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The Best Time to Garden January and February are the best time to garden in Wisconsin and don't let anyone tell you anything different. That's because in the deep of winter gardening is mostly theoretical and with a little imagination, and gardeners are full of imagination, any garden can be as grand, as flower-filled, as perfect as it can be. I'm currently perplexed by what to plant under a “young” sugar maple in our yard. I say “young” because it's a replacement for an older sugar maple that arborists think may be approaching its 300th birthday. With a little care over the last 30 years the old tree has recovered some vigor and will outlast me. Now I have to figure out what to plant in the shade of the “young” tree which is large enough these days to have shaded the old ditch lilies that lined the fence. The grass in the area has also disappeared, replaced by a ring of moss and straggling weeds. Last year we limbed up the maple so at least some light reaches the soil. Impulsively spent hours digging out the old daylilies leaving the area looking in the words of a friend “like a badger had had a fit.” With those encouraging words I gathered self-sown ligularia and ferns from around the main garden, dividing a couple of shrub clematis and impulsively plopped them under the tree. I spent most of autumn rooting out unwanted daylily shoots and trying to ignore the huge swath of weeds that I hadn't scrounged enough plants to fill. Planning isn't my long suit. This winter, however, I know exactly what the sugar maple garden is going to look like this year. I've ordered new hellebores and epimediums and have potted up some of the baneberries that thrive under the old spruces. If they can grow in the dry, dark wasteland under those trees they'll do fine under the maple. I can see lush greenery interspersed with a succession of bright blossoms making a beautiful skirt under the maple. As in most years garden reality will set in somewhere around March 15. That's when the new plants I ordered will show up, far too early to be planted out. In April the unwanted daylilies will spring out of the ground weeks before any of other the perennials. The local deer will tramp under the maple investigating potential new food sources along their short-cut to the neighbor's yard and the chipmunks and squirrels will dig up divots all over the place while I clean up the winter mess in the main garden. I'll avert my eyes from the maple. In May I'll be trying to find places to put the vegetables and annuals that are crawling out of their pots despite the fact I swore I wouldn't start them too early. There'll be a huge pile of mulch on the driveway but by June I'll finally get back to the new bed under the maple. This may all sound discouraging but I can tell you right now my sugar maple garden will l be beautiful, lush and perfect this summer. So will all of the beds in our garden. That's because in January and February when nothing is growing, when it seems like nothing can ever grow gardeners are at our best. We know in our hearts and imaginations our gardens can be paradise. These dark winter days are for plotting and planning to make those dreams of perfection real. This is when anything is possible in our hearts.
Tree of 40 Fruit As mentioned in the December 4, 2019 Ozaukee Press "Ozaukee Gardener" column, here are links to articles on the "Tree of 40": Viburnum Leaf Beetles As mentioned in the June 26, 2019
Ozaukee Press "Ozaukee Gardener" column, here is a link to an article on
the Viburnum Leaf Beetle (VLB): Monarch Caterpillar As mentioned in the August 29, 2018 Ozaukee Press "Ozaukee Gardener" column, here is a link to a video of a monarch butterfly caterpillar forming its final chrysalis. The process actually took over an hour but this video condenses the process down to one minute: And here is a link to a monarch butterfly life cycle information page: CLICK HERE
House Finch & Husky Fur As mentioned in the April 25, 2018 Ozaukee Press "Ozaukee Gardener" column, here is a link to a video of a female house finch gathering dog fur for her nest:
Garlic Mustard As mentioned in the May 21, 2014 Ozaukee Press "Ozaukee Gardener" column, here is a photo of the garlic mustard plant:
Invasives As mentioned in the November 6, 2013 Ozaukee Press, here are some photos of invasive plants to look out for in your garden: Buckthorn (rhamnus cathartica):
Purple loostrife:
Garlic mustard:
Apple Toxins As mentioned in the September 19, 2012 Ozaukee Press, here is a link to a web page detailing the issues with using damaged apples and potential problems with the toxin "patulin": Link Here Monarch Migration As mentioned in the September 15 Ozaukee Press, here is a link to The Journey North's monarch butterfly southerly migration web page:
On the Wing As mentioned in the August 25 Ozaukee Press, here is a link to the video of a female goldfinch harvesting pet fur for her nest:
Garlic Mustard As mentioned in the May 5, 2010 column, garlic mustard plants are blooming now in Port Washington. Please pull these plants and dispose of them in the dumpster at the city recycling yard. Here are some photos of Garlic Mustard -- Click on the photo for a larger view.
Plant Trials As mentioned in the March 3, 2010 column, here are some links to plant trials in our area: Chicago Botanic Garden's Ornamental Plant Development department -- CLICK HERE to visit their website University of Wisconsin's West Madison Agricultural Research Station -- CLICK HERE to visit their website Arthritis & Gardening As mentioned in the January 20, 2010 column, here are some references for information on gardening with arthritis: ENABLING GARDENING REFERENCES (Adobe PDF) The University of Wisconsin Extension Office has a Gardening and Arthritis pamphlet available with lots of information. Their project was funded by the Wisconsin Arthritis Program and other local agencies. For more information contact: Anne Kissack MPH, RD -- akissack[at]milahec.org Amy Meinen -- meineam[at]dhfs.state.wi.us Bill Wright -- wright_wp[at]co.brown.wi.us For the above email addresses, please replace the [at] portion with an @ character -- This is an anti-spam measure. Left-Handed Tools Left-handed people can often benefit from having tools that are designed especially for southpaws. They are usually more comfortable than those designed for right-handers and often work better, as well. Here are some sources for left-handed gardening tools: Riveredge Programs Our local Riveredge Nature Center has a number of interesting programs coming up in March and April. Among these are several bird-related workshops, childrens' programs and even maple syrup making! A complete listing of the Riveredge programs for March and April 2009 is available at this link (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required - Available here). The complete Riveredge website can be found at this link. Migration Maps As mentioned in the April 16, 2008 "Ozaukee Gardener" column, here are some links to online maps of migrations: Journey North -- Hummingbirds, monarchs, robins, swallows and more! Hummingbirds.net -- Ruby-throated hummingbird tracking map Midwest Fruit Explorers As mentioned in the October 10, 2007 "Ozaukee Gardener" column, here are some links to fruit-growing information: Follow [link to come] to watch a great little video about a standard city lot in the Chicago area with over 170 miniature apple trees! Gene Yale walks you through his back yard and talks about his trees, which are full-sized fruit varieties grafted onto dwarfing rootstock. Since this video was recorded, Gene has passed away, but the miniature trees of his orchard have been relocated to a new plot of land, where they live on. Follow this link to visit the Midwest Fruit Explorers website. This is a group of amateur fruit growers who share information and conduct seminars several times each year to help others learn grafting and growing techniques. Garden Tours Overseas As mentioned in the March 22, 2006 "Ozaukee Gardener" column in The Ozaukee Press, here are some links to garden touring in other countries: Australia - Open
Garden Scheme Weeds! As mentioned in the June 22, 2005 "Ozaukee Gardener" column in The Ozaukee Press, here are some links to details on oxalis and "orchid weed"! Oxalis: "Yellow woodsorrel" - WeedAlert Orchid Weed: "Helleborine" - Connecticut
Botanical Society Tender Perennial Suggestions As mentioned in the April 9, 2003 "Ozaukee Gardener" column in The Ozaukee Press, here are some suggestions for tender perennials for use in container gardens from a presentation by Anthony Noel at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. Mr. Noel's point here is that there are lots of other choices for containers than red geraniums with cordalyne spikes for sun or impatiens for shade. I'm sure everything he recommends is great, if you can afford it. My alternatives aren't meant to be the same as his but to suggest that there are things in your yard that can be used creatively to make your container gardens unique - at least until everybody else tries it. Using plants at hand will stretch your gardening dollar. As always, I suggest you invest in good containers of ample size. The new lightweight, Thermalite pots are great. They're easy to handle and provide insulation for plant roots in places that are hot and sunny. Smaller pots make more work for the gardener since you'll need to water more frequently. Some plants also need more room to grow large enough to make the kind of display you'll want. Sun Salvia patens - blue flowers, silver foliage, zone 8-9 Alstromeria braziliensis 'Alba' - white with a green throat; plants have stiff roots which break easily - don't transplant' zone 8-10 Agapanthus 'Blue Imp' - clear, light blue lily-like
flower, zone 8-10 Crinum x powelii 'alba' or 'rosa' - fragrant, amaryllis
type flower (bulb), zone 7-10 Senecio cineraria 'Silver Dust' - familiar bedding
plant used as standard, zone 8-10 Shade Hygrangea macrophylla, lace-cap - woody shrubs in a
variety of colors You might also try these plants. I prefer them because most are zone hardy here. If you don't have room in a protected garage, you may be able to overwinter them by sinking their containers in the garden and mulching the area well. This has worked for me. You can also establish these plants in the garden and then take free divisions for your containers. Salvia daghestanica - dwarf silver leafed sage zone 5-8
sun Miniature trees and shrubs also work well in containers, and can give tropical feel to the garden. When it comes to plants like bananas, however, be sure you know the definition of "dwarf." This just means smaller than normal and, since some plants grow to 30', a dwarf will be 10' or more. This may be larger than you're prepared to house in the living room over the winter. Ficus carica 'Petite Negra' - this fig bares fruit twice a year in June and September. It will grow between 5-8' tall in a container, full sun, zone 7 plus Musca Cavendish 'Super Dwarf' - this banana grows about 3-5' tall and may bare 3-6" fruit, full sun, zone 9 plus Banana "look" can be mimicked with tubers like cannas, available in many leaf colors. Christmas Gift Ideas As mentioned in the November 27 "Ozaukee Gardener" column in The Ozaukee Press, here are the links to some gardening-related gifts: Urban Heat Islands As mentioned in the November 20 "Ozaukee Gardener" column in The Ozaukee Press, here are some interesting links to information on the Web: Chicago's Urban Heat Initiative
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Port Washington Garden Club, PO
Box 492, Port Washington, Wisconsin 53074
Registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization
