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April 14, 2018 by Western Gardens

As the first days of spring arrive, people are eager to get outdoors. Unfortunately, the outdoors can pose several dangers to children. Adults can keep kids safe from poisonous plants and pesticides by being aware of some basic knowledge and advice.

According to the National Capital Poison Center, the most poisoning occurs in children who are six or younger, including almost half of poisoning exposures. Though poisoning affects everyone from seniors to infants, it is most common in one- and two-year-olds.

In 2014, poisonous plants and pesticides were among the top 10 leading causes of poisoning in children younger than six years, accounting for nearly 6 percent of poisoning cases, while bites and stings accounted for 0.5 percent of poisoning cases among the same age group. Additionally, 2.5 percent of poisoning fatalities in children younger than six years from 2010-2014 were due to pesticides, making them one of the more dangerous causes of poisoning in children.

Parents and caretakers need to be informed about the dangers of poisonous plants and pesticides to keep children safe. Parents who know what to keep out of their yards and by teaching children what to avoid can prevent many poisonings by plants and pesticides.

What You’ll Find in This Guide:

Types of Poisonous Plants
How to Prevent Poisoning from Plants
What to Do If Your Child Touches or Eats a Poisonous Plant
Pesticide Safety
Resources for Preventing Poisoning by Plants and Pesticides

Vibrant larkspur is beautiful but poisonsous to eat. Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Pixabay

Types of Poisonous Plants

This section covers the more common types of poisonous plants found near backyards, parks, and trails.

Poisonous plants are categorized by the chemicals they contain. The most dangerous plants contain solanine, grayanotoxins and cardiac glycosides.

Solanine is found in food and ornamental plants such as Jerusalem Cherry, Nightshade, potato sprouts and unripe tomatoes. Unripe tomatoes and the green eyes of potatoes containing solanine, when ingested, can cause vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and moderate nausea. If children eat plants containing solanine in large quantities, drowsiness, sweating and changes in blood pressure and heart rate can occur. You may see effects within two to 24 hours, and diarrhea may last for three to six days.
Grayanotoxins are found in common yard plants including azalea and rhododendron. Lambkill and mountain laurel also contain grayanotoxins. If children eat or chew on leaves in this plant group, they may experience burning, numbness or tingling in their mouths. Within two to three hours, they may display other symptoms of poisoning such as nausea, vomiting, sweating, confusion and slowed heart rate. In severe cases of grayanotoxin poisoning, children have had seizures.
Cardiac glycosides are found in plants such as squill, Lily-of-the-Valley, foxglove, and oleander. Initial signs of cardiac glycoside poisoning include stomach pain, dizziness, confusion, headache or vomiting. Children who consume plants containing cardiac glycosides also experience a change in the rate or rhythm of the heart, and effects on blood pressure also may occur.

Other common poisonous plants include:

Poppies
Hemlock
Oak leaves and their acorns
Mistletoe
Elephant ear plants
Poison oak, ivy, and sumac
Hyacinths and daffodil
Larkspur
Black locust
Wisteria
Mistletoe

Daffodils are beautiful but to eat them is not good. Photo by Pixel2013 on Pixabay

Purple grape hyacinths is a poisonous plant

Little cute “grape hyacinths” are not grapes you want your children to eat. Photo by Couleur on Pixabay

Lily of the valley poisonous plant in the garden

Lily of the Valley are a gardener’s favorite, but remember to teach little people not to eat them. Photo by Soorelis at Pixabay

pink white and purple lupine standing very tall in the garden. poisonous plant

Lupine are so colorful and beautiful. However, they are not for consumption. Photo by Punch_Ra on Pixabay

How to Prevent Poisoning from Plants

This section includes tips for preventing children from being poisoned by plants. Parents should proactively teach their children to avoid eating plants or parts of plants. It’s also a good idea for parents of young children to avoid growing poisonous plants in their yards.

The most effective way to prevent poisoning is teaching children to not eat anything they find outside, regardless of whether or not it looks or smells good. Even if the birds are eating the berries, this doesn’t mean they are not poisonous for humans. Children should only eat plants or fruits from outside if they have your permission and after taking them in the house and washing them off. Try to practice what you preach, and don’t eat items from the family garden outside; tops of potato plants and green portions of potato contain solanine and rhubarb leaves which are poisonous.

To avoid accidental poisoning of children, keep berries, seeds, bulbs and plants out of reach. Try to avoid areas in parks that aren’t commonly used and areas that contain large amounts of plants. Additionally, while it may seem like a no-brainer, try to avoid decorating or landscaping with poisonous plants at home. Plants that have bright flowers and poisonous berries should be avoided until the children are older. The bright colors can be attractive to children, which can lead to ingestion. Also, remove all mushrooms that grow near your home and check your lawn for new mushrooms, especially during a wet and hot summer.

Making your yard and garden as safe as possible is the best course of action for preventing poisoning from plants. However, you don’t want to shutter your children off from being explorative. Providing safe areas where children can play and not be at risk of poisoning can be a great way to promote imagination. When taking your children on wilderness adventures, be wary of potential hazardous plants along walkways and trails.

Early Color & Turf Care – “Plan” is Part of Planting

If you’re excited to work in your yard or garden, but not sure where to start now that Spring is here, then you’ve come to the right place! We’ve put together a garden to do list for April 2018 of things to do throughout the month. Don’t feel overwhelmed, there is always a bit more in the beginning of the season.

You must do everything on this list! April Fools! – In reality, you may not need to do everything on this list. For example, if you don’t have shade trees to fertilize or transplants to harden off, skip those items on the list. Just pick what applies to your yard and plan out when you will do it all throughout the month!

Photo by Felipe Santana on Unsplash

PLAN and PLANTING

Plot and Plan – If you don’t have one already, get a spiral notebook or anything you want and create a Garden Journal. (Or at least take out a piece of scratch paper.) Sit down and plot out or list the tasks you need to do specifically in your yard. ie. Where you are going to transplant certain plants? What new material you want to add to your yard this season?

Plant Trees and Shrubs – You can plant trees and shrubs anytime your ground is not frozen. Be sure to follow your garden expert’s procedures for a successful planting of your material. It truly can make a big difference in your success.

Photo by Pixabay

TURF CARE

Turf Training – Now is the time to train your lawn’s roots. Do not water your lawn! Mother Nature is taking care of that for us this month and into May. We highly recommend reading our ARTICLE for details on how to properly train your lawn. Depending on your soil type and seed type, it is possible to eventually water your lawn once every two weeks or less. If you live in Utah, this post is a must — Learn how – Train Your Lawn article.

Turf Weed Protection – If you haven’t already, apply pre-emergent or weed blocker. The blooming Forsythia bush is your guide for timing. Spurge & Crabgrass get started now, so you be vigilant at eradicating it early.

Turf Aeration – now is a perfect time to aerate your lawn. Watch out for the sprinkler heads! Also, Snow Mold can be an issue if you’ve had a lot of snow piled in certain areas of your lawn when the warm days hit. Read this article on how to prevent or deal with snow mold.

Turf Fertilizing – Apply the proper spring fertilizer. Follow the directions explicitly. Good time to apply is just before a rain storm so Mother Nature waters it in for you!

Turf seeding or overseeding – Our April weather is ideal to seed a new lawn or fill in patches. Come ask us about our new product of drought tolerant lawn seed and steps on how to properly do it yourself for success! Here is a good post of step by step instructions to reseed bare patches.

Lay Sod, if you can find it. It is safe to lay now.

TREE & SHRUB CARE

Deep soak ALL trees & shrubs – Deeply water if rainfall has been inadequate. You may have to turn your water off again if our temperatures drop below freezing, so watch the weather. Your trees will like a very good drink. Remember we do live in a mountain desert!

Fruit Trees – If you haven’t already done so AND your tree hasn’t begun to bloom or bud, you can still apply the dormant oil spray. Some trees have already passed the time, i.e. apricots

Shade Trees – Now is fertilizer time. Use the correct tree and shrub fertilizer for the type of plant material; ask our experts.

Plant your trees and shrubs – You can plant anytime the ground is not frozen. Plants LOVE to get their roots settled in the spring. Also, your best selection of trees and shrubs are when the first shipments arrive at the garden center. If there is a particular tree or shrub you are looking for, visit your garden experts at Western Gardens and ask if they will be getting some in or if they can find it from their growers.

Photo by Kiki Siepel on Unsplash

A gardener’s favorite! Bumper Crop! Photo by WensLens

FLOWER BEDS

Soil Amendments – Now is the time to prepare your soil. A good practice by most expert gardeners is to mix in or just over-dress your beds with our favorite product “Bumper Crop”. Your plants will love you and you will love your harvest!

Perennials – Time to divide and transplant any of those summer and fall blooming perennials. It’s fun to share with others. Do not divide or transplant those that bloom in spring. They won’t like it until they are finished blooming.

Annual color – If your ground is not still frozen, plant those pansies or other spring cool tolerant annuals.

Bulbs – Spring bulbs that are blooming are absolutely gorgeous. Remember to only deadhead the flower when done blooming. Leave the greenery. During this time, the greenery is taking nourishment down to the bulb so you will have color again next spring! Bone meal can also be applied during this time. Do not trim back the greenery/leafs until they are brown. Gardener’s Tip: Fold over the leaves of the plant and wrap with a rubber band. The leaves are still attached, but your spring garden will look more tidy and kept. They the clumps turn brown, the clump will easily pull out from the ground, leaving the bulb to sleep until next spring.

Containers/Planters – Sift out any dead roots from last fall. Loosen soil. Remove about one-third of your old soil and mix in our favorite product “Bumper Crop” to amend your soil. Your plants will love you and you will love your masterpiece in a bit!

Photo by Marjorie Carter

VEGETABLE GARDEN

Planting Outside Schedule – Be sure to follow a planting schedule of when it is safe to plant outdoors in Utah, or know your area. At our garden centers, we display a sign for our customers about those tender plants that need protection from the cold. You can always ask one of our experts too.

Seedlings – If you already started seeds indoors during February or March, now is the time to thin out your seedlings. Choose the healthiest and leave it to continue growing.

Hardening Off – Harden off transplants and seedlings while we are transitioning out of winter. Move seedlings to a cool place like a garage for two or three days before planting them outside, next month for most plants!

Second Planting of Cold Crops – Examples are lettuce & radish. Plant first crop if you didn’t in March.

Raised Beds / Grow Boxes – Time to prepare these for planting. Kid-friendly grow box building project. Mix in our favorite product “Bumper Crop” to amend your soil. Your plants will love you and you will love your harvest!

PEST CONTROL

Snails and Slugs – NOW is the best time to rid your yard of snails and slugs. They are just coming out of dormancy, looking for food, and laying their eggs for hundreds little baby snails. If you are persistent this month, you will have less plant damage during the season. See our experts for some very good products and for some organic alternatives. Here is an article of 3 ways to rid your yard of snails. Just remember, consistency is your best friend and the snails worst enemy!

Puncture Weed – Photo by WensLens

WEED CONTROL

Remove or spray for weeds when they first appear; don’t let them set seeds. This will cut down on future weeding work! Past article on tips for weed control.

Bind Weed and Puncture Weed – Be on the look out for Field Bind Weed and Puncture Weed. These can make your yard and your life miserable if you let them take over. They are tough to eradicate, but again begin early and be consistent.

SONY DSC

SUPPORT REPUTABLE INDEPENDENT GARDEN SHOPS

Why? Because you don’t want to purchase plants that have already been stressed before you ever buy them. Next time it snows this spring, go by a big box store and see how many poor little plants are buried in snow and will definitely die, or if they bounce back, they are very stressed by the time you get them. Independents take care of their product because they own it until you purchase it. Big box stores don’t own the product, therefore, not as much TLC is given those plants. Read Article about spring experience 2017

WINTER TOOLS

Sno-blower – Time to drain the old gas and put away until next season.

Snow Shovel – Keep a shovel around for those little spring snows we Utahans enjoy!

HOLIDAYS APPROACHING

Mother’s Day is just a few weeks away next month. Ask your local expert about a good tool that will help your loved one in the garden. We have expert gardeners to help you know what tools are worth your time and money.

Father’s Day will be in a couple of months. Keep your eye out for something Dad would enjoy in the garden.

GARDEN TOOLS

Assess Your Garden Tools – Time to pull them out of the shed if you haven’t already and dust them off.

Add one new tool to your garden work this year. Eventually you will have just what you need and want.

Visual Satisfaction Idea – Purchase a new fresh pair of garden gloves. If you have had a problem in the past with family members taking your gloves, mark them with a sharpie. Faithfully use these gloves throughout the season. By the end of harvest next fall, you’ll have a pair of well used gloves to serve as a visual reminder of the time you spent to get such a wonderful garden.

ENJOY NATURE

Be sure to enjoy the more frequent days we can wear just a t-shirt and work in the yard.

Help a friend – Share this garden to do list for April 2018 with a neighbor!

March 29, 2018 by Western Gardens

What to Do If Your Child Touches or Eats a Poisonous Plant

This section guides parents through the correct course of action should their child come into contact with or ingest a poisonous plant.

If any of these symptoms occur after your child touches or eats a poisonous plant or pesticides, call 911 immediately: choking, unconsciousness, difficulty breathing or difficulty swallowing. If your child is not experiencing these severe symptoms but has touched or eaten a poisonous plant, berry, seed, bulb, or mushroom, contact your local poison center immediately at 1-800-222-1222. Do not wait for symptoms to appear before calling. You should be prepared to give your child’s age, symptoms or illnesses, the names of plants consumed, if possible, how much and which parts were eaten, and how recently the plant was touched or ingested. The poison specialist will instruct you on what to do and which symptoms to look for in your child.

If you are somewhere you cannot immediately get assistance, do not ingest or put a plant in your mouth to check if it is poisonous. You should look for pieces of the plant in your child’s mouth and remove any that you can find. You should give him small sips of water but avoid attempting to make him vomit. If your child has a skin irritation, itching, rash or blisters, immediately rinse his skin with fresh water. Call your local poison center (1-800-222-1222) as soon as you have access to a phone line.

Flowers are like magnets to children. They love to pick and smell. Teach them not to eat anything from the yard. Photo by Ardi Evans on Unsplash

Poison Ivy grows in leaves of three. Do not touch poison ivy.

Poison Ivy is a poisonous plant you or your child do not want to even touch. Photo from WikimediaCommons

Poison oak in the fall is another gorgeous plant. Children may want to gather its leaves. Don’t touch!

Pesticide Safety

Spring and summer also bring out more pests, both inside and outside of the home. This section explores the risks pesticides pose to children and includes tips for using safer alternatives to toxic pesticides.

Early farmers spread pesticides with horses who were protected.

Crazy how the horses were somewhat protected from the sprays. Photo by Internet Archive Book Images on Flickr & Wikimedia Commons. No restrictions.

The National Pesticide Information Center makes it clear that all pesticides carry a level of toxicity and pose a risk to all people but especially to infants and children, who are more sensitive to the toxic effects of pesticides than adults. Because pesticides also pose a poisoning risk to children, it is critical that parents use pesticides responsibly.

If you do choose to use a pesticide, be sure to read the product label to ensure you use it correctly and apply it exactly as the label instructs. Look for the least-toxic pesticides available and store them in their original containers far out of the reach of children. It is critical that you keep your children and pets out of treatment areas while you apply pesticides and until treated areas dry. Children should wear shoes and sit on blankets or use other barriers between them and your lawn if it has recently been treated. When your children are finished playing, make sure they wash their hands with warm water and soap as soon as they enter your home.

The safest way to handle pests in gardens, yards, and homes is to use insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, and natural ingredients to keep them at bay. If you are looking for different forms of pesticides that can keep your family garden safe, as well as the food you grow in it, try these alternatives:

Vegetable oil mixed with mild soap for insects like aphids and mites
Mild soap mixed with water for insects like whiteflies, beetles, aphids, and mites
Neem oil mixed with mild soap and water to disrupt the life cycle of insects and to protect plants before they become infested
Diatomaceous earth as a natural pesticide
Pureed garlic mixed with vegetable oil, mild soap and water to act as an insect repellent
Garlic, onion, and cayenne pepper, mixed with liquid soap as a natural insecticide

If parents take steps to learn about how to protect their children from pesticide and plant poisoning, most poisonings could be avoided. However, accidents happen to even the most prepared, so it is important to always be ready to contact a poison control center or emergency services if a child ingests or comes into contact with poisonous plants and pesticides.

Resources for Preventing Poisoning by Plants and Pesticides

We have compiled a list of resources that you can contact or research to get more information on pesticides and poisonous plants. You will find locations and phone numbers, materials for learning and informational sites if you are interest in learning more about the subjects of this guide. Please note, they are listed in alphabetical order.

ASPCA Poisonous Plants is dedicated to informing people which plants are poisonous to pets and animals.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Poisoning Prevention focuses on providing tips to prevent accidental home poisonings, including those by pesticides and plants.

Clemson Cooperative Extension’s Home & Garden Information Center gives a thorough overview of poison ivy, a plant that commonly causes skin irritation in children.

Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center shares information about poisonous plants and lists both non-poisonous and poisonous plants in charts.

Penn State Extension Pesticide Education is a fun portal that allows families to learn about pesticide safety in a fun way.

Poison Control is the place to call when you suspect your child has ingested or touched a poisonous plant or pesticide. You can get help online or call 1-800-222-1212.

Poisonous Plants in the Home Landscape is a publication by Montana State University professor of horticulture R.E. Gough that lists 72 plants and tells which parts of the plants are poisonous and whether they are dangerous through contact or ingestion.

Quills Up! Spike’s Poison Prevention Adventure is an engaging video for preschool-aged children that includes life lessons in poison prevention including staying away from plants and pesticides.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Earth-Kind Landscaping shares a chart of the more common poisonous plants.

The University of California, Berkeley’s CalPhotos: Plants is an image database that contains over 300,000 pictures of plants to help determine if the plants you see on a daily basis are poisonous or not.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: Poison Proof Your Home offers tips for preventing poisoning by plants and pesticides.

Author: Angie Bersin, Redfin

March 29, 2018 by Western Gardens

Welcome Friends! Glad you dropped in to learn about saving water and money by Turf Training.

You can train your dog and train your lawn too!

You cannot teach a lawn to fetch the paper or to roll over. Even though some say that it can play dead, in the winter! Now that your lawn is coming out of the dreary winter, it’s time for turf training. You can train your lawn to grow deep lawn roots, so that you can cut your water bill during the summer and your lawn can be happy during those hottest Utah summer weeks. Turf Training is more painful for the owner than the lawn itself, but by July, it is possible to be watering your lawn once every two weeks or less, depending on your soil type. I know it works; I’ve lived it. This plan is for established lawns; new turf requires other care. Follow these steps and you too can have a well trained happy green lawn.

This month (April & into May), do not water your lawn! Mother Nature is taking care of watering lawns for you. DEEP INFREQUENT watering creates deep roots and thriving healthier plants.
Aerate your lawn. Perfect time is just before one of our spring rains.
Apply the proper spring fertilizer. Follow the directions explicitly. Again, the ideal time is just before a good rain to wash it into the turf.
If you haven’t already, apply pre-emergent.
Keep your finger OFF the automatic sprinkler system. Do NOT water your lawn. You are in turf training mode. I know it is painful because the sun is shining and spring is here, but don’t do it. Your lawn is stretching its roots deep. Let them go!
In May, repeat #5 unless one of the following occurs…
- Mother Nature hasn’t watered for 3 weeks. Time to water.
- When you walk across your lawn, your footsteps don’t bounce back up. Time to water.
- When you look across your lawn, you notice a dull bluish green tone in spots. Time to water.
DEEP WATER – Put a good inch of water or so on your lawn. Placing a tuna can on your grass will let you know when you’ve watered sufficiently. All this water will soak down deep and you will train your lawn, by withholding watering cycle, to stretch deep for the water. The roots will grow deeper and in the hot summer months of July & August, your lawn won’t get as stressed out. Its roots will be cooler down deep.
Repeat steps #6, #7 and #8.

As you can imagine, it will take time to train your lawn to grow deep roots. That is why it is important to begin first thing in the spring. For established Kentucky Blue grass, you may need to follow this method for two seasons, but it can be done.

This method to train your lawn is not meant for flower beds, newly seeded lawns, newly placed sod, trees or shrubs. Learn from our experts those proper watering techniques.

Watering Lawn Methods graphic by Texas Smartscape

http://www.txsmartscape.com/design_tools/water_conservation.asp

Article submitted by Wendy P

March 28, 2018 by Wendy Pettit

Author: Maria Cannon (HobbyJr.org)

Photo by: Agzam on Pixabay CCO

Since 2010, the United States has suffered a loss of 40 percent of local honeybees. Native bee species are dying off too, with many of them categorized as either endangered or significantly declining. Our food and economy, as well as the entire ecosystem, depend on bees to survive. Our survival depends on their survival. By creating a bee-friendly garden, you can do your part to help save our important bees.

Why Bees Are So Important

According to Greenpeace, “Since the late 1990s, beekeepers around the world have observed the mysterious and sudden disappearance of bees and reported unusually high rates of decline in honeybee colonies.” Bees are famous for making honey, but their most important role is the pollination of crops. A third of the food that we eat depends on pollinating insects, including zucchini, apricots, almonds, coriander, canola oil, and more.

Photo by: MyriamsFotos on Pixabay CCO

A world without pollinators would not only be devastating for food production, but it would also have a huge economic impact. The worldwide economic value of bees’ pollination work has been estimated at roughly $306.4 billion annually. Obviously, they are important bees. In the United States, pollinators contribute more than $24 billion dollars to the economy, of which honeybees contribute more than $15 billion and native pollinators contribute $9 billion.

However, it’s not just the economy and our food that we should focus on. All pollinating insects play an essential role in ecosystems. Native bees may not pollinate as much of our crops, but they do pollinate wild plants, which are important to the larger ecosystem, creating food and habitats for other animals and insects. In essence, all bee populations are declining, and it’s important to help save them all.

Making Your Garden Bee-Friendly

Bees need nectar and pollen as food sources, so opt for flowers that provide both, such as goldenrod, asters, and sunflowers. You can also plant flowering vegetables and fruits. Bees need to eat until they retreat for the winter, so choose plants that bloom through multiple seasons or a variety of plants that will bloom at different times throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Aim to have at least ten bee plants in a grouping instead of spreading them out across the garden. Because bees also need water, you should add a pond, fountain, or other fresh water source.

While honeybees live in hives, native bees live in the ground. Provide a space in your garden for native bees to make their home by leaving an un-mulched space in your garden. A pile of undisturbed sand or wood will work too. Do not use pesticides and herbicides. Instead, introduce good bugs to provide natural protection against pests and weed your garden by hand.

If you live in an apartment or have limited space, you can easily grow pollinator plants in containers. Some pollinator plants that do well in containers include stinging nettles, asters, bee balm, purple coneflowers, and yarrow. You can incorporate more than one plant into a container to save space. Allow a tall plant, a rounded/full plant, and a trailing plant to share one container. All sizes of flowering plants help our important bees. Read our post on 8-tips for planting spring flower pots.

Photo by: Castlegaurd on Pixabay CCO

Starting Your Garden

When starting your garden, take the time to plan ahead. First, determine what you want to grow in your garden. There are many plants that attract pollinators, so choose the ones you like the best. As far as size, it’s best to start small and work your way toward a larger garden. When choosing the location of your garden, consider the position of the sun in your yard throughout the day and the quality of the soil.

Gardening doesn’t just help the bees. When you grow a garden, you can reap many of the health benefits it provides, including its calming effect. Gardening’s ability to calm the mind stems from it allowing you to center yourself, connect with nature, and take pride in creating something. It’s also a great form of exercise and has been proven to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and diabetes.

The rapid loss of bee populations is frightening. Not only will our food supply and economy take a big hit, but also the Earth’s entire ecosystem could be devastated. By planting a garden that’s full of pollinator plants that bloom in different seasons, you’re taking a big step in helping revamp the bee populations. Even if you simply provide a home for bees to nest, you can help do your part in saving the bees.

November 1, 2017 by Wendy Pettit

Welcome gardening friends, thanks for stopping by!

If you’re excited to work in your yard or garden, but not sure what to do in the chilly November weather, then you’ve come to the right place! We’ve put together this Gardening to-do list for November.

You may not need to do everything on this list. For example, if you don’t have upright bushes to tie or snow tools to inspect, skip over those items on the list. Just pick what applies to your yard and plan out when you will do it all throughout the month!

Photo by Russ Hendricks

November Gardening To-Do List

➺Tie Upright Bushes like junipers and arborvitae with burlap strips to keep the
snow load from spreading their branches during winter. You can use twine if loosely tied around the branches

➺Cut Back And Mulch perennials as they go dormant. Time to finish putting those late fall bloomers to bed. Later in the month, ROSE BUSHES may like being mulched for winter. It is like a winter blanket for the rose roots. Mound DRY leaves around the base of the rose. Make it about 8 inches deep. The leaves act as a blanket for the roots of the rose. By spring, the leaves will be mostly broken down.

➺DEEP SOAK trees, shrubs & flower beds. Moisture will actually help them when the soil is frozen this winter.

➺Fertilize lawn if necessary, according to your schedule

➺Store Away Tools that are still out. You won’t want to find them in the spring all rusted from being covered with snow!

➺Cover Beds With A Frost Blanket or Dried Leaves for an added layer of protection for your perennials. (optional – depending on what you have planted and need extra protection.) This is not real common here along the Wasatch Front. Usually we just don’t plant material that is not cold hardy for our winters.

➺Large Pots/Containers Left Outside can be covered with a large black plastic bag. This prevents those thaw and freeze periods to potentially crack your pot. Be sure to remove all plant material; you can leave in the dirt. A rock on top is helpful to not blow away the bag in wind storms. In the spring, pull off the bag, freshen up the soil and plant again!

➺Snow Shovel and/or snow blower should be checked and in good repair…..before you need them. Don’t get caught in that first snow storm that some years come earlier than we anticipate!

➺Check Ice & Snow Removal Products and replenish if necessary, before it snows. We offer a good ice melt that is friendly to nature and protects concrete. Not harmful to lawns shrubs and trees. No dangerous chemicals.

Be sure to check back for December’s to-do list!

October 28, 2017 by Wendy Pettit

Harvesting your apples? Been to your local farmer’s market and bought a bushel of apples? Cookie Butter Apple Treats may be a new delicious treat to please the entire family while you are processing your apples for the season. This simple 4-ingredient recipe is easy and yummy. Any variety of apple tastes delicious with this cookie butter dip recipe, but we prefer Fuji, Gala, or Pink Lady (whichever is the best price or whichever apple is ripe on the tree).

Cookie Butter Apple Treats Ingredients

8 Tbsp. cookie butter – room temperature (I prefer Bischoff Cookie Butter so I feel like I’m flying on an airplane)
4 Tbsp. vanilla greek yogurt
apple discs – 2-3 apples, sliced crossways
1/3 cup chocolate chips – melted (optional)
brine – 2 cups water with 3 Tbsp. lemon juice or 1 Tbsp. salt

Directions:

In a medium bowl, add lemon juice or salt into 2 cups water. Stir and set aside.
In a second medium bowl, combine cookie butter and yogurt. Stir mixing well and set aside.
Take your whole freshly harvested apples and slice them crossway through the center of the apple. Apple seed “star” should be in the middle of your circle or disk. Remove the seeds or centers of each apple disk using a tiny round cookie cutter or a knife. Your apples now look like skinny flat discs or donuts.
Place the apple slices into the lemon or salt brine. Let soak for 1-2 minutes. (This will keep the apples from turning brown.)
Place apple slices on a clean dishcloth or paper towel. Flip them over so both sides are now somewhat dry.
Using a large piping tool, pipe the cookie butter mixture in swirls on top of the apple discs. (I like to use the Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator)
Refrigerate and serve. Yum!
Optional – Melt 1/3 cup chocolate chips. (Use double boiler on stove or microwave 10 seconds at a time until the chocolate stirs smooth.) Drizzle or flip with a stick the chocolate over the apple discs. It is very wise to wear an apron for this task.

If you don’t want to do the apple disks, you can simply place the cookie butter dip in a bowl surrounded by any variety of apple wedges reading to scoop.

Cookie butter apple treats are a real crowd pleaser! And even more delicious and satisfying when you grow and harvest your own apples! Let Western Gardens teach you how to choose an apple tree for your yard. It doesn’t have to grow super big to have a delicious harvest.

October 11, 2017 by Wendy Pettit

Author: Maria Cannon (HobbyJr.org)

When many people think of getting fit or staying healthy, gardening probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. However, working in the garden can be hugely beneficial to one’s health, in many ways. Not only is it great physical exercise, it also helps people who don’t get a lot of time outdoors connect to nature, enjoy the sun and fresh air, and spend time doing something that helps them feel fulfilled.

“When you sit at a desk all day, there’s something about literally putting your hands in the dirt, digging and actually creating something that’s really beautiful. There’s something about just being out there that feels kind of elemental,” says gardener Gillian Aldrich.

In short, working in a garden can help you feel better and improve your emotional and mental health. Want to learn more? Read on to find out how you can boost your health in a variety of ways just by digging in the dirt.

Gardening Can Boost Your Mood

Gardening has been linked in several studies to lessening depression. Although there have been no conclusive answers as to why, some experts believe it’s simply the ability to connect with something larger than ourselves without having to think about it too hard. It also involves physical work and being outdoors, both of which have been shown to improve mood and self esteem.

Healthy gardening means you'll be in a better more cheery mood.

Photo Credit via Pixabay by Vijayanarasimha

Gardening Can Relieve Stress

It can be difficult these days to enjoy the moment. With all the distractions from smartphones, laptops, tablets, email, and social media, it can be hard to direct your energy to something for longer than a few minutes. Gardening requires a bit of focus but allows your mind to go where it wants, which can help you feel more positive and de-stressed. Stress relief and activity can help prevent heart disease, obesity, and diabetes, among other things.

A healthy gardening habit helps you destress and realize the beauty of a simple flower.

Photo Credit via Pixabay by Alexas Fotos

Gardening Can Be Good Exercise

There are several types of gardening and many different ways you can get in a workout. Kneeling on the ground and bending over to weed, digging in the dirt to plant, and hauling dirt, mulch and fertilizer are all ways to feel the burn. You can take off several calories by working in the garden a few times a week.

Gardening helps with exercise. Now that is healthy gardening!

Photo Credit via Pixabay by Mojpe

Gardening Promotes Healthy Eating

Gardening can help promote healthy eating, especially if you’re putting on the table what you are taking what you grow from the ground. Plant produce you enjoy using to cook with–tomatoes, herbs, cabbage, carrots–so you’ll be more inclined to eat them and keep your diet healthy and nutritious.

Another wonderful benefit of growing food is that you can share it. If you don’t have family nearby, consider taking what you’re not going to use and donating it to food banks or shelters or neighbors. Be a good neighbor!

Photo Credit via Pixabay by CongerDesign

Gardening Can Help You Sleep Better

Working outdoors and getting active several times a week helps you tire out physically, and keeps stress and anxiety at bay so you can have a restful night. If you’re a restless sleeper, consider working in the garden a few additional times.

sleeping in the garden or sleeping better because you worked in the garden

Photo Credit via Pixabay by Dawidx

Gardening Gets You Out in the Sun

Working and playing in the sun exposes you to vitamin D, which can help boost your immune system and help improve your skin and bone health. Just be sure to wear plenty of sunblock to protect yourself from all those UV rays.

Photo Credit via Pixabay by AKA Ralph

Gardening is one of the best ways you can get in a workout, improve your brain function, boost your mood, and get healthy overall. If you feel you don’t have a big enough space on your own property for a garden, consider many other options like vertical gardening, container gardening, raised bed gardens. Western Gardens can help you be successful in growing your own food or just enjoying the beautiful blooms you cultivated. You can also consider seeking out a community garden project where you can work on your own little patch of land.

About the Author: Maria has suffered from fibromyalgia along with depression and anxiety associated with the chronic illness for years. Her hobbies–gardening, quilting, sewing, and knitting–play a major role in maintaining her mental health. She enjoys writing about her hobby adventures on Hobbyjr.org.

October 5, 2017 by Wendy Pettit

Time to do your fall pruning in your Utah garden along the Wasatch Front. Pruning your garden for winter is fairly simple. Follow two main basic pruning rules and then follow guidelines for various plants listed.

GENERAL Pruning Rules to Remember:

Rule #1 – Don’t prune plants until they are finished blooming.

Rule #2 – Prune dead or broken branches at any time of the season.

FALL Pruning Guidelines:

Fall Pruning of Flowering Shrubs

To keep with Rule #1, remember not to prune fall blooming shrubs until they are done blooming. Examples of fall blooming shrubs include Rose of Sharon, Hydrangeas, etc. Spring blooming shrubs (forsythia, spirea, lilac, etc) should be pruned in the spring or summer after they are done blooming. Often, these shrubs bloom on new growth, so prune them early in the season to get some good growth for the next year’s blooms.

Before you get started pruning your flowering shrub, keep in mind to retain and enhance the shrub’s naturally graceful habit. Take care not to cut the shrub into a boxy or unnatural shape (unless you want to sacrifice flowers and make a hedge). Remove dead and crossing branches. Cut ¼ of the oldest canes to the ground. This gives the plant renewed strength, letting light and air circulation into the center of the plant and provides growing space for new flowering stems.

Fall Pruning of Upright Evergreen Shrubs

Lightly prune to shape. Shrubs like Arborvitae may need wrapping or tying with twine to keep the snow from breaking off the branches.

Fall Pruning of Rose Bushes

Pruning depth depends on the type of rose. If a hybrid tea or a floribunda type, prune down to 24” above ground. Otherwise, prune to shape the bush. Prune out dead and broken branches. May mulch around the base of the bush in case of unexpected sub-zero winter temperatures. In the spring, if there has been winter damage, you will be able to prune off the winter-kill. Click here for a good article on how to prune your roses.

Fall Pruning of Vines

Pruning depends all upon the type of vine. Some clematis need pruning, other clematis do not. Follow the directions on the plant tag from a reputable local garden center, or ask the experts at the local nursery.

Fall Pruning of Berry Plants

Again, pruning requirements drastically vary depending on type of berry and cultivar. Ever-bearing plants require different pruning techniques than main crop berries. And even then there are different needs. You don’t want to trim back too far in the fall if you need to leave that newer growth for next year’s berries. Again, consult the expert gardeners at your reputable garden center. Be sure to know what variety of berry you have.

Fall Pruning of Fruit Trees

Do not prune fruit trees until winter when they are dormant, i.e. leaves have fallen and temperatures are in 30’s & 40’s. In northern Utah, we recommend pruning during January and February. Follow proper tree pruning techniques in the winter. Winter Pruning video. Remember that at any time, you can prune away dead or broken branches.

Fall Mowing “Pruning” of Lawn/Turf

Mowing your lawn is actually a type of “pruning”. Your last mowing of the season should be shorter than during the summer months when you want the shade of the blades to help retain moisture in the soil and more green for healthier roots. When you are ready to put your lawnmower away, set your lawn mower to 1½” setting and give your lawn a good pruning! WARNING: Don’t be overly ambitious and “scalp” the lawn. A nice short cut is desired, but you don’t want to injure the base of the plant.

Additional Fall Lawn Note: Now is a time to spread your fall fertilizer. If you have had issues with fungus, now is the time to apply a fungicide treatment. Also, weed control is still viable when daily high temperatures are higher than 55-60 degrees. Weeds love the forgotten fall lawn.

Fall Pruning of Perennials

Be sure to remember Rules #1 and #2 above. Not pruning until the plant finishes blooming also applies to dividing and transplanting in the fall. Don’t transplant until the plant is done blooming. This means that your fall bloomers like Autumn Joy Sedum, chrysanthemums, etc., need to finish blooming before you divide and transplant or prune. Be patient! You have plenty of other pruning and garden work to do. These are the last ones to prune before the beds are done for the winter.

Two Additional General Fall Pruning Rules for Most Perennials:

Prune when the plants begin to die back, leaving their greenery to continue feeding the roots as long as possible.
Cut them down to 3-4 inches above the soil. This is because most perennials die down to the ground in the winter. Leaving 3 inches will mark the plants during winter. Also in the spring the 3-4 inches is low enough you won’t need to go back and prune as the plant emerges.

EXCEPTIONS to Pruning Perennial Rules: Woody perennials like lavender need only light pruning to shape and evergreen perennials like candytuft should also only be lightly pruned. If you question what to prune or how much, follow the guidance from your master gardener at the independent garden center like Western Gardens. We would love to help you have a successful garden.

Fall Pruning of Ground Covers –

Simply trim lightly.

Fall Pruning of Ornamental Grasses

If you enjoy the silhouette of your grasses, leave them to admire throughout late fall. Later trim to 6-8 inches above ground.

Fall Pruning Questions:

If you have any questions about fall pruning for winter, please feel free to stop by our Western Garden Centers and visit with one of our expert gardeners. We’ll be happy to answer any of your questions.

Fall Reminder:

While you are pruning and cleaning up, breathe deep the fresh autumn crisp air and admire the changes taking place in your garden.

What fall pruning do you enjoy doing in your yard?

The beginner basics of fall pruning your utah garden for winter.

Photo credit: Pixabay

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