Sutton Garden Club

Herbal Balms

The fabulous fragrances of herbs lend themselves to not only being the source of flavor in preparing meals but the essence of the scents in moisturizing balms. This issue of the Fine Gardening e-newsletter contains an easy, step-by-step video on making herbal balms. If your not currently growing some of the herbs mentioned, it's not too late to plant them in the garden! Caution:I've made the mistake of buying lemon balm instead of lemon verbena. Both have an intense lemon scent, however, the lemon balm is a very vigorous plant and nearly took over my garden! Like the mint family, if it's kept in a container when planted , it's less likely to become a problem. If you plant the container in the garden, be sure the top is at least two inches above ground level and put a piece of landscape fabric in the bottom of the pot to prevent the plant from escaping through the drainage holes.

Another garden project to check out is How to make your own Garden Lanterns and a U-Tube video on planting an Italian Kitchen Garden . Sit back and enjoy-it's still raining!

Pruning Tomatoes

"Hi!', to all SGC members. I'm back after a rather long absence to get the gardens ready for our daughter's wedding on June 20th. I don't know how we were so fortunate to have one of the very few, non-drizzly days this month but we send our thanks to 'Mother Nature' for it.

The Fine Gardening newsletters have been arriving in my e-mail and this article on pruning tomatoes is a timely one. I plant tomatoes every summer, usually too many of them, and think that just maybe this is the year I'll find a way to stake them so they don't fall over- and every year I'm on a treasure hunt to find those red orbs under a mass of foliage! After learning how to prune them, check out the article on staking. I'm hoping one of these methods will work for me this year! Oh, and what is determinate and indeterminate and VFFNTA, anyway?

I've heard of the benefits of using compost tea and have thought about trying it (this is another 'maybe this year!)  These instructions seem more complicated than others I've read. Has anyone done this and what has your experience been ? (To send your reply- click on 'comments' at end of post) 

Garden design has always interested me-the shapes, textures and colors that work together to create those lovely magazine pictures. There's a great article in this month's newsletter about using flower shapes to provide seasonal garden interest. For greatest impact- the big 'wow' factor- try incorporating some globes and spires into your garden. The giant alliums come to my mind and the punctuation points of Veronicastrum and others.  

It's been a rainy June- that's an understatement-with new challenges for gardeners. How about sharing your experience? What plants have flourished in your garden and grown into green giants and which ones have shrunken into moldy messes ? How's your vegie garden doing? My broccoli plants look like something you'd find in Jurassic Park and no cabbage worms either! Click on 'comments' , at the end of this posting, to tell your story. 

Plantings for Four Season Interest

This issue of the Fine Gardening e-Newsletter is packed with great tips on inexpensive ways to add four season interest to your gardens, beginning with an article featuring native grasses. Names like Praire Dropseed, Purple Lovegrass, and Eastern Gamagrass were totally unfamiliar to me. The article describes these and other grasses in great detail and the companion plantings that would complement them.

Container planting, for me, has always been a fun and creative way to use annuals to decorate the deck and doorway entrances to the house. I do it every year knowing, that with the first frost, the plants would be relegated to the compost pile. This is a chore, emptying the heavy containers and storing them for the winter. How about planting your containers with shrubs and perennials that will not only provide year round interest but will last for several years? Sounds good to me!

If you're the least bit concerned on how to approach dividing your perennials, read on!  There's a very detailed article in this issue on that very subject and a video, as well. The Sutton Garden Club Plant Sale is right around the corner on Saturday, May 16th-providing  the perfect incentive for members (family and friends, too!) to get out into the garden to find plants to donate. 

Enjoy this gorgeous Spring weather and 'Thank you' for supporting the Plant Sale!

Hurray, It's Spring!!

Thanks ,Anne H., for sending this in!!

Spring Has Sprung, The Grass Is...

You know the rest! How incredibily exciting it is to look out and see the spring bulbs poking through the ground, even though today' temps are far less than ideal (39 degrees!)

If you're like me, you're probably uncovering those bulbs as you finish the garden clean-up you didn't quite get to last Fall. While you're out there raking, it's a good time ,too, to take a fresh look at the gardens to size them up and decide if some changes need to be made. Plants that didn't thrive in a particular area could be moved to a better spot . The 'rule' for dividing/moving perennials states that Fall -blooming perennials are best moved/divided in the Spring and Spring blooming ones in the Fall. I have been known to take a chance, and it is taking a chance, and moved plants when I had the time or when I wanted to make a design change in the garden. I'm not advocating this but ,as long as I've kept those plants well watered, they've done quite well.

Reminder: Save some of those divisions and donate them the Sutton Garden Club Plant Sale to be held on Saturday, May 16, 2009-9AM-Noon, rain or shine !

It isn't too early to start thinking about adding color in the garden. How about trying something new? There are some great suggestions for colorful annuals in this issue of the Fine Gardening e-newsletter. Several can be grown from seed ( think saving money, here!) and others may require a bit of searching to find but are well worth the effort.

Be sure to check out the blog site 'The Dirt' for great tips for your vegetable garden. Have you ever considered growing your vegetables directly in a plastic bag of soil? Me neither, but there's a how-to for this. There's also a post on building an A-frame support for tomato plants.

Now, back to the daffodils. Of all the bulbs we grow, I think daffodils are probably one of the easiest. I found the American Daffodil Society site had helpful information on the few problems you might encounter and an amazing list of some of the cultivars available. Here are some FYI on daffodils:

When to Divide and Transplant: Why Daffodils Stop Blooming or Flower Less

Eventually your daffodil bulbs may become crowded and flower less as a result. You can lift and divide the bulbs in early summer as the foliage goes dormant. At that point you can replant the bulbs in their new location or you can store them in a dry and airy place for the summer and replant them in the fall. Larger bulbs will bloom better than small ones, but replant all of them. Small ones will bulk up and bloom in another year or two.

Your daffodils may bloom poorly if they are in a shady location. Sometimes nearby trees grow over time and shade a spot that was sunny back when the bulbs were planted. Transplanting to a sunnier spot will help. Give the bulbs a year or two to settle into their new location before blooming.

Deadheading and Self Seeding Daffodils

Deadheading means removing the flowers when they wilt and fade. Prompt deadheading can help the bulbs gain strength and produce bigger blooms the following year. If you do not deadhead, the plant uses some of its energy for producing seed rather than for rebuilding the bulb. This means blooms will be smaller next year. You may deadhead if you wish, it is not absolutely required.

If you are trying to naturalize your bulbs, skip the deadheading. The resulting seedlings help spread and increase your bulb planting. Depending on the growing conditions, it can take a few years for the seedlings to reach blooming size. You might opt to deadhead in alternating years to give the bulbs a boost while still encouraging some seeding. Whether or not to deadhead is a personal preference.

Read more: "Daffodil Care: Daffodil Narcissus or Jonquil Bulbs are Easy Care Low Maintenance Flowers If You Follow These Simple Steps" - http://flowergardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/daffodil_care#ixzz0AgD3zkQM

Spring is her, at last! - Yeah!!

Hypertufa and Glorious 'Glories'

you've probably seen these troughs at flower and garden shows or nurseries, planted with succulents or rock garden varieties, at costs approaching, or even exceeding, one hundred dollars! There have been numerous how-to recipes circulating around for years but this is the first I've come across that actually seems doable. The recipe ingredients are easily colected and the directions clear and simple to execute. However, I did notice that there was no mention of the weight of the finished trough. It is, afterall, made from cement! It'll be much heavier when the hypertufa is wet ,therefore, I would suggest you create it where it will be as close as possible to the shady spot it needs for drying. I especially love the idea of embedding leaves in the rim to give it that antique ,fossilized look. If you decide to make a trough, photograph it so we can put it on the blog. A fun project to do with your children!

If your looking for an annual that gives you a big bang for the effort (and who isn't?), consider morning glories. Those old-fashioned, easy-to-grow plants we grew in kindergarten. The colors range from white, to reds and pinks and gorgeous shades of blue and purple. Some are dawn bloomers, others will bloom all day. In the same family as the morning glories (ipomoea) you'll find the moon flowers, cypress vines and cardinal climbers, offering very different flower shapes and leaf textures. And if this isn't enought to get you to try this group of annuals, there are the sweet potato vines now available in a myriad of colors.

With the cost of purchasing perennial plants rising every year, it might be time to consider growing some of your own. Would you have ever thought that lupines, penstemons and primroses would be considered 'easy' to grow? The how-to for success with these and other perennials is discussed in this issue of the Fine Gardening e-newsletter. With a little bit of time and patience, you can fill your garden with colorful perennials at a bargain price. 

Pruning Tomatoes, Growing Viburnums & a Pet Contest!

This title kind of reminds me of the children's game that asks,' which of these doesn't belong with the others? ' ! However, all these subjects, and more, are in this issue of the Fine Gardening e-Newsletter.

It might seem a bit early to be talking about pruning tomatoes ,but it really isn't. I saw this video well into last year's growing season, when it was way too late to do anything about the disastrous mess that my tomato plants had become. The supports had been weighed down by the vigorous plants and everything was lying on the ground making it a hide and seek game to find the ripe tomatoes.  Be sure to check out the support system that was shown in the video. I plan to give it a try this summer. Well, more like getting my husband to give it a try!

I am a big fan of Viburnums. They have attractive foliage, a diverse growth habit and many have very fragrant flowers in Spring followed by beautiful fall berries. There's a relatively new variety that I've grown in my garden, named 'Snowflake Viburnum'. It's covered with blooms in May and when that's over it starts blooming again, on and off, for the rest of the summer! If you're looking for a low maintenance plant to add structure to your garden, these plants should be at the top of your list.

Now, to the dogs (and cats, etc.)! February's Photo Challenge is titled 'Pets in the Garden'.  The winner will be chosen based on creativity,  originality, and cuteness. The pictures already posted on the site are adorable!

Of course, there's more in this issue of the Fine Gardeneing e-newsletter than I've written about. It's a fun and diverse issue. Enjoy! 

Plant LoversDelight

If you're not familiar with Plant Delight's Nursery, you're in for a treat! It's written like no other catalogue you've ever encountered. Caricatures and humor permeate the pages and pages and pages ( you get the idea!) of plant listings. They're located in North Carolina and tend to favor plants for Zones 7 and up. However, there are plenty of zone 5 plants of interest for our Massachusetts gardens. Owner, Tony Avent, is a world reknown plant hunter ,who searches the globe for new offerings for gardeners.

If you're a plantaholic (like me!) , i.e., someone who buys a plant and then tries to find a place in the garden for it , you won't be disappointed. You'll find many new cultivars of those plants we typically see at our local nurseries (hostas, huecheras, etc.) and extraordinary, rare plants to fill our gardening lusts. 

Can you tell how very anxious I am for the arrival of Spring!

Plant Delights Nursery

If you're not familiar with Plant Delight's Nursery, you're in for a treat! It's written like no other catalogue you've ever encountered. Caricatures and humor permeate the pages and pages and pages ( you get the idea!) of plant listings. They're located in North Carolina and tend to favor plants for Zones 7 and up. However, there are plenty of zone 5 plants of interest for our Massachusetts gardens. Owner, Tony Avent, is a world reknown plant hunter ,who searches the globe for new offerings for gardeners.

If you're a plantaholic (like me!) , i.e., someone who buys a plant and then tries to find a place in the garden for it , you won't be disappointed. You'll find many new cultivars of those plants we typically see at our local nurseries (hostas, huecheras, etc.) and extraordinary, rare plants to fill our gardening lusts.

There are still at least four more weeks of winter left -thanks to Punxsatawney Phil- and spending time reading the Plant Delights Catalogue will fill that time with much needed humor and ,maybe, you'll find the perfect plant to fill that space or two in your garden .

OH! I can' wait for Spring!

(FYI: The plants I've ordered from their catalogue arrived healthy and carefully packaged to protect them.)

Pruning Roses

I'm feeling cheated! It's the end of January and we haven't had a thaw! Not that I love trudging through slushy snow but the warmer temperatures that come with it make it so much easier to endure the next six weeks. Oh yes, you can be sure that Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow- he always does!!

It's not too early to start planning ahead for Spring and those chores that will need to get done. Pruning will be at the top of the list for many of us. The damage done by last December's ice storm will, undoubtedly, change the look of many of our gardens. Shade gardens will be exposed to more sun and some plants will have to be relocated. However, there are those pruning chores that are annual. Rose pruning is one of them and this month's Fine Gardening e-newsletter has a number of very informative videos for pruning the various categories of roses-shrub,climbing,hybrid tea and floribunda.

If you have a bad case of the winter blues then get a head start on gardening by growing your own plants. There's an excellent article and video on seed starting in this issue with easy techniques for scarification and soaking seeds to improve germination.  

New additions to the e-newslettter include photos to help you choose the 'right plant for the right place , a new address for their blog site- The Dirt -and the Winter Wonders Photo Contest.

This year it will be a February thaw. I'm fine with that but I do wish it would hurry up!!

Think Spring!

Foodies!

When the Sutton Garden Club was started, over ten years ago, it's members were fondly dubbed the 'Weeders and Feeders' -known as much for the delectable treats members provided at the monthly meetings as for their love of cool plants.

 Here's a new posting from the Fine Cooking e-newsletter- an on-line magazine from Taunton Press. It's packed with yummy seasonal recipes, cooking tips , videos and reviews of several different brands of ingredients and equipment. Every recipe I've tried has been fabulous- easy to assemble and made from readily accessible seasonal foods and common spices.

Hope you enjoy this magazine as much as I do!