Utah Gardening

How a Backyard Garden Can Help Save Our Important Bees

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.

Gardening To-Do List for November 2017

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!

Fall Pruning Your Utah Garden – Basics

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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October Garden List 2017

October 3, 2017 by Wendy Pettit

Welcome gardening friends, thanks for stopping by!

Excited to work in your yard or garden, but not sure what should be done in the cooler fall weather? Here is our October garden list of tasks to do that will help you be successful in your Utah garden. You may not need to do everything on this list. For example, if you don’t have summer blooming bulbs to dig up or stone fruit trees to spray, skip over those items on the list. Simply pick those that apply to your yard and get started; winter is around the corner!

October Garden List 2017

OR

➺Planting –

Planting in the fall is an excellent time. It gives your plants a great start in the spring on their own timetable.

Trees & shrubs – come see Western Gardens for quality plant material during their seasonal fall sale.
Pansies add fall and spring color. Sometimes you will even have color throughout winter, depending on the weather.
Spring Blooming Bulbs – Purchase quality bulbs from your local nursery. Remember a gardener’s rule of “The bigger the bulb, the bigger the bloom!” Plant them to the proper depth with a complete fertilizer.
Inside bulbs – purchase and plant bulbs like Paper Whites for color inside the home.
Perennials – plant healthy new perennials found at Western Garden Centers!

The october garden list includes dividing and transplanting perennials, trees and shrubs.

Photo credit: Tante Tati at Pixabay

➺What To Dig Up –

Dig Tender Bulbs (Summer Blooming Bulbs) – After the first hard frost, carefully dig up cannas, dahlias, gladiolus, etc. They will not survive Utah’s winter temperatures. Store them in a cool dry place. You’ll be able to plant them again in the spring!
Perennials – Fall is excellent time to divide and transplant perennials after they have finished blooming. Good time to build friendships by sharing with neighbors too!
Unfavorable Plants – Dig up and discard any plants you discovered you just don’t like. Clean up the yard so you can start anew next spring!

In october you can also cut your lawn shorter, and even reseed spots of grass.

Photo Credit: WensLens

➺Lawn Care –

Mow lawn to 1 1/2 inch height. This won’t “scalp” the roots, but will help prevent diseases caused by snow build up over the winter.
Aerate lawn – only well established lawns. You don’t need to aerate the first couple of years with a new lawn.
Fertilize lawn according to the expert schedule. Western Gardens again can help you be successful.
Spray lawn for weeds until daytime high temperatures drop below 55 degrees. Most plants really slow down their growth in the fall, but weeds seem to just continue to thrive! Weed-Free-Zone is a great product you can find at your independent garden center like Western Gardens.
New Seeded Lawn – The first week of October can still be a good time to spread new lawn seed. You should have enough time to keep the seeds moist in the cooler temperatures. The seedlings will pop before the winter sets in. See our experts to help you know how to have success. You can do it!

The winterize your garden in October list includes cleaning up the leaves and debris from flower and vegetable beds.

Photo credit: Jazzment at Pixabay

➺Clean up –

Dead plant material and debris – Remove from vegetable and flower beds after the first killing frost.
Weeding – Make another effort to control Field Bindweed (aka Wild Morning Glory). Clean out all you can now, so it will be easier to see new starts in the spring.
Blow out flower beds or rake up leaves. Leaves make a great compost. Pile them in a corner of your yard and in time, you will have the best soil. However, destroy Walnut tree leaves and Aspen leaves. They are toxic or often diseased.
Clean out rain gutters. The rain is coming!

Photo credit: Hans at Pixabay

➺Winterizing –

Garden Tools – Inventory and inspect for damage. Oil shovels, pruners, etc and make any necessary repairs or replacement. Consider the gift giving season that is approaching. Quality tools make wonderful useful gifts.
Sprinkler System – Drain and winterize sprinkler system.
Garden Hoses – Wind up garden hoses and store in an easily accessible place for spring.
Lawn Mower – drain or add fuel stabilizer. Change oil and store for the winter. TIP: Use the remaining gas in your mower to run the mower over the leaves you have raked up. This mulches the leaves smaller so they can be composted quicker! When the mower is out of gas, you are done!
Patio Furniture – cover or bring into storage to protect from Utah’s harsh winter winds and snow.

Our October garden list tasks to do include trimming evergreens and other trees and shrubs.

Photo credit: Estella Guerrera at Pixabay

➺Trees & Shrub Care –

Stone Fruit Trees – If you had problems during this past season, spray for Coryneum blight after leaves fall.
Do NOT prune fruit trees until January or February. You may prune out dead or broken limbs.
Evergreens – Trim to shape. Wrap those bushes that could break from winter snow.

Take time in October to evaluate your yard and note changes for spring.

Photo credit: K.Riemer at Pixabay

➺Assess Your Yard

Take a moment to sit, survey, and jot down changes to make next year. Some items you can do now, i.e. transplanting. Maybe you want to plant a specific maple in a specific location, or try a new perennial in the spring. Quality plants can be found in your local independent nursery during fall sales, however, they are limited to their stock on hand. Drop by Western Garden Centers and tell them what you are looking for. If they are sold out, the nursery stock manager/orderer possibly can look for and bring into the store your specific tree or shrub for the spring.

Doing these tasks on our October garden list will help make November all the more enjoyable. And come spring, you will have a good head start on getting your gardens ready for spring.

Preparing Your Garden for Winter

September 27, 2017 by Vanessa Myers

As the gardening season slowly draws to a close, it’s time to think about closing down and preparing your Garden for winter and the following spring. Taking the time to do these steps will help you have greater garden success during the following year.

There are steps you should take when you are preparing your garden for winter

Leaf Image by Mark Turnauckas under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution License

Perform a Garden Assessment

Now is a great time to look over the gardening successes and failures that you had during this gardening season. Did you fruit trees get attacked by certain insects? Did a certain new kind of vegetable perform especially well? Documenting the events in your garden (perhaps in a garden journal) will help you recognize trends and remember what worked.

Water Your Trees Less

As winter approaches, you want to make sure that your trees will be ready for their slumber. At the beginning of fall, stop watering them. You shouldn’t have to worry too much about them having problems, as there is usually sufficient rain during this period. Wait until all of the leaves have fallen off, then give it a good long watering session. This will help make sure that they don’t start too much new growth.

Leaf mulch is a great way to add nutrients back into your garden

Leaf Mulch Image by Bobby McKay under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution – NoDerivatives License

Save Your Leaves for Mulch

As your trees start to drop their leaves, why not add them to a compost pile to enrich next year’s soil? If you run over them with a mower, they will break down faster, though you can still put them in whole if desired. Add a nitrogen source like urea to your leaf mulch to help it decompose. It should be ready for use by spring.

Get Ready to Prune

You can prune out at any time the parts of your trees and shrubs that have become dead, diseased or damaged. Otherwise, wait until they have gone dormant before you do any work. If you do it too early, the plant can start producing new shoots that could be harmed by frost. It’s also easier to see where you want to prune when the leaves are gone and you can see the skeleton of the tree.

Pick up spoiling fruit as part of your fall cleanup

Spoiling Fruit Image by Groume under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution – ShareAlike License

Remove All Dead Annuals, Weeds, and Spoiled Fruit/Vegetables

As your vegetables and other annuals start to wither away, pull them out of your garden plot. If they are left there over the winter, the dead plants can serve as insect and disease shelters during the winter. Your annuals can go into a compost pile or you can turn into the soil if you like. The same is true for any spoiled fruits or vegetables. You do want to make sure that the weeds are taken out and properly disposed of or else they will add more weeds to next year’s chore list.

What do you do as part of preparing your garden for winter?

Apple Varieties and How to Use Them

September 21, 2017 by Wendy Pettit

Photo: Pixabay

Not all apples are the same. With over 7000 varieties of apples, it is wise to learn which types are best for what you want the apple. Some apples are more soft, some more crunchy and crispy, some mealy, some tart, some sweet, and so on. Of course, which apple you use can be all subjective, but in the world of apple connoisseurs, there are some apples more suitable for different needs.

Here is a list of some of the more popular apple varieties and how to best use them.

Take a bite of a crisp apple from the apple tree

Photo: Pixabay

Fresh Eating Apple Varieties

There are so many different tastes for different people’s likings. Here are some of the most popular.

Braeburn
Fuji
Gala
Cameo
Golden Delicious
Granny Smith (for a tart taste)
Honeycrisp
Empire
Pink Lady or Cripps Pink

Baked whole apples with cinnamon and raisins

Photo: Pixabay

Baking Apple Varieties

Popular apples for pies, apple sauce, apple butter, and baking whole.

Granny Smith (in our opinion the BEST pie apple)
Braeburn
Golden Delicious
McIntosh
Rome Beauty
Cortland
Jonagold
Jonathan
Gala
Melrose
Honeycrisp
Winesap
Cameo
Avoid these apples in pie because they become mealy with baking: Cortland, Gala, and Red Delicious

Hot apple cider tastes good on a cold fall day.

Photo: Pixabay

Cider Apple Varieties

It is proven that the best tasting cider comes from using a variety of all types of apples. One neighbor who owns a press once told me “The more varieties, the better!”

Gala
Rome Beauty
Golden Delicious
Grimes Golden
Jonathan
Red Delicious
McIntosh
Fuji
Braeburn
Jonagold
Cortland

Realize that these lists are not complete by any stretch of the imagination. Remember the 7000 plus varieties? Our shorter more concise list will be a good place to start!

As you decide what apple you want to have on your own lot, for a great harvest, be sure to check your local garden center for what apple trees do well in your area. Not all apple trees like to be planted just anywhere. Temperature plays an important role in producing a worthwhile crop. Read How to Choose an Apple Tree to learn more.

How to Choose an Apple Tree in Utah

September 21, 2017 by Wendy Pettit

Learn 3 important criteria to choose the right apple tree for your yard

Photo by Pixabay

Fall is a wonderful time to plant trees and the apple tree is one of the easiest fruit trees to grow. Surprisingly, how to choose an apple tree is easy to learn as well. Learn these three basic criteria as you prepare for this investment. Nearly all apple trees require a second variety close by in order to pollinate. So as you are considering, be sure to have a first and second choice.

How to Choose an Apple Tree – 3 Criteria:

Right SIZE – Choose the right size of tree for your space. You need to look at your space and maybe even measure the space so you know what you are purchasing.
Right VARIETY – Type of fruit desired. Do you want fresh eating apples, or just cooking apples? You will be investing time and effort into you tree, so they may as well be apples that will please you and serve your purpose.
Right TIME – When does it flower and when is harvest time. Apples require a second variety to cross-pollinate, therefore you want 2 apples trees that will bloom about the same time.

Tree size for the right space is important when you choose an apple tree

Photo by Pixabay

SIZES of Trees:

Standard size tree – can grow to 25-30 feet tall along Wasatch Front with a spread of 25-30 feet. You need a large area for the standard size tree. Standard trees take 4-8 years to produce mature fruit. These trees are very good in cold-climates, but be ready to prune every year.
Semi-dwarf (sometimes called half-standard) – can grow 12-15 feet tall along the Wasatch Front and same width if not pruned. This tree will have mature fruit in 3-5 years.
Dwarf or Genetic Dwarf tree or Bush trees – Can grow 6-10 feet tall along the Wasatch Front and just as wide. These trees produce mature fruit in 3-4 years.
Others: There are several other types of fruit trees. These would include espalier and columnar. See your local experts at the neighborhood nursery for what will grow in your area and for availability.

Nearly all semi-dwarf and dwarf or bush trees are grafted. Growers graft or attach the desired fruiting branch to a “rootstock” trunk. The rootstock determines how big your tree will get. Shopping your reputable local garden nursery will ensure that you are buying a quality product – good grafting onto a quality rootstock. There are different rootstocks for different areas. Your local nursery experts will only sell what will work here along the Wasatch Front, versus a big company back east somewhere that orders for their stores throughout the country.

How to choose an apple tree with the right variety of apple for your needs.

Photo by Pixabay

VARIETY of Fruit:

There are literally over 7000 apple varieties. Obviously many more than what you find at the local grocery market. Visiting a good local farmers market can expose you to other varieties you can taste before you make an investment into your own tree.

Click HERE to see a basic break down of the more popular varieties and their best uses.

Remember that your tree is your investment, so you want to produce something you will use and enjoy for years and years to come. Apples trees can live as long as 60 years or more.

The blooming time of apple trees is important to pollinate the blossoms.

Photo by Pixabay

TIMES for Blooming:

As mentioned above, nearly all apples need a pollinator apple tree in the general area. If you have neighbors that have apples trees, planting one in your yard should still give you plenty of harvest. But if you are the only one, then you may need to plant two different varieties of apples. For example, in commercial orchards, farmers often plant some golden delicious apple trees along with their main crop. Golden Delicious trees are known to be good pollinators. Be sure to choose two varieties that overlap their flowering time.

Midseason bloomers:

Crimson Beauty
Gala
Jonamac
Jonathan
McIntosh
Golden Delicious
Jonagold
and others

Late bloomers:

Fuji
Granny Smith
Rome Beauty
Winesap
and others

Poor pollinators: Jonagold and Winsesap (plus a few more), are considered poor pollinators. Don’t plan on them being your pollinating tree.

Hardiness and Cold Requirements: Be sure to check at your local garden center for those varieties that are actually hardy for your area. You need to choose an apple tree that will survive your climate year round. And on the other hand, realize that apples require a certain amount of cold temperatures to have the sugars set and the fruit to ripen properly. If the fruit doesn’t get the required coldness, the fruit will be a disappointment for all the time and effort you’ve put into your harvest.

For example, my parents planted a Red Delicious apple down south in the area of St. George, Utah. The fruit grew but never turned red and always had a mealy texture and flavor. The fruit never was like their Red Delicious apples from their trees up in northern Utah. The tree eventually was cut out.

Conclusion:

Now you know the basic criteria for how to choose an apple tree. You need to consider the right size of tree, the right type of apple, and the right blooming time for good pollination. What a great investment for your yard, yourself, and your family!

In future posts, we will go through proper planting procedures, learn about any pest control needed, and how and when to properly prune your tree. Soon you will be enjoying the fruits of your labor.

Check out these recipes for apple goodies (submitted by Western Garden patrons):

Simple Apple Chips and Apple Pie Filling

Simple Applesauce and Apple Butter

Garden To-Do List for September

August 31, 2017 by Wendy Pettit

Welcome friend, thanks for stopping by!

Aw! It’s September and you may be feeling excited to work in your yard or garden. We’ve put together a garden to-do list for this cooler month along the Wasatch Front in Utah.

You may not need to do everything on this list. For example, if you don’t have roses, then you won’t need to worry about letting the hips form. Just pick what applies to your yard and plan out when you will do it all throughout the month!

Garden To-Do List for September

➺Spend Labor Day Enjoying your garden. You’ve put in a lot of effort and now enjoy!

➺Plant Trees & Shrubs – Fall is a great time to plant container nursery stock. Plus take advantage of fall sales.

➺Watch Reports For Frost Warnings and cover tender crops if necessary.

➺Work Mulch & Organic Matter into your garden and flower beds. Grass clippings or shredded leaves by the lawn mower work well.

➺Stop Dead-Heading roses and let hips form.

➺Purchase and Plant Spring Bulbs from your local nursery. Ex: Tulips, daffodils, crocus, etc. Remember quality makes a huge difference. Bigger bulb means bigger bloom. Be sure to plant at proper depth with a complete fertilizer.

➺Plant Pansies & Primrose along with your spring bulbs for earlier spring color!

➺Launch a Final Battle Against Snails and Slugs – Fall is the best time to take care of them before they lay eggs and they go into hibernation for the winter. {check out THIS article for 3 simple ways to control snails!}

➺Last Treatment for peach twig borer

➺Treat Lawn Weeds with weed spray.

➺Lay Seed for a new lawn, or lay sod.

➺Divide & Transplant Spring and Summer Blooming Perennials – if necessary. May divide fall blooming perennials once they are done blooming.

➺Visit State Fair for some true inspiration from fellow citizens and gardeners.

➺Start Feeding Wild Birds, if you stopped in the spring.

➺Don’t let Fallen Leaves Accumulate on your Lawn – Rake them up, pile them elsewhere and use them as mulch in your next year’s garden. Leaves left on the lawn can invite disease if not kill your grass.

Be sure to check out October’s Gardening To-Do List too!

3 Simple Tips for Picking Ripe Cantaloupe

August 22, 2017 by Wendy Pettit

If you’re like me, you can use some tips for picking ripe cantaloupe, because it can be hard to tell when it’s ready to eat!

I find it disappointing to be preparing a cantaloupe for dinner, only to take one taste and it is bland and flavorless. I’ve learned my lesson and discovered how to choose or pick a cantaloupe that is ripe and ready to eat. Now when I’m either picking fruit at the store or from my own garden, there are three simple tips to remember to help you wisely spend your money and time.

Follow these simple tips to choose a melon that is ripe and ready to eat.

LOOK – Cantaloupe should be a nice golden yellow color. Don’t pick cantaloupe that are greenish. They are not ready! Don’t worry about rough spots that may be on the outside of your cantaloupe. They don’t mean anything as to the ripeness.
FEEL – You should be able to feel the edges of the outer skin. A smooth skin means it is not ripe. The flower end (the end not attached to the vine) is soft. You should be able to press it gently in. If it springs back out after pressing, your cantaloupe is ready.
SMELL – Place the flower end or the “button” of the cantaloupe just under your nose and take a whiff. A strong sweet aroma indicates the cantaloupe is ready. Sometimes you will smell the strong aroma without smelling the button. If it doesn’t have a scent, don’t pick it or buy it. It is not sweet.

Cantaloupe from the store or market can be yummy, but my favorite is freshly picked from my garden. Now when I eat cantaloupe, it is like a little slice of heaven. Picked right off the vine, it is heavy, fragrant, juicy, and still warm from sitting in the sun. I love to garden!

TIP FOR GROWING: Be sure to begin your seeds indoors early spring so you can have good healthy larger plants when it is warm enough outside. Melons like a long hot growing season!

Six Favorite Shade Trees to Beat The Heat

August 17, 2017 by Vanessa Roush

Welcome Gardeners! Looking for a good shade tree?

With the heat of summer quickly approaching, check out our six favorite shade trees that will help you stay cooler as you enjoy being outside longer. These favorites are easy to care for and do well in our mountain desert climate once established.

Favorite Shade Trees List:

Autumn Blaze Maple (Acer x freemanii)

Our number one favorite shade tree Autumn Blaze Maple is a cross between a red and a silver maple. It is fast growing (up to 3ft per year), tolerates a variety of soils and is easy to care for. In the fall, the leaves turn bright red for which it gets the name “autumn blaze”. This maple variety can grow up to 50 feet tall and 40 feet wide and prefers full to part sun. This tree is a great option if you’d like a fast growing, easy to care for tree with show stopping colors in the fall. An easy pick for our top favorite shade trees list.

Japanese Zelcova (Zelkova serrata)

The Japanese Zelcova is an underutilized species that has started to become more popular. It is considered a shade tree, but also showcases an ornamental quality with its vase like shape. Zelvocas look similar to an elm, but are disease and pest resistant. Once they are established, they are also drought tolerant. Mature height is around 60 feet tall with yearly growth between 1-2 feet. It does best in full to part sun. Zelcovas are ideal for planting by driveways or side walks because their roots will not disrupt the concrete like other trees root systems. The leaves also showcase deep red and orange hues in the fall. A beautiful choice and will be part of your favorite shade trees to have in your yard.

Honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos)

honeylocust leaves are small, light, and airy.

Photo by: David J. Stang – WikimediaCommons

Honeylocust, both thorn and thornless, is yet another tree that is fast growing and tolerant of many soil types. Mature height is between 30-70’ tall, and grows up to 2 feet per year. It provides lightly filtered shade. Honeylocust have small delicate leaves that turn a bright yellow in the fall and then blow away, leaving very little to rake up. They can also be used to stabilize hillsides and control erosion.

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)

The Ginkgo is an underutilized species here in Utah, and has many unique characteristics to it. It is actually considered a living fossil, and some trees can live as long as 3,000 years! It grows 25-50 feet tall in maturity with a vase-like canopy reaching 25-30 feet wide. Yearly growth rate is 13’’-24’’ per year and tolerates a variety of soils. It is best if planted in full sun to part shade. This is another tree that grows well next to driveways and concrete. One of the unique features of this tree is its fan shaped leaf. Female trees do bear a fruit that can be messy, so ask your local gardening expert to pick out a male tree.

Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)

The Eastern Redbud is the magenta flowering beauty blooming in spring. It’s the first tree we see in spring which makes people say, “Wow! Look at that tree’s color.” It’s unique green heart shaped leaf turns yellow in the fall. As a moderate grower, it will peak up to 20-25 feet tall and 20 feet wide. It is tolerant of most soils and likes even moisture throughout the season, being less drought tolerant than our other favorite shade trees. This native Eastern American tree offers four seasons of unique beauty, following up in winter with a beautiful branch structure and course bark.

Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)

The unique Tulip Tree is another shade tree for your yard.

Photo: Pixabay

Another native North American tree, the Tulip Tree is a wonderful majestic beauty. Considered a perfect stand-out front yard tree, it also is often used for shade in the back yard. The wonderful shade tree is long lived, fast growing, tolerant of most soils, and very cold hardy. The yellow tulip like bloom opens in late spring and it’s leaves turn yellow in autumn. Be ready for its unique structure to reach 40-60 feet high and be 15-25 feet wide. Once established it is drought tolerant.