Horticulture Headlines

A cold frame is a protected plant bed that has no artificial heat added. The temperature differ-ence between the inside and outside the frame is generally not more than 5—10 ˚. A cold frame is used to provide shelter for tender, young plants, to “harden off” seedling plants or to start cold-tolerant plants (ex., pansies, cabbage, lettuce) earlier than they can be started outside. A hotbed basically is a heated coldframe. It is a means for ex-tending the growing season. It is most often used to give an early start to warm-season vegetables (tomato, pepper, melon). Hotbeds and coldframes should have a southern exposure to receive the maximum amount of sunlight. If possible, it is good to have a north/northwest wind-

break. It could be a building, bales of hay/straw or even an evergreen hedge. Locate them near the house so they can be given frequent attention. Its al-ways helpful to have a conven-ient water source available. Basically, a hotbed or coldframe is a rectangular box with the back higher than the front, covered with a transparent roof. The size and complexity depend on your needs. Often scrap lumber and old windows are used. The sides of the structure may be wood, brick, concrete blocks or metal. The temperature inside a cold frame will fluctuate depending on the outside temperature and amount of sunlight. On sunny days, internal temperatures can become quite hot. Opening and

closing the roof moderates the internal temperature. Watering is very important in cold frames/hotbeds. The airtight frame and cool temperatures of cold frames slow evaporation and reduce watering needs, but the heated soil in hotbeds tends to dry quickly. In general, keep the soil moist, but not wet.

Hot and Cold…….Frames!

Any time now, depending on Mother Nature’s whim, many of our trees, particularly cherries, crabapples, pears and plums, will be hosting the tents of the Eastern Tent Caterpillar. Last fall the female laid her eggs on the branches where they overwintered as a firm browned mass.

The trees and caterpillars have coexisted for centu-ries and both survive so, for a mature tree, it’s not time to panic. New leaves will grow back after the caterpillars leave in late spring. Defoliation of a small tree for several sea-sons could weaken it. In the fall, you may see similar nests located at the

end of branches (not in branch crotches, like the tent caterpillar) these are Fall Webworms. Again, because by then the tree will have com-pleted its growth, the damage is more cosmet-ic than systemic. Don’t worry!

Here Come the Tents!

Gallatin County April, 2016

Volume 3, Issue 4

Tree Deer Rarely Browse 2

Carpenter Bees 2

Timely Gardening Tips 3

Cooking From the Gar-den —Asparagus Quiche

3

Shrubs Deer Rarely Browse

3

Upcoming Events 4

Inside this issue:

April

hath put a spirit

of youth in

everything.

William Shakespeare

Horticulture

Headlines

I decided to do this article a little differently this month. Many of you will be visiting nurseries and garden centers soon looking for trees to update your landscape. Here is a list of trees, suitable for our area, that are rarely browsed by deer. Rarely being the opera-tive word—-a very hungry deer will eat anything, but this list in-cludes trees at the bottom of their ‘favorites list’: Baldcypress Carolina Silverbell* Crape Myrtle Dawn Redwood

Ginkgo* Katsura Tree* Kousa Dogwood* Pawpaw Pine Saucer Magnolia Southern Magnolia Spruce Sugar Maple * Sweetgum* Tulliptree* Tree names with an asterisk have been highlighted in this column in previous issues.

bare, unpainted, or weathered softwoods, but will attack paint-ed or pressure-treated wood if no bare wood can be found. The most common nesting sites include eaves, window trim, facia boards, siding decks and outdoor furniture. The extent of damage to wood which has been used for nesting year after year may be considerable. Control: liquid sprays of Sevin or a synthetic pyrethroid can be applied as a preventative . Effectiveness is often only 1-2

In late April/early May, you may notice large, black bees hovering around the outside of your home. These are carpenter bees searching for mates and sites to construct their nests. Males will often hover in front of people who are around the nests. They are quite harmless, since they lack stingers. Female carpenter bees can inflict a sting but seldom do unless provoked. Carpenter bees do not live in hives, but tunnel into wood to lay their eggs instead, they prefer

weeks and then they must be reapplied. Aerosol sprays labeled for wasp or bee control also are effective. Tunnels that have already been excavated are best treated by puffing insecti-cidal dust (Sevin) into the open-ing. Leave the hole open for a couple days, then plug the en-trance with wood putty. Please only get rid of carpenter bees if they are causing serious problems. They provide pollina-tion to many necessary plants.

Tree of the Month: Trees Deer Rarely Browse

If I were a Carpenter…….

Russian Sage Monkshood (Aconitum) Epimediums (after bloom) Dianthus Amsonia Ferns Solomon Seal Clematis Lady’s Mantle Hellebores (after bloom) **Peony & Iris should always be divided in Fall for best results

Timing is everything...Dividing Perennials

When dividing perennials, timing and technique are important. While many can be divided in either early spring or early fall, some are very picky. Here is a (non-inclusive) list of plants that do best if divided in spring. Bleeding Heart (after bloom) Primrose (after bloom) Asters Baptisia (after bloom) Caladiums

The 1st day of

Spring is one thing,

the 1st spring day is

another...

Henry Van Dyke

Page 2 Hort icu lture Headl ines Volume 3, I ssue 4

Baptisia

Saucer magnolia blossoms

Dawn Redwood

Timely Garden Tips

Shrub of the Month: Shrubs Rarely Browsed by Deer

Cooking From the Garden

Trees & Shrubs ▪ Plant trees and shrubs as soil conditions allow. ▪ Prune evergreen trees/shrubs

now through late summer. Pruning after the spring flush of growth will result in less re-growth.

Flowers ▪ Divide perennials that need it.

▪ Plant Pansies ▪ Remove flower stalks from spent

bulbs. Remember to leave the foliage to die back naturally. The leaves provide food for next year’s flowers.

▪ if you haven’t trimmed back

ornamental grasses and perennials, do so now before new growth begins. ▪ Remove winter protection from

roses (late April).

Vegetable Garden

▪ Plant cool season seeds directly into garden area — lettuce, radish, carrots, peas, onions, kale, swiss chard, spinach. ▪ Plant potatoes.

▪ Start pulling weeds before

they go to seed. ▪ If you started seedlings

indoors, gradually toughen them up with brief trips outside on nice days. Start with short times in a shady spot—they sunburn easily!

General Gardening

▪ Apply crabgrass preemergent

(when the forsythia is blooming). ▪ Sharpen mower blades.

▪ Add organic matter to

flowerbeds and garden plots—compost, peat moss. ▪ Apply new mulch to beds as

needed. Total mulch depth shouldn’t exceed 3”.

paragus in a steamer over 1” of boiling water and cover. Cook until tender but still firm (4-6 mins) drain & cool. Place ham and onion in a nonstick skillet & cook over medium heat until lightly browned. Brush pie shells with beaten egg white. Spoon the ham, onion & asparagus into shells, dividing evenly . Sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheese over the mixture in each shell. In a sepa-rate bowl, beat together eggs, yogurt, milk & spices. Pour egg mixture over the top of the

cheese, dividing evenly between 2 shells. Bake uncovered until firm (25-30mins) allow to cool 20 minutes before cutting.

Asparagus Ham Quiche 1 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed & cut into 1/2” pieces 1 cup, finely chopped ham 1 small finely chopped onion 2 (8”) pie shells 1 egg white, slightly beaten 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 4 large eggs 1 container (5.3 oz) plain greek yougurt 1/3 cup 1% milk 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper Preheat oven to 400˚. Place as-

Barberry Beautybush* Bottlebrush Buckeye* Boxwood* Butterfly Bush Contoneaster Deutzia Flowering Quince Junipers Spirea* Viburnum* Weigela

This article, too, will be a list of shrubs rarely browsed by deer. The same holds true—if deer are hungry enough, anything is fair game!

Yucca Plants with an asterisk have been spotlighted in this column previously/

Spring: the music of open windows.

Terri Guillemets

Page 3 Hort icu lture Headl ines Volume 3, I ssue 4

Barberry

Butterfly Bush

Beautybush

David Hull

Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources

395 US Hwy 42W

P.O.Box 805

Warsaw, KY 41095

April 26, 2016, 1:00 pm Easy, Peasy Perennials Do you like to have a pretty garden but don’t want to work in it constantly? We will talk about some perennials that are a perfect fit for you! Come learn about some easy- to- grow plants to add to your landscape! May 12, 2016, 1:00 pm Using Annuals in your Garden Is your garden looking a little ho-hum? Not much color, or “pizazz” in it? Annu-al flowers are the answer! We will dis-cuss easy solutions and display sam-ples of some favorite annuals.

Upcoming Events

Phone: 859-567-5481

Fax: 859-567-5432

Website : http://gallatin.ca.uky.edu

Business Name

Gallatin County Cooperative

Extension Service