image from grinningplant.com
Interesting article about what NOT to do in the landscape. I will post a couple of these and then wait and post a couple more. LOTS to read. Cooler out this morning. Temperature at 17 degrees a high of 22 and then it will get colder. We have a light dusting of snow. So the ground is white. We don’t have to go very far south, and the grass is showing with less snow. The weatherman said no sun coming out but looks like we might get for a little while. Makes us all feel better when we have sunshine. Stay safe and stay positive.
GARDENING LANDSCAPING
10 Landscaping Myths Busted
Have You Fallen Prey to Any of These Misguided Beliefs? Written by David Beaulieu
These two trees are the same type (Bradford pear) and growing right next to each other, yet one has fall foliage and the other doesn't. David Beaulieu
Are landscaping myths harmless? Well, that really depends on what category they fall into. That is, we can speak broadly of two different classes of misguided notions:
Those of a practical nature
Those of an aesthetic nature
Category #2 deals in the subjective realm, so it would not be right to term any landscaping myths of this sort "harmful." But when it comes to Category #1 (and it is mainly with this class that the present article deals), you can, in fact, do quite a bit of harm in some cases if you allow yourself to be guided by these misguided notions. So lest you fall prey to any of these mistaken beliefs, let's do some myth busting, shall we?
The More Sunlight a Plant Receives in Cold Climates, the Better
Why this is a landscaping myth:
Firstly, the "all" in the above statement is highly problematic. Some plants, such as peonies, actually have what is called a "chilling requirement," so you do not want them to get overly warm in winter.
Then there is the phenomenon of what is termed "winter burn," a type of foliar damage suffered by evergreen shrubs, such as arborvitae. It is not the cold that causes this type of damage, rather, it is excessive sun and wind during the winter.
My Tree Looks Like It's Dying, So I'll Fertilize It to Try to Put It Back on the Right Track
What is wrong with this line of reasoning:
If a tree is all of a sudden looking poorly (for example, it has brown leaves when it should have green foliage), the following are examples of possible causes that you should be exploring:
It has not been irrigated properly.
It has suffered mechanical damage.
It has been attacked by a pest or by a disease.
You will not solve any such problems by fertilizing the specimen in question.
Landscaping With Native Plants a Trend, So I'll let Wild Plants Grow
Guess again!
"Native plant" and "wild plant" are not synonymous. In the Western Hemisphere, the former is usually defined as a plant that was here in pre-Columbian times. Many plants that grow in the wild in the Western Hemisphere, such as dame's rocket (Hesperis matronalis), do not meet this criterion. They may have naturalized, but that does not make them native plants. Indeed, some are among the worst invasive plants; as such, they are on the "enemies list" of most native-plant enthusiasts.
Cutting the Grass as Short as Possible When Mowing Means I Won't Have to Do It Again for a While
Why this reasoning involves a landscaping myth:
There is more that's "short" in this statement than just a shortcut and short grass: it is also short-sighted. In the long run, mowing in this manner will not decrease, but increase the amount of care you have to put into your lawn. Why? Because it will harm your lawn, then you will have to put extra time, energy and money into repairing it. Learning how high to cut your grass is a critically important step in your lawn-care education.
You Have to Get All Your Planting Done in Spring or Wait Another Year
Here is what is incorrect about this:
At least subscribing to this landscaping myth will not cause any harm, but thinking this way does impose an unnecessary restriction on you, thereby diminishing the pleasure you can take in your landscaping. It is also an understandable misconception, in the sense that, indeed, planting in the summer's heat has been the death knell of many a plant.
But that still leaves fall. Late autumn is, in fact, a good time to plant trees.
Taken from https://www.thespruce.com/landscaping-myths-busted-
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337 cell phone 641-903-9365
GARDENING LANDSCAPING
10 Landscaping Myths Busted
Have You Fallen Prey to Any of These Misguided Beliefs? Written by David Beaulieu
These two trees are the same type (Bradford pear) and growing right next to each other, yet one has fall foliage and the other doesn't. David Beaulieu
Are landscaping myths harmless? Well, that really depends on what category they fall into. That is, we can speak broadly of two different classes of misguided notions:
Those of a practical nature
Those of an aesthetic nature
Category #2 deals in the subjective realm, so it would not be right to term any landscaping myths of this sort "harmful." But when it comes to Category #1 (and it is mainly with this class that the present article deals), you can, in fact, do quite a bit of harm in some cases if you allow yourself to be guided by these misguided notions. So lest you fall prey to any of these mistaken beliefs, let's do some myth busting, shall we?
The More Sunlight a Plant Receives in Cold Climates, the Better
Why this is a landscaping myth:
Firstly, the "all" in the above statement is highly problematic. Some plants, such as peonies, actually have what is called a "chilling requirement," so you do not want them to get overly warm in winter.
Then there is the phenomenon of what is termed "winter burn," a type of foliar damage suffered by evergreen shrubs, such as arborvitae. It is not the cold that causes this type of damage, rather, it is excessive sun and wind during the winter.
My Tree Looks Like It's Dying, So I'll Fertilize It to Try to Put It Back on the Right Track
What is wrong with this line of reasoning:
If a tree is all of a sudden looking poorly (for example, it has brown leaves when it should have green foliage), the following are examples of possible causes that you should be exploring:
It has not been irrigated properly.
It has suffered mechanical damage.
It has been attacked by a pest or by a disease.
You will not solve any such problems by fertilizing the specimen in question.
Landscaping With Native Plants a Trend, So I'll let Wild Plants Grow
Guess again!
"Native plant" and "wild plant" are not synonymous. In the Western Hemisphere, the former is usually defined as a plant that was here in pre-Columbian times. Many plants that grow in the wild in the Western Hemisphere, such as dame's rocket (Hesperis matronalis), do not meet this criterion. They may have naturalized, but that does not make them native plants. Indeed, some are among the worst invasive plants; as such, they are on the "enemies list" of most native-plant enthusiasts.
Cutting the Grass as Short as Possible When Mowing Means I Won't Have to Do It Again for a While
Why this reasoning involves a landscaping myth:
There is more that's "short" in this statement than just a shortcut and short grass: it is also short-sighted. In the long run, mowing in this manner will not decrease, but increase the amount of care you have to put into your lawn. Why? Because it will harm your lawn, then you will have to put extra time, energy and money into repairing it. Learning how high to cut your grass is a critically important step in your lawn-care education.
You Have to Get All Your Planting Done in Spring or Wait Another Year
Here is what is incorrect about this:
At least subscribing to this landscaping myth will not cause any harm, but thinking this way does impose an unnecessary restriction on you, thereby diminishing the pleasure you can take in your landscaping. It is also an understandable misconception, in the sense that, indeed, planting in the summer's heat has been the death knell of many a plant.
But that still leaves fall. Late autumn is, in fact, a good time to plant trees.
Taken from https://www.thespruce.com/landscaping-myths-busted-
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337 cell phone 641-903-9365
