Park Seed Garden Journal

Just a reminder that we maintain an online Glossary of Gardening Terms you can access any time to refresh your memory about the vocabulary of gardening. Here at Park Seed, sometimes we speak in gardeners’ short-hand (or, as our grandparents would say, “throw around our education”!), so every now and again we revisit the Glossary and add a few new terms we’ve gotten questions about. Here are the latest entries:

Planting on Center - When reading a plant label, you may have been given the baffling instruction to “plant on center” a certain distance apart. What this means is that the distance between plants should be measured from one central stem to the next central stem, NOT from the end of the branches. So if you are planting a row of Petunias 10 inches apart, that’s 10 inches from the middle of each plant, not the edge of the furthermost stems. This is especially important if you are planting groundcovers and want them to fill in evenly.

Long Day/Short Day - Onions are traditionally classified as either long-day or
short-day, though new varieties called “mid days” are here to complicate things. The “day” part of this term refers to the hours of sunlight. In the north, summer days are very long, giving your onions 14 to 16 hours of sunlight in which to ripen, so long-day varieties are the ones to grow. In the south, the day length tends to be shorter – there is less seasonal variation, with the average length staying around 10 hours. So short-day varieties are best grown in the south.

Long-day onions are typically planted in the spring. Short-day onions are typically planted in the fall.

But what if you live in the south and want to plant your onions this spring? Aha – that’s where new mid-day onions enter the picture! No matter where you live, you can plant mid-days in spring and harvest them in summer. So when in doubt, or when the season isn’t cooperating with your taste buds, rely on mid-days!

Overwinter - You may have seen instructions for “overwintering” a particular plant, ignored them, and done just fine. Or you may have lost a certain plant that should have been hardy in your garden because a particularly harsh winter storm carried it off, or temperatures plummeted below expected levels.

Overwintering is the process of preparing a plant to survive challenging conditions during winter, whether it is a tropical that must be brought indoors before first frost to a young tree that may need to be tied to a support and mulched in well with pine boughs its first winter. Overwintering instructions are usually given for plants that are to be grown north of their hardiness range, but even if you are within the hardiness zones, you might want to pamper your plant (especially the first winter) with a little extra care.

Want more glossary definitions? Visit our online Glossary of Gardening Terms.

Although the word mutation can sound ominous, plant mutations are the source of some of our most beautiful varieties today. A mutation — also called a sport, break, or chimera — is simply a natural genetic change of cell composition within a plant. When a plant “reverts,” such as returning to solid green from a variegated state, that is a mutation as well.

Mutations seem to occur randomly, though they can also be triggered by environmental factors, including insect damage and temperature changes (particularly cold snaps). Sometimes they are present only in one bloom or branch of the plant; other times they are present at the growing points, altering the entire look of the plant.

Chimeras are a special type of mutation. They are plants that possess both “normal” tissue and genetically distinct tissue. This means that they can be grafted to reproduce the chimerical effect. Chimeras are the source of variegated foliage, as well as random flower color changes in Roses, Chrysanthemums, Dahlias, and more. We owe some of the loveliest plants in our gardens to the effects of chimeras, and should always be on the lookout for mutations in our own plants. You never know when a new look is waiting to be discovered in your own border!

The information in this article was taken from the Royal Horticulture Society’s entry for Mutations: Plant in the Gardening Advice section of their website.

Seed-starting and gardening have become a popular hobby – and what better way to bring spring a little closer to reality than to have flowers and vegetables already growing! While some seeds will do better if they are started before the growing season, there are plenty of seeds that can be direct-sown in the ground after the danger of frost has passed. Here are five popular flowers that are quick to grow from the ground up.

• Zinnia – according to Park Seed, zinnias do better to be direct-sown than transplanted as pre-planted seedlings. It is a remarkably tolerant flower that can be planted just about anywhere.
• Sunflower – plant two to three seeds per hole – Park believes it easier to thin out your sunflower seedlings than to wish you had more to fill in the gaps.
• Marigold – a pretty, sunny flower with benefits – many varieties fight off nematodes from your gardens, and its scent will repel some pests.
• Morning Glory – train it to grow up a wooden or chain-link fence to brighten up a dreary wall.
• California Poppy – another flower that does best if planted where you want it grown – and it will bloom in about two months, so you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy it.

Scientists are beginning to echo what gardeners have been saying for years: it’s not only fun but healthy to play in the dirt, and today’s children (especially girls) need it more than ever before!

Over the past half-century, allergies have dramatically increased in children, while time spent outdoors has decreased. And while there may not be a direct correlation, many experts believe that children who are exposed to soil-borne bacteria from an early age may develop stronger resistance to infection, and be less susceptible to autoimmune disorders.

Girls are still less likely than boys to play in the mud and scrabble in the dirt, perhaps due to lingering stereotypes about ladylike behavior — or practical issues such as not wanting to “ruin” nice clothes. And certain autoimmune disorders, such as Lupus, are present in women at a much higher rate than in men. One conclusion? Growing up “too clean” may be unhealthy.

So what can you do? This summer, make sure the children in your life run through your sprinklers, dig in your garden, jump in at least one giant mud puddle, and prepare a tasty mud pie, complete with sticks and leaves. Ideally, every child should spend several hours outdoors each day. While that may not be practical year-round, summer is a great time to introduce kids to the joy of gardening . . . which, at any age, is really just the joy of playing in the dirt!

A coalition of environmentalists and beekeepers requested that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suspend the use of a group of pesticides frequently found on crops pollinated by honeybees and bumblebees. It is suspected that these pesticides, called neonicotinoids, may contribute to the tremendous population losses bees have been suffering in recent years.

Interestingly, tests showed that while the levels of neonicotinoids used on commercial crops were not high enough to kill the bees, they may have led to detrimental behavior changes. Growth rates and reproduction levels in the colonies exposed to the pesticides in these tests were much lower than the norm, leading to speculation that in the case of bumblebees, fewer queen bees would be able to survive winter and start new colonies.

Studies have found that neonicotinoids may inhibit the homing ability of honeybees, which in turn makes them less likely to survive. Honeybees are critical for the pollination of food crops, and in recent years their population has been plummeting in a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder.

Many scientists believe that Colony Collapse Disorder is the result of the interaction of multiple factors, not a single issue. The EPA is currently investigating the possible role of neonicotinoids in the phenomenon.

What does this mean for the home gardener? Well, if you are still using commercial non-organic pesticides in your garden, check the label! Among the commonly used neonicotinoids are:

• Acetamiprid
• Clothianidin
• Dinotefuran
• Imidacloprid
• Nitenpyram
• Thiacloprid
• Thiamethoxam

Better yet, switch to natural pest deterrents or learn to accept a certain level of pest activity in your garden. We are all proud of our plants and want them to grow their very best, but sometimes a little natural damage is preferable to the alternative!

On June 22, 2013, we will welcome gardeners, photographers, and nature lovers from across the country into our gardens in Greenwood, South Carolina. Part of the annual South Carolina Festival of Flowers, Flower Day is a longstanding tradition and our absolute favorite day of the year here at Park Seed!

Our 9-acre trial garden will display all the new All-America Selections contenders — a record number this year! — as well as many of the varieties you have seen in our catalog and on the website. You’ll visit our vegetable patch as well as themed plantings such as deer-resistant and drought-tolerant gardens. Our Garden Center will be open, offering terrific bargains on seeds and plants. And of course we’ll have food, drinks, garden tours, and other events of interest.

Flower Day takes a lot of planning, so we thought we’d give you an update of what’s going on in the gardens right now to prepare for the big day:

It’s time to plow up the Pansies and the Kale, our winter mainstays here in the South. If it’s been a while since you grew either of these crops, give some newer varieties a try this season. They last longer and look more vibrant than ever before, which is such a treat on those gray February days! Of course, farther north they are spring and fall crops, so you can keep the beauty coming right through Mother’s Day!

This week we’re beginning to sow some vegetable and flower seeds. Spinach, cucumbers, andpumpkins are going into our vegetable patch, while zinnias, marigolds, dahlias, and petunias are filling the sunny annual beds.

If you can, please be our guest at Flower Day this year! Admission and all Park Seed events are free, and you’re welcome to bring a picnic if you don’t want to buy food and drink. (The views from our picnic tables are pretty spectacular!) We’d love to meet you and show you our gardens, so gather the whole family together and make a day of it!

Far be it from us to criticize the nation’s most celebrated groundhog, but this year who predicted an early spring when he didn’t see his shadow after emerging from his lair in western Pennsylvania on Feb. 2.

Although the warm weather may not be here yet, if you are setting out transplants early and direct-sowing seeds into the  soil, take a few simple precautions to avoid losing your jump-started plants:

• Keep an eye on the weather forecast. If frost is predicted overnight, toss a row cover over young seedlings. (An old bedsheet will work in a pinch, but may be too heavy for delicate sprouts.) If late frosts and chills are a regular feature of your climate, consider putting Haxnicks Fleece Tunnel over the most vulnerable young plants.
• Water early in the day. This ensures that droplets have time to dry, preventing them from freezing on the leaves of your plants.
• Pamper those early tomatoes! If you’re determined to harvest the first tomato on the block, make sure it takes off in style by surrounding the young plants with Kozy Coats. These red plastic teepees fill with water, heating the plants during the day and protecting them during the chilly night.
• Don’t forget bigger plants. If the temperature drops, even established plants or container plantings may be at risk. Pop a Collapsible Plant Protector over them to prevent damage!
• Consider permanent protection. If your growing season is short, if you have a large number of tender plants that you would like to overwinter, or if you simply love getting a head start every spring, consider investing in a portable coldframe. Lightweight and collapsible, you can place it wherever you like, and it will not only protect your tenders and tropicals from winter chills, but also start your new spring garden early and strong!

Scientists are now proving what gardeners have always known: houseplants improve the quality of the air around them. No, it’s not just the elevated mood brought on by the sight of a lovely Cyclamen in the bathroom or a majestic Lemon Eucalyptus beside the window! Nor is it photosynthesis, the process by which plants release oxygen into the atmosphere. Houseplants really do clean the air around us.

New research demonstrates that houseplants actually scrub contaminants from the air in two ways: 1) by leaf pores absorbing them, and 2) by microorganisms in the potting mix ingesting them. And since most Americans now spend more than 90% of their time indoors (why aren’t they out gardening like we are?!) and since the EPA estimates that pollutants are present at 2 to 5 times a higher rate indoors than outdoors, finding an all-natural way to clean things up is a godsend!

The process of cleaning the air via houseplant is called “phytoremediation” (now we know it’s official: it’s got a $10 name!), and it is estimated that the presence of just 6 houseplants in a 1200- to 1500-square-foot home can reduce air-borne contaminants by as much as 75%. That’s a lot of dust, smoke, and chemicals gone from our homes!

So if you have been considering growing a Ponytail Palm, Moses-in-the-Cradle, or Fiber Optic Grass plants this season, go ahead and plant the whole pack of seeds. You’ll have enough little plants to share around with all your friends this spring and summer. And who wouldn’t appreciate a gift of fresh air?!

Whether you’ve been gardening for 20 days or 20 years, every spring brings with it some avoidable mistakes. We’ve all made them and we are all going to make them again, but here’s a handy checklist to jog your memory as you plan, dream, and grow your 2013 garden.

Prepare the Soil 
Are there actually gardeners who enjoy this?! If so, we haven’t met many. It’s the thankless grunt work that doesn’t show unless it goes wrong, but it must be done. If you are growing any plants that need loose, loamy, well-aerated soil – the kind most plants crave! – you are going to have to work the hard, packed, poorly fertile, unsatisfactory soil that most of us have when we begin to garden. Oh, there are some plants that can thrive despite hardship, but most appreciate some TLC.

How to prepare the soil? Turn it over with a shovel or tiller, pick out the big rocks, work in some compost, test its pH, rake it smooth, and then cover it before you plant out in spring. Boring but worth it, we promise! And the first year is the worst. If you keep adding compost with each season and mulching well, within just a few years you will have soil that is the envy of all your friends!

Learn the Sun Exposure of Your Garden
The mistake nearly every new gardener makes is to look carefully at the garden in the dead of winter, when planning that first spring garden. Areas that receive full sun when their trees are leafless turn into shade pockets in spring and summer, and areas of partial sun in the short winter days can become baking ovens in the heat of summer.

If you are new to gardening or new to a particular garden, adopt the mindset that this first year will be an experiment. Yes, you are going to guess wrong about a few things, and change your mind about others. Instead of viewing this as a problem, think of it as one of the most creative challenges of gardening. Even in an established garden, growing plants change the sun and shade mix.

Don’t be afraid to dig up and move plants as soon as you realize they’re in the wrong place. They won’t thrive without the light or shade they need, so you have nothing to lose. And if you are truly uncertain, consider potting up many of your plants for this first season. You can move them freely that way, and make sure they grow their best.

Label Your Plants
How could you possibly forget the name of that delightful new petunia you craved? Or that exciting container tomato variety, yummy basil, and burpless cucumber? Wait – which of these rows of tiny green seedlings is the petunia again, and what was it called?!

It’s so easy to sow seeds and then, 2 months later, have no idea what you’re looking at. Take a moment to grab a popsicle stick, the seed packet itself, or any other labeling device and ID not only your seeds but also your newly-planted seedlings in the garden.

Sow All the Seeds in the Packet or Buy a Few Extra Plants
Twenty-five seeds per packet?! What on earth are you going to do with 25 Geraniums for your 3 terracotta pots? Well . . . chances are you aren’t going to get perfect 100% germination from any packet of seeds. Mother Nature sees to that.

Rough weather, a careless footstep, hungry critters, and good old natural selection take their toll on your young plants. And even if you’re direct-sowing seeds into the garden, remember the old farmer’s rhyme about planting extra corn so that the mouse and the crow can have their share! Gardening is imperfect, whether you start from seed or buy plants. (That’s one of its great charms.) Grow or get a few more than you need, and if everything goes well and you actually have a few extra plants when all is said and done, share them with your neighbors!

Mulch, Mulch, Mulch
Once your plants are in, nothing looks as good as that bare brown soil dotted with little green leafies. You may be tempted to leave it alone, but try to resist.

Mulch is an invaluable part of gardening success. Not only does it help the soil retain moisture and prevent runoff of nutrients, it smothers weeds and keeps the surface area cooler. And if you use mulch made of natural ingredients (wood chips, pine needles, etc.), it sinks into the soil over time, improving it for you. But if you don’t have a natural source on hand, put down plastic or anything else that will cover the bare soil. The benefits are just too great to pass up.

Water and Feed
Mother Nature gives you plenty of leeway in this department, but you should pay attention to your plant’s requirements for food and water. Does it like to dry out a bit between waterings, or does it prefer consistently moist soil? Read the label on any fertilizer you are using, and do not overapply, no matter how tempting it may be. Some plant food can burn roots if overused, and may produce too-tall, too-spindly growth.

To test the moisture level of your soil, sink your index finger in, all the way to the second knuckle. (If you can’t get your finger in that far, return to the section on Soil Preparation!) If your finger is dry, the plant probably needs water.

Take Pictures!
Just as we never think we’ll forget what we’re sowing into the Bio Dome in February, we manage to forget our garden triumphs no matter how many times we gaze at them fondly! Take photos of your garden along the way – don’t wait for that magic moment when everything is in bloom or in fruit! You’ll love looking back and seeing what you did right.

You don’t have to sacrifice beautiful flowers when you decide to grow a vegetable garden! Many varieties of annuals and herbs perform valuable work in the veggie patch, such as attracting pollinators and “good bugs,” repelling “bad bugs,” and even acting as trap crops to keep pests off the vegetable plants.

Bees and other pollinators are necessary for your vegetable plants to set fruit, so invite them in for a closer look with flowering annuals that bear plenty of nectar. The colors yellow, blue, and white seem to work best attracting pollinators, so consider a stand of Sunflowers,Sweet Peas, Cosmos, Zinnias, and Mints among the rows of vegetables. Not only will this add bright color to the display, but several of these plants are fragrant and/or great for cut-flowers. It’s a win-win!

Many insects are highly prized in the garden because they chase away or devour predators, and certain plants attract these “good bugs” so they can get to work. Plant the herbs Parsley, Dill, andCilantro, as well as any flowering plant from the Aster family, such asMarigolds, Chrysanthemums, Calendulas, Zinnias, and Sunflowers.

Some plants are effective at repelling a specific pest that might be affecting your crops. Catmint is one of the best “fighter” plants, discouraging aphids, potato beetles, and squash bugs from entering the vegetable garden.Borage (shown left) repels tomato hornworms, while Geraniums are a great defense against Japanese beetles. Sage is another multi-purpose plant, repelling cabbage moths and carrot rust flies.

A few flowering plants work well as “trap crops,” attracting a pest to themselves rather than to the neighboring plants. 4 o’Clocks do a marvelous job of luring Japanese beetles to their stems. Nicotiana is a good insect attractor. And Nasturtiums are irresistible to aphids, keeping them off of nearby vegetables.

Add a little color, fragrance, and pest-fighting ability to your vegetable patch this year from a most unlikely source: beautiful flowering plants!