, peaceful spot. Otherwise, I might never have spotted the three cool insects shown below. 

Eastern Eyed Click Beetle (Alaus oculatus) is also known as the Eyed Elator. In my personal vocabulary, it will be known as a Big Eyed Bug. The large wing spots are thought to serve as a device to scare away predators. If they land on their backs, through wind or some other cause, click beetles have the unique ability to contract themselves and launch into the air so that they can land right-side-up. This explosive contraction causes a popping or clicking sound, which leads to the common name. Despite their scary appearance, these beetles are harmless. The larvae, known as wireworms, are skinny golden worms with brown or black heads. They live in decaying wood or stumps and like to dine on other bugs. This is unique since most wireworms dine on vegetative crops and are considered a nuisance. 

Eastern Eyed Click Beetle

The Tabanus atratus  pictured below was identified by BugGuide.net as Monster Black Fly or Giant Black Fly. The word atratus means “clothed in black.”  I included a photo with my finger so that you could detect the scale of this giant thing. While they normally feed on plant nectar, breeding female horseflies need a blood meal. They make life miserable for horses and cattle. It is rare for them to bite a human, but if you are unfortunate enough to be the target of an attack, the University of Milwaukee describes the experience as “memorable.” This cannot be good. Rather than sucking blood up through a mouth-tube like a mosquito, the Giant Black Horsefly uses razor-like blades to slice skin open and then laps the blood up like a vampire kitten (my description, not UW-M). It is best to avoid these.

Giant Black Horsefly

Southeastern True Katydid, Pterophylla camellifolia, is an attractive green insect with long antenna and a quizzical look. They live in treetops and make their LOUD calls at night to attract mates. Most calls are made by males, but a few females join in the cacophony. When it is cool enough to sleep with windows open, I note that their loud calls end at some point during the night. I don’t know if this is due to changes in temperature, exhaustion from all that caterwauling, or success in finding a mate. True katydids are weak flyers. If they get blown out of the treetops, they are likely to walk back up the tree rather than flying. They must have some serious sticky feet, because one recently rode on my car’s exterior mirror for more than two miles at normal traffic speed. He was still hanging on when I parked.

Southeastern Katydid

A week to regroup

To my gardening friends:
There will be no blog post this week. On Monday, we experienced a severe thunderstorm. Lightning hit our satellite dish, taking out the dish itself, the power adapter, and the house router, along with various and sundry other electric devices. While I still have internet access via my mobile phone, I have decided to take a week away from my regular research, and instead share this sunset photograph. Hopefully, I’ll be back to the normal blog format next week, courtesy of shiny new computer things.

All the best,
Mary

Crinum Lily - Bold Flowers, Long-lived Bulbs

If your taste leans toward bold flowers, grow Crinum, a summer-flowering cousin to the Amaryllis. A southern passalong plant, these flowers are seen frequently on gravesites in the Bahamas. Bulbs are hardy in zones 7b to 10, at least. Flowers are white, pink, rose, or striped. White flowers with red stripes are commonly referred to as Milk and Wine lilies.

Mature plants will reach heights up to four feet. Bulbs are best planted in warm months, April through October, rather than fall or winter. They prefer full sun to part sun and moist soil, but will succeed in a wide range of conditions. Established plants will tolerate limited drought. They are not picky about soil texture or acidity.

When grown in moist, fertile soil Crinum bulbs can become quite large – occasionally up to twenty pounds! When bulbs need division, it is best to lift the entire clump, then separate offsets from the mother plant. Either replant or share the offsets. Newly divided bulbs may take a year or two to settle in and flower. The sturdy stems make good cut flowers. The flowers have a pleasant, clean fragrance.

As an initial investment, Crinum bulbs are more expensive than many other bulbs, but a single investment will provide years and years of enjoyment. Given their willingness to procreate, they are a cost-effective purchase.

 Bulbs are toxic to humans and pets. Deer do not bother them.

This Crinum was a gift from a regular customer at the nursery where I once worked. In a few years, it had multiplied into a large, handsome colony.

I planted these in a full-sun area with rich soil, in an area where the condensation from our air conditioner kept the soil moist. They grew to be giants. The largest was a little bigger than a softball but not quite as large a soccer ball. And it was HEAVY.

This beauty protested against her relocation by refusing to bloom for two years. This year, the gorgeous color and sweet fragrance made it worth the wait.

Rose of Sharon, an Old Fashioned Heat Lover

Althea or Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus, pronounced hi-BIS-kus seer-ee-AY-kus) is a fast growing, low maintenance shrub. It prefers full sun or slight shade, grows in any type of soil, and is adaptable to most soil acidity levels. Plants can reach twelve feet tall and up to ten feet wide, although most mature at a lesser size. They prefer hot weather, and have the charming characteristic of flowering while everything else is drooping in the heat. The individual flowers look like a smaller version of giant tropical Hibiscus but unlike tropical Hibiscus, they are perennial in zones 5-9. They can be planted closely (five feet apart) to create a flowering hedge.

Rose of Sharon begins to bloom in early summer and continues until fall. Plants bloom on new growth. Tip pruning in late winter will encourage new growth and result in more flowers. Please use hand pruners, not powered hedge trimmers. Flowers come in shades of lavender, pink, blue, white, and bi-color. Older varieties produce large quantities of seed that often spread themselves about too enthusiastically for the typical gardener. This dampened their popularity until hybridists introduced a number of low-seed or no-seed cultivars.

Cultivar ‘Diana’ has pure white flowers that mix well with other flowers and shrubs, and is a strong performer. Several semi-double or double-flowered varieties are available. Some of the newer introductions, like ‘Lucy’ or ‘Blushing Bride’ produce fewer seeds. Fully double Blueberry Smoothie™ and Peppermint Smoothie™ are sterile. Proven Winners ‘Sugar Tip’® has a variegated leaf and pale pink, double flowers. It is seedless and semi-dwarf, reaching six feet. Rose of Sharon is still on the Invasive List in Kentucky and Virginia.

Drought-stressed plants that suddenly receive an onslaught of rain are prone to dropping buds in a condition labeled Flower Bud Drop. Provide irrigation in extended drought to avoid this. Although rare, Leaf Spot and Leaf Rust can damage plants. These are treated with a foliar anti-fungal. Plants are occasionally bothered by Japanese Beetles or aphids. They are deer resistant. Hummingbirds and bees, especially larger bees, love the flowers. For this reason, avoid using insecticides or systemics to combat insect infestations. Instead, hand pick Japanese Beetles and use a strong spray of water to wash aphids off buds and tender new growth.

After several years, Rose of Sharon tends to lose its foliage at lower levels. If this is a concern, plant it behind a perennial that will conceal its lower regions, or intentionally prune it to a single-trunk tree form while the plant is young. This is a hardy, long-lived, low-maintenance shrub and is ideal in a pollinator garden or children’s garden.

This Rose of Sharon is blooming in a parking lot island at my local pharmacy, surrounded by asphalt pavement.

A bee enjoys this bloom.

Portulaca, A Flowering Succulent for Heat and Dry Soil

My love for Purlsane began when I inherited a pair of concrete planters that sat atop brick steps in full, baking, South Carolina sun. Nothing would survive in that spot until I found Portulaca (pronounced por-chew-LAY-kah), commonly known as Purlsane. This South American native flourishes in heat, laughs at humidity, and withstands neglect. Too much water will cause rot, so well-draining soil is a must.

Portulaca is a mat-forming annual succulent that reaches heights of four to six inches. Leaf forms are either needle-like or rounded and fleshy. The colorful blooms in shades of yellow, red, pink, coral, white, or magenta open in the morning, then close at sundown or when pollinated by a visiting bee. Flowers may not open on cloudy days. The ‘Yubi’ series and the ‘Afternoon Delight’ series stay open longer than other varieties. This means it is good plant for daytime enjoyment, not so good for evening entertainment. Plants grow quickly from transplants. They will sometimes reseed. They do well in hanging baskets and rock gardens.

A weedy form of Purlsane, Portulaca oleracea, is spread around by birds, winds, and via animals’ digestive systems. The foliage resembles its round-leaf cousin, but flowers are invariably yellow. They are hard to eradicate due to an extensive root system. This “weed” is a food for wildlife. Its leaves are edible by humans but are harmful to dogs, cats and horses if eaten in large quantities.

Portulaca is generally trouble-free, bothered occasionally by spider mites, aphids, or slugs.

A pair of hanging baskets with Lantana and Portulaca

Blanket Flowers for Color in the Heat

Gaillardia x grandiflora is a hybrid between G. aristata and G. pulchella). Commonly known as Blanket Flower, hybrid Gaillardia (pronounced gay-LAR-dee-uh) is a short-lived perennial in zones 7-10. Plant heights range from one to three feet tall with a two-foot spread. It has hairy leaves and produces bright, daisy-like flowers that bloom in a wide variety of colors, including red, orange, yellow, and purple. The flowers are typically 2-3 inches in diameter and have a central disk surrounded by bright single color or bicolor petals. Plants often produce flowers from spring to fall, especially if deadheaded. Leave a few dead heads in place as a treat for goldfinches, who love the seeds. Plants may reseed themselves. Cut flowers last a long time in the vase. Flower centers remain attractive after petals fall, and can be used fresh or dried in flower arrangements.

Plant Gaillardia in full sun only, in neutral soil. Plants dislike poor drainage and will decline in heavy or too wet soils. They are drought tolerant once established, and are a good choice for a xeric garden or pollinator garden. They are rarely browsed by deer or rabbits.

I went to the nursery last week with no intention of purchasing Gaillardia ‘Spintop Red’ but somehow these ended up in my list of purchases. What kind of doofus plants perennials in the midst of a heatwave? THIS kind, apparently. I love the prickly seedheads, right, as much as the flowers.

June Bug Airplane: Childhood Flashback

After mowing grass for three hours last week, I decided to take a water break from the heat. I plopped into a shady chair on the barn porch to rest and hydrate. That is when I noticed something odd. It appeared that the entire grass pasture in front of me was in motion. Was I having an aneurysm? A hallucination? When I walked over to investigate, I found that the air just above ground level was thick with hundreds, maybe thousands, of flying green beetles commonly known as June Bugs. They could just as easily be called May-through-July bugs because they emerge in mid-summer.

As a child, I and the rest of the kids in the ‘hood delighted in the capture of one of these hard-shelled, inch-long beetles. We would carefully tie a piece of sewing thread around the insect’s midsection and allow him to fly freely, restrained to a circular flight pattern by the string tether, held securely in a grubby little hand. (Do kids do this anymore?) When the activity became boring, we would cut the thread and let Mr. June Bug fly away. Everybody knew the bugs were harmless. Or were they?

Green June Bugs do not carry diseases and they do not bite. They are harmless to humans and pets but their legs have spines and it may feel like a pinch when they land on you. They do not infest homes but June Bugs are not harmless. They rank slightly below Japanese Beetles in terms of plant damage. They are voracious vegetarians and can cause significant damage to crops. Their preferred diet is berries, tomatoes, grapes, peaches, plums, figs, or corn. When these juicy treats are not available, they happily munch on grasses, oak leaves, and flowers,.

Green June Bugs (Cotinis nitida, found all over the southeast) go through a complete metamorphosis. They start life as eggs (laid in shallow soil, in groups of 10-30), then live as grubs for three years. They pupate and emerge as adults when soil temperatures hit 70 degrees. While a few adults overwinter underground, most live less than a year, dying at the end of summer. Skunks and large birds like crows eat the grubs.

Dead adults are usually found belly up. As they approach death, their bug-blood ceases flowing to their legs, which then cannot support their weight so they topple over. They are attracted to night-time lights (males more so than females) and may commit suicide by bombing your outdoor bonfire, kamikaze-style. Snakes, lizards, frogs, and birds are natural predators to the adults.

If you think you are seeing more June Bugs than in past years, you are correct. Warmer weather temperatures support population growth. If their damage becomes noticeable, you might want to take steps to reduce their numbers. Try to take the natural approach before resorting to insecticides.

June Bugs are repelled by the scent of essential oils such as lavender, mint or rosemary. Milky Spore bacteria can be used to combat the grubs. It is effective against Japanese Beetle grubs also. Milky Spore is available in many garden centers and some big box stores. Instructions for application are found on the container.

While Milky Spore is not a quick fix, it is long lasting and harmless to humans or pets. There are two widely available insecticides (Carbaryl and Trichlorfon) which are labeled for use against June Bugs. Read labels and follow instructions exactly. A preemptive systemic insecticide (Imidacloprid is one) can also be used. Please use systemics as a last resort and only on non-food plants, because some studies indicate they are contributing to honeybee hive collapse.

Do those yellow “bug light” bulbs really work? Well, June Bugs find them, as well as yellow Sodium Vapor parking lot lights, less attractive than white incandescent lights. LED bulbs do not attract them, another good reason to change over to energy-saving bulbs.

Folklore says that June Bugs are blind. This is untrue. They walk or fly into things because they are naturally clumsy. If they should fly into your hair, their leg spines may become entangled. This feels creepy, even if your common sense tells you they cannot bite. Capture your insect carefully and find a child for a game of June Bug Airplane. If no children are available, go ahead and lasso one with sewing thread. I won’t tell.

Independence Day #247

Instead of researching information on a horticultural topic, I spent my July 4 evening enjoying several fireworks displays visible from our hilltop. Here is a photo of our last home, New Hope Farm, decked out for the holiday a few years ago. I hope that you and your family enjoyed a good holiday. Ours is a remarkable country. We are lucky to be her citizens.

Cleome, Tall Flowers for the Back of the Annual Border

Cleome (klee-OH-mee) or Spider Flower is a tall plant for the back of the border. Its pink, white, rose or purple flowers open gradually, with the spent stamens developing into long-stemmed seed pods with a spidery appearance. Young palmate leaves mimic Cannabis. Older varieties reach heights of five feet and have sharp thorns hiding along stems to surprise the unwary gardener. Newer cultivars are shorter and have been bred to be thornless.

Cleome grows fast from seed; purchased seedlings may be rootbound and not transplant well. Seeds are best planted in full sun where plants are to grow. Keep seeds moist for three weeks. Plants are heat- and drought-tolerant thereafter.

Cleome reseeds readily but is not invasive. Older stems become leggy and leafless at ground level, so it looks best when planted behind a shorter plant that will hide its base. Older varieties of Cleome flowers have an unusual, lemon-musk fragrance that is more noticeable at dusk. A few people find the scent offensive. Thornless cultivars have lost the scent, too. Flowers attract bees and Sphynx months, large insects that can be mistaken for hummingbirds. Plants are deer-resistant. They look especially nice when planted in large drifts. Self-sown seedlings are often too dense for plants to reach full size. Thin them to a spacing of 12 inches.

To avoid potential for disease, remove plants once they are killed by frost. Rotate plant locations after a few years to avoid attracting harlequin bugs, a relative of the stink bug.

This image shows Cleome buds (top), open flowers (middle) and unripe seed pods (bottom). The long, narrow pods will mature to tan before they burst open to release ripe seeds. Each one of the pods contains 10-15 seeds. Remove the unripe pods if you want to prevent reseeding.

White Cleome pairs well with almost any other flowers