It’s a great time of the year for fresh air, gardening and running! This year’s Fifth Third River Bank run was again a huge event and a real kick in the “plants!”
Ready to go!
Every year when the race is done I look forward to putting some Tomatoes in the ground and running in the event again next year! Here’s to running with friends and getting the garden growing!
Proud of my daughter Stacey…..a chip off the old patio stone!
Fifth Third River Bank Run
Finish line in sight
For those of you looking for a “florific” easy to care flowering annual that doesn’t take a lot of care, you may find yourself steering away from Petunias. You remember the sticky old Grandiflora or Multiflora Petunias Grandma used to grow that required deadheading and would melt in the rain or heat of summer.
Supertunias in a mixed container
Today Petunias or as I call them Pet-”New”-ias are aggressive re-blooming self cleaning disease resistant beauties perfect for planting beds or containers. My favorites are Supertunias, vegetatively propagated from cuttings, or Wave petunias which grow like a groundcover.
Calibrachoa or ‘Million Bells’ look like tiny petunias but are actually an entirely different species and perfect for containers or hanging baskets.
Calibrachoa
If you live in West Michigan and have driven past the entrance to the Gerald Ford International Airport in May a mass of beautiful white blooms catches your eye. I know this because when they come into bloom the emails begin asking what is that plant, is it a dogwood? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s Viburnum!
The versatile Viburnum
I’m glad you asked because the woody deciduous shrub that looks like a low growing “tree” is one of my favorites. I say take a dip in the hot “shrub.” Or “bush” it to the limit. Viburnum plicatum tomentosum also known as Doublefile Viburnum. Versatile and well suited to Michigan conditions, Viburnums have beautiful spring blooms, heavily textured summer foliage, summer berries birds love and gorgeous fall foliage color!
After the late April frosts you wander through your landscape and find your Hosta collection is a little under the weather. Hosta la vista baby as you observe “melting” foliage throughout.
Jack Frost nipped at this Hosta’s nose
What happened here? In years where we have an early spring warm up and Hosta foliage emerges followed by late April frosts that get into the 20′s there is damage. The damaged foliage looks ugly and can be a pathway to disease. Select the most damaged of foliage and prune them out. When you cut them out new foliage will flush back out but not be as large or beautiful as the original expectations. Hosta la vista baby.
I “Hosta” do something about this
Hosta frost damage
Went for a run yesterday down the Kent Trail training for the River Bank run coming up in a few weeks. I’ve enjoyed the Trillium and Trout lilies as well as the May apple on my runs the past few weeks. Running along you also can’t help but notice masses of tall plants in flower. These green plants with scalloped foliage have small white flowers at the top. They come in waves and grow quickly in some cases seeming to swallow up the native wildflowers. Yes the culprit is the dreaded Garlic Mustard.
When it comes to weeds you’ve got pull….and now is time to be pulling. Each plant produces thousands of seeds so if the plant is invading your landscape now is the time to pull before they go to seed. Garlic mustard is ahead of schedule like many other plants due to the unusually warm March weather. This invasive herb comes in waves and will dominate and choke out desirable plants like the Trillium I enjoy on my runs. Garlic Mustard was brought to the United States as a culinary herb in the 19th century. It fits the description be careful what you wish for as it produces lots of seed and spreads like wildfire. Be “weeding” by example, now is the time to identify and pull. Remember when it comes to weeds you’ve got pull.
I love ornamental grasses because they come in a great variety, are easy to grow, drought tolerant and give 3 to 4 seasons of interest. By sometime in April you should have your ornamental grasses cut back. You can divide them too if you haven’t done so for a few years and if you have the energy. With some homeowners I have noticed a problem the past few years which falls under the are you “shear”-ious category when it crops up.
I have had samples of turf brought to me the past few years like the one pictured here:
Pennisetum Ornamental Grass reseeding in the turf
When we have a mild fall and winter season here in Michigan we will get turf samples where Pennisetum ornamental grasses like Hameln or Moundry will seed in the turf. This causes panic for the home owner in spring as it begins to outgrow the desirable turf. Maintain your “composture” if this happens. Repeated mowings of the lawn will usually solve the problem as the ornamental grass will get exhausted and wear out as it is unaccustomed to repeated haircuts and a low profile. This is the best option because if you take the Roundup approach you will be doing some reseeding.
Remember this problem does not occur every year as we unfortunately do not have a mild fall and winter every year. I wish we did. If you have a lot of these ornamental grasses that adjoin a lawn area you might want to get “shear”-ious about cutting them back in late fall to limit seed distribution.
It’s planting season. You know it was only a matter of thyme. Herbs are a fun way to get your hands in the dirt and play. Herbs are com-”plant”-able with containers liking warm soil and plenty of sunlight. Containers can be moved inside if needed on frosty April evenings. 
Containers will also hold rambling herbs like the various Mints in bounds as opposed to running rampant in your garden beds. Herbs have been used through “thyme” and memorial by the Greeks, Egyptians and ancient Romans as well as the Chinese. Nothing new here. Herbaceous plants have been used for flavorings, scent, food and medicinal purposes for centuries. Herbs and there aroma can trigger some of the strongest and enduring memories for a gardener….we never forget a good whiff. For me it’s Cilantro, a favorite, along with Basil, Lavender and Oregano and Nepeta. How about you? Parsley? Chocolate or Lemon Mint? 
Regardless it’s “grow” time when you use a good quality container soil and containers that are sizeable enough for root mass but not too large to move into the sun or under cover in the event of a frost event. Some people will tell you not to feed the herbs in your container or they will lose their scent and oils. My position is to feed them, but do it with a slow release fertilizer designed for container growing like Osmecote. You may want to also add a few crystal polymers to the soil to help you with watering even though herbs are more tolerant of some water neglect than other herbaceous plants. The idea is to avoid high nitrogen and quick release fertilizers when growing herbs.
Finally make sure to add a few flowers with your herb container. I like a few edible Pansies or Violas like this one called “Blueberry Thrill.” 
Another great edible flowering plant to add would be Nasturtiums. If you have some “Thyme” on your hands and a container Herbs may be the answer to get you growing!
