Monroe County Master Gardener Association

A cherry blossom is the flower of  trees of genus Prunus.  Prunus Avium is commonly called wild cherry or bird cherry.  The blossom as you see is white.  This one grows in my neighbor’s backyard.   Although I’ve noticed one brave Robin that protects the area for itself; birds invade this tree mid-summer for the fruit.   Many of us plant cherry trees for the blossom and not necessarily for the fruit.  Many varieties also have pink blossoms.  The tree can form in many shapes as well.  Blossom lovers are known to plant the Weeping Cherry which is one of the most dramatic flowering trees for the landscape. One of the most commonly planted specimens is the Yoshino cherry blossom tree.  Many varieties came to the U.S. from Japan.  When I think of cherry trees the first image in my mind is Potomac Park in  Washington D.C.  Of course next is the thought of trips to Traverse City during cherry festivals.   I’ve not been in Traverse City when the trees are in bloom however.  It must be a beautiful sight.

Cherry tress like well-drained soil in a sunny area. The recommended planting zone is  5-9.  Brown rot and blossom blight are two fungal disease which attack cherry trees. Fall is the best time to apply a copper spray to the tree after the leaves fall.  Fungicide then gets applied when blossoms appear and continued on a weekly basis.   However, be preventative by removing old fruit and leaves from the tree to help avoid disease.

This is truly an old-fashioned favorite.  Easy to grow the lilac came from the Balkan Peninsula in Europe.  It is a member of the Olive (Oleaceae) family.  The common lilac will award you with an abundance of fragrant spring flowers. It provides fantastic spring color every year without fail.  You only need to be near one to smell the fragrance in the air.  This deciduous shrubs grows six to twelve feet tall and will get just as wide; so plant them where they will have plenty of room to grow.  They will typically bloom in mid-spring and are available in various shades and tints of purple, and as well in white.  Their blooms contrast beautifully against their dark green foliage.   These shrubs are best planted in full sun and well-drained soil.  It may also be planted in the shade, however it will most likely not produce the much wanted blooms.  Powdery mildew is known to appear on common lilacs.  There are varieties available that are less likely to have this problem.  You can also make sure that they are planted in an area with great air flow to help avoid this common disease.  They prefer a cold climate and are suited best in Zone 3 to 7.  This shrub requires little maintenance.  You can literally plant it and ignore it.  However, you may want to prun it so that you can reach those wonderful blooms for cutting. Pruning is best done right after the blooms are spent.  This will assure you are not cutting off next years production.  This is a great addition to your landscape.

Since it’s often associated with the first sign of Spring and warm weather.  Our feature flower for March is the Crocus.  Did you that the Crocus is a relative to the iris?  Crocus (disambiguation) is a flowering plant in the iris family.  It grows from corms which are actually the storage organ that the plant survives on during the winter, or in adverse weather such as a summer drought.  Crocus are a native to the woodlands and meadows.  Their colors mimic the spring palette of yellow, pinks, whites and blue to lavender purples.  The foliage comes up as a long slender dark green blade, which could be mistaken for grass.  It’s also a favored snack of squirrels.  There are some ways to help with this problem when you plant or after they are first established.   You might try dipping them first in a repellent to discourage the critters, lay chicken wire  or Cayenne pepper on the top of the soil  to discourage digging in the area.  The corms are best planted in the fall in a full sun to partial shade location that has well-drained soil.  The depth should be around five inches.  They will begin to pop up through the last remnants of ice and snow during the day and will close as evening approaches.  This sweet petite fleur sings of spring when you see it popping through the earth.  Although we associate it with spring, there is a species known as the autumn crocus that flowers in late summer and early autumn.

So What can you do with Poor Drainage?   Here are Six ways to improve drainage:

1.  Fill in low levels with good quality topsoil.
2.  Amend clay soils with 4-6 inches of organic matter and rototill it to about 12 inches deep.  Make sure the soil isn’t wet when you till.
3.  Use a raised bed or berms.  Not only do these help with poor drainage, but they also help as you harvest, weed and prune by not bending over  so far.
4.  Create a dry creek bed.  Vary the size stone and rock used for texture and interest.
5.  Make a bog garden.  There are many plants that enjoy having their  feet wet.  Keep in mind that some maybe invasive so research first.  You  may be better off using a tropical that won’t go “wild” on you.  Or, if it  does you won’t have to worry about it after our winter.
6.  Install a French drain to route the water into another area.

Ornamental crabapple overlooking my favorite summer reading spot

While going through the Blog to clear out a few items that were outdated, I found this post in the Dashboard.  It was as a draft from Sue Ryan.  Her photos are always so interesting.  She does such a great job with photography.  I hope she won’t mind, but I felt I should publish it for all to see. I’m sure she put it on the dashboard to eventually publish it.  Thank you Sue for this post.   She writes:

“I must admit I get excited at the first snowfall. The drab brown of late fall gives way to newness and light. I keep my gone-to-seed plants through the winter to provide a food source for birds. The colors and textures of the various barks, seeds, and evergreen foliage create an understated beauty and a sense of calm.  We can indeed enjoy four-season beauty even in Michigan gardens. The beauty may not be stereotypical but it’s there for the looking!”

I even think kindly towards honeysuckle after a snowfall!

Coneflower heads remind me of cotton bolls