plant pick

Moss phlox
Phlox subulata

Moss phlox is one of those tried-and-true perennials that we often neglect in lieu of newer flowers. But wouldn’t you like to have a perennial that insects leave alone? Or one that comes through the coldest winters and the hottest summers without extra care?

You may know this spring bloomer as moss pink, mountain phlox, ground pink, creeping phlox or flowering moss. No matter what you call it, this perennial is easily recognized by the low, dense mounds of bright colors. There are several great named cultivars, but this perennial’s been around so long that often it’s just sold by color. To get the best habits and colors, try to find named cultivars like the ones shown here.

This plant grows best in a bed with good drainage. Click here to see how ‘White Delight’ and ‘Atropurpurea’ are used in a rock garden setting. Along a path where you can enjoy the flowers in spring is another good spot, especially since moss phlox tolerates the heat next to a sidewalk or driveway.

Wherever you grow it, it’ll look best if you plant several in a group. Use all one variety or create a tapestry of color by letting several colors grow together. (You can keep the names straight by using the nifty plant tags at right!)

TYPE Perennial BLOOM Flowers in shades of red, pink, violet, blue and white in early spring LIGHT Full sun to part shade SIZE 4 to 6 in. tall, 12 to 24 in. wide SOIL Well-drained, slightly alkaline PESTS None serious HARDINESS Cold: USDA zones 3 to 9, Heat: AHS zones 9 to 1

from the wild side

Fiery searcher
Calosoma scrutator

IDENTIFICATION — Quietly going about the business of hunting insects, especially caterpillars, the fiery searcher is a helpful predator to have in the garden. The insect is colorful, with brilliant green ridged wing covers ringed in red. Its legs, abdomen, head and pronatum (the area behind the head) are shiny blue-black. Even though the fiery searcher has wings, it rarely uses them. It’s more likely to run for cover on its long legs than fly if it sees you coming near.

You’ll notice beetles emerging from their winter hiding places in spring to feed and mate. Eggs are laid singly in the soil and hatch into long, slender larvae with short front legs. It takes about a year for the beetles to mature. Juvenile beetles inhabit the soil and feed on a variety of insects, including caterpillars. Long-lived for insects, fiery searchers can reach the ripe old age of three or even four years.

Be careful if you handle these beautiful beetles. When startled, they release a foul odor as protection against predators, such as raccoons, frogs, birds, squirrels and other animals.

FAVORITE CONDITIONS — Found throughout North America, these ground beetles hide in leaf litter, under rocks or in decaying logs during the day and emerge at night to find a meal. One of the larger beetles, fiery searchers grow 1 to 1 1/2 in. long and have large mandibles for grabbing prey. They’re especially fond of tent caterpillars and gypsy moth larvae and will even climb trees to find a midnight snack.

HOW TO ATTRACT — You can’t buy these helpful creatures, but you can encourage larger numbers by providing hiding places, such as stepping stones, a compost pile or a rotten log. Also, avoid spraying insecticides whenever possible, since the chemicals will kill these beneficial insects along with the pests.

Write + Erase Plant Tags

A pretty and durable way to identify your favorite plants.

from the
current issue

of Garden Gate magazine:

Slide Show
A Sneak Peek at our Favorite New Plants!
Plan
A Bird-Friendly Back Yard
Article
13 Great Plants: Evergreens Give a Small Garden Structure

See all Web extras

Nothing matches the extravagant impact of bulbs blooming in spring. But you don’t have to plant hundreds of them — here are a few simple bulb and plant combinations that will create a great splash of color!

Check out more outstanding plant combinations in Great Plant Combos Made Easy at right from the editors of Garden Gate magazine.

problem solver

Eastern cottontail
Sylvilagus spp.

IDENTIFICATION — Most of us know a rabbit when we see it — long ears, fuzzy tail and a piece of your favorite plant dangling from its mouth! Eastern cottontails, the most common, are found across North America.

DAMAGE — These pests do eat annuals and perennials, but the damage is usually cosmetic, although they can ruin a vegetable garden or your favorite spring bulbs. But worse yet, they can girdle and kill shrubs and small trees, often the most expensive plants in a garden. Damage to trees is more severe during the winter when there aren’t green plants for rabbits to munch. If you look closely at the trunk, you’ll see characteristic small, paired tooth marks. The damage usually starts a couple of inches from the ground and goes above the highest snow line.

CONTROL — First, make the area less attractive by removing hiding places like brush piles. There are hundreds of home recipes for keeping rabbits away. Some people swear by them; others may find that they simply don’t work. In any case, they probably won’t keep really hungry rabbits at bay for long.

Chemical repellents, like Ro-Pel^®, are effective, but most of them need to be reapplied after rain and several times during the winter. A cylinder of 1/4-in. hardware cloth will keep rabbits away from shrubs and young trees. The bottom of the cylinder needs to be 3 in. below the soil’s surface to prevent digging, and the top needs to be 24 in. above the anticipated snow line. Or you can use rigid plastic tree guards, although in extreme cases, rabbits can chew through them.

You can fence off an entire bed with chicken wire or hardware cloth, but make sure there are no rabbits hiding inside when you’re fencing. Check the bed periodically during the winter to make sure that no rabbits have managed to move in.

Great Plant Combos Made Easy

Learn to combine plants like a pro for instant impact and season-long color with this book from the editors of Garden Gate magazine.

from the
current issue

of Garden Gate magazine:

Slide Show
A Sneak Peek at our Favorite New Plants!
Plan
A Bird-Friendly Back Yard
Article
13 Great Plants: Evergreens Give a Small Garden Structure

See all Web extras

Whether you’re new to tree pruning or have been doing it for years, you’ll find that one of the best times to start is when plants are dormant in winter or early spring. You can see the branches that need to be removed without all of those leaves in the way. And it’s good for the tree, too: The rising sap in spring will stimulate new growth to make the wounds heal over faster.

With a couple of exceptions, you can prune almost any deciduous tree this time of year. Maples and birches bleed sap if their bark is injured in the spring. Losing sap won’t kill the tree, but it is messy as it runs down the trunk or drips from branches. It’s better to wait until midsummer to prune these two trees.

Here are a few problems to watch for: Water sprouts are shoots that grow strictly upright from along the main branches. Stubs are blunt-ended branches left on the tree that detract from its natural or graceful shape. Crossed or rubbing branches create opportunities for disease or pests to enter. And finally, high up in the tree, too many small branches block sunlight, so the tree might need a little thinning. Once you’ve spotted some of these problems in your tree, the next step is to gather the right pruning tools.

HANDHELD PRUNERS — Carry your pruners with you whenever you’re in the garden so you can snip small water sprouts, suckers and twigs as you spot them. Most pruners will cut branches with a 3/4-in. diameter with no problem. Some prefer bypass or scissor-cut pruners like these because they cut close to a branch and won’t leave a stub. Unlike anvil pruners, they’re less likely to crush the bark at the edge of the wound.

These Felco pruners are our favorite — buy our Pruning Gift Set, which includes a #2 or #6 pair of Felco pruners, a sheath and The Pruner’s Bible, and we’ll throw in a free sharpener.

PRUNING SAW — If you’re removing branches smaller than 3 in. in diameter, a pruning saw works fine. The curved blade allows you to get into tight places. Or try a double-edged pruning saw. One edge has coarse teeth for rough cutting and the other has smaller teeth for making finer finish cuts.

POLE SAW — With this tool, you won’t need to climb into the tree or drag a ladder out of the shed to reach branches 15 ft. up. This pole saw has a curved blade so you can hook onto and easily cut a 2-in.-diameter branch. On the opposite side of the saw is a hook with a lopper blade that cuts when you pull on a rope. It comes in handy when you’re snipping small branches or twigs as you thin the crown.

Pruning Gift Set

Buy the set: Felco pruners, sheath and The Pruner’s Bible — and get the sharpener for free!…

Click for a foliage detail.

problem solver

Box elder
Acer negundo

IDENTIFICATION — Box elder leaves have three lobed leaflets that are somewhat pointed. The stems are smooth green to dark red with a white waxy coating that you can rub off with your fingers. Click to see a foliage detail.

A single or multi-stemmed tree that grows up to 75-ft.-tall, box elder is not good to have in your garden. Winged seeds can sprout almost anywhere and new trees can also sprout from the shallow roots, which make it hard to grow anything nearby. In addition, its weak wood breaks easily in storms.

FAVORITE CONDITIONS — Box elder is not picky. Any place in full sun to part shade with moist, even wet soil is fine. It readily adapts to almost any conditions except deep shade or very dry soil.

CONTROL — Pull seedlings if you spot them when they’re young enough. This is the best method in areas where you can’t dig or spray, such as in ground cover beds.

Spray young sprouts in open, mulched areas with nonselective herbicides, such as Roundup^® Poison Ivy & Tough Brush Killer Plus. Always follow the label directions, but you usually apply these products to actively growing weeds in spring or summer.

Digging is the preferred method in beds where spraying a herbicide would be risky for the other plants. Plus, unlike spraying actively growing weeds, digging lets you get rid of box elder any time you can push the shovel into the soil.

Once box elder gets too big to dig, you’ll need to use a saw to remove it. Then dribble or brush on a systemic stump killer around the edges where the sap is flowing. It’s absorbed into the wood and kills the roots.

Click for a planting plan and plant list.

kitchen basket

Florists, supermarket floral departments and even home improvement stores stock live plants year-round these days. But their color really packs a punch when the view outdoors is dreary. In addition to house plants, in late winter you’ll see pre-chilled spring bulbs, such as hyacinths, daffodils and tulips, ready to bloom. Blooming gift plants, like cyclamen and primrose, are also easy to find now. You can buy them already combined in pretty containers, but it’s more fun to buy individual ones and put together different combinations. It’s easy — create your own!

First, look around your house for a fun, unique container. You can use almost anything that’ll hold plants, as long as it has drainage. Here, a wire basket lined with pre-soaked and wrung-out sheet moss, holds a plastic bag (with a couple of drainage holes poked in the bottom) and some potting mix. Pop the plants out of their plastic pots and tuck them into the mix. Or, if you prefer, just set them, pots and all, into your container and top with more moss to hide the pot edges. (Either way works fine, since this isn’t a very long-term arrangement. (Check out the plan here.)

A few cut stems of pussy willow add flair to the combination. Use a saucer — either in the bottom of the basket or underneath — to keep any water droplets from damaging the table. In a cool room, expect your combination to last several weeks.

problem solver

Crown vetch
Coronilla varia

IDENTIFICATION — Crown vetch grows up to 2 ft. tall. It has a dense, sprawling habit with stems that can be 5 to 6 ft. long. Pink flowers are followed by 3-in.-long seed pods. Although it’s still being sold and planted, you do not want this near your garden. It can spread quickly with seeds, root and stem pieces, and it’s tough to get rid of.

FAVORITE CONDITIONS — You’ll find this pest in full sun to part shade in rocky or rich soil. Once used to control erosion along roadways, this weed escaped and is forcing out native plants.

CONTROL — Dig crown vetch out of established gardens or use a selective herbicide in turf areas. It’s a perennial, so for the best control, apply herbicide in fall, before the leaves go dormant, and again in spring as the leaves emerge. Repeated mowing also keeps this weeds from producing seeds.

When you’re tackling crown vetch and other weeds with tough roots, a good weeding tool, such as our Soil Knife, really comes in handy.

What’s Wrong
With My Plant?
(And How Do I Fix It?)

This handy book helps you diagnose problems and keep your plants healthy!

It’s never too early to start planning dynamite containers for great summer color. But do you need some fresh ideas to inspire you? Here are a few gorgeous container plantings to get you going! Want to know exactly how to plant each of these up? Check out the Container Plans below.

CONTAINER PLANS:
1. Simple and Stunning   2. Show-Stopping Color   3. Merry Sunshine
4. Shady Summer Combo  5. Ever So Exuberant

See plans and plant lists for lots of other fabulous container recipes in Containers Made Easy! at right!

problem solver

Four-lined plant bug
Poecilocapsus lineatus

IDENTIFICATION — The four-lined plant bug is one of the most common pests in the garden. It likes to feed on more than 250 species of ornamental, woody and edible plants. In urban areas the four-lined plant bug is usually found on perennials and shrubs.

Damage from this pest starts in late spring when plant foliage has emerged and eggs hatch. Nymphs look like tiny adults but are bright red to orange with black wing pads. Over a period of about six weeks and several molts, the four-lined plant bug gradually changes color. Adults are yellow to chartreuse with, you guessed it, four black lines running down the wing covers on their backs. Since mature bugs have wings, they move from plant to plant, feeding for about a month until they mate. After mating, the female cuts a small slit in a plant stem to make a winter home for her cluster of eggs. By midsummer most of the adults have died. There’s just one generation of four-lined plant bugs each year.

DAMAGE — You’ll know four-lined plant bugs are around if you see tiny round sunken spots that are brown to translucent on the foliage of your plants. With heavy damage, the leaves might be distorted or curled.

Damage is often mistaken for leaf spot disease. But foliar disease spots from fungi or bacteria are irregular, and the marks left by the four-lined plant bugs are almost uniform in shape and size.

CONTROL — What can you do to get rid of this hungry insect? Start checking your garden in spring for damage. Since the nymphs can’t fly, their damage tends to be clustered in one area. And it’s easier to get rid of them while they’re less mobile. But whether you have nymphs or adults, the most environmentally friendly way to remove these unwelcome pests is with a few sprays of insecticidal soap.

Containers Made Easy!
Volume 3

All the in-depth information, photos and recipes you need to make your containers really shine!

Click to see what fertilizer you need.

which fertilizer
do you need?

Ever wonder if you’re feeding your garden right? What plants need fertilizer? What type and how much should you apply? It can all seem pretty confusing. Here are some fertilizer facts to take the guesswork out of feeding your garden next year:

SHOULD I FERTILIZE EVERYTHING? — The quick answer is no. If you’ve worked lots of organic matter into your soil before planting, then added more every year or two, it may not need extra fertilizers. Some plants actually prefer lean, infertile soil. For example, feeding a tall sedum can make the stems weak and floppy so the plant falls open in the center. And applying the wrong fertilizer won’t help your plants much, either. If you give lawn fertilizer to a lilac, for instance, you’ll get lush foliage but few flowers.

HOW CAN I KNOW I’M BUYING THE RIGHT STUFF? — Just as you do when you buy food for your family, start by reading the label. There are three main ingredients in every fertilizer:

N=nitrogen, feeds foliage

P=phosphorus, produces flowers and fruit

K=potassium, keeps plants healthy and strong

You’ll find them listed in that order on every package. It’s the combinations of these ingredients that determine the best fertilizer for your plants. If you’re not sure what a particular plant needs, try feeding it at a quarter to half the recommended rate and see what happens. A water-soluble fertilizer works well for this because it gives a quick result. If the plant improves, feed a bit more the next time. Or switch to a granulated fertilizer with a similar analysis for long-term feeding. Take a look at the table to see what fertilizer analysis different types of plants need. (The actual numbers will vary from brand to brand, but the proportions will be similar.)

Handy Weeder/Cultivator

This useful weeding tool removes weeds easily without harming nearby plants…

problem solver

Groundhogs
Marmota monax

IDENTIFICATION — Punxsutawney Phil may be cute, but a wild groundhog in your garden can be a problem. Though dandelion greens, clover and grasses are some of their favorites, garden vegetables and fruits often disappear when these furry pests are around. Their enthusiastic burrowing can cause nearby plants to suffer, too.

Sometimes called woodchucks, groundhogs are 16 to 27 in. long with dark red-brown hair, short, bushy tails and sharp teeth. Widely distributed in North America, groundhogs are particularly common in the eastern United States up into northern Quebec and Ontario. In the West, they are found in Alaska and southern Yukon and Northwest Territories.

LIFE CYCLE — Groundhogs can live up to 10 years However, the average life span in the wild is probably less since they are on the menu for such predators as coyotes, owls and hawks.

Each spring, females give birth to a litter of four to six helpless kits. They grow quickly and spend all summer binging on greens to put on weight for winter hibernation. Around October they retire to their dens and sleep until spring.

But how do they know when to wake up? The groundhog’s internal clock is affected by annual changes in daylight.

CONTROL — To keep groundhogs from settling in your garden, clear areas with tall grass and remove brush piles, where they like to hide. Groundhogs are timid and can be frightened away by changes in their environment. If you already have groundhogs, try a repellent, such as Messina Wildlife Management’s Groundhog Repellent. It smells and tastes bad to the groundhog.

Click to see a larger image.

plant pick

‘Six Hills Giant’ catmint
Nepeta hybrid

As you begin to plan for flower color in your summer garden, you’d do well to include some catmint. The blooms of these hardy perennials come in shades of purple, blue, pink or white and are popular with butterflies and hummingbirds. All catmints are heat- and drought-tolerant, as well as extremely pest-resistant. On top of that they’re fragrant, too. Brush the foliage and you’ll get a pleasant herbal scent.

One of the most popular cultivars you’ll find is ‘Six Hills Giant’, with rich purple blooms and gray-green foliage. It’s more tolerant of damp conditions than other catmints and is also one of the longest-blooming members of this family. Leave enough room for this large perennial — it grows nearly 3 ft. tall and up to 4 ft. wide. Remove the faded flowers to encourage even more blooms and cut back the whole plant by one-third after the first flush of blooms has finished for a later rebloom.

TYPE Perennial SIZE 3 ft. tall, 3 to 4 ft. wide BLOOM Purple flowers from early to late summer LIGHT Full sun SOIL Well-drained, slightly alkaline PESTS None serious HARDINESS Cold: USDA zones 3 to 9, Heat: AHS zones 9 to 1

The Sprout House and Relocation Station

This cool product makes starting seeds fast and easy…

Starting Seeds Gift Set

You get it all: Garden Gate Starting Seeds DVD, The New Seed-Starter’s Handbook and Neptune’s Harvest fertilizer.