Japanese Pieris is a great plant that will provide not only beautiful, fragrant white panicles in the spring but also attractive red new foliage throughout the growing season. This plant is ideally suited to a site that receives limited sun. If you are in need of a landscape boost give this great plant a try.
Japanese Pieris
The wet spring and early summer, combined with warm temperatures, have produced a bumper crop of bagworms. These pests appear on evergreens of all varieties, but this season arborvitaes seem to be the hardest hit.
Bagworms create a protective bag to live in and can very quickly defoliate a shrub. Because many evergreens cannot re-foliate on damaged shoots, the plant is ruined and has to be removed. Be certain to regularly check your shrubs for these pests. This season bagworms have killed shrubs in as few as seven days.
A very rare but troublesome disease has been discovered in the area this week. While spraying burning bush for spider mites this week I noticed a large area of plant material covered in a black, sooty substance. Because it was uniformly spread over several different plants I was baffled. I looked up into the canopy of the magnolia tree that shaded all the plants below and noticed it was blackened and had gray lesions on the newer growth, and the tree was beginning to defoliate. I was totally puzzled as to what it might be so I called the Kansas Master Gardener Helpline. After asking a lot of questions the master gardener was puzzled as well. After calling other arborists I know I finally called Growing Concerns, a plant health company out of Manhattan, Kansas. Kevin instantly identified it as Magnolia Scale. Scale are tiny insects that suck the sap from a tree and retard new growth and left unchecked, can kill a tree. The black soot was a mold that develops on the honeydew (excretions) from the scale. If you have a magnolia I suggest checking for scale; we have a good picture of it on our “pictures” section of the facebook page. as always feel free to email or call if you have any questions or need a consultation.
Be aware of Magnolia Scale
It has been a very busy banner spring and early summer for us. We hope that you and your families are enjoying the outdoors.
We are proud to announce that one of our customer’s homes has been voted “Home of the Month” by the Western Hills Homes Association.
A well maintained landscape is one of the first impressions of this home. To welcome visitors impatiens and nicely pruned shrubs parallel the front of the house. A beautiful Rose of Sharon compliments the east corner of the home. A natural stone path leads from the front to the back yard, where McKenzie wards off any stranger with a few warning barks.
We are continuing our commitment to making you aware of landscape threats in the area. Be sure to read our tips on dealing with the destructive bagworm in the next few days.
Well, it has sure been a cold, snowy winter. It has been many years since Kansas City has seen this much snow with consistently low temperatures. In light of recent conversations I have had with lots of people I am addressing two winter misconceptions that keep coming up. I am also sure that many of you are anxious for spring to finally arrive, so below are a few early spring ideas for things you can begin to do now.
Cold Winter Myths
Many people assume that the cold weather means there will be fewer bothersome insects this year.Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Bugs are safely burrowed underground in an inactive state. The primary weather condition that can impact insect populations is rapid fluctuations in temperature. A sudden warm up may trick insects into activity. A subsequent rapid and significant drop in temperature can cause significant trauma or mortality. The same goes for your plant material. As long as the temperatures stay cold, the plants should remain dormant and safe.
Some people feat that the extreme cold snap we had during the holidays is going to cause lots of plant mortality. Extensive damage to plant material is unlikely. The massive snow that fell just prior to the frigid temperatures will prove to be our saving grace. As any Eskimo will tell you snow makes a good insulator. This means the warmer ground temperatures were held in place by the snow, thus keeping the root zone warmer. As for tender new shoots, we may see some evidence of cold damage, but that remains to be seen. Hopefully the cooler weather that preceded the arctic blast sufficiently “hardened off” these exposed areas.
Spring Fever
Hopefully soon, there will be a few warm days in which we can get out and work in the yard. If you have spring fever and want to get out but are unsure about what to do, here are a few suggestions:
Cut back the native grasses to about 4 inches. If you have dormant grasses you have probably noticed the snow has smashed them and ruined any winter interest they may have provided. The job will be made easier if you tie the bunches up to hold them together before you cut them.
Till up planting beds to ease compaction. Doing this now and again just prior to planting will help increase root development and increase water absorption.
If you are anxious to get out and plant some flowers for color, but are worried about frost damage, I recommend pansies. These can be put out as early as March 1 and will bloom into June when temperatures begin to really get hot. They are very cold tolerant and will usually survive all but the coldest winters.
Don’t want to see dandelions next spring? Fall is the best time to prevent them from sprouting up in the spring. Although they do not bloom as often in the fall you will still be able to easily identify them.
Simply spot spray them weekly and next spring you will see far fewer of them.
Overtime Tall Fescue is a great new variety of turf. I like it for several reasons. First, it grows slowly, yet aggressively and puts off tillers that easily create new shoots. Second, it is an economical type of turf from a watering standpoint. It requires fewer weekly watering than some similar tall fescues. It is also a deep rooting plant, which is beneficial during summer drought conditions. Lastly it looks great, leaving a happy owner with a beautiful dark green stand of turf.
The weather is about to change and now is the time to take certain steps to protect and enhance your landscaping. Below are a few tips that you can do, which are sure to have lasting results.
This fall, as you get rid of dry leaves and winterize your buildings, you should also consider renovating your lawn. Overseeding in the fall has two advantages over seeding in the spring. In the fall there are fewer major rainstorms that threaten to wash away the new seedbed, furthermore there is not the threat of invasive crabgrass overtaking the new seed.
Fall fertilizing also provides tremendous benefit to all your landscape plants, from shrubs to grass. Now is the time plants are beginning to store nutrients for next year’s growing season. Thinking earlier about spring green up will combat the likelihood of summer stress damage.
Now is also the perfect time to aerate your lawn. Aerating loosens compaction and stimulates microbial activity. A fertilizer application immediately after aeration will get nutrients directly to the root zone.
Some people tend to shy away from hydrangeas because they have been disappointed in their blooming habits. They have found the older varieties usually only set blooms once per year. However this pest free hydrangea will provide graceful white blooms on both new and old wood from May through September. They also require little maintenance. Simply mulch them in the winter and refrain from cutting them back (remember they bloom on new and old wood). Massed or as single specimens they are a welcome addition to any landscape.
When budgeting for home improvements do you include landscape upgrades? The rule of thumb is to spend 10% of your total home improvement budget on the landscape. Just like your kitchen countertops or the hall bathroom, landscapes can become worn out or dated.
This year you should budget to replace the old railroad ties bordering your bed with rock, or get new shrubs installed to replace the mammoth junipers or yews. You will enjoy the change and reap the rewards when you decide to sell.