The general rule of thumb is to dig and divide these plants every 3-5 years. Although it’s a lot of work, dividing has a lot of benefits:

•It reinvigorates tired plants, allowing them to last for many more years in the garden.

•It keeps the overall size of the clump in check.

•It provides the gardener with free plants to use in the garden or give away to friends

•Divisions are guaranteed to be the same cultivar as the original plants. This can be very helpful to gardeners that don’t know the exact variety they have in the garden, but want to make a perfect match.

Once you “decide to divide”, do yourself a favor and enlist a friend. Large clumps have extensive, deep root systems that are extremely heavy, the more help the better. Before you begin, prepare the work area by laying down a tarp next to the plant and gathering your tools. Hedge trimmers, a heavy steel spade, sharp axe, wheel barrow, and a good pruning saw could all help the job along. I tend to use the spade to do all the digging and dividing, but a selection of tools is best. I’ve heard a reciprocating saw with a 12″ blade can be very handy to make the divisions once the clump has been liberated from the ground.

1)  Cut back the desiccated foliage. Have your friend either tie the blades into a bundle or hold them together in his arms. Using the hedge trimmer, cut the foliage off between 6 and 12″ from the ground and discard it.

2)  Dig the clump out of the ground. Dig around the plant, about a foot from the edge of the clump. The first time around, just focus on making a good track to work from. Continue to dig progressively deeper and under the clump, until it can be “popped” free from the soil, using the spade as leverage. If you have trouble pulling the clump out, try rocking it back and forth while your partner slides a tarp under it. Then pull it out of the hole on the tarp. Alternatively, cut the clump into smaller, lighter sections right in the ground and then pull them out.

3)  Make the divisions. With a sharp spade, saw or axe split the clump in half. Continue to cut it up into more or less equal sections that can be replanted. Keep in mind, the ideal division will be from the outside of the clump and at least as big as palm of your hand. Don’t make divisions from the weak, woody center of the clump. This is the oldest part of the plant and will not transplant well.

4)  Don’t allow the roots to dry out as you work. Although grasses are very tough, like any plants, they don’t like to have their roots dry out. Keep the bare roots covered as much as possible, and if they start to get dry, give them a light sprinkle with the hose.

5)  Replant one division to replace the original plant. Grasses prefer lean soil that is not high in organic matter. Do not amend the backfill or add fertilizer. Just place the division in the hole and plant with the native soil. Gently press the soil against the roots as you back-fill to be sure the roots have good contact with the soil and that there are no air pockets.

6)  Water the new plant well. Make a berm around the plant with soil. Fill the berm with water and let it drain, then fill it one more time. As the plant roots and new top-growth appears, it will still need regular water. Once the plant is established, flatten out the berm and mulch around the base.

7)  Pot up what you can’t plant right away. Ornamental grasses are a great gift for your fellow gardener, why not pass a few along? * Never feel guilty for discarding extra plants if you have no use for them. They are better in the compost than an annoyance to water or jammed into places in the garden they shouldn’t be.

A favorite of early settlers, the American Elm has fallen out of favor in recent decades. Since the onslaught of Dutch Elm disease and the demise of thousands upon thousands of trees in cities and towns across the country, many are afraid to plant one today. I’m happy to inform our customers that the island is actually a great place to grow elms! Nantucket is one of the few towns in America that still boasts hundreds of healthy elms planted and thriving along its streets.

Be assured that there are many varieties available that are resistant to Dutch Elm Disease. Some of these are cultivars of Ulmus americana, and there are other species as well, like Ulmus parvifolia, Chinese or Lacebark Elm, and many hybrids of European and Asian species. Some of the best that we carry are listed below:

Ulmus americana ‘Princeton’: Described as an excellent vase-shaped form by Dirr. Very fast growing, with deep green leathery leaves.

Ulmus americana ‘Valley Forge’: Upright-arching with a full canopy. Perhaps a little more rangy than ‘Princeton’ Very resistant to Dutch Elm Disease.

Ulmus Accolade(r) aka ‘Morton’: A hybrid elm, with deep green foliage. American Elm-like shape.

Ulmus Allee(r): Another hybrid, this variety looks distinctly more like Chinese Elm. The canopy is wider, somewhat less vase-shaped than American Elms.  Mature trees are easily identifiable by the orangy colored lenticels that form on the furrowed bark. Leaves are smaller than American Elms. Very resistant to Dutch Elm Disease.

Those of us living on the island year-round have the opportunity to enjoy spring-flowering trees. One of the nicest of these, is the Okame Cherry. Prunus ‘Okame’ is the first cherry tree to bloom in the spring on Nantucket.

Its carmine flowers cover the branches in late March or early April, appearing before leaves unfurl. The habit is described as broad-columnar with a height between 20-30 feet.  Okame cherries are available in both a standard tree form and a multi-stem form.  These trees are very adaptable, but prefer full sun and good soil. They grow very quickly and will reach their mature height by 15 years of age.

We have 3 large multi-stem specimens in stock right now that would make an amazing show in a larger landscape.  We also have a beautiful group of standard trees available.  If you like cherry trees and are considering planting one, now is a great time to stop by the nursery to see what ‘Okame’ looks like in person!

When Pruning Hydrangeas keep your objectives in mind:

*To remove spent flowers from the previous season

*To remove dead wood

*To thin out the shrub by removing:

◦Stems that are older than three years

◦Weak or spindly stems that are the width of a pencil or smaller

◦Large complex branches

◦Branches that cross the center or tend to rub on more desirable stems

◦Stems that run horizontally along the ground and root

*To shape the shrub into a natural-looking, balanced, spherical shape

Follow these steps:

1.Take a moment to look at the over-all shape and size of the plant. Is it too large for it’s space? Hydrangeas in foundation plantings tend to “eat the lawn” over time. Consider widening the bed to accommodate the mature size of the plants, instead of pruning the plant back to an unnatural-looking shape. * ‘Nikko Blue’ Hydrangeas, in particular, tend to get very tall and wide – covering windows and brushing against shingles on the side of the house. There is no way to keep a ‘Nikko Blue’ Hydrangea blooming each year and shorter than 4 feet, if you are battling huge plants, consider replacing them with a smaller variety.

2.Remove all spent flowers from the tips of the stems. All pruning cuts should be made just above a healthy set of buds. There is no need to “tip branches” if there are no faded flowers to remove. Buds overwintering in the top portion of the plant have the potential to flower * if too much material is removed the plant may not flower at all.

3.Remove all dead and damaged stems. Its preferable to completely remove dead stems at ground level where possible.

4.Remove about a third of the overall bulk of the stems, following the guidelines above. This helps increase sun and air circulation in the center of the plant, initiating flower bud formation and strong new growth from the base.

5.If you must, cut back no more than a few feet from the top of the shrub, to get it below a window or railing.

6.Step back, and take a look at your work. Make final cuts, leaving a rounded, balanced shrub.

Every year there seems to be another emerging threat to our plants that is fungal in nature. Nantucket’s intrepid gardeners are all used to fighting with black spot on roses and powdery mildew on border phlox, but there are many other spores and spots floating around out there that effect other species. One the upcomers is an infection that effects privet: Alternaria Leaf Spot.

This fungus causes ugly necrotic spots on the leaves, followed by yellowing and leaf drop. Severely effected plants can have substantial defoliation by the end of the growing season. Like many fungal diseases, symptoms usually first appear inside the plant where air circulation is low. This often makes early detection a problem, so treatment is delayed.

As far as we know, this fungus is more of a problem in production nurseries where thousands of privet plants are grown close together, providing a constant supply of inoculum for reinfection. Although we have seen spots similar to these on privet on Nantucket in the past, our customers didn’t report any widespread issues with this fungus last summer.

For more information on Alternaria Leaf Spot, check out this link to Cornell extension: http://ccesuffolk.org/assets/galleries/Agriculture/Commercial-Nursery-and-Landscape-Management/Alternaria-leaf-spot-on-privet-fact-sheet-revised-4-11.pdf

We source our privet from reputable growers and haven’t found alternaria leaf spot to have been a problem with our suppliers in the past. However, we do inspect each shipment as it arrives and will continue to make selling the highest quality plants our goal.

If a few warm, dry days are forcast, why not do your mulching? The plants certainly don’t care if you get it out of the way. Trees, shrubs and perennials all benefit from a nice layer of mulch to keep soil temperatures regulated during winter freeze and thaw cycles.

Don’t forget, plants that are suited to growing in the North East naturally create their own mulch. Fallen leaves, needles, ground cover plants and spent growth from previous growing seasons carpet the ground in natural forests and meadows all winter. We tend to tamper with this natural system. A combination of leaf and pine needle cleanup, and high winter wind can really thin down the mulch layer on top of the soil, especially if you are the kind of gardener that likes to keep your beds super-clean. If you do want to do some mulching, here are some tips:

SITE PREP:

It’s best to work in the garden when the soil is on the dry side to avoid compaction. If we have a wet spell, stay out the garden all together.

If you have mulch delivered, or you like to work from a pile in a centralized location, consider layering two tarps on top of each other before dropping the mulch off the truck. Preventing mulch from migrating onto your lawn, or into the gravel or shell in the driveway is the best way to avoid an annoying clean-up after a long day.

Be sure to pull any weeds you find growing before you begin. Some gardeners have the idea that mulch “smothers” weeds. But I guarantee you, mulch spread at the proper depth will not irradicate grass, dandilions, or any other perennial weeds.

If you use organic fertilizer, feel free to apply it before the mulch goes down. Organic fertilizers can be used any time of year, because their nutrients are only available to plants when soil organisms can break them down for plants to use. When temperatures rise in spring, and soil organisms become active, the fertilizer is in place, ready for them to break down and give to your plants.

THE REAL HOW TO:

If you are lucky enough to work off of the back of a dump truck, do so. Whenver the mulch gets too far out of reach, put up the tailgate and raise the bed. The much effortlessly slides back into reach.

Work with a partner! Mulching is hard work – split it up by having one person bring and pile mulch into the beds and another spread the piles into an even 3 inch deep layer.

It can be tough to manoever a wheel barrow in tightly planted beds. Use a bucket to scoop mulch from the wheel barrow and dump it in piles throughout the beds

Small piles of mulch are much easier to spread than large ones. If your partner runs out of mulch in a particular spot you can bring him another bucket-full on the next trip.

Mulch is most easily scooped with a light pitchfork with three or four tines.

If you are working with a few friends, and you want to avoid a lull in work, let everyone make piles, then go to pick up more mulch. Your helpers can spread what is on the ground while you go to get the next load.

AVOID COMMON MISTAKES:

Never let mulch touch the crown of plants. One of the benefits of mulch is that it holds moisture. But this moisture next to the crown of plants can cause more harm than good. This is especially true with trees and shrubs. Leave a space of a few inches around the trunks of trees and the base of shrubs. This will ensure mulch doesn’t rot the bark close to the soil, or make a home for insects like turpentine beetles.

Mulch is at its best when it is spread 3 inches deep; much less and it’s not effective, much more and it is just a waste. Not to mention that thick layers of mulch can build up over time causing numerous problems. Try to be aware of the thickness of the mulch before you start and as you are working. If your garden still has a thin layer of mulch from last year, you may only need to add another inch or two.

Don’t let mulch pile up next to hardwood shingles on your house or outbuildings. The mulch will quickly rot out the lower shingles, forcing you to replace them sooner than you would otherwise.

In a recent news letter, I published this series of photos detailing how I put together a holiday window box for our sales office here at the nursery.  This design is a good jumping off point, but it’s just one take on Holiday window boxes, so, experiment!  Have fun with it!

Link to YouTube

Link to YouTube

Link to YouTube