Sunrise Landscape Designs

    I can’t say when I have been more grateful for rain!  My lawn has become so crunchy it hurts to walk barefoot on it and some of my newly transplanted shrubs have dropped their leaves.  I have grown tired of watering and my plants and lawn are showing the effects. 

   The lawn will bounce back quickly with this nice, long rain but the trees, shrubs and perennials might take a little longer.  If you have plants with no leaves or your perennials have no green parts above ground, do not assume they are dead.  Be patient, it is possible for new leaves to appear this fall or even next spring. 

   Evergreen trees do not rebound if let go without water for too long.  Once a conifer tree starts to turn brown, it is too late to bring it back.  It will die in a very short time.       

    If a conifer has a slight yellowish tinge to the needle color, you can remedy that.  That is typically a sign of nitrogen deficiency.  The tree can be fertilized with evergreen tree spikes or a granular 12-12-12 fertilizer.  Within 2 weeks the tree should look a healthier shade of green. 

     Due to the soaring fuel costs, many of us are doing sta-cations this summer instead of taking vacations.  We are staying at home and enjoying our own surroundings.  We will be spending leisure time in the yard and we might even be doing more outside entertaining which means everything will need to look its best.  One spot that is frequently missed is pruning of the evergreens.  

    The proper tools to use are hand pruners or pole pruners for the top leaders and long bladed hedge clippers for the sides.  The Christmas tree growers trim their trees with long machetes for speeding up the process.  That is a skill I have not learned!  

A good question came in this week I wanted to share with you along with my answer to try to solve their problem.

Q: We have a question about a tree that we transplanted from a farm to our front yard 2 summers ago (it is probably 15 feet tall). It is a maple tree that seemed to do fine last year. This year we had one of those plastic bases that contain mulch and then weeds won’t grow up in the mulch. I put quite a layer of bark mulch in the tray at the base of the maple tree and I don’t know if that contributed to it or not, but all of the leaves have shriveled up and it looks like it is pretty much dead. We thought that maybe the black plastic ring with mulch was too hot for the roots and might have caused it to die. We have underground sprinkling so it has been receiving water. Our other maple tree that we had transplanted seems to be doing fine. Do you have any ideas for what might have caused the leaves to brown and shrivel up and is there anything we can do to save it now?
Kimberly K., Byron Center, MI

A: I have never seen one of these mulch rings before so I’ll do my best to answer you. One big problem I see with some homeowners mulching their trees is they put huge piles of bark or grass clippings right against the trunk of the tree. This can cause the bark on the lower part of the tree to rot from being in a consistently moist environment. Once that bark is rotted, and the tree is “girdled,” the tree roots will not be able to send water up to the leaves. Pull off the mulch ring and examine the bark to see if it was resting directly against the tree trunk. I don’t believe the color of the black plastic ring was an issue but it is possible there was a chemical on the mulch that was harmful to the tree. (Was it made in China?)

We have also had some long, hot, dry weather that may have caused the tree to simply dry out. Maybe the stressed tree is in full sun and on a slope where the water would run off and the healthy tree is in a low area in the shade. Watering is a tricky thing. Underground sprinkling for lawns is not sufficient for watering trees. Trees need a lot more water than grass. If you think this might be a possibility, lay a hose on the top of the root ball and let the water trickle slowly into the root zone for an hour. Do this 2 times/week and see if the tree pushes new leaves.

Fall is here and we need to start thinking about preparing our gardens for the cold winter weather. Kris, from Cedar Springs, asked if she needs to take any measures to protect her weeping Japanese Maple to help it survive the winter better.

Japanese Maples can be a bit tender to the Mid-Michigan winter weather and the finer leaf weeping Jap. Maples are even more tender than the upright growers. I like to see weeping Jap. Maples planted where the winter wind won’t be too strong on them so no extra protection should be necessary. If this tree is planted in an unprotected area from the wind, I would definitely give it some extra protection.

I’ve seen many ways of accomplishing the same goal but the following method works well. Place wooden stakes in the ground around the perimeter of the tree that are as tall as the tree. Wrap a circle of burlap around the tree and across the top. Staple the burlap to the wooden stakes to secure it. Jap. Maple branches are rather brittle so be careful not to break the branches when wrapping. It does not need to be wrapped tight. The purpose is to keep the wind off the tree.

Warning! This will look like a big ugly blob so if you have to do this in your entry garden, you might want to consider a hardier plant for this location.

Fall-blooming bulbs are every bit as easy to plant and grow as spring-blooming bulbs, yet they remain unfamiliar to many gardeners. Garden centers rarely offer them so you will probably have to order them by catalog or online. If you need a source let me know. Plant a few, and you’ll be hooked. Your garden will be the talk of the street when the Colchicums bloom, because your neighbors will want to know what trick you used to get those “giant Crocuses” to bloom out of season. Choose a site in full sun to partial shade with average, well-drained soil.

Some of us have had more rain than others this summer, but here in Rockford, we have had very little. With such high temperatures, even the trees are struggling and show burnt or yellowing leaves. I always go over watering advice to my new landscape clients and we are going to review it now because watering is not easy and it is so very important.

The best way to water trees is to lay a hose end near the tree trunk and let the water trickle into the ground for 15 -30 minutes. With sand, a sprinkler might work better to water all of the roots. This method works well for large shrubs too. You want to get the water to the bottom of the root ball. The idea is to encourage the tree to develop a deep root system so it can eventually take care of itself. In the hot weather, water new trees 2x/week. Trees 1-5 years old; 1x/month. As the temperatures cool down, cut down the watering schedule too.

If I get one point across today it’s to WATER!!! Any new or one year old plants you have in the ground are likely in need of a good soaking. And, since it’s time to start pruning, I am sending you a repeat tip from last year.

Pines are showing new growth on them. We call that “candle growth” because it looks like yellow candles standing straight up at the tips of the branches. This signals us that it if we want to prune our pines, this is the time to do it. The reason to prune pines is to encourage a fuller, denser, growth. If all you want is height and don’t mind if the tree grows with a more open habit, leave it alone.

To prune the tree, you cut off part of the candle. The amount you remove will influence how much growth you will allow the tree to have this year. If you do not remove any of the candle, you could get as much as 12-24″ of growth, whereas if you remove the entire candle, you won’t notice any growth on the branches and the trunk will just fatten up a bit. (The growth has to go somewhere!) I usually recommend you cut off half of the candle growth to prevent a spindly looking pine. Always leave one leader candle at the tree top that is taller than the rest. This leader I usually prune lightly also as it will determine where the next ring of branches will form at the tree top.

Take a look at your Pines and you should see new growth on them. We call that “candle growth” because it looks like yellow candles standing straight up at the tips of the branches. This signals us that it if we want to prune our pines, this is the time to do it. The reason we prune pines is to encourage a fuller, denser, growth. If all you want is height and don’t mind if the tree grows with a more open habit, leave it alone.

To prune the tree, you cut off part of the candle. The amount you remove will influence how much growth you will allow the tree to have this year. If you do not remove any of the candle, you could get as much as 24″ of growth, whereas if you remove the entire candle, you won’t notice any growth on the branches and the trunk will just fatten up a bit. (The growth has to go somewhere!) I usually recommend you cut off half of the candle growth to prevent a spindly looking pine. Always leave one leader candle at the tree top that is taller than the rest. This leader I usually prune lightly also as it will determine where the next ring of branches will form at the tree top.

If you want to guess the age of a pine tree, you can count the rings of limbs coming off the main trunk. The closer together the rings are, the denser the tree looks.

If your Holly, Rhododendron, Boxwood or Azalea are planted in a location with too much exposure to the winter sun and wind, these broadleaf evergreens can suffer by getting black leaf margins, dead leaves, or an entire plant can die. An anti-transpirant spray (such as Wilt-Pruf) can help. The spray covers the leaves and stems with a wax-like coating. The down side of the sprays is that they do need to be reapplied as it eventually washes off from the rain or snow.

Another option to the spray would be to wrap burlap around the plant to protect it. This does work but is rather unsightly. The best method is to put the right plant in the right space.

Also, check the condition of tender flower bulbs in storage. If shriveling a bit, sprinkle with water. Discard any rotted ones instantly and dust the remainder with sulfur.

Before you drag your Christmas tree to the curb to be thrown in the trash truck, consider keeping it around the yard for the birds. Tie the tree to a tall post or shade tree and it will stay green for months. The evergreen will offer the birds a lot of coverage from the cold winter winds. Strings of popcorn and suet balls can decorate the tree and the winter birds will love it!

White flecks on the needles of a green Christmas tree may look like flakes of snow but if they don’t melt away in your living room they are scale insects. Don’t worry, the insects are probably dead although their waxy coatings hide numerous eggs destined to hatch during May. Because there is a chance these eggs might survive the elements, avoid using these infested branches for mulching the gardens.

Poinsettias do not like soggy soil! Punch a drainage hole through the foil wrap of your Christmas poinsettias and set the plant on a plate for excess water to drain off.