Water Gardening

Boyle County Extension Office 99 Corporate Drive Danville, KY 40422 (859) 236-4484 [email protected] Summer 2016 Volume 3, Issue 4 Inside this issue: Water Gardening Water Gardening 1 The popularity of water gardening has increased dramatically in Kentucky and throughout the country during the past few years, particularly due to the advent of hobbyist magazines and the Controlling Weeds By 2 Cultivating and Mulching appearance of mail-order and on-line plant sales and propagation information. Water gardens now are major attractions in arboreta and botanical gardens nationwide, and backyard water gar- 5 Conversation Piece 3 dens have become commonplace. Sales of equipment and Plants for Your Garden plants for water gardens have nearly doubled annually over Blue-flag Iris Which Trellis is Best? 4 the past five years, and industry projections suggest that this rate of increase will continue for at least another five Which Trellis is Best 5 years. An attractive water garden is an aesthetic asset and even may be a financial asset in terms of increasing proper- KY Proud Recipes 6 ty values. Most of the plants sold for water gardens and aquascaping, Upcoming Classes 7 are not native to Kentucky or the United States. The great majority of these plants never become problems. However, a few have proven to be highly inva- Kid’s Corner 8 sive (e.g., waterhyacinth and purple loosestrife) and have caused significant environmental damage through habitat destruction. These species crowd out more desirable native plants and may result in elimination of the types of habitat needed by aquatic invertebrates, fish, and wildlife. Trowel and Error 9 Their economic impact also may be devastating. Even some native species including cattails, waterlily, lotus, duckweed, and Plant Spotlight 9 mosquito fern, may become invasive if planted or allowed to es- cape into ponds, lakes, streams, and wetlands. Dense growths of invasive aquatic and wetland plants obstruct navigable waterways, restrict drainage, clog water intakes, degrade water quality, and interfere with fishing and recreation. Careful consideration of the nature of the plants you plant to put into a water garden, aquascape, or wetland can reduce the likeli- hood of inadvertently creating an eyesore or major weed manage- ment problem. A wise approach is to select native vegetation whenever available and to plant only those species which usually Horsetail are not invasive. Plants such as blue-flag iris, pickerelweed, horsetail or scouring rush, soft rush, several species of spikerushes, lizard's tail, arrow arum, and arrowhead are native, have attractive foliage and/or flowers, are easily established and well adapted to the Kentcuky environment, and usually do not become serious problems (i.e., they are easily man- aged). They all are perennial, overwinter nicely, and are available from in-state aquatic and wetland nurseries. Arrowhead Pa ge 2 The Boyle Co. Thymes Volume 3, Issue 4 Controlling Weeds by Cultivating and Mulching Bob Polomski, Extension Consumer Horticulturist, and Debbie Shaughnessy, HGIC Horticulture Specialist Mulches can be divided into organic, such as grass clippings, and inorganic, such as black plastic. Mulches can be the easiest and most effective way to control annual weeds in the garden. Mulches may also suppress perennial weeds. Mulches control weeds by preventing sunlight from reaching the soil surface. Light is required for the germination of certain weeds, and light is required for the growth of all green plants. Organic Mulches: Organic mulches include grass clippings, pine bark, straw or similar materials. Organic mulches cool the soil surface, which is beneficial during hot summer days, but may reduce crop growth in the spring. Do not use grass clippings from a lawn that has been treated with a broadleaf herbicide such as 2,4-D. Tomatoes, peppers and most other vegetables are very sensi- tive to 2,4-D and could absorb residues of the compound from the treated grass clippings. Avoid over mulching, which can reduce oxygen levels in the soil. Crop roots require oxygen for growth, so limit the mulch layer to a maximum of about 3 inches. Organic mulches provide good control of annual weeds, but perennial weeds may be able to push through the mulch layer. Also, annual weeds may germinate and grow in the mulch layer. When using an organic mulch, make sure that the source is not contaminated with weed seed, rhizomes or tubers. Weeds are often spread by contaminated mulch, making weed control harder than if no mulch was used. Inorganic Mulches: Inorganic mulches are synthetic and can be divided into black plastic and the newer geotextiles. Black plastic, a solid sheet of polyethylene, effectively controls annual weeds. The disadvantage of black plastic is that water and oxygen cannot pass through this material. Check the soil under black plastic during the growing season to ensure that the soil contains ade- quate moisture. Black plastic warms the soil, which is an advantage in the spring but can be harmful in the summer. Clear plastic, which increases soil temperature more than black plastic, will not control weeds since sunlight can reach the soil surface. Perennial weeds may be suppressed by black plastic, but plants like yellow nutsedge will push through the material in places. The new geotextiles, also called weed barriers, are woven or spun-bonded fabrics containing polypropylene or polyester and may come in black or white. These fabrics are more expensive than black plastic, but they allow water and gases to pass through. Research generally indicates good control of annual weeds, but annual weeds may be able to germinate above the fabric and send their roots down through. Since mature weeds remove large quantities of moisture and nutrients from the soil, removing the weeds when they are young is important. Hand-pulling works for small gardens and raised beds, but a hoe is critical for larger gardens. Cut off weeds just below the soil surface with a sharp hoe. Hoeing must be shallow be- cause most vegetable roots are near the soil surface and can be easily damaged. Manual-powered rotary cultivators do a good job on long rows and pathways, provided that the soil is not too wet or dry and the weeds are small. In large gardens with widely spaced rows, a rotary tiller of appropriate size makes the work easy and fast. Hand- pulling or hoeing are best for removing weeds near vegetable plants. Deep cultivation with any instrument is likely to damage roots or stems of crop plants. While cultivating, try to move as little soil as possible to limit the amount of weed seed brought to the soil surface that can then germinate. It is best to cultivate when the soil is moist but not wet. After removing weeds from the garden, apply mulch to control later germinating weeds. Once vegetable plants become established, their foliage will begin to shade the ground. This shading effect reduces the amount of light available for weed germination and development. Close spacing of the vegetables will decrease the amount of time required for the crop canopy to significantly shade the soil. If weeds are controlled initially by other means, crop competition will reduce weed growth once the vegetables become well-established. A combination of mulching and hand-weeding will probably be the best system for most home gardeners. Herbicides could be used for special situations, such as for the control of perennial weeds. Early-season weed control will greatly reduce the time required for hand-weeding later in the growing season. The Boyle Co. Thymes Volume 3, Issue 4 Pa ge 3 5 Conversation-Piece Plants For Your Garden Tall Purple Fernleaf Fiddleneck Phacelia tanacetifolia is used extensively in Europe, and more increasingly in California vineyards, as a cover crop and bee forage plant. It is also a beautiful decorative, so quite versatile. The quick growing and blooming plants winterkill at 18F degrees so great for fall sowing. It is one of the top 20 honey producing flowers. In addition to feeding honey bees, it attracts a wide range of beneficial pollinators. The blooms last for a very long period. Germinates at cool temperatures. Great root structure breaks up clay soil. Grows up to 4' to 5 feet on strong erect stems with lacy foliage Passiflora caerulea is the classic passionflower, with a 3" creamy blossom with blue fringe, stripes, dots, and lime green stamens - a fantasy flower. Native to Argentina, it thrives in warm zones 9-11, but is an easy annual elsewhere. In full sun and fertile soil, this is one enthusiastic vine, needs strong support and will cover a fence or trellis in a season. Hedgehog Cucumbers Cucumis sativus look like small, prickly, striped gourds. They're native to South Africa, where they were once pickled and preserved, but are best grown for your amusement. Perennial vines produce hundreds of silly, spiny, striped fruits the size of a kumquat. The fruits start out light green with dark stripes, then ripen cream color with purple stripes. They look very cool in a bowl and have great crafting potential. Vines grow about 6' tall, are perennial in warm climates and tough annuals elsewhere. In Africa they grow naturally on steep rocky slopes and sand dunes, survive ungodly heat and drought, but don't mind being watered and look prettier when grown in some shade. Carefree and prolific, one vine can produce a hundred little hedgehogs. 85 days. Globe Thistle Echinops ritro This tall upright perennial's steely purple-blue, spherical flower heads and spiny leaves command attention, even from the back of the border. Flower heads attract bees and make great cut- and dried-flowers arrangements, too.

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