Water Dogwoods

One of the dogwood trees in my center island is starting to show red fruit. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Water Dogwoods

Record hot summer temperatures are back in mid-Missouri, even though it’s the beginning of September. We sometimes have hot weather in USDA Hardiness zone 5b/6a this time of year. In the past, though, it was a continuation of August hot temperatures. Now temperatures fluctuate from week to week, sometimes as much as 20 degrees from one week to the next.

As temperatures climb into the high 90s, it’s important to make sure one of my favorite tree roots are protected and hydrated. Flowering dogwoods are understory trees, which means they like shade and cooler growing conditions under the taller, towering trees such as oaks and hickory.

Although they are Missouri’s state tree, they are not easy to plant and grow. Even George O. White Nursery, which sells flowering dogwood seedlings, warns buyers that 40% may not make it.

Gardening on my limestone hillside is a test of patience. It can take trees many years to get their roots established, then a few more years before they find enough nutrition to power their growth.

This dogwood tree, which sits in my center driveway island, had been 2-feet high for more than a decade. I staked it to make sure I wasn’t stepping on it and even moved my garden path to protect it. In the last three years, it has had a nice growth spurt and is now is taller than I am.

Here is how this flowering dogwood looked this past spring:

Here is the same dogwood earlier this spring. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

To make sure the flowering dogwood trees can survive the fluctuating record hot temperatures, I am adding a bed of twigs over the base covered in dry leaves. Once watered so the twigs and leaves hold in the moisture, I cover the twigs and leaves with mulch from our local gardening center that has wintered over in my garden.

By waiting a year to use it, the mulch is safe to spread on the garden.

Adding leaves, twigs and mulch are critical to keep dogwoods happy. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The mulch topping will then keep the moisture in and help keep the dogwood roots from feeling the fluctuating temperatures.

Leaves will also help keep the soil on the acid side, which dogwoods prefer.

Here’s the same dogwood tree nicely mulched in spring. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Years ago, our rural community had a lovely residential neighborhood well known for its spring flowering dogwoods. The flowering dogwood trees were so thick, it almost looked like the trees were snow-covered.

I don’t visit the area much but someone who lives there recently told me most of the dogwoods have died. In their zeal to keep their lawns perfectly manicured, the residents removed the much-needed leaf and tree debris cover that kept the dogwoods hydrated.

They would have been better off leaving the twigs and leaves on the ground around the dogwoods. They would have kept the roots hydrated; it would have been less trouble to the homeowners and ensured that the flowering dogwoods would have survived.

Charlotte

Thwarting Squirrels

Think this will work to protect one of my last Bartlett pears? (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Thwarting Squirrels

It’s now mid-September and I can declare, with certainty, the squirrels have won.

Most people complaint about rabbits in their gardens but for me it’s these furry acrobats. I love to watch them in my garden but. At least four squirrels at a time have managed to denude my semi-dwarf Bartlett pear tree from hundreds of green pears over summer. I watched them right before dusk every day, running up the tree, pulling a pear off and sitting on my deconstructed deck to enjoy it.

One of the squirrels eating one of my green Bartlett pears earlier this summer. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I would gather the leftovers the next day into a plant saucer, only to find them gone by mid-day.

I was silly enough to say to my handyman that there are more than enough pears to go around.

Apparently not.

The pear tree now only has two pears left. Can you spot one of them in this photo?

One of the two pears still left on my Bartlett pear tree. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The other pear is on one of the lowest branches, hiding in the middle of construction materials.

My thought is the pear is not easy for squirrels to see so I hooked one of those fruit clam shells around it. The hope is that the clam shell will protect the one little pear until it can ripen enough for me to pick it.

I’m using a clam shell around one of the two pears hoping I will enjoy it. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Considering that this tree usually produces hundreds of pears every other year, I will start trimming some of the baby pears next spring and try to protect more for my use.

I have been told squirrels are very smart and will chew through fruit screens so I may need to come up with something hardier.

So far so good!

Charlotte

Dayflowers and Garlic Chives

Isn’t this a lovely flower border combination? (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Dayflowers and Garlic Chives

Just when I was beginning to think that I was getting my limestone hillside garden nicely pulled together, nature shows me up - again.

Not that I take credit for a lot of what is growing in my one acre garden. I learned a long time ago to let the plants find their happy spots and leave them there. I also embrace things that show up uninvited, and unannounced. Life is so much easier when one is not wrestling plants all of the time.

Several years ago, I decided I wanted some native pink phlox in one of the front flower beds. After painstakingly transplanting starts, I waited for the following year. The plants settled in the flower bed opposite of where I wanted them to grow. And there they stay.

So when I was invited to dig up plants at a neighbor’s home, I picked up these small tufts of greenery without knowing what they were. I used them as border plants since the greenery was a good size for marking flower beds.

When they bloomed, I identified them as garlic chives, a good bee plant although the scent may be better for keeping vampires away.

These garlic chives came from a neighbor’s house and finally bloomed this year. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

As I was taking my morning walk in my garden, I was startled to see the dayflowers growing in the middle of the garlic chives.

Originally from China, dayflowers have naturalized in Missouri and are now considered a wildflower. I like them because they are one of the few true blue flowers that grow in my garden. They also retain moisture in their stems, making them easy to grow without a lot of water through our Missouri heat.

Dayflowers are originally from China but have settled well in Missouri. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

When I pull them out of an area, I transplant them to another spot since they so nicely get along with other plants.

On this particular morning, I was struck by the blue dayflowers growing in the middle of the flower bed bordered with garlic chives. It was such a sweet combination.

Garlic chives and blue dayflowers together in one of my flower beds. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Yet another reason why I encourage dayflowers to bloom throughout my garden.

Charlotte

Monkey Around with Liriope

Monkey grass (liriope muscari) blooming all over my Missouri garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Monkey Around with Liriope

When one gardens on the side of a limestone hill, one needs to have allies. By allies I mean hardy plants that grow in almost any condition, tolerating drought, shade, too much sun, too much rain and getting trampled over. A lot. If they bloom, even better. Not possible?

Think again!

Monkey grass, also known as liriope muscari, has been my best buddy for years. The fact that people often toss out mounds of the stuff endears them to me even more. This ground cover, also called Lilyturf, may grow heady and fast in other soil but in my rocky hillside garden they are much better behaved.

I use monkey grass on my limestone hillside to mark paths. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

So in this photo, the liriope are the mounds of green leaves bordering the path. Monkey grass is also referred to as border grass and for good reason. The little mounds of 10-12 inch green leaves make a great hearty border that can easily put up with getting stepped on. This is where I started using monkey grass.

As the little plants multiplied, I used them to line my uneven flower beds. This way when the tree trunks I use to mark the borders decompose, the monkey grass will still mark flower bed edges.

One of my new flower beds with old railroad ties as borders. As they decompose, monkey grass will line the flower bed. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Monkey Grass reminds of something Jim Henson would have created for the Muppet Show. The green tuffs look like crazy hair and the last thing you expect to see in hot August are spikes of lavender flowers.

I have these hardy plants growing in both sun and shade. Here they are lining a narrow shady border at the side of my garage.

Liriope lines this shallow border where columbine and impatiens grow behind it. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Now a word on hardiness. Once I get these in the ground, I have to make rounds every day because deer like to nibble on them.

This little collection of Monkey Grass was getting ripped out of the ground for weeks until I smothered them with wood chips to help them settle in.

This spot was too narrow to plant much but monkey grass fills in nicely. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

All of these perennial plants have solid green leaves with tiny long, purple flowers.

Earlier this year, I added a new liriope, variegated monkey grass. I like the pop of color lining the flower bed.

In addition to being hardy, I have found some of my honey bees visiting the tiny purple flowers.

They do die back in winter, sometimes leaving a mound of dry leaves by spring. Sometimes I cut them back but most often I leave them to regrow new leaves.

Variegated liriope muscari has white lined green leaves and darker purple flowers. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

So if you are looking for a hardy, easy to establish border plant, this is it.

Charlotte

Fragrant Hostas

August lilies are actually a fragrant hosta with lovely 6-inch long white flowers. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Fragrant Hostas

Ladybugs are to aphids as hostas are to shade gardens. Even though part of my Missouri limestone hillside garden is part to full shade, I haven’t succumbed to the lure of hostas. I do have a few.

The few that I do have are tied to my family. I have some at the front of my house that came from St. Paul, Minnesota, where I helped one brother landscape his first home. Another flower bed in the north side has New York hostas I hand-carried back from Virginia, where my other brother lives. These hostas are my sister-in-laws favorites. And now I have found a hosta I love, a fragrant variety with lovely white flowers.

These were a gift from a neighbor who has a shady garden area full of these hostas. At first I couldn’t believe the flowers were from a hosta. The white flowers did not look like the purple flowers I am used to seeing on hostas.

Fragrant hostas are certainly not a new thing on the gardening scene but some of my gardening friends were intrigued to hear I had a hosta with a scent. Many of our grandparents actually grew what has become known as the old fashioned "August lily". Indeed this large hosta, Hosta plantaginea, was first imported to England in 1790, and to the United States afterwards.

Love the center of the flower stem of August lilies. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Hosta plantaginea is certainly the "white sheep" of the hosta family for a variety of reasons. First, it is one of the few hosta species that originated in China, as opposed to Korea and Japan. Hosta plantaginea is also the southern most naturally occurring hosta species, making it more heat loving than other members of the genus.

The flowering habit of Hosta plantaginea puts it in a class by itself. First of all the flowers are enormous by hosta standards, 6+ inches long and pure white, as compared to 1-2" long and purple for most hostas. Virtually every hosta except Hosta plantaginea has flowers that open around 7 am in the morning. Hosta plantaginea, on the other hand, opens at 4 pm in the afternoon. Educated scientists have still not figured out why this bizarre characteristic was selected for in the wild. The strong honeysuckle like fragrance of the old August Lily is absent in all other naturally occurring hosta species.

Hosta plantaginea, as the name August Lily suggests, bloom in late summer. This is in stark contrast to the majority of the more traditional hostas that flower from late April through June.

Another little noticed attribute of Hosta plantaginea is it's ability to reflush new foliage during the summer months. While most hosta species send up all of their foliage in the spring months, H. plantaginea is one of the only species that will continue to produce new leaves all summer long. This is a particular advantage when the original spring foliage becomes damaged or diseased, as can often occur in my garden.

If there are any drawbacks to Hosta plantaginea, it would be its desire to emerge much too early in the spring. Due to its heritage in the southern part of China where spring arrived early, Hosta plantaginea tries to emerge from its winter rest quite early, often in March. In most Missouri gardens, this means that a late spring frost could take its toll on the clump, often burning it back the ground. In more northerly climates, Hosta plantaginea has also proved to be a bit less hardy than the more northerly naturally occurring species.

Because Hosta plantaginea has a dramatically different bloom time, the number of hybrids that display the fragrant trait were slow to occur. Currently however, there are 56 registered hosta cultivars with fragrant flowers. Of these, only 27 are available commercially, as the remainder turned out to be poor garden specimens.

The scent of two cut flower stems have kept my kitchen and bathrooms company for more than a week. The fragrance is similar to jasmine.

To enjoy the fragrance in my garden, I planted my gift hostas behind a garden bench so I can sit close by and enjoy their scent. The spot also provides the plants with shade and some protection from cold winter winds.

These gift August lilies have been planted behind a bench so I can enjoy the fragrance while seated. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

So thankful my neighbor was willing to share these with me!

Charlotte

September Garden Chores

Keep an eye out for fall plant sales, there’s still growing time before the ground freezes. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

September Garden Chores

Where has this year gone? Just when I think I am making progress we have much appreciated rain but too much all at once. Have you ever tried to dig holes on a slippery, muddy limestone hillside? I don’t recommend it!

On the other hand, my potted plants are enjoying a much-needed break from record hot temperatures so I will wait until I don’t have to tie a rope around my waist to get things into the ground.

I live in USDA Hardiness Zone 5b/6a and here are some of the other garden chores I tackle in September:

Start cleaning up flowerbeds and vegetable gardens by removing spent plants and saving seeds.  Leave the ragweed to treat the soil, they will die once their work is done.

If you have been fertilizing, it is time to stop. Plants need to start slowing down and get out of the growth they usually pursue through spring and summer, even without the boost of fertilizers. Add a last dollop of compost mixed in the soil and that should be it for this season.

Do keep watering trees and shrubs from now through hard frost. Our first hard frost is usually mid to end of October.

 If you plan to start a new garden next year, this is the time to cover it with cardboard to kill off any current growth.

Good time to start drying favorite herbs for winter use. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Bring some of your herbs inside including parsley, chives, rosemary , catnip and stevia. Basil can also be brought inside; sow seeds now to get new plants started for later use. Dry the herbs and store in airtight container.

Good time to move peonies. I have several I buried too deep so when replanting, remember to not bury any more than an inch or two beneath the soil surface.

Daylilies and iris can also be dug up and divided.

Make notes in your garden diary about to dos for next year. Note what plants worked well this year, what seeds you had meant to plant but didn’t get to – whatever you want to tackle next year.

Have favorite annuals? I do, too, and I trim them now before bringing them inside. You can also take root cuttings and start young plants if you have good indoor light. Geraniums, coleus, wax begonias, impatiens all will winter over inside if you keep them pinched and bushy. Geraniums will winter over stored in brown bags without soil.

Order spring bulbs. Daffodils are toxic to deer so they won’t get munched on. Tulips are edible so buy a few for color, then plant them behind a solid wall with wire if you don’t want wildlife snacking on them in the meantime.

If you have left over Amaryllis bulbs, put them in a dry, dark place without water and let them rest for a couple of months. If you want to time when they bloom, pot and water them 6 weeks prior to when you want them in bloom.

Don’t bag and rake clippings, leave them on your lawn to return Nitrogen to the soil.

This is also a good time to stock up on mulch. Buy it in bulk or load up at your local recycling center before they close down for the season.

Start trimming plants you plan to bring inside to overwinter.

Charlotte

Growing Straight Redbuds

To strengthen Eastern Redbud trunks, try braiding several together. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Growing Straight Redbuds

Missouri’s native Eastern Redbuds are a sight during spring. The greyish trunks get covered in small pink edible blossoms, a favorite nectar source for bees.

One of my honey bees visits a blooming Eastern Redbud tree in my spring garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Growing Eastern Redbuds straight, however, is another matter.

The trees in nature are an understory tree, which means they grow in that area between the ground and the taller trees such as oaks and hickories. They are more on the same level as Missouri’s state tree, the dogwoods, also a spring-blooming tree that often follows in the Eastern Redbud footsteps. I like to think of these trees as the spring Trees of Life, a popular handmade patchwork quilt design.

Living on a Missouri limestone hillside, I tend to encourage as many Eastern Redbuds to grow since they already are established. To help them along, I do several things to encourage their straight trunk growth, starting with the very simple process of tying them to a nearby tree.

I make sure the tree I’m attaching will not compromise its growth by being tied to a nearby Eastern Redbud start.

Doubling and tripling twine ensures the Redbud will grow straight. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Sometimes I can use two Eastern Redbud trees to anchor each other in their growth.

Those tend to be similar in size, or a trunk that has double trunk growth to stabilize one Eastern Redbud tree with the other one.

I place the string where I can see it as well as out of the way of my garden paths.

Here two Eastern Redbuds are being encouraged to grow straight together. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Periodically there is an Eastern Redbud without anything nearby where I can tie it. Then my handy, reusable pieces of rebar come in handy.

I can place the rebar at an angle to anchor the trunk and tie the Eastern Redbud to it.

Sometimes a piece of rebar helps to hold a Redbud tree trunk straight. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

When I have several young Eastern Redbud trees growing together, I can pretend to be a spider and weave a web of string between the young trees and a nearby oak. Keep the strings where you can easily see them in case you need to walk through the area.

In terms of when to do this, you can tie up trees almost any time of the year. I would be a little cautious doing it in winter when the tree trunk sap is not running and the trunk may be a little more brittle.

Several Eastern Redbuds are tied to this larger tree trunk to anchor them. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

It may take a couple of years to give the Eastern Redbuds their straight trunks before I can untie them. The effort is well worth it for the beauty the trees offer my spring garden.

Charlotte

Cardboard Mulch

Cardboard makes a great flower bed mulch to kill off unwanted growth. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Cardboard Mulch

I’m taking a break from uncovering my latest new flower bed and creating a new one, courtesy of my stash of cardboard. If you garden on a hillside like I do, trying to even establish a new flower bed is a challenge. If you have an area that has established growth, it’s even more of a trial. That’s where my cardboard mulch kicks in.

Instead of using harmful chemicals to get rid of the unwanted growth, I use cardboard. The cardboard keeps the soil underneath moist as it kills off unwanted growth.

This is a cardboard pile that’s been sitting for about a month. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once I establish my new flower bed site and make sure there is nothing growing there I want to keep, I haul my stash of repurposed cardboard to the new flower bed site, scattering the first layer over the new flower bed foot print. As I get more cardboard, I add it to the area, adding rocks to hold it down.

If I’m extra industrious, I will pour shovel fulls of wood mulch on top. If you have grass clippings, you could dump those on the cardboard.

By the time the new flower bed is ready for planting, the dry grass clippings could be incorporated to improve the soil. Make sure the grass is dry; still green grass is very hot and will burn.

Then it’s a matter of ignoring the looks of a cardboard-covered garden area for a couple of months as the cardboard kills off whatever is growing under it.

I do periodically peek underneath. I often find worms moving through the soil, a good indication that the cardboard is keeping the soil inhabitants happy. Birds and butterflies are not the only garden tenants we should cater to, the ones in the soil are what give us the flowers.

When I don’t see anything green anymore, I pile up the cardboard and move it to a new future planting area.

Underneath the cardboard, moist soil ready for planting. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The cardboard lasts for about 3 new flower beds depending on the time of year. Early spring and late fall, when we have rain, the cardboard deteriorates faster.

In between, the cardboard holds out longer, even through summer rains. I suspect the heat dries out the cardboard faster.

I have also used cardboard as mulch, then dug a hole through it and planted it. It might be easier to plant something and then surround it with cardboard covered with mulch but I sometimes forget where I have used cardboard to kill off - usually - the vinca ground cover. Vinca is not a native plant but it has been invaluable to hold in my soil on this hillside until I develop the new flower beds.

If you have an area that is being taken over by unwanted plants, such as an iris bed or peonies, try small pieces of cardboard around them covered in mulch. After a few weeks you will find it easier to remove the unwanted plants and you will have both cardboard and mulch handy to keep the area clear of further unwanted guests.

And it will keep your soil moist, which is a huge plus, especially during Missouri’s infamous August dearth.

Charlotte

Picking Homegrown Blackberries

The first ripe blackberries on my cattle panel arbor. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Picking Homegrown Blackberries

I have been thinking about doing this for years.

The garden dream was to set up arbors of some sort where I could grow blackberries and pick the fruit as I walked under the arbors.

Two years ago, I put up two cattle panels to guide visitors into my hillside apiary. I covered some of the panels with cedar boughs to cover some of the metal. At the same time, I planted thornless Navajo blackberries on either side so the blackberry canes could grow over the cattle panels.

The cedar boughs add extra support for the vines as they make their way over the cattle panels.

Two cattle panels covered in cedar boughs have blackberries nestled along the sides. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

It’s hard to estimate how long plants will provide fruit on my Missouri hillside garden. My semi-dwarf pear tree took almost 30 years before it grew my first Bartlett pears. A limestone hill is difficult for root systems to get established.

At the end of July, I started to see the beginning of blackberries. They tend to flower in May, when the nectar flow starts where I live. Once the flowers finish blooming, the plant turns them into fruit, which contains the seeds.

As I started to spot ripe blackberries, my dream came through. I would walk through the archway and pick a handful of berries.

Two more blackberries ready for picking as I walk through! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

There truly is nothing better than picking blackberries and eating them straight off the plants!

I don’t use chemicals or pesticides in my garden so I can freely pick the fruit without being concerned about their exposure.

These are also thornless blackberries, so reaching through the cattle panels to pick the fruit is quite easy.

I will be adding compost mixed in mulch this fall, getting the blackberry plants ready for more blooming, and fruiting, next year.

Love it when a plan comes together!

Charlotte

Removing Daylily Stems

Daylily stems after flowering and still green. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Removing Daylily Stalks

The daylily blooming season is wrapping up here in Missouri USDA Hardiness zone 5b/6a. The season started with the traditional single orange daylilies blooming. These edible plants were originally brought over from Europe by our settlers in the 1600s and now are considered one of Missouri’s native wildflowers, featured on this Native Wildflowers handmade quilt. The daylily season starts mid-May. They are now nude tall green stems, some with seed heads.

There is a tendency to want to grab clippers and go cut them down but I suggest waiting. In a couple more weeks, the stalks will dry on their own, making it very easy to gently pull them out of the leaves without having to bend over and cut them at the bottom.

Every day I see more and more of these dried stems among my flower beds.

When daylily stalks dry out, they can easily be removed. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The dried out daylily stalks are now hollow, making them lightweight and easy to remove.

If you compost them, cut them up into smaller pieces so they can mix into the other green items. They will count as a “brown” in the green/brown mixture in your composter.

I have also considered whether the dried stalks can be used to weave something. A basket comes to mind but a floor mat would probably be a better project to try.

Let me just add that to my “to do in winter when I have nothing else to do” list.

Charlotte

Assassin Bugs

Assassin bug makes a meal out of a Japanese beetle in my garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Assassin Bugs

Looks like we do have a garden ally in our quest to control Japanese beetles, the assassin bug!

I have seen a few of these in my garden in the last couple of years. They are quick and retreated when I tried to approach so I just kept an eye out for them. Since I don’t use pesticides in my garden, I have been seeing more of them and they are most welcome, especially when I caught the large light grey one making a meal out of a Japanese beetle.

Assassin bugs (family Reduviidae) are predatory insects that are of great benefit to gardeners so they fall under the beneficial insects category along with praying mantis and ladybugs. They capture and feed on a wide variety of prey including Japanese beetles, flies, caterpillars and yes, sometimes bees.

The assassin bug sits quietly until the prey gets close enough for them to stab it with its long mouthparts. After being immobilized by a paralyzing toxin, the prey’s body fluids are then drawn through the assassin bug’s soda straw-like mouthparts, very much like a bug drinking a milk shake.

Several insect books noted most species of assassin bugs are gray to black or brownish in color, though some unique to ecosystems can also be bright.

There are several kinds of assassin bugs:

Ambush bugs are a type of assassin bug that lie in wait for their prey on flowers. Some of these species are colored to blend in perfectly with their flower hiding places.

The wheel bug is the largest of the 150 or so species of North America assassin bugs. Adult wheel bugs are gray and approximately 3 cm (1 ¼ inches) long. Its name comes from the distinctive, cog-like crest arising from the top of the thorax, or middle section, of the wheel bug’s body . Wheel bugs will attack larger insects like grasshoppers and larger caterpillars.

Although most assassin bugs are highly beneficial, the cone nosed bug or kissing bug is parasitic on humans and other mammals. Cone nosed bugs have the same elongated head as the wheel bug, but can be distinguished from wheel bugs by their lack of a crest and by their orange and black markings where the abdomen extends laterally past the folding wings.

This assassin bug patrols one of my dwarf cherry trees. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Don’t Mess With Assassin Bugs

The bug’s name is enough to keep me at bay but I know some people like to fiddle with what they find in their gardens. Some assassin bugs, most notably the wheel bug, will bite if picked up and handled carelessly. The bite of the wheel bug is immediately and intensely painful.

See bug name as motivation not to pick it up!

Persons who are bitten should wash and apply antiseptic to the site of the bite. Oral analgesics, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, may be useful to reduce the pain. Treatment by a physician is not usually needed.

As with any insect sting or bite, the victim should seek medical attention immediately if there is any sign of anaphylactic reaction, such as generalized swelling, itching, hives or difficulty breathing.

Charlotte

For the Love of Red

Margaret in one of her favorite garden spots, where she can watch frogs. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

For the Love of Red

Margaret loved anything red. Red birds, red toys, my one pair of wool red socks, which often disappeared from my closet only to be found under sofas. Or sitting next to her as she napped.

Margaret was a part-Siamese cat who died a year ago after almost 21 years of keeping me company. I still miss her; she used to wake me up around 5:30 a.m., her favorite time to sit on my lap at a window waiting for birds to appear.

Her successor, Boo Boo Bartholomew takes my 10 p.m. bedtime seriously but he prefers to sleep in mornings so I had to buy an alarm clock.

When I started to consider how to mark Margaret’s grave, the gorgeous Cardinal flower came to mind. A true red, the tall flower can grow up to 6 feet tall, which I can easily see from my living room window.

It can take plants a good year for their roots to get established in my Missouri limestone hill so I wasn’t sure the plant had made it. Earlier today I found it starting to bloom, the stalk needing a little support so I gave it a stake to lean on.

The cardinal flower now blooming in Margaret’s memorial garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Cardinal flowers Lobelia cardinalis is a Missouri native perennial which typically grows in moist locations along streams, sloughs, springs, swamps and in low wooded areas. According to Missouri Botanical Garden, it is a somewhat short-lived, clump-forming perennial which features erect, terminal spikes (racemes) of large, cardinal red flowers on unbranched, alternate-leafed stalks rising typically to a height of 2-3' (infrequently to 4').

Tubular flowers are 2-lipped, with the three lobes of the lower lip appearing more prominent than the two lobes of the upper lip. Finely-toothed, lance-shaped, dark green leaves (to 4" long). They usually bloom this time of year, late summer.

Cardinal flowers are very attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds, but not cardinals.

There are also white and rose-colored forms of this same plant.

The Genus name honors Matthias de l'Obel (1538-1616), French physician and botanist, who with Pierre Pena wrote Stirpium Adversaria Nova (1570) which detailed a new plant classification system based upon leaves.

Specific epithet means scarlet or cardinal red. Common name is in reference to the red robes worn by Roman Catholic cardinals.

I considered a number of possibilities including Lambs Ear, which reminds me of Margaret’s soft pink ears. I did add a pussy willow bush in the memorial flower bed as well as some catnip, another one of Margaret’s favorites.

As I look closely at the Cardinal flower, it’s proud erect stance reminded me of when Margaret proudly stood up to me. I also recalled the times she carried my red socks around the house.

I’m sure Margaret will like having the lovely red flower close by!

Charlotte

My Red American Toad

My Red American Toad

I met him on one of my morning garden walks. I know I have a variety of toads in my garden, mostly black so this was startling to say the least, and exciting - a red toad!

This toad is an American Toad bufo americanus. Toads, like other amphibians, do not drink with their mouths. Instead, they absorb moisture from the ground through a pelvic patch and store it in a lymph sac or bladder. The stored fluids are released when the toad becomes frightened, as most anyone who has picked up a frightened toad knows.

I didn’t pick this one up. I watched it watch me, then moved on. I saw no point in getting it unnecessarily excited.

According to Missouri Department of Conservation, toads are inactive during the day and burrow underground in sand or soil, also hiding under organic litter, bark, partially buried logs, and rocks. They become active in the evening and during rains.

This lack of daytime activity and their color camouflage are two of the toad’s defense mechanisms, along with their ability to puff themselves up to look more fearsome in the eyes of a predator. Toads also have a secret weapon that protects these otherwise harmless creatures from becoming another animal’s meal.

Kidney-shaped paratoid glands located behind toads’ eyes secrete a moderately potent toxin known as bufotoxin. The milky substance irritates the mucous membranes in predators’ mouths and can even cause death if an animal chooses to ignore the irritation and swallows the toad.

Contrary to popular folklore, toads do not cause warts, but because of bufotoxins, it’s a good idea to wash your hands after touching or holding a toad.

Toads are favorite foods of raccoons and hog-nosed snakes.

I like having toads in my garden because they consume mosquitoes, ants, spiders, beetles, crickets, and locusts, as well as snails, cutworms, and earthworms — 10,000 or more in one season.

Toads do not have teeth and must swallow prey whole. Toads blink their eyes when they snag a meal, which causes their eyeballs to roll into the roof of their mouth, pushing their prey into their throat, a characteristic shared with frogs.

Male toads woo potential mates with a long musical trill generated from an inflated vocal sac. They can sing alone, but in most cases large choruses can be heard at night. On occasion, they have been known to romance toads of other species. Although males are the most vocal, some female toads make chirping sounds when handled.

The American toad can be found statewide, with one subspecies, A. a. americanus, inhabiting northern Missouri, and a second dwarf species living predominately in the southern half of the state.

Bumpy red American toad is easy to spot. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

A female toad lays between 2,000 and 20,000 eggs. And unlike many frogs, which deposit their eggs singly or in masses, toads lay eggs in long strings. Most eggs hatch within a week, and the tiny, black tadpoles develop into toads that are ready to hop onto dry land in six to eight weeks.

Now I am wondering how many of the tadpoles in my tiny pond were actually toads instead of frogs.

For comparison, this is one of my sleek bullfrogs. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Toads

• Dry, warty skin

• No teeth

• Shorter hind legs than most frogs

• Hop or crawl

• Lay eggs in long, parallel strings

  And now, for frogs:

• Smooth, wet skin

• Tiny teeth on both upper and lower jaws

• Jump or leap

• Lay eggs singly, in small clumps, in large masses, or as a film of eggs on the water surface.

Now what do you have in your garden, toads or frogs, maybe both?

Charlotte

Native Missouri Phlox

I tried to get the phlox to grow on the left but it moved to the right. Oh, well! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Native Missouri Pink Phlox

If there is one flower that represents a Missouri summer to me, it’s phlox Phlox paniculata. One of Missouri’s native wildflowers, the pink phlox is a smorgasboard for pollinators, especially butterflies and hummingbirds and benefit clearwing moth pollinators.

The plant itself is hardy and grows almost anywhere on my Missouri limestone hillside, except sometimes where I want it to grow. Nevertheless I leave it where it settles; sometimes nature has a much better idea of garden design than I do!

They prefer wet, moist conditions and grow in full sun to part shade in average to moist soil. Allow for ventilation to prevent miidew.

Pink phlox flower heads are tiny flowers growing together. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Many years ago I was tempted to buy some of the hybrid phlox varieties on the market. After doing some research, I found out the hybrids have to be kept separate from other phlox or they will revert back to the original phlox - you guessed it, the native Missouri pink phlox.

I do have a couple of patches of pink phlox where the flowers have a white petal center but it is not easy to distinguish from the other pink phlox, which has a solid pink color through the flowers.

This batch of phlox has a white center but is very similar otherwise to my other phlox. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Native phlox can grow almost anywhere, from shady spots in front of my house to the full sun areas facing south.

They also have a tendency to spread so I transplant the ones in inconvenient locations in spring. Their starts are easy to distinguish from other plants by their pointed green spring leaves.

Butterflies are usually visiting this Missouri native phlox flower bed all summer. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Another advantage to native pink phlox is that it will continue to grow through the heat of August, keeping purple coneflowers and black eye Susans, also natives, company and providing my garden some much needed color.

They also apparently provide good cover for birds nests.

A little bird’s nest was built in a native Missouri phlox bed in my garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I read they can be started from seed but I haven’t tried to do that. I suspect I am growing them from seed in my garden seeing how far and wide they have spread without my help. Based on that, I would say they are easy to start from seed.

They are also excellent cut flowers although I confess to feeling a little guilty of depriving butterflies and hummingbirds.

Only a little, I love having fresh flowers inside!

Charlotte

Staying Cool

Muslin kitchen towels make great headbands and neck scarves to stay summer cool. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Staying Cool

With record hot temperatures again this summer, it’s important to stay cool. If you have seen me after a day in the garden, you know I am NOT talking about making a fashion statement!

One of my favorite ways to deal with Missouri’s summer heat and humidity is to use muslin kitchen towels, available in the kitchen section of most big box stores; 6-8 for about $5. I will go through the bundles and find the ones with the most kitchen towels since I use them for so many purposes outside of the kitchen.

For gardening purposes, the muslin kitchen towels make excellent head bands and neck scarves to catch sweat and be easily accessible to wipe off perspiration. I tend to leave my headbands with a fabric flap to cover the back of my head and protect my hair, then add a straw hat.

You can also easily tie the headband at the top and leave it there, gives an oddly royal headband look, don’t you think?

Also tie the muslin kitchen towel loosely around your neck to catch perspiration and have it handy to wipe off your hands. I tuck the ends under a t-shirt to catch perspiration at my neck.

Muslin kitchen towels are excellent neck ties to catch summer perspiration. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Other Ways to Stay Cool

Keep a glass of water handy and drink before you go outside and when you come back in.

Take frequent breaks, no more than half an hour outside at a time.

Break from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m, the peak of the hot conditions.

Apply sunscreen. I notice mine almost immediately runs off so I keep it handy to reapply.

Wear light, loose cotton clothing. Change frequently if you get wet or you may develop a rash.

Work in shade if at all possible. I have a number of blue benches around my garden in shady areas so I can also sit down and enjoy the view.

Working With Plants

Note if a plant needs to be moved but don’t move it, it’s too hot for the roots to survive a move unless you are placing it in shade. Then water the soil first, wait a few minutes; move the plant and water again. You will need to water daily at least a couple of times until the plant re-establishes itself.

Hanging and deck plants will also need daily watering, possibly 2-3 times a day if they are in sun.

Open a deck umbrella to give deck plants a break from the hot sun. Move potted fruit plants such as lemons, limes and oranges into shade. Monitor other plants for sunburn on leaves. Plants can be conditioned to tolerate hotter temperatures but it has to happen gradually. Potted plants have less protection than those in the ground so check them frequently for signs of stress.

If it rains, capture the rain in buckets and water plants the day after, they will respond better to rain water.

Other Options to Stay Cool

A gardening friend and I were comparing notes about the hot weather. He said he sometimes imagines his garden in winter, covered in snow and that helps keep him cool. There is something to be said about mind over not caring about the heat, I will have to try that.

Another friend was listening to the conversation and gave us another option - “stay inside,”, he said.

What an idea.

Charlotte

Tiger Lilies

I have several tiger lily plants now growing together. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Tiger Lilies

For a number of years I have had tiger lilies growing scattered through my Missouri hillside garden. Some I planted; others birds did the honors. I used to have a piece of cotton fabric where tiger lilies turned into small charming tigers, an image that I still recall when I see these perennial flowers, not to mention Winnie the Pooh’s buddy Tigger, who makes an appearance on Hunny Buzz Crib Quilt Gift Set.

To give them more of a place of honor in my garden, earlier this year I decided to move them all together. I carefully dug up the bulbs with soil around them so I was sure I had the whole plants.

Plants classified as Lilium lancifolium (alternate botanical name, Lilium tigrinum) is a true lily and not a daylily such as Stella D-Oro. The sword shape of the leaves gives the plants their species name (lancifolium means "lance-leafed" in Latin).

Tiger lilies remind me of Asiatic lilies and Stargazer lilies gone wild. Between their black spots, dramatic orange color and flaring stamens with pollen, Tiger Lilies make a dramatic garden focal point.

Tiger lilies can grow 5-foot tall or more. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Tiger lilies can be invasive but not on a limestone hillside. It’s not easy for plants to establish themselves let alone take off without first hitting a rock.

Although I love tiger lilies, I don’t bring them inside. Tiger lilies are poisonous to cats. Even small ingestion such as less than one to two petals or leaves, pollen, or water from the vase may result in severe, acute kidney failure. If you suspect your cat has ingested any part of one of these lilies, bring your cat (and the plant) immediately to a veterinarian for medical care. Generally, the sooner treatment is started, the better the prognosis.

Tiger lily seeds are called bulbils and grow at the base of the leaf. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Seeds of tiger lilies are called bulbils. Propagate this plant by bulbil or by bulb division. Ideally, this should be done during the spring before it starts to grow anew, but you can divide them in the fall in warmer climates.

Bulb division requires digging up the entire plant carefully when it is dormant and gently separating the individual bulbs. Replant your bulbs as separate plants with the pointed side aimed upward.

Bulbils will form along the stem of the plant at leaf axils. If you wish to minimize spreading, remove the bulbils and dispose of them. Or, if you wish to propagate more, you can carefully remove the bulbils and pot them as if they were bulbs to grow a new plant. These will take an extra year of time before they begin to bloom, so it is a slower growth process.

I happen to think these are interesting plants to have in a garden corner so if someone gives you a start, give them a try.

Charlotte

Feedlot Panel Arbor

This is a cattle panel bent into an arbor shape and covered in vines. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Feedlot Panel Arbor

What can be more homey in your garden than a lovely greenery-covered arbor. Well, maybe an apple tree in late summer like this bless this home lap quilt and wall hanging apple tree but short of that, let’s take a closer look at the arbor idea.

If you have shopped for garden arbors, you know they can be pricey. The last ones I saw on sale started over $200.

What if I told you with a little ingenuity, you can add garden arbors to your garden without breaking the bank.

I have shared the garden arbors I am building in my Missouri hillside pollinator garden made out of cattle panels covered in cedar. However, if you need something smaller, take inspiration from this cattle panel arbor made out of a feedlot panel, which is 16 feet by 34 inches wide.

Built by one of my beekeeping students, this feedlot panel arbor was made by bending the panel in half to form the arch.

Clematis vines grow over the panels, covering the metal and providing shade as one walks under it.

The feedlot panel arbor is secured to the ground with rebar to ensure the panel doesn’t open back up.

The cost? Around $25 for the feedlot panel at your local hardware or farm and home center with another $10 for the rebar.

You can find other panels in various lengths and widths so pick one that will best fit your space.

Once the feedlot panel gets covered by the green, one doesn’t even know what forms the foundation of the arbor.

Are you tempted to make one of these?

Charlotte

No More Pinching Mums

One of my mums that didn’t get quite pinched this year. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

No More Pinching Mums

The Fourth of July US Independence Day celebration marks another garden milestone: no more pinching chrysanthemums.

Unpinched, chrysanthemums will grow tall and leggy. They will also bloom several months earlier than fall, when most people want the color in their garden.

Pinching, or removing the top 2-3 inch plant growth in spring keeps the chrysanthemum plants shorter and bushy. Once in bloom, the plants will be covered in flowers and sit closer to the ground.

Although some of the chrysanthemums in my garden were regularly pinched this year, others were not so it will be interesting to see how soon they start blooming. I also plan to stake the ones that may fall over from being too leggy.

Chrysanthemums are an excellent cut flower and natural bug repellent so I plant them in front of garden beds for easy access and bug patrol. I did find ladybugs on one earlier today so maybe the beneficial insects were just passing through.

If you want to add chrysanthemums, do it in spring so the plants have most of the growing season to establish themselves. They also work well to naturally repel bugs.

Charlotte

Japanese Beetles Are Here

Japanese beetles mating on cherry tree leaves in my garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Japanese Beetles Are Here

I was just about to pick a few lovely pink hybrid tea roses when I saw them inside the petals; Japanese beetles. They're here, and for the next 6 weeks it will be a battle between these wily invasive bugs and I.

A beautiful iridescent green, the 3/8th of an inch invasive beetles are eating machines, devouring fruit trees, roses and anything else edible in a garden.

Once they turn from grubs into beetles, they set off a pheromone scent that says "let's party" to other Japanese beetles. Actually the female beetles attract the males; they mate, eat some more, then fall into soil where they lay eggs that turn into grubs to hatch next summer.

Japanese beetles don’t damage trees and flowers they eat; they like a wide range of plants from edible native wildflowers to perennials such as fruit trees, rose of sharon, vegetables and roses. Although the plants they munch on look bad, they quickly recover once Japanese beetles drop into the ground to pulpate until next year.

Japanese beetles eat all garden edibles including roses. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you can’t see Japanese beetles, you will know you have them when you see your plant leaves turning into lace.

In USDA Hardiness zone 5b/6a, Japanese beetles stick around for about 6 weeks.

Leaves that turn like lace are a sign of Japanese beetles. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Since I don't like to use chemicals, I have been trying to find a safe way to discourage them. After several tries, the most effective non-chemical approach I've found is to drop them in a can of soapy water.

They're smart, though.

Word will soon get around so you will need to sneak up on them or they'll see you and literally drop straight down off the plant. I find it’s easiest to catch them in the morning, when they are sluggish and I use that dropping down to my advantage, placing the coffee can with sudsy water right under them to easily catch them.

There are also Japanese traps on the market but those are basically female Japanese beetle pheromones that attract the male Japanese beetles. If you read the instructions, they say to place the traps downwind and at the edge of your property but I see many people hanging the traps in the middle of their gardens, which will just generate more bugs next year.

It would be even better if we could locate the grubs before they hatch but from what I've read, that's a lot more difficult to do.

For a long term solution, my brother in Virginia has treated his lawn with milky spores. He has dozens of crepe myrtles, one of Japanese beetles favorite munchies. According to him, Japanese beetle grubs eat the spores;

get sick; die and in the process, release more milky spores. It can take several years to eliminate the beetles, not counting whether your neighbors have treated their lawns.

I catch Japanese beetles early morning in soapy water. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Ok, time to soap up and pick off those bugs!

Charlotte

Pallet Raised Beds

Zuchini is growing in this pallet raised bed at a friend’s garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Pallet Raised Beds

I have to confess, I am fascinated with what people make out of pallets. So fascinated that one weekend I dragged several pallets home and have them leaning up against a tree halfway down my hillside waiting for me to be inspired, and brave enough, to transform them. There are truly so many choices!

The bravery comes from having to use tools I am not familiar with so I wait for a time when there is a handyman around to supervise.

The first pallet idea that caught my attention was the pallet bench one of our beekeeping students has in her apiary. What I particularly love about the pallet bench is that it is lightweight, which means it is easy to move around. I do have several garden benches that weigh a ton so once I have them in place, they are not going anywhere. I would love to have one or two I can easily drag around to catch the best vantage point watching my honey bees.

Now I have a second idea. My gardening friend Tom mentioned recently that he now has raised beds out of pallets. Since I have to work extra hard to make flower beds on my limestone hill garden, I was intrigued and took a peek the next time I was invited to his garden.

Cut the pallets in half, then attach at the corners. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Very easy to make, he said. The pallet is cut in half and attached at the corners.

What about keeping soil in?

He used used straw from his horse stable, filling the pallet raised beds before adding vegetables. I found zuchinis growing in one; squash in another, and then there was the tomato pallet raised bed.

Tomatoes taller than I am are growing in this raised bed full of used straw. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The once pallet-high used straw is now about half way down the inside of the pallet raised bed but the tomatoes don’t seem to notice.

What about critters? Can he keep rabbits out of his garden?

No problem, he said, his dogs are on constant rabbit patrol. \

Well, so that answer doesn’t really count, does it.

For the record, these were tomatoes purchased around Valentine’s Day and kept in a greenhouse until May, after the last danger of hard frost. Our last frost in mid-Missouri in USDA Hardiness zone 5b/6a is May 10, around Mother’s Day.

Looking at these pallet raised beds now has me thinking these would also make a nice short fence that would be handy for blackberries and other brambles. That’s assuming one has a straight and level place to put it.

Oh, don’t look at me, I garden on a Missouri limestone hill, the only thing straight is my house foundation and that’s because they worked at it before building it!

Charlotte