Northern Gardening; David Zlesak

Oh my goodness we're going out with a bang here Neil Diamond closing out the AM community calendar karaoke hour here on the quick update of the forecast snow showers some heavy today and blowing snow is possible accumulation up to two inches highs 35 northwest winds around 20 to 30 gusting up to 40 tonight. Mostly cloudy scattered showers in the evening and isolated showers after midnight breezy conditions with lows around 23 at 28 and Saturday you can expect partly sunny skies 20 percent chance of snow. Highs thirty eight to forty three still windy with west winds at 15 to 25 miles per hour. Those come around at around 20 to 25 and sunny again partly sunny highs 38 to 40. And overnight lows around 20 33 right now in 34 degrees 36 and 34 at the grammar airport and it has crept up to 40 down at the grammarian Harbor 31 minutes after 11 o'clock I want to thank you for joining us this morning on the AM community program and big huge thanks to everybody who pledged their support this morning and throughout our on our membership drive

grammarian minutes that secured translator Q1. You got one throw it in at ninety one point seven FM on your radio dial. Time now for Northern Europe. Yeah. Good morning and welcome to this Friday the 13th of October edition of Northern gardening. I'm not Paula Sunday. My name is Susan Milo and I'm sitting in today for Paula. This is our last edition for the season of Northern gardening. We're glad you tuned in today and hope you'll stick with us here until 11:00 until 12:30

today. Thanks to all of you who have made your pledges of membership to this wonderful community service and I know many of you have have already been able to receive a lot of valuable information from Northern gardening. What you call right now 3 8 7 1 0 7 0 or 1 800 4 7 3 9 8 4 7. Whether you're a rose garden or are you're expert at herbs or maybe you love those fruit trees and hopefully you've had something for you during this program over the last few months. Right now just to let you know our goal of course is $12000. The total amount raised so far is ten thousand four hundred ninety six dollars were only $4 away from 10 5. Want to be the person that puts is over that mark. That includes thirty six new members THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. And 69 renewing members so right now we need one thousand five hundred four dollars. We'd like to get at least three calls here during northern gardening and we also invite you

to call just with your questions for today's guests. And with that today's guest is a horticulturalist and a regional extension. You cater with the University of Minnesota David. And we'll get to him in just a moment. Programming on WTOP is supported by hundreds of listener members and grand Moray State Bank serving grand Moray and Cook County for over 90 years helping connect the communities and people along the North Shore and by north woods Conservancy working to protect the peninsula's hiking biking and kayaking opportunities on the web at North Woods Conservancy dot org. And also programming is supported by you our listener members and by waters edge trading company featuring jewelry books clothing and gifts that reflect the water's woods and wildlife of the North Shore and Lake Superior located on Highway 61 in Tufty. And as I mentioned today

our guest David Silesia is on the phone. And welcome David glad you could join us today here on Northern gardening. Thank you. My pleasure. To be with you on the WTOP of us well you know if you've been watching the weather we up here of course have had definitely a frost of sub substance and gardeners are starting that process of going through the gardens in cleaning up in a number of other particular another items to to care for their plants. Today we will hopefully we'll touch on a little bit of if you haven't already brought your plants in. What might you be doing with them and miss some of that clean up process as well but also those that were lucky enough to get some fall flowers such as chrysanthemums might want to know that you have been very instrumental in the development of winter hardy chrysanthemums. Could you tell us a little bit about your research project at the University of Minnesota regarding moms.

Sure. I earned my Ph.D. you're a doctor you know Anderson the current breeder. And of all my my research was lovely and I've done a lot of good and worked on the project and I think going to you know some exciting new hybrids that have been developed recently with the sickly You know some of that apart breeding what constitutes a hearty mom. What is it that makes you know the plant to grow so big and do so well. Yeah that's that's a great question. While chrysanthemums are grown all across the world and most of the PCs that are in the background are modern garden and are from Asia so some of those species were or are native to some of the more northerly sections of Asia and some of the other only one. So we have some of the month that can withstand the cold and some that have more difficulty but in general what allows the chrysanthemums

that we've bred that have been successful in Minnesota to overwinter is the ability to produce underground shoots called by its own little little stems that are swollen that can store carbohydrate and the intensity of those should pop up this I mean year. The murder's out of the soil and the next year though they'll grow into the stem that will eventually be flowers on it so the chrysanthemum that are better at producing more of these rhizomes and more of these shoots have a better ability at surviving our winters. OK this project then your research is. Is it still ongoing or has the research sort of reached a peak here with the development of some particular types of moms. Yeah that's a great question. Maybe now would be a good time for me to highlight a little bit of the history of the concept of reading program. Yeah that would be great. It began in the 1920s and and during that time there was a number of public chrysanthemum breeding programs. Nebraska and the other states.

But currently the University of Minnesota my breeding program is the only remaining public breeding program in North America and it's one of the older public plant breeding program around the world. And at that time there was because now the mumps on the market that were used for cut flowers and they weren't quite hardy enough up here in general and a lot of them did not bloom in time before we experienced a hard frost. So the objectives of the program early on were to select a phantom that would bloom early years so we can enjoy them in our fall before a hard freeze. And also like those that would have a better chance than overwintering in the 1950s the University of Minnesota breeding program was instrumental in developing in introducing a new plant habit of chrysanthemum called the cushion habit and what chrysanthemums look like that have the habit of our beautiful little

hemispheres. So they're like a half globe kind of a half circle and the flowers are produced all the way from the soil line up and all over the hemisphere back and down to the soil line still. So in a real politik mom all of the foliage could be covered. And today that because none of them have it that we see all over the primary one and it was originally selected and do you our program in the 1950s and in recent years one of the new groups expand the month that you alluded to is the group of them that have this habit a hemispherical habit with a lot of little bloom. That is very winter hardy and the plants get relatively large and maybe some of this appearance remember in the past few years being advertised under a group of moms called my favorite aunt. Sure do and and those aren't that type of mom. And due to some

marketing changes the distributor changes they've been reintroduced this year under the name mammoth like like the prehistoric being the pre-start quite the pre like the prehistoric being a mammoth. Yeah ok when you say these are large how large are they. Great question. So. So you'll get them of the normal science because you have the mom from the garden center a young plant a plant in the ground. And after they have the ability you go to the north of carbohydrate to give substance to the Queen. They can get two to three feet high and maybe three to four feet wide. They're pretty Yanto. And these these come in a variety of colors I found some information on the old my favorites autumn red coral twilight pink in a coarse Yellow Quill so that the new marketer of these

mammoth basically has the same colors and same characteristics. Exactly. So the fam Fridays that were part of the my favorite theory got shifted over to the mammoth. And over the years we've been busy trying to breed double flowers and also additional colors to add to the theory. And that's where I came into the program beginning my Ph.D. and that I've been involved with. I don't give a. History of the mammoth that might interest garners sure. Dr. Peter Asher a geneticist at the University of Minnesota. He's retired now leading the breeding program. He taught a plant propagation class and there is a wonderful woman Benny the Apache that was the teaching assistant. And she loves gardening and have the rock garden. He gave her a small plant of a rock garden could plant them called because it's these very compact and low growing. And she planted it in a garden

the next year. The little seedlings germinated next to that plant and they ended up being crosses between that mom and broccoli garden she had nearby and the high bred and incredible vigor and that's the basis for the mammoth the genetics of that little record because the mom combined both guard mom to get the thing credible hybrid vigor and the chrysanthemum that that's used for the garden. It's relatively hearty hearty amen to that to k. We're talking with David is Elisa who is a horticulturalist and regional extension educator with the University of Minnesota based out of Andover. We're talking about the new mammoth mums that are known for their winter hardiness. No if you have had some good luck with moms or have a question about moms or feel free to give us a call at

3 8 7 1 0 7 0 0 or 1 800 4 7 3 9 8 4 7. And we'll take your question here for David while we have him on the phone. You know are these moms the mammoth moms are. Are they available just everywhere no. And limited supply. OK. But this fall was the first reintroduction of mom into the fire. But next spring you'll be able to find the garden centers generally in spring. It's growing at like four inch pots that are that are forced into flower because they are short days to do our development and if you purchase these small 4 inch pot in the spring enjoy the flowers planted in your garden and then come Prawle bloom again and give them a chance to fight if they grow throughout the summer. OK so they so they they will be available we just have to keep our eyes out for them I guess.

Yeah one of the benefits of which. The marketers that this new market are off our planet. Cutting the cost at the pump and many other types of plant to garden centers all across the United States. OK previously the old marketer had a little bit more of a targeted audience and that made it all the more difficult for gardeners to OK well. If anyone again has any questions and would like to give us a call we do have people answering the phones 3 8 7 1 0 7 0. Any last bit of information on the chrysanthemum breeding project that you worked on. Well one exciting. To have a plan a habit of the coming out on the bar. It prostrate or wave. Oh that only grow up to about six inches tall and read two to three feet. Wow. Coming on the market relatively soon and this happened. Yeah. Whatever just the drilling that's happening have a habit from that while we are trying to

beat other callers. So let's look forward to that. OK well another thing of course with our current weather and so forth. We've all been frantically bringing in our plants. I know on my porch is full of a bowl with some indoor plants that were you know given that time to really enjoy the summer's light and temperature and also geraniums. Do you have some tips for folks that are for first of all I guess have had there are indoor plants outside and right now if they're not at least in a somewhat temperate area they're they're no longer with us. But what can you recommend to people before they actually bring those plants back into the warmth of their home. That's a great question it can be pretty challenging sometimes but we have. Houseplants outside in the summer they grow beautifully in the higher light. And we bring them back into

the indoor environment and into the lower light. We experienced a lot of leaf drop. So but I'd suggest this just you know be aware that the youth will fall off of many plants specially thing like like if other plants are more prone to that. So just be patient with them and they'll put out the new growth on the house. Something that I like to do too is to spray my plants outside before bringing them in with the side. Just you get rid of by to buy it and ate it. Another thing that I would otherwise bring into the house. OK would it this time would you go ahead and thin them out if you will is that still a good policy at this time of year. Definitely definitely if they're pot bound. They've been growing stronger all summer. Hopefully getting adequate care from us watering them as well as rain and fertilizer so they probably you know grown a lot during the summer.

So if they're ready for repotting definitely go ahead and do it. You may want to cut them back. Surprisingly you know some of our larger plants can gain a lot of height. Don't you bring him back in the house to realize they don't quite fit so well anymore. I'm gonna do some heavy printing to pay people you know generally do wash their windows sort of the certain times of the year in. I've read that you should take the time to clean your windows both inside a note just to make sure you know that they have adequate light for the winter months. Great and probably you'll appreciate yourself as well. Cleaning your windows. And then as far as plants that you might want to try and hold over like for example geraniums. What what's the best way to do that I've heard a variety of thing things either bringing them in completely into your house warm environment or into above freezing environment storing them there what do you recommend.

That depends on your situation. So if you have a lot of windows to be answer you know just the setting up so porous that my atheism grow light in the basement and be great to keep on growing during the winter and if you do enough light they said Flower and to make the long cold winter be a little more bearable. But if you don't have to have every third year you let them go and dormant. Possible author of other things that we can do. I remember as a young boy my grandma went to go up to train him to take off the fly. And stuff them in a paper bag and put them under a bed. February March and it was just out the plants a lot you know though often almost die. But you could pop them up at that time and water them while kind of back and many of them won't put out the new growth and survive. What is it about geraniums that make them so tolerant of what we

do to them. Like your grandmother. Oh that's a good question. Well a lot of the geraniums you know they've gone IOM are native to South Africa and in South Africa about cure him and some of the other regions there where the native to there's a long dry season. So maybe that's why they're just so amenable. Letting them dry out for a while and then they go pretty well have to give a point they are the most forgiving. Just talked to our colleague who mentioned the she she's going to try storing some of them in the. Sort of a root cellar temperature room just to hang him up kind of upside down. And just because the same reason not having enough you know window ledge space to keep them all so it kind of sounds like your grandmother's technique. Yeah exactly. One problem that people can encounter is the few you know bring them in and place and the bass player don't warm

their dark. Don't try to grow the warmer temperatures so they get chute that are kind of white or yellow reaching for the light. I get kind of like that by the time you put you know back but I think I mean look that attractive. All right we're talking with David who is a horticulturalist and the regional extension educator based out of Andover Minnesota. Now David you mentioned also that part of your workload is going to be teaching some of the courses for the Master Gardener Program. Can you tell us a little bit about your role there. I'm sure. So the Master Gardener Program of the wonderful program where people can volunteer and partner with the University of Minnesota that Janet and provide gardening information to the public who directed to cation are to be there to project many opportunities and

to begin with the core core where if an individual can't you know go through the core core thoughts of several week horticultural training and get you know many of the University of Minnesota written resource to having Keep and in exchange for that training the volunteer and partner with a great project of the community with. We have an extremely active group and quite large here in Cook County. I know you're going to be teaching some of the course this winter I understand. Yes there are beaches component Okay and so M.. I had once heard that you can take the curriculum online is that still true. Yes that's true. Yes you can begin you know take it to the general master go on a core course or if you want to you can even sign up for official university of M.. OK. All right. Well good luck with your instruction there with our master

gardener. All programs we're going to take a little bit of a break and we'll come back and talk with David a little bit more. We're going to touch on something called The Healing inn and we'll be back with David momentarily with that. It's 7 minutes before 12:00 noon and you are listening to Northern gardening here on member supported WTI P.. This is our last edition of the program for our gardening season and we sure hope hope that you'll continue to you know stay tuned to this station as it brings you a variety of programming valuable news and

information just like information that we received today from David and. Paula sundeck couldn't be here today but she did leave us with a little message and we'll we'll have that for you. Also in the second half of the program the numbers to call that's the most important thing we know that you're listening and we still have a goal of one thousand five hundred and four dollars. We need you to call you gardeners out there you folks that are very interested in playing in the dirt. 3 8 7 1 0 7 0 or 1 800 4 7 3 9 8 4 7. Folks are waiting to pick up the phone we've got some wonderful thank you gifts also at a variety of levels and we know that you'll find something that will be compatible with your ability to pay. Has been mentioned all week long doesn't really matter the level. But when when we go to other funding sources they often will ask us well gosh what's your listener base how many members do you have. Doesn't They don't ask how much did the members

contribute they just want to know that people are listening and then they feel that they want to be. They have some ownership in WTI. And this is an excellent time right now to call tell us what you think of Northern guarding what what kind of program what speakers could we have added during the session 3 8 7 1 0 7 0 or 1 800 4 7 3 9 8 4 7. $84 level is kind of a nice one to start at you have a choice of a couple thank you gifts there. And please do stay tuned. Following this program of course is swing sessions with Bill Burkhardt. So lots of great programming coming through this day Friday the 13th. Well we're going to go back here to our guest today on Northern gardening David as Elisa talking to us today on a variety of subjects we did we learned about the winter hardy moms researching and talked a little bit about bringing in your plants. If you do have a question for David 3 8 7 1 0 7 0 0 or

1 800 4 7 3 9 8 4 7 healing in is a topic that I am really not very familiar with. David could you just enlighten our listeners as to how this might help gardeners in their in their process of getting plants in the ground I guess at the best time of year in the best conditions. Sure my pleasure. So healing in this basically involves just kind of temporarily planting a plant. And typically we do that for something that's right he'll come back year after year to be what he or it could be. So if you have you know the plant you've got the garden that are perhaps Well I mean you're or you may have. The plan somebody gave you the other gardening friend and you don't quite know where to put them yet in your yard. What you can do is to temporarily plant them or heal them in

to your vegetable garden where you have to be based right now. If your tomatoes have frozen back and you are unable to protect them. So just how do you get trench to go haul. Take the pot you have something in a pot and a nest on the ground. You know take a clump a day of these whatever it may be to temporarily plant it if you add a little like the soil of all around the base of the action. Allegiant. You know that's great. Come spring. You lift up that plant. Hopefully have a place to put it permanently. OK I guess I wish I had known more about this I transplanted some perennials from the Twin Cities to Cook County last fall and had mixed success and did kind of what what you are talking about is there anything other that anything else that you actually added to the trench or the hole that you dug for the for the plants.

That's a really good question. So this weekend I'm going. The healing in a lot of small roses that I have in Florence a pot that I took cuttings of the summer. So what I'll do is Nestle the pots into the soil and maybe put a little more toil above and I'll take a whole tray or a flat full of these little pots. Dig a little trench to put the whole tray in. Thank you both the tray out can bring it to lift them out and take a shovel and kind of shake the soil and let it not fill over and between the plant and after that what I'll do is mulch. I'll put a lot of the of the neighborhood in my own yard too and in the late everything well let's make sure think the well-watered so the plants aren't you know very dry going in the plant you know healthy and adequately hydrated. Beyond that what what I would do would be to put a little bit of rat bait and so the bunnies don't touch. But I do have a dog so I don't want to get into that so I think the ref Sure

sure. So should you if you have a choice of garden beds to put them in should you pick one on a particular side of the house one with a certain light characteristic does it matter. It would help if it's an area that's a little bit protected no specially if they're kind of marginal plants anyway and so on. For one thing I know that part of your listening audience could be gone for some of them and maybe even a little pocket right by the lake right. Yeah actually by the lake we can be either a 4 8 or 4 B and then over the hill of course it's all three basically but five. I think that's hopeful thinking. OK so if you have a south side of AGR. Someone with a little extra warmth that can be held know that how. But but if

you're dealing with a plant that overly hearty anyway and three going for you know it doesn't it doesn't really matter. You know just look at the options that you do have you haven't bought the problem or protect it go with it. But if after you have OK you mentioned a couple of species can you can you do this also with like a current or a small shrub that type of thing. You know definitely yeah you could take you know a shot of whatever it may be that you don't quite have a permanent home quite yet. And you know them and for the winter one thing that is kind of similar you may have heard of the Minnesota method over one train and the road has enough that that kind of like doing it because they're digging a trench on one side of the plant tying up the cane for the volume. I think the root of the other side of the plant and not just

pressing it into the trench and founding it up with foil to add a little active relation. So enough of that kind of feeling it in and adding a little point. So SO ready. So basically you're just kind of putting the plant on hold and keeping it from. Breaking it's dormancy until you're ready to put it in your fabulous spot. Exactly. It is just a minute after 12 o'clock and you're tuned in northern gardening at ninety point seven FM grand Marie and ninety one point seven FM translator w 2 1 9. See you Gunflint Trail. David is here with us and we're talking about a number of sort of end of the season subjects in regards to to gardening. The other one subject I think and hopefully we might have a call or two on this if you do have a question for David. 3 8 7 1

0 7 0 or 1 800 4 7 3 9 8 4 7. Is the cleanup of your gardens should you do it now should you wait to spring is what what's the what are some of your thoughts on that. Yeah that's a great question. And what I'd love to do it this way in the spring and general because the marching to the forward upright you know I have and have you know excitement that I want to guard and many of the plants like purple caught fire and other things like that and the birds comment and enjoy. So. Ed. times bring many of them would be. Broken down a little bit may be starting to rot. So they're much easier to break off and some exception. You know maybe if you had the problem of thing and

you have a lot of the tissue but by removing that material and getting it out of your guard and over it went to there and you know be a real strong horse and knock you off. Or did you get them back here. That would be a reason to get rid of that plant material. In addition you know if you if you love to decorate for the holidays then put your you know you're out there and might make it you know that one there for you went to get rid of that material. OK well I know a lot of a lot of people you know just hate to the mess in the spring and they feel that in the fall specially if you have a lot of leaves falling from deciduous trees you know you can you can get that out of there and buncha leaves packed on your garden may not be so healthy. What are your thoughts on that. Well. It is a good point that that in the fall there is a lot more resources in terms of getting rid of organic you know plant debris. These things like

that. But actually them these can help insulate the soil too. So and in this time of the year gardeners you know may have more time than that and bring you know to clean up the garden. Another reason too. So let me give you an example from the breeding program again. One thing that we've done to investigate you know what makes a mom Hardy is due in the fall. Cut back some of the way down to the ground and then Lisa mother Mom put what the old Stemm complains and granted you know our moms are in open fields with a lot of wind. The chrysanthemums where we left them in the plains over winter much better than knowledge where we cut off the stem and part of that reason may be that the down acted as a block that would allow snow to accumulate. So to help with the lesion though so don't be too anxious.

You know if you're a procrastinator and I am to some degree you know just waiting the spring you know typically define it. And when you you know are getting rid of the plant material and praying it is easier to get rid of the stem of herbaceous perennials often to spray. Often at the ground while on the far right now I have to get are pretty sure about every and all pretty well what in I know until you really have that hard freeze you should really jump the gun. If there's anything green yet on the planet you should leave it as long as you can. What's what's happening in during at the place with the plant at that time is it is maybe it's preparing for winter. So in the fall you know plants that are pretty out there are the accumulating carbohydrate and storing the carbohydrate for a base of printing on the storage of course that's the route that some have modified or get the ball and price on things like that.

So as long as we can keep that lease material profit of August that damage from a hard freeze it's going to and the potential that still there are carbohydrate to be deferred. Our plan to come back stronger. The fact you're so yeah don't be tweaked OK. Even if even if just part of your plant looks a little brown I'm guessing you know you're still going to get some value if you just hang on to that for a little longer time. Exactly the other and I'm playing devil's advocate here too the other thing is people will say that you know on that all the dead foliage will just attract bowls and rodents and they'll start eating at the roots. My my plants and my perennial says what so what is that true. Well I think that foliage. There are life foliage there so may that be. You know the deciding factor. All that delicious treat them to file there

so they can sniff about I'm sure they find so you know you're going to get them either way is what you're saying you're fatalists their yap their neighborhood and they're hungry are they. They know where the fuck they are. Any other tips as far as what to do in regards to the garden cleanup. Obviously mulching will maybe break away and just talk about mulching in itself but do you do this is a good time to amend the soil also. Definitely if you have an area that you're going to be putting into garden the next year or even the current vegetable garden where everything and be cleared out or an annual bed and you have empty soil about plant material in it. You know if you have to adjust the pH by having climbers fall for

depending on what you're spoiled by the fall of the great time to incorporate that because the pH will begin to change in the action of the lime or softer will begin and by the time spring comes your pH will you know start you know being adjusted so it's not a bad thing but if you have a lot of established perennials doing a lot of digging around the root this time of year will damage their roots. And as we talked. You know the roots right now are throwing a lot of carbohydrates or that plant for spring. So it would be you know not to the advantage of the plant to be breaking up the roots of sure any other tips for the end of into the season clean up that's in in your experience. Yeah that let's talk about Gladio of some of the other plants like that they think that are perennial and regions of the world you know except here to bring them in so they don't freeze. So this morning the striving

to work I don't know if the beautiful bad about 30 feet long of Canada. Oh yeah and they're all brown right now because of the frost that we had last night here. But but the soil hasn't frozen very deeply yet at the date of the cross. So the underground rides on you know are great shape. So we know that the foliage is totally destroyed that the plants will not be you know going to any bar in accumulating more carbohydrate so we get to lift up those overwintering unit provides them whatever it may be. Another plan that may be to enter that were growing and bring them in to a frost free plane for the winter. Plan Thank you all the very easy for gardeners because because the corm modified the template you can drive down you know pretty far and still be viable. So we can cut off the take the core and put them you know in the

house under our bed in the basement to somewhere dry and they'll be fine. Other plant material like to have a boisterous a little more critical. They don't have that thick waxy layer that that golden yellow Gladiolus do to retain the pointer so that we can nest both of those rides on them in the slightly damp Piedmont and then put them in a cool place like in a basement somewhere. But they don't start growing so there obviously they have to be in an area above 32 Preferably I suppose closer to least 40 degrees and probably not over 50. That's great. I'm just guessing but yeah yeah basements are vary in temperature so much it's often hard to find at least in my experience a place that will be cool enough so that they don't start to grow in any fashion. Yeah I find that a challenge to one thing that we can do though.

If I've been 55 like Typically the winter and then I can and do start growing I'm going to start growing and we have some window will be for the base or we could put up shop light for the ball and just pop them up and let them start growing. And by the time bank at all and the bay or frost free. Hopefully it will have you know decent but yeah hard returns. Oh I am OK. We're talking with David who is a horticultural stand a regional like extension educator from Andover Minnesota. David will be right back with you for some more into the season tips. And stay tuned we're taking just a quick little musical break here we're right back. Get. Started.

It's 14 minutes after the hour. Probably you two northern gardening then Joining me in the studio right now is Station Manager Deb Benedict. Deb what's what's news from out in the NEWSROOM. I thought this was in the news right. That's right. Appends on the what hour of the day it is. I'm actually I just wanted to say that we are winding down in our membership drive we still have a about 15 a little over fifteen hundred dollars to reach our goal of $12000. And we had an email a pledge on line that happened during the last show that I want to give thanks to Andrew and Piper Wilson from Stillwater Minnesota. Wow thank you so much for

adding new members. Members love it. And the paper says thank you for advancing progressive thought for the jack pine savage and all of us. Thank you pay for an Andrew from Stillwater deal wasn't so obviously listing it or RG Exactly. And we hope that those of you that are listening to David right now and enjoy northern gardening will do just like those folks did from Stillwater call 3 8 7 1 0 7 0 or 1 800 4 7 3 9 8 4 7. We have so we've gone over the fifteen hundred dollar mark but we still could use a couple more calls here during northern gardening and we've got 15 minutes left so why don't you pick up the phone right now and be the next person to pledge to this valuable radio service we Pollitt been doing this show just religiously for. Gosh I guess is it six months. Yes I think she started late spring. And just dedication from a volunteer research with a lot of help of course from other people in our

community. But you know it doesn't happen without also the assistance of you our member listeners. This is our really our official last day would really like to push this to the limit today and pump pump these pledges right through you. You do you really I guess you listen to us probably every Friday and if you like me a listen Thursday night too because I don't catch every Exactly. Exactly. Try out of information in one hour it is I try and listen at work a bit and you know but I don't catch it also then I have to tune in on the rebroadcast on Thursday nights and that that helps a great deal too. So. So we've got a couple of questions here from listeners so we're going to go back and talk to David and see if you can help us out with our questions but I want you give us a call want to be the next member listener here WTOP 3 8 7 1 0 7 0 or 1 800 4 7 3 9 8 4 7. I had one question yet when you were on the air before Sue and

someone from up the trail which is would be Zone 3 I think so planted first year hydrangeas I mean this is the you know new new hydrangea plant this year just got them OK. They're called everlasting hydro Yeah bloomed three times and had great luck with them. But she wants to know is there something she needs to do for wintering over. Well David is on the phone with us David what do you think about those hydrangeas. They're great summer. It's a neutral hydrogen what that means is that you know it will fall or regardless of the dealing regardless if it is that old and I've gone through winter and that's why they're successful. It's the largely hydrangea that typically doesn't determine our climate in a freeze. Back to the ground and they normally need all the wood to survive through the winter and the bloom off side branches so so the summer

hydrangeas can bloom off of new wood that grows from the base. So so the key to getting it good for all the clay next spring would be to insulate the base and make sure that crown over when there isn't even some of that wood that you know the base of the plant. OK so that hopefully will help our caller be successful with the next years. That isn't is that rather new hydrangea That's No. Yes Billy's nursery is a large wholesale nursery based out of St. Paul. In Florida and they have growing ransom call to demand I do that a couple of years ago and actually this plan compared to any other single plant that's had more marketing dollars put in to it than any other planet. Over a million dollars or so for they believe in it and they're behind it. So if the knife and I planned it the sequel coming out bred out of it to the bride and the mother.

OK OK so we should be looking for more of these rather hearty northern zone hydrangeas. Yeah OK great. Well also we had a call during their break David. Is it too late to plant garlic you know that we've already had snow. We've had a dusting of snow pretty much at least a dusting along the shore and four inches or more inland. Can you can you if you can still get in the soil I mean we've only had the the cold temps now for probably about five days below freezing consistently. What do you think. Go ahead and prove it. Just like other other bulbs to put to you know tulips and daffodils. So the garlic it closely related. And and one thing that benefits the ball that we plan the ball is a little bit of time for the grid system to establish before the cold weather and come spring. By having a little bit of an established root system

both take off well and grow strong and be better how your plan. But you know they'll miss. They'll be fine and maybe we'll have an Indian summer come out. You'll definitely have grow that plant to bring. K would you recommend that you do a little special mulching or put sort of an extender structure over them just to help them through the say the next three weeks or so that it's a great idea to help keep the soil a little bit warmer and allow. One of our group development that may otherwise have occurred. That's a great idea and we we had thought maybe we would talk about Garden extend but season extenders but our season here is pretty much ended for anything that is photosynthesizing in at this point. But it sounds like in this application probably could still do some sort of little structure. What would be some ideas. What kind of structure could help if you were going to put in a couple

rolls of garlic yet to this this fall. You could just fall too heavily. That's probably one of the YES thing to do to you know take a bale of straw and after some years even Bagley. But you have a new yard ready or to be on the curb. You know that you're willing to drive by. Your pickup truck if nobody's like a.. If people go by. So there's a lot of options to help implement the foil of course you know if you happen to have a cold frame. Some are out in the yard that you can't carry a tenth part of earth on $1 you know getting on top of to buy foreign whatever it may be OK. The whole frame idea is also something people could think about I guess for planning for next spring where you might put one o any any any thoughts on that how someone could start maybe preparing for a cool frame to be used. Nick spring and in how they might use it. That's a very good question. So you have to think about where it's worth a good

microclimate yard that may be a little bit warmer anyway because no part of the reason for having a cold frame it is just you know getting a little extra heat so it won't be there and we can get some tender transplants started early or whatever we choose to grow. So think about the south side of your house. The west side of your how. An area that may be sheltered a little bit from the wind. And then beyond that think about you know how you're going to build it how you're going to you know add a little more you only okay. So what you're saying you really don't need to spend a lot of money you can use small materials some more windows. Can you use Plexiglas Also did you mention that I didn't mention that but yeah anything that all that light come in of all of one part of the glass. Greenhouses these days many of them are made out of acrylic or polycarbonate which is kind of like double plain double pane glass. There's little air pockets in between to help with information so if you hand them some of that

but have more insulation value than to the glass of a storm window. You could you know use the fiberglass as well. You can get you know heavy duty clear plastic and stretch it dust it off with a two by four table and maybe a couple layers or whatever it may be that you have available to you and why and how would a gardener use this next spring what would be the most obvious uses uses of it and how would they use it. It's the most obvious use would be to to bring some transplants outside maybe one that you started out and light in the basement. They're getting to a point where maybe you want to transplant a little larger pot you no longer have enough room in the house to accommodate them and you need to space them out so you can you know place them outside in the in the cool plane. And the cold frame how you know protect them completely. After

that he didn't want to get you know probable. Let's start with all the facts you know that come by. OK I'm going to be sort of like you know everything we're going to have an option I call it. OK well I think in our area especially Don by the lake we can be kind of deceptive the air temperature can be quite nice in the spring but our soil temp is so low to gain any any degree of warmth and so that really and then we always have that danger of that early or that later frost and so I can see where cold frame even a modest sized one could really ensure some earlier blooms and some maybe some Head Start with some of the plants. Yeah great. Well OK. It is 25 minutes after 12:00 and you are listening to Northern gardening here on member supported WTI P..

We've been speaking with David as Elisa COO is not a culture a stand a regional extension educator. David any m other things youd like to just quick review with our listeners as they are starting to wrap up their gardening season here. You know don't be afraid to march you know and when you march what you wanted to you is not to keep the frost not the Farrelly but to keep it in and to prevent everything in dying from happening over and over again. Even the foil breaking plant route so to allow them both for you and your perennial bed and then mulch many pretty of you know are exceptionally hardy like peonies the day of the year. You don't even have to worry about that. But if you're growing think think Coral Bell in the crowd maybe something if you think buying or think that a bartender like lavender or time or maybe some of the can now. Go ahead and bolt after after and

I mean the soil should be so frozen that you hardly would make an impression in it with your foot or should it be just you know how deep Should the frost be if when you do this last mulching for the season. That's a great question. Hard to say because you don't want all of them to get to know all Faltu and tell complicate things well so what I typically do is wait. You notice that the top crust of the oil that's a little bit. And I'll start off saying now be nice you know that I get a little deeper but you know eventually it well the call gets through the vault but so the main thing is just not involved you know we have a lot of warm weather and you know it's kind of bank under there. And I'm pumping as you are that will have another blast of some warm days here so hold off is what you're saying just kind of be cautious this far as preferred mulch is what what would you say for this winter you know a wintering over what are

some of the preferred materials that you are. You mentioned you know stealing the neighbor's leaves by the way not to many people appear seem to bother raking their leaves. So that's we don't see too many on the side of the road but what other materials would be good. Here's for mulching. Well characteristics of a good mall should be involved but that doesn't get waterlogged and keep that air pocket between it because you know it's what is really going to play shit like when we have insulation for our house. In the fiberglass or whatever we use as a little air pocket and glass put there in between. We want to keep that air there. Something that I have some thoughts about like oh please. Or are our bombs things like that back in the air would be better in later that think like me believe that down and get really what the ballot box. I don't care if the law of the temperature. You know you now have the police and the cold to get

out. All right we've been talking today with David Silesia can David thank you so much for joining us today on Northern gardening here on WTOP Are there any websites that you could recommend for people who could go to for some tips if they have other questions over the winter or any particular book or anything. Yes the extension of the University of Minnesota senate website has a lot of great links to gardening information as well as other information at that web link is a WW got extension us that edu extension that you and I need you. Something else that may be of interest to gardeners. There's a lot of older mom Friday from the University of Minnesota that are tolerant and great for cut flowers. Different plant have it from a very large boom 45 minutes across that would be hearty and it's hard to find but there is one supplier last year in

Minnesota and they're for both growers Inc dotcom OK furball growers took them there. Well again Thanks much David and we appreciate you spending time with us today and thanks to all the listeners who called in with questions as well. And Paula Sunday will be back next year with her next northern gardening. Again thanks David for being with us. Thank you. But my prayers are already. Hi this is policy. I have been really really pleased to have been your host for northern gardening since April 7th that's when we started out. And thank you again to sue Milo's filling in today. We've had a lot of folks over the last several months almost six months Bob suppose he started us off from Flint gardens and we've had Joan and Howard Abrahams and Diane booth Melinda Spiller John mustn't bring in Patti retell Chel Anderson and Don Goodell Mike Albers rusty Schmidt Jeff

Hahn and Diane Alston from all way from Utah and Mark Adams will talk about tools Marcell are present. You and Larry David and Lisa as Mary Myers and Professor Bud Markert Dr. David Bedford and Carole Burton Diane Whaley in and most recently last week we had done Fisher maritime want to thank you to all those folks who spent time to share their knowledge with you. Very very much appreciated it. If you appreciate northern gardening and appreciate the time that all those folks have put into it give us a ring at 3 8 7 10 70 or 1 800 4 7 3 9 8 4 7 and it's been a lot of fun and we look forward to joining you again next year. Diane booth and I will be going through a list of her resources and she's with Cook County Extension and talk a little bit about what kind of questions you may have so that we can best serve your needs. Glad that this is actually helping out

extension as well Saul. Thanks again very very much and enjoy being your host again my name is Paula send it with Northern gardening and thanks for listening. Yes and thank you Paula for your months of dedication and programming here. Won't you be a supporter of IP right now by making that call become a new renewing member at 3 8 7 10 70 or 1 800 4 7 3 9 8 4 7. Thanks to our guest today David is ill and want to stay tuned now for Swing sessions with Bill Burkhardt. It's 12:30 too.