The weather is always a challenge to the gardener, and spring in Ohio can be frustrating. Our flowering trees have been spectacular up to now with the saucer magnolia — bloom the best I can remember in years.
There are precautions that many fruit growers take to mitigate cold damage in the spring. One of those is to locate the orchard or strawberry patch in an area that is on higher ground. Frost settles in lower areas first.
Selecting the right cultivar and variety is also important. I did this with my saucer magnolia. I selected a cultivar named ‘Ann’ because it blooms just a little bit later in April, many times (though not all), avoiding a hard freeze.
Orchard heaters may be helpful but can be costly. Wind machines to keep the air stirred up are also utilized. A simple solution that can be helpful is to have ground cover on the orchard floor.
Grass or other vegetation can absorb heat during the day and give off more heat at night than bare soil. Moist soil at night is also warmer.
There are ways homeowners can mitigate the cold. One technique is to cover the plants in question overnight. Don’t cover with plastic as this holds cold air under the plastic. Use an old sheet or purchase frost protection covers developed for this purpose.
Now is the time for TLC for your houseplants
Now is a good time to care for your overwintering houseplants, as many may be showing new growth. This sign indicates they are ready to start their spring and summer growth.
Transplant any of them that have outgrown their containers. However, keep in mind that plants such as jade, snake plants, Boston ferns, philodendrons, and many others prefer to be root-bound.
The challenge with root-bound plants is they require more frequent watering. Much of the soil has decomposed, and the roots occupy most of the space in the pot. If you’ve managed to care for a root-bound plant up until now, consider yourself to have a green thumb!
While working on my houseplants, I observed which ones are difficult to care for and which ones are more resilient. The plants I consider “divas” are those that give me problems; two are the prayer plant and the Swiss cheese philodendron. Unfortunately, they look quite unhealthy.
To give them a fresh start, I decided to replant my divas. One was in a poor-quality potting mix, so I completely replanted it. I trimmed off all the damaged leaves from the prayer plant, leaving just two healthy leaves to support its growth moving forward—hopefully, this will help revive it.
Plants with healthy roots and a few leaves can survive and continue growing. Some species of houseplants can be cut back to no leaves and still survive.
We are our own worst enemy with gardening problems
Many of the county Extension offices in the Miami Valley have Horticulture HelpLines in which you can connect with Master Gardener Volunteer who will try to answer your gardening questions.
These calls are usually focused on plant problems, such as an insect or disease, or about a plant not doing well in the landscape. We go through all the possible scenarios that might be happening and can usually help solve a problem.
Over the years, I have learned that we are our own worst enemies based on the problems people have with their landscapes. We plant trees that like a lower pH in our high-pH soils (pin oak, for instance). We try to grow rhododendrons and azaleas on our high-pH soils.
Or we might plant a tree that prefers dry soil in an area that stays wet for extended periods. We might plant a shade-loving perennial in full sun and expect it to thrive.
When there is a problem, we might consider a soil test because, after all, something must be wrong with the soil. The other option is to spray chemicals on the plant to see if that works!
We sometimes forget that plants are living organisms and require care to not only survive but to thrive. However, the care given can be quite easy if plants are happily growing in their preferred environment.
Remember to select the right plant for any location. Study the site first, and then research those plants that might grow best for the site. Don’t do what many people do: plant something that will become overgrown and spend each year having to prune it to keep it manageable!
Landscape and gardening can indeed be easy if we give it a little bit of thought and effort before planting. Learn about the site and the plants that you are selecting for a site. The ideal situation is that you can match the two and enjoy landscape bliss!
Of course, it’s easy for me to preach the right plant, right location and then turn around and purchase a plant that likely won’t survive in our area. But doggonit, I love the plant, and I really want it to grow in my landscape! I have met the enemy, and he is me.
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