Park Seed Garden Journal

The specifics of birdhouse placement depend on the species you are targeting, because some species are looking for a very particular arrangement. There are birders who know all of this information, but I prefer to generalize and maximize my potential of getting a visitor, because sometimes you can wait for a very long time before a new family decides to pick your house.

Generally, place the birdhouse about 6-12 feet above the ground– hanging them on metal or PVC poles secured about 18" into the ground will the best way to defend against predators. If you are hanging your birdhouse on a tree, you may want to fix a piece of aluminum around the trunk below the birdhouse to deter potential egg-thieving villains. Never hang your nesting house near birdbaths or feeders because the patrons of those facilities may not be so friendly with your nesting family. Make sure there is a tree or shrub for Mama Bird to perch on near the nest. Point the birdhouse away from the winds of summer that might direct rain into the nest, and if you live in a warmer area, face the bird house north or east to avoid over-heating in the hot summer sunshine.

To attract birds to your yard and increase the chances that your birdhouse could become a birdhome there are a few ways to enhance your garden and make it more "bird-friendly." Feed the birds with a bird feeder or with fruit trees and shrubs. Try to minimize your use of pesticides, which are not only dangerous for the birds, but also destroy a large part of their food supply. A bird bath or a pond with a waterfall will also be a plus for any bird scouting for a new home.

Fruit trees can be a fun addition to your home, whether you are adding them to your garden or growing them in containers. Having a gorgeous citrus tree, full of fruit on your patio or a cute blueberry bush in your garden, full of delicious colorful berries is exciting, but many people forget to consider the investment. Trees take years to produce their strong batch of fruit.

We often get calls or emails from customers who are worried because they have had their fruit trees for about a year and have not gotten any fruit. They want to know how to get their tree to fruit. There is no magic trick, or secret horticultural method for getting a tree to fruit early – they just need to grow up.

Most fruit trees will not fruit until they mature, which usually takes about three years. Many of the trees we sell have grafted rootstock that decreases this time somewhat. But the key is to wait, take proper care of your tree and wait. Of course, if you tree is in a undesirable climate or in poor soil, it will be reluctant to fruit, but as long as the conditions are right, the best advice is just to wait.

Plants are becoming more available to everybody, as method for reproducing these plants become more and more advanced. A side-effect of this pervasive availability of exotic botanical masterpieces is a little-known, but slightly epidemic personality disorder among gardeners, Zone-Envy. It can be crushing, pacing or flipping constantly through your gardening catalogs in your Minnesota cabin, under three feet of snow, in April, knowing half the country has been playing in their garden since Valentine’s day.

There’s a simple fix of course – You need a greenhouse, not those silly little plastic plant covers that get blown into the carport or the neighbors yard, but a real, frosty the snowman, cowing vegetables in the winter-time, neener-neener-my-garden-is-better-than-yours greenhouse. But who has the time or money to hire a contractor to build this $10,000(minimum) beast in your backyard. That is why I suggest buy a one of the Greenhouse kits – They are as easy to assemble as, if not easier than that particle board furniture you bought from that big box store.

The frame is rust proof and the panes are made from tough, shatter proof, crystal clear plexi-glass. This green house has the charming and familiar gambrel shape, with plenty of head-room. The quality materials and superb design allow this affordable little greenhouse to stand up to some of the toughest winter and summer storms. It only takes a few hours to assemble- a lovely Saturday project.

Plenty of vegetables, like cabbage, kale, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts,  thrive in fall gardens. In fact, they produce the greatest flavors when they mature in the cooler climate. Spring often ends way too soon, unleashing the unforgiving, scorching heat of summer. In the fall, most pests will be either dying off or slowing down for the winter. And, in addition to your classic fall gardening line-up, many vegetables can adapt to being sown in late summer for a fall harvest if you choose cultivars that mature quickly.

Before sowing your fall crops, be sure to remove any unwanted plant material, scraps from the spring haul, and any weeds that have taken advantage of your generous fertilization. You can turn the soil by tilling or with a hoe if you like, but you risk stirring up buried weed seeds, and many of your fall crops, like spinach and cabbage have shallow roots anyhow. If you used a seasonal, slow-release fertilizer, or amended the soil with good organic fertilizers in the spring, fertilization now may not be necessary. If in doubt, a sparing addition of an all-purpose slow-release fertilizer should do the trick.

Remember, fall is a great time for planting almost anything – along with your vegetable seeds, many of the perennial seeds also do better in the spring if planted in the fall. Your flowering shrubs and your flower bulbs will both bloom fuller in the spring if they are given the opportunity to establish over fall and winter.

Park Seed now has a huge varieity of internet exclusive bulbs, a few unexpected and interesting varieties. One of the most interesting are the different types of Allium with their bulbous flower heads in all shapes and colors. Varieties like Allium Schubertii and Allium Giganteum are sure to turn a few heads.

Allium, the onion genus, with about 1250 species, is one of the largest plant genera. They are perennial bulbous plants that have a characteristic onion or garlic taste and odor, and many are used as food plants. But many of these plants are very beautiful with very interesting flowering bulbils. These bulbs will make an excellent edition to your fall planting garden.

When choosing a Japanese Maple the thing that most people look at first is the foliage. The range of colors and shapes of the leaves are one of the most impressive aspects of Japanese Maples.

The foliage of Japanese Maples varies a great deal from one cultivar to the next, and it can be difficult to find what you want. Retailers often discuss the leaf color and shape in their descriptions, because they strongly affect the overall look of the tree. Variegation is the presence of multiple colors on one leaf. Because of the immense range of hues offered by Acers, variegation can sometimes be quite dramatic. They range from the bright green to the deep red varieties that have names like "Bloodgood" and "Crimson Queen," and the fall foliage of acers hits every color on the visible spectrum except blue. Often the cut of the leaf will be mentioned–this is just the depth of the separation of the lobes of a single leaf. The deeper the cut, the more delicate the leaf. Extreme examples of this trait would be the dissectum or lace-leaf varieties, such as "Seiryu" and "Emerald Lace."

When choosing your flower bulbs‘ new home at fall planting time, consider what the growing conditions will be like in that spot come springtime. Remember that the spring sun is weaker and lower in the sky. Also, trees in the early spring have no leaves and may provide too much sun earlier in the season or too little later. The accepted rule (though it varies greatly by specific plant) is about 6 hours of sun a day, with the greatest amount of light occurring in the morning or late afternoon. Plant your bulbs a few feet away from the nearest building—heat from the building may damage bulbs during the winter.

Soil quality is very important, because soil that stays too wet will cause most bulbs to rot very quickly. Well-drained soil is best—amend dense clay soils with rich organic materials like peat, sphagnum, or compost. A near neutral to very slightly acidic pH between 6.0 and 7.0 is best for most bulbs. Plant after the first frost, but don’t wait too late. You want to allow your bulbs to start establishing a good root system before hard winter.

The first step? Good ol’ fashioned cultivation—"pullin’ weeds." A friend once told me that humans spend more time pulling weeds than any other activity except sleeping. Probably not true – but, there’s no question that the cultivation method is sound and has been useful since people first realized that you could plant a seed to make food. Removing all of the excess plant material before planting new crops is essential for the success of your fall bulbs, flowers, and vegetables. Annual weeds can be removed with a hoe or by hand. Perennial weeds must be completely dug out to prevent future growth.

Once all of the plant material has been removed from the bed, plant your fall bulbs and seeds, and then lay down a generous mulch of bark or rich compost. The mulch both smothers potential weeds, blocking out the light, and helps your current plants by holding in moisture and maintaining a constant temperature.

With those weeds out of the way, you’ll be on your way to a successful fall garden.

Shrub roses are the classic rose bushes that most people are familiar with. Landscape roses are almost always shrub roses. They generally grow to be about 3-6 feet tall and about that wide. Shrub roses can be seen anywhere from old homesteads to urban landscape plans. They are an easy way to add classic beauty to any garden. The newest varieties, like many of the Kordes Roses and the Knock Out Roses, are super disease-resistant and hardy against the toughest elements, making them a great choice for any gardener looking to avoid problems and minimize effort.

Past generation hybrid tea shrub roses were very succeptible to disease and fungi, but many breeders are now trying to make their shrub roses as strong as they are beautiful. Many of the traditional hybrid teas are still very desireable, but they require plenty of knowledge and work. Many people who try the hardier roses, like those from the Knock Out line, will often never return to the burden of raising the more delicate varieties.

The foliage of Japanese Maples varies a great deal from one cultivar to the next, and it can be difficult to find what you want. Retailers often discuss the leaf color and shape in their descriptions, because they strongly affect the overall look of the tree.

Variegation is the presence of multiple colors on one leaf. Because of the immense range of hues offered by Acers, variegation can sometimes be quite dramatic. They range from the bright green to the deep red varieties that have names like Bloodgood and Crimson Queen, and the fall foliage of acers hits every color on the visible spectrum except blue.

Often the cut of the leaf will be mentioned – this is just the depth of the separation of the lobes of a single leaf. The deeper the cut, the more delicate the leaf. Extreme examples of this trait would be the dissectum or lace-leaf varieties, such as Seiryu and Emerald Lace.