Bulbs for Under Trees

One of the many projects on my growing ‘to do’ list is to remove the grass that is growing right up to the trunks of my trees. The trees are all mature so the grass itself does not create any problems for the trees, they have all learned to get along well when it comes to getting nutrients and water. So, it is actually just an aesthetic thing for me.

In the backyard, there is a peach tree, a pear tree, a cherry tree, and an apple tree. I also have a plum tree, but it is in a raised bed without any grass around it. However, I also plant vegetables there and am using that same bed as a nursery of sorts for a couple of Lilac bushes that will be transplanted in the near future.

In the front yard, there is a Dogwood tree, variety unknown since it was here when we moved here, and a Catalpa tree.

I am fortunate in that none of these trees have surface roots. You know, the ones you trip over whenever walking near them? Even with these underground roots, planting anything else near them will compete for water and food so I have decided to place some bulbs around them. A word of caution, bulbs will not do well under pines or evergreens, because bulbs just like other plants need sunlight. Another consideration is the higher up the limbs are on the tree trunk, the more light your bulbs will get.

I have discovered some spring-flowering bulbs, particularly those from woodland habitats, that thrive under mature trees. These types of bulbs differ from other more commonly known spring bulbs, such as Daffodil and Tulip, in that they are shorter and flower and set seed quickly at the first signs of spring, before the tree canopy robs them of light and water. Then they die back and sleep until the next year just as you expect a well-behaved bulb to do.

Spring-flowering bulbs to plant under trees include English bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Camas lily (Camassia leichtlinii), winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) and snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis).

English bluebell, aka blue squill, grows in zones 4-9, member of the lily family (Liliaceae). It flowers from May to June and seeds ripen from July to August.








Camas lily grows in zones 5-9, late spring/early summer. The bulbs were collected for food by Native Americans. Best placed in areas where they can naturalize and won't be disturbed. They take well to summer dryness as they go dormant by early summer. This plant grows 3-4 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide, so I’m a little concerned about putting it under a tree.

Winter aconite grows in zones 3-7, blooms March to April, member of the Ranunculus family. Late winter bloomer, before crocus, they often send their shoots up through snow.



Snowdrops grows in zones 3-7, blooms in February, member of the Amaryllis family. Also pokes its head up through snow. Easily naturalizes in woodland areas or in lawns under large deciduous trees.

I already have some winter aconite and snowdrops scattered throughout a couple of beds, nowhere near any trees. Now that I have learned that these can go under the trees they will be moved next fall. It will be time for them to be dug up and divided anyway so that will be a perfect time to move them.

Bulbs that flower in fall can also do well under trees. They flower then produce leaves. By the time their foliage appears, the tree canopy has thinned, allowing light to hit the bulbs’ leaves, allowing the bulbs to rebuild their energy stores.

Fall-flowering bulbs to plant under trees include Cyclamen hederifolium and autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale).

Cyclamen can grow in zones 5/6 as long as a few rules are observed. Hederifolium puts out roots from the top and sides of the tuber, unlike Cyclamen coum and the like which have roots on the bottom surface only, so they need to be planted with the tops of the tubers a couple inches deep (place soil up to the top and then cover the top with a couple inches of coarse grit rather than garden soil). The best locations are on a north facing slope under a tree, or on the north side of the house that doesn’t get any direct sun in the winter. Sunlight makes the normal freeze/thaw cycles even worse. Note: if you see ants on these plants don’t worry, this is a good thing because they disperse the seed.

An interesting fact that I just learned is that the Cyclamen is a member of the Primrose family.

Cyclamen mirabile is a very cold-hardy species. Mature leaves will go limp after a frost but soon recover. Some forms have a reddish cast over the silver of the variably marbled, but always attractive, leaves.




Cyclamen graecum is one of several species that will pull themselves into the soil with contractile roots, thus setting their own planting depth. The leaf marbling is extremely variable. This species may prefer a more open site with good sun exposure in summer as long as the persistent roots can be in slightly moist soil.

Autumn Crocus (Colchicum autumnale) – aka ‘meadow saffron’ or ‘naked lady’, grows in zones 4-8 (easily survives winter temperatures a little below 0ºF, -17ºC) and resembles true crocuses, but actually flowers in autumn. But, so do many other crocuses.

It is a member of the Iris family (iridaceae), grow from corms, are mainly hardy perennials, and are found in a wide range of habitats.

It should be noted that it's not a crocus, and it's not saffron, and should definitely not be used in place of saffron in cooking because eating any part of this plant can kill you. The spice saffron is collected from the stigmas of Crocus sativus not Colchicum autumnale.

Plant them in late summer or early fall. Position the tip of the corm 2-4” below the soil level. To protect flowers from soil that can be splashed up when it rains, plant corms under low-growing carpeting plants or in grass.

It is getting a bit late in the year to plant spring-flowering bulbs, but now I can amend my ‘to do’ list and finally move ‘clear grass from around tree trunks and plant something’ up the list for next year.


Further reading:
Cyclamen Society
Autumn crocus

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Two out of three isn’t bad

Birds and I have a pretty good working relationship. I feed them and they come around and eat.

There are also two bird baths available for their drinking and bathing pleasure. I try keep them cleaned and filled regularly.

The one missing element, in this otherwise garden of eden, is shelter. Shelter from the weather and predators and shelter for nesting.

There are two trees in my front yard, this large Catalpa tree, left photo, and a fairly full Dogwood tree, photo on the right, but there are many larger trees in the neighborhood that bear leaves all winter and therefore are far better suited for sheltering the birds that grace our humble part of this planet. And I have no intention to compete with these beautiful trees just to get birds nests built in my yard.

Here is a small example of these sheltering trees within my immediate vicinity.







There are several fruit trees in my back yard but they don’t provide the suitable shelter these evergreen trees do. As you can see from this photo taken last Spring, the apple tree, pictured here to the right, gets pretty full but I have never seen a birds nest in it.
The cherry tree doesn’t seem to be attractive to nesting birds either.

I don’t really have to have nesting birds in my yard. I suppose it’s just one of those ‘nice things to have’.

I feel fortunate enough to be able to provide these birds with at least two of their requirements for survival. And they seem to ‘appreciate’ it because they come back every day, rain or shine, or snow, mainly finches, chick-a-dees and doves. Other birds come in once in awhile, but my guess is they only come around when they can’t find what they want anywhere else. A family of Northern Flickers show up every winter for the suet. Dark-eyed Juncos also show up in winter for whatever falls from the feeders because they won’t sit on the feeders’ perches. Maybe the finches are too aggressive for them.

Nowadays I only put out sunflower seeds, because the birds throw every thing else onto the ground and it doesn’t get eaten.

Many people think there has to be a variety of plants to keep birds coming around, but I have found, as long as you have feeders, they will come.

So, as long as someone else is taking care of the shelter and nesting requirements for these birds, I am satisfied with two out of three.

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Not as many birds lately

For some odd reason I haven’t seen as many birds as usual around the feeders and bird baths for the past several days. I get an eerie feeling when I walk out back and don’t see them flocking around as they normally do.

These photos were taken at 2PM, here is the cherry tree, these feeders are usually empty by 1PM.


And this one is in the apple tree.


It isn’t that cold weather is coming on because these House Finches and Mourning Doves and have stayed at these feeders every day for the past three years, right through winter.

When I go out to refill the feeders just after dark, the feeders in the backyard are almost full. I always fill them to the top so some of it is being eaten.

Today, the feeder in the front yard, just outside my office, was half full at 4 PM. This feeder is usually empty by 1 PM.

I have seen cats come around, and I know their usual hiding places. But they always come around and after I chase them away the birds come back.

The Doves are still coming around in the morning and sitting on the top of the chain link fence at the back of the yard. It is the spot that first gets the morning sun, so they warm up there.

I see Finches in the tree tops throughout the day and they do occasionally come down to eat.

I don’t remember this happening last year. It is just so quiet without hearing their usual chirping. I don’t know what to think.

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My ‘to do’ list is burying me

Over this spring and summer I have been making a list of all the cool ideas I have seen in magazines, books, blogs, websites, etc that I would like to put into my yard and garden.

Last week, I took a look at that list. Then, after stepping back, taking a deep breath, and developing a very skeptical frown, said to myself "There is no way you are going to get all of that done!" I may have created a monster. One that will most assuredly demand every free minute of my time. I know me well enough to know that I won’t do all of this. Hmmm, maybe if I break it down into smaller pieces so it doesn’t look so overwhelming, I can get it done. I am a hopeless optimist. Time management will definitely play a huge roll if this list is going to be completed.

Projects:
1-Replace grass under the fruit trees with groundcover so I don’t have to mow under them.
2-fill low areas in lawn with top soil
3-replace west gate with new gate, trellis and plant bed
4-replace grassy area at east gate, next to garage/shed with brick pavers in a lattice design (with thyme growing in the open areas)
5-build a cover over the deck, to block out sun, and to hang plants from
6-build trellis over B3 perennial bed to provide some relief from the intense sun
7-build a ladder trellis for containers to set on back deck
8-build shelves in back shed to store pots, plant trays, etc
9-lay a flagstone walkway to back shed
10-install walkway lights along driveway and front/back walkways
11-design an herbal bed and make herbal vinegars, potpourris, teas, etc
12-design and build a row cover system to extend growing season
13-design and build a cold frame
14-paint bird bath and shed doors deep blue?
15-make edging more permanent with bricks or stone
16-make hose guides for garden hoses until irrigation system is installed
17-build another tower for runner beans
18-build a better trellis for tomatoes, those wire jobs are just not strong enough
19-install irrigation system, tired of dragging garden hose around, timer would be a life saver
20-design a trellis for front of house to grow clematis and or honeysuckle

I am sure the list will get longer before it gets shorter. I find so many great ideas from reading garden blogs, etc that I can't help but want to try them myself. Maybe I should just learn to restrict myself a little. Oh, where's the fun in that?

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Unfinished projects, part one

Here’s an area that really needs work. I choose this area first because this is going to be the most labor intensive to get under control.

This picture, dated September 2006, was taken two years after we moved in. I did not have a clear plan for the space, other than knowing I did not want this tree and all of its suckers.

When we first moved in this plum tree was a ‘huge’ shrub and I had no idea what it was. I asked the neighbors but they didn't know either. The suckers had grown so tall and thick that the trunk wasn’t visible. For size reference, the fence posts are set ten feet apart and this thing covered the fence from one post to the other.

Within a month of moving in I cut everything down except the main tree, the trunks you see here. After clearing it back a bit I began finding tell-tale ‘fruit’ on the ground that looked like plums. They were a 'dusty' purple and not very well developed (see next photo). I attributed the smallish size of the fruit to the tree not being well-cared for. Perhaps this variety just produces fruit smaller than the standard plum.




I began tossing lawn clippings on the area thinking the decomposition of it would help loosen up the heavy clay soil.

Here is what it looked like in April of this year, before the suckers and bindweed have come up.



I’m still putting grass clippings on it, along with composted steer manure and digging it in. I had come up with a plan to replace the tree with a couple of tall and wide Viburnum. I ordered the Viburnum, one 'Aurora' (white) and a 'Red Wing' thinking they would be tall enough and wide enough to cover this section of fence by next Spring. At that time I would cut down the plum tree and all of its suckers.

Viburnum 'Aurora' before...









and after...









and what it would have looked like if it had survived my ineptitude.








Viburnum 'Red Wing' before...










and after...









and what it would have looked like. Ah well, they would have been beautiful.









I think the lesson here is that just because they are considered 'hardy' shrubs for my area, doesn't mean they don't need to be protected from the hot sun. I did expose them to the sun gradually, following the typical transplanting routine, i.e., a few hours of sun the first day and increasing sun exposure each day for a week before putting them into their permanent place. And I did water them a lot, although on reflection, maybe not often enough.

Another lesson is to pay a little extra to buy larger shrubs that would probably have had a better chance of getting established.

I will buy two more viburnum, the same ones again, and this time they will make it and my plan will have to be adjusted. Such is a gardeners lot.

In the mean time, there are two Lilac's maturing here until they get big enough to move somewhere a little more permanent.



And two squash 'Hybrid Gentry' crook-necked.





And one more plant, Spirea 'Little Princess'.



The open space in the above photo is as of today. I still need to figure out what will look good in front of two large Viburnum. This is the most difficult yet most fun part of gardening, is trying to decide what to plant.

Good garden design says I need to repeat what I already have planted, but there is so much more out there to plant that I just can't bring myself to be limited by what I already have. And I have to consider bloom times so I can have color during every season.

Maybe some Chrysanthemums, Geraniums, Bee Balm, Lilac....

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Reflecting on past spaces

I was sitting on the back deck yesterday afternoon looking out over the beds I have planted. They really have come a long way from when we first moved here.

I went to the computer and began looking at some pictures I had taken before the projects were started and it felt good to compare how the yard has changed.

Here are a couple of pictures of the backyard in April of 2005:

This one shows the new raised beds I had just built and filled with soil and compost.

The back fence needs some sort of vine and shrubs to 'pretty it up' a bit. That's an apple tree in front of the beds.


This one shows a concrete pad that had a dog house on it and the area to the right is the future site of a perennial flower bed.

A plum tree is against the fence to the right of the apple tree.


These next two pictures show the backyard in May of 2006:

That's a cherry tree to the left and a box elder hanging over my shed from the yard behind us. This tree is the home to hundreds of box elder bugs. Nasty flying red things that are just bothersome. They say these bugs don't eat anything in the garden and so far I guess that has been shown, but they are messy.


Nothing much has changed here. I did dig up the future perennial bed on the right next to the fence and am getting rid of the weeds and will add compost etc before planting it in Spring 2007.

I have decided to pile compost material on the concrete pad hoping to get some compost. I know it isn't an ideal location, being on concrete, but at least it's a start.


These final two pictures show the backyard in July of 2007:

The 'Heritage' raspberry bushes behind the cherry tree finally produced and they were plump and juicy.The plants are five years old this year and I was told they don't produce before this age.



Here the perennial bed has finally been planted and almost everything is surviving, much to my surprise. I do have a record of killing off plants. I'm thinking that just maybe I am beginning to get the hang of this gardening thing. I did just feed everything a couple of days ago, so that's a positive thing.

Looking at the grass I can see it is beginning to return to a semi-healthy state. In 2005 I attempted to feed it on what I thought was a regular schedule but by 2006 I could tell that I did not yet understand how or when to do it. So, I hired a lawn service in 2006 before I did irreparable damage. Now I understand that I am supposed to sprinkle the lawn with some sort of compost/top soil mixture and aerate it every year.

I did have it aerated last year and again this year. When they aerated it this year their machine would barely dig into the ground which led me to ask questions about why. It seems that I may not be watering it well enough and I suspect there are other problems that I have not yet been 'made aware of'. It seems there always is something additional that needs to be done or I need to add a little 'finesse' in doing it the way I am.

As far as watering goes, I keep hearing and reading that you should water about 20 minutes several times a week with an occasional 'deep watering' but that is if you have an installed irrigation system, which I don't. You can see the garden hose laid out across the lawn and this is my irrigation system. I followed the 'experts' advice attempting to get enough water on the backyard and my wife took care of the front yard. I noticed she watered a lot longer than I did but I didn't say anything until towards the end of the year. The result was that the front yard greened up a lot better than the backyard. So, I am convinced that I need to water a lot more.

Boy, this learning process is long and arduous. If only I had an expert that can look at it and tell me (complete with a proper schedule) what to do then I would have the confidence to do it myself. I guess learning is a reward in and of itself so I have to keep learning in order to keep being rewarded.

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June drop

Over the past couple of days I have noticed many young peaches scattered around the ground. Now this in itself is not really that big of a deal because they are all laying around under a peach tree. And they do tend to drop some about this time every year. What is remarkable about it happening this year is that there are so many. Here is a picture of what I picked up so far.



We moved into this house in 2004 and the peach tree was planted by the previous owner about 25 years ago. He told us that the tree suffered from two lightning strikes, one in 2003 and again in early 2004 and the poor thing shows it. Some branches are looking a bit beat up and some branches have had to be cut off. Also, last year high winds took off two more branches. Given the history of events and the age of the tree I just figured we wouldn’t get much off of the tree and we haven’t. We have been putting off the inevitable replacement of it because it is a big tree and does still provide some shade. Here’s a picture of the ‘doomed’ tree.



Research told me that occasionally fruit trees will just not produce anything or produce a very small crop. This is what happened last year when none of our fruit trees (we have one each of apple, cherry, plum, peach and pear) produced very much. The year before, in 2005, they each produced an amazingly large crop (except the peach tree). Last year I thought I had done something wrong since they didn’t produce (I’m pretty much used to doing something wrong when it comes to gardening since I am such a rookie at it all) but then I learned that many of my neighbors trees went through the same thing. Then I learned that it is just a natural cycle to have an ‘off year’, so I felt better.

This year the cherry tree did not produce as much but I know why that is. It’s because there is a bit of an insect problem with that one that I can’t do anything about until this Fall. We just let the birds have what little fruit it produced.

The apple tree is back to its prolific self and the plum and pear trees are doing really well.

As for the peach tree, my research told me that they need to be thinned very harshly every year. I didn’t thin because I thought the tree wasn’t going to do much anymore so I just wasn’t looking at it closely enough. Actually, I have pretty much ignored the tree until I began to step on the little squishy fruit. And that’s just wrong when you’re bare foot! Yuck!

I found out that you should thin out about 92% of the fruit! I was amazed when I heard this figure. And that if you don’t take enough fruit off then the tree will shed the fruit on its own. This is called ‘June Drop’ and it affects the apple tree as well. I’m used to it with the apple but the pear hasn’t done much since we moved in until now.

The research I read told me that after the peach tree loses this much fruit it will then produce larger peaches. So, I don’t know if that is what is going to happen with this tree or not but I will keep my fingers crossed. There is nothing quite like a fresh juicy peach right out of the tree. I am so looking forward to this.

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Ducks and more

We are visited regularly by Mallards coming to eat the sunflower seeds that drop from the bird feeders I have them hanging from our Apple and Cherry trees.

During Winter months I also spread cracked corn to feed the Dark-eyed Juncos and Mourning Doves.

There is a canal about 1/2 mile from here where the ducks hang out and I guess the ducks don't find their regular food source in Winter so they come here. It's pretty funny to watch them waddle down the street out front visiting each yard.

I see them mostly in pairs of one female and one male. Occasionally, another male will get the idea that he wants the female and he begins chasing them around. Or maybe he is just protecting a pile of cracked corn I left for them.

One thing I find really funny is watching them land. They are so graceful on water, but on land they have their feet stretched out in front as usual and when they hit the ground they almost topple over onto their beaks. They quickly recover and then stand there looking around as if to see if anyone caught them looking silly.

When we have gone to the canal to feed them with our grandkids they all come running expecting some treat. But when they are in the back yard they keep a wary eye on me and stay to the other side of the yard. If I get too close they just take off.

They say that the ducks are migratory and every Fall I see a lot of them in the sky heading South along with the Canadian Geese. There is a group that elect to stay here and I can't understand why they wouldn't go to a warmer climate with all the others.

Haven't seen the Juncos or Flickers recently. They have all been here all winter, maybe they found their natural food source has returned. Now that I think about, I don't see Black-capped chickadees much either.

The Finches and Starlings are always here. The Finches are the ones that eat so much sunflower seed and make the mess under the feeders. As long as the Ducks eat up the seed mess I don't mind at all. There are purple finches, goldfinches and house finches and are definitely the most common of all the visitors. And boy are they noisy. When the Starlings are on the suet feeders they get pretty rowdy too. It's nice to hear their songs and voices all through Winter though.

I saw a Coopers Hawk this morning sitting in the Apple tree, about three feet from the bird feeder on the same branch. And I didn't see one finch anywhere.

The hawk sat stone still in the Apple tree for about 30 minutes keeping an eye on the feeders in the Cherry tree about 60 feet away. Slowly finches were coming to the feeders in the Cherry tree and when there were about 10 or 12, the hawk shot out of the Apple tree towards the Cherry tree and snagged a finch from one of the lower branches.

The hawk then landed on a fence post about 10 feet past the Cherry tree and began plucking the feathers off of it and ate it. It was pretty thrilling to see the hawk in action, not many people get to see that. Unfortunately for the finch he didn't enjoy it as much as I did. But, it is part of the circle of life.

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Fire blight on pear trees

Learned on a local radio gardening call-in show that now is a good time to prune out Fire Blight from Pear trees. Fire blight is one of the most destructive bacteria that affects pear and apple trees and is very difficult to control.

The Ohio State University Extension has a great fact sheet here on the symptoms, cause and treatment of Fire blight. I’m sure many university and state agriculture extensions have good information as well.

Fire blight is caused by a bacteria that overwinters around cankers on the trunk and branches. When spring temperatures get above 65F and there is enough moisture, from rain or high humidity, Just one active cankers can produce enough bacteria to infect an entire orchard. The bacterium is spread by splashing rain or insects to open blossoms.

If twigs appear water-soaked, then turn dark brown or black, and bend over, resembling a shepherd's crook or an upside down "J" the tree is probably infected with Fire blight. As the fire blight bacteria move through blighted twigs into main branches, the bark sometimes cracks along the margin of the infected area on the main branch causing a distinct canker and droplets of ooze appear.

Prune 12” below the infected area with disinfected shears. Use a 10% bleach solution to wipe the blade after every cut.

This time of year is still a little early for major pruning of pear trees but you can safely prune to get rid of this stuff.

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