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December Gardener’s To Do List
Christmas Trees: We had a short list of North Georgia Christmas Tree Growers in last month’s issue and we hope you found it useful. Now, here’s some advice for you when you go. Don’t forget to take something like a plastic drop cloth or tarp with you. According to the ever-knowledgeable Walter Reeves, this will prevent the tree from drying out on your ride home! You can also check to see if there might be other family-fun things you can do at your local grower while you are choosing a tree. Many tree growers offer other things for the kids (or you!) to do while you are there. For a list of Christmas tree growers in Georgia, visit the Georgia Christmas Tree Association at www.gacta.com/index or visit pickyourownchristmastree.org/GAxmastrees.php and scroll down to for the link to North Georgia.
Christmas Gifts from Your Garden (or Workshop): Here are some wonderful gifts from the gardener: Loofa gourd-sponges are a great gift –assuming you grew some, of course. If you would like to try them next year, here is advice on how to from the University of Minnesota (just remember the some of their weather recommendations won’t apply down here): www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1231.html. The seeds for loofa gourds (sometimes spelled “luffa” gourds) are available on Amazon.com, if you think growing them might be a cool idea. How about this one: you can also give seeds from plants you have grown and harvested as a gift to fellow gardeners. For a great article on this visit this page from You Grow Girl: www.yougrowgirl.com/2002/10/04/harvesting-seeds. Along the same lines, you can also grow new plants you propagate as well for a very nice gift. With only a little sewing skill you can make sachets. You can even make evergreen ones for the holidays. Here is a column on that very thing from about.com: gardening.about.com/od/craftsanddecor/ht/Ever_Sachet.htm and an informative one here: garden.iloveindia.com/garden-crafts/evergreen-sachets.html. You can even give those, jellies, jams, fruit butters or other things you “put up” (if you aren’t from the South, that means “canned”) earlier in the year. If you brought your herbs in from the cold, you could use them to make herb vinegars or herb infused oils. If you dried some of your herbs, consider making dried herb wreaths. (One of my favorite wreaths ever was a small one made from dried bay leaves; it hung over my kitchen sink every Christmas for years.) I think my favorite garden-gift idea is to create beautiful garden candles. No, you don’t have to make the candle part –although if you can, do so! If you want a great description of how to make garden candles the almost easier way, visit: gardening.about.com/od/craftsanddecor/ss/GardenCandle.htm. One last project you can make for a flower gardener; a flower press. Whether it is a gift for a friend or one for yourself, a flower press is fun and easy to make. Here are very thorough instructions on how to create one www.leeswoodprojects.com/flower_press.html.
Birds: This is the time of the year when the birds need our help the most, particularly with fresh, unfrozen water; in fact, birds become more dependent on the fresh water in our birdbaths during the winter. If you are wondering the different methods for providing them water, here is an amazing site for just that: www.bird-house-bath.com/heated-bird-baths.html. Last year, though, we created a different solution. We used one of those heated plastic pet bowls that we bought over at Tractor Supply. Yes, they are way too deep for the birds, but just put a clean rock or two for the birds to stand on.
Houseplants: Since gardeners in North Georgia don’t have much to do outside right now, give your houseplants the benefit of your extra time. Check them for pests, since the heat is going to be on for a while. I’m not complaining about that last hurrah of pretty weather a couple of weeks ago, just that the heat might encourage pests to multiply. Of course, taking good care of your houseplants is always the first step toward keeping the pest-free. Houseplants that are stressed are a target for pests. Here is a site from the University of Colorado that is great for identifying and managing houseplant pests: www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05595.html
Catalogs: The catalogs are coming!!! Ah, yes, soon we can all curl up by a warm fire with the most interesting reading a gardener can find: gardening catalogs!!! We all have our favorites, of course, but there are websites that do nothing but actually compile gardening catalog lists. Here are a couple: www.gardeningplaces.com/mailorder.htm and Cindy’s is here: www.gardenlist.com/. If you are looking for free catalogs, the folks at About.com have you covered here: freebies.about.com/od/homegardenfreebies/tp/seed-catalogs.htm. Of course, let’s not forget our friends at Dave’s Garden. These guys compile the famous Garden Watchdog that will tell us which are the best gardening resources on the web (or by mail). It’s right here and needs to be on any gardener’s favorites” list: davesgarden.com/products/gwd. You can read their ever-changing lists of online gardening resources reviewed by the readers themselves. -
The 99th Annual Stilesboro Chrysanthemum Show on November 5
November 5th is the date for one of the longest-held flower shows in North Georgia. The 99th Annual Stilesboro Chrysanthemum Show will once again be held in Taylorsville in the historic Stilesboro Academy.
Stilesboro Academy has a wonderful history. It was a school for grades first through twelfth from 1859 until the 1930’s. Saved from burning when Sherman was bivouacked in the Cartersville area during the Civil War, this three room building was slated for closure by the Bartow County School System back in 1939. The Stilesboro Improvement Club purchased the Academy for “what the lumber was worth” and have both owned and maintained the building since then.
The club maintains this historic building without any government assistance, instead they depend on their own fundraising. One of the most important of their fundraising efforts is their yearly Chrysanthemum Show.
This year’s show will be on Saturday, November 5th from 11am to 8 pm. Admission to the show is $2, and for a minimal fee, you can also enjoy a luncheon of homemade Brunswick stew, chicken salad and more in the tea room there. For more information you can call: 770-382-7773
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“Liquid Landscapes” at the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Orchid lovers! May we have your attention!
If you love orchids, you have a treat in store; once again the fabulous orchid collection at the Atlanta Botanical Garden will be featured during the ABG’s annual Orchid Daze.
What does Orchid Daze have to offer? First of all, there is the orchid collection at the Fuqua Orchid Center on the grounds of the Atlanta Botanical Garden –it is the largest collection of species orchids in the United States. Orchid Daze for 2011 will once again be housed in the Fuqua Orchid Center, but each year, the collection is presented in a fabulous surrounding; this year is no different.
This year’s display is entitled “Liquid Landscapes” and will feature hundreds of orchids in full bloom set against the backdrop of waterfalls, trickling beads of water, and more watery wonders. Cathleen Hunt, gardens exhibitions manager says “It really forms a natural companion for the exotic nature of the orchids.”
Events at “Liquid Landscapes” include: Guided Exhibition Tours on Saturdays, beginning at 1 pm, on February 5 and 6, March 5 and 6 and April 2 and 3. There will also be Orchid Care Clinics on February 5, March 5, and April 2 from 10 am until noon. At the Orchid Care Clinics, you can bring a maximum of two orchids for advice from experts on them (if you wish to repot your plant, you can purchase re-potting materials for $5). Of course, the highlight of the show for many will be the Atlanta Orchid Society Show on March 11 through 13, from 9 am to 5 pm, where hundreds of orchids will be on sale (along with orchid supplies).
For more information of Orchid Daze, visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden online at http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/
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Gardening To Do’s For January
Some of our readers have missed our monthly Gardening To Do List in the last few issues, so here it is for them online!
Houseplants: There is a lot to do to take care of houseplants in the winter, but finding a good place to put your plants during the winter is one problem that really needs to be addressed. You should move your houseplants so that they don’t get leggy or grow irregularly over the winter; if your plants seem happy where they are, a simple but regular half-turn of each pot should suffice. However, do take a moment to check that your houseplants aren’t in a draft caused by the HVAC or –if they are close to a window -any cold air that may be coming from it. Just hold your hand close to the plant for a moment. If you feel a draft, make sure your houseplant isn’t in it. It’s also a good idea to check the air flowing off the window if the weather turns very cold. What might be comfortable on a day that is in the 40’s, may not remain as such when the temperature drops below freezing. Again, just use your hand as a test. Also, don’t water your houseplants with the water straight from the tap. This time of year the water is just too cold. Allow tap water to sit in a watering can, etc, for 24 hours before using it (make sure it is open to the air). Allowing it to sit will warm it to room temperature and may allow some of the chemical additives in tap water to evaporate, too. (If you have browning edges on the leaves of your houseplants, it may be caused by the dry air, but, it may be also br caused by watering with tap water that contains chemicals.) Let the water sit open for a day or even two.
Ice: Be careful about the products you use to melt the ice on your steps, sidewalks or driveways. Salt or other products can harm your grass or plants if it melts into them. Look for a product like IceClear Organic De-Icer or another one that clearly states it won’t harm your plants.
Poison Ivy: Yes, that’s what we said- winter is a time to really worry about getting in poison ivy. The worst cases of poison ivy that both my husband and I have ever had came about during the late fall, when we were planting azaleas. Here’s why. Poison ivy’s leaves die back in the winter (but, wait! That’s the way we recognize the stuff, right?). The leaves die, but the poisons stay in the root system. We were told by the doctor who treated us that the toxins that stay in the roots during winter are much, much stronger than what is present in the leaves or stems during the summer months. Digging in the roots brought on our first bout of poison ivy, one that had to be treated in the emergency room with steroids. Worst of all, we were, neither of us, allergic to poison ivy before! Be careful where you are digging in the winter,wear gloves, and don’t get into poison ivy roots. And under no circumstances should you ever burn any part of poison ivy! Breathing in the smoke from poison ivy can cause a very dangerous, perhaps life-threatening reaction in anyone breathing in the smoke!!
Vegetables: If you have a day that is cold, but still dry, you can use it to turn your garden for spring planting. This would be particularly useful if you suspect nematodes may have been a problem last season. Freezing nematodes is one of the best ways to kill them, so tilling your garden in dry, but freezing, weather will help get rid of them by exposing them to the cold. How can you tell if you have nematodes? You won’t see them, that would require a microscope, and there is more than one type of these nasty and destructive critters. However, obvious injuries to your plants might include malformed fruit or flowers, knotted-looking roots, or slowly or unevenly ripening fruit. Testing your soil can tell you for a fact if you have nematodes, if you suspect that you do, but according to a report from the University of Missouri, “Chemical nematicides are highly toxic and unsuitable for home use. Their use is subject to state and federal regulations, and usually only licensed pesticide applicators can purchase or apply them.” Freezing them is one of the few ways you have to rid yourself of them.
Pruning: Yes, winter is the time for pruning, but it can be very confusing. Want to know the easy way around all of that confusion? Just visit Walter Reeves’ site at http://www.walterreeves.com/tag/pruning/ for a most comprehensive guide to pruning in Georgia. It’s the best!
Roses: January is the perfect time to think about any new roses you want to plant this year. There are lots of online nurseries, but our favorite local nursery – and a source of wonderful and very healthy roses- is Autumn Hill Nursery in Cherokee County. They have one location in North Canton, on Highway 140, and one in Woodstock on Earney Road. Every year, they spend January potting up a new year’s worth of bare root roses from national suppliers so that we can have the prettiest, healthiest roses in April, for our own yards and gardens. You can go online at http://www.autumnhillnursery.com/roselist.html to see what new roses they will have this year. You can even reserve them online, too! -
Gardening in the Heat
Our friends Pat and Patty moved here from California. They had come in the previous spring to Canton, when Patty’s daughter and her husband had moved here. Yes, spring in North Georgia is glorious…summer in North Georgia is…well…
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North Georgia Living Magazine Blog
On our blog you will find the latest information about events, the things we are doing, our thoughts on North Georgia and more. Feel free to comment.
