I know it's December but is it time to plant your annual poppies? I have read several articles that have said that this is the time of year to sprinkle the seed on the ground were you would like them and in the spring they will appear. I know a lot of poppies will self sow and that the best way to plant them it seems is to just sprinkle the seed. The winter sowing technique is something I have never tried though. I guess it's time I buy some poppy seeds and give it a go. It's always nice to see a large patch of poppies flowering.

   When I get up, much earlier than the rest of the world it seems, I often turn to the computer for entertainment. I spend a great deal of time looking up plants, seeds, and reading other garden related websites. I was looking at various seed web-pages today and was excited to find some of the seeds I saw offered. I was really excited about one particular website and what they had to offer. I was choosing in my head what to order and the number kept getting larger and larger. When I decided that I would wait and check on some other things  I went to their home page so that I could save it to my favorites. Well wouldn't you know it that I found that the website hadn't been updated since the winter of 2006. Ugh! Guess I'll check that part out first next time. At least it was fun while it lasted and I did learn of a few new plants that I would like to try. I did send an email to their web address justincase they may still be open.
   With the economy being bad as we keep hearing and feeling, I have decided for myself to plant a bigger veggie garden. I don't usually grow more plants than I need for my  own garden but I was thinking I could grow a few extra and have them for sale if anyone wanted any. I will not do a huge amount and I am sure I won't have the large selection that other places have, but there will be a few different varieties. If anyone is interested or has any suggestions, please let me know. I love to try new things.
   Thanks, and I hope you all are enjoying the holidays and that this finds you well.

  It's funny, the fact that even though gardening is a huge part of my life that I don't often think to give gardening related things (plants, seeds, magazines, books, tools, etc,) to other people for Christmas. I am not trying to push this idea on anyone, I am just stating that it took me watching a show to realize that this really is a good thing to get or do for other gardeners. Television does pay off at times.  So I offer this idea to the other gardeners out there, I hope it helps.
   Now I am going back to reading seed catalouges. Take care.

  At this time each year we are usually forced to add salt to our sidewalks for the ice that accumulates. This salt is great at melting the ice but terrible for our plants. I have found a list of plants that will tolerate the salt run off. When I say tolerate, I mean they will do quite well even if they do receive salt added to their soil each year. It is a little late to plant these this year, however it gives all of us something to work with in the spring.
Achillea (Yarrow)
Armeria (Common Thrift or Sea Pink)
Artemesia (Silver Mound)
Asters
Bergenia (Heartleaf Bergenia)
Calamgrostis( Feather Reed Grass)
Dianthus (Pinks) 
Echinops (Globe Thistle)
Erigeron (Fleabane)
Euphorbia (Cushion Spurge)
Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)
Gypsophila (Baby's Breath)
Helictotrichon (Blue Oat Grass)
Hemerocallis (Daylily)
Heuchera (Coral Bells)
Iris ( Tall Bearded, Dwarf Bearded and pallida)
Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker)
Lupinus (Lupine)
Oenothera (Sundrops, Evening Primrose)
Panicum (Switch Grass)
Penstemon (Beardstongue)
Perovskia (Russian Sage)
Phlox subulata (Creeping Phlox)
Potentilla (Cinquefoil)
Sedum (Stonecrop)
Sempervivum (Hen's and Chicks)
Stachys (Lamb's Ears)
Thymus (Creeping Thyme)
Veronica (Speedwell)
Yucca ( Adam's Needle)

   I try and encourage as many natural predators to nuisance pests as possible in the nursery and gardens. To bring in these natural predators it is also essential to have the type of plants that these predators like to get nectar from or to lay their eggs on. I have compiled a list of these plants so that maybe we can all plant a few to encourage these good guys. I would like to plant a specific area this coming year (2009) with some of these plants and see what happens. We have a number of these plants for sale at the nursery.
*Alyssum
*Cosmos
*Zinnias
*Sunflower
*Marigolds
*Golden Marguerite
*Yarrow
*Lavender
*Mint
*Fennel
*Angelica
*Tansy
*Dill
*Parsley
*Cilantro
*Carrots

   They say gardening is a great form of exercise to maintain health. Lets face it, with the digging, pulling, bending, stretching and carrying, gardening is a lot of work. It is very easy to see why it would be good for you physically, plus there are the added mental health benefits also. Gardening is a great way to forget your problems for a little while and relax.
   With this in mind and the fact that the average American puts on five pounds of weight from Thanksgiving to New Years, it's a good time to get outside and do some gardening. By now in this area the ground is usually frozen so there isn't much digging or weeding going on, however clean up can still be done.
   Raking up the last of the fallen leaves and adding them to the compost pile is a good start to cleaning up. Cutting back any perennials that you haven't cut back, adding pine branches around some of the more tender perennials in your garden, for that extra protection. Cutting back shrubs and trees, use the trimmings for indoor winter displays or holiday arrangements. Clean up your garden tools and put them away so you know where they are in the spring. 
   So forget the rush of holiday shopping or the binge eating for a bit and get outside and do some yard work. When you really want to relax though, start checking out the new seed catalogues that are arriving now. It is a great time to start thinking of what you'll be planting in the garden in the spring. Having a plan for next years garden is always a good way to get off on the right foot come spring. I know I keep thinking about it, and I also know I will change it a hundred times in my mind between now and then. It does make the longer days of winter a little shorter though.

  I read with interest last night that cornmeal sprinkled on the ground around your hollyhocks in spring may help prevent rust. Rust is those rust looking dots you find on the leaves. Malva is also a plant that seems to be very susceptible. This disease is not often fatal but unsightly. There are fungicides that control it, but this is at least a less toxic method. The best way to deal with rust is to try and prevent it. It can be spread by you or your pruners so be careful to wash both your hands or pruners if they are used on another plant. Removing the leaves that show signs of rust and throw them in the trash, putting them in the compost pile only helps to spread the disease.
   There was testimony, if you will, from a group of individuals who said that they all had great success with this method of rust prevention. They stated that you must remove all the leaves in the fall and get rid of them. Then in early spring sprinkle cornmeal around the plant. One person stated that this causes another fungus to grow that lives off from the rust fungus. I don't have any knowledge of that nor could I find any to support it. These individuals all stated that this really reduced the problem greatly, if not completely.
   There were also two methods mentioned that if you find it on your plant in midsummer, remove the infected leaves, and spray with a mixture of cornmeal or cornflour and a bucket of water and spray it on the foliage. A handful of either was the suggested amount. It recommened doing this about once a month. A different method was to use 1 cup of milk with a gallon of water sprayed on the leaves.  Good air circulation, try to keep the leaves from getting wet during watering and a average soil as opposed to a rich one will help also. Hope this works for everyone!

New useless information. Apparently a lot of states have adopted state insects like they do birds. Just for the record I have found ours out and the information follows:

New York's insect is the Pink Spotted Ladybug (Coleomegilla maculata). They have a dark pink body with squarish black spots, these  oblong bugs are feeders on the eggs of other insects and have been found to be very effective against the Potato Beetle. Members of the carrot family, Cilantro, Parsnips and Queen Anne's Lace are a few of the favorites of this beetle. 

  
1. Decide where you are going to plant your tree before you purchase it and dig the hole. The ground might be frozen after Christmas. Put the soil you remove from the hole somewhere it won't freeze, usually a garage is a good place. The shortest amount of time indoors is best for the tree, one week would be best but no longer than three. Trees are dormant when you take them inside, and a long stay in warm temperatures will make them think it is spring and they will try and grow. Keep it well watered while inside.

2. Planting any tree too deep will kill it for sure. The top of the root
ball should be at least one inch above grade, when you plant, mound some soil over the root ball or use a little mulch.

3. If you don't have good soil you can build a raised bed and plant your tree there. A good topsoil that drains well will be best for the tree, no fertilizer. Staking the tree would be best if it is in a windy area, otherwise the tree may tilt before new roots are established to anchor the tree. 

 
4. Don't remove the burlap from your tree,  always cut some slits in the burlap. If your tree comes with a wire basket around the ball it does not have to be removed unless you can do so without disturbing the root ball. Remove any rope wrapped around the trunk of the tree.
 
Enjoy your live Christmas Tree.