Hits & Misses: Mop tops & imperfect impatiens
Question of the Week: The seedlings I’ve grown are tall and weak. Why?
Science & Technology: Gum Arabic
The Business: Mailing problems & Hotmail accounts

This past weekend I had a chance for a brief grape-growing tour of California’s Napa Valley. Of course, the horticulturist in me couldn’t resist asking about the challenges that grape growers face in production. What I learned was that the biggest threat to grape production seems to be an insect called the glassy-winged sharpshooter. This pest arrived from the southern U.S. and has a nasty habit of spreading a bacterial disease called Pierce’s Disease. The bacteria multiply rapidly and clog up the vines, effectively causing them to dehydrate and die. Currently, there is no known cure for the disease, so keeping the sharpshooters out of the vineyards is the best strategy. Glassy-winged sharpshooters earn their name thanks to their opaque wings and a rather nasty habit of firing off blobs of fecal material. Thankfully, the wine was so exquisite that not even that unappetizing image could dampen the experience.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Mop Tops
I love “The Hair.” What I’m talking about is one of our statuary pieces that’s shaped like a human head with succulents growing out the top. The succulents not only look great, but they can take the often-dry soil conditions in the statuary’s cranium. “The Hair” is a great container for decks and—if nothing else—is an interesting conversation piece.

These mop-head statuary pieces have succulents planted into them.

Miss: Imperfect Impatiens
There are impatiens and then there are impatiens. And while we grow both the New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri) and the common impatiens (Impatiens walleriana), each has its own specific requirements. Since the young New Guinea’s don’t like too much iron in their fertilizer program, we separate them from our common impatiens. But a few wallerianas somehow got mixed in with the New Guineas and are looking a little peaked, to say the least. Thankfully, it’s nothing that a drink of iron-fortified fertilizer can’t solve.

Question of the Week
The seedlings I’ve grown are tall and weak. Why?
Leggy (i.e. tall and weak) seedlings are the result of improper growing conditions. To avoid this problem, provide warmth (preferably bottom heat) to start seeds. Immediately after the seedlings emerge, reduce the heat. Also, remember to grow seedlings in the brightest light possible without letting them overheat—this can, of course, be a challenge but is essential to healthy, strong seedlings.

Science & Technology
Gum Arabic
I’m sure many people have seen “gum arabic” listed on ingredient labels of products such as chewing gum, caramel and toffee. So you may be thinking: What the heck is that stuff anyway? Gum arabic, essentially, is the sap of a small, thorny African tree (Acacia senegal) and has historically been used for mummification and as a binder of pigments. These days, gum arabic is primarily used as a bulking agent, thickener and binder of flavours in foods. It’s also used in breakfast cereals, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, frozen dairy products, desserts, puddings, gelatins, imitation dairy products, instant soups, snack foods, candies, fats and oils. Not bad for a desert shrub.

The Business:
Mailing Problems

Due to an unfortunate series of circumstances, we lost all of February’s additions and deletions to Jim’s Notebook. If you had unsubscribed to the Notebook between February 1 and March 12, you will find yourself back on the list. Our apologies. Please unsubscribe again, or send us an email (containing the email address you wish unsubscribed) to info @holesonline.com and we’ll do it for you. In other news…

Hotmail Accounts
Hotmail has placed severe limits on the number of Hotmail recipients who can receive a single email. That means those of you with Hotmail accounts may or may not arbitrarily receive a copy of the Notebook in a given week. We have previously been able to avoid this restriction but have noticed a large number of bounces from those of you with Hotmail accounts. FYI: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/09/limits_on_hotmail/

Did You Know?
Cucumber seed will take 12-18 hours to germinate in moist, 26°C soil but celery will take about four days to germinate under the same conditions.

“Don’t knock the weather. If it didn’t change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn’t start a conversation.”
—Kin Hubbard

All the flowers in the greenhouses aren’t waiting for spring. Petchoa, potunias, nemesias, geraniums and more can be seen showing their spring fashions.

first published March 12, 2009

You say tomayto; I say tomahto. You say pechoa; I say…er…petkoa?
However you choose to pronounce it, petchoa is likely a word you’ll soon be adding to your gardening lexicon. Never heard of it? Well, don’t be surprised. It’s a new species of plant that sprang into existence only a few years ago. Here’s what you need to know.

The petchoa species is the result of crossing two other distinct, but closely related, plant species: Petunia and Calibrachoa (million bells). Most people are familiar with Petunias, but for those unfamiliar with Calibrachoa, it’s best to think of them as a more floriferous, petite-flowered version of a petunia, smothered with hundreds of small, bell-shaped flowers. Their robust, compact habit makes them excellent in pots, planters and hanging baskets. Best of all, they are “self-cleaning” and require no deadheading.

Both Petunias and Calibrachoas originated from the same regions of southern Brazil and Argentina but evolved separately. And even though there are about 11 species of Petunia and 25 species of Calibrachoa, neither group was capable of interbreeding with the other. That, however, all changed when a breeding company by the name of Danziger managed to get theses neighbours together and produced some viable offspring. The result was a hybrid-cross that the company quickly trademarked Calitunia. A much better name if you ask me. However, because the gurus of botanical nomenclature don’t like it when new hybrid plants have trademarks for common names (meaning they shouldn’t be attached to a company), a compromise was made. Danziger kept the name Calitunia for its own marketing purposes and offered the common name petchoa to the species.

For gardeners, however, the main note of interest is that the breeding efforts resulted in not one, but several excellent varieties of petchoa. I, for one, can’t wait to try a few this year. ‘Neon Rose’ promises vivid magenta-fuchsia flowers, while ‘Velvet’ has dark-burgundy blooms. If multi-coloured flowers are more your thing, perhaps ‘Terra Cotta’ will be the perfect petchoa for you. Its flowers are varying hues of yellow accented with strokes of amber, rose, dark-pink and orange. All grow to a height of about 30 cm and have a spread of about 60 cm.

Another impressive characteristic of petchoa is its groundcover-like growth habit. It’s a great trait that makes this plant an ideal semi-trailer for containers and hanging baskets. Keep in mind, though, that petchoas require lots of fertilizer to perform their best, so keep them looking good by adding fertilizer each time you water. These sun lovers are also tolerant of both wind and rain. As if that wasn’t enough, they’re quite forgiving of drying between waterings—although too much stress will reduce flower numbers.

So back to the most important issue surrounding the petchoa: how does one pronounce the name? I am facing stiff resistance from a faction at the greenhouse who think that petkoa sounds too harsh and that pechoa has a much more soothing sound. As for me, I think that petkoa is the only way to go. But, hey, if you really insist on pronouncing it pechoa, all I have to say is…gesundheit.

Hits & Misses: Strawberry lane & isn’t it ironic
Question of the Week: Which annuals can I start from seed now?
The Business: Mailing problems & Hotmail account

On the weekend, I took my daughter to see the animated (and slightly creepy) movie Coraline. It’s about a young girl who explores a secret corridor in her house and finds a parallel world where her parents are everything that her real parents are not. Without giving away the story, the parallel parents slowly, but inexorably, transform into anything but perfect parents. The creepiness (for most people) is the morphing mom, but for me, the disturbing element hits closer to home. In the movie, Real Dad is so busy writing about gardening and selling information to a company called Garden Life that Coraline feels ignored. When Real Dad isn’t working, he spends a good chunk of his time in the garden growing snapdragons that actually snap, and osteospermum that have spoon-shaped flowers. Toss in the fact that Coraline is about the same age as my daughter and, well, defamation of character comes to mind. I think I will talk to my lawyer…

Hits & Misses
Hit: Strawberry Lane
I’m smitten with the new strawberry hanging baskets. Each basket has six ‘Berries Galore’ and six ‘Pretty in Rose’ strawberry plants. Not only are the flowers gorgeous and the leaves a rich, deep green, the fruit is also delicious. Beautiful and edible—it’s a tough combination to beat.

‘Pretty in Rose’ has attractive blossoms and great tasting fruit.

Miss: Isn’t it Ironic
Gerbera daisies are notorious for developing blotched and veiny leaves due to iron deficiency, so this year, I treated them to a batch of iron-rich soil. A good idea, yes? Well, not when it ends in overdose. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened. Tissue tests revealed that the iron levels in the leaves were four times the maximum recommended rate. Fortunately, all is not lost. By adding lime to the iron mix, I should be able to “immobilize” the iron and get the gerberas back on track.

Question of the Week
Which annuals can I start from seed now?
March is a great time to start alyssum, celosia, cleome, coleus, marigolds, nicotiana, amaranthus, flowering cabbage and kale, godetia, lobelia, and stocks (to name a few!). Whatever you grow, remember to use only the best quality seedling mixture. Putting high-quality seeds into a poor-quality soil mix dramatically increases the chances of your seedlings dying before they see the light of day.

The Business
Mailing Problems
Due to an unfortunate series of circumstances, we lost all of February’s additions and deletions to Jim’s Notebook. If you had unsubscribed to the Notebook between February 1 and March 12, you will find yourself back on the list. Our apologies. Please unsubscribe again, or send us an email (containing the email address you wish unsubscribed) to info @holesonline.com and we’ll do it for you. In other news…

Hotmail account
Hotmail has placed severe limits on the number of Hotmail recipients who can receive a single email. That means those of you with Hotmail accounts may or may not arbitrarily receive a copy of the Notebook in a given week. We have previously been able to avoid this restriction but have noticed a large number of bounces from those of you with Hotmail accounts. For further information: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/09/limits_on_hotmail/

Did You Know?
The yucca plant depends entirely on the yucca moth for pollination, and the yucca moth depends entirely on the yucca plant for food. Neither one can exist without the other.

The yucca and yucca moth depend on each other.

“If we had no winter the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”
—Anne Bradstreet

Hits & Misses: Containers & venting
Question of the Week: My indoor plant has been over-watered; can it be saved?
The Business: Development approval sought

I spent last Sunday speaking to avid gardeners (whose spirits weren’t dampened by the cold, snowy weather) at the Red Deer Home & Garden Show. It was great to chat with so many people, and I hope those who attended my talks learned something about where the world of gardening is headed. One thing I can say with certainty is that I learned a few things about how various plants perform in the Red Deer region. So here, in a nutshell, is status report on how things grow in that region. Black walnut: good but some dieback; horse chestnut: promising but some dieback; Ohio buckeye: excellent and no dieback; Evans cherry: wonderful, most years; Explorer roses: tough as nails. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge with me. Piecing together the enormous jigsaw puzzle of “what grows where” is a lot easier with the help of intrepid gardeners who aren’t afraid to experiment with plants and share their experiences with others.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Containers
We’ve gone container mad this year. Why? Well, there are several reasons: yards are smaller, decks and patios have become outdoor living rooms that need jazzing and some of us (or is it just me?) hate bending down to the ground. Whatever the reason, we have containers on wheels, containers that clamp on to railings, self-watering containers, containers in a rainbow of colours and containers the size of small hot tubs. What can be planted into them? That’s dictated by the limits of your imagination.

Miss: Venting
It is somewhat paradoxical, that our greenhouses can get very hot on some of the coldest days of the year. When sub-zero temperatures hit—as they did this week—our computerized environmental control system won’t let the vents open nor will they let the exhaust fans activate. It’s a safety feature designed to prevent drawing in arctic air that could freeze tender plants. The result, not surprisingly, is a “greenhouse effect” where the energy from fairly intense March sunlight gets trapped in the greenhouse, causing temperatures to climb into the mid 30°C range. The solution is to manually crack open the vents and purge some of the hot, humid air. When the cold air hits the hot, humid air, a dense fog rolls down onto the plants. The whole scene is reminiscent of a disco dance floor…not that I would know from personal experience.

Question of the Week
My indoor plant has been over-watered; can it be saved?
Over-watered houseplants can, literally, drown in their pots. To save the plant, carefully slip the plant out of its container, and place it on a pile of paper towels. Gently blot the rootball, being careful not to compact the soil. Then place more paper toweling on a cookie rack or in a basin, and rest the plant on the toweling. Next, move the plant to an area that’s out of the way and not in direct sunlight. In a day or two, your plant should be dry enough to put back in its pot.

To save over-watered houseplants, remove excess water.

The Business
Development Approval Sought
So far, work on our relocation has been mostly behind the scenes, although significant time and energy have been spent planning. But this week the project reached a more tangible stage when we submitted our development permit application to the City of St. Albert. Once the development permit has been approved, the architect will finalize the blueprints. Construction at the 4.5-hectare site on the west side of St. Albert (directly east the Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park) is scheduled to start in late May or early June. Greenhouse production at the new site is slated to be operational in July 2010, while our opening is scheduled for November 2010.

This drawing shows the building placement at our new site.

Did You Know?
A structure called a pulvinus at the base of leaves allows for leaf movement in many plants.

“Doubtless God could have made a better fruit than the strawberry but doubtless God never did.”
—William Butler

Hole’s Greenhouses is proud to support Hope is Blooming. Celebrate International Women’s Week by supporting the Lois Hole Hospital for Women with a purchase of a daisy bundle. Brighten someone’s day—maybe even your own—by participating in this fundraiser (March 8–14) sponsored by Florists Supply Ltd. Last year, over $5,500 was donated to the hospital from this fundraiser!

Planting calibrachoa hanging baskets. Lots of calibrachoa.

And there are now lots and lots of lovely tomato seedlings growing in the greenhouse.

– Posted a la iPhone

We’ve begun revamping our ads and trying for a new feel. Here the first in a series of earlugs running in the Edmonton Journal.

first published February 26, 2009

I was channel surfing the other day and happened to catch a glimpse of an old Incredible Hulk episode from the 80s. Honestly, I wouldn’t have stopped, but Dr. Bruce Banner was on the cusp of synthesizing an anti-juvenile hormone to control a beetle species that was devastating crops in southern California. Knowing that the beetle larvae were poised to chew up countless fields in precisely five days, Dr. Banner (who briefly lamented that he wasn’t an entomologist) confidently asserted that he could have the miraculous hormone ready in two days—give or take a few hours. Apparently, nitpicky things like, oh say, product safety and efficacy weren’t top shelf for the good doctor.

Now, while on the topic of big green things (and bad segues), the reason I got such a kick out of that episode is that, in the real world, it takes umpteen years from the day a compound is discovered or synthesized to the day it has even a hope of being approved for sale. And as it just so happens, the day that I saw the Hulk episode was the same day I received notification about a new environmentally friendly product—one I’ve been waiting to get my hands on for a lot longer than two days.

The product is called Sarritor, and it’s the latest in what are referred to as biological control agents. Biological controls (or biocontrols, for short) are naturally occurring organisms that are released into crops as a means of controlling pests. Sarritor contains Sclerotinia minor, a fungus that attacks, arguably, our worst urban pest: the dandelion. The dandelion-devouring Sclerotinia is a naturally occuring strain of the fungus that’s rather adept at invading dandelion leaves and destroying them via secretion of oxalic acid.

Now before you begin jumping up and down at the thought of applying this environmentally friendly, dandelion-destroying fungus to your lawn, here are a few caveats.

First, having talked to the technical representative from Sarritor last week, I learned much to my chagrin that every last bit of Sarritor has been bought up by a few select lawn-care companies. According to that same rep, the company could have sold the product five times over, based on current demand. Let’s face it, green is big, which is why they are planning on having an adequate supply available for both lawn-care companies and homeowners in 2010.

The second big (and most important) caveat is that Sarritor (to my knowledge) has not been extensively tested on the prairies. Although the short supply is likely why there haven’t been a lot of trials here, it’s tough to say whether our typically dry climate will prove hospitable to the fungus anyway. Whereas rain is the enemy of conventional lawn herbicides, rain or irrigation is essential for the Sclerotinia fungus to grow and invade dandelion leaves. And that brings up another point: the fungus attacks leaves—not roots—and therefore might be more adept at suppressing dandelion top growth than destroying roots and, thus, the dandelion in its entirety.

The last thing I can tell you about Sarritor is that, while it won’t harm your grass, it will chew up some closely related dandelion relatives, such as lettuce plants. There’s a possibility it might also attack chicory and endive, two other dandelion relatives, although that’s just speculation on my part. With that said, as long as you don’t apply Sarritor directly to your lettuce plants, you won’t have to toss the tossed salad.

Now you know what I know. Seeing as new pest-control products are few and far between, I think I speak on behalf of many prairie gardeners when I say that I hope the fungus works! After all, I’ve watched enough Incredible Hulk episodes to know what happens when mild-mannered alter egos get mad…and you won’t like us when we’re mad.

Jim will be appearing with Linda Bodo at the Red Deer Home & Garden Show, March 8, 2009.

Hits & Misses: Lunch-themed Echinaceas & unruly succulents
Question of the Week: I want to grow my own vegetables; which ones should I try?
Science & Technology: Earthworms: friend or foe?

Linda Bodo (DIY extraordinaire) in conjunction with the talented Hole’s publishing staff has just released her first book! Enjoy Life Outside: Inspired Projects showcases do-it-yourself projects that are nothing short of stunning. Each project is presented in a step-by-step manner with plenty of illustrations and a complete list of tools and materials needed to do the job right. So if you’ve ever thought to yourself, “Hey, a bunch of 2-foot-tall concrete mushrooms would be a perfect addition to my lawn,” look no further than Linda’s book. Note that these mushrooms aren’t great for sautéing.

Linda Bodo’s DIY book includes 15 projects.

Hits & Misses
Hit: Lunch-themed Echinaceas
The perennial staff had ‘Mac and Cheese’ and ‘ Tomato Soup’ in the coldframes this week. No, we don’t force our growers to eat their lunch in the greenhouses; ‘Mac and Cheese’ and ‘Tomato Soup’ are two outstanding Echinacea varieties that we’re growing this year. They’re aptly named because one does have a distinctly cheesy look, while the other has rich, red petals. Whether or not you like these colours is all a matter of…uh, taste.

Miss: Unruly Succulent
Our Sedum ‘Lemon Coral’ has been a little too exuberant this spring. Given a bit of extra water and sunlight, it overtook its allotted space. The solution? A nice military-style haircut to curb its unruly habit and keep it under control until spring really arrives.

Question of the Week
I want to grow my own vegetables; which ones should I try?
If you’re new to vegetable gardening, start with easy-to-grow plants such as beans, beets, carrots, leaf lettuce, peas and potatoes. The amount of growing space you have may also dictate what you choose to grow. For example, you need quite a few corn plants to produce enough cobs for a few meals. Don’t forget that vegetables like lettuce, green onions and potatoes grow wonderfully in containers.

Potatoes can be easily grown in containers.

Science & Technology
Earthworms: Friend or Foe?
Most people would be surprised to hear anyone question the benefit of earthworms. But according to microbial ecologist Peter Groffman, some earthworms are chewing their way through the Great Lakes hardwood forests. In the latest issue of Scientific American magazine, he identifies the culprit as the night crawler Lumbricus terrestris, an earthworm invader from Europe. It feeds on forest leaf litter, which just so happens to serve as a rooting medium for numerous tree species. The leaf litter is being depleted and, consequently, once-lush forest understories have been reduced to one or two native herb species and a few tree seedlings.

Did You Know?
Carrots have five times the Vitamin A of beet greens, but beet greens have three times the Vitamin C of carrots.

“Over fertilized plants may be beautiful but are otherwise useless, like people whose energies are devoted so completely to their appearance that there is no other development.”
—William Longgood