Jim Hole’s Notebook
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Welcome to Jim’s Notebook, a regular look at gardening, the greenhouse industry and the hottest new plants and products from the unique perspective of professional grower and bestselling gardening author Jim Hole.

Jim’s Notebook April 27, 2006

This week in the notebook
Hits & Misses: Big Fuchsias and Canna lilies
Question of the Week: What shouldn’t I plant out yet?
Timelines: Tomato Tales

I was reading an article in Scientific America on robotic lawn mowers and
how much the technology has advanced. The mowers have a fair number of
electronic components that are designed to keep the mower on track and to
discourage it from chasing down your cat. The beauty of this gadget is that
it will cut your lawn when cutting is required and not wait until the
Stanley cup finals are over. The result should be a healthier lawn with no
thatch build up but there are some disadvantages. Robotic mowers are
expensive and have next to no track record in the real world so I will
reserve judgment until I can see them mow through some prairie grass after a
two-day rainstorm. I’m willing to bet that the Paul Bunyans out there with
their ox-like mowers will still chop through the forests of grass better
than these computer-chipped robotic locomotives!

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Hits & Misses
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HITS
GIGANTIC FUCHSIAS
One of the biggest “hits” for us as a plant retailer is plant popularity
driven by size. Cute, miniature or dwarf plants get a lot of attention.
Likewise giant plants draw the same level of interest. Our fuchsia hanging
baskets are the largest that we have ever grown. The right combination of
sun, water, fertilizer and variety of plant has contributed to the
gargantuan dimensions of this year’s baskets. We try to time the baskets so
that they are perfect for Mother’s Day, so I expect that there will be a lot
of happy Moms this May.

MISSES
CONCERN FOR CANNAS
The future of canna lilies is beginning to worry me. These beautiful plants
are under siege worldwide from viral infections. The problem is so serious
that “clean” cannas are getting tougher to find. We have been searching
everywhere for sources and I hate to say that growers with clean crops are
becoming increasingly rare. We destroyed a portion of one group of cannas
this year because they looked a bit suspicious. I know that if the problem
gets much worse, there could be a time when a healthy canna is the exception
rather than the rule.

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Question of the Week
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WHEN TO PLANT OR WHAT TO PLANT?
The weather is lovely here in the Edmonton area and gardeners are just
itching to get out there and take advantage of it. It’s no surprise that
this week’s most popular question is when to start planting. The answer
really depends on the level of risk that you are comfortable with and the
steps you’re prepared to take in the event of a sudden freeze.
I know of one avid gardener who grows his tomatoes in pails kept on a cart
that can be wheeled into his garage if frost threatens. There really is no
such thing as a guaranteed safe-planting date but apparently there are
safe-planting techniques!

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Timelines
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TOMATO TALES
Two varieties of tomatoes that we are trialing are ‘Capaya’ and
‘Margherita.’ Capaya produces firm, heart-shaped fruit and is said to be
quite disease resistant. Margherita is a thin-skinned tomato highly
recommended for cooking. We’re growing them in 8cm pots set in the cold
frames to toughen them up. Tomatoes always fruit sooner if they are given
cold treatment early, coupled with less nitrogen fertilizer and drier soil.
Tough love is the rule early in the seedlings lives and we tend to be even
tougher on the new kids, that is the varieties we trial, than we are on
varieties that we’ve grown for years.

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Online
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You can now read current and past Jim Hole’s Note book online at http://www.enjoygardening.com/?cat=20

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This week at Hole’s
********************
RECENT ARTICLES:
http://www.enjoygardening.com
WHAT”S NEW:
http://www.holesonline.com/infonew.asp?date=current&year=2006
SPECIALS & DEALS:
http://www.holesonline.com/shoponsale.asp

_________________________________________________
This list is run by Hole’s Greenhouses & Gardens as a service to customers who have signed up to learn more about our company. If you wish to leave the list please go to http://server.holesonline.com/mailman/listinfo/gardening and unsubscribe.

T.S. Eliot was wrong: April is not the cruelest month—not if you work at Hole’s. We have two, in fact, that rally for top spot. In December this place is the poinsettia depot. We cram them into vans and ship them all over the greater Edmonton area, racing against the birth of Christ. Miss that and your only hope rests with belated Ukrainian celebrations.

Then there’s May, which many would argue to be the true test of a greenhouse worker’s resolve. As anybody in the industry knows, this is the month that pays the bills; few, however, know about the toll it takes. You get used to dragging hoses pretty fast, and after a while, moving a thousand flats in a day seems almost routine (just ask our transplant crew). But it’s stressful. With the retail greenhouse open, the day’s watering no longer begins in Indoor Plants, which means we get there after the store opens, if we do at all. Bob Stadnyk asks that his perennials be kept a bit dry, then, the following day, he wonders aloud what you meant by not watering them that morning. Hilary has peppers ready for a coldframe despite the coldframes being full. The fuchsias in the retail greenhouse wilt every afternoon, the pansies in the coldframes overgrow because you don’t have the staff to move them outside, and there’s Valerie Hole in the azalea patch, picking off new growth to keep buds from aborting—in other words, doing your job.

If you can keep staff at a greenhouse despite the stress of May, you’ve accomplished the near impossible. We didn’t. Yesterday a member of my growing team walked into a coldframe at 9:30 in the morning and told her partner, The New Jason, she was leaving. For good.

I was off when this happened. After I got the news by telephone later that afternoon, I left my desk here at home and went for a walk. The bar seemed like the best destination at the time—alcohol always being a good answer when you’re not quite sure of the question—but half way there I decided on a pita and soda instead. On the way home, as I walked past the ducks floating on the pond near my apartment, it occurred to me that one day maybe I should have a garden of my own. The thought stunned me. Why would it come to me now? It’s been years now since I’ve even considered this possibility.

I think now of a book by Canadian poet and essayist Tim Lilburn, called Living in the World as if it Were Home. It’s a difficult book, but rewarding in the insight it offers on the strange pursuit of reconciling being human with being a part of the natural and, if you will, spiritual world, rather than being apart from it. I wonder if this is what happens in gardens. Perhaps this is why people invest so much of themselves in the earth around their homes. The pursuit, I’d guess, is really of home itself, for a place in which we can begin the humbling task of learning how to belong. But to what? To whom? To where?

Does this have any bearing on how long we stay here, working at Hole’s through May? A little bit, probably, though precisely how I’m not sure. But, as the last 24 hours have shown me, I know for certain that, regardless of my unlikelihood, I am, just as the other growers remaining, not unwilling. Or, at the very least, not as much as I once would have thought.

First published April 27, 2006

With each new growing season comes nearly irresistible temptation to try the “hottest” new plants the industry has to offer. Most gardeners though will still reserve a spot in the garden, and their hearts, for the plain-old, humble potato. The choice isn’t one based on aesthetics, of course, but on practicality; no barbeque or shepherd’s pie would be the same without a few spuds dug fresh from the garden. All the same, unearthing those first few potatoes at harvest time often invites a somewhat shallow question: what is the brown scabby stuff on the skin of my tubers? Don’t worry—if beauty is only skin deep then perhaps it stands to reason that, so too, is a bit of ugliness.

Potato Dermabrasion
I grew up eating the odd scabby potato, baked or boiled, and I never noticed anything off-putting about the flavour. Besides, if we didn’t like seeing imperfect potatoes on the dinner plate, we figured we could always scrub off the scab or cut away the affected bits. But not everyone shares my tolerance for scab. The condition has caused considerable consternation among potato enthusiasts, leading many to misplace hope in the powers of lime, sulphur, eggshells, or even manure to produce perfect, unblemished tubers. None of these treatments, however, have much effect.

The scabby lesions we see on potatoes are the result of thaxtomin, a toxin produced by various strains of the bacterium Streptomyces scabies, which, while not harmful to people, does wreak a bit of havoc on potato tubers all over the world. Lime and manure have both been shown to actually make this problem worse. While acidifying the soil with sulphur does reduce scab, it can be slow to react depending on soil pH. In very alkaline earth, for example, this treatment doesn’t work at all.

An Ounce of Prevention
So, how does the potato grower battle the dreaded Streptomyces? Since scab finds its way into gardens usually via the addition of infected soil, by hitching rides on contaminated tools, or, of course, by the using afflicted tubers as seed potatoes, awareness can be the best defense. Always examine seed for scab before planting, or ask the staff at your favourite garden centre to help you choose certified, resistant varieties. Although I love Yukon Gold, this variety is highly susceptible to scab. Lucky for us (and for our beloved fast food industry), Russet Burbank, the most popular French fry potato, is quite resistant.

As potatoes grown in warm, dry, sandy soils seem to have the most potential for scab damage, keeping soil evenly moist and well conditioned will help limit the problem. But don’t over-condition the soil; adding heaps of organic matter to your potato patch will give Streptomyces, a natural agent of decay, a happy home indeed. For additional prevention, you might try rotating your garden crops. Next year, move the potatoes to another part of your plot, planting corn, for example, in its place, rather than another root crop. This pervasive bacterium can also attack carrots, turnips, rutabaga, parsnips, radish and beets. In my experience carrots and beets seem to be attacked to a greater degree than the other roots, yet none as severely as potatoes.

Perhaps the most important thing to realize is that scab is only a “cosmetic” disease. Scab lesions are superficial, rarely penetrating more than a millimeter or two beyond the skin. In the end, tolerance and acceptance might be the gardener’s best approach when faced with the odd scarred potato. After all, it’s what’s inside that counts.

…Stephen Raven for his knowledgeable and quick reply to all my questions! Your staff is wonderful and I really appreciate your web site.

Please acknowledge Mr. Raven’s work; even my doctor doesn’t reply to my questions as quickly and thoroughly!

Sincerely

Bonnie

Excerpt from Lois Hole’s Herbs and Edible Flowers

Bob Stadnyk, our perennials manager, grew up on a farm near Rochester, Alberta. He used to grow borage to attract bees to his vegetable garden. This trick worked well, especially—strangely enough—with the cucumbers. Bob recalls raising bumper crops of cucumbers whenever borage was growing nearby! Borage is an exceptionally pretty plant, with star-shaped purple flowers and silvery-haired foliage that gives the plant a glistening, metallic sheen. The mild flavour of the leaves and flowers is similar to cucumber.

Jim Hole’s Notebook
—————–
Welcome to Jim’s Notebook, a regular look at gardening, the greenhouse
industry and the hottest new plants and products from the unique perspective
of professional grower and bestselling gardening author Jim Hole.

Hits & Misses: Endless summer Hydrangeas in pots and trumpet lilies
Question of the Week: When do I prune lilacs?
Science & Technology: The pesticide debate rages on
Timelines: Goodbye Lilies, Hello Tomatoes!

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Hits & Misses
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HITS: Something New
Many of our customers have a real love affair with hydrangeas and this year
to please the hydrangea fans we’ve potted up the variety “Endless Summer” in
large blue ceramic containers for the deck or patio. The sheer number of
flower buds that have developed on the plants just blows me away. When these
beauties open the show will be terrific, sure to thrill those hydrangea
lovers. Although ‘Endless Summer’ hydrangeas won’t survive the winter in
these pots, they are hardy in our area if planted in your garden.

MISSES: Trumpet Lily or Trifid Lily?
If you recall awhile back in the notebook I mentioned that we had brought in
some Trumpet lily bulbs as an experiment, with the hopes that we could grow
them on and market them as tall centerpieces. They got off to a great,
strong start and just never really stopped. In fact they remind a little of
the book “The day of the Trifids” with many reaching well over 2 m. That’s
just a little too tall for centerpieces and completely impractical for the
garden (one stiff gust of wind and they’d snap). Alas, we have had our
revenge on these giants and are at the very least enjoying the lilies
magnificent blooms, which we’ve cut off the plants and are using for
cutflowers. Next year I think we’ll pass on the Trumpet lilies.

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Question of the Week
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A LITTLE HERE, A LITTLE THERE!
One question that frequently pops up at this time of year is whether or not
to prune lilacs. The answer is yes and no (Again!). Lilacs develop their
flower buds during the summer of the previous year, primarily on the distal
parts of the branches. If you go out and simply shear off the outer growth
of the lilac in spring you prune most of the flower buds off, which of
course is the last thing that most people want to do. On the other hand,
lilacs tend to get overgrown and selectively pruning out some of the older
thicker branches will reduce the blooming a little, yet help to keep the
shrub vigorous while still allowing a good show of flowers in spring.

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Science and Technology
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In the letters to the editor section of a local paper this past week I was
reading about the ongoing debate about pesticide use in yards. Some writers
were for the use of pesticides and others were against. All the finger
pointing that went on in the end resulted in one sad fact: the average
gardener will feel more confused than ever about the issue of whether to
spray or not to spray.

I do not profess to know everything there is to know about pesticides but I
have had years of experience with them. I studied them at University and
have a passion for learning about how they affect pests, plants, the
environment and people. I hold two pesticide applicators licenses and I’ve
used a vast number of different pesticides for over 30 years. I also hate to
use them because it requires a lot of tedious work to apply them properly
but when I do use them, I know the ramifications of their use-on the pests
I’m trying to kill and on the “non target organisms” they could adversely
affect.

My strategy with pesticides has and will continue to be to exam each one
individually, weighing all of the pros and cons of their use and then make
an informed decision about whether or not to apply them at all. What I’ve
found over the years is that the issue of pesticide use is invariably grey,
never black and white but that the need for knowledge about these products
is crystal clear!

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Timelines
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GOODBYE LILIES, HELLO TOMATOES!
The Easter lily season has come and gone with great success. Our growing
production and sales matched well and now were moving on to new plants.
Tomatoes are one of the most popular garden plants bar none. Over the next
several months I will take you through the growing season of a new trial
tomato from seedling right through to the taste test in August. Here’s the
first installment.

April 17th
We’ve just transplanted our seedlings into pots and moved the pots to the
cold frames. Contrary to popular belief tomatoes don’t experience a life of
luxury in the cold frames. Tough love is a better phrase. We grow the
tomatoes a little dry, a little cool and a little hungry. By doing this we
toughen up the plants and kick them into flower more quickly.

********************
Online
********************
You can now read current and past Jim Hole’s Note book online at
http://www.enjoygardening.com/?cat=20

********************
This week at Hole’s
********************
RECENT ARTICLES:
http://www.enjoygardening.com
WHAT”S NEW:
http://www.holesonline.com/infonew.asp?date=current&year=2006
SPECIALS & DEALS:
http://www.holesonline.com/shoponsale.asp

_________________________________________________
This list is run by Hole’s Greenhouses & Gardens as a service to customers
who have signed up to learn more about our company. If you wish to leave the
list please go to http://server.holesonline.com/mailman/listinfo/gardening
and unsubscribe.

Let us traverse together what one of our lesser Canadian poets calls “the Himalayas of the mind.” A quick trip this, with many stops, but plenty of oxygen for all. Let me be your sherpa. Load me up with your first world burdens.

Point of Interest #1
Look at this, says Hilary, a stem of one of our many passionflowers between thumb and forefinger. She points out bumps like pinheads, telling The New Jason and I that they’re for butterflies. Or something. Google it for your blog, she says.

I couldn’t find much except for something about one butterfly species laying eggs on one part of the plant, another species laying elsewhere, both essentially staking claim to a certain part of the plant in the process, and thus avoiding direct competition. Perhaps the plant uses such bumps to trick butterflies into recognizing false claims, thus dissuading feeding altogether?

No, said The New Jason, taking the stem from Hilary’s hand. Nectar, he said, pointing to a tiny drop emerging from the node. To our disgust, he stuck out his tongue and caught the drop on the tip of it.

Turns out that not much else (besides the odd spidermite) feeds on passionflower. The plant produces trace amounts of a kind of cyanide to kill any bug hapless enough to dine upon it. So far, it has spared he who drinks of its nectar.

Point of Interest #2
Growing, Hilary stated, is moving. That’s it, that’s all. This was an epiphany of sorts, probably precipitated by shifting a few hundred Easter Lilies, which had the grand tour of the greenhouse by the time we were through with them (stopping short, this year, of the lunchroom). Plants grow by themselves, she said, with an edge to her tone suggestive of having tired of the master/slave relationship crops impose upon us. This, of course, would make the growing crew little more than a glorified moving company.

She’s right. Last week my crew moved strawberries, beginning to grow too leggy, outside. Over the next few days, we will be removing a couple thousand flats of pansies from the coldframes, where they’ve been complaining of heat and humidity. It’s hard to imagine, during times like these, that any of us ever went to school for this, especially when one of the most important lessons for growing is to lift with the legs. Always the legs. Never forget.

Point of Interest #3
Growers, Hilary figures, are an odd sort. This past Easter weekend, almost none of us spent the holiday with family. Instead, there we were with the crop, enjoying the last weekend before the opening of the retail greenhouse, relishing the silence and the solitude. The option, really, was there—if you wanted the break you could’ve had it. Is appreciation of quietude a result of being a grower, Hilary wondered, or is it what makes us well suited to this job? Or, are we just a bunch of antisocial freaks obsessed with caring for things that, in their insentience, will never reciprocate any affection whatsoever, but which, by the same token, will also never reject us? Or—

Stop. Look over there. See that? Is that a Yeti, or is the oxygen getting too thin? No. I’m sure of it. Oh man, here it comes. Quick! On your knees. All hail the shaggiest of beasts. All hail. All hail.

As we move through the spring it’s still a bit cool out, but is it too early for gardening? Try some of these cold tolerant annuals for an early start to the season.

Quicktime
WMV

How legitimately different are daylilies these days? Of the 60,000 plus varieties around (with 600 being more legitimate) how does one decide? Can breeders distinguish one from another?

Hemerocallis ‘Pink Lace’

I do agree that daylilies are a main staple of any flower border, however, do we really need that many varieties? The search is on for the elusive blue daylily which all breeders hope to develop, but so far to no avail. The person who develops this colour, can safely retire!

Whether grown in Florida or Edmonton, many factors such as soil conditions, location, acidity/alkalinity of the soil, humidity, heat and the intensity of sunlight, seriously affects flower colour, size and bloom time. So a genetic cross using the same parent plants done in Florida or Edmonton often yields on offspring with subtle differences. Does this mean we have a new variety on our hands?

My experience with plant societies dictates that there is some ego involved – my plants are more vigorous and bigger than yours – nah na, na na nah!

How do we as retailers, let alone our customers, decide on the variety that is best? It’s fun to experiment, but for our conditions, choose varieties that are either dormant (D) or semi-evergreen (SE), as these perform best in colder climates. For flower size, choose tetraploids (TET). These produce the largest flowers and plants that put all their energy into flower power.

There are many old reliables that still out-perform many of the latest selections. We welcome any daylily aficionados to write us with their comments on the subject.

The Felco #6 Bypass Pruner is designed specifically for small hands.

Product Felco #6 Bypass Pruner
Manufacturer Felco
Price $65

How It Works The curved criss-crossing blades create a clean cut that won’t squash stems.
Durability Superior
Ease of Use Simple

Advantages Designed for those with smaller hands who may prefer a smaller, lighter pruner. The shorter blades facilitate closer cutting to the stem of the plant.
Disadvantages Those with larger hands may have trouble gripping the pruner
Value Long-lasting Swiss steel.

Buying Considerations
Ideal for small pruning work such as vines, shrubs, and young trees.
Professionals Recommended. Florists will find that this bypass pruner doesn’t squash stems.
Home Gardeners Recommended. Great for pruning roses and vines in your yard.