Saratoga Today

Q&A

By Kerry A. Mendez, Perennially Yours, www.pyours.com

Question: Japanese beetles are devastating my roses. Can you recommend an organic solution?  I refuse to use harsh chemicals in my gardens.

Answer: It’s time to return the favor to these destructive invaders. And I give you a HIGH FIVE for turning to organic solutions for your lawn and garden problems. I wish more folks had this attitude. Japanese beetles usually start showing up in early to mid July after the grubs hatch into these “locust-like” monsters. They attack many different plants but some of their favorites are roses, hollyhocks, malva, sidalcea, hibiscus and fallopia. You can control Japanese beetles by hand-picking and dropping them into soapy water (or squishing them between your fingers if you are really frustrated). A faster version of hand-picking is to take a wide-mouthed bowl filled with sudsy water, hold it right underneath a branch covered with the little devils, and then tap it so the whole bunch fall into their watery grave. The best time to this is in the morning hours when they tend to be more sluggish and slow to respond (like children). As far as organic sprays, any product that contains neem as its active ingredient is a great choice. Using Japanese beetle bags as a control method has always been a controversial approach. Many say that they attract more beetles than they kill. So if you are going to go this route, be on the safe side and give a bag to your neighbor as a holiday gift. Finally, control grubs in your lawn with milky spore or nematodes. To learn more about both of these organic alternatives, contact your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office.

Question: I am redoing a garden around the foundation of my home.  Can you suggest some flowering shrubs to use as a backdrop for perennials and annuals?

Answer: There are many outstanding flowering shrubs to choose from, many of which have colorful foliage as well as pretty flowers. If I had to narrow my picks to five for this column’s sake, I would start with hydrangea “Endless Summer.” This recently introduced shrub enjoys sun to part shade, gets four to five feet tall and blooms from June into September. It has pink flowers in alkaline soil; blue in acidic soil. And the best news is that it is a reliable bloomer for our area, not like “Nikko Blue” and its cousins that tend to be sporadic bloomers at best. What is ‘Endless Summers’ secret? In addition to setting flower buds on old wood, it also sets them on new wood in the spring, thereby bypassing Old Man Winter’s deathly, bud-freezing temperatures. Another terrific shrub is Clethra (summersweet). It does well in full sun to part shade and has deliciously fragrant flowers in July and August. Next on my winner’s list is a new introduction from Proven Winners, Sambucus “Black Lace.” A stunning shrub with finely cut, purple-black foliage and pink flowers in late spring/early summer. “Black Lace” then continues the show with blackish-red berries in the fall for the birds. It grows to eight feet if left alone but can pruned hard each year to keep it more compact. Moving on to shimmering gold foliaged shrubs, “Chardonnay Pearls” simply glows and adorns itself with fragrant, white flowers in the spring. It matures to around 20”-36”. And lastly (although I could go on and on!), for a variegated, semi-evergreen shrub, I love Daphne “Carol Mackie.” It is a very dense mounded plant getting 3’X3’ and has very attractive cream edged, green foliage. Very fragrant, white flowers cover it in May but it gets applause almost year-round due to its form and foliage. “Carol Mackie” is hardy to zone 5.

Question: I enjoy spending time in my garden doing some maintenance but deadheading flowers drives me crazy. Are there any perennials that will continue to bloom without deadheading?

Answer: Well, you could always work with plastic or silk flowers, but that’s no fun. Thankfully, there are what I call “self-cleaners” that bring me even more joy than my self-cleaning oven! I’m with you; it drives me nuts to keep pinching off spent blooms to encourage more flowers. Here are some of my top picks for plants that pretty much run on their own. Geranium “Rozanne” has to be at the top of my list for sun to part sun plants. This zone 5 plant (although I’ve seen it grow fine in zone 4) has rich violet-blue flowers and gets about 18” tall. It starts blooming in June and never stops until you whack it back in late October. Other picks include Coreospis “Moonbeam” and “Crème Brule” that both have cheerful yellow flowers covering ferny mounds of foliage in sunny spots. And I would be remiss if I did not mention astilbes. They boast showy plumes that come in shades of pink, purple, red, lavender or white and can range in height from eight inches to almost four feet. They typically bloom for three to four weeks in part or filtered shade and then show-off neat, dried flowers. If you really want to walk on the wild side, after they have finished flowering, spray the dried stalks with bright spray paint and then check out the surprised looks you’ll get from folks as they stare at your glittery blue astilbes. Tradescantia “Sweet Kate” also gets my vote. Yes, I know this is a spiderwort and most spiderworts are garden THUGS but “Sweet Kate” is different (can’t you tell by the name?). She has brilliant gold foliage with purplish-blue summer flowers and can handle full sun to part shade (although the foliage is shower with the more sun she gets). And hold onto your hats… roses. Specifically any of the Knockout roses. These tough old birds, I mean flowers, come in red, rich pink and blush pink; are resistant to black spot; drought tolerant; fragrant; and will keep on blooming even if you don’t deadhead them.  Another way to sidestep deadheading is to use perennials that are appreciated primarily for their foliage and scrap the flowers entirely. Some in this category are artemisia “Silver Mound;” ornamental grasses; hostas; coral bells; foamflowers; creeping sedums; and ferns. Sigh… let’s face it.  No matter how garden smart and efficient we are, there will always be some tedious garden tasks. Even though we now have artificial Christmas trees that come fully decorated ready to be unpacked and popped-up; they still haven’t invented perennial gardens that can be unfolded along with the lawn chairs.

Upcoming Classes

Monday, July 9: Perennially Yours Open Gardens and Division Sale.

6-7:30pm. 44 Chapman Street, Ballston Spa

Friday, July 13: A Pro's Design Tricks for Ever-Blooming Perennial Gardens

PLUS How to Get the Best Gardening Buys and Save Money.

$25 per person.

Pre-registration required. At a private Scotia residence to be featured in Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Friday, July 20: How to Revitalize A Tired Bed to Create the WOW Factor.

$25 per person.  Pre-registration required. At a private residence in Clifton park to be featured in the Times Union.

Friday, July 27: Create Magnificent Gardens using Knockout Foliage Plants.

$25 per person. Pre-registration required. At a private residence in Saratoga Springs that was featured in Garden Gate magazine.