MAY - JUNE
(SPRING) 
Gardening Tasks:
* Come by the nursery and see what six years of pruning and caring for
a Wisteria can do! It's going to be spectacular this year!
* The aphids are out! Monitor your plants and trees often for
sightings of these menacing, piercing/sucking insects. They seem to
come in every color imaginable and they give live birth of all the most
disgusting things, meaning they proliferate quickly. Ladybug nymphs help
(they look like little alligators) as does insecticidal soap, but don't
be afraid to just smash them too!
* For those of you in the area that have our native fern (Polystichum
munitum) planted in your landscapes, it's a good idea to cut out the
old foliage, but be careful not to break off the new emerging fronds.
You may also want to spray that nice new foliage with deer repellant,
as they find this new growth quite tasty!
* Start checking your trees for tent caterpillars, we are still in a
fairly high cycle for them and it's much easier to deal with them when
they first emerge. You can use B.T. to control the eating of leaves but
it's best to remove the entire tent as the creatures are hatching. B.T.
is a biological control that can be sprayed on and is totally safe for
us and the environment, it's the only product we stock at the nursery
for controlling this insect.
* For those of you that have a veggie garden, you should be harvesting
some sweet and delicate asparagus at this time. Don't forget to let
some "fern" as they stop producing, which is usually by mid to end
of
July. Also it's the peak of mixed greens season, those tasty spinach,
mustard, lettuce and arugula thinnings make great early salads, and the
radishes should be ready as well! Don't forget to succession plant for
continued harvests. We're into our second sowing of lettuces at the
nursery now.
* This is what I call the season of encouraging and discouraging, every
thing wants to grow! So what makes a great gardener is figuring out
what to encourage and what to discourage, and this may not mean the
same thing in every part of your garden or for the same plant for that
matter!
* It's mosquito season again, so it's time take action. Another strain
of B.T. is also very effective in the control of mosquito larvae, those
wiggly things you see floating in fresh water this time of year.
Keeping tall grass cut down can also help as they can lay eggs on
something as small as a droplet of water. Encourage swallows by
providing nesting boxes, they love to eat mosquitoes and so do
dragonflies and bats, though the latter two usually wait until Summer
to arrive.
A good time to plant the selections listed below:
* Though most of our bare root plants have been potted or sold we
still have a good availability of trees, shrubs and lots of perennials
and annuals. And our vine selection just keeps getting better, the
Clematis montana are looking great everywhere right now, and we have
several varieties to chose from.
* Our perennial selection is great this time of year, some favorites
we grow are: Peonies, Delphiniums, Lupines, Coreopsis, Salvias,
Phygellius, Echinacea and lots of varieties of herbs and lavenders, too
many to name so come by and have a look! We also have nice selection
of ferns, native and non native. And dwarf conifers, as well as a
section for low growing perennial ground covers.
* A huge portion of the nursery this time of year is devoted to "color" annuals,
because people love to plant color! And many folks garden in containers these
days, so we have lots of annuals to choose from. To
name a few: many colors of lobelia, Geraniums from zonals, to Martha's,
to fancy leaf, even scented! Tuberous Begonias, fuchsias, "basket
stuffers", Calibrachoa (many colors), Daisies of many kinds, Petunias
and just about everything else that does well in our area! For a short
time we also have Flower starts available, like Bells of Ireland,
Snapdragons, Stock, Nasturtiums to name a few.
* The veggie starts change from cool crops to warm crops, so now we
have Tomatoes, Peppers, Artichokes, Squashes, Cukes and limited amounts
of Lettuce, and of course Basil as the temps. warm!
* This is also a great time to find hanging baskets at the nursery for
shade or sun, or we can custom make you one if you don't see something
you like (usually we need at least a few days notice.) We also sell
several types of empty hanging baskets if you like to make your own!
Seed availability and info.:
* At Islandscape we stock Territorial, Renee's and Botanical Interests, all
varieties hand chosen to perform well in our area.
* We also stock seed starting medium and supplies, even Reemay and garden
clips for cloches.
* Here are some general seed sowing tips I've learned over the years:
_ use row cover (reemay type) when direct sowing seeds in the garden.
_ read seed packet info carefully, keep notes or journal
_ don't over or under sow seed
_ soaking hard to germinate seeds really helps
_ generally plants in the umbel and mustard families do not transplant well,
direct sow
_ consider timing when starting seeds indoors, many grow fast, and it may still
be too cold to put them out when they're ready, and you should always harden
them off for several days.
_ store unused seed in airtight container in fridge.
* Some seeds you can direct sow in the garden now: beans, beets,
carrots, lettuces, radishes, green onions, squashes, cucumbers,
pumpkins, warm season flowers, like sunflowers, marigolds, and zinnias
to name a few.
What's happening in nature:
* Our native serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) is in bloom all white
and lovely, these are an excellent choice in the landscape and a great
draw for Cedar Waxwings in the Fall.
* Hike out on some rocky outcroppings and you'll see a sea of blue with
our wild Camass (Camassia quamash) in bloom. Though we don't sell this
at the nursery, we do usually have it's close cousin (Camassia
leichtlinii) available in Spring and it's a fabulous addition to the
early season garden.
* The Goldfinches have returned with their tropical plumage and
happiest of songs. They sure appreciate a little supplemental feeding of
niger seed this time of year. Did you know we have a wild bird section
at the nursery?
* Native Foxfloves (Digitalis) and woodland star flowers (Trietalis
latifolia) are beginning to bloom, both create a wonderful natural
garden.
* The warmer nights bring on the sound of the Snipes in flight, the
unusual sound (a graduating whistle) actually comes from their wings
not their mouth when they are flying.
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