Add to your calendar: Tuesday, November 8th Meeting at 7p.m.

Tom Rawinski and Massachusetts White-Tailed Deer

Join our Speaker, Thomas Rawinski, Botanist USDA Forest Service at Durham, NH for a presentation discussing "How Deer Affect Our Native Plants". We will be meeting at the Ipswich Public Library in the Collins Room at 7p.m. Mitzi Marsh and Mary Smith are the evening's coordinators.

Looking forward to a big turnout from our members for this pertinent Ipswich topic!
Don't forget to RSVP Janet Craft at (978) 621-7884

The Fall Garden and Putting it to Bed- Lecture and Workshop

Hello Garden Club Members,

This looks like a very interesting lecture.
Thanks,
Janet

Friday, October 21, 9 – 10am lecture and 10-noon volunteer garden work,  Riverbend, 143 County Rd, Ipswich

Denise King of Denise King Landscapes Designs, who was instrumental in designing and planting the native plant garden and rain gardens at Riverbend, will be presenting on the fall garden; how to extend the season and what to plant to maximize your fall garden colors. She will also lead us through the steps of putting your garden to bed for the winter. After the indoor presentation, we will head out into the gardens for some demonstrations and some practice putting Riverbend’s gardens to bed. If you would like to stay for the garden workshop, please dress appropriately and bring any tools you like to use (small rake, clippers, gloves).

Please RSVP to Cynthia at cingelfinger@ipswichriver.org or call 978-412-8200

Spring Bulbs: To Fertilize or Not to Fertilize

by Gail Anderson, IGC Horticulturalist    

For years, experts recommended putting fertilizer in each hole as you planted spring flowering bulbs in the fall. Now some bulb gurus say you don’t need fertilizer when planting bulbs.

The traditional recommendation was to use bone meal, super phosphate (now available only as rock phosphate), or Bulb Booster fertilizer (9% nitrogen, 6% phosphorous, 6% potassium) in the bottom of the planting hole. Now experts point out that the bulb already contains the food it needs to produce first season’s flowers and foliage. And animals love to dig up bulbs planted with bone meal. At Long Hill, the Trustees of Reservations garden property in Beverly, we have planted hundreds of bulbs without fertilizer in the holes.

It’s more important, some experts say, to top dress the bulbs after they have bloomed the first year while their leaves are still green. After bulbs have bloomed and after you have deadheaded them, Deb Lambert at Corliss recommends sprinkling rock phosphate on the soil around the bulb foliage. Then scratch it into the soil with a three-pronged hand cultivator. This promotes root and bulb development. The spring top dressing is even more important, she says, than planting the bulbs with amendments. However, she does recommend amendments both at planting and in the spring.

So, it appears, fertilizing at planting time becomes a personal decision.

Tips for Spring Flowering Bulbs

•  Purchase bulbs now for best selection.

Keep them cool (but not below 32 degrees) and dry until you plant them.

• Select only large, firm bulbs.

Squeeze them to be sure. Beware of blemishes, soft spots, or wrinkled outer skin. If the bulb is about to split (common with daffodils) be sure each section seems large enough to support a flower stem.

• You can plant bulbs as late as December 1,

providing the ground has not frozen. Bulbs need a minimum of 11 weeks of chilling in order to perform properly.

• Plant bulbs 2-3 times their depth.

If a bulb measures 3 inches top to bottom, the planting hole should be at least 6 inches deep.

• Plant in average to rich soil with good drainage.

If needed, add organic matter to enrich the soil. Add sharp sand to increase  drainage.

·      Plant bulbs in full to almost-full sun.

Bulbs planted in the shade do not rejuvenate well. Bloom diminishes after the first year.

• Don’t forget minor bulbs—

snowdrop, crocus, winter aconite, chionodoxa, puschkinia, iris reticulata, etc. They bloom very early and are effective near the edges of garden beds and walks.

• If you have deer or rodents, avoid tulips.

Plant critter-resistant bulbs including narcissus (daffodils), allium, crocus, chionodoxa, puschkinia, scilla, hyacinth. Be aware however, that no plant is completely critter resistant.

• If you want repeat bloom in succeeding years, avoid tulips.

Daffodils (narcissus) are fairly reliable repeat bloomers. Tulips are not good repeaters. The best repeat tulips are the Darwin type.

• Plan for a succession of blooms.

Plant early, mid, and late flowering bulbs in the same area. Some garden designers plant large bulbs, then fill the hole halfway and plant minor bulbs over the top.

• Plan to hide the dying bulb foliage.

Consider planting bulbs amongst perennials, so the emerging perennial foliage will mask the dying bulb foliage. Never cut bulb foliage until it is completely brown.

• Consider a naturalistic random pattern with unequal spacing.

This is effective unless you have a very formal setting, At Long Hill we scatter bulbs by hand and plant where they land.

• Or plant several bulbs in one hole.

This saves time and provides a more concentrated show of flowers. However, the overall design will be more “spotty.”

• Plant bulbs fairly close together.

Deb Lambert recommends spacing equal to the diameter of the bulb, i.e., 6-inch spaces between 6-inch-diameter bulbs and 3-inch spaces between 3-inch bulbs. Do not plant bulbs so they touch each other or there will not be enough root room.

• If there are few existing bulbs in your garden, plant one area.

This is especially true if you have budget or time constraints, You will have a better show of blooms in a small space than if you plant a few bulbs throughout the garden. In succeeding years, plant other small areas.

PLANT AHEAD by Gail Anderson

 Each spring, we all have the best intentions to dig dozens of perennials for the annual Plant Sale, but it’s such a busy time of year! So, I’m following Barbara Ostberg’s example and potting some perennials for the sale this fall. The photo shows some hostas and sedums I’ve already potted. Here’s what you can do—

As you are doing fall garden cleanup, dig, divide, and pot some of your perennials. If the foliage is scraggly or has died, cut back to 3”-4” above the soil. You can pot perennials nearly to the end of October, depending on the weather. Don’t use plain garden soil in the pots. Use soil-less potting mix. Or mix your garden soil with generous amounts of peat moss (and Perlite, if you have it). Potted perennials like good drainage. Then sink the pots in the ground so that the top of the soil in the pots is level with the surrounding ground. Pack soil firmly around each pot. Pots must be sunk in the ground, or the plants will not survive the winter. Keep the pots well watered until the ground freezes. In the spring, you simply lift the pots and your plant sale donations are ready! This procedure also prevents potential shock if you wait and dig the plants in the spring.

--Gail Anderson, IGC Horticulturist