Flora Peno Tiger Lily

Flora Peno tiger lily is a spectacular perennial I feature in the front flower garden. They self seed and have never disappointed coming back year after year. The large plants handle my Zone 4B climate.

They are in an area that receives plenty of sun and I keep them watered during the growing season.  Having seen any insects damaging them.

Soil treatment for the lilies is discussed in the following blog post:   Spring And Fall Bed Preparation

Preparing lily plants for winter is discussed in the following blog post: Preparing Plants And Garden For Winter

Wikipedia link for: Flora Peno Tiger Lily

They can be purchased at all major bulb and plant suppliers.

They don't need any special care or soil. Check with your local Ag office to see if they can grow in your location.

Here is the growing sequence with calendar dates:

5/25

5/30

7/7

7/23

7/28

8/6

8/6

8/6

I would highly recommend them for a flower garden. Happy Gardening!

Spring And Fall Bed Preparation

I apply rotted cow manure in the fall and the following spring. The fall application allows the manure to work its way naturally into the ground using the rain, sleet, snow, and the freeze thaw of the winter. The manure feeds the roots over the winter. The spring application works its way into the snow via the spring rains and freeze thaw of the season. And gives the roots a fresh supply of manure to help them get ready for the growing season.

A friend sent this to me. I tend to get started before my neighbors. 

I buy the rotted cow manure as early as possible from the store. The frozen bags are easy to carry and don't make a mess in the car. I also buy this at the end of the season for the discount. If you do this, make sure you put them in an elevated place so they don't freeze to the the ground. 

I just fill up a bucket and walk around broadcast spreading it over all the beds. No fancy technique needed. I'm old school. I don't wear gloves. I just wash my hands afterward. 

From front to rear, peony sorbet, sedum, iris, coneflower, rudbeckia, horseradish

From front to rear, lily, coneflower, phlox, lily, asparagus

From front to rear, coneflower, lily, tree peony, phlox, blackberry red currant

From front to rear, stargazer lily, coneflower, rudbeckia, 

Flora Peno lily, coneflower area

From front to rear, coneflower, peony sorbet, rudbeckia, sedum areas

Side yard daffodil and coneflower areas

There is nothing fancy or complicated about this process. But root development is critical for good plants. You see the results, months later,  in the summer when the healthy plants are in full bloom. And the work is worth it. Happy Gardening !

Preparing Plants And Garden For Winter

It is very important to get the garden ready for winter. The garden is still alive during the winter though most of the activity is below ground. 

I usually use a 4 step process for the following selected plants.

• Blackberries
• Raspberries
• Sedum
• Hops
• Peony Sorbet
• Iris
• Daylily
• Coneflower
• Lily

4 step process:

• Cut down plant to ground level and dispose of the cuttings in the compost bin(s)
• Remove dead material or weeds around base of plant
• Apply rotted cow manure in an area roughly equal to the extent of growth
• Add a layer of shredded mulch about 1" thick above manure 

One of the peony sorbet locations prepared for Winter.

The following plants get a 3 step process.

• Tree Peony
• Gooseberries
• Black Currants
• Red Currants
• Gooseberries
• Blueberries (add acid treatment to soil)

Steps:

• Remove dead material or weeds around base of plant
• Apply rotted cow manure in an area roughly equal to the extent of growth
• Add a layer of shredded mulch about 1" thick above manure 

Fall is also the time to plant lilies. I planted 2 groups of fragrant lilies this Fall. 

One of the new locations of the lilies is shown below.

A snapshot of one section of the front garden shows preparation for the winter. 

I don't cut all of the other plants down for the winter because insects overwinter in the roots, stems, and growth. 

I also leave coneflower seeds. They provide a winter food source for the birds.

Proper preparation in the Fall for your garden to grow in the Winter will enable the plants to have a great start in the Spring!

Supplemental Feeding To Help Bees Prepare For Winter - Wasps And Hornets Get Some Too

The news always mentions bees disappearing. I try to grow heirloom flowers that attract pollinators. I do not use pesticides in my garden or lawn.

So as the leaves change, bees scramble for last minute food to store for the winter.

The garden is in Hardiness Zone 4B. Temperatures can each -29F. The frost line is 4 1/2 feet deep.

I leave some maple syrup or honey out in a sunny spot to give the bees some extra food when there are no flowers left.

I put paper towels down and spread honey in globs or lines. The paper towel keeps it from running off the surface. The lines and globs minimizes territorial protection. The big European hornets keep anyone except nest mates away from them. The yellow jackets and honey bees tend to develop their own areas.

This is what happens when the honeybees defend a big blob of honey. They shield it from everyone not related to them.

And as a bonus, other insects show up; hornets, bald-face hornets, flies

To learn more about these insects and how then help your garden grow, click on the links provided

Wasps information link: Cornell Agriculture Paper: Wasps Of New York State And Some Relatives

European hornets and yellow jackets feeding on honey

European hornet link: Penn State Department Of Entomology European Hornet Link

Yellow jacket link: Penn State Department Of Entomology Yellowjackets Link

Bald-face hornets show up. Look at the size difference between the hornets and the yellow jacket !!

Bald-face hornet link: Penn State Department Of Entomology Bald Face Hornet link

Yellow jackets tend to be the first insects at the spot in the early morning. Then a couple of honey bees arrive as the sun acscends into the sky. By early afternoon the hornets arrive. Then the place is full of honey bees. Rain keeps them away. At night some yellow jackets spend the night due to the chilly air. The sun warms them up and they start their foraging all over again.

I loved to watch insects as a child. The garden enables me to continue my interest and watch these amazing creatures !!

When Do I Plant?

When i first moved to upstate New York, I asked the simple question: When do I plant?  In a previous post I talked about getting information from traditional resources. I'll list all of the bits of information I received and then what I, years later, do.

When can I put plants out?

• Plants can go out after May 15th
• You can put them out on Memorial day
• The first week of June

When is the last snow?

• May 1st
• May 15th

And then I met a little old lady that told me she saw snow, as a child, on June 12th.

Strawberries - Picture Of The Day 01-14-2013

I usually have 100 ever bearing strawberry plants. I used to grow golf ball size annual strawberries but I found that slugs loved them more that I did.  I got tired of getting excited about seeing a golf ball size strawberry grow only o see a slug on it when i went o pick it. The ever bearing are nice because they are constant source of supply of little flavor bombs. If I'm having a bad day, I just pop a couple in my mouth and things seem better. 

I have deep beds so the strawberry roots can get plenty of water.

Tonight the Forecast is 25F