Monroe County Master Gardener Association

This time of year the seed & plant catalogs, as well as the garden magazines, contain some of the “New” plants for 2014. Many of them are from new 2013 trails and have shown to be successful. From all of those reviewed, I’ve picked my favorites. These include the following:

Sedum “Sunsparkler” Blue Pearl: This sedum has a blue hue along with deep maroon and purple. A rich addition to a garden if you rely on foliage plants for color.

Acalypha wilkesiana Jungle Cloak: A tropical plant with multi-colored vegetation. It can be overwintered indoors but the color will be a great asset to your containers

Clematis Sweet Summer paniculata: A new twist from our Sweet Autumn that so many of us enjoy. This one is very similar with the exception of color. It has a small petite flowers that are cranberry-violet in color.

Andropogon gerardii ‘Rain Dance’, an ornamental grass that has the red-tipped foliage like that of Japanese blood grass but is for zones 3-9. I’ve not been successful with the Japanese blood grass for overwintering (zones 5-9). I am hoping this will work better.

And for vegetables my pick is a grafted tomato: Indigo Sun. It’s a cherry size tomato that is yellow with deep purple at the top. Very colorful and by all I’ve read it bears an abundance of fruit.

If you have found an interesting 2014 pick, let us know about it. I urge members to check out these picks the web. You’ll find images and

Read Full Post »

What’s your favorite Christmas Tree? Well according to my research it just might be the Colorado Blue Spruce. I would much rather see these beauties outside with some lights and not cut down and in the house. The Colorado blue spruce is a native of the Rocky Mountains. It can grow up to 75 feet high, however grown as an ornamental tree it will probably only reach 49 feet in our yards. Did you know that it’s the state tree of both Colorado and Utah? Best if grown in Zones 2-7; this evergreen has slow to medium growth. Often when homeowners place them far too near the home. Remember, not only may it reach that 49 feet height but it will spread out 10 to 20 feet in diameter. So prepare ahead and give it plenty of space for future growth. It likes full sun and can grown in various soil types (acidic, drought tolerant, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, well drained, wet, wide range, and clay soils). Although there is no serious insect or disease problem, it is susceptible to needle cast, canker and rust. You should watch for aphids like the spruce gall aphids. You may also see scale, budworms and bagworms. Spider mites can be invasive and may cause significant problems with new growth and overall tree health. It’s truly a beautiful tree.

Read Full Post »