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  North Country MGV

gARDEN bLOGS

Pinch and Prune Basics

6/28/2022

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​​We use “pinch and prune” to mean a variety of techniques.   They can include pruning, deadheading, pinching stems or buds, or cutting back leggy plants to shape, form and trim.  It is usually species-specific and based on common sense and experience – don’t worry about hurting your plants by experimenting. 
 
Some tools that you will need are by-pass pruners, pruning scissors, and hand-held shears.  Avoid anvil-type pruners that can crush stems.    Different techniques call for specific tools, find the one that works for you.
Techniques
Deadheading is the removal of old or spent flowers and is beneficial to most herbaceous ornamentals.  Seed production can drain a plant’s energy and cause foliage to deteriorate.  Deadheading can promote vegetative and root growth rather than seed production.  By deadheading you can prolong bloom periods, initiate a second smaller bloom, improve overall appearance, and prevent self-seeding.  Some examples of species that benefit from deadheading are:  Daylilies, Hostas, Lady’s Mantle, and Lambs Ear. 
 
Cutting back refers to pruning a plant to renew its appearance or encourage a new flush of growth or flowering, control its height or flowering time.  Pinching can accomplish the same objective.  If you travel for several weeks, you can cut certain plants by one third to delay bloom time until you get back home.  Examples:  Dianthus, Candy Tuft, Moss Phlox, Catmint, Geranium Amsonia, Baptisia, Achillea, Aster, Mums, Sedum, Joe Pye Weed. 
 
Pinching allows for experimentation and usually involves removing only the growing tips.  Generally do this early in the growing season because it will delay bloom time.  Examples:  Sedum, Shasta daisy, Joe Pye Weed, Aster, Artemisia. 
 
Thinning can prevent disease, create sturdier stems, and increase the size of flowers.  It can often help to increase air circulation to help prevent powdery mildew.  Use this on:  Aster, Delphinium, Mondarda, Phlox, Bulgeweed, Lambs Ear, and Lady’s Mantle. 
 
Disbudding involves removing side buds so that the plant’s terminal bud produces larger flowers on a longer stem.  Removing the terminal bud will cause the side buds to produce smaller but more flowers; it can also eliminate the need for staking.  Examples:  Mums, Carnations, Pinks, Dahlias, Peonies. 
 
Deadleafing removes individual dead leaves to improve appearance.  Examples:  Elijah Blue grass in spring, Lady’s Mantle in summer, and Hellebores (Lenten Rose) in the spring. 
 
A great source of information on all these techniques is The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust, Timber Press, 2006.  

Article and photo credit:  Sue Reinardy, Master Gardener
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Pollinator Friendly Practices

6/24/2022

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​In addition to planting natives that bloom from early spring through a hard freeze there are several other practices that support pollinators in our gardens.  A Pollinator Garden should include enhanced nesting opportunities for the pollinators and their families: preserving areas of bare or sparsely vegetated, well-drained soil; preserve dead or dying trees and shrubs; minimize mulch; and maintain a nearby water source, such as a water garden or birdbath.  
More helpful practices:
  • Shield from winds--Include windbreaks, such as a fence, shrub, or wall.
  • Plant to suit the animals and insects you want to attract
  • Create layers and more densely planted gardens while reducing areas dedicated to lawns
  • Locate food plants and feeders by shelter
  • Choose a sunny location.
  • If space is limited, consider planting in pots or containers.
  • Milkweed is a necessity for monarchs, so plant milkweed!
  • Avoid using herbicides or insecticides to get rid of unwanted plants or insects. Weed by hand as needed.
  • Plant the Best of the Best Trees (as determined by the number of butterfly & moths supported): 
    Oak (534), Willow (455), Birch (413), Poplar (368), Crabapple (311), Pine (203), Spruce (156), Basswood (150) -- Compare: Norway Maple (0)
How can you get involved in supporting native habitat, animals, and insects? Become a citizen scientist, learn more about your native habitat and support organizations that preserve pollinators. 

Organizations:
  • Monarch Watch  http://monarchwatch.org/
  • Wild Ones www.wildones.org   Website on native plants, natural landscapes
  • Pollinator Partnership  www.pollinator.org   Organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of pollinators and their ecosystems.  Download a free ‘Pollinator Friendly Planting Guide’. 
  • Million Pollinator Garden Challenge http://millionpollinatorgardens.org/  Campaign to register a million pollinator gardens

Blog and photo credit:  Sue Reinardy, Master Gardener
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Re-Wilding the Garden

6/23/2022

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Left to right:  Large-leaved Aster, False Solomon's Seal, Swamp Milkweed, Wild Bergamot
​There’s new terminology for letting your garden get a little wild:  rewilding.  I’ve been doing this for years without putting a name to inattentive gardening, but now it’s in vogue.  Love that! 
This week has been declared Pollinator Week by the University of Wisconsin Horticulture and rewilding the garden fits right into adding more native plants to our gardens.  By letting nature do some of the planting we can increase native vegetation that pollinators appreciate.   
​In looking through Heather Holm’s book, Pollinators of Native Plants, many of the plants look familiar.  This book is an excellent field guide for pollinator plants.  Here’s some that have established in my gardens without much effort on my part.
  • Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) – the flowering season of this plant coincides with the return of hummingbirds.  It grows in sun to part shade and naturally reseeds itself.  I’ve also noticed some other types of Columbine that have reseeded in my garden.  These volunteers add color in June before many of our summer flowers begin to bloom. 

  • Wild Lupine (Lupinus Perennis) – I started my Lupine with seeds from a native plant nursery.  Once started they keep reseeding themselves.  This biennial plant has first year leaf growth and blooms the second year.  If you leave the blooms they will turn into seedpods that scatter in many directions.  While lupine flowers lack nectar, they are an important larval host plant for many moths and butterfly including the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly.  Wild Lupine grows well in sandy soils and along woodland edges.  Due to its self-seeding it may not be suitable for a manicured garden bed. 

  • Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) – Just like the Monarch and Pollinator Sanctuary at the Spooner Agriculture Research Station, I’ve let a stand of Milkweed get established for Monarch Butterflies.  Monarchs lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves and consume both the foliage and flowers.  Find a suitable location in the full sun and let them stand. 

  • Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) – Many years ago I lived next to a wild area that included Wild Bergamot.  I didn’t appreciate the wind blowing seeds into my garden beds, it can become a bit overwhelming.  Bumble bees are rewarded with ample nectar from Bergamots all day long over a long period.  There are many cultivars of Monarda that a bit better behaved for a garden setting, and I have noticed the Hummingbirds and Bees visit them often. 

  • Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta) – You might recognize that this flower resembles it cultivated cousin, Verbena hybrida.  The plant has a long bloom period and is common in disturbed, dry sites.  It provides nectar for many butterflies and bees. 

  • White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) - I wasn’t sure what this was when it decided to enter my garden.  The flowers do not produce nectar but provide pollen for Sweat Bees.  I find the fine foliage to be a nice addition to the garden and it is easy to pull out if it plants itself in a place not to your liking.

  • Large-leaved Aster (Eurybia macrophylla) – these plants enjoy the woodland edge and are one of the few plants that flower in late summer.  This Aster provides both pollen and nectar and is a larval host plant for several butterflies.

  • False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) – this plant has been especially beautiful this year.  It enjoys part shade, medium to dry conditions and is not fussy about the soil.  It flowers in late spring, early summer.  It provides pollen for small bees, flies, and beetles. 
What I have learned is that not all volunteer plants are weeds.  By paying attention and allowing my gardens to be a bit wild I’ve gained many native plants.  Enjoy a visit to the Spooner Agricultural Research Station’s Monarch and Pollinator Sanctuary to see more native plants that should have a place in your garden.

Blog and Photos by Sue  Reinardy, Master Gardener 
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Native Plant Profile:  Wild lupin

6/22/2022

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Wild Perennial Lupine (Lupinus perennis) is a showy native wildflower that blooms in late spring with spikes of blue and bluish-purple flowers. This species prefers sandy soil and full sun. Once established, it will naturalize, attracting bees, birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
 
While most people know about the relationship between monarch butterflies and milkweed, the Karner Blue butterfly has the same kind of relationship with the wild lupine. The Karner Blue was federally listed as endangered in 1992. This butterfly is most widespread in Wisconsin and the state has implemented a Wisconsin Habitat Conservation Plan. Habitat throughout the range of the Karner Blue butterfly has been lost as a result of land development and lack of natural disturbance, such as wildfire and grazing by large mammals. Such disturbance helps maintain the butterfly’s habitat by setting back encroaching forests, encouraging lupine and flowering plant growth.
 
  Submitted by Linda Anderson, Certified Master Gardener
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Native Plant Profile: Cardinal Flower

6/21/2022

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​Cardinal flower, (
Lobelia cardinalis), is a native American plant that is often used as an ornamental garden plant. This showy species is in the bellflower family.
The bright red flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds and are enormously attractive to these birds. Butterflies and bees will also visit the flowers. Because the flowers open from the bottom to the top over a period of several weeks, this plant provides lasting nectar for pollinators. The flowers are followed by capsules containing numerous tiny seeds. It is considered a short-lived perennial because it will die after blooming, although offsets will continue growing to perpetuate the plant. Under the right conditions cardinal flower will readily self-seed.
 
Cardinal flower is easily grown in moist soils in full sun to partial shade. It has few pests and is not favored by deer or rabbits.
 
Use cardinal flower in borders, rain gardens, and native gardens, especially on the edges of streams or ponds. They will naturalize in moist meadows and can be grown in a shallow water garden or in containers. 
 
 Submitted by:  Linda Anderson, Certified Master Gardener
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Monarch & Pollinator Sanctuary in Spooner, WI

6/20/2022

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​North Country Master Gardener Volunteer’s perennial garden is located at Spooner Ag Research 
Teaching and Display Garden.  It was completely redesigned and replanted with pollinator friendly 
and native plants completed in spring 2016.  We saw the perennial garden as an ideal space for 
creating a Monarch and Pollinator Sanctuary (MAPS).

We undertook this project as we learned more about the loss of pollinator habitats. Habitat loss is 
a result of disease, parasites, environmental contaminants and development of pristine land. 
Habitat loss contributes to the decline of many species of pollinators. The well-known and 
celebrated annual Monarch Butterfly migration south for winter and back north in Spring is a huge 
natural phenomenon, but has faced diminishing numbers of butterflies.

Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants depend on pollinators to reproduce.  Most fruit, 
vegetable, seed crops - and other plants that provide fiber, medicine and fuel are pollinated by 
animals.  A significant portion of the food we eat exists because of animal pollinators such as 
bees, butterflies and moths, birds and bats, beetles and other insects.

Bees are the main pollinators for fruits and vegetables.  They nest underground, in twigs and dead 
trees.  There are over 250 species of bees native to North America.  Bees are often considered 
pollinator superheroes, having adaptations which allow them to collect and transport pollen and 
nectar.  They have the unique ability to “buzz pollinate” plant species with pollen but  no nectar, 
such as tomatoes, cranberries, apples, cherries, blackberries, blueberries, alfalfa, red clover, 
snapdragons and foxglove.

Butterflies seek nectar in the daytime, moths at night. Monarch caterpillars need milkweeds to grow 
and develop – common milkweed is most important although a variety is recommended.  Monarchs need 
nectar to provide energy to breed, to sustain their migratory flights and to build reserve for w 
nter.  Butterflies can see red, and love colorful flowers in
warm colors.

Hummingbirds are the most common avian pollinators in the US, and they love the color red.  Two 
species of bat are major pollinators in the desert Southwest.

Beetles and other insects are common flower visitors and pollinators.  My personal favorite is the 
Midge fly, the only animal small enough to pollinate the cocoa flower, giving us billions of pounds 
of chocolate annually!

MAPS provides habitat for pollinators to help them thrive.  Measures incorporated into the garden 
include:
•   pollinator friendly plants, shrubs and trees
•   mix of plants with various colors and bloom times
•   no insecticide use
•   bee nesting boxes
•   natural compost for fertilization
•   removal of invasive species
•   thinning and mulching plant beds
•   trees, shrubs and vines as well as fruits and flowers

Our Monarch and Pollinator Sanctuary continues to thrive, and is a designated Monarch Way Station.

You are welcome to visit – we are always open!

Author:  Janet Mangold, Master Gardener Volunteer
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UW Announces 2022 Fall Classes for Master Gardeners

6/15/2022

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​Growing and Caring for Plants in Wisconsin: Foundations in Gardening. Registration opens July 18, 2022!
Take your next step to growing plants successfully using research-based methods! You’ll leave the course with a combination of practical gardening skills to try plus the knowledge of why they work.
Plan your calender now!
Course dates: September 11, 2022 - December 10, 2022

If you have questions or want to learn more, please visit UW's  website!
Sign up for the waiting list to be reminded when registration begins. 
​
This is an approved learning opportunity for individuals interested in the Wisconsin Extension Master Gardener Program, To find out more check out the Master Gardener website.
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Garden Tour on June 23

6/13/2022

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​WISCONSIN CELEBRATES POLLINATOR WEEK
 
June is designated National Pollinator Month to bring attention to what we can do to support habitat for pollinators.  There are several programs throughout the month showing how we can help pollinators in our backyards.  
 
The North Country Master Gardener Volunteers invite you to join them on June 23, 2022, between the hours of 4:00 and 7:00 p.m., to tour the Monarch and Pollinator Sanctuary Garden at the Spooner Agricultural Research Station’s Teaching and Display Gardens.  Volunteers will be on-hand to give guided tours, answer gardening questions and showcase the dozens of different pollinator species established in the gardens.

The Teaching & Display Garden is open to the public for self-guided tours during the growing season and is located 1 ½ mile east of Spooner on Orchard Road, off Highway 70. 
 
Wisconsin Celebrates Pollinator Week, June 20-26, 2022, raising awareness through statewide and local activities and events. By increasing knowledge and adopting pollinator friendly practices, we can improve pollinator health and habitats. National Pollinator Month is an annual event managed by the Pollinator Partnership to help spread the word about what we can do to protect pollinators.

​Pollinator Week Webinars hosted by UW-Extension/Horticulture.  Webinars are free, but registration is required for each one. Webinars will be recorded for later viewing. 
For more information and links to register, go to https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/pollinator-week/
 
*June 20 - Pollinator Gardens: Plant Selection and Garden Care
*June 21 - Join in Community Science with the Wisconsin Wild Bee App
*June 22 - Wisconsin’s Busy Bees: Getting to Know the Bees in Your Area
*June 23 - 10 Things to Consider for Weed Management When Establishing Pollinator Plantings
*June 24 - How Do Pesticides Affect Pollinators and Songbirds in Your Yard
 
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AAS Winner "Buffy" is Attractive and Tasty

6/11/2022

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By Vicki Gee-Treft
Pepper “Buffy,” a 2022 All America Selections’ (AAS) National Winner, will do right by you by producing a good yield of 250-280 juicy, thick-walled green to red fruits on a strong, 28-inch upright plant. Buffy’s fruits (slightly triangular, 1.4” x 0.6”) are more attractive than the comparisons as well as slightly larger making them perfect for flavorful sport peppers but also for use in other applications. The peppers are held high on the compact plant adding ornamental value to the garden. Buffy was faster to mature than “Tobasco” in the AAS trials with a bit less heat than “Ascent” until the seeds are added in. Its flavor has a high pungency with aroma, at 500,000 Scoville units. In summary, Buffy deserves its moment of recognition and deserves a place in your garden (18-25” space) or container.
 
Hot pepper is a strong, heat tolerant crop, so germinate seeds in the substrate or sand with proper irrigation. After 35 days, transplant the strongest seedlings to the garden field. On the 20th day after transplanting, remove all the leaves and side shoots below the second branch, which can effectively boost the flowering and fruit set. The yield of this hot pepper is heavy, so it requires a staking system or kind of supporting rope to keep the plant upright. Hot pepper requires a good fertilizer, and a sufficient base fertilizer and monthly side dressing is recommended.

“Excellent flavor. Crazy heat. Attractive plant. No diseases. All around a delight.”

“You can actually separate the flesh from the septum and seeds allows you to control the level of heat allowed into your culinary activities.”

“If you had a BIG pot for your deck or patio, you could grow this in a pot, but the plants were all vigorous and would quickly outgrow something you might typically consider a patio pot.”
 
This prized distinction winner will be planted at the Teaching & Display Garden at the Spooner Ag Research Station and available for your viewing this summer. Photo and additional information credit: AAS (https://all-americaselections.org/product/pepper-buffy/)

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Quickfire Peppers Bring the Heat!

6/10/2022

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By Vicki Gee-Treft
Mighty, strong, hot, and quick! What more might one want in a hot Thai-type pepper? A 2022 All America Selections’ (AAS) National Winner, Quickfire Peppers produce plenty of hot delicious fruits on a compact, 6” sturdy plant that is perfect for container gardening. No staking is required. This 1.7” conical pepper has tremendous ornamental value but was bred for its taste and yield. Culinary gardeners will definitely want to give this gem a try in their Thai and other Southeast Asian dishes where a little heat and kick (40,000 Scoville) give the meal some quickfire!
 
Germinate any time of year (spring preferred) in warmth in small trays or pots with good quality, moist compost with an ideal compost temperature of 77-86F. Germination should take around 14 days. Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, carefully prick them out into individual small pots or plug trays and grow in warmth and good light. Continue to increase the pot size as they grow, eventually using up to a maximum of a 6″ pot. The compost should be kept moist but not wet and grown in good light, preferably in a sunny location. The plants will remain very compact (6″ or less), bushy and flower, producing upward pointing fruits very quickly, within 60 days from sowing. The fruits quickly ripen to bright red and should be harvested regularly to ensure the plant continues to flower and produce more fruit. The extremely compact habit and very early fruiting make this variety ideal for growing on sunny windowsills around the home or for containers or bedding outdoors in the warmer months (not frost hardy). Space plants 18” apart.
 
Comment from one AAS Judge: “Hot little buggers. From a home garden perspective, these little plants are right on the money. They almost look like a large ornamental pepper and could probably be used as such in a mixed patio container. The mature fruit had a good flavor and was darn hot.”
 
This prized distinction winner will be planted at the Teaching & Display Garden at the Spooner Ag Research Station and available for your viewing this summer. Photo and additional information credit: AAS (https://all-americaselections.org/product/pepper-quickfire/)

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Visit the Teaching & Display Gardens

The Teaching and Display Gardens  are a joint effort between the Spooner Agriculture Research Station, operated by the University of Wisconsin - Madison College of Agriculture and Life Science, the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension and area UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteers.  

Open to the public for self-guided tours during day light hours seven days a week mid-May through mid-September. 

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