Chesterfield Hill Social

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Chesterfield Hill Social Gardeners October,
2008
Jeff Travers Bexhill Ct
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Using Native Plants

• Native doesnt necessarily mean better!
• Native plants are hardier than exotic plants
  (Japanese maples, for example)
• Odds are that gifts from Mother Nature are
  horticulturally inferior for garden use
• Native plants will suffer from disease and insect
  pressure
• Lets compromiseuse superior cultivars, and
  cousins of Missouri natives

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Recommended Native Trees Shrubs

• Dogwoods, redbud, serviceberries
• Pawpaw, Witchhazels, sassafras, snowbell,
  blackhaw viburnum
• Oaks number one shade tree for St. Louis
  especially northern red oak, bur oak, swamp white
  oak
• Baldcypress
• Relatively rare hardwoods yellowwood, deciduous
  holly, winterberry holly, American holly,
  blackgum
• Red, black and sugar maples, hybrids of the red
  maple and silver maple
• Black locust a great canopy for a shade garden,
  but suckers need to be controlled to prevent
  complete colonization
• Smaller shrubs fringetree, rose mallow
  (Hibiscus), Itea, some sumacs, elderberry,
  several viburnum spp.

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Tips for Using Natives

• Put the right tree in the right spot
• Give the tree the room it needs to mature
• Most species, even natives, have cultivars that
  are improvements upon their species
• Try to purchase trees that have been grown in
  Missouri.
• Referred to as provenance
• Forrest Keeling Nursery in Elsberry, MO
• Do not amend the soil when planting shade trees

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Hosta Generalities and Tidbits

• There are now more than 6,000 unique hostas (only
  2,000 in 1994)
• The rages are miniatures moving red
  coloration into the leaves (not just the petioles
  and midveins)
• The more white in a hosta, the tougher it is to
  grow especially when the white is the medio
  color. Morning sun required.
• Greens, golds and chartruese hostas are the most
  sun tolerant
• Blues and whites are the least sun tolerant
• Hostas love water, but avoid sites with standing
  water
• Only a few hostas will thrive MO clay soil

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The Friendship Plant

• Hostas come in virtually all shapes, sizes and
  colors
• Miniatures at 3 to 6 tall
• Giants near 4 feet tall (Empress Wu is tallest)
• There is an explosion of new varieties
• Streaked hostas give rise to fabulous and unique
  variegation patterns
• New species are occasionally discovered in the
  wilds of Korea, China and Japan
• Breeder cross the new species with existing
  species and create dozens to hundreds of new
  hostas

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Hosta of the Year Winners

• 2009Earth Angel
• 2008Blue Mouse Ears
• 2007Paradigm
• 2006Stained Glass
• 2005Striptease
• 2004Sum and Substance
• 2003Regal Splendor
• 2002Guacamole
• 2001June
• 2000Sagae
• 1999Pauls Glory
• 1998Fragrant Bouquet
• 1997Patriot

If youre just starting out, these lists are the
great hostas to add to your garden!
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Flowers

• Novice hosta-philes dont appreciate the flowers
  as much as the foliage
• The only species with fragrance is H. plantaginea
  
• All hostas with fragrant flowers originated from
  this plant
• Flowers are quite helpful in identification of
  hostas
• Flowers are described as shades of lavender, but
  they vary from white to deep purple
• Flowers (and leaves) will vary slightly in color,
  depending upon how much sun they receive

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My Favorites (of 430)

• Small
• Blue Mouse Ears, Wow, Sitting Pretty, Wylde Green
  Cream, Besty King, Temple Bells, Blue Chip, Maui
  Buttercups
• Medium
• June, Halcyon, First Frost, Olympic Sunrise,
  Olive Bailey Langdon, Tijuana Brass, Grand Slam,
  Chinese Sunrise, Alex Summers, Pizzazz,
  Revolution, Risky Business
• Large
• Moonlight Sonata, White Christmas, Striptease,
  Potomac Pride, Niagara Falls, Hoosier Dome, Choo
  Choo Train, Days End, Leading Lady, Abba Dabba
  Do, Sun Power, Nigrescens, Old Glory, Squash
  Casserole, Blue Hawaii
• Giants
• Sum and Substance, Sum it Up, Victory,
  Macrophylla, Silver Anniversary, Mississippi
  Delta

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Flower Power
H. plantaginea has massive, fragrant
flowers Others Royal Standard Honeybells Guaca
mole Stained Glass Fragrant Gold Fragrant
Green Mass plantings are more effective than
single plants if fragrance is important!
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SUN, SOIL WATER

• Hostas are shade tolerant
• They all hostas do best with a few hours of early
  morning sun
• Dappled sun all day is great
• Direct sun after 200 PM will burn up most hostas
  
• Too much sun wont kill a hostaitll just make
  it ugly
• Too much sun burned up in early July

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SUN, SOIL WATER!

• Hostas might survive in clay, but theyll
  thrive in rich loamy soil
• Prepare a wide and shallow hole 8-10 is plenty
  deep X 2 to 6 wide!
• Till or mix thoroughly 2 of cotton bur compost
  (sphagnum or compost OK)
• Add an inch of calcined clay (Turface or similar
  products).
• Till, till, till. Mix, mix, mix.
• This will create a raised bed, facilitating
  good drainage

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SUN, SOIL WATER

• Its hard to over-water a hosta
• They dont like poorly drained soils and low
  spots
• I give my hostas at least 2 irrigation per week,
  in the morning
• Overhead water and rainfall will turn powder blue
  hostas green
• Hot temperatures turn blue hostas green
• Shade provided by deep-rooted trees is better
  than shade from shallow-rooted trees
• Great oaks and hickory, black locust
• Terrible maples and sweetgums

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EARLY Spring Work

• Mulch in the early spring as the eyes emerge
• max 1 thick
• and dont cover the crowns!
• Hostas love nitrogen
• Broadcast organic fertilizer (Milorganite or
  Ironite) in mid-March
• You can spread organic fertilizers without fear
  of burning clumps.
• Spread 50 lbs over 2,000 sq ft.

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Mid-Spring Work

• As eyes emerge, fertilize with slow release forms
  of nitrogen
• BlueChip, METH-EX 40 or Osmocote ()
• Roughly 1 TBL per ft of mature width
• Avoid ammonium nitrate and urea fertilizers
• Never put nitrogen fertilizers on top of
  perennial clumps!
• Liquid fertilizers are OK at half-strength, and
  water immediately afterwards, esp. in heat
• Apply MERIT (imidacloprid) insecticide in late
  March, for systemic control of insect pests
• Controls cutworms, foliar nematodes, black vine
  weevils

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Summer Work

• Remove damaged leaves with a sharp knife or
  shears
• Deadhead spent flower spikes (if desired)
• Disinfect shears between clumps in 10 bleach
• For quality tours, wash the debris out of the
  leaves (If you truly love your hostas)
• Divide in August
• period of maximum root growth
• many hostas look bedraggled later in the summer
• I divide nearly all season long

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Fall Work

• Move hostas as needed
• Find the right spot
• Move the entire clump
• Divide as desired, but know that by dividing your
  hostas, youre slowing their maturation
• Enjoy their fall coloration dont remove until
  long dead
• Dont tear flower spikes out of the clump
• Dont allow foliage to remain all winter (voles!)

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Hostas are NOT Pest Free!

• Voles, deer, slugs, foliar nematodes
• Vole control
• poison baits, mouse traps with peanut butter
• never let your guard down
• clean garden in late fall
• Deer repellents work, but you must stay
  vigilant! Rotate products each month.
• Slugs
• I prefer chemical solutions versus organic
  methods
• Slugs eat the young leaves in the whorl of the
  plant, especially on thin-leaved varieties
• Apply slug-baits just before leaves unfurl

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VOLE CONTROL Sweenys Mole Gopher Killer
Poison Peanuts

• Active ingredient is 2 zinc phosphide
• 4 oz container for 4.50
• Wont kill moles (insectivores dont eat peanuts)
• Will kill voles, mice, rats, chipmunks, squirrels
  if they eat enough of it
• Place directly into vole holes and cover!
• Use in conjunction with other rodent killing
  techniques, such as mouse traps, bait stations,
  etc.
• To avoid hurting chipmunks and squirrels use the
  pellets made of zinc phosphide (avoid using
  peanuts)

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Spectracide Snail Slug Killer Bait

• Active ingredient iron phosphate (same as Sluggo)
• Less hazardous to mammals and birds than
  metaldehyde (typical slug bait)
• 2 lb bag of granules, 1 bait for 11
• Broadcast over 1,000 sq ft
• 1 level teaspoon per square yard
• Spread it, dont pile it. Best if sprinkled into
  the whorl of hostas
• Retail or Internet

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Serious Diseases

• Foliar nematodes often misdiagnosed as sun burn
  or disease
• Look for patchy brown areas between the veins
• They are all over! We buy, sell and trade
  infested hostas
• Not lethal, but causes early decline
• Use multiple insecticides imidacloprid right
  now, Di-Syston around each clump as the eyes
  emerge, , acephate in late May before any hostas
  flower
• There is no cure for nematodes except
  insecticides

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Serious Diseases

• Southern Blight Crown Rot Diseases
• Hot dry summers can increase blight,
• Hot wet summers can increase crown rot
• Poor air circulation increases incidence
• Look for clumps that collapse at the bottom of
  the petioles, where they attach to the crown
• Crown rot will stink (like iris rot)
• Voles vector the disease from clump to clump as
  they feed
• Several fungicides are effective PCNB for
  blight, bayleton, and Bayers myclobutanil for
  crown rot

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Preferred Vendors

• Tony Avents Plant Delights http//www.plantdeligh
  ts.com/Catalog/Current/page43.html
• Hilltop Farms in Ava, MO http//www.hilltop-garden
  s.com
• Conner Nursery Gardens in Peoria, IL
  http//www.connernursery.com
• Visit Hornbaker Gardens in Princeton, IL
  http//www.hornbakergardens.com
• Tour/Visit Wade Gatton Nursery in Maryville, OH
  (best hosta garden in the world)

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What makes a great street tree?

• Deep rooted
• Strong-wooded
• Ascending growth habit
• Lack of fruit/mess
• Salt tolerant
• Tolerant of clay soil
• Drought tolerant
• Attractive fall color is unnecessary, but nice
• Attractive flowers also unnecessary, but nice

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Street Trees in the County are Hurting

• Nearly 35 years old now
• Poor species selections to start with,
  especially
• Sweetgums
• Green ashes
• Bradford flowering pears
• Nurseries sell lowest quality trees to builders,
  called row run or contractor grade
• Disturbed clay soils and limestone gravel between
  sidewalks and streets shorten their useful life
• Pin oaks are the highest quality trees in the
  Hill
• Most of our homes have too many large shade trees

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Pin Oak TLC

• Homeowners
• Limb them up, and remove dead wood
• Water regularly
• Fertilize regularly (regular turf fertilizer goes
  a long way!)
• Prune properly
• Use a certified arborist
• Remove dead wood and thin the crown all the way
  into the crown
• Doing this helps grow better grass
• Remove competing, inferior trees (competition for
  soil, water and sun)

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Many Mulch Abuses

• Mulching way too high and thick!
• Donuts, not volcanoes
• This encourages prolific adventitious rooting,
  leading to root girdling
• Most rings are too small--expand the diameter
• Proper mulching depth
• Maximum of 2 thick against the bark of large
  trees
• Maximum 3 thick away from the bark
• Best to remove sod and mulch, vs. just covering
  the sod

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Many Mulch Abuses

• Avoid covering up the crown of woody trees and
  shrubs
• Keep mulch 3 away from the crown
• 2 thick in the garden is best
• Dont use weed barrier under mulch!
• Decomposed mulch will allow weeds to grow ON TOP
  of the barrier
• Soil structure has no chance to improve via
  decomposition of organic matter

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More Mulching Woes

• Rubber mulch is silly
• It resists decomposition, but it still gets messy
• Soil structure is not improved by decaying
  organic matter
• Mulch does NOT provide any nutritive value!
• Fertilize with a slow release nitrogen product in
  March
• Use PREEN or CRAB-EX for weed control
• Effective for control of crabgrass and many of
  the weeds with small seeds (spurge, chickweed)
• Nothing can prevent the emergence of ash, maple
  and oak seedlings
• Nothing can prevent the emergence of nutsedge and
  bermudagrass
• Apply in late February and again in May, for
  season long control

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Want a Great Lawn?

• FOR COOL SEASON SWARDS (Bluegrass, fescue,
  ryegrass)
• The key to a great lawn is regular FALL
  fertilization
• Calculate square footage of actual grass, and
  round to the nearest 1,000 sq ft (called M)
• Use a decent broadcast spreader
• Spread thin and make multiple passes to avoid
  striping or burning the turf
• Start with openings about 3/16 (not quite ¼)
• Nitrogen is the key N
• Ex N-P-K A 50 lb bag of 18-5-9 has 18 N
• 50 lbs x 18 (0.18) 9 lbs of actual N
• 9 lbs N feeds a 9,000 sq ft lawn
• Apply 1.0 lb of N/M
• Sept 1
• Oct 1
• Nov 1

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Spring Summer Turf Care

• Crabgrass control is easy with the RIGHT product
• Dimension and Crab-EX contain the active
  ingredient that lasts the longest
• USE a product with less than 12 N!
• For thin lawns/new lawns
• Apply first dose third week of March
• Apply a second dose (a sequential treatment)
  the 3rd week of May
• This program will prevent spurge from growing!
• For established, lush lawns
• Apply a single dose on 15-April

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Other Turf Tips

• Grub control
• Systemic and long lasting Merit (imidacloprid)
  mid-June
• Contact active in mid-August Ortho (pyrethrins)
  / Dylox
• Aerate and overseed in September
• Turf-type fescue for sunny lawns
• Bluegrass
• must be irrigated
• prefers afternoon shade

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Great Places to Keep Learning

• Join the St. Louis Hosta Society (meet at Creve
  Coeur City Hall (6 times/yr) http//www.stlouisho
  sta.com/
• Join the American Hosta Society (fabulous
  journal) http//www.hosta.org/
• Hosta Library (thousands of pictures and dozens
  of interesting links)http//www.hostalibrary.org/
  
• Visit other nurseries and gardens
• My email is STLMOTREETIPS_at_AOL.COM
• Missouri Grow Native Site http//www.grownative.o
  rg/index.cfm?fuseactionhome.home

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Great References

• Fertilizers, Pesticides, Soil Amendments
• Glenn Kraemer
• G.R. Robinson Seed Service
• 314-432-0300
• Irrigation Design and Service
• Horstmann Brothers, 314-432-0880